Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark

From the author's website: In her new thriller, America's #1 bestselling Queen of Suspense delves into a legal battle over the guilt or innocence of a man accused of murdering his wife. Woven into her plot is an eerie, little-understood but documented medical phenomenon -- the emergence of a donor's traits and memories in the recipient of a heart transplant.

Natalie Raines, one of Broadway's brightest stars, accidentally discovers who killed her former roommate and sets in motion a series of shocking events that puts more than one life in extreme peril.

While Natalie and her roommate, Jamie Evans, were both struggling young actresses, Jamie had been involved with a mysterious married man to whom she referred only by nickname. Natalie comes face to face with him years later and inadvertently addresses him by the nickname Jamie had used. A few days later, Natalie is found in her home in Closter, New Jersey, dying from a gunshot wound.


Page 36! I figured out whodunit on page 36 of a 322 page book. Needless to say the rest of the book was not as satisfying as I had hoped when I bought the book. I love Mary Higgins Clark. I am such a Mary Higgins Clark fan that I committed a sin - I bought this book off the rack in hardcover. Why? Why? Why? I never do that. Finding a book I want for fifty cents at a used book sale is part of the adventure for me. If I really want something specific, like for book club...I go used on Amazon. I never pay full price. So I think I jinxed myself. Yes, she's kind of formulaic - the brainy heroine who doesn't realize her own beauty is a staple Higgins Clark character, but usually I am a little uncertain about the bad guy until it all plays out and so I am content with her books. Content is not exciting but it's a pleasant feeling and, really, reading is for relaxation - content is just fine. The good features of this book - 1. She really laid out the details of the case during the trial. I don't remember her using a trial as such a prominent part of a book before - very Grishamesque. 2. The creepy guys are really creepy. 3. The whole heart storyline wasn't overwhelming, in fact, I hardly thought it affected the heroine at all - but maybe there was a little skimming involved on my part! So this wasn't the best. I have a friend who suspects the daughter, Carol Higgins Clark, is slowly taking over writing under her mother's name and that is why the recent releases don't measure up. I just think when you're writing your 30th or 40th mystery novel, perhaps it gets a little old.

This book is my "J" for the A-Z Reading Challenge! Click on the logo to see my progress.






and this one too...
This is on my list for the Spring Reading Thing 2009. Click on the logo to see the rest of my list.

Nighttime Is My Time by Mary Higgins Clark

I took a breather from heavy reading to enjoy this Mary Higgins Clark - Nighttime is My Time. (And I continue my fun with the Maeve Binchy I started as soon as I closed  the cover on this one - should be done with that sometime tomorow!)  I would have to look back at the other Mary Higgins Clark books I've read to be certain but I think the central character is always a youngish, attractive, succesful woman. This one is no different. These herioines would be likeable if they were at all realistic but they are too good to be true so you are always vaguely aware that you are immersed in fiction. The rest of the characters are exaggerated to the point of caricature. But I recognize that for what it is - a tool to differentiate such a large cast of characters in the least amount of time.   So readng thus far you might think I didn't actually like the book - my comments aren't very flattering. But that's not true. I love reading Mary Higgins Clark and this was another winner. She comes up with plots that are full of twists and turns, I rarely figure out "who dun it' before the very end of the story. It is escapism and very fun. You know you're reading a contrived story but it's a great story and I always want to read straight through to the end to find out who the villain really is (insert evil laugh here).

The Second Time Around by Mary Higgins Clark

From the author's website: When Nicholas Spencer, the charismatic head of a company that has developed an anticancer vaccine, disappears without a trace, reporter Marcia "Carley" DeCarlo is assigned the story. Word that Spencer, if alive, has made off with huge sums of money -- including the life savings of many employees -- doesn't do much to change Carley's already low opinion of Spencer's wife, Lynn, who is also Carley's stepsister and whom everyone believes is involved. But when Lynn's life is threatened, she asks Carley to help her prove that she wasn't her husband's accomplice. As the facts unfold, however, Carley herself becomes the target of a dangerous, sinister group that will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This one was just OK. The mystery part was fairly interesting, it was a corporate intigue/espionage type thing and there were plenty of players to chose from as I mulled over who the "bad guy" might be. I think my problem with the book was that I didn't grow to like any character enough to really care about them. The female lead character Carley is a reporter so she isn't heavily invested emotionally in all of it and thus I wasn't either. The male lead character was actually missing, presumed dead, so we get to know him a bit through other peple's memories but, again, not enough to really care. There was a little suspense when you knew the potential for harm was coming but let's be real, it's Mary Higgins Clark, we know the heroine will esacape so the suspense is not really suspenseful.

I have two more of Mary Higgins Clark's books in my TBR pile and I'll slip them in between books I have selected for challenges and such. Even though this book didn't win me over, I like Mary Higgins Clark it's just that sometimes she hits a home run.. and sometimes she doesn't.

I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark

From the author's website: Kay Lansing grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, daughter of the landscaper to the wealthy and powerful Carrington family. One day, accompanying her father to work, six-year-old Kay overhears a quarrel between a man and a woman that ends with the man's caustic response: "I heard that song before." That same evening, young Peter Carrington drives the nineteen-year-old daughter of neighbors home from a formal dinner dance at the Carrington estate, but she is not in her room the next morning and is never seen or heard from again.

Decades later, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Peter, not only for his neighbor's disappearance but also for the subsequent drowning death of his own pregnant wife in their swimming pool. But when Kay Lansing, now a librarian in Englewood, asks Peter's permission to hold a literary benefit cocktail party on his estate, she comes to see Peter as misunderstood?and when he begins to court her, she falls in love -- and marries him. However, she soon makes a discovery that leads her to question her husband's innocence. She believes that the key to the truth lies in the identities of the man and woman whose quarrel she witnessed as a child. What she does not realize is that uncovering what lies behind these memories may cost Kay her life.

This was a good Mary Higgins Clark mystery. After being disappointed in the last one I read, I was so happy that I Heard That Song Before was a good read. The main characters were a likable couple. Neither was described as overly beautiful and they both enjoyed reading - maybe that helped me like them so much! There were a few of the Mary Higgins Clark standards including the wealthy setting but this time it seemed a bit modernized by acknowledging the fact that grand estates are not the norm. She made the grand estate the setting of a charity function - that's a common fundraiser plan around here so it seemed more real than just having ultra-rich people floating around all suspected of murder. I guessed "whodunit" early enough but the "why" escaped me so the story held my interest until the end - of course Clark's books are so readable that they only have to hold my interest for an afternoon - but I enjoy a light read and this was perfect for that.

Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark

Product description from Amazon: In her long-awaited memoir, Mary Higgins Clark, America's beloved and bestselling Queen of Suspense, recounts the early experiences that shaped her as a person and influenced her as a writer.

**17 JUL 2009 - somehow I skipped over blogging about this book, I finished reading it Mar 20, 2009, and just now noticed it's absence from my Reading A-Z Challenge! So I am editing the post date!

Mary Higgins Clark has truly had an interesting life - Catholic school upbringing, secretarial school, then a stewardess, and on to the wedding. She describes it all in this memoir with love and humor. Clark leaves a little mystery with her two line summary of a marriage that lasted just a few years and was a mistake. Surely there is a story there?

I enjoyed this look at one of my favorite authors. I like her even more for reading it and it makes me more aware of the value of our family history. I think I ought to sit Great Granny down at her 90th birthday this Fall and have her tell all the stories from start to finish.

This book is my "K" for the A-Z Reading Challenge! Click on the logo to see my progress.

Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark

From the author's website: Ellie Cavanaugh was seven years old when her older sister was murdered near their home in New York's Westchester County. It was young Ellie's tearful testimony that put Rob Westerfield, the nineteen-year-old scion of a prominent family, in jail despite the existence of two other viable suspects.

Twenty-two years later, Westerfield, who maintains his innocence, is paroled. Determined to thwart his attempts to pin the crime on another, Ellie, an investigative reporter for an Atlanta newspaper, returns home and starts writing a book that will conclusively prove Westerfield's guilt. As she delves deeper into her research, however, she uncovers horrifying facts that shed new light on her sister's murder. With each discovery she comes closer to a confrontation with a desperate killer.

I was clicking through my Google Reader the other day and Beth at Beth's Book Nook had reviewed the newest Mary Higgins Clark book. That reminded me I had an older one sitting in my TBR pile and last night I pulled it out and settled in. There isn't much to a Mary Higgins Clark review, her books follow a formula and if you like her, each one stays pretty true to that formula so you will probably like the book. In the acknowledgements of this one, she mentions that this book was a journey for her because it was written in first person, (long pause), I honestly didn't notice anything different from the other twenty books I have read of hers. Oh well, I did enjoy it though. I hunkered down on the couch and read past my bedtime and was happy with it at the end. It was less complicated than some of her older books - not as many characters to keep track of - so it was an exceptionally easy read and very relaxing!

And it fits as my "D" book! This book is my "D" book for the 2010 A-Z Reading Challenge. Click on the button to see my progress.

A-Z Reading Challenge

I've signed up for this challenge using ...Option B: Read titles A to Z. Commit to reading 26 books theoretically speaking.






Here's where I'll keep track of my progress.
A- Amethyst Dreams by Phyllis Whitney
B- Burning Bright by Tracey Chevalier
C- Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitgerald
D- Dry by Augusten Burroughs
E- Eden Close by Anita Shreve
F- Fourth of July by James Patterson
G- Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
H- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I- Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank
J- Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark
K- Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark
L- Lowcountry by Anne Rivers Siddons
M- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
N- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
O- One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
P- The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer
Q- The Quiet American by Graham Greene
R- Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
S- Soul Catcher by Michael White
T- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
U- Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
V- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
W- When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
X- The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
Y- The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
Z- Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark

A-Z Reading Challenge 2009 completed!

Hooray! I finished the challenge.
I wasn't sure when I started this challenge that I would be able to finish it so I am happy and proud that I did. I know one thing, if I come across a good "X" or "Z" book in the next few months, I'm saving it for 2010! Here's what I read to complete the challenge, You can click on the logo to check out the other folks who participated. Thank you so much to the organizers of the challenge - it was a pleasure to be a part of it!


A- Amethyst Dreams by Phyllis Whitney
B- Burning Bright by Tracey Chevalier
C- Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitgerald
D- Dry by Augusten Burroughs
E- Eden Close by Anita Shreve
F- Fourth of July by James Patterson
G- Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
H- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I- Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank
J- Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark
K- Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark
L- Lowcountry by Anne Rivers Siddons
M- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
N- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
O- One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
P- The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer
Q- The Quiet American by Graham Greene
R- Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
S- Soul Catcher by Michael White
T- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
U- Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
V- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
W- When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
X- The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
Y- The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
Z- Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark

Dashing Through The Snow by Carol Higgins Clark and Mary Higgins Clark

From Goodreads: In the picturesque village of Branscombe, New Hampshire, the townsfolk are all pitching in to prepare for the first (and many hope annual) Festival of Joy. The night before the festival begins, a group of employees at the local market learn that they have won $160 million in the lottery. One of their co-workers, Duncan, decided at the last minute, on the advice of a pair of crooks masquerading as financial advisers, not to play. Then he goes missing. A second winning lottery ticket was purchased in the next town, but the winner hasn't come forward. Could Duncan have secretly bought it?

This was a win from Teresa's Reading Corner, Teresa is also the hostess of the Audiobook Challenge. The Higgins-Clark mother-daughter team comes out with one of these books every Christmas, Christmas themed cozy mysteries. The characters were familiar faces from other Christmas books by this duo and the plot is nothing strenuous - it's just Christmas fun. But, this one was less fun than the others I have read mainly because it wasn't in print, it was on audio read by Carol Higgins Clark and her voice was a distraction. I've never been a huge fan of authors reading their own work and this is an example of why I don't like it. She has a Jersey girl accent that is fine when she is reading a character from that part of the country but when she is reading narration - descriptions and such - it is distracting to this Southern girl. She probably thinks her voice has is very plain but it just isn't! So I would have enjoyed this one more in print but it was still pleasant enough on audio.

This one counts for the following challenges..

The audiobook challenge is hosted by Teresa at Teresa's Reading Corner, click on the logo to see my progress.


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!





Click on the logo to see my progress towards the 2012 A to Z Reading Challenge hosted by Strawberry Splash Reviews.

Spring Reading Thing 2009

I'm just throwing this up for now. I may come back later and add pictures of books, teasers from the back cover, etc. But..the important part is just getting the list done. I'm already like number 170 something - what a great response! Click on the logo above to find out more about Spring Reading Thing and you can sign up too!

Here's my list!

I'm in the midst of four already so goal one is finishing...
1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. Book of the Dead by Preston and Child
3. Four Spririts by Sena Jeter Naslund
4. John Adams by David McCullough

Then I have my April book club selection...
5. A Silent Ocean Away
An audiobook that's sitting in the car waiting...
6.0. This Rock by Robert Morgan

And some others from my TBR stack....
6.1. had to add Amethyst Dreams by Phyllis Whitney
6.2. and this too The 60 Second Organizer by Jeff Davidson
6.3. and this one as well Isle of Palms by Dorothea Benton Frank
6.4 a girlfriend dropped this one (and the next two in the series) off to me with a good recommendation Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
6.5 Dry by Augusten Burroughs
6.6 Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella

7. Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri
8. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (this was my stopper last time around!)
9. One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
10. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
11. A Hundred and One Days

Now I am listening to another audiobook...
12. The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer
and two three other audiobooks
12.1 Lifeguard by James Patterson
12.2 Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
12.3 When Madeliene was Young by Jane Hamilton

And, I've ordered my May book club selection from Amazon...
13. The Firemaster's Mistress by Christie Dickason

OK - today was the library Spring book sale...I've added a few "must reads"
14. We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro
15. The Things They Carried
16. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
17. A Mary Higgins Clark - actually two - one mystery, one historical fiction
18. a book of essays by Anna Quindlen
19. The Quiet American by Graham Greene

This one I had to go out and buy because I kept reading about it on other book blogs!
20. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

And I had to reread this
21. A Child Called "It"
which led me to...
21.1 Please Stop Laughing At Me by Jodee Blanco

Then I went and impulsively bought this at Walmart despite having two of her other books already at home waiting TBR...
22. Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark

And this fell in my (much too big) lap...
23. French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

My teacher's group summer book club pick was...
24. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

What's On Your Nightstand? May 2009

This monthly feature is hosted by 5 Minutes for Books on the last Tuesday of every month. Click on the logo to go and check out all the particpants.



This is my first month particpating so I'll just jump right in with what's on my nightstand. Starting from the bottom, I have.....

John Adams...I have been working on this one forever for the U.S. President's Reading Project. It was also going to be my "J" book for the A-Z Reading Challenge but that challenge only lasts for the year so I went ahead and bought...

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark. A mystery, of course, with a beautiful, brainy heroine, of course! It's a formula but the formula works for me - I enjoy Mary Higgins Clark. I'm pretty far into this one already so should finish it up tonight.

There are four possibilties in the pile for my "D" book. Not sure yet which one I am going to read...

The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee sounds fun and light.

Double Take by Catherine Coulter is bound to be good - I've loved all of her's that I've read thus far.

Dry by Augusten Burroughs will probably be fascinating if a little bit icky...at least that is how I would describe his other book, Running With Scissors.

and Dear Mem Fox by Mem Fox interests me because Mem Fox was a favortie author when I taught first grade.

Finlly, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is a children's book but the series was popular and it became a movie so I wanted to check it out. And, since it is a first in a series it will count towards the 1st in a Series Reading Challenge.

On the Street Where You Live by Mary Higgins Clark

From the Goodreads description: Following a nasty divorce and the trauma of being stalked, criminal defense attorney Emily Graham leaves Albany to work in Manhattan. Craving roots, she buys her ancestral home, a Victorian house in the seaside resort town of Spring Lake, New Jersey. Her family sold the house in 1892, after one of Emily's forebears, Madeline Shapley, then a young girl, disappeared.

As the house is renovated and a pool dug, a skeleton is found and identified as Martha Lawrence, a young Spring Lake woman who vanished several years ago. Within her hand is the finger bone of another woman, with a ring -- a Shapley family heirloom -- still on it. Determined to find the connection between the two murders, Emily becomes a threat to a seductive killer...who chooses her as the next victim.

It came time to click the stars to rate this one on Goodreads and without thinking I gave it a 3 out of 5. It was alright, nothing special. I had a little trouble keeping some of the characters straight - that's unusual for MHC, usually she defines her characters really well, almost to the point of exaggeration but at least you know who is who. There were more characters in this book because of the parallel plots - one set in present day and the other a hundred years ago. I liked the way she handled the two stories; that really held my interest. The plot had a few turns but nothing that I couldn't have anticipated as a possibility based on my experience with her other books. I do want to reach through the pages and slap these heroines who have this "so what if the crazy man is loose, I'm staying alone in the creepy old house" attitude. You just know what's coming. And that's why it's only a three, because you know what's coming. Will I continue to read every book Mary Higgins Clark writes? Absolutely, I love her even when she's a three.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday started by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). This month Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Amused at Amused by Books. Stop by there to check out everyone else's mailboxes.

Mine are all thrift shop finds this week - yes, I have an addiction.

From Goodreads: One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining. BookTiger loves everything Bill Bryson, so I figure I need to give him a try. Although I am not sure that this big thick thing is the right choice to start with. Might should have held out for A Walk in the Woods.



From Goodreads: Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short. Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. I read the Sisterhood stories and they were cute and fun. Let's see how she does with more grown up fare.



From Goodreads: From the Bestselling Author of Friendship Cake Comes a Remarkable Story of Love, Loss, Infidelity, and Forgiveness That's not much of a description now is it?! Hinton is an old friend kind of author, I don't need to know what it is about. I'll pick it up and read it.









From Goodreads: Caretta Rutledge thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother coming just as her own life is spinning out of control has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide “turtle lady” and renews old acquaintances long thought lost. But it is in reconnecting with her mother that she will learn life’s most precious lessons true love involves sacrifice, family is forever and the mistakes of the past can be forgiven. Continuing my Mary Alice Monroe quest to read them all - love her!


From Goodreads: In a new thriller, worldwide bestselling suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark weaves the mystery of twin telepathy into a mother's search for a kidnapped child, presumed dead." "Margaret and Steve Frawley celebrate the third birthday of their twin girls, Kelly and Kathy, with an afternoon party in their new home, a modest fixer-upper in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The evening of the twins' birthday party, Steve and Margaret attend a black-tie dinner in New York. When they return home, the police are in the house, and they are told that the babysitter had been found unconscious, the children are gone, and a note demanding an eight-million-dollar ransom had been left in their room." "Steve Frawley's firm, a global investment company, agrees to pay the ransom. The kidnapper, who identifies himself as the "Pied Piper," makes his terms known - on delivery of the ransom, a call will come, revealing the girls' whereabouts. The call comes, but only Kelly is in the car parked behind a deserted restaurant. The driver is dead from a gunshot wound and has left a suicide note, saying he had inadvertently killed Kathy and had dumped her body in the ocean." "At the private memorial Mass for Kathy, Kelly tugs Margaret's arm and says: "Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now." More unexplainable occurrences follow, indicating that Kelly is in touch with Kathy. At first, no one except the mother believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. As Kelly's warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, however, FBI agents set out on a search for Kathy. The novel reaches a breathtaking climax as they close in on the Pied Piper and his accomplices, while Kathy's life hangs by a thread." In delving into the well-documented but still unexplained phenomenon of twin telepathy, Mary Higgins Clark tells a spellbinding tale that takes us deep into the minds of her characters while lifting us to the heights of suspense. This sounds a little wacky to me (reminds me of the "heart" book where the transplant person started having images of the donors life. Maybe MHC is trying to keep it fresh but I like her unfresh just regular old stuff. Why am I whining about a book before I have even read it? and still planning to read it? Because it's MHC, I read all her books - no matter what, until death do us part.

From Goodreads: Ellen and Andy's first year of marriage doesn't just seem perfect, it is perfect. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other. But one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into Leo for the first time in eight years. Leo, the one who brought out the worst in her. Leo, the one who left her heartbroken with no explanation. Leo, the one she could never quite forget. When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she's living is the one she's meant to live. I liked her series that started with Something Borrowed so thought I would try this one too. It looks like it is part of the series because the cover is so similar but I don't think it is.

Why I Need to Quit My Job

Things have gotten a little out of hand with my TBR pile. I'm going to have to whittle this down. I've joined some reading challenges and some I am just going to have to pass on. I'll keep you posted!

A Green Desire by Myner, novel
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, reflection
A Son of the Circus by John Irving, novel
A Sudden Change of Heart by Brabara Taylor Bradford, novel
A Theory of Relativity by Jacquelin Mitchard, novel
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons, novel
A Woman of Substanance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, novel
Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne, novel
Anyone But you by Jennifer Cruise, novel
Audacity of Hope, The by Barack Obama, non-fiction politics
**U.S. President's Reading Challenge
Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise, novel
Blood Orange by Druscilla Campbell, novel
Blue Bedspread, The by Jha, novel
Bluest eye, The by Toni Morison, novel
Boleyn Inheritance, The by Phillipa Gregory, historical fiction
Brethenm The by John Grisham, novel
Call No Man Father by William X. Kienzle, novel
Cat and Mouse by James Patterson, novel
China Card, The by James Erlichman, novel
Choke by Stuart Woods, novel
Cider House Rules by John Irving, novel
Color of Water, The by James McBride, memoir
Coming Attractions by Fannie Flagg, novel
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher, novel
Day of Drums by Philip Shelby, novel
Dear Mem Fox by Mem Fox, memoir
Devil in the Junior League, The by Linda Francis Lee, novel
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, novel
Doubel Take by Catherine Coulter, novel
Dry by Augustne Burroughs, memoir
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons, novel
End of Summer, The by Rosamunde Pilcher, novel
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier, historical fiction
Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown,novel
Fried Eggs With Chopsticks by Polly Evans, travel
From Beginning to End by Robert fulghum, essays
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan, novel
Greatest Generation, The by Tom Brokaw, non-fiction history
Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Frederikson, novel
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman, novel
History of God by Armstrong, non-fiction religion
Hours, The by Michael Cunningham, novel
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubuis III, novel
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubis, novel
In the Shadow of the Crown: The Story of Mary Tudor by Jean Plaidy, historical fiction
Jack and Jill by James Patterson, novel
Jane Austen Book Club by Fowler, novel
John Adams by David Mccullough, historical fiction
**U.S. President's Reading Project
Johnny Tremain by Esther forbes, kids lit
Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado, non-fiction religion
Killshot by Elmore Leonard, novel
Kiss the Girls by James Patterson, novel
Kitchen Priveleges by Mary Higgins Clark, memoir
Lords of Discipline, The by Pat Conroy, novel
Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living by Martin Clark, novel
Mary, Mary by James Patterson, novel
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, essays
Mexico by James Michener, novel
Midwives by Chris Bohijalian, novel
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy, memoir
New Testament, The by John Grisham, novel
Other Boleyn Girl, The by Philippa Gregory, historical fiction
Partner, The by John Grisham, novel
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, historical fiction
Praying For My Life by Marion Bond West, memoir
Rainmaker, The by John Grisham, novel
Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell, novel
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, memoir
Red Tent, The by Anita Diamant, novel
Run With the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams, novel
Running With the Devil by Steve Kissing, memoir
S. by John Updike, novel
Shiloh, Shiloh Season, Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, kids lit
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen, novel
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris, novel
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, The by Anne Fadiman, non-fiction culture
Starting Out in the Evening by Brian Morton, novel
Stone Diaries, The by Carol Shields, novel
Sunday Wife, The by Cassandra King, novel
Surrender the Pink by Carrie Fisher, novel
Thinking Out Loud by Anna Quindlen, essays
Thirteenth Tale, The by Diane Setterfield, novel
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, novel
Thorn Birds, The by Colleen McCullough, novel
Thy Brother's Wife by Andrew Greeeley, novel
Tipping Point, The by Macolm Gladwell, non-fiction business
'Tis by Frank McCourt, memoir
Twelth Card, The by Jeffreu Deaver, novel
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, novel
Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayer, novel
Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwall, novel
Watership Down by Richard Adams, novel
We Wish to Let You Know That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch, non-fiction history
What Is Mine by Anne Holt, novel
When All the World Was Young by Ferrol Sams, novel
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, essays
Where or When by Anita Shreve, novel
Where You Belong by Barbara Taylor Bradford, novel
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller, novel
Whisperer of the River by Ferrol Sams, novel
Winter People, The by Phyllis Whitnet, novel
World Is Flat, The by Friedman, non-fiction politics
Year of Dreams by Gloria Goldreid, novel
Year of Pleasure by Elizabeth Berg, novel

The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark

From Goodreads: At age eighty-two and in failing health, Olivia Morrow knows she has little time left. The last of her line, she faces a momentous choice: expose a long-held family secret, or take it with her to her grave. Olivia has in her possession letters from her deceased cousin Catherine, a nun, now being considered for beatification by the Catholic Church--the final step before sainthood. The letters Olivia holds are the evidence that Catherine gave birth at age seventeen to a child, a son, and gave him up for adoption. Olivia knows the identity of the young man who fathered Catherine's child: Alex Gannon, who went on to become a world-famous doctor, scientist, and inventor holding medical patents.

Now, two generations later, thirty-one-year-old pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell, Catherine's granddaughter, stands as the rightful heir to what remains of the family fortune. But in telling Monica who she really is, Olivia would have to betray Catherine's wishes and reveal the story behind Monica's ancestry. To silence Olivia and prevent Monica from learning the secret, some will stop at nothing--even murder.

My track record with Mary Higins Clark has been kind of spotty the last few years, I even wondered if maybe she was just past the point of writing books I would truly enjoy. But this one was a winner. I really had to trim down the description from Goodreads because there is so much going on in this book - plots and sub-plots and sub-sub-plots. She still laid it all out pretty simplistically so it remains the easy read that you expect from a MHC but easy with oomph if that makes any sense! Good mystery that I didn't have completely figured out too soon!

I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!

Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higggins Clark

From Goodreads: Mary Higgins Clark weaves the mystery of twin telepathy into a mother's search for a kidnapped child, presumed dead. Margaret and Steve Frawley celebrate the third birthday of their twin girls, Kelly and Kathy, with an afternoon party in their new home, a modest fixer-upper in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The evening of the twins' birthday party, Steve and Margaret attend a black-tie dinner in New York. When they return home, the police are in the house, and they are told that the babysitter had been found unconscious, the children are gone, and a note demanding an eight-million-dollar ransom had been left in their room.

I picked this one for my T book to wrap up the A-Z Reading Challenge because I knew it would be fast and easy and I hoped it would be good. After disappointment with my last two MHC (here) and (here), I was so glad that this one was entertaining, I was actually a little bit scared at one point! There were characters that you knew were in on the kidnapping from the beginning and you got to see how evil they were and ooh and ahh about just how bad they could get. But then there was the mystery character the "Pied Piper" and it wasn't until the end that this character was revealed and it was actually a question for me until the very end. Satisfaction.

This book counts for these challenges:

Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern

From the author's website: How can you know someone you’ve never met? Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair.
Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets an attractive doctor, who persuades him to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time.
When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of déjà vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why …

Well....I finished this a few days ago but still can't quite decide how much I liked it, which, I guess, means not all that much. I liked each of the characters, thought they were quirky and fun. I liked Joyce's personality and her Irish pop was a hoot. Her friends bickering like toddlers was supposed to be cute but really was just annoying but they did seem to truly care about Joyce so I tolerated them. The settings were interesting and there was some adventure as well like lying their way onto an audition for Antiques Roadshow.

What I didn't like was how heavy handed the donor acquired memory element was. That same idea was explored with a heart transplant in Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark but it was more subtle, a piece of a bigger plot. In this one, the memories just take over and it is really hard for me to swallow, particularly since the idea of donated blood going directly from one person to another is debunked in the book itself. It is explained that blood is broken down into different parts and distributed piecemeal but yet we are still supposed to believe this huge reaction has occurred for her because she received donated blood.

So this book wasn't my cup of tea but I like Cecilia Ahern's style and I would read another book of hers without hesitation.


This counts toward the e-book challenge. Click on the logo to see my progress.

What's On Your Nightstand? September 2011

This monthly feature is hosted by 5 Minutes for Books on the last Tuesday of every month. Click on the logo to go and check out all the participants.


This weekend was the library Fall book sale so this pile is my result! I didn't just shop willy-nilly - these are books that I have had on my mental wish list, or that complete a series, or are by my "must have" authors so I am very excited about working my way through this stack! From the bottom up...

Back When We Were Grown Ups by Anne Tyler Anne Tyler is a favorite, I try to read all of her books.

Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella The shopaholic series is the Chinese food of books, you read until you're stuffed and then ten minutes later you have to read again. So it turns out when I read the description more carefully, that I have read this one already - just forgot. Oh well.

The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith This is another series I abandoned and now want to return to and wrap up. These read so quickly and are very sweet - will enjoy this one.

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson Probably my most exciting purchase. I loved Backseat Saints and Gods in Alabama, I am an official Joshilyn Jackson fan girl.

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs More Running with Scissors type stories, I assume, we'll see.

The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark Another author that I just read every book no matter what. I don't buy them at full price but I do read them...eventually.

The Day of the Storm by Rosamunde Pilcher yes, she wrote the Shell Seekers.. that seems to be all anyone ever remembers of dear Rosamunde. But I am loyal - I read them all, eventually.

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens and I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass Saw these two when they were making the rounds on book blogs and have had them on my mental wish list ever since.

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah I think I was kind of late to the Kristin Hannah lovefest but have since read a few and enjoyed them very much - looking forward to this one too.

Innocent Traitor by Allison Weir At one point the Facebook Historical Fiction book club chose an Allison Weir and I liked that one so am hoping this one will be as good.

The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde Title caught my attention awhile ago and it sounds interesting.

A-Z Reading Challenge 2010

I had a great time last year completing the 2009 A-Z Reading Challenge so I am happy to play along again this year. I'm sticking with what worked and just doing the A-Z by titles for a commitment to 26 books. If you want more information about the challenge, click on the button to go visit the challenge sign-up post at the dedicated blog.


Here's what I have read so far in 2010....
A- Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume
B- The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
C- Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deniece Schofield
D- Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark
E- Endless Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher
F- The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
G- Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule
H- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I- I Like You by Amy Sedaris
J- The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
K- Knitting by Anne Bartlett
L- Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
M- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
N- Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler
O- The Overlook by Michael Connelly
P- Paint it Black by Janet Fitch
Q- The Queen's Mistake by Diane Haeger
R- The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall
S- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
T- Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
U- The Unnamed
V- A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
W- World Without End by Ken Follett
X- I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
Y- The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Z- The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

Me and My Books meme

This was posted over at Beth Fish Reads and looked like fun so here are my answers....click on the link to see Beth's answers.

1. What author do you own the most books by?
It used to be Lawrence Sanders - I went through everything he wrote but then last fall I realized I hadn't touched them in years so I boxed them all up for the church bazaar. That leaves me with Mary Higgins Clark.
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
The Bible.
3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Didn't even notice.
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Hate to admit it but the only one I can think of is Edward - there must be somebody better! At least somebody within twenty years of my actual age.
5. What book have you read the most times in your life?
Easily The Secret Garden but not the one by Frances Hodgen Burnett, the lesser known one by Julie Andrews originally published as Mandy.
6. Favorite book as a ten year old?
Probably was Mandy - timing seems right. And, I still have the same paperback copy that I read back then. I used to climb up into my favorite tree and perch there to read. Now I just go to my corner of the couch where the good light is and my reading glasses are! Other possibilties would be Harriet the Spy and the Trixie Belden series.
7. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
Do I want to put my negativity out into the universe? Oops - already did - I had two books that I rated a "2" in my reading journal here and here.
8. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
I looked back at my reading journal. I gave 7 or 8 books a "10" this past year and out of those I'll pick Cage of Stars by Jacqueline Mitchard - it was such an emotional tale - loved it.
9. If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would it be?
I immediately think of something to do with the Holocaust like Night or The Hiding Place because I'd like them to read a book that would help bring about world peace (how's that for a beauty queen answer?!). But there is also The Lemon Tree about the Middle East and Abraham about the shared beginings of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faiths. Thought provoking question!
10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
The Mysterious Benedict Society - would be really fun to see brought to life on the big screen.
11. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
Apparently it is John Adams.
12. What is your favorite book?
This is an impossible question - does anyone answer it?
13. Play?
None - can't think of a play that I have read of my own volition.
14. Poem?
Not much into poetry either.
15. Essay?
This I can answer - hands down, David Sedaris - L-O-V-E him. I've read When You Are Engulfed in Flames and Me Talk Pretty One Day. His others are on my wish list.
16. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Easy - Nicholas Sparks.
17. What is your desert island book?
The Bible
18. And . . . what are you reading right now?
John Adams- I will finish it this time! But I have French Women Don't Get Fat in the car (so I can read it while I'm waiting in the Sonic drive-thru lane), Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope on my desk at work (the Navy can't possibly be unhappy with me for reading at work if it's the musings of our commander in chief!), and in my purse I have Dry by Augusten Burroughs - can't wait to tell my book club girls that and hear them all go "eww" - they hated Running With Scissors.