Aloha!!!

Happy Wednesday all! 

Well, I booked my August trip to Hawaii this afternoon and am SOOOOO EXCITED!  I have been there the last three years and am hooked.  It is an absolutely gorgeous place and I can't wait to visit again!   This year I am extending my trip a little and doing a conference for one week followed by an additional week of pure vacation!  Beaches, sun, ocean, and relaxation!  Time to get the beach reads ready!!! 

Aloha!
Mahalo!

Books Are Life,
Heather

Teaser Tuesday

This weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading is a fun way to check out what your fellow book bloggers are reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from the page. PLEASE DON'T INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the author and title of the book so that others can add it to their TBR list if they want.

My tease:

"You trust him?"
"Completely.  He keys in on aggressive behavior and can read body language better than any human I know."

Buzz Off by Hannah Reed  (A Queen Bee Mystery)




Books Are Life,
Heather

Cozy Review: Farm Fresh Murder (A Farmer's Market Mystery #1)

Title:  Farm Fresh Murder (A Farmer's Market Mystery #1)
Author: Paige Shelton
Pages:  304
Publisher:  Berkley
ISBN:  9780425233870

Synopsis (from bookcover):  Becca Robins leads a simple life, making jams and preserves on her very own farm.  But when there's a murder in her quaint little town, she goes from making jam to being in one . . .

Becca is late for her stall time at Bailey's Farmers' Market.  By the time she arrives, the normally lush and lively market has turned into a crime scene, with a murdered peach vendor as the featured item of the day.

Cranky old Abner Justen sells wildflowers and is like a father to Becca.  It seems he's also te number one suspect, seen arguing with the victim just days before.  as Becca seeks the truth, she comes to realize that life in the friendly farmers' market is filled with bushels of secrets and deceit.  To preserve her own life, she'll have to sniff out he murderer before he spoils the market for everyone. 

My thoughts:  A great debut in another great cozy series.  The author introduces us to Becca Robins, another strong, absolultey no nonsense sleuth who sets forth to clear her friend's name, save her sister's reputation, and save the farmer's market she loves! 

Set in a quaint, small community, the reader has a chance to really begin to know the characters in this town.  Becca's twin sister, Allison, manages the local Bailey's Farmer's Market.  Becca is the jam lady!  She lives on and runs her own farm where she makes her homemade preserves and jams to sell at Bailey's. 

I am hoping that many of the characters return in the second book and that the author gives us a better glimpse into the lives of Becca and Allison. 

The second in the series . . . . Fruit of All Evil was released March 1, 2011!  It's already on my list. 

Happy reading!

My rating:  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  Liked it!

And remembers,
Books Are Life,
Heather

Cozy Review - Roast Mortem (Coffeehouse Mystery #9)

Title:  Roast Mortem (Coffeehouse Mystery #9)
Author:  Cleo Coyle
Pages:  316
Publisher:  Penguin Group
ISBN:  9780425234594


Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):  After local firefighters pull Clare out of a blazing café, she happily comes to their rescue by teaching them the finer points of operating their newly donated espresso machine. But matters really heat up when somebody is torching cafes around the city and firefighters begin to die in suspicious ways...


Believing the two events are related, Clare investigates, staking out a five-borough bake sale and sniffing out clues in the pizza ovens of Brooklyn. When her detective boyfriend, Mike Quinn, is pulled into the fire of a false accusation, Clare is desperate to put out the flames. But will she be able to come to Mike's rescue before someone tries to extinguish her?


My thoughts:
Cleo Coyle returns with her 9th installment in the Coffeehouse Mystery series - another great book in a great series!  In this book, the author pays tribute to the firefighters and heroes of September 11, 2001.


Clare, the owner of the Village Blend, finds herself being rescued from a burning cafe owned by one of her ex-mother-in-laws friends, Enzo.  Many believe it may be an accident, but Clare has her suspcions from the very beginning that it may be arson?  Soon, cafes all around town are being torched.  Clare is of course on the case.


