Raving About Books

Another day of rain, so this is definitely a book day. I've been reading so many great books lately that it's high time for me to rave about them.

I can't believe that the last post where I listed books I'd read and recommended was in July of last year. My only excuse is that life and grandkids and my dogs and writing and reading got in the way. Well, in this post I'll play catch-up and rave about the books I've read since then. I can highly recommend every one of the books listed below. (Note - The books are listed in the order read.)

Books Read from August 2014 through December 2014:

Plague by H. W. "Buzz" Bernard
Outlander (#1) by Diana Gabaldon*
Redcoat by David Crookes
Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon
Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon
Blood Orchid (Lei Crime #1) by Toby Neal
Torch Ginger (Lei Crime #2) by Toby Neal
Married by Midnight by Talli Roland
Black Friday by Alex Kava
The Salaryman's Wife (Rei Shimura #1) by Sujata Massey*
Zen Attitude (Rei Shimura #2) by Sujata Massey

Books Read from January 2015 through April 2015:

The Flower Masters (Rei Shimura #3) by Sujata Massey
The Defector (Gabriel Allon #9) by Daniel Silva
Black Jasmine (Lei Crime #3) by Toby Neal
The Rembrandt Affair (Gabriel Allon #10) by Daniel Silva
Portrait of a Spy (Gabriel Allon #11) by Daniel Silva
Never, Never (#1) by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
The Fallen Angel (Gabriel Allon #12) by Daniel Silva
The English Girl (Gabriel Allon #13) by Daniel Silva
The Heist (Gabriel Allon #14) by Daniel Silva
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
1984 by George Orwell*
Z, A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
Neverhome by Laird Hunt
Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough
The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

* Books I've read more than once.

Hmm! Obviously I've been spending lots and lots of time reading. However, there's never enough time to read all the books I want to read.

My local library is only a mile away, so I go there at least once a week. Plus, I have zillions of books on my two Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire). I confess, I have way more books on my Kindles than I'll ever be able to read in ten lifetimes. Of course, there's no such thing as too many books.

Yes, every single one of the books listed above were great reads. I just know you'll love reading them too. If you want, you can check out my Goodreads page for my short reviews on each of these books.

Teri Heyer's Book Reviews on Goodreads

Books I'm currently reading:

Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carnes

Happy Reading!!!!

Christmas, Dogs and Books

I can't believe that Christmas is almost here. How did this happen? I swear this year has zipped by much too fast. I still have to do some last minute Christmas shopping, but it's a rainy day and I'm dreading going out in that. Hmm! I might finish up with Amazon and Walmart gift cards. Ebooks are always great gifts too.

Here are some Christmas eBooks you're sure to enjoy:

Married by Midnight by Talli Roland
Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland
Last Christmas by Talli Roland
Big on Christmas by Jan Romes
The Christmas Contract by Jan Romes
Xmas Affair by Ruth Kerce (a sensual short)
Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry
Christmas of the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller
Mrs. Scrooge by Barbara Bretton

Series eBooks that would make great last minute gifts:

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
Rei Shimura Mystery Series by Sujata Massey
BEYOND Series by Maureen A. Miller (YA/NA SciFi)
Lei Crime Series by Toby Neal (Hawaii)
Samantha Jamison Mystery Series by Peggy A. Edelheit
Texas Boys Falling Fast Series by Jan Romes (Romance)
Xylon Warriors Series by Ruth Kerce (Elora's Cave)
Maggie O'Dell Series by Alex Kava (mystery/suspense)
Hetta Coffey Mystery Series by Jinx Schwarts
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell
Build a Man Series by Talli Roland (Chick Lit)
Bluewater Series by C. L. R. Dougherty (suspense/thriller)
Sackett Series by Louis L'Amour
Sullivan's War Series by Michael K. Rose (SciFi)
Saxon Tales Series by Bernard Cornwell (historical fiction)

I could go on and on listing books and series. As you can tell, I LOVE BOOKS and think they make the best Christmas presents ever. So don't forget to buy books and eBooks for Christmas for yourself and your friends and loved ones.

Well, I have to apologize for neglecting my blog these past few months. I added a new puppy, Jazzy, to my fur-family back in September and she's taken up a lot of my time. Honestly, I practically live at the dog park these days. That's what happens when you have two dogs, Dude and Jazzy, who insist on going to the dog park nearly every single day. My other dog, Shani, is almost thirteen years old and isn't interested in the dog park. Shani has a lot of medical issues, so we're taking it day by day.

I went to Winter Fest and rode on the Christmas Trolley in Pensacola with my grandkids on Saturday night. Christmas lights everywhere. It was very festive and we all had a grand time.

We're planning a Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings. Yum! The leftovers are the best part.

Well, the rain is temporarily letting up, so I need to make a mad dash to finish my shopping.

I hope you all have an awesome, wonderful, Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Summer Reads

Ever since I was a little kid, summer and reading have gone hand in hand. I remember walking, usually barefoot, to the library and spending hours searching for just the right books to bring home. Then I'd walk back home with an armload of books. My next door best friends almost always went with me and sometimes we even let my little brother tag along. I always came back home with an armload of books.


Obviously I'm no longer a kid, but I still look forward to summer reads. Most of the books I enjoy these days are on my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire), though I still make regular trips to the library. I no longer walk barefoot to the library, but I do drive home with an assortment of books.


Considering we've reached the mid-point of a long, hot, muggy (Hey, I live in Florida) summer, it seemed like the perfect time to write a post about summer reads. So here's a list of the books I've read since the first day of summer. All of them were great reads which I can definitely recommend.


My Summer Reads:


Outback Station by Aaron Fletcher
Summer of the Loon by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Virgin, Widow, Whore by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Jungle of Deceit by Maureen A. Miller
When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
Becoming Queen Victoria by Kate Williams*


I'm almost always reading more than one book. So what am I currently reading?


Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman
Sharp's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
Time Trap by Micah Caida
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing


What other books are on my summer reading list? Hmm! That's a good question. I always have more books on my list than I have time to read. However, here are some books I hope to read the second half of this summer.


On My Summer Reading List:


BEYOND: Three Paths by Maureen A. Miller
Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman
Her Perfect Life by Vicki Hinze
The Norman Conquest by Marc Morris*
City of the Sun by Juliana Maio
Hurricane Hole by R.P. Dahlke
We Two: Victoria and Albert ... by Gillian Gill*
Crisis of Identity by Denise Moncrief
Across Great Divides by Monique Roy
A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir


* = Non-Fiction


I know, that's a pretty ambitious reading list. I doubt that I'll get to all of them before the summer is out and, of course, I'll most likely add more to my list. Oh well, I read all year long, so I'm sure to get to all of them eventually. Just remember, there's no such thing as too many books.


What are you reading this summer? I'm always looking for suggestions, so please feel free to add yours in the comments below. Happy summer reading to y'all.

In Love With Books

I've been in love with books since I was a little kid. Some of my happiest memories are all those times I spent at the library perusing the bookshelves and then carrying home an armload of books. Then I'd curl up on the couch, stretch out on my bed, or sit on the patio and read, read, read. To this day I read every chance I can get.

In my last blog post I promised to list the books I've been reading lately. I loved and can recommend every single book I've listed below. Most are fiction, but those marked with (*) are non-fiction. I like to read a variety of books, so you'll find historical fiction, history, contemporary fiction, romance and everything in between. I've listed the books by the month I finished reading them, from January of this year to the present month.

January:

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

The Queen of Lost Hopes by Susan Higginbotham

February:

The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham

1215 - The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danziger & John Gillingham *

Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham

1066 - The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth *

Death of Kings (Saxon Tales #6) by Bernard Cornwell

March:

The Pagan Lord (Saxon Tales #7) by Bernard Cornwell

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

April:

The High Sheriff of Huntingdon by Anne Stuart

Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen

Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

Under an Enchantment by Anne Stuart

May:

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill *

Dark Angels by Karleen Koen

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

Supercell by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard

Divergent (Divergent Trilogy #1) by Veronica Roth

June:

The Unforgiven by Alan LeMay

Insurgent (Divergent Trilogy #2) by Veronica Roth

The Light Horseman's Daughter by David Crookes

I'm almost always reading more than one book, usually something from the library and the rest are usually eBooks on my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire).

Currently Reading:

The Black Count ... The Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss *

Outback by Aaron Fletcher

Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann

Summer of the Loon by Deanna L. Sletten

If you're at a loss of what to read next, you can't go wrong with any of the books I've listed above. All of them are great reads.

I hope you all love books as much as I do.

Christmas in November - Some Holiday Reads

'A Christmas Contract' on my Kindle Fire.

It seems the older I get the faster the year zips by. This year is no exception and feels like a breakneck race to the holidays. Well, it's a good thing I enjoy the holidays and look forward to all those wonderful holiday reads.

I couldn't help doing a post about some of the holiday reads on my Kindle Fire. In fact, the past couple nights I actually started reading a collection of Christmas romances. These holiday reads are like comfort foods for the soul.

'Mistletoe in Manhattan' on my Kindle Fire.

If you love reading romances, both contemporary and historical, you'll be sure to find something to like in the holiday books I've added to my Kindle Fire. Some of these I've read before and others I haven't yet started. Oh, I just love holiday reads.

This list below is just some of the Christmas books on my Kindle Fire. They range from sweet romances to spicey hot and everything in between.

'Army Doctor's Christmas ...' on my Kindle Fire.

I'm currently reading Helen Scott Taylor's Army Doctor's Christmas Collection which includes, Army Doctor's Baby, Army Doctor's Wedding and Army Doctor's Christmas Baby. I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this heartwarming collection of Christmas reads.

'A Home for Christmas' on my Kindle Fire.

Christmas Holiday Reads (in no particular order):

Army Doctors Christmas Collection by Helen Scott Taylor
The Christmas Contract by Jan Romes
A Home for Christmas by Deborah Grace Smiley
Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland*
A Cowboy for Christmas by Lori Wilde
Xmas Affair by Ruth D. Kerce*
A Spy for Christmas by Kristen James
Kiss of the Christmas Wind by Janelle Taylor
Any Given Christmas by Candis Terry*
The Gift of Gray by Jan Romes
All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello
A Grosvenor Square Christmas by Anna Campbell, et al.
Blue Christmas by Diane Moody
A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn
Christmas at the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller*
A Dixie Christmas by Sandra Hill

(* = Holiday books I've read, enjoyed and will read again.)

'Xmas Affair' on my Kindle Fire.

There are just so many great Christmas Holiday books out there, so please feel free to add your recommendations in the comments below. Remember, there's no such thing as too many books and definitely no such thing as too many Christmas Holiday books.

Best wishes to y'all for a wonderful holiday season. Happy reading too.

Summer Blow-Out Sale

OUTBACK LOVE on my Kindle Fire.

Another stormy summer day here on the Florida Gulf Coast. I'm sitting in my living room looking out the front windows as the day grows darker and darker and the rain comes pouring down. Every few minutes there's another loud clap of thunder.

Well, this stormy weather got me to thinking. Maybe this is just the right time for a Summer Blow-Out Sale of my books: OUTBACK LOVE, MOON OVER MADNESS and BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS.

All three eBooks are temporarily $0.99/ea. In addition, JETTING AWAY, my short story prequel to OUTBACK LOVE, will continue to be FREE.

Teri Heyer's eBooks at Amazon/Kindle - $0.99/ea.

Just so you know, this sale was not something I planned in advance. It's the result of day after day of steamy, sultry, HOT summer weather interspersed with lots and lots of rain. How long will this Blow-Out Sale last? Well, maybe until the weather improves? It's really hard to say. Since this is a temporary, spontaneous Blow-Out Sale, not a planned one, the price of $0.99 is only available at Amazon/Kindle.

Now why would you want to buy and read my books even at this great price? Well, because they're fun, upbeat, adventurous and heartwarming reads with plenty of love thrown in and some guaranteed happy endings?

OUTBACK LOVE is a short contemporary romance novel set in Australia and the Outback. Years back my husband and I took a five thousand mile road trip through Australia, from Melbourne north through the Outback and then east to Queensland and the beautiful and exotic Australian coast. We rented a conversion van which my husband drove (they drive on the left instead of the right in Australia). I rode shotgun and filmed much of the trip. It was an awesome three week vacation and I hope that we'll be able to repeat it sometime in the future.

The places I wrote about in OUTBACK LOVE are real locales. We went there and fell in love with each and every place mentioned in my novel. OUTBACK LOVE is not a travelogue, but you will read a little about The Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Barossa Valley (great wineries), Chateau Yaldara (an awesome winery), Glendambo (a stop on the road to the Outback), Coober Pedy (where they mine gorgeous opals and most of the people live underground), Ayers Rock/Uluru (which is one of the most awesome sights ever and I did climb Ayers Rock), Alice Springs (have you seen the pop movie, 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'?), Mataranka (a hot springs oasis in the middle of the Outback), Tennant Creek (a tranquil crossroads in the Outback), Darwin (a must-see city at the tip-top of Australia) and Kakadu (an exotic, beautiful, step-back-into-time kind of place where they filmed 'Crocodile Dundee'). Whew! That was a long trip, a great adventure and wonderful inspiration for my novel.

A few tidbits about OUTBACK LOVE. A river guide I met in Kakadu was the inspiration for rugged, handsome, Ian MacAlister. A young college student working for the summer in Tennant Creek was the inspiration for Priscilla Alexander. A so-homely-he-was-cute dog in the Outback was my inspiration for Elliot.

OUTBACK LOVE is an adventurous love story with a happy ending. But it took Priscilla and Ian some definite ups and downs to get there. I loved writing OUTBACK LOVE and hope you'll love reading it too.



JETTING AWAY on my Kindle Fire.

JETTING AWAY  is a short story prequel to OUTBACK LOVE. It came about following a reader's request to know more about Priscilla's background. She wanted to know why Priscilla, a high-powered business woman, would leave beautiful San Francisco and travel to Australia to find herself.

Though JETTING AWAY is a prequel, it can be read as a stand-alone short story. No, you don't have to read OUTBACK LOVE to enjoy this story. It's all about Priscilla, a young woman who decides to make changes in her life and jets away to Australia.

Best of all, JETTING AWAY is a FREE eBook on Amazon/Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Apple iTunes, Sony and Kobo. How can you resist a fun, FREE read?





MOON OVER MADNESS on my Kindle.

My paranormal, romantic comedy novella, MOON OVER MADNESS, came to me full-blown in one mad moment of inspiration. I swear the little helper-elves in my head wrote this book and all I did was write down the story as they told it to me.

Chantel Deneuve is a responsible mother of two beautiful young daughters and living a quiet life in Florida. She also happens to be a half-witch, something she'd prefer to ignore. But then one night a to-die-for, gorgeously handsome vampire, Riordan "Rio" Martainn, comes knocking on her front door.

Chantel's life is never the same after that night. An assortment of witches, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, a very angry dragon named Sabilla and Jake, a dog who only talks to to children, all join in this romantic mad adventure.  If you want to read a book that will make you smile, then MOON OVER MADNESS is just the book for you.

BAYOU BLUES ... on my Kindle Fire.

BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS  is my book that evolved over time. It's a collection of eight short stories and eight poems that all contain little pieces of me. The central themes are love, family, hopes and dreams.

There's a little bit of everything in these stories and poems. "Harry's Garden" was inspired by a not-very-nice former neighbor when we used to live on a Florida bayou way-back-when. "A Kiss is Just a Kiss" was written after a childhood friend of mine died of AIDS. I was thinking of him as I wrote that story. "The Night of the UFO" was inspired after we (my husband and I) swore we saw a UFO over the bayou. I was drinking Margaritas that night, rather than Whiskey Sours (I happen to like both) and the story came to me full-blown. I stayed up half the night to write it. "I Love You, Joe Montana" was inspired, because, well, you know, I happen to love Joe Montana.

The stories and poems in BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS are very dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed the journey in writing those stories and poems.

As I finish writing this post it's still raining outside. Overall, this has been a very wet, rainy summer here on the Florida Gulf Coast. Am I complaining? No. But I've spent a lot of indoor time instead of enjoying the great outdoors and our beautiful sugar-sand beaches. However, all this rain means you get the Summer Blow-Out Sale of my books. I do so hope you'll rush right out and add all of my books to your Kindle or other eReader. Who can resist eBooks for only $0.99/ea.? I know I can't. Of course, I'm addicted to books and I'm assuming you are too.

Summer Blow-Out Sale of Teri Heyer's eBooks at Amazon/Kindle - $0.99/ea.

A happy summer shout-out to y'all. Thanks again for stopping by my blog. And many many thanks to all my readers too.

Hopelessly Addicted to Books

'Far in the Wilds' by Deanna Raybourn

I have to admit that I'm hopelessly addicted to books. This is an addiction that started when I was a small child and hasn't let up all these many years later. Nope, I'm not going to confess to the actual number of years. Just trust me to say that it's been a long, long time.

I have bookshelves full of books, boxes of books under my bed, stacks of books in my closet, books on end tables and dressers and any number of places.

