New Additions to the TBR pile in October

An eclectic variety of new arrivals to Mount OhMyGodWhenWillIGetAllTheseDamnBooksRead this month...


You Had Me At Halo by Amanda Ashby

Heaven can wait, but not for long.

She’s halfway to heaven…and she’s just been pulled over.

Holly Evans has just seen her own body laid to rest, and if it had been up to her, she wouldn’t have chosen that particular polyester dress for the event. Still, she could live with that (so to speak), if it guaranteed a quick jump to Level 3 of the afterlife, which she hopes will feature both reruns of Friends and reunions with long-lost loved ones.

But Holly has some mortal baggage to unload first, starting with the matter of how she died. Yes, she drowned in her bathtub under suspicious circumstances, but she did not kill herself. Holly had too much to live for, from her recent promotion to taking the next big step in her relationship. OK, her life had a few loose ends, but whose doesn’t? Holly’s heavenly shrink isn’t buying it. He says she has to return to Earth to straighten things out. The problem is, she’ll need to borrow someone’s body to do so, and the body in question belongs to none other than computer geek Vince Murphy. Oh, and although Vince was supposed to have vacated the premises, he apparently never got the memo.

Now Holly has forty-eight hours to resolve her issues while sharing arms, legs, and … other things with a guy she barely noticed while she was alive. But the real surprise is what life has to offer when you have only two days to live it.




The Zygote Chronicles by Suzanne Finnamore

A riotous and poignant novel in journal form that takes us from conception to delivery room...

Suzanne Finnamore’s universally applauded Otherwise Engaged followed one woman’s whirlwind ride from diamond ring to altar. The Zygote Chronicles is Finnamore’s singular take on the next leg of the journey. Through the voice of a whip-smart, sass-talking everywoman, Zygote reveals the unsettling and uproarious truth about pregnancy and the prospect of motherhood, from wicked cravings to homicidal-rampage-inducing pregnancy guides.

When she finds out she's pregnant with her first child, the narrator of The Zygote Chronicles is closer to forty years old than to twenty-two (the latter, she is informed by a homicidal-rampage-inducing pregnancy guide, being the ideal age to have a baby). What unfolds from her very first wry yet heartfelt memo to her unborn child is like a series of x-rays into a pregnant woman's soul, mind, and appetites. Suddenly she is attuned to everything around and inside her and she doles out observations and words of wisdom to her unborn baby accordingly: how a pregnant woman's body becomes public property; the way everyone on the street fancies himself part of the jury when it comes to choosing a name. She captures the many sensory changes her body goes through with uncanny precision and crackling wit, and ponders why her once storybook marriage to the man she waited for all her life, suddenly undergoes an alchemical transformation every time he eats garlic or onions.

The Zygote Chronicles "deserves real praise for having brought the emotional roller-coaster of new motherhood to life with such dignity and style" (The Washington Post). The strange purgatory of pregnancy has been a fact of life since Eve ate the apple, but never has it been recounted in such brilliant, hilarious detail.


The Remains Of The Dead by Wendy Roberts

Sadie Novak has got the kind of job that kills coctail chatter dead: She owns Scene-2-Clean, a crime scene cleaning company. And if wiping up after murders weren't spooky enough, she can also see and talk to the ghosts of the victims.

When a grieving relative hires Sadie and her employee, ex-cop Zack Bowman, to clean up after the murder-suicide of Trudy and Grant Toth, Sadie figures she's bound to encounter at least one chatty ghost. But instead she finds herself talking to Kent, a man she meets at the scene who is very much alive --- so much so that Sadie agrees to go on a date with him.

When a ghost does appear --- the oddly silent Trudy --- the spirit seems determined to prove her husband's innocence, and inspires Sadie to track down the real killer. But as Sadie scours the crime scene, she quickly realizes that she's in way over her head, that Kent has a strange connection to the dead couple, and that someone wants her to give up the ghost ... for good.



The Men I Didn't Marry by Janice Kaplan & Lynn Schnurnberger

Hallie’s husband doesn’t even wait until they get home from dropping off their youngest daughter at Yale to announce that he’s leaving her --- for fitness trainer Ashlee and her perky breasts. After first succumbing to a cookie-induced coma, Hallie is determined to get her life back. Her plan begins with a question: Whatever happened to all those men she didn’t marry? Eric, now one of Forbes’s “Richest People in the World,” wants to renew the investment in their relationship; Hallie’s reunion with Rav Jon Yoma Maharishi --- formerly known as Barry --- might go more smoothly if he weren’t in the midst of a silent meditation; and Kevin, the sexiest man she ever met, is now a scuba-diving photographer. But the biggest surprise of all still awaits Hallie when she confronts the great love she swore she’d never see again.



Slightly Suburban by Wendy Markham

A whole lot scarier than the Big City…

She’s so over the City … but so dreading life without takeout.

It seemed exciting at first, but after two and a half years in New York, Tracey has to admit her life … well, sucks. Sure, she makes a decent living as a copywriter, but Blaire Barnett Advertising is a cutthroat world that basically swallows her life. If she does manage to get home before nine, she’s usually greeted by husband Jack’s best bud, an almost-permanent fixture in their tiny, unaffordable apartment. Add the circus freaks stomping around upstairs, and Tracey decides it’s time to move.

No sooner do she and Jack take the plunge into the nearby suburbs of Westchester than Tracey loses her job. And now they’re in way over their heads. Their fixer-upper is unfixable, the stay-at-home yoga moms are a bore and Tracey yearns for her old friends --- she even misses work!

So which life does she really want? Other than Jack’s wife, who is she? If Tracey merely has to find her own Slightly Suburban niche, it had better be just around the corner, because there are no subways here!



N Is For Noose by Sue Grafton

Kinsey Millhone should have done something else -- she should have turned the car in the direction of home. Instead, she was about to put herself in the gravest jeopardy of her career.

Tom Newquist had been a detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office -- a tough, honest cop respected by everyone. When he died suddenly, the townsfolk were saddened but not surprised: Just shy of sixty-five, Newquist worked too hard, smoked too much, and exercised too little. That plus an appetite for junk food made him a poster boy for an American Heart Association campaign.

Newquist's widow didn't doubt the coroner's report. But what Selma couldn't accept was not knowing what had so bothered Tom in the last six weeks of his life. What was it that had made him prowl restlessly at night, that had him brooding constantly? Selma Newquist wanted closure, and the only way she'd get it was if she found out what it was that had so bedeviled her husband.

Kinsey should have dumped the case. It was vague and hopeless, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, she set up shop in Nota Lake, where she found that looking for a needle in a haystack can draw blood. Very likely, her own.

"N" Is for Noose: a novel in which Kinsey Millhone becomes the target and an entire town seems in for the kill.




Like A Charm by Candace Havens

Kira Smythe never thought she'd end up back in her hometown of Sweet, Texas. But now that her high-powered job, along with her five-year plan, have gone right out the window, she's back where she started, staying with her hippie, tofu-obsessed parents-except that somehow she's inherited the local library. At least there's a gorgeous guy in town who seems quite smitten with her. So what if he's got a few secrets up his sleeve? After all, Kira's got her own secrets. Like the dead people who won't stop talking to her. Or the magical books on the shelves. Or the fact that someone who's very much alive seems determined to push her over to the other side.



Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

MISTAKE #1
Dickie Orr. Stephanie was married to him for about fifteen minutes before she caught him cheating on her with her arch-nemesis Joyce Barnhardt. Another fifteen minutes after that Stephanie filed for divorce, hoping to never see either one of them again.

MISTAKE #2
Doing favors for super bounty hunter Carlos Manoso (a.k.a. Ranger). Ranger needs her to meet with Dickie and find out if he's doing something shady. Turns out, he is. Turns out, he's also back to doing Joyce Barnhardt. And it turns out Ranger's favors always come with a price...

MISTAKE #3
Going completely nutso while doing the favor for Ranger, and trying to apply bodily injury to Dickie in front of the entire office. Now Dickie has disappeared and Stephanie is the natural suspect in his disappearance. Is Dickie dead? Can he be found? And can Stephanie Plum stay one step ahead in this new, dangerous game? Joe Morelli, the hottest cop in Trenton, NJ is also keeping Stephanie on her toes-and he may know more than he's saying about many things in Stephanie's life. It's a cat-and-mouse game for Stephanie Plum, where the ultimate prize might be her life.


Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.

Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?



Bit The Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Falling for a vampire isn’t the weirdest thing that can happen in Vegas --- not by a long shot…

Politics makes strange coffinfellows. Vampire Seamus Fox is supposed to be the campaign manager for a Vampire Nation presidential candidate. But instead, he finds himself running around Vegas, keeping tabs on the candidate’s wife and female entourage.

Seamus has had his fill of women. A disastrous and deadly love affair has haunted him for over two centuries. Talk about baggage. But suddenly he finds himself obsessed by a mysterious stripper who dances behind a screen. The sultry --- yet shy --- Cara Kim whets his appetite for more. But leave it to Seamus to fall fangs over feet for that rarest of Vegas attractions … a good girl.

After a sudden run-in on the street, though, they may soon have a lot more in common…


Anatomy Of A Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

September Reading Review

Not very productive in volume but very enjoyable reading...


Sex, Murder And A Double Latte by Kyra Davis

My Rating: 9 *'s

My Thoughts: I have had this book for a few years now and cannot figure out what has taken me so long to read it! Very fun and fast paced story that I couldn't put down. I started reading it for a book group discussion and would get so engrossed in the story and the characters that I would forget to think of any discussion questions.

Though Sophie exercises very poor judgment in a lot of the decisions she makes in this book, you can't help but like her. I could see myself going along with her and getting knee deep in doo-doo as she does. The ending was a surprise though a little bit rushed. I am looking forward to reading more from this author and hope she continues writing stories with Sophie and Anatoly in them.


Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

My Rating: 10 *'s

My Thoughts: Well, I can definitely understand the buzz around this series now that I've read TWILIGHT. I couldn't put the book down. At nearly 500 pages, some people would be intimidated to read such a book and many, like me, would take quite a while to get through it. Surprisingly, the 500 pages flew so quickly, I was amazed.

I really enjoyed this story and all the characters. I related to Bella very quickly especially to her adapting to her new home and new school and making friends as I experienced that so much growing up in the military. The vampires surprised me. Not your typical creature of the night variety we see in other books or in the movies. I really liked them too, though I'm still on the fence about Rosalie. I thought it was interesting that Bella refers to her dad as Charlie to people and I'm curious to see where their relationship heads in the series. Obviously Bella's mom doesn't have a central role in this story but she seems OK. I wish there had been more involving James however. The story's pace radically increased once James arrived and it was a little overwhelming. It seemed like everything was going along at a nice rate, vampires playing baseball and then BOOM all of a sudden, Edward and the Cullens are going a hundred miles an hour to get Bella out of town.

Overall, fantastic story and I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie in November. I'm hoping to get book 2 read before the movie comes out.


Welcome To The Real World by Carole Matthews

My Rating: 9 *'s

My Thoughts: A modern day rags-to-riches Cinderella story. I loved Fern's feisty tenacity to muddle through life even when everything seems its worst. Fern's compassion for everyone in her life makes her the type of character you can easily relate to and like. I liked Carl's quirkiness & Evan's vulnerability. Fern's parents were funny and Fern's brother and nephew were great. I didn't care for Rupert at first but he redeemed himself.

New Additions to the TBR pile in September

Acquired some books that look really good.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him--and I didn't know how dominant that part might be--that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. I’d never given much thought to how I would die. I’d had reason enough in the last few months but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this... Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of something else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.”

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret.What Bella doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back...


New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES...the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough...But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn't running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning...



Questions To Ask Before Marrying by Melissa Senate

A New York Times article lists fifteen questions couples should ask before marrying

Ruby Miller and her fiancé, Tom Truby, have questions 1 to 14 almost covered. It's question 15 that has the Maine schoolteacher stumped: Is their relationship strong enough to withstand challenges?