I don't know if it's my insane love of everything related to coffee, but I really enjoy these Coffeehouse mysteries.  I do find myself wishing this one would have been set more in the Village Blend.  The characters spent more time out and about in the city and the firehouse than in the coffee shop.  I felt like it was a little disconnected from the actual cafe and lost that feeling I love about the Coffeehouse Mysteries.  I love imagining what the interior of the cafe looks like and the wonderful smell that would come when opening up the door of the Village Blend to smell the fresh roasted coffee!


And as always, the author includes coffee-roasting tips and great recipes at the end! 


Overall, a really good read.  Relaxing, renewing, and I am already looking forward to the next one . . . Murder  By Mocha release date August 2, 2011!!!!

Happy reading!

My Rating:  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  Liked it!

And remember,
Books Are Life,
Heather

Theme Thursdays 3/24/11

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

-A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday's)

-Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading

-Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post

-It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don't necessarily need to have the word)

Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have "They kissed so gently" or "Their lips touched each other" or "The smooch was so passionate"

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week's theme is - BUILDING


"The greenhouse was half as long as a football field and probably not quite as wide.  There were rows and rows of flowers that seemed to be planted in tables."       - Farm Fresh Murder by Paige Shelton

Books Are Life,
Heather

Tuesday Top Ten

Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves

Brought to you by Broke and Bookish

I have so been enjoying reading people's posts on this, they are hilarious and oh so true, so true!!

1.  People interrupting you when you are reading to talk.  This used to happen to me all of the time over my lunch break.  There must be some kind of draw between me picking up my book and people wanting to talk to me.  As soon as people see you are reading they interrupt to engage in discussion, like it somehow makes them uncomfortable that you are reading.  Isn't simply holding a book a sign to people that I want to read?  I guess not :)

2.  Borrowing people your books and getting them back all beat up.  I treat my books very well and hate getting them back with the spines all broken and pages bent up.  Why oh why do you have to be rough on books?

3.  Long sections in the middle of a book that serves no purpose but to fill pages.  My favorite example is Mount Dragon by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preseton.  There was literallyl 150 pages in the middle of the book where the characters were riding through the desert on horses - ugh!  Why?

4.  People who say "Oh I wish I had all that time to read".  I figure if you really like to read you can find some time in your day to get it done - even if it is a small amount of time.  We are all busy and find time to do those things we value and like.

5.  Books that are overhyped.  Like with movies, the more press and hype they get and the more people tell me I'm going to love them, the more I end up disliking them.

6.  People who look down on the type of book genre you read.  In my opinion, reading is good!  I don't care what you read as long as you read.  I like to read cozy mysteries or psychological thrillers, they are no less than classics or great non-fiction.  Just read!

7.  Those that think that reading means you are being antisocial.  I'm not reading because I want to avoid you, ignore you, or don't want to talk to you.  I am just reading because I really like reading.  

8.  Reading a series book out of order.  I hate it when I read a great book with great characters and find out it was not the first book in the series.  I really only like to read books in order.  

9.  Books that are completely mangled in their movie form.  I try not to see a movie that is based on a book before I finish the book.  I really want to form my own ideas and mental images of what the characters are like and not be influenced by what someone else thinks.  

10. Books that end weakly and that leave you wondering where did that come from!  You all know what I'm talking about. 

Loved this topic,

Books Are Life,

Heather

Tyndale Press and Book Club Newsletter

Tyndale Book Club E-Newsletter

I just discovered this posted at  Crazy For Books and thought you might want to know!

"In honor of Tyndale launching its new book club enewsletter we’re running a 30 day giveaway on our website. The Book Club Hub Newsletter will be an email newsletter geared towards people who are in or are running book clubs. It will feature suggestions, discussion guides and great ideas for your book clubs. You can see a preview by clicking here.

To enter the giveaway you just need to visit the contest page and click on the book you’d like to sign up to win. You can even go back and sign up for both books. Each day is a new giveaway so you can return to the site each day and try to win. Every few days the books change, so check back!"

As a bonus, bloggers can win! Here's how:

1. Visit the page and sign up to win one or both of the free books daily

2. Post about this giveaway and about the Book Club Hub Newsletter on your blog.

3. Fill out this form with the address of your blog post.

4. Shake at least two people’s hands today and tell them about the contest.

The first 100 people to fill out this form will win a free copy of The Holy Bible Mosaic: NLT!

Good luck!

Open to U.S. residents.


Books Are Life,
Heather

Sooo excited! I'm a winner!

Happy Monday to everyone!

My Monday started out on a great if not completely unexpected note when I checked my email and found out that I was a winner of a first read from Goodreads!  Yay!  I'm a winner.  This is the first time I have ever won a free book! 

So I will be receiving:

      The Other Rembrandt by Alex Connor

I will be posting a review as soon as I finish it!

Books Are Life,

Heather

Review: Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett

Title:  Chapter & Hearse (Booktown Mystery #4)

Author:  Lorna Barrett

Publication Date:   2010

Publisher:  Penguin

ISBN:  9780425236017

Synopsis (from Amazon.com):

Mystery bookstore owner Tricia Miles has been spending more time solving whodunits than reading them. Now a nearby gas explosion has injured Tricia's sister's boyfriend, Bob Kelly, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, and killed the owner of the town's history bookstore. Tricia's never been a fan of Bob, but when she reads that he's being tight-lipped about the "accident", it's time to take action.

My thoughts:

No doubt about it, I love my cozies!  This book is #4 in the Booktown Mystery Series.  The series is set in Stoneham, New Hampshire, a small town that been redeveloped into a booktown with a main street of one bookstore after another of different themes.  I ask you, what booklover would not want to visit this fictional town! 

Everytime I read one of the Booktown Series, I want to be there and I picture myself strolling down the street visiting each bookstore.  Booktown is home to Haven't Got a Clue (the mystery book store owned by Tricia Miles, the main character in the series), next door is The Cookery (the cookbook store owned by Angelica, Tricia's sister, who also owns Booked for Lunch, the cafe across the street).  Booktown is also home to History Repeats Itself (the history bookstore), Have a Heart (the romance bookstore), The Coffee Bean, The Armchair Tourist (travel books), and the Bookshelf Diner.

In this book in the series, a gas explosion injures Bob Kelly, the president of the town's Chamber of Commerce and kills Jim, the owner of History Repeats Itself.  The clues start to mount up and many people in town have a motive to kill and begin looking like viable suspects.  T

Tricia sets out to find the killer and finds . . . (I guess you will have to read it to find out)!!

The characters and the plot are simple, yet somehow draw you into their town and their world!

I think it is worth a nice relaxing, cozy read!

Overall rating:  :)  :)  :)  :)  Liked it!!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

Are you a harcover book or a paperback book??

Happy Saturday all!  I just found this quiz posted by Hilde on The Turn of the Page!  It is quick, easy, and fun!  Take the quiz here, post your results on your blog, and encourage others to take it! 

You Are a Hardcover Book

When it comes to reading, you tend to stick to old and modern classics.  You are picky about what you read.  You probably anticipate certain books' releases, and you snatch them up the moment they're available.  You have been building a library of books that mean a lot to you.  You carefully consider every book before decidend to add it to you collection.  You believe that if a book is worth reading, it's worth paying more to have it in hardcover.

What are you?

Books Are Life,
Heather

Friday's Book Blogger Hop!!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!  And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!  We get over 200 links every week!! 

This Weeks Question is:

Do you read only one book at a time or do you have several going at once?

My answer:  I am a one book at a time kind of girl.  I have never really been the type to have multiple reads going on at the same time.  I savor one and move on to the next!!


Thank you to crazy-for-books.com for hosting this greatly weekly blog get together!!!  Happy Birthday!

