Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

Yes, Chef by Alex Cohen My rating: 4 of 5 stars Description Nothing is more important to Diego than his kitchen. He's dedicated to his job running one of the top restaurants in town and doesn't have time for relationships. Then the boss, building on the restaurant's success, brings in Ben. He's young, hot, and not nearly as unlikeable as Diego wishes. But between the distance of age and the old wounds both men are still nursing, it may be easier if Diego gives up on making something other than his kitchen the center of his world. Review I really liked this novella. It was a romance that focused on the relationship and wasn't all about sex, sex, sex. I also liked that it was in a restaurant kitchen, those are always great because it means a focus on food and some great descriptions. It was nice to see that Ben wasn't a chef in training but a pastry chef who was settled in his own chosen career path.  There were some stilted sections in this novella...

Madly,  adjective: in a manner suggesting or characteristic of insanity, with extreme intensity (informal). Nocturnal,  adjective: done, occurring, or active at night. Omen,  noun: an event regarded as a portent of good or evil, prophetic significance. This week's words worked perfectly in my writing prompt for Monday night's Writers' Group meeting. To:                   Boss Lady From:              Bob Date:              January 21, 2016 Subject:         My Raise --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don’t understand why I was passed over for a raise yet again and I would like the opportunity to speak with you about this situation. To:    ...

Excited to be getting back into some calm writing and happy to have found this writing prompt. Eager,  adjective: (of a person) wanting to do or have something very much, (of a person's expression or tone of voice) characterized by keen expectancy or interest. Frenzy,  noun: a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behavior. Guzzle,  verb: eat or drink (something) greedily. For this prompt, I felt the words fit in perfectly to help me rewrite a chapter in my fun work "Cows". Marissa sat with the other overnight guests. She was eager for dinner having missed lunch but not enough to participate in the frenzy of filling plates that was going on around her. She carefully reached a hand towards the food and took a bit of everything while the man next to her guzzled his food. 

Hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews I finished 6 of the 8 series I wanted to finish this year. The Lonely Lords by Grace Burrows Buchanan by Julie Garwood  Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs Kell Sabin by Linda Howard Eloisa's Fairy Tales by Eloisa James FBI/ US Attorney by Julie James I didn't get the chance to pick up with the James Bond series by Ian Flemming and plan to read those in 2016. I called it quits on the Belador series by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love. I didn't realize it was turning into such a long series and I just didn't think an extended series could keep my attention.

The Results: I failed to read all 12 of my books. I did start and finish 6 books (linked below). I started and did not finish 3 books (crossed out below). I didn't get to 3 of the books on my list and will try to read those in 2016.   I'm always upset by not finishing books, and this year was no different. I had really high hopes for the 3 DNFs and was upset that I just couldn't get into them. I will start a book and if it takes me more than a week to pick it up (but I keep starting new books) then I know I'm not going to get into the book and that's what happened with all three.  They'll stay on my TBR list on Goodreads, but the books themselves have already been passed on