Challenges like…Ruby's twin sister, Stella. The professional muse, flirt and face reader thinks Ruby is playing it safe. And that the future Mrs. Ruby Truby will die of boredom before her first anniversary or her thirtieth birthday, whichever comes first.

Challenges like…sexy maverick teacher Nick McDermott, Ruby's secret longtime crush, who confesses his feelings for her at her own engagement party.

But before Ruby can plan the wedding that may never be, Stella announces she's pregnant by a one-night stand whose name might be Jake (or James? Maybe Jason?) and who lives somewhere under the glittering lights of Las Vegas. Ruby and Stella hit the road to find him—with a lot more than fifteen questions.

And after three thousand miles, a stowaway relative and hitchhiking teen lovebirds bound for an Elvis wedding chapel, the Miller sisters might get some answers.


Something Good by Fiona Gibson

What are best friends for?

If only her mother had a clue.

Shy and insecure all her life, fifteen-year-old Hannah finally feels as if she belongs. She acts in the theater club production and hangs out with a super-kissable boy, and her new best friend, Zoë, has turned her on to clothes, makeup and nicking lipsticks for fun. It's great. Of course, her unbearable mother, Jane, is unimpressed with all this behavior…especially the night she has to bail Hannah out of serious trouble.

But who's behaving badly? On a trip to a remote Scottish isle the tables are turned when Hannah discovers her mom's hiding a startling secret. With everything up in the air—even the self-proclaimed rebel Zoë is having strange episodes of conscience—something good surely must be lurking in the chaos.


Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer by Jen Lancaster

New from the author of Bitter Is the New Black, and Bright Lights, Big Ass.

It's possible that my high self-esteem is bad for my health.

"To whom the fat rolls...I'm tired of books where a self-loathing heroine is teased to the point where she starves herself skinny in hopes of a fabulous new life. And I hate the message that women can't possibly be happy until we all fit into our skinny jeans. I don't find these stories uplifting; they make me want to hug these women and take them out for fizzy champagne drinks and cheesecake and explain to them that until they figure out their insides, their outsides don't matter. Unfortunately, being overweight isn't simply a societal issue that can be fixed with a healthy dose of positive self-esteem. It's a health matter, and here on the eve of my fortieth year, I've learned I have to make changes so I don't, you know, die. Because what good is finally being able to afford a pedicure if I lose a foot to adult-onset diabetes?"


The Hunt by Jennifer Sturman

Meeting the in-laws was the least of her problems...

There's nothing like being the guest of honor at an engagement party to remind a person she has commitment issues, but Rachel Benjamin has finally put her neuroses behind her. A weekend with her fiance, Peter, and his parents will put her skills to the test, but she's confident they'll never guess how new she is to normal relationships.

Then Rachel receives a cryptic message: her friend Hilary is missing. Hilary was last seen in the company of Igor "Iggie" Behrenz, a budding internet tycoon with strange fashion sense and even stranger secrets. Someone is orchestrating an elaborate scavenger hunt across San Francisco, dangling Hilary as the prize.

Now Rachel has to track down her friend, which would be enough of a challenge if she weren't already busy proving how normal she is to her future in-laws. And when Rachel stumbles upon secrets all Peter's own, she wonders if maybe she declared victory over her neuroses too soon.


A Date On Cloud Nine by Jenna McKnight

Once is never enough!

Lilly Marquette doesn't need angels to tell her it's not her time. After all, she's not even thirty. But while checking out the incredibly hot guy behind the counter of an adults-only toy shop, the furnace blows, and poof, Lilly is headed for the pearly gates! But instead of St. Peter, she's greeted by ... John and Elizabeth? These guardian angels are giving Lilly one last chance to get it right ... and to finally choose the right man.

