Karen's Book Nook

Since I like to have an audio book going at all times lately, here’s this weekend’s read:

From the jacket: Honey Santana- impassioned, willful, possibly bipolar, self-proclaimed “queen of lost causes”–has a scheme to help rid the worlod of irresponsibility, indifference, and dinnertime sales calls…..

I’m not sure why I picked this up other than the fact that it was in the new book section at the library and caught my eye and I figured it would be a good, small purse book for those times when I’ve got a few moments to kill.

From the Jacket:  Twelve-year-old Nenita is hungry for everything: food, love, life. Growing up with five sisters and brothers, she searches for happiness in the deep-frying bananas of Nana Dora, who first tells Nenita the myth of the banana heart; in the scent of Manolito, the heartthrob of Nenita and her friends; in the endless dishes she cooks for the most beautiful woman on Remedios Street.  To Nenita, food is synonymous with love–the love she yearns to receive from her mother…..

Since it’s my last day of February vacation, I picked a quickie that I probably will finish in a day. Nicholas Sparks fits the bill. My sister-in-law is a book club subscriber so she always sends the Sparks and Patterson books my way. I’ve read all of his and this one is the latest.

From the jacket: When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of dudty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck…..

Today’s audio book is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. I’ve never read her but the title caught my eye while looking for a new batch of audio books. (Unfortunately, my local library has TONS of Books on Tape but their CD collection is considerably smaller but growing. I need to get the CD version so I can rip and listen on my iPod.)

From the Jacket:

Dr. David Henry is an orthopedic surgeon whose wife, Nora, is expecting twins. On a snowy night in Lexington, Kentucky, Nora goes into labor and David is forced to deliver his own children. With the help of his nurse, Caroline, a baby boy is born followed by a girl. Then David sees that hs newborn daughter suffers from Down’s Syndrome. He asks Caroline to take her to a home for the handicapped– and later he tells Nora that she was stillborn. The fateful decision……

This has been the week for audio books!  I’m finding that I’m better able to endure cardio at the gym with a book over music or TV.  Today’s listen is Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. I’ve never read her or heard of the book but the cover caught my eye when I was at the library the other day. I’ll listen today at the gym, while walking the dogs and while I’m cleaning. It’s been a great vacation for reading this week!!

From the jacket: During WWII, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers….

Before I even got a chance to post my “current read” I finished it!  I uploaded John Grisham‘s The Painted House to my iPod and started it at the gym today and listened most of the day while working around the house. I just finished it now, while knitting and enjoying some tea. It was good and definitely NOT a typical Grisham novel. (Although neither were Skipping Christmas or Bleachers)  This one takes place on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the 50′s and was a very good read.

I LOVE school vacation week!  I’m starting my 3rd read of the week and it’s not even half over yet.   Kelsea came home with The Shack by William P. Young, that she got from her boss to read after she finished it and since it’s just sitting there calling to me, I picked it up. I’ve started to see it pop up a bit lately so while it’s on loan here I’m going to blow through it this week.

Teaser Tuesday asks you to:

Ya-Ya's in Bloom

I finished Blessings while on the elliptical at the gym this morning so I was able to start Ya-Ya’s in Bloom by Rebecca Wells on audio book today.  My podcast listening is going to fall off this week but it’s a nice way to catch up on my TBR list. I used to listen to A LOT of audio books in the years before podcasting but now I’m planning on picking up the habit again and splitting my listening time.

I’m on school vacation this week and have time to listen to some books while I’m working around the house.  I’m starting with Blessings by Anna Quindlen.