Books Are Life Hits 1000!!

I started this blog simply as a way to share my love of reading and get to know even more authors and books! 


Well here we are 4 months later and Books Are Life has reached over 1000 hits!  YAY!!


I love seeing where all the hits have come from, it is amazing - Germany, France, India, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Czech Republic.  WOW!

A heartfelt thank you to all out there who have stopped by Books Are Life to take a look!  Invite your friends and stop by again soon!

And remember,
Books Are Life,
Heather

Book Review - Simmer Down by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

Title:  Simmer Down
Author:  Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant
ISBN:  9780425213858
Publisher:  Berkley Prime Crime

Synopsis:  Chloe Carter's boyfriend, Josh Driscoll, is prepping for the opening of Simmer, Boston's hottest new restaurant. But at a fund-raiser featuring samples of Josh's cuisine, a trendy club owner is found bludgeoned to death-by Josh's state-of-the-art, professional-grade food processor, the ominously-named Robocoupe.

By opening night at Simmer, the list of suspects is almost longer than the line to get in. And Chloe is struggling to solve the crime before the final course is served.

My thoughts:  This is book #2 in the Gourmet Girl series (I just wrote a review on the first one, so check it out).  Again, I really like this series.  Chloe and her chef beau, Jeff, are busy preparing for the New Year's opening of a new restaurant, Simmer, when the body of a Boston club owner is found dead. 

I love the characters in these books.  Chloe is hilarious . . . ok, I look a little funny laughing out loud by myself when I am reading these books, but her comments are too funny not to crack up!  The other characters are quirky, unique, and just plain fun. 

These books are super fast, fun reads.  A great summer beach read!

 My Rating: : - )  : - )  : - )  : - )  Really liked it!  On to number 3

And remember,
Books Are Life,
Heather

Book Review: Steamed by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant

Title:  Steamed
Author:  Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant
Publisher:  Berkely Crime
ISBN:  0425208052


Synopsis (from Publisher's Weekly):  This delectable collaboration between Jessica Conant-Park and her mother, Susan Conant, author of the Cat Lover's and the Dog Lover's mystery series (Scratch the Surface, etc.), introduces an appealing heroine, Chloe Carter, a boy-crazy 20-something gourmand who lives in Brighton, Mass. Chloe thinks she might have found both romantic and gastronomic satisfaction in Eric Rafferty, a foodie she meets online. But their first date is a bust: Eric is a dolt, and he winds up getting stabbed before dessert. Chloe later falls for gorgeous Josh Driscoll, a chef acquaintance of Eric's. But Josh has a temper-and it turns out he owned the knife that killed Eric. Chloe must help clear Josh's name if their romance is to stand a chance. This scrumptious cozy, the first of a new series, has it all-charming characters, snappy dialogue and mouth-watering recipes. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.


My Thoughts:  I happened to run across this cozy (#1 in the Gourmet Girl series) in the library and really enjoyed it.  Written by a mother/daughter team, this series introduces us to Chloe Carter, a somewhat aimless food lover, struggling social work grad student, and all around funny gal.  Chloe decides that it is time to get back in the dating world so she signs up with an online dating site as Gourmetgirl.  She is excited and hopeful that her date with Eric Rafferty, a food lover, will turn out great!  When Eric is found dead in the bathroom, things change!! 


I found the characters quite charming, funny, and really likable.  There were definitely laugh out loud moments in the book when Chloe found herself in interesting situations!  At times I felt like I was reading the Confessions of a Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella (a series I really enjoyed) as Chloe struck me as very similar to Rebecca Bloomwood without the shopping habit :)

I really like this book.  I have started the second book and eagerly ran to the library today to get the remaining three in the series.  I have to see what these people get into next! 
Well worth the read!

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

And Remember,
Books Are Life,
Heather

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

"Share your favorite post from the last month and tell us wy its close to your heart"

My favorite post would have to be my post about graduating with my Master's degree at the end of May.  I worked hard and met many great people who I hope will be friends for years to come!  And now I am ready to get back to my life, enjoying a summer of concerts, grilling, and most importantly reading and getting back to my blog!

Happy weekend all!

And Remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather