September 4, 2012
 I admit it - I am jumping the gun. We picked our third book that we are reading together as a group and even though it's due next month I already finished. It was a smart, suspense-filled art heist of a ride. For those people who enjoy USA's "White Collar" and such movie classics as "The Sting" but are in the mood for some romance, this is perfect. B&N Says ~ Where passion lives...
The Maine air was bitter cold and
frigid as Dr. Miranda Jones returned to the family home after a busy
lecture tour. But her blood turned to ice when, out of nowhere, she felt
a knife held against her throat. The unseen assailant stole her bags,
slashed her tires . . . and disappeared. Shaken and bruised, Miranda was
nonetheless determined to put the assault quickly out of her mind. Then
comes a distraction in the form of a summons to Italy to verify the
authenticity of a valuable Renaissance bronze of a Medici courtesan
known as "The Dark Lady." However, instead of cementing Miranda's
position as the leading expert in her field, the job unexpectedly nearly
destroys it when her professional judgment is called into question.
Emotionally estranged from her mother, her brother immersed in his own
troubles-and a bottle-Miranda, desperate to restore her reputation, has
no one to turn to . . . except Ryan Boldari, a seductive art thief whose
own agenda forces them into a reluctant and uneasy alliance. Now, it
has become frighteningly clear that the incident that day in Maine was
not a simple mugging, and that "The Dark Lady" may possess as many
secrets as its beautiful namesake once did. For Miranda, forced to rely
on herself-and an enigmatic partner who offers her suspicion and an
intoxicating passion-the only way home is filled with treachery,
deception, and a danger that threatens them all.
AND!! If you are a sucker for old movies like I am check out How to Steal a Million with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole - it's streaming on Netflix!

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I
hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're
wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build
or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year,
you surprise yourself."
~ Neil Gaiman
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
July 10, 2012
 I totally judged this book by it's cover and I was soooo RIGHT!! Ha-HA!! I saw this on a display while at work and immediately wanted to be the girl in the beautiful patchwork jacket with the blonde braid riding a fierce black horse. Who wouldn't want to be her? The book starts out with an Anne of Green Gables feel: young girl living with her grandma on the edge of a small community. The girl is more at ease with nature and doesn't fit in at the school in town and can't stand to be inside lea... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
June 23, 2012
 I did it, and I liked it. Holding the Dream was well written, suspenseful and fun - a great relaxing read. Of course there was plenty of romance but I was not expecting the mystery aspect and it really reminded me of a grown-up Nancy Drew. I found myself needing to continue and read Finding the Dream and will probably go back and read the first sooner or later too. B&N says ~ Roberts continues her three-part saga of the Templeton Hotel dynasty
with the story of Kate Powell, the serious, p... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
May 14, 2012
 Definitely a change of pace from what I have been reading. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork is classified a teen book but it doesn't follow the recent trend of "paranormal romance". We follow 17 year old Marcelo through a summer of experiences outside of his comfort zone which sounds ordinary enough except for the fact that he lies possibly somewhere along the Autism spectrum. He refers to himself in the third person, he can hear "internal music" and his special interests lie i... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
May 1, 2012
Another successful meeting! What a great group of ladies we have in this book circle that read such a variety of different things - it's always inspiring!! Since the last meeting I managed to get two more books under my belt. The first came highly recommended from a fellow bookseller. The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone explores the Thorne Rooms which are housed at the Chicago Art Institute. I've been there and somehow missed these - kicking myself, and will have to go back someday. Jac... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
March 29, 2012
 Our first book that we read as a whole group - and I would call it a success. A very dear friend of mine recommended it as something fun and lighthearted and she wasn't wrong. We time jump between 1991 with a graduate student working on her dissertation and then back to the Salem Witch Trials. The beginning reads a little campy like a mystery or innocent romance novel but after the halfway point the plot picks up speed and the ride is a lot of fun. It made me want to read more things about t... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
March 29, 2012
After having loved the movie "Little Women" with Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Winona Ryder, etc... since I was a little girl I was flabbergasted to know that Ms. Alcott had written additional books about the March family. My grandmother gave me a beautiful copy of Little Women when I was young and I had to give it a few goes before I actually got through it. Finding Little Men in a collection of children's classics for my Nook was a true treat. It also reminded me of part of the reasons tha... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
March 1, 2012
 I just finished a book called WingNut by Mary Jane Auch, a local author who has been a favorite since she visited my elementary school. A quick read, but emotionally moving. It reminded me of the books Ingrid Law recently wrote called Savvy and Scumble. WingNut doesn't have the magic element of the other two but there are definite correlations of young struggling families with strong preteen kid characters that really start to figure out what is important in life. The relationships that are c... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise.
February 28, 2012
For any of you who did not tune into the Oscars last night and see the winner of Best Short Film - here it is. One of the best things I've seen.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

“Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And though I oft have passed them by A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkein
Continue reading...
Posted by Denise.
February 11, 2012
 I read some really wonderful books last fall and they are definitely worth a mention. I highly recommend all six of them. The Grimm Legacy by Polly ShulmanPerfect for the bibliophile who loves fairytales! B&N says ~ "Elizabeth has just started working as a page at the New York Circulating
Material Repository - a lending library of objects, contemporary and
historical, common and obscure. And secret, too - for in the
repository's basement lies the Grimm Collection, a room of magical items
st... Continue reading...
Posted by Denise. Posted In : Books I've Read
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