'A Spear of Summer Grass' by Deanna Raybourn

On my Kindle Fire and Kindle Keyboard I have more books than I can count. Well, actually, I can count that high, but suffice to say that it's a heck of a lot of books. I probably have more books than I can read in several lifetimes. So I think it's fair to say this is a true addiction.

Is this a bad thing? Are you kidding? Absolutely not. Being addicted to (in love with) books is a very good thing. I'm never bored, because there's always a book (or two or three or more) at my fingertips.







'HIGH TIDE' by Maureen A. Miller

How did this happen? Well, to begin with, my mom started reading O'Henry and Terhune stories to me when I was still too young to start school. Once I could read on my own I practically lived at the library. Every birthday and Christmas all I ever wanted was books. Whenever I had a little bit of money I bought more books. Even today I'd rather shop for books instead of clothes, shoes or anything else I can name.

I read every chance I can get: when I first wake up in the morning, before I go to sleep at night, and whatever stolen moments I can find throughout the day. Books are what keep me sane, calm, hopeful, optimistic, I could go on and on.

'Stella in Stilettos' by Jan Romes

In honor of this addiction to books, I thought it fitting to list some of my latest reads. After all, I'm sure many of you also suffer from this same addiction and are probably looking for some more great books that you just must have.

I'm almost always reading more than one book. Usually I have a hardback or paperback book that I'm reading, in addition to one or more eBooks on my two Kindles. It pretty much just depends on my mood of the moment as to which book I want to read at any given time. I'm also a night owl, so I do a lot of reading well after the midnight hour. I'd much rather lose sleep and read.






'The Orchid House' by Lucinda Riley

Books I'm currently reading:

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley
That Summer in Cornwall by Ciji Ware
Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose










'BEYOND' by Maureen A. Miller

Books I Read and Loved in May:

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
Long Trail Home (Texas Trails #3) by Vickie McDonough
BEYOND (BEYOND #1) by Maureen A. Miller
BEYOND: Two Suns (BEYOND #2) by Maureen A. Miller
Secrets of Paris by Luanne Rice
Baby, Don't Go (Southern Roads #3) by Stephanie Bond
Baby, Drive South (Southern Roads #1) by Stephanie Bond
Stella in Stilettos by Jan Romes

'Baby, Hold On' by Stephanie Bond

Books I Read and Loved in June:

Baby, Hold On (Southern Roads #3.5) by Stephanie Bond
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
Endless Night by Maureen A. Miller
The Diamond Smugglers by Ian Fleming









'CATALINA KISS' by Tracy Ewens

Books I Read and Loved in July (to date):

Catalina Kiss by Tracy Ewens
Baby, Come Home (Southern Roads #2) by Stephanie Bond
High Tide by Maureen A. Miller
Far in the Wilds by Deanna Raybourn

If you'd like, you can check out my reviews for all the books listed above via my Goodreads page:

Teri Heyer's Goodreads Page

'ENDLESS NIGHT' by Maureen A. Miller

Note: The photos in this post are books on my Kindle Fire. For the record, I love my Kindle Fire (great for reading inside and in the dark or low-light conditions due to back lighting) and my Kindle Keyboard (which I've had for years and read outside and at the beach due to the non-glare screen). I still love hardback and paperback books too. I also frequent my local library and used bookstore.

Are you hopelessly addicted to books too?

Talking about the "Supermoon" and Books

A photo I took of the "Supermoon" last night, 6/22/2013.

Last night was the first I heard about the "Supermoon." It's been all over the news and the net for days, but it only just sank in when my husband pointed out to me last night that I needed to look at the moon.

Now this is uncharacteristic of me. I've always been fascinated with the moon ever since my dad bought my brother a telescope and we gazed at the moon, up-close, and saw all those mysterious shadows and craters. Simply awesome!

As the "Supermoon" rose over the treetops last night I snapped several photos. The best of the bunch is the one in this post. My camera is a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX20V. It's a great little camera (purse size and fits in the palm of my hand), but it isn't particularly designed to take moon photos. So I was pleased to get such a clear photo of the "Supermoon."

Now what's so great about this month's full moon? The moon is closer to the earth for this cycle, so the moon appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual. Well, after gazing at the moon last night I have to agree that it looked bigger and brighter and awesome.

Some links to check out:

Supermoon Sunday - NASA.com

Don't fear the Supermoon - Space.com

VIDEO: "It's a 'Supermoon'! - The Weather Channel

My dogs went out into the darkened front yard with me last night while I took photos of the moon. They gave me that funny look of "Why are you taking photos at night?" They didn't even bother to look at the moon. 

Now my dog, Dude, who knows how to howl, didn't even bother to howl at last night's "Supermoon." However, the actual full moon is tonight, so maybe he'll give it at least a little howl as the moon rises over the treetops?

Now all this talk about full moons brings to mind werewolves. Yeah, I have a fascination with werewolves too. In the wee hours last night, just before it started to rain, my dogs and I went out front again to look at the "Supermoon" one more time. The clouds were drifting around the moon, creating an eerie effect. I couldn't help but check over my shoulder for possible werewolves. Any rustle in the bushes caught my immediate attention. But my dogs, Dude and Shani, weren't the least bit alarmed. So I guess we didn't have any werewolves lurking around our house last night? Oh, but the full moon is actually tonight. Oh, my!

My very fav werewolf movie is the 1981 classic, "An American Werewolf in London." I've watched that movie so many times. Absolutely love it!

An American Werewolf in London - Blu-ray Edition

'Moon Over Madness' on my Kindle Fire.

Now it seems to me this is the perfect time to talk about MOON books and particularly those that pertain to werewolves. So in case y'all didn't know, I wrote a paranormal, romantic comedy about, yep, you guessed it, the moon and werewolves. I included witches, vampires, ghosts, dragons and a dog named Jake too.

