January 2010 Reads:

Oh, how welcome the sun is. Grass is visible beneath the walnut trees and the birds: House Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Flickers, Black-billed Magpies and Blue Jays have found the banquet beneath The House Finch haven’t showed up yet, but I don’t think they’re far behind. It spurred me on to get busy finding another birdhouse for the front of the house. We got so much joy watching the Chickadees and House Finch last year in the houses we provided. Better than anything on TV.

Sadly, another little Junco must have hit our window despite the clingies I place in the big picture window and died. I’ve put up more and hope it will help.

Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton: I’ve been intrigued with this gal since her story hit the news. A young girl, looking like the very definition of a surfer girl attacked by shark. But this slim, young girl had courage and faith and I wanted to know where she got it.

I’ve thought of her often over the years. If she can go on, then I can certainly keep writing no matter how many rejections, can’t I? If she can go back into the water, so can I, right? And when I got sick, I thought of her even more often. How had she kept her faith? How had she ever thought she could surf again? However she did it, I want some. I wanted the whole story and this book, written by her answered my questions. Written in her voice, a great voice, of a young, girl with her whole life ahead and she wasn’t about to let this get her down.

Early Dawn by Catherine Anderson: I have loved Catherine Anderson since I read Keegan’s Lady. This was a sequel to that book she wrote so many years ago. It was too long a wait. I so miss the Western Historical Romances. And this didn’t disappoint.

Eden Paxton is a lot tougher than she looks. When desperate outlaws kidnap her, she determines to survive. Matthew Coulter is just as determined to find these same outlaws, the Sebastions. They killed his wife and unborn child and he would ride to hell to get them. It was his bad luck to find them with a captive he’d have to rescue. But rescue her; he would, even if it delayed the vengeance he'd waited so long to deliver.

A fun read. Great dialogue.

Pursuit by Karen Robards: I like Robards. Her books are always edge-of-seat reads. This one was even better because it had been so long since I’d read her.

Jessica Ford survives a fiery car crash while she was in the process of trying to get the first lady safely and quietly home without public incident. When she wakes in the hospital, she can’t remember anything, but she feels anxious and suspicious of everyone. Can she trust Secret Service man, Mark Ryan? She’ll soon find out as they end up running for their lives.

Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz: I’m a Krentz fan, though I have to admit I like her most when she is writing as Amanda Quick. For some reason, I didn’t like this book as much other Krentz Arcane Society books.

Grace Renquist is sent on a simple in and out mission with Luther Malone as her bodyguard. Both characters have tons of emotional baggage and there were many reasons for the two to be what the other needed, but I never did feel the sparks fly. It just seemed to fall flat. In defense of Krentz though, her writing is still great, dialogue wonderful. I think the failure was with my inability to suspend belief.

Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper by Sark: Great book to get the writing juices flowing. Great prompt ideas and inspirations, too. Worth the time.