Wednesday Update!

My husband and I just got into our new hometown this evening. I am about to crash any minute now, so my Sunday update will be super long. Here is a picture of my adorable kitty (in the old apartment) to tide you over until Sunday.

Sunday Update

My move to up north is almost here! My husband and I start the drive on Tuesday with a kitty that doesn't like to be in a car. Fun times ahead! Anyway, let's get to the books.

Updates

Storm Riders - 22% completed - Nothing to see here. Keep moving.

Ringworld - 60% completed - Just keep swimming is my mantra for this book. I am reading it, but I am not reading the book carefully anymore. My goal is just to finish the book.


Social Media Metrics for Dummies - 24% completed - This book is proving to be very educational and useful. I am learning a ton about how to track different statistics about my blog and twitter feed and what the statistics mean.


Tongues of Serpents - 28% completed - I love reading about Temeraire and Laurence's adventures. This time they are in Australia and causing trouble and pushing dragon rights. :)


Cat Sense - 20% completed - Since I got my cute kitty a little over a year ago, I have wanted to learn more about cats. This book looked like just what I wanted. It is interesting so far.


Fun! Entertainment! Randomness!

Review: Living Dead in Dallas

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I enjoyed my second romp with Sookie and her boyfriend "Vampire Bill." As you can probably guess, the book is a bit silly, but the book doesn't try to be high fantasy when it is not.

In this installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Sookie and Bill are sent to Dallas to help a nest of vampires find their friend. Sookie and Bill's investigation lead them to an anti-vampire church group, and things go from bad to worse! There is also a B plot in this book that book ends the main story (seriously, the murder happens in the beginning of the book and the resolution is the last thing to happen in the book). The B plot was interesting; however, I wish that this plot could have been the focus of another novel, it felt very thrown together at the last minute. I wish that the B plot could have joined into the main plot, so it could have felt a bit more cohesive.



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Review: Escaping Reality

Escaping Reality by Lisa Renee Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



ARC generously provided by Julie Patra Publishing.

Amy is a woman with a past. On the first page of the book, she gets a message that she needs to leave town ASAP from her mysterious handler. While on the run, she meets a rich and handsome stranger name Liam, and the story is off and running.

This book was more fun to read than it has a right to be. It is a romance-thriller, and it kept my attention and interest better than most romance-thrillers I have read. When it comes to romances, I typically go for a standard regency romance. This book, however, kept me attention. I was really intrigued by the mysterious Amy Benson, and I kept turning the page, hoping to find out more about her. Yep, I must admit that I kind of need to know what happens next.



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Wednesday Update

What happened to this week? I cannot believe it is Wednesday already. My husband and I are moving to Pennsylvania next week and the movers are coming Friday for our stuff. We are almost done packing, but as you probably know the last push is always the hardest. Needless to say, reading has been a bit of a challenge; however, I did finish A Good Birth and A Storm of Swords. BTW, what is a sword storm anyway? Anyway, I am close to finishing a few other books too, which is a good thing, because I have a stack of galley books to get through ASAP. There is an excel sheet and everything.

Updates

Storm Riders - 22% completed - Nothing to see here. Keep moving.

Ringworld - 50% completed - Ugh. This book is never ending, and not in a good way. I do want to finish it before the Sword and Laser wrap up episode though, so I will push on.

Escaping Reality - 18% completed - I am still not sure what is going on in this book; however, it is a fast read. I have less than 2 hours left (according to my kindle); I just need to find the time.

Social Media Metrics for Dummies - No new update.

Living Dead in Dallas - This book is so much fun. I have less than 3 hours left on the audiobook. I am really glad that I spent an audible credit for the first two books in this series (it was a BOGO sale). I am going to have to get the next one.

Fun! Entertainment! Randomness!

Scott Pilgrim Volume 1: Precious Little Life for the kindle is on sale for $2.99. I have been meaning to read this series, so I am excited to get my hands on the first volume for so little.
 

Review: A Good Birth: Finding the Positive and Profound in Your Childbirth Experience

A Good Birth: Finding the Positive and Profound in Your Childbirth Experience by Anne Lyerly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received this book as part of a GoodReads First Reads giveaway.

This book came at the right time in my life. My husband and I are planning on having children in the next year or so, and I am in the early stages of doing some research about what I am in for. Two of my friends had babies last year, and I spent a large amount of time with them. Although both had healthy babies, their pregnancies were both rough, so I have been wanting to do research on what a more typical pregnancy and birth is like.

This book was really refreshing, because it focuses solely on the birthing process. I feel like most books focus on (1) getting pregnant, (2) the pregnancy, or (3) what happens after you take the baby home. I rolled my eyes when one of my pregnant friends described her elaborate birth plan, after reading this book, I have a better appreciation for why she created a birth plan. I liked the interviews that were sprinkled throughout the book. I felt like I got a good idea of what childbirth was like for these women.

Also, I really liked that when the author referred to research studies, she has the references in the back of the book. I hate reading books that refer to research, but there is no further information.

There were two things that I did not like about this book. First, I wish that the book had been more grounded in sociological research. I feel that there must be research on the childbirth process or similar women-only events, and I think this research would have strengthened the book. Second, I feel like the book's audience kept changing. I am not sure who is supposed to read this book: soon-to-be mothers, new mothers, mothers, medical care professionals, the author (I feel like the book was a bit cathartic for her) or someone else entirely. The book needs just a bit more tightening before it is perfect.



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Review: A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



My original review of this book disappeared into swarmy parts of the Internet, so you will have to get the shortened version.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a ton of fun. It got a bit slow in the middle; however, it redeemed itself in the end. I really enjoyed Catelyn (she is fantastic), Sansa (she has definitely grown the most as a character), Bran (what is going to happen to Bran?!), and Tyrion's (what are going to be the consequences of his last actions?) story lines. I am also excited to find out what happens to Jon, even though I generally find him to be a goody goody.



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