Emma Corrigan is your normal girl; she works hard and is trying for a promotion, has a seemingly perfect relationship with her boyfriend, and, of course, a few secrets.  But, who doesn't?  She is absolutely terrified riding on a plane; so, when she has to go out of town for business, she completely panics.  To make matters worse, there are some complications with turbulence.  Thinking she is going to die, she reveals all of her secrets to the stranger seated next to her.  Figuring she'll never see the handsome man again, she goes on about her normal life once more.  Already dealing with the disaster of her first out of town meeting, she goes into work only to find that the company's CEO, Jack Harper, is coming for a visit.  To her horror Jack Harper CEO, is none other than the stranger from the plane.  Things can't possibly get any worse .... can they?


I have to say I was a bit skeptical about reading this book, since it was generated by the site What Should I Read Next.  However, what I found was that once I started reading I didn't want to put it down.  I really enjoyed it!  It was funny and romantic and very addictive.  Emma was a very believable character and it was easy to stick by her throughout the entire story.   I was able to feel all of her emotions from excitement and happiness to pain and humiliation.  Another thing I enjoyed was the mystery behind Jack Harper and what exactly his secret was.  I couldn't help but like him despite his betrayal of Emma.   It was a straight-forward story and  I loved the concept of what if your boss knew all your secrets.  Everyone has secrets, big and small, that we wouldn't want anyone knowing and that alone makes readers sympathetic to Emma's dilemma. (sorry guys I had to do it)  I liked her narration and the many "freak out" moments she had privately in her head.  This was a fun roller coaster of a book filled with highs and lows. 


There weren't many things I didn't like about this book.  The one thing that bothered me was (highlight to read spoiler) how Jack Harper revealed her secret on national television.  I felt that was very unrealistic.  I don't think  any newscast would allow him to go on and on about some of the silly little secrets that she had.  Furthermore, him being a big time CEO and multimillionaire, if he asked them to edit something out it should be done even he needed to fork over what would for him  be a small amount of money.  


Also, for me the ending was just okay.  I kind of wished that it all didn't unfold during her friend's big moment, even though the story isn't centered around her.  I know if I were Lissy I'd be a little upset if my best friend upstaged me on my big night.  I also really didn't like her flatmate Jemima and it has nothing to do with the stunt she pulled at the end of the  book.  It was just that I didn't really understand her relationship with Emma.  It is established that they are definitely not as close as Lissy and Emma.  For that reason, it didn't make sense for her to go to such extremes to "help" Emma.  I guess her character only serves to further teach the lesson: Be careful who you tell your secrets to.


Can You Keep A Secret? counts toward my Take A Chance Challenge.  This book exemplifies the reason I wanted to do this challenge in the first place.  I really wanted to expand my library to books that I don't normally read.  I can proudly say that I enjoyed this book, from beginning to end, and there were no werewolves, vampires, necromancers, or any other preternatural beings in it.  It also goes toward 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge.  If you're looking for an easy and entertaining read, you should really pick this one up.

Logan McRae is a high school sophomore with two amazing best friends.  She isn't very popular which is an understatement, she's more like invisible.  Her efforts to impress her teacher, Mr. Franklin aka Frankenstien, so she can get into a summer writing camp, has only resulted in average grades.  After rummaging through her parents things, she discovers a book called Fearless Astrology. With her new understanding the stars, she is able to become the most popular girl in school.  She gets her own column, on the zodiac,in the school newspaper, a date with her crush Nathan,and is starting to impress Frankenstien.  She also plans on catching a group of pranksters called, The Gears,  using the zodiac.  Can she rely on astrology to get the things she wants or will all her efforts be for nothing? 


I picked this  book  because I have always had an interest in astrology and I wanted to see how that would play into the story of this book.  Generally speaking this book was okay.  What I liked most about it was how astrology was infused into the plot.  Logan was okay but  wasn't as easy to relate to as I thought she should be.  The story was cute and I liked that there was an underlying mystery as to who "The Gears" are.   It was nice to see that the students accepted her ability to read the zodiac though equally unrealistic because most people I've encountered are very skeptical of it.  At some point, we all have our moments when we begin to become more confident in ourselves and Logan experiences this after reading Fearless Astrology.  I enjoyed seeing her whole character change as she becomes more confident and better at infusing herself into her writing.


The book wasn't that long and this was a fast, easy read.  It was well-written but aimed at a more younger audience than the books I'm used to reading.  It was fun to see her learn about each sign and apply what she learned to her situations.  I think some of the traits of the signs are eerily true.  The book wrap-up was good even though I guessed how it would end.  I don't know if I plan on reading the next book, Taurus Eyes, because it is for younger people.  But, you never know the stars may have others things in mind. 

I can't believe this is Book 19 of the Anita Blake series! Readers beware of spoilers. 
Back in St. Louis, Anita is trying to have as normal of a life as possible with multiple men sharing her bed, not to mention her other responsibilities that include vampire executioner, necromancer, head of her own triumvirate, and so on.  Things were going well until Mommie Dearest comes back from the dead to haunt her.  Both Anita and her beloved Jean Claude aren't just going to sit around and wait for her to bring them down; they have to act quickly if they are to survive.  Anita must dig deep putting her own personal feelings aside and use their powers of seduction to their advantage, and that's just what she plans to do.  


I, once again, find myself reading another Anita Blake book.  When I started this series a little over a year ago, I remember a time when the books were amazing and I loved Anita.  She was sassy, strong, and kicked some serious ass!  Flirt  was the last one I read back in March of 2010 and I was not impressed.  So, I had been putting off reading this one for some time.  I had such high hopes for Bullet since she got Flirt "out of her system."  Now, that I have finished this one, I have a lot to say and some of it  won't be nice.  Tough love. 


Starting from the beginning, there was a dance recital that she attended and I was hoping that something would happen like an attack or that she would get called away on official police business.  This was disappointment number one, instead of some type of cool start we got a lot of useless chapters about her guys dancing and a  petty argument with Monica.  What happened to Anita doing police work? Which brings me to disappointment number two, we get a glimmer of hope (after reading more than half of the book) when she gets a call saying that her expertise is needed on a case.  The only thing she gets to do is look at some gory video! Where's the fun in that? I want to see Anita kick some butt!  Disappointment number three, besides the beginning the whole book is set in the Circus.  I swear she never left "for her protection" but that didn't stop her in previous books.  I'm just so confused. 


This book raised a lot of questions.  Why did she feel the need to reintroduce every single character she has ever added to this series, except Edward? He would have made this book much better.  It got confusing with all the overly detailed descriptions of every single person.  She still continues to use the same words and phrases to describe everything, especially the sex.  It's like beating a dead horse. Okay, I understand being descriptive is all apart of good writing but seriously to go on and on about what everyone is wearing and what their hair looked like got, well, boring.  What happened to the plot?  It's so scarce in between the sex.  I will say this, there wasn't as much sex in this book as I thought there would be. She pushed the sexual aspect for Anita a lot in this book.  I mean she made it seem as though Anita would actually do oral on a chick. She didn't, but really?  That would be very out of character for her.  Also, out of character she is actually extremely less argumentative with her guys. I'm scratching my head about that one. On top of that, I can see her maybe being okay with Richard being in bed with someone else but Jean Claude too? I don't know about that. 


Okay, I can't complain about everything.  It was okay that we got to learn more about the tigers and lions.  Although, I thought even  that could have been more interesting.  And, at least we got to see her kill one person.  But then  that became somewhat annoying since she agonizes about his death throughout the rest of the book; even though he's not really that close to her.  I wish the person who died would have been someone closer to her, someone who should give her more grief.  She did show us that Anita is still tough in certain parts of the book, though I wish we saw that side of her more. Maybe, I'm being a little harsh or nit-picky but, in my defense, I have her earlier books to compare it to.  So, did like that The Mother of Darkness isn't dead, which is what I hoped for in a previous review.  I can't give too much away but she will definitely be harder to kill this time. Then there's Richard.  In this one, he's finally come around is a good, cooperative little wolf.  Haven't we seen this before? I hope it's for good this time but I still have my doubts. A major thing I liked was talks of Jean Claude being the head of an American Council!  If done right, that could prove to be really interesting.


With all that being said, I have invested so much time into this series.  I LOVE Anita Blake!  Despite some of the changes in character I've seen, she like my first born because Guilty Pleasures was my first time exploring this genre.  I finished this book with every intentions of quitting the series.  I guess you either have to accept it or stop reading it and I know I can't stop.  Like Anita, I thought about it a lot and I decided Anita wouldn't quit on me so I won't quit on her.  I'm begging!!  LKH please please make them better! Give us more plot and since you're going to do sex, make it better too!!   So, book 20 is called Hit List and I will be reluctantly reading it. 