Books Are Life,
Heather

Reading Therapy!!!

Well, I had one of those days where things just went from bad to worse!  Ugh!  One of those days where you realize you should have just stayed in bed. 

So, this type of day demanded a little self-care, and what better way for a reader to feel better than a trip to the library!   Reading therapy is fabulous!

I got a few things I was looking for and a few great surprises!! 

Secrets of the Grave by Tami Hoag (#2 in Deeper than Dead series)

Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle (Coffeehouse Mystery series #9)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

TGIF tomorrow,

Books Are Life,

Heather 

Theme Thursdays, created by Kavyen @ Reading Between Pages, is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:


*A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
*Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
*Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
*It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week’s theme is – CROCKERY / UTENSIL 


"Tricia eased the bows and plates onto a large plastic tray, hefted it, and backed out of the kitchen - and straight into one of the disgruntled customers.  The tray went flying, sending scalding soup, bread, lettuce, tuna, and pastrami sailing into the air to splatter the walls and floor."

Chapter & Hearse by Lorna Barrett (Booktown Mystery #4)

Books Are Life,
Heather

Whatcha Reading Wednesday!

Whatcha Reading WednesdaysHosted by: Busy Moms Who Love To Read

This week's Whatcha Reading Wednesday works like this: Just tell me what book you are currently reading or planning to start soon.

 

I am reading . . .

 

Chapter and Hearse by Lorna Barrett. 
It is book #4 in the Booktown Mystery series!

I LOVE Cozies!!

67 days until graduation . .  . and counting!  I can't wait to get back to my stacks of books and this wonderful book blog community.

Have a great rest of the week,
Books Are Life,
Heather

 

70 Days Until Graduation

Studying for my graduate school comps is seriously getting in the way of my reading time :(  As I sit looking at the questions over and over again, I keep thinking about all the great books I could be reading. 

But I checked he calendar today and it is 70 Days Until Graduation!!!!

Yeah!  i can't wait to have more free time to explore all the great reads on my TBR list. 

Have a great week all,

Books Are Life,
Heather

Friday Blog Hop!!! TGIF!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!  And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!  We get over 200 links every week!! 

This week's question is . . .

If I gave you $80 and sent ou into a book store right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?

Love this question, it would have to be . . .

• Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle (Coffehouse Mystery Series #9)
• Silent Mercy by Linda Fairstein
• 9th Judgment by James Patterson (Women's Club Mystery Series #9)
• Sing you Home by Jodi Picoult
• Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

What's on your list?

Books Are Life,
Heather

Review: La's Orchestra Saves the the World

Title:  La's Orchestra Saves the World

Author:  Alexander McCall Smith

Publication Date:  2008

Publisher:  Random House, Inc.

ISBN:  9780307473042

Synopsis (from Amazon.com)

Set mainly during WWII in England, this quiet story about a woman who makes a new life for herself falls short of bestseller Smith's best work. After La Stone's husband leaves her for another woman in France, La retreats to a small cottage in Suffolk given to her by her mortified in-laws. The isolation and peacefulness suit La, who joins the Women's Land Army soon after the outbreak of war. When Feliks Dabrowski, an attractive Polish ex-pat, is assigned to the same farm where La is assisting with chores, La is attracted to him, despite her suspicions that Feliks hasn't been fully truthful about his past. La's idea to launch an amateur local orchestra to boost morale proves an unexpected success and helps give her purpose during the war's darkest days.

My Thoughts

Although I have never read any of Alexander McCall Smith's (author of bestselling Ladies #1 Detective Agency series) books before, I was immediately intrigued by the statement on the front of the book which read "A metaphor for the tranformative power of music . . ."  As a music therapist, I am immediately drawn in by anything that discusses the power of music and how music can effect change in people. 

The story is set in England during WW II.  Lavender Stone, known to her friends as La, experiences the breakup of her marriage.  She moves from England to rural Suffolk to start a new life.  As she becomes involved in the war movement, she decides to start a small community orchestra to build morale and bring people together in solidarity during the difficult time of war. 

"She moved to Mozart, because he had the greatest healing power.  The music reminded her:  love and los were inextricably linked.  This world was a world of suffering; music helpd to make that suffering bearable."

I really enjoyed this book.  Alexander McCall Smith's writing can be described as none other than simply beautiful.  His words are graceful and almost left me feeling somehow peaceful and relaxed as I read. 

I do wish there would have been slightly more focus on the orchestra and the role of music in the lives of these people during a time of war rather than on the relationships, but all in all a good read!

Overall Rating:  :)  :)  :)  :)  Liked it!

And remember . . . 

Books Are Life,

Heather   

Theme Thursdays!!

This is a great new weekly theme hosted by kavyen at Reading Between Pages. If you haven't checked out her blog, I highly recommend it!

Here are the rules:

• A theme will be posted each week on Thursday
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current read
• Post it along with the author & title of the book
• This event is open for the entire week

This week's theme is VEHICLE

Hmmmm,  let me see . . .

"With light bars blazing, another Sheriff's Department cruiser pulled up to the curb.  By now most of Main Street was blocked - not that there was much traffic along the Village's main thoroughfare once all the shops had closed for the day."

Chapter and Hearse (Booktown Mystery #4)

Lorna Barrett

Books Are Life,
Heather

Whatcha Reading Wednesday

This is hosted by Busy Moms Who Love to Read.  It's simple . . .

 Just tell me what book you are currently reading, or planning to start soon

Currently Reading

Chapter and Hearse (Booktown Mystery Series #4)

Lorna Barrett

According to the gossip around Stoneham, New Hanpshire, Tricia Milwa cannot put down a real murder mystery.  After all, the owner of the mystery bookstore Haven't Got a Clue has been spending more time solving whodunits tan reading them . .

Tricia's sister, Angelica, considers herself to be the next celebrity chef.  To celebrate her first cook book, Angelica hosts a launch party, but sadly the only gues is an oversized cutout of herself.  Worse than the lack of fans is a nearb gas explosion that inures her boyfriend, Bob Kelly, the head of the Chamber of Commerce.

Trician's never been a fan of Bob, but when she reads that Bob is being tight-lipped about the accident and how it killed the owner of the town's history bookstore, it's time to take action.  As the incriminating details emerge, Tricia gets wrapped up in teh murder that proves to be as spine-tingling as the books that line her shelves. 

Next on the List

Alex Cross series #17

What are you reading???

Books Are Life,

Heather 

Stealing a little extra reading time . . .

Happy Monday all! 

I was thinking today how time really rules everything!  I am counting down the 76 days until my graduate school graduation.  We get 30 minute lunch breaks . . . we work out for x minutes a day!

Well today luckily I had the opportunity to unexpectedly grab some extra reading time . . . I got to my first meeting of the day about 45 minutes early, which means more reading time!  I got to class tonight early because traffic was great, more extra reading time!

How do you steal extra reading time in your busy days???

Just fininshed La's Orchestra Saved the World by Alexander McCall Smith today, stay tuned for the review.

Books Are Life,
Heather

In My Mailbox!!

This is a fun weekly meme initiated by The Story Siren. You simply post about what books you have received during the week no matter the source--library, purchased, borrowed, etc.

My Finds This Week

1.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

2.  The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

3.  La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith

So what are you reading this week?

Books Are Life,

Heather

My Wishlist - Sing You Home

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post


I have never read any of Jodi Picoult's books, but ran across this one on the American Music Therapy Association website (musictherapy.org).  As a professional board certified music therapist (MT-BC) myself I am interested in seeing how the field of music therapy is portrayed.  I have read really great things about Jodi Picoult's works!

