outside the government, beyond the police

Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future. The twenty-first century is when everything changes. And you gotta be ready.



The Torchwood Institute is the name of a secret organization set up to combat alien threats to the human race. Initially founded by Queen Victoria herself, Torchwood's head office was based in the Canary Wharf tower in London's docklands. However, a devastating alien attack [shown in the Doctor Who episode "Doomsday"] left virtually the entire staff dead, the organization without a leader, and the tiny Cardiff field office left to defend humanity on its own. Well, almost on its own...

Torchwood's small Cardiff office (known as 'The Hub') was established at the end of the 19th Century, on top of a rift in space and time. People, objects and creatures from across the Universe and from all periods of time often find themselves 'washed up' in Cardiff - and it's Torchwood's job to assess if they pose a threat to humanity, and to either capture or destroy them if they do or to take care of them if they don’t.



John Barrowman does a terrific job as Cap'n Jack Harkness, a man whose lived a life that won't allow him to die and has taught him a flexible sense of morality to match his flexible sense of sexuality. Cap'n Jack laughs, jokes, flirts and fights his way through one set after another of impossible circumstances, but a heart of gold beats beneath his suspendered chest. His team means everything to him and he'll give anything to protect them. The casting is excellent, rather than a stable of beautiful people, they have chosen actors that look, and thanks to good writing, behave, like real people.

Balefire

Balefire by Cate Tiernan

Clio Martin and Thais Allard are twins, separated at birth by their grandmother, Petra, to protect them from the questionable machinations of people within her own coven. Thais goes with her father to live in Connecticut, while Clio remains with Petra in New Orleans. But when they are 17, their father is killed in a mysterious accident, and Thais finds herself in the hands of strangers in a city she never thought she had any connection to. Running into their twin the first day of school is the least of the surprises the girls face as they both discover their family's true history, one that goes back further than either of them ever imagined.

Thais soon learns that she and the twin she never knew come from a family of witches, that she possesses astonishing powers, and that she, along with Clio, has a key role in Balefire, the coven she was born into.
Fiery Clio is less than thrilled to have to share the spotlight, but the twins must learn to combine their powers in order to complete a rite that will transform their lives and the coven forever

Anita Blake

If you love a good mystery and a touch of the supernatural, Anita Blake may just be a great book series for you.

Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita Blake is an Animator, who raises the dead for a living, as well as a Vampire Executioner and U.S. Marshal for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. She lives in St. Louis, were not only do wereanimals and vampires walk the streets, they have rights as citizens.

Necromancer: Anita is one of the most powerful animators operating commercially. She can raise zombies, sense the dead, raise vampires in daytime, sense vampires and lycanthropes, estimate their power level, the approximate age of vampires, has good night vision and can resist (at least partially) mental influence from vampires.

Combat Training: Anita has a black belt in Judo as of the first book. She works out regularly with her best friend Ronnie "to be able to out run the bad guys" when she needs to. She credits Edward for much of her training in weapons, primarily handguns and knives.

Supernatural Experience: Anita holds a bachelor's degree in preternatural biology and is a trained vampire executioner. She also has a well-worn two-semester background in comparative religion. These courses often told her useful tidbits about other cultures/mythologies, and throughout the series she learns vastly more about vampires, lycanthropes, and other preternatural creatures. RPIT relies on her for information about a wide variety of supernatural entities.

The Anita Blake series spans twenty novels so far. This is the complete list in chronological order. I do highly suggest reading the novels in order since the time-line for the story flows so closely from one book to the next.

1 Guilty Pleasures
2 The Laughing Corpse
3 Circus of the Damned
4 The Lunatic Cafe
5 Bloody Bones
6 The Killing Dance
7 Burnt Offerings
8 Blue Moon
9 Obsidian Butterfly
10 Narcissus In Chains
11 Cerulean Sins
12 Incubus Dreams
13 Micah
14 Danse Macabre
15 The Harlequin
16 Blood Noir
17 Skin Trade
18 Flirt
19 Bullet
20 Hit List

God, No!

Not only can the man rant, he can write.

From the larger, louder half of the world-famous magic duo Penn & Teller comes a scathingly funny reinterpretation of The Ten Commandments. They are The Penn Commandments, and they reveal one outrageous and opinionated atheist's experience in the world. In this rollicking yet honest account of a godless existence, Penn takes readers on a roller coaster of exploration and flips conventional religious wisdom on its ear to reveal that doubt, skepticism, and wonder -- all signs of a general feeling of disbelief -- are to be celebrated and cherished, rather than suppressed. And he tells some pretty damn funny stories along the way. From performing blockbuster shows on the Vegas Strip to the adventures of fatherhood, from an on-going dialogue with proselytizers of the Christian Right to the joys of sex while scuba diving, Jillette's self-created Decalogue invites his reader on a journey of discovery that is equal parts wise and wisecracking.

Praise for God, No!

"People who say that libertarians have no heart or atheists have no soul need to read this book. Because Penn Jillette has a lot of both." -- MATT STONE and TREY PARKER, creators of South Park and the award-winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon

"There are few people in the country who question more boldly, brashly, and bravely than my friend Penn Jillette. This book is funny, provocative, and profane. But is it right? God, no!" --GLENN BECK

"This planet has yielded exactly one mutual friend for Glenn Beck and me and that friend has written a brilliant book called God, No! Penn reveals 'the big secret of magic,' tells you why tattoos are perfect expressions of atheism and exactly what to eat when you know you're going to vomit later." --LAWRENCE O'DONNELL

"Penn Jillette is a twenty-first-century Lord of Misrule: big, boisterously anarchic, funny, Rabelaisian, impossible and unique. There isn't--couldn't be--better not be--anybody like him."  --RICHARD DAWKINS, bestselling author of The Greatest Show on Earth and The God Delusion

I love listening to Penn Jillette. To anyone interested check out Penn's Sunday School http://pennsundayschool.com/

Penn is just Awesome.

Be ready to be entertained. Penn's irreverent unfiltered humor is exposed for all to see. Some of the stories in this book include sex, and there is a lot of profanity, so if you find that offensive, this probably isn't the book for you.

I would tell everyone to read this book and check out his new show Penn's Sunday School http://pennsundayschool.com/

This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.... go check it out.

Apraxia

Apraxia of speech, also known as verbal apraxia or dyspraxia, is a speech disorder in which a child has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently.

Children with developmental apraxia of speech generally understand language much better than they are able to use words to express themselves.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder. For reasons not yet fully understood, children with apraxia of speech have great difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined and specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw and palate that are necessary for intelligible speech. Apraxia of speech is sometimes called verbal apraxia, developmental apraxia of speech, or verbal dyspraxia. No matter what name is used, the most important concept is the root word "praxis." Praxis means planned movement. To some degree or another, a child with the diagnosis of apraxia of speech has difficulty programming and planning speech movements. Apraxia of speech is a specific speech disorder.

The act of speech begins with an intention to communicate. Next, an idea forms, outlining what the speaker wants to say. The words for the desired message are put in the correct order, using the correct grammar. Each of the words are comprised of a specific sequence of sounds (also called phonemes)and syllables that must be ordered together. All of this information is translated from an idea and information about order of sounds into a series of highly coordinated motor movements of the lips, tongue, jaw, and soft palate.

The brain must tell the muscles of these “articulators” the exact order and timing of movements so that the words in the message are properly articulated. Finally, the muscles must work properly with enough strength and muscle tone to perform the movements needed for speech.

In typically developing speech, children make word attempts and get feedback from others and from their own internal systems regarding how “well” the words they produced matched the ones that they wanted to produce. Children use this information the next time they attempt the words and essentially are able to “learn from experience.” Usually once syllables and words are spoken repeatedly, the speech motor act becomes automatic. Speech motor plans and programs are stored in the brain and can be accessed effortlessly when they are needed. Children with apraxia of speech have difficulty in this aspect of speech. It is believed that children with CAS may not be able to form or access speech motor plans and programs or that these plans and programs are faulty for some reason.

Many therapists believe that sign language is beneficial for children who have difficulty being understood. They often recommend that children attempt to say the words they are signing to practice making the necessary movements with their mouths.

People with more extreme cases of acquired apraxia may also benefit from sign language. Or they may use assistive electronic devices, including computers that can be used to produce words and sentences.