W ... W ... W ... Wednesday Hosted  by Should Be Reading 


To play along just answer the following three questions: 

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

My First Teaser Tuesday!!  Hosted by Should Be Reading

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from that page
•  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away)
• Share the title and author so that other participants in TT can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!

"It was Kat in her full cheerleader attire, which is what Snider would call, well, sparse.  I remembered what I'd just read about Aries: The Ram often easily obtains the desired object or person, regardless of whether it's the best choice."

Dru Anderson has been different ever since she can remember.  She can sense things in the "Real World," bad things that normal folk don't have to worry about.  Living with her father isn't always easy since they move around A LOT.  His occupation?  To hunt those creatures of the night in the "Real World."  When her father fails to return home one night it is up to Dru to find him.  This task is going to prove more difficult than she ever could have imagined.  Daylight is her friend but she has to survive through the night or it could be her end. 


I was told that if I liked Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead that I would also like this book.  Well, I ended up absolutely loving the Vampire Academy series, so I figured I would give this one a try.  Sadly, I was a little disappointed.  The description on the actual book is a little misleading. It says: 

Dru Anderson. Night Hunter. Knife Thrower. Heart Breaker. 

I was expecting an amazing book and what I got was an okay book with a lot of potential. Dru was more like a younger version of Anita Blake from the series by Laurell K. Hamilton, only not as tough. However I was expecting someone more similar to Rose Hathaway.  Don't get me wrong, I liked the story and the concept but compared to other books in this genre it could haver been better.  There was a tiny thing, possibly petty,  that I felt shouldn't have irritated me, but did, and that was her spelling of werwulf.  Why? I guess to be different; I don't know but I didn't like it.
It took me longer than it should have to get through this book mainly because the main character, Dru, was somewhat annoying.  She is supposed to be this strong, female zombie fighter but she is more like a scared kid trying to act tough.  I suppose the latter is more realistic and I guess I can appreciate that but I wanted the girl to be more kick-ass. Given her loss and age, maybe that's a little harsh and I definitely can sympathize but I was rooting for her to pull it together but that moment never really happened.  I will say it wasn't all bad, once I got further into it, the action picked up and it became much more enjoyable.  Like I said before, this series has huge potential to be amazing!  There were a lot of things left open and I'm definitely interested enough to continue with the series.  I hope that the next installment Betrayals  doesn't disappoint. 

So, I know I really shouldn't add another challenge into the mix but I just couldn't help myself.  I just love reading books with strong female heroines! 
The goal of this challenge is to read AT LEAST 12 novels that have "Strong Heroines's" between January 1. 2011 and December 31, 2011.  Books read before January 1, 2011 DO NOT count towards the challenge. 
Click the link to sign up for 2011 Strong Heroine Reading Challenge  hosted by The Book Junkie's Bookshelf ---there are also links if you need ideas for books to read! 

1. Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow
2. Bullet - Laurell K. Hamilton
3. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
4. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins 
5. Almost To Die For - Tate Hallaway 
6. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Playing Time: 11 hours 35 mins.
Read by: Anna Fields
Published on February 9, 2005


When Alex suddenly has to relocate from Dublin to Boston, Rosie is left without her best friend since childhood.  So, her big plan is to move to Boston after her debs ball (prom) and not only be reunited with her best friend but also go to college.  But on the night she is supposed to leave she receives news that will keep her in Dublin indefinitely. Their friendship spans the course of 50 years so we are able to see their journey through life in a series of IMs, e-mails, letters, and chat rooms.  As Rosie finds out early, most things in life don't go according to plan but we have to play the cards we're dealt. 


This is a charming and frustrating tale of two friends.  They have a beautiful friendship filled with ups and downs, in which, for the most part, they support each other. There were times when I laughed and times when I wanted to yell at them both.  It's one of those things where you wish they would just tell each other the truth!  I was pulling for them to be together the whole book.  I had no idea that it would be read through a series of letters, etc. and once I found out, I was a little wry.  However, as I continued to read I began to like this book more and more.  One of the things I loved was how real this story felt.  All of the characters were likable and I was surprised by how much we get to know them all.  Life isn't a straight road you travel without any problems.  Rosie's road was filled with many obstacles that she had to overcome and she is lucky to have a friend like Alex to help her through.  


This is my first audiobook of the year and I couldn't have picked a better book to start off.  Anna Fields read it beautifully.  I loved the Irish accent and it was easy to listen to.  I literally devoured this book in one eleven hour setting.  One thing that takes some getting used to is how she has to indicate who is speaking; reading the IMs got a little irritating at times.  For example, having to say "From Rosie to Alex" or "From Alex to Kate"  over and over again.  It was necessary and for that reason, you may want to read it instead.  Also, it was a little difficult to keep up with how much time was passing.  It seems to go by pretty quickly from chapter to chapter but I suppose you have to move it along somehow.  Though I did enjoy the story, there were a couple points where  it felt like it was taking to too long to get to the end.   In spite of that, this was a wonderful story with a realistic outlook on life, love and friendship.  I will probably revisit this story in the future so I can be frustrated and fall in love all over again. 

Micah is a compulsive liar and has been her whole life convincing everyone from her parents, to teachers, and classmates.  However, she vows to tell the truth, the whole and nothing but.  Her change of heart is brought on by the brutal death of her friend and classmate, Zach.  The question is, is she capable of telling the truth when she is so used to lying about everything?  By the end of the book it is up to you to decide for yourselves what is truth and what is fiction.  


I had to read this book because the opinions I heard of it varied from absolute love to absolute hate.  I had to see for myself and I fell somewhere in between.  I wanted to like this book so much but I had a few issues. This book is divided up into three different parts, and each one she claims is truer than the last.  I don't want to give anything away because when you reach part two there is a bomb the size of Hiroshima.  What I can say is this book was extremely frustrating and infuriating.  Micah is the type of character that I wanted to like but couldn't.  Who likes a liar?  Also, she is a teenager, and like most teens she always tries to make herself out to be innocent no matter what the situation.  On top of everything, there are parts in which it feels like she laughs at the reader and makes us feel stupid, which was a turn off for me.  


The good thing about this book is that anyone who reads it will come to different conclusions about what they think happened.  I liked the way this book is written.  There are multiple points in which I was genuinely surprised by what the narrator says.  Once I finished the book, I did think about it after and it makes for good discussion -- if you can get through it.  It was interesting but I know for sure that I do not plan on revisiting this one later.  If you are interested in reading this one, I suggest getting it from the library. 
                                                                                                                           

So, I am excited about this book club. I have finally got the site up and running.  I selected the first book, which is Liar by Justine Larbalestier.  I finished the book so quickly that my review for the club site is up already.  On this site, I usually try to avoid spoilers but there are all kinds of spoilers on the club site.  The main reason for the book club is to discuss the books me and my friends have read and my review contains all kinds of spoilers so don't look at the full review if you haven't read the book yet. We decided to call it Literally Sexy Book Club  I hope everyone gets a chance to check it out and tell me what you think! 

2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge IF you want to sign up and try this challenge too!! My progress is listed below!!
Click here to see the entire 2010 Book Blogger Recommendation List.
The Levels:
Level I - Read 5 books from the 2010 Book Blogger Recommendation List
Level II - Read 10 books<-----
Level III - Read 15 books
Level IV - Read 20 books
Level V - Read 20+ books
The Rules: Challenge will run January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge. Create an intro post, linking back to this post. Sign up with the MckLinky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page. Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins. All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.) Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you. You don't need a blog to participate. Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

1. Can You Keep A Secret? - Sophie Kinsella 
2. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
3. The Giver - Lois Lowry 
4. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Whisper Stories in My Ear 2011 Audiobook Challenge hosted by Bewitched Bookworms Click the link if you want to try it too! My progress is listed below!!

2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge Click the link if you want to try this one too! My progress is listed below!
I tried for Jumbo Size last year and it didn't quite work out for me ... so this year I'm gonna play it safe and do the MINI.


1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Just create a post for the challenge and link to your challenge post in the linky below.
--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post.
2. There are four levels to this challenge...Pick your poison:
--The Mini – Check out and read 30 library books.  <-----
--"Fun" Size – Check out and read 40 library books.
--Jumbo Size – Check out and read 50 library books.
--Mega Size – Check out and read 51+ library books.
(Aim high. As long as you read 30 by the end of 2011, you are a winner.)
3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – basically any book counts just as long as it is checked out from the library. Books MUST be checked out like with a library card, books purchased at a library DO NOT count.
4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.
6. Challenge begins January 1st 2011 and goes thru December 31 2011.

The Take a Chance Challenge  Click the link if you want to try it too! (My progress is listed below)