Sing You Home
Jodi Picoult

Synopsis (from amazon.com)
Popular author Picoult tackles the controversial topic of gay rights in her latest powerful tale. When music therapist Zoe Baxter’s latest pregnancy ends in a stillbirth, her husband Max decides he can’t handle any more heartbreak and leaves her. As she picks up the pieces of her life, Zoe is surprised to find herself falling for a school counselor who happens to be a woman. While Zoe is finding happiness with Vanessa, Max falls off the wagon and is helped by a pastor from his brother’s evangelical church. Vanessa and Zoe wed in Massachusetts, and Vanessa offers to carry one of the fertilized embryos Zoe and Max stored. Excited by the prospect of being a mother, Zoe goes to Max to get him to release the embryos to her and is shocked when he instead sues her for custody of them, backed by his church. Told from the perspectives of all three major characters, Picoult’s gripping novel explores all sides of the hot-button issue and offers a CD of folk songs that reflect Zoe’s feelings throughout the novel. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The always topical Picoult plans a multimedia tour to more than two dozen cities with Ellen Wilber, who will perform the songs she and Picoult wrote together. --Kristine Huntley

Keep wishing . . . and keep reading!

Books Are Life,
Heather

My First Review - Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent

Title:  Voluntary Madness

Author:  Norah Vincent

Publication Date:  2008

Publisher:  Penguin Group (USA)

ISBN:  161882476

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble)

Norah Vincent's New York Times bestselling book, Self-Made Man, ended on a harrowing note. Suffering from severe depression after her eighteen months living disguised as a man, Vincent felt she was a danger to herself. On the advice of her psychologist she committed herself to a mental institution. Out of this raw and overwhelming experience came the idea for her next book. She decided to get healthy and to study the effect of treatment on the depressed and insane "in the bin," as she calls it.
Vincent's journey takes her from a big city hospital to a facility in the Midwest and finally to an upscale retreat down south, as she analyzes the impact of institutionalization on the unwell, the tyranny of drugs-as-treatment, and the dysfunctional dynamic between caregivers and patients. Vincent applies brilliant insight as she exposes her personal struggle with depression and explores the range of people, caregivers, and methodologies that guide these strange, often scary, and bizarre environments. Eye opening, emotionally wrenching, and at times very funny, Voluntary Madness is a riveting work that exposes the state of mental healthcare in America from the inside out.

My Thoughts
As a mental health clinician, I really, really wanted to like this book and I have to say it wasn't what I expected.  Norah Vincent, a journalist who immerses herself in the environment that she is writing about, chronicles her experiences as she checks into three different psychiatric facilities.  I immediately had a strong negative reaction when I realized that she checked herself into the first facility not because she was experiencing any symptoms but simply for the sake of the "research".  So basically she faked her way in.  As a mental health professional I just couldn't help but think of all the individuals in our communities who need mental health services and are unable to get it for a myriad of reasons and she was there needlessly (ok, I'm sorry I will get off my soapbox now). 

The author unabashedly goes on to share her dislike of almost everything to do with mental health including psychotropic medication as a treatment option, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) used to diagnoss mental illnesses, psychiatrists, counselors, treatment modalities - you name it, she had something negative to say about it.  Her overall tone in the book made me as the reader feel that she was quite arrogant and somehow above the mental health treatment process - ironic, since she herself suffers from major depression and was put "in the bin" as she refers to it in 2004.  Her writing was very stream of conciousness and at times seemed scattered and difficult to follow.  I couldn't discern whether she wanted to write about the problems with the mental health systems or share her many struggles with her own mental illness and treatment. 

Not all was lost in this book however.  The author does make some legitimate points about the mental health system in the United States.  Her immersion in this experience clearly demosntrated a great disparity in treatment services between poorer individuals in urban settings and more affluent individuals who have the resources to afford a more upscale treatment facility.   

The book was not what I expected, but as with any book there is always something to be gained from reading!


Overall rating:  :-)  :-)     Didn' like it!

By the way I noticed its on BN.com for $5.98 as a bargain book if you want to try it for yourself! 


Rating System

:-)  Strongly disliked it!

:-)  :-)  Didn't like it!