Jake Murdoch is hot, sexy, and may even be the right man, but he wants nothing to do with Lilly. He believes she stole three million dollars from him in an insurance scam, and now she's talking to angels and giving away his money! His mind should be on revenge, but when she bats those long, sexy lashes at him, it suddenly doesn't seem so important anymore ... not when he gets one last chance to prove he is the right man.


Dating Can Be Deadly by Wendy Roberts

2 guys, a girl and 1 dead body

Single Clairvoyant Seeks Partner in Crime

Some gifts are easy to return-like the parrot earrings from Aunt Ruth-but when your gift is clairvoyance, Tabitha Emery finds there is a definite No Refund Policy. Now she's having visions of black magic rituals and dismembered bodies, and she's not sure what to do. She didn't ask for this talent and certainly doesn't want it, but it clings to her like a thong and is just as uncomfortable. Tabitha's goals are simple ones: A) to rise above law office receptionist B) to spend Friday nights uncovering the mysteries of butterscotch schnapps with her comrades, and C) to procure more than a passing glance from Clay Sanderson (Greek-god-type lawyer).

But her second sight has turned her life upside down-and now she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation where the only clues are in her persistent premonitions-making her not only the key to solving the mystery but perhaps a suspect, as well. (On the plus side: she could use some legal advice, so now she and Clay have something to talk about.)

And somewhere in the middle of all this is the real culprit, the mystery man, who wants this clairvoyant dead. . .

A charmingly clever chick-lit novel for whodunit fans everywhere!


Do Me, Do My Roots by Eileen Rendahl


It's about healing.

After a couple of rough years, Emily is finally getting things back together. She doesn't need to re-do everything at work three times, her young daughter's soccer uniform is almost always clean the day of a game, and meals are pretty darn reliable, too. But hey, becoming a widow at thirty-three kind of knocks the starch out of you.

It's about family.

Then Emily's dad has an Event (only her mom would call a minor heart attack that -- what is it, a bar mitzvah?). Next, her sister Claudia's ex-husband starts stealing their kids' Ritalin for the high -- and wouldn't you replace it with The Pill to teach him a lesson? (His unexpected, uh, frontal development was just a howlingly funny bonus -- honest.) And then Emily's relentlessly sensible oldest sister, Leah, dumps her businessman fiancé for a rock musician.

It's about never letting them see your gray.

Now Jake, Emily's best friend, seems to be spending a lot of time at her house. Which she likes way too much. Which is kind of confusing. So what's a girl to do, but call an emergency meeting of the sisters' monthly hair-color-and-gossip session, to make the world seem sane again?


Jack With A Twist by Brenda Janowitz

Planning a wedding can be a trying experience...

A little prewedding anxiety is normal for every bride, and Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller isn't worried. She's got the loving support of the world's greatest guy, so planning her nuptials should be a piece of cake.

But that was yesterday.

Today, Brooke's landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiancé, Jack. But that's okay. These two professionals aren't going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch... Right? Wrong! Now Jack's pulling every dirty trick in the law books, and Brooke's starting to suspect that maybe he isn't the man she thought he was. Warring with her fiancé at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she'll have to choose between the case of her life, or actually having a life.


Knock Off by Rhonda Pollero

Meet Finley Anderson Tanner. FAT to her enemies. A West Palm Beach paralegal who hates the gym, still rents her condo and loves two hour lunches with her friends. But what really gets Finley hot is hunting down deeply discounted designer goods she can wear at her upscale law firm.

Too bad work isn't all about fashion. Especially when a grieving widow is sitting in your office, convinced that her husband's accidental death wasn't. Investigating murder isn't really Finley's bag (that would be Prada, 75% off), but the deeper Finley digs, the stranger things get, and this discount shopper knows slightly irregular when she sees it. Kind of like sexy Liam McGarrity. Everything about the hot, hunky P.I. screams, "Get out while you still have your underwear!"

For a girl whose biggest ambition is take-out Moo Shu at 5:01, life is taking some exciting, unpredictable, and decidedly dangerous turns. Someone doesn't like Finley's new work ethic. And if this paralegal wants to bring home the real gods, she'll have to keep from becoming a killer's total knock off...