Just want to make sure y'all read this book!!!

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown:  Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia DeBelle Byrd

If you're reading this review, I'm sure you already read the one posted by my lovely and much more famous daughter, Stephanie the Bookworm.  As soon as I read it, I demanded she give it to me read, thus holding up the person she is sending this to from Good Reads (sorry 'bout that, but motherhood has some privileges!) BTW, she did send it out today.  She doesn't usually give her books away, but this one was so cute and she really wanted to get it out there so more people could enjoy it, it's that good!

Anyway, I was a southern belle myself for a short time when I was a little girl and we lived in Smyrna, Georgia for a few years, so I am always interested in the Southern way of life.  This book is a collection of short essays on a variety of topics that are all so amusing.  My particular favorite is where she is describing a friend of hers who was on a very long car trip with her three children.  After hours and hours of listening to them fight, she finally snapped, turned and pointed to them each in turn and said, "I hate you, I hate you and I hate you."  Love it and could totally identify with that emotion.

If Stephanie didn't convince you to give this book a try, I hope I gave you a little push in the right direction.

P.S.  The author is so sweet - after Stephanie posted her review, she sent her a thank you note!!  How very Southern and polite of her!!

So what are you waiting for, go get this book!!!!

Been reading, but no time to write reviews!!!

My last post was March 8th.  I am so ashamed.  I've actually read quite a bit since then, but have been too busy (or lazy) to write reviews.  

WHAT I READ

Miles to Go  by Richard Paul Evans

This is the second in the series of "The Walk."  I read "The Walk" last year when it came out and it was so good, I read it in one sitting.  This is not as great an accomplishment as it sounds, as these are short books, but so well written.  In the first book, Alan Christoffersen, loses his wife, his house and business within a month.  He decides to cash in everything he owns and walk from Seatle to Key West with only a backpack. 

"Miles to Go" picks up where "The Walk" left off.  I won't ruin it for you, because if you haven't read "The Walk" yet, you should definitely read that first. 

I can't recommend these books enough.  The character of Alan is so sad, yet so strong and I can't wait to read the third installment, which unfortunately doesn't come out until April of 2012.  I absolutely guarantee you will love these books!!!


On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt

Richard Kilmer is head over heels in love with Jennifer Ryan, who takes him home to meet her parents, where she accepts his marriage proposal.  During a drive, a freak storm rolls in and Richard loses control of the car.  When the storm clears in a matter of seconds, Jen is gone.  Neither Richard nor the police responding to the scene can find her.  More horrifying is that no one in Richard's life will confirm Jen's existence and all traces of her disappeared.  Has Richard lost his mind or has something far worse happened?


David Rosenfelt is one of my favorite authors, who has on ongoing series featuring smartass lawyer, Andy Carpenter, which is awesome.  At first I was disappointed that this book wasn't about Andy and the gang, but this book drew me in within the first few pages and I kept reading way past my bedtime so I could see how it ended.  This kept me guessing until the end, every time I thought  maybe I had it figured out, there was another twist. 

If  you've never read any of his work before, you definitely should.  This is a great stand alone book, but the Andy Carpenter series is totally a must read!!!

What I Watched

Dear FX network:

I hate you for making such an excellent show, "Lights Out", canceling it and then leaving the series finale with such a terrible cliff hanger!!   I hope one of the other cable networks is smart enough to pick this up and continue the story.

Totally unrelated, also hated the musical episode of Grey's Anatomy, but I don't know of anyone who liked it.  And since this horrible episode aired, there have been nothing but repeats.  I've been a fan since day one, but they're going to have to step it up, 'cuz I'm losing interest. 

Not a good TV week at all!!!

I Still Dream About You

By Fannie Flagg

What It's About:  Maggie Fortenberry is a former Miss Alabama and now a successful real estate agent.  From the outside, anyone would think she is living the perfect life. Maggie has had some heartbreak and secrets from her past and she has come up with a plan to take care of it all.

What I Thought About This Book:  I am always charmed and delighted by Fannie Flagg's books.  This one, as are all of her books, is filled with warm, crazy, funny characters.  My particular favorite is Hazel Whisenott, a self confident "small person", who was the original founder of Red Mountain Realty, where Maggie works as a real estate agent.  Although Hazel has already passed away (and is one of the reasons Maggie is so despondent), she is brought alive by the many memories shared by the other characters in the story. 

I tore through this book, as I couldn't wait to see how it all turned out.  Maggie's plan keeps getting postponed as one obstacle after another gets in the way of her carrying  it out.  I think anyone looking for a not too serious read would enjoy this or any of Ms. Flagg's books.

4.5/5


What I Watched

Today I want to talk about Lights Out, which is a new series on FX.  FX usually puts out one or two new series a year and they are almost always winners -Rescue Me, Damages, Justified and last seasons's Terriors, which was awesome, but unfortunately not renewed.

Lights Out is on Tuesday nights at 10:00 and I have to admit I was way behind without about four episodes on my DVR that I hadn't had a chance to watch yet.  My son also loves this show and has been pestering me to get caught up, so I had a marathon yesterday.  All I have to say is WOW! 

Patrick "Lights" O'Leary was the heavyweight boxing champ until his defeat five years ago by "Death Row" Reynolds.  He was badly hurt in this fight and his wife made him promise her that he would stop boxing.  Unfortunately Lights' brother Johnny, his business manager (and a complete douche) has squandered away all 12 million dollars of his winnings and now Lights is danger of losing everything.  He feels his only way out is to return to the boxing ring.

Although I  am not really a boxing fan, but loved all the Rocky movies, I must say there is something totally satisfying about watching some total jerk getting punched repeatedly.  The actual boxing is just a small part of this show and there's enough drama to keep just about anybody interested.  Give it a try, I think you'll like it!!!

OOPS!!!

My daughter the professional blogger, Stephanie the Bookworm or STBW as her dad calls her, pointed out to me that although I want to give my book away, The J.A.P. Chronicles, I mentioned to send me an e-mail without actually giving my e-mail address.  I am so not worthy.  She suggested instead that you leave me a comment instead. 

So, if you would like me to send you this book, do like she said.  Then I guess she'll tell me what to do after that.

Kids just love to tell you when you're stupid.

What I Read While I Was Sick

I  was out of commission for about a week, so was happy that I was able to lay in bed and do quite a bit of reading.  Unfortunately, once I was better, I had to catch up on all the work that I didn’t do while I was sick, so didn’t have time to write up my reviews.  So here they all are!!

Rescue by Anita Shreve

Rescue is the story of paramedic, Peter Webster, who pulls a mysterious woman, Sheila Arsenault, out the car she totaled while drunk.  He falls almost immediately in love with her and so begins their whirlwind romance, pregnancy and marriage.  Unfortunately, things do not stay idyllic for long and Sheila returns to her old ways and Peter is left alone to raise their daughter Rowan.  In Rowan’s 18^th year, she begins to give Peter trouble and he wonders whether to bring her mother back into her life or not.

Anita Shreve is a bestselling author and I’ve read some her work before and she never disappoints.  The characters are believable and despite Sheila’s many flaws, I was still pulling for her to succeed. 

I would definitely recommend this if you are in the mood for a serious book. 

4.5/5

Stately Pursuits by Katie Fforde

Hetty Longden has recently been dumped by her boyfriend (who felt that the best way to break up with her would be for her to find him in bed with another woman – what a jerk!) and is pretty much at loose ends, when her mother decides that to get over her broken heart, she should become the caretaker of her great uncle’s, in much need of work mansion.  

This is a British  novel, which I always enjoy.  I just love how they word things and the characters are so quirky and have eccentric neighbors and they live in the cutest little cottages.  It all just sounds so adorable and fun.  Hetty knows absolutely nothing about renovation, but with a lot of help from the supporting cast, she attempts to bring the mansion back to its former glory as a historic landmark.

This is a great book if you are looking for something light and not at all serious to read.

4/5

The Cotton Queen by Pamela Morsi

Laney Hoffman’s life has not quite turned out the way she planned, so she is forced to return home –back under the thumb of her beauty queen mother, Babs. 

I had never heard of this author before, but was intrigued as the back of the book had quotes from both Laney and Babs, each describing the other.  It’s also set in a small southern town, which usually means a good time with all the crazy town folk.

I really, really loved this book – the setting was great and the characters were people you’d imagine would inhabit a small town, all in each other’s business and driving each other nuts.  I would definitely recommend this. 

A side note – I picked this up used at my library’s book sale and it was autographed to  Rhonda from the author.  Shame on you Rhonda for not treasuring your autographed book!!!

5/5

The J.A.P. Chronicles by Isabel Rose

Willow Lake was THE camp for girls from the best families.  Seven former bunkmates come to together as adults at a reunion for a camp.  Ali Cohen, who is now an Oscar winning documentary film maker, was the outcast of the group and now wants to make a documentary about her former bunk mates.  They each agree to meet with her once they are back home for interviews about how their lives turned out. 

This was an interesting concept in that the former geek-turned-success tries to get a glimpse into the current lives of her former tormentors, hoping to find them miserable.  In the process, she learns a lot about herself and the illusions she had of these woman as girls.  I did like this book for the most part, but there were so many characters, that it was kind of hard to keep track of them all.  There would be a section highlighting each of the women, but when they were referred to later in the book, I had to refresh my memory as to which one was which. 

I did enjoy it and if anyone would like me to send them my copy, I would be happy to do so.  It was also bought at my library’s book sale, so it’s not a pristine copy, but it is a hard cover.  Just send me an e-mail with your address and I’ll  pop it in the mail for you. 

4/5

Well, there’s my reviews and now I’m tired.  I’ll have to leave the What I Watched  for another time.   Hope you saw something here you might want to read!!!

OMG, I have followers!! How cool is that!!

I would like to thank my awesome daughter, Stephanie the Bookworm, for announcing me on her blog and to all of her friends who decided to check mine out.  I have always been struck by the kindness of her followers and she truly feels as though they are friends.  Of course her blog is much more polished and professional than mine, as she is a professional reader (future librarian) and I am merely an amateur. 

I look forward to joining this fun circle of friends with her!!  Will write again soon, just have to  finish up "Rescue" by Anita Shreve.  So far, it's fantastic!!!

Welcome to my new blog!!!!

Welcome to my blog, Kim the House Mole.  Yes, I am a house mole and proud of it.  Not that I don’t go out, cuz I do, just not that much.  I’m pretty much a low maintenance girl (woman, ack!!)  I like to read and watch my shows, of which there are many.  My daughter, StephTheBookworm, has been blogging for over a year now and just loves it and has really encouraged me to start my own blog, mostly so I can go the BEA Convention with her in NYC in May. 

What I Read

For my first ever book review, I have chosen one of my favorite authors, Jen Lancaster’s newest book, “My Fair Lazy”.  My daughter and I have been loyal fans since her first book, “Bitter is the New Black”, which is hilarious.  You will laugh so hard that tears will be coming out of your eyes and even later when think about certain lines, you will laugh again all by yourself and people will question your mental capacity. 

Basically Jen, (yeah I feel that we are on a first name basis) is one of the most sarcastic, opinionated, funny people on the planet.  In “My Fair Lazy”, she is on a journey to transform herself from a reality TV watching sloth, into a sophisticated lover of arts and all things cultural.  She enlists her friend Stacy, who is everything Jen aspires to be, to teach her the ropes, and sometimes her poor husband, Fletch, who is coerced into taking wine tasting and other snobbery classes with her. 

I loved this book, as I loved all her books, because she makes me laugh.  One night I was reading while my husband was watching TV (probably that garbage picking show or the equally stupid Pawn Stars, I hate that guy), I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t stop and he told me I was weird.   She would like you to think that she is this cold, hard bitch, but when she describes her relationship with her three dogs (especially Maisy) and her many cats, you know she’s just an old softie inside. 

I would highly recommend this book or any of her books for that matter.  Just do it, she is a New York Times bestselling author you know.

What I Watched

I watch (or try to watch) a lot of shows.  I pay a lot for cable and want to get my money’s worth.  We have two DVR’s and they are both usually 90% full, so I don’t get to watch as much as I want as I also have to work for a living.  Why, oh why, have I not won the MegaMillions yet?

Today, I watched Friday Night Lights.  This is one of the all-time best shows on TV that not enough people watch.  This is their last season and it is so good.  So start with Season One - get it at the library or Netflix or Amazon or wherever you get your DVD’s, and I guarantee you will be hooked.    Yes, I’m a little bossy, but I’m a mom and that’s my job. 

So this is my blog.  Hope you liked it.