Very few studies have been done to determine the relative effectiveness of various treatment approaches for childhood apraxia of speech.


Where can I get more Information about Childhood Apraxia of Speech?

Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA)
1151 Freeport Road, #243
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
E-mail helpdesk@apraxia-kids.org
Website: www.apraxia-kids.org

Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc. (BDRC)
930 Woodcock Road, Suite 225
Orlando, FL 32803
E-mail staff@birthdefects.org
Website: www.birthdefects.org

CHERAB Foundation
P.O. Box 8524
Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
E-mail help@cherab.org
Website: www.cherab.org
www.speechville.com

A Devil and Her Love Song

Reads R to L (Japanese Style)

Meet Maria Kawai--she's gorgeous and whip-smart, a girl who seems to have it all. But when she unleashes her sharp tongue, it's no wonder some consider her to be the very devil Maria's difficult ways even get her kicked out of an elite school, but this particular fall may actually turn out to be her saving grace...

Maria's frank nature gains her more enemies at her new school, but her angelic singing voice inadvertently catches the attention of Yusuke Kanda and Shin Meguro. Can these boys mend her hardened heart, or will they just end up getting scorched?

I love reading mangas. My all time favorite is the Death Note Series.

This one is good. There are more volumes to this story available in Japanese that will most likely be translated and released as time goes on.

I give this Manga 4 stars out of 5


I got this book for free through Goodreads First read.

Dante Valentine series

Dante Valentine series by Lilith Saintcrow

Necromancer. Bounty hunter. Killer.

Dante Valentine has been all three in her life. But in the beginning, she was a Necromancer for hire. And while she was choosy about her jobs, there were just some she couldn't turn down. Like when the Devil showed up at the door and offered her a deal. Her life - in exchange for the capture and elimination of a renegade demon. But how do you kill something that can't die?

Dante Valentine is a bounty hunter and a Necromance - she can invoke the spirits of the dead briefly for the purpose of communication. She's the best in the world at what she does, which puts her at the top of Lucifer's list when he needs a rogue demon tracked down. Lucifer sends his Right Hand, the demon Japhrimel, to bring Dante to Hell for the purpose of hiring her on for the job. Dante has a smart mouth, a little too much bravado, and a troubled past. She's also honorable, loves her friends, and can't see the sense in discriminating against a demon - or letting anyone else do so. The consequences of that shape the rest of her life.

These five books remind me a little bit of Hamilton's Anita Blake series. The stories are tense, beautifully plotted and fast-paced. Dante makes things so much harder than they have to be. She even realizes she's doing it but she just can't seem to help it sometimes. This series also benefits from a firm overall plan with a definite end that ties everything together. It's not an endless "The Adventures of Dante" sort of thing. The five books flow together beautifully when read as a single narrative.

It's not your typical Urban Fantasy story with lots of clichées and meaningless romance (not that I don't enjoy those storys too, from time to time). It's the story itself that matters here and the characters and their development. Their feelings, their hopes, their despair, their pain and their relationships/friendship.

Plot. Counterplot. Betrayal. Intrigue. When you’re working for the Devil, it’s all par for the course. You just have to live with it. Right?
Wrong. When you’re Danny Valentine and the Devil double-crosses you one too many times, there’s only one thing to do.
Fight back. No matter how hopeless it is. No matter how suicidal it is. No matter how far the game is rigged in the Devil’s favor.
Welcome to Hell.

The books in the set are Working for the Devil, Dead Man Rising, The Devil's Right Hand, Saint City Sinners, and To Hell and Back.

Article 5

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

US has abandoned the Bill of Rights and become an extremist religious country. In short, America has become the ‘Christian’ version of Afghanistan as it was under Taliban rule.

U.S. government authorized the Federal Bureau of Reformation, better known as the Moral Militia, to arrest any citizen in violation of the stringent “Moral Statutes.” Ember's mom is arrested for violating Article 5 (Article 5 - Children are considered valid citizens only when conceived by a married man and wife.) and Ember is sent to a girls' rehab where rule-breakers are punished with violence and those who try to escape are shot.

Article 5 is set in a future America where citizens have little to no rights, every religion other than Christianity is forbidden, girls and boys cannot date, pregnancy outside of a marriage is against the law and 'immoral' books and materials are banned.  A world where being born from an unwed mother can get you killed - or worse.

There wasn't a dull moment in this book.

This book seems like a scary look at what reality could be if some had their way. What could happen if those who want to legislate morality totally took over power.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

Abby Goodwin has always covered for her sister, Maya. but now Maya has been accused of murder, and Abby's not sure she'll be able to cover for her sister anymore. Abby helps Maya escape. But when Abby begins investigating the death, she find that you can't trust anyone, not even the people you think you know.

Abby Goodwin is sure her sister Maya isn't a murderer. But her parents don't agree. Her friends don't agree. And the cops definitely don't agree. Maya is a drop-out, a stoner, a girl who's obsessed with her tutor, Jefferson Andrews...until he ends up dead. Maya runs away, and leaves Abby following the trail of clues. Each piece of evidence points to Maya, but it also appears that Jefferson had secrets of his own. And enemies. Like his brother, who Abby becomes involved with...until he falls under suspicion. Is Abby getting closer to finding the true murderer? Or is someone leading her down a twisted false path?

This was a shocking story that made you second guess everyone and I had a great time reading this a figuring everything out. This was the perfect murder mystery that gave you a different angle becuase it wasn't the police's or the detective's perspective, instead it was a supect's sister. We find out many people had motive for killing Jefferson Andrews; Maya, Maya and Abby's father, Jefferson's brother, Abby's best friend, one of Jefferson's many female companions, Rose his official girlfriend, drug dealers, even the owner of the convenience store near the high school.

I would recommend people read this book. It is really good.

Grave Witch

Grave Witch (Alex Craft #1) by Kalayna Price

Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say . . .

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around . . .

To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life . . . and her soul.

I absolutely love the opening for this book! "The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother's medical chart at him. As far as first impressions went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me. Some days I wished he hadn't - particularly when we crossed paths on the job." This is the foundation for the funky relationship Alex and Death have going on. I love how he is portrayed as normal with faded jeans and t-shirts. The idea of him as a potential love interest just spells trouble in my mind, but it would be awesome to see it work out. There is an incredible dynamic of tension whenever he is around because he loves to keep Alex guessing. She never knows if he is there to collect a soul or just wants coffee.

The plot revolves around a mystery -- several interconnected murders that have some ritual elements to them, the traces of which only Alex can see, which is what brings her to the attention of Detective Andrews -- but in the course of investigating them, she unravels some other interesting mysteries -- about Detective Andrews, her estranged father, her long-lost roommate, and her own magical gifts.

Excerpt: Chapter 1

A Kiss of Shadows

A Kiss of Shadows (Meredith Gentry #1)
by Laurell K. Hamilton

Well, I admit a love and addiction to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. I love it. That being said I had never picked up her Meredith Gentry series before. I didn't know if I would like it because it deals with Fae. I have a hard time getting into books that are centered around Faeries. I have to say though I am hooked. This is really a testament to how wonderful of an author that Hamilton is. For me to be hooked on a series that revolves around the fae is amazing.

Our world, our technology, but with magic.

“My name is Meredith Gentry, but of course it’s not my real name. I dare not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of the Air and Darkness. She wants me dead. I don’t even know why.”

Meredith Gentry, Princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los Angeles, living as a P.I. specializing in supernatural crime. But now the Queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her back–whether she likes it or not. Suddenly Meredith finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt’s plans. The job that awaits her: enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful immortal men in the world. The reward: the crown–and the opportunity to continue to live. The penalty for failure: death.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

Read a Book Excerpt

Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Eric Hitchens (April 13, 1949 – December 15, 2011) is an English-born American author, journalist and literary critic. He has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, World Affairs, The Nation, Slate, Free Inquiry, and a variety of other media outlets. Hitchens was also a political observer, whose best-selling books — the most famous being God Is Not Great — have made him a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits.

"All first-rate criticism first defines what we are confronting," the late, great jazz critic Whitney Balliett once wrote. By that measure, the essays of Christopher Hitchens are in the first tier. For nearly four decades, Hitchens has been telling us, in pitch-perfect prose, what we confront when we grapple with first principles-the principles of reason and tolerance and skepticism that define and inform the foundations of our civilization-principles that, to endure, must be defended anew by every generation.