My mom insists this is her favorite one of my books and thinks it should be made into a movie with actress Shirley MacLaine as one of the witches. What can I say? Thanks, Mom. I loved writing MOON OVER MADNESS and hope y'all will love reading it too.

MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle


MOON OVER MADNESS - Barnes&Noble/Nook


MOON OVER MADNESS - iTunes/iPad



Connie Flynn's 'Shadow on the Moon' on my Kindle.

I thought this would be the perfect time to list some of the MOON fiction reads on my Kindle. Note, some of these reads include werewolves too.

MOON Reads on my Kindle (in no particular order):

Shadow on the Moon (Werewolf Series #1) by Connie Flynn
Dark Moon by Rebecca York
Indian Moon by Carolyn McCray
Mocha, Moonlight and Murder by MaryAnn Kempher
Song of the Orange Moons by Lori Ann Stephens

Marsha Canham's 'Pale Moon Rider' on my Kindle.

Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham
Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham
Moonlight on the Nantahala by Michael Rivers
Irish Moon by Amber Scott
The Light of the Lovers Moon by Marcia Lynn McClure
Sailing Down the Moonbeam by Mary Gottschalk
Three Moons Over Sedona by Sherry Hartzler
Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens

Anne Stuart's 'Moonrise' on my Kindle

Moonrise by Anne Stuart
Under the Desert Moon by Mary Tate Engels
Orchids in Moonlight by Patricia Hagan
Songbird Under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer
Moon in Leo by Kathleen Herbert
Sarah of the Moon by Randy Mixter
Fever Moon by Carolyn Haines
Rustler's Moon by Jim Jones
The Valley of the Moon by Jack London


I hope y'all find some great reads in the list above. Thanks again for stopping by. And don't forget to take a look at the "Supermoon" tonight. Oh, and don't forget to watch out for werewolves too.

Yodeling for Yellow

Some of my potted yellow Pansies.

If I knew how to yodel that is exactly what I would be doing right now. Only I can't sing a note, so yodeling is definitely out of the question. So, you might ask, what is this yodeling all about? Well, here on the Florida Gulf Coast it's a bright sunny day and very close to spring.

It's already Spring Break here in Florida. Tourists from all over the country, and the world, head to Florida this time of year. The temperatures are mild, in the high-60s today and expected to reach the high-70s tomorrow. Before the month is out we should be in the 80s.

This is beach weather for those from colder climates. For me too? Beach weather? Well, not quite. My "old" bones need at least the 80s before I venture down to the beach and into the water. On the other hand, this is perfect weather for walking on the beach.

So what does yellow have to do with Florida and Spring Break and almost beach weather? Well, it's all about gorgeous blue skies, a bright yellow sun, the emerald/turquoise Gulf waters and sand between the toes.

I happen to love the color yellow in all its different shades, from the palest yellow hue to bright canary yellow and everything in between. I love yellow flowers, yellow clothes, yellow houses, yellow cars, well, just about yellow anything. Yellow books? Yep, those too.

My yellow floral oil painting.

Besides writing, I'm a part-time artist, which means I paint in oils or acrylics when the mood strikes me. I love to paint florals. And yellow flowers are sooooo much fun to paint.

One of my favorite floral paintings is a bouquet of yellow flowers with two red-orange Gerbera Daisies. I did that painting back in 2004 while I was recuperating from back surgery. I couldn't do much of anything for the six weeks following the surgery, but I could paint.

I think I did some of my best paintings during those six weeks. I also read a whole lot of books during those weeks, but then I'm always reading a whole lot of books.

Well, as I've mentioned in previous posts, colors represent different phases and memories in my life. A couple months back I started writing posts about colors (Seeing Red, Passionate About Purple, Think Pink and Lovely Lavender). This morning I woke up and said, "This is a yellow day."

When I was a kid I always dreamed about having a yellow farmhouse. I wanted it to be two stories with white shutters and a huge painted-white wrap-around porch. I wanted that farmhouse to be right in the middle of acres and acres of land, with horses, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs and any other critters I could think of. Well, that yellow farmhouse is still a dream, but maybe someday ... you just never know.

When I was sixteen my parents bought a bright yellow Corvette Stingray. Wow! That was an awesome car. I wanted so badly to be allowed to drive it, but I had to wait until the following year. One day, when I was a freshman in college, my dad finally relented and said I could drive the Corvette to pick him up at work. Was he crazy? Allowing a seventeen year old to drive a Corvette? And on a rainy day too?

Well, I took the turn onto the freeway on ramp (in So-Cal) at too high a speed and did a 360 and then some.  I remember thinking that I'd better die in the crash, because if I didn't my dad was going to kill me. I must have had a guardian angel looking out for me that day, as the vet came to a stop about a foot away from a concrete embankment. I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart still pounding, looked up and there was Forest Lawn Cemetery right before my eyes. That was an instant reminder of where I could have been. By the way, I learned to be a very careful driver after that.

My parents never heard that story. When I picked my dad up from work he asked how the drive went. I think I said something like, "Just fine." Dad had a twinkle in his eye, so maybe he sensed that I drove the vet much too fast that day. Now my mom, who is probably hearing this story for the first time as she reads this post, is saying "You did what?" Hey, what can I say?

Years later my husband and I bought a canary yellow Jeep Wrangler with a black removable top. It pretty much looked like a giant bumble-bee, but boy was it fun to drive. We had that yellow Jeep for several years until we traded it in for a big white truck.  A truck? White? What were we thinking? But that's another story, another post.

I remember a bright yellow mini-dress that I wore to a high school dance. I wore it with yellow fishnet stockings, purple shoes, a purple headband and purple sunglasses. Hey, those were the late sixties and mod-dress meant bright colors. So yes, my dress was a hit. And I did wear those sunglasses while I danced in my fishnet stockings in the gym.