:-)  :-)  :-)  It was ok!

:-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  Liked it!

:-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  Loved it!


And remember . . .
Books Are Life,
Heather

Friday Blog Hop!!!

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at her Crazy-For-Books book blog. The hop takes place every weekend and features a new topic or question for book bloggers to discuss or answer. It's a great way to meet other book bloggers and find new books to add to the 'to read' list! 

This week's question is courtesy of Mia at Girl About Books:

Question of the Week:

"Who is your all-time favorite book villain?

 

Well I absolutely love psychological thrillers and serial killer novels so I would say it is a tie between two:

1.  Kyle Craig in the Alex Cross books by James Patterson (just started the latest, Crossfire, and am so excited!!)

 

2.  Hannibal Lechter in the trilogy by Thomas Harris (come on, who doesnt love Silence of the Lambs)

 

 

Have a great weekend!

Happy reading!

 

Books Are Life,

Heather

Theme Thursdays!!

This new weekly theme hosted by kavyen at Reading Between Pages. If you haven't checked out her blog, I highly recommend it!

                               Here are the rules:

• A theme will be posted each week on Thursday
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current read
• Post it along with the author & title of the book
• This event is open for the entire week

This week's theme is FURNITURE

 

Here goes it . . . (drum roll please!!)

 

"After the triage hole, the ward seemed like a penthouse. . . My bed, one of four in my room was pushed up lengthwise against one of the windows, and I spent a lot of time, especially late at night when I couldn't sleep, sitting up in bed watching the lights glowing in the windows of skyscrapers."

 

Voluntary Madness

Norah Vincent

2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge

Kris at Not Enough Books is hosting the 2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge on its own dedicated blog. She writes:

It's that time of year again, time to sign up for the annual Cozy Mystery Challenge and start thinking about the books you'll want to read for the next 6 months.

Last year we had a great turn out and I hope we do just as well, if not better, in 2011.

For those who might wonder what a cozy mystery is, here's a great website that explains it and is a great resource for series: Cozy-Mystery.com I also have the 2010 list of read books still available on this blog, so feel free to browse through the list to see what members read last year.

The Rules:

• The goal is to read at least 6 cozy mysteries, one for each month. You can choose to read more, but you must read 6 in order to complete this challenge. You don't have to read 1 each month, you can read them whenever you like, you just have to read at least six.
• While you can overlap with other challenges, please try to have at least 2 of the books only count towards this challenge.
• You can sign up anytime between now and September 1st.
• You do NOT need a blog to participate.
• You do NOT have to list the books you plan to read ahead of time, although you can if you want to (and the list can change throughout the challenge).

There are three participation levels for this challenge:

1. Only the required amount - 6
2. I think I can do better - 7-10
3. Feeling very ambitious - 11+

Everyone who completes the challenge will get a bookmark made by Kris.

And there will also be giveaways!

Get all the details and sign up by visiting the sign up post.

 

I'm excited to take the challenge.

 

Books Are Life,

Heather

Random Musings!!

Happy March everyone!!  In my neck of the woods (Chicagoland area) we are eagerly waiting for spring  - warmer weather, maybe some sun, and no more snow!  As I was leaving from work today I happened to catch this beautiful sunset and realized I need to stop and smell the roses a little bit more, when was the last time I actually noticed a sunset?  Enjoy!

I also decided today to make a concious decision not to work straight through my lunch as I always do.  I am now going to take an actual break and do what . . . well READ of course!  I am excited to have even more time in my schedule to read! 

Speaking of books, I noticed that there is a great paperback sale going on right now on the Barnes & Noble website (bn.com) - on selected paperbacks, buy 2 and get 1 free!  I absolutely, of course, do not need more books, but let's be real I am going to take advantage of the opportunity to get:

*  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
*  The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larssoon
*  La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith 

Has anyone read the Stieg Larsson series?  Are they are good as I hear they are?  Let me know!

Books are Life,
Heather