"A short list of the greatest living conversationalists in English," said The Economist, "would probably have to include Christopher Hitchens, Sir Patrick Leigh-Fermor, and Sir Tom Stoppard. Great brilliance, fantastic powers of recall, and quick wit are clearly valuable in sustaining conversation at these cosmic levels. Charm may be helpful, too." Hitchens-who staunchly declines all offers of knighthood-hereby invites you to take a seat at a democratic conversation, to be engaged, and to be reasoned with. His knowledge is formidable, an encyclopedic treasure, and yet one has the feeling, reading him, of hearing a person thinking out loud, following the inexorable logic of his thought, wherever it might lead, unafraid to expose fraudulence, denounce injustice, and excoriate hypocrisy. Legions of readers, admirers and detractors alike, have learned to read Hitchens with something approaching awe at his felicity of language, the oxygen in every sentence, the enviable wit and his readiness, even eagerness, to fight a foe or mount the ramparts.

Here, he supplies fresh perceptions of such figures as varied as Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Rebecca West, George Orwell, J.G. Ballard, and Philip Larkin are matched in brilliance by his pungent discussions and intrepid observations, gathered from a lifetime of traveling and reporting from such destinations as Iran, China, and Pakistan.

Hitchens's directness, elegance, lightly carried erudition, critical and psychological insight, humor, and sympathy-applied as they are here to a dazzling variety of subjects-all set a standard for the essayist that has rarely been matched in our time. What emerges from this indispensable volume is an intellectual self-portrait of a writer with an exemplary steadiness of purpose and a love affair with the delights and seductions of the English language, a man anchored in a profound and humane vision of the human longing for reason and justice.

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.” ― Christopher Hitchens

If I had a complaint, it’s that, at 749 pages, it’s still too short. Thankfully, everything he's written is archived somewhere. In all, ‘Arguably’ is brilliant.

In a world of vacuous punditry and unchecked credulity his was a voice of unequivocal reason and studied skepticism. He will be missed.

The Devil Inside

The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley #1)
by Jenna Black

Posession. Murder. Mayhem.
Let the games begin...

Exorcism isn’t a job, it’s a calling—and a curse. Just ask Morgan Kingsley, a woman who has a stronger aura than any Demon. Or so she thought. Now, in a pair of black leather pants and a kick-ass tattoo, Morgan is heading back to Philadelphia after a nasty little exorcism—and her life is about to be turned upside down…by the Demon that’s gotten inside her.

Not just any Demon. Six foot five inches of dark, delicious temptation, this one is to die for—that is, if he doesn’t get Morgan killed first. Because while some humans vilify Demons and others idolize them, Morgan’s Demon is leading a war of succession no human has ever imagined. For a woman trying to live a life, and hold on to the almost-perfect man, being possessed by a gorgeous rebel Demon will mean a wild ride of uninhibited thrills, shocking surprises, and pure, unadulterated terror. . . .

Morgan is an exorcist. In her world Demons exist. There are legal and illegal posessions. Demons can legally posses someone who is of legal age and gives consent and if they behave. It is illegal to posses someone against their will of someone underage.

Illegals get exorcised or in 10 states they also allow the execution of the human hosting the illegal demon. The only way that it is believed that demons can be killed is to exorcize it or burn it's host alive.

Morgan learns that things in her life have become complicated and that there is a demon in her and that there is a lot that needs to be done. She need to be careful though too because she lives in Pennsylvania a state that is ok with burning her alive. It is up to her to be someone that she never planned to be... a hero.

I love this book. This is book #1 of a series and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale Of Mystery, Death, And Salvation

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale Of Mystery, Death, And Salvation
by Jon M. Sweeney

At the close of the tumultuous Middle Ages, there lived a man who seemed destined from birth to save the world. His name was Peter Morrone, a hermit, a founder of a religious order, and, depending on whom you talk to, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a coward, a saint, and possibly the victim of murder. A stroke of fate would, practically overnight, transform this humble servant of God into the most powerful man in the Catholic Church. Half a year later, he would be the only pope in history to abdicate the chair of St. Peter, an act that nearly brought the papacy to its knees. What led him to make that decision and what happened afterward would be shrouded in mystery for centuries. The Pope Who Quit pulls back the veil of secrecy on this dramatic time in history and showcases a story that involves deadly dealings, apocalyptic maneuverings, and papal intrigue.
I thought that this book sounded very interesting. It is about Peter Morrone, the pope who quit. A hermit, a reformer, an instigator, a prophet, a cowerd, a saint, and possible murder victim... it all depends on who you talk to. That really made me interested in the book, which I received for free through Goodreads and was able to read before it hit stores 2/14/12.

After I got the book in the mail I realized that I might not be the ideal reviewer they are looking for thought because the book is by Image Catholic Books and I am an atheist, but here are my thoughts.

Growing up in an Anabaptist background I had taken church history in Mennonite school, so I know a bit about this time period in church history.

I would recommend this book to Catholics because if you are going to be catholic I think you should know your church history. I would also recommend this book to all Christians because like the Catholics, if you are going to be a christian you should know church history.

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

The Story of Jane

The Story of Jane
by Catherine Cusset

WHAT IF SOMEONE WROTE A STORY ALL ABOUT YOU...A STORY THAT DETAILED YOUR LOVE LIFE, YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, YOUR DAILY COMINGS AND GOINGS? AND WHAT IF YOUR ANONYMOUS AUTHOR GOT IT ALL RIGHT?

Meet Jane. A professor at an academically outstanding college, she is recently divorced and feeling somewhat unsure, especially in terms of the opposite sex, having had several recent attempts to befriend men go awry.

As she leaves her apartment one day, she discovers a package addressed to her in the foyer of her building. Opening it, she discovers that it's a novel -- entitled "The Story of Jane." As she starts to read, she realizes that the novel is all about her -- her and her love life, or failure at love, to be more exact.

There's no name on the manuscript, no return address on the package. Suddenly uneasy and feeling much too exposed, she retreats to her apartment and sets about reading. At various points during the afternoon she stops to wonder -- sometimes in amazement, often in anger -- who could have known her well enough to write this story of her life. And where could that person be now?

As we peer over Jane's shoulder, reading along with her, we learn all about her life since arriving at Devayne University. We see her affairs, her marriage to the very sexy Eric, which ends in divorce, her disastrous friendship with the already married Francisco. One by one, Jane considers the men she has known, sure that one of them is the obsessed author and more than a little afraid that she might be in danger.

A startlingly fresh and innovative novel, "The Story of Jane" takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and revelations as the layers of Jane's life are peeled away andthe anonymous author becomes known.

The ending is amazing. Reading this book for the first 3/4ths of it I was thinking it was a 3 out of 5 star book but the ending......

The ending is so very good.

This book gets a 4 out of 5 stars.

99 Coffins: A Historical Vampire Tale

99 Coffins: A Historical Vampire Tale
by David Wellington

In Gettysburg there is a cemetery. In it lie 100 coffins. 99 of the coffins hold vampires, who are missing their hearts. One coffin is smashed, broken and empty.

Who was in that coffin? Does he have the 99 hearts? If those hearts were put back in the 99 bodies that would make an army of vampires.

How did they lie there undisturbed for 150 years?

Laura Caxton has to figure all that out and save Gettysburg from a mass invasion of the undead.

Laura works for the Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Her live in girlfriend, Clara, works as a police photographer for the sheriff"s department in Lancaster County.

I always find it interesting to read books that are "based" in my area.

The vampires in this book aren't those "sexy vampires" and they don't sparkle either :)

This book really drew me in. I almost cried when Laura calls her girlfriend and tells her that she loves her because Laura knows that it might end bad. Laura might not make it through the night alive.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.
Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.
This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

The author does an incredible job of describing Alice's terror and confusion, as well as her eventual numbness. There are many details worked into the story that have a ring of truth, including the dull repetition of her days watching tv, the anxiety when Ray comes home, the punishments meted out for small infractions, the attempts to keep her small and childlike, Alice's lank appearance and poor circulation from lack of nutrition, etc. Most importantly, the author touches on the way abuse tends to perpetrate more abuse and the awful resignation that Alice begins to feel to her plight.

I don't understand why my shell keeps living. Breathing. Why won't it listen to me, to the little part I have that isn't Ray, to that tiny once upon a time girl who just wants to close her eyes and never wake up again?

This is not an easy book to read. While it is not explicit, the terrible things that Alice is subjected to are not glossed over. This book will move you. This book will make you mad. This book will cause you to feel something. You might not like the way it makes you feel but you will feel. It is such a haunting and unforgettable story. I think I will find that even though I have finished this book, it’s going to linger with me for some time. I think it is a cry for help for ALL children trapped in this kind of situation. It's a cry for everyone to pay attention to what is going on around them, ask questions, don't just shrug off your suspicions. People in these situations often cannot fend for themselves, or make the move to free themselves, so others need to be more proactive in watching for the signs. I would suggest that everyone above the age of 18 read this book.

Mesmerize

Mesmerize (Mystyx #4)
by Artist Arthur

Lindsey Yi is used to changing schools. This move is different though. She lost both her parents in a train accident.

Lindsey can read other people's thoughts and emotions.

On a weird note... while reading this book I read the line where the author said less then one percent of the population dreams in color and I had to stop and look that up to see if that was just something in the story world of if that is a true fact. (Yes, I know I am weird.)

It was interesting reading and figuring out how Dylan figures into things and who he is. Is he good? or bad?

Who will win the battle of good and evil?

This book is #4 of a series.

I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I think it is probably best for ages 10-15. A good young adult book.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1)
by Deborah Harkness

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

It took me awhile to get around to reading this book. I did not think it would be that good. I thought it would disappoint me. I was WRONG. I loved this book. I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to know what would happen next. I can hardly wait to be able to read book #2.

This book is awesome!!!

Life As I Blow It: Tales Of Love, Life & Sex

In order to comply with FTC guidelines, I want you to know that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I do not believe that this fact has impacted my review in any way.

Sarah Colonna is a regular on "Chelsea Lately" and also starts with Chelsea Handler and Heather MacDonald on the show "After Lately."

Sarah believes we all struggle to grow up. Sometimes we want to have fun, not take things too seriously, and have that fourth margarita. Other times we would like to get married, stay in, order Chinese food, and have a responsible, secure life.

From her formative years in small-town Arkansas to a later career of dates, drinks, and questionable day jobs, Colonna attempts to reconcile her responsible side with her fun-loving side. Sometimes this pans out, and sometimes she finds herself in Mexico handing out her phone number to anyone who calls her pretty. She moves to Los Angeles to pursue acting, but for years is forced to hone her bartending skills; she wants a serious boyfriend, but won’t give up nights at the bar with her friends. She tries to behave like an adult, but can’t seem to stop acting like a frat boy. In the end, she discovers that there doesn’t have to be just one or the other. And if there’s one thing Colonna has learned from her many missteps, it’s that hindsight is always 100 proof.

She has a way of talking about her parents divorce and her step-mom that had me laughing. Penny "the Penticostal" baby-sitter and the trip to her church reminded me of when I was 13 and my friend Amy took me to her church and everyone was falling over. :)

I had to laugh about the boy that she gave her virginity to that he had the same "our song" for all his girlfriends.

Some of the stuff that she talks about just tug on my heart and I can totally relate to some of it. Other parts of her book just make you laugh out loud.

This was a good book.

Alpha Instinct

Alpha Instinct (Moon Shifter, #1)
by Katie Reus

Fear has a scent. So does desire…

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.

But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack

The Pack were poisoned and all the males died. Ana doesn't know who poisoned them.

Sean Taggart wants to take over the pack and be the Alpha. Right away at the beginning of the book you can see how cocky he is.

I find it interesting that the shifters in the book have such a long lifespan. Also shifters aren't the only think living among the human. When the shifters came out to the public the vampires did too.

Not only is ana dealing with Sean Taggart, there is also Connor who wants to be the Alpha of the pack and there is the person who poisoned the pack and there is also the Antiparanormal League.

It almost seemed like there was too much going on in one book. There were so many things going on at once. One conflict would have been enough.

The book was good and I will most likely read book two when it comes out.


This book is in stores 2/7 and I suggest that if you like books about shifters that you read this book.

I received this book before release date for free through Goodreads First Reads.