I remember another bright yellow dress, so many years later. My husband and I were on a mini-vacation in Jamaica. We were staying at Wyndham Rose Hall outside of Montego Bay. I spotted this gorgeous yellow and white striped dress and I just had to buy it. The skirt was cut in overlapping triangles of solid yellow and then yellow and white striped. I wore that dress off and on for many years and it always brought back memories of Jamaica, the warm Caribbean waters, Jamaica Delights (a tropical drink with pineapple juice, coconut milk and three different kinds of rum), balmy temps and reggae music (and yes, I can reggae).

Well, I could go on and on talking about the color yellow in my life, but then this post would be way too long. So to wind things up I'll add a few yellow books. It's not surprising that one of my favorite yellow books is John D. MacDonald's One Fearful Yellow Eye (Travis McGee Series #8). I've read every one of the colorful books in the series and plan to read all of them over again. Yes, I'm in love with Travis McGee, but don't tell my husband.

Another favorite yellow book is Patricia Falvey's The Yellow House. This novel is awesome! I have a hardback copy which graces my bookshelves. Some books stay in your memory and this is one of them, a book to read over and over again.

A yellow book I'm looking forward to reading is Louis L'Amour's Showdown at Yellow Butte. I have just about all of Louis L'Amour's books in paperback (all keepers) and have already read over half of them. I love every one, so I'm sure to love this one too.

In most of my posts I include a list of books. So in this case it's a list of Yellow Fiction. I haven't read any of the books listed below, but they all sound like great reads. Some of them have already been added to my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire).

Yellow Fiction (that's fiction with yellow in the title, in no particular order):

Yellow Crocus: A Novel by Laila Irahim*
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Tapestry: Strands of Blue and Yellow by Cady Elizabeth Arnold
Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance #1) by Peggy L. Henderson*
Yellowstone Redemption (Yellowstone Romance #2) by Peggy L. Henderson*
The Yellow Palace (Inner Seas Kingdom) by Jeffrey Quyle
Secret Past (Yellow Creek Novel #1) by Anna Sugg
Ghost Thunder (Yellow Creek Novel #2) by Anna Sugg
The Yellow Rose of Texas by Shannon Richardson
Yellow Rose Bride (Historical Romance) by Lori Copeland
The Yellow Birds: A Novel by Kevin Powers
Strawberry Yellow (A Mas Arai Mystery) by Naomi Hirahara
The Yellow Rose (Lone Star Legacy) by Gilbert Morris
Pushing Up Bluebonnets (Yellow Rose Mystery) by Leann Sweeney
The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins
In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal
Chrome Yellow and Other Works by Aldous Huxley
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Gilman Perkins

Another of my oil paintings with yellow flowers.

*On my Kindles

I had a fun time putting together this list of yellow fiction. Please feel free to add more in the comments below. Thanks again for stopping by.

YOooooDoooOOLeeeeng YeeEELLooooOOO ... (that's me trying to yodel).

The Sun Sets on 2012

Sunset over Pensacola Bay on 12/26/12.

The year 2012 has been a long one what with all the campaigning and presidential election, the tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, early winter storms and then ending with the Newtown, PA shooting. It has not been a particularly good year when you look at all that has happened around the world.





Another photo of the awesome sunset on 12/26/12.

I have hopes that 2013 will be better, but then we are facing "The Fiscal Cliff" so who knows how the year will turn out. I tend to be optimistic, so I hope and pray for a better year and another step toward world peace.





Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 12/26/12.

We have family visiting for the holidays, so it's been a bit chaotic since before Christmas. I've had very little time online, so my emails have piled up to over 500 and my tweeps on Twitter are probably wondering what happened to me.





A close-up of the Graffiti Bridge on 12/26/12.

I've had very little "me time" and almost no time to read. Though I have added an assortment of new books to my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my new Kindle Fire, I love both by the way).

In spite of all the holiday rush and lack of time for much of anything, I have managed to squeeze in time with my grandkids. They're awesome and I love every minute I spend with them. There's nothing better than seeing the world through the eyes of little kids.



A mention of Newtown on the Graffiti Bridge.

I took some great sunset photos on 12/26/12. Any sunset over Pensacola Bay is beautiful, but this one was spectacular. I also took some cool photos of Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge that same day.

On one side of the bridge were the Three Kings and on the other the Manger and a "God Bless" for those lives lost in Newtown. So I've included those photos in this post.





The next day the Shutter Button on my Sony digital camera broke. It's no longer under warranty and I've yet to find anyone local who can repair it. My husband did find a company online that will repair it for $70 plus the cost of shipping. So now I'm looking at new digital cameras. I feel naked without my camera. Just sayin'...

Yesterday we lost our Internet service with AT&T for the whole day and all night. I've only been back online for around an hour or so and hope to get this posted before the service disappears once again. Little things like these are irritating, but certainly not the end of the world.


My Azaleas are blooming.

Speaking of the end of the world, I guess that didn't happen on 12/21/12 like "they" predicted. Thank goodness. In spite of problems with the economy and the general unrest, I rather like this world of ours. I have great hopes that things will improve.

On another note, here on the Gulf Coast of the Florida Panhandle, the weather has been rather strange. Our temps have varied from the mid-30s to the high-70s from one day to the next. Trees are already starting to leaf out, because they think spring is already here. Only winter has barely started. Azaleas and other flowers are starting to bloom. Birds and squirrels are building their nests. Maybe they know Florida will have a mild winter?

Dude says, "Happy New Year!"

Like I said, I'm optimistic that 2013 will be a better year than 2012.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

Have a Holly Jolly Holiday!

A close-up of my grandkids' Christmas tree.

How can it already be December 7th? Where are the minutes, hours, days going? I've done some Christmas shopping, but I've yet to wrap the presents. I bought Christmas cards, but haven't done them yet. I haven't even begun to look for a Christmas tree.

When my grandkids were here on Thanksgiving, my grandson asked, "Nana, why don't you have a Christmas tree or Christmas lights?" They already have their Christmas tree up and decorated and all the holiday lights on their house.

Gee, even my neighbors have their Christmas lights up and their houses and yards look so festive at night. I guess it's time to encourage my dear hubby to get out the holiday lights or we'll soon have the only unfestive house in the neighborhood.

I dropped by the library today and they were already in holiday mode with a pretty Christmas tree and a three foot tall Santa. I'm starting to feel a bit guilty that I haven't at least started to set out some Christmas decorations. The holiday will be here before I can blink. Okay, I promise I'll put out some decorations this weekend.

In the meantime, here's another list of Christmas reads. If you haven't already seen it, there's another list on my last post. Anyway, I haven't read any of these books, but they all look like great/fun holiday reads. The ones marked with an (*) are books I recently added to my Kindles. All of these are available in eBook format.

Christmas Fiction/Romances (in no particular order):

One Snowy Night Before Christmas by Pamela Fryer*
Mistletoe Mischief (Romancing Wisconsin, #1) by Stacey Joy Netzel*
Holly Lane by Toni Blake
Cupid's Christmas by Bette Lee Crosby
Mistletoe in Maine (Holiday Brides) by Ginny Baird
A Family for Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor
Bundle of Joy by Barbara Bretton
A Lawman's Christmas (McKettricks of Texas) by Linda Lael Miller
An Outlaw's Christmas (McKettricks of Texas) by Linda Lael Miller
Montana, Mistletoe, Marriage by Patricia Thayer
Christmas on Nutcracker Court by Judy Duarte
A Cold Creek Noel (Cowboys of Cold Creek) by RaeAnne Thayne
The Duke of Christmas Past by Kim Bowman
Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler
A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods
Kissing Under the Mistletoe (St. Helena Vineyard) by Marina Adair
Blue Christmas (Moody Blue Trilogy, #1) by Diana Moody
A Bush Christmas by Margareta Osborn
The Toymaker by Kay Springsteen 
Christmas in Venice by Meadow Taylor
All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello
The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson
A Cowboy for Christmas by Kristen James
Christmas Countdown (Lost, Inc.) by Vicki Hinze
Naughty or Nice by Stephanie Bond
Mistletoe Mine (Eternity Springs) by Emily March
Jingle This! by Stephanie Rowe

Wow! That's a lot of great romantic Christmas reads. I haven't even begun to list them all, so be sure to check back for more Christmas book lists in upcoming December posts. Before I forget, I'm currently reading a Christmas book on my Kindle Fire, Christmas of the Red Chiefs by Linda Lael Miller. This is a holiday read I think you'll enjoy. Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you all have a Holly Jolly Holiday!

Ecstatic About Books

Two of my bookshelves.

I have to confess, I am ecstatic, passionate, giddy about books. Between the books on my bookshelves and the ones on my two Kindles, I have more books than I can read in two lifetimes. So in reality, I guess that I am obsessed with books.

Well, as I've pointed out before, I have my mother to blame for my obsession, passion, love of books. At a very early age she read not only the standard fairy tales to me, but the wonderful stories by O'Henry and Terhune. When I could read on my own I took off like a racehorse and never looked back.

In two of my August posts, "Crazy About Books" and "In Love with Books," I gave a guided tour of three of my bookshelves.  Well, this post is a guided tour of my last two bookshelves. All my other books live in boxes under the bed in the guestroom, in boxes and stacks in the guestroom closet, on my Kindles, or in the Cloud. More books than I care to count, but still never enough.  There are just so many great books out there, that I keep buying more.

You can imagine my husband's relief when I started buying more eBooks than paper books. At least the next time we move there won't be additional boxes of books to lug around. I think with our last move, from the Texas Hill Country to the Florida Gulf Coast, I had approximately twenty-seven very heavy boxes of books. But all those zillions of eBooks can be carried around in my purse. I have to say that's awesome!

So here's the guided tour of the bookshelves in the photo above. Obviously there are too many books to list them all, so I'll only list a few of them. The top shelves have "treasures" collected through the years, but the other shelves are packed with books and magazines.

Left bookshelf from top to bottom:

Clouds and Eclipses (The Collected Short Stories) by Gore Vidal
New Stories from the South (2007 - The Year's Best) ed. by Edward P. Jones
New Stories from the South (2008 - The Year's Best) ed. by Z. Z. Packer
Like unto Like by Sherwood Bonner
Mothers & Daughters (An Anthology) ed. by Alberto Manguel
American Avenue, Rhythm & Reason (A Collection) by William Steding
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Best American Short Stories (2006) ed. by Ann Patchett
The Best American Short Stories (2009) ed. by Alice Sebold
Half in Love (Stories) by Maile Meloy
Best American Voices (2003) guest editor, Joyce Carol Oates
Best American Voices (2004) guest editor, John Casey
Best New American Voices (2006) ed. by Jane Smiley
Best New American Voices (2007) ed. by Sue Miller
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald Selected by Malcolm Cowley
Girl with a Pearl Earring (A Novel) by Tracy Chevalier
The Lady and the Unicorn (A Novel) by Tracy Chevalier
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The Forest Lover (A Novel) by Susan Vreeland

Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
The Day the Cowboys Quit by Elmer Kelton
The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton
Sandhills Boy (The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer) by Elmer Kelton
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Education of a Wandering Man (A Memoir) by Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour's wonderful books (54 of them on this shelf, too many to list)
The Great Trek by Zane Grey
Shower of Gold by Zane Grey
The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas
The White Witch of Rosehall by Herbert G. de Lissor

Southwest Art (Magazine) (two stacks, several years)

Art of the West (Magazine) (one stack, several years)
Southwest Art (Magazine) (one stack, several years)

Right bookshelf from top to bottom:

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Revised Ed.) ed. by Hardin Craig
Masters of Modern Drama ed. by Haskell M. Block & Robert G. Shedd
A Field Guide to Central Australia by Penny van Oosterzee
Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways by National Geographic
Guide to the National Parks of the United States by National Geographic
A Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies by Roger Tory Peterson
Seashells of North America (A Guide to Field Identification) by R. Tucker Abbott

House Plants (How to choose, grow, display) by Sunset
Introduction to Basic Gardening by Sunset
The House Book by Terence Conran
Illustrated Guide to Gardening by Reader's Digest
Best Loved Garden Plants by David Myers, Lance Hattatt & Lindsay Bousfield
Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel by Cathy Yardley
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof
Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy
Handbook of Short Story Writing by The Writer's Digest
Handbook of Short Story Writing - Volume II by The Writer's Digest
Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter
Character Naming Sourcebook by The Writer's Digest

Art Books (48 of them, which I'll save for another blog post about art and art books)

American Art Review (Magazine) (one stack, several years)
Birds & Blooms (Magazine) (one year)
Hallowed Ground (The Civil War Preservation Trust Magazine) (one year)
American Art Collector (Magazine) (one year)
Country Lifestyle (Magazine) (one year)
Plus an assortment of other art magazines.

I hope you've enjoyed the guided tour of my bookshelves. Please check back for other blog posts, because I'm always talking about books.

What Are We Reading This Summer?

My Summer Reads

What are you reading this summer? For readers, this is a very important question. Summer is supposed to be a time when we relax. Vacation time. Beach time. If nothing else, summer is a state of mind. However you chose to look at it, summer is different from the rest of the year. The weather is hotter, often scorching hot. In tropical climbs like Florida, summer brings tropical storms and dreaded hurricanes.

For those of us who live in Florida, summer is six months long (winter is two weeks at most). So what dates do I use for a Florida summer? I'll stick with the summer tourist season, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. So before I go off on another tangent, let's get down to the real reason for this post, What are we reading this summer?

Now first off I can hear my mother asking, "We? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?" She used to drive me nuts with that question as a kid.  Funny, all these many years later, she hasn't asked me that question lately. Okay, I told you, I have a tendency to go off in different directions.

What are we reading this summer? I really want to know. I, for one, have read some great books, many of them Indies and I've reread some old favorites. So I'm going to share them with you, just in case you care to know. On the other hand, I really want to know what you're reading too. Have you found some exciting/thrilling/enchanting/memorable reads?

As a writer/reader I don't have as much time to read as I'd like. Things like plugging away on my work(s) in progress, marketing my books that are already published, editing (yeah, I hate that part), blogging (I love that) and Tweeting (just plain fun). Reading fits in there somewhere. "So many books, so little time."

So now we're down to the "I'll show you mine and you show me yours." Sheesh! We're talking books silly. I'll tell you what I've been reading this summer and what I hope to read before the season is over and you'll (hopefully) do the same via the comments below. This is also a time where you can shamelessly mention your own books too (as suggested summer reads) and even include your blog addy and Twitter ID. Readers need to know what great books are out there.

Here's a list of all my reads since Memorial Day weekend. I heartily recommend every single one of them. This is the order in which I read them.

Golden Boy by R. G. Lawrence
Judgement Tramp by J. D. Currie
Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief (short story)
Hurricane  (A Novel of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane) by Janice Thompson
Drinking with Dead Women Writers by Elaine Ambrose & A. K. Turner
Hurricane, A Short Story by R. Narvaez
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Stay Close, Novac! by Jan Romes
Sullivan's War: Prologue - Sergeant Riley's Account by Michael K. Rose
Sullivan's War: Book 1 - All Good Men Serve the Devil by Michael K. Rose
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I'm currently reading (almost finished) the following:

Short Stories by Michael K. Rose
Wool (Omnibus Ed.) by Hugh Howey (soon to be an awesome movie)

Whew! Now that I've listed them all, that's more books than I'd realized. I'm a night owl and have a difficult time falling asleep, so I do most of my reading at night. Though sometimes I take a break for much of a day and just read. That's how I relax and how I rejuvenate my brain.

Now here's my wish list of the books I hope/plan to read by summer's end (not necessarily in the following order):

Tales from the Spanish Mustang by Benjamin X. Wretlind
Summer with Fidel by R. G. Lawrence
Sullivan's War: The Complete Adventure by Michael K. Rose
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (read previously in my college years)
Mark of the Loon by Molly Greene
Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi
Bluewater Vengeance by C. L. R. Dougherty
Land of the Noonday Sun by Carmen DeSousa
Haunting Refrain by Ellis Vidler
Kiss Me by Jan Romes
The River Between (The River Series, Bk 1) by Jacquelyn Cook (I have the whole series)
Bradbury Stories by Ray Bradbury (may take me all year to read the 100 short stories)

Note - This is just my short-list for summer reading and is bound to change with the addition of other books I discover along the way. Reading, after all, is a wonderful journey of exploration and enjoyment. I'm always asking myself, "What should I read next?" That's the joy of it, not knowing which path you'll take next.

I'm now the proud owner of two Kindles: my old Kindle Keyboard (still running after 2+ years) and my new Kindle Fire (a birthday present last week from my husband). I have more eBooks than I can count on my Kindles and archived in the cloud. With the exception of the Ray Bradbury books, all I'm reading these days are Indie books on my Kindles. Once again I attest that "Indies Rock!"

Please take a few moments of your time to comment below. What enjoyable/notable books have you read so far this summer? What do you hope to read before summer is out? Do you have a book(s) of your own you'd like to recommend for a summer read? We readers want to know these things, so please jump in with the books you think we'd love to read this summer. Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to your summer reads.