Kindred In Death by J.D. Robb

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they are looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter, who stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could prepare them for the crime scene that awaits them instead.  Deena has been brutally murdered in her bedroom, and her body shows signs of trauma that horrify even the toughest of cops, including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who is specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities.

Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes.  But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to serve justice.


This book is another from the "In Death" series.  The first book  I read in this series took a little getting used to because it is based in the future, but now the futuristic surroundings don't bother me at all, they make the reading more fascinating.  The author writes, and I easily see what she wants me to see.  I can't wait to get started on the next book in this series.

The First Phone Call From Heaven By Mitch Albom

One morning in the small town of Coldwater, Michigan, the phones start ringing.  The voices say they are calling from heaven.  Is it the greatest miracle ever?  Or some cruel hoax?  As news of these strange calls spreads, outsiders flock to Coldwater to be a part of it.

At the same time, a disgraced pilot named Sully Harding returns to Coldwater from prison to discover his hometown gripped by "miracle fever."  Even his young son carries a toy phone, hoping to hear from his mother in heaven.

As the calls increase, and proof of an afterlife begins to surface, the town -- and the world -- transforms.  Only Sully, convinced there is nothing beyond this sad life, digs into the phenomenon, determined to disprove it for his child and his own broken heart.

Moving seamlessly between the invention of the telephone in 1976 and a world obsessed with the next level of communication, Mitch Albom takes readers on a breathtaking ride of frenzied hope.

The First Phone Call from Heaven is Mitch Albom at his best - a virtuosic story of love, history, and belief.


Once again a book that I thoroughly enjoyed that had a little bit of a history lesson involved in the story line.  I think all of us, at one time or another, wish that we could hear from our loved ones that have passed on; at least, I know that I do.

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion By Fannie Flagg

The one and only Fannie Flagg, beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You, is at her hilarious and superb best in this new comic mystery novel about two women who are forced to reimagine who they are.

Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle.  The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore many be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter.  Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother's past that knocks her for a loops and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940's, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family's filling station.  Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station.  Then Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure.  As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America's twentieth-century story,  The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion is another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie Flagg.



This book was a really quick read for me.  I enjoy reading just about any kind of genre, but lately I have gotten more interested in books that are set in Alabama and Florida.  I was born and raised in Florida, then moved to Alabama when I was a Junior in High School.

What I liked most about this book is that it gave me a little bit of a history lesson along with the story.  I had no idea that at one time the Army Air Corps had female pilots called WASPs who helped the war effort by flying newly built planes to areas where they were needed so that the male pilots could stay involved in the war itself.

I strongly recommend this book.

Music Monday - "Believer" by Audio Adrenaline

http://youtu.be/ReJEqNJLBB0


This song is beautiful.. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  There is another version with a blind surfer in it and it is super cool to watch him.  I will try to find it and post it for you also.


http://youtu.be/lLDmrVPQd98

This second version is the official version....enjoy....have a blessed day.

The Boogie Man Is My Friend: Behind The Shield by Kathryn Loving

"Many people have asked me over the years if being a police officer was difficult. I guess at times it was, but I didn't think of it that way.  It became a part of me, who I had become.

During my career in law enforcement I think my response may have evolved over the years to a description of "police work is automatic."  The latter answer made me pause and think once it spewed of arrogance which was not the meaning I intended.  The old man who had asked me the familiar question was puzzled.  I guess I had been doing it for so many years that the work had become automatic, but not as a negative connotation.  The man was the last person to hear that explanation.  That was my last day of work.

To me, automatic meant it was a part of me - it was who I was (in true Popeye speak).  Once something is a part of you, you don't have to analyze everything or evaluate each step of the challenges you faced as an officer.  You reacted in a natural way with ease and you gave quick responses and intelligent solutions.  After I finished police work, I was still posed that question.  People are curious by nature of the profession.  I began to answer those questions with, "It was perfect for me.  I like to help people."  It was a somewhat indirect answer to a direct question.

As the years wore on, the more deviant a person was in a case, the more he or she fascinated me.  The more bizarre, the more I wanted to be on scene.  Extraordinary became the new ordinary.  Police work truly is the front row seat to pure entertainment and I bathed in it.  I wrote down all those events - some ordinary, some not so.  What does that mean since my definition of ordinary might not be the norm?  In fact, your extraordinary may be my ordinary.  I guess you will have to read the book to find out."


I truly enjoyed this book.  I became familiar with this author by reading her blog "The Boogie Man is My Friend" (http://mommafargo.blogspot.com).  In this book, she shares some of the escapades that she and her brothers and sisters in blue were involved in.  I admire her honesty and courage, she shares her thoughts and actions where alot of officers wouldn't.  This is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys reading about true crime.  I look forward to reading more of her fiction and non-fiction.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl.  She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe.  Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants - and needs - to avoid.  He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer.  Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet.  If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month.  If Abby loses, she must live in Travis's apartment for the same amount of time.  Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.



I really liked this book.  It shows the ups and downs of what a couple can go through when they are co-dependent.  As a teenager, I struggled with self-doubt and feelings of inferiority.  I feel that I may have had these kind of problems if I had tried to have a relationship with someone at the time.  I can't wait to read more from this author.