Teaser Tuesday: December 15

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"He saw the twins and his stomach clenched. The sensation reminded him of stage fright; then he realised it was guilt."

p. 159 Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Book Review: Basketball Jones

Basketball Jones by E. Lynn Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Basketball Jones is the story of Aldridge “AJ” Richardson and his boyfriend, NBA star Dray Jones. They’ve been in love for seven years but must keep their relationship a secret to avoid jeopardizing Dray’s career. Dray even goes so far as to marry a woman, Judi. Trouble ensues when someone starts blackmailing AJ and Dray and threatens to expose them.

I listened to this book on audio and I think that added to my enjoyment of it. The narrator, Mirron Willis’s voice is as smooth as silk and the tone he used for Dray was incredibly sexy. The blackmailer’s identity was supposed to be a mystery until the end, although I had it figured out well before AJ did. I didn’t mind though because I loved the characters so much and was having fun following along, even if it was predictable. AJ and Dray had a very tender, loving relationship and I enjoyed that aspect as well.

I’m sad that E. Lynn Harris passed away earlier this year. This is the first book of his I’ve read and I’m looking forward to reading the others.
View all my reviews >>

Sunday Salon: December 6-12

This was another whirlwind week – the first full week that Tiny was with us. I didn't finish reading any books but I did take the family in for our Christmas photos, order the Christmas cards, make the Year In Review Shutterfly books for the grandparents' Christmas presents and take Tiny to his first court date. I did NOT get the ever growing mountain of laundry folded. The other day Cash sighed and exclaimed, "Babies are a lot of work Mommy!" They are but they're worth it. We'll get back into our groove soon enough.

What’s In A Name Challenge

Beth at Beth Fish Reads is hosting the What's In A Name 3 challenge. It sounds fun so I decided to enter. This will probably be my last challenge – I don't read as fast as some out in the blogosphere and I don't want to get overwhelmed with challenges; I also have two book clubs to keep up with. Here's how it works:

Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
4. A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
6. A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category. I'll keep you posted on what books I choose!

Book Review: You Suck: A Love Story

You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends and continues the love story between vampire Jody and Tommy. I liked it even more than Bloodsucking Fiends. It was written several years after Bloodsucking Fiends and it shows. Christopher Moore's writing has improved and the humor is sharper. The character Abby Normal, a goth teenager, is hilarious.
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Christmas Sandwiches

Yum! (He really did like them – I don't know why he's making that face.)

South Asian Author Challenge

Swapna from skrishnasbooks is hosting a South Asian Author Challenge. I've decided to sign up for three books. I'm so glad she's doing this challenge – I've been really wanting to read some books by Indian authors and now I definitely will. I've seen a lot of great reviews in the blogosphere. I'm going to wait to decide on which specific books to choose.

Book Review: Bloodsucking Fiends

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Bloodsucking Fiends is a dark comedy about a vampire named Jody and her boyfriend Tommy. This was the first book I've read by Christopher Moore. I found his humor to be witty and absurd, similar to Tom Robbins. My favorite character was the Emperor – his dialogue was hilarious and dry as a bone. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
View all my reviews >>

Teaser Tuesday: December 8

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"For me that kind of writing assignment felt like Method acting. I first had to establish who I was."

-p. 145 City Boy by Edmund White

Sunday Salon: November 30-December 5

The highlight of this week was that after 10 weeks of classes, a mountain of paperwork and a lot of waiting Travis and I received our foster parenting license on Tuesday. On Thursday we got a call about a four month old baby boy (who I will refer to as Tiny from now on). We are all just over the moon – Tiny is so mellow and sweet. Today Cash was sitting by himself on the couch smiling. I asked him why he was smiling and he said, "I'm smiling because of Tiny." And the baby wasn't even in the room!

Consequently, I have not gotten much reading done – it's been a whirlwind since Tiny got here! I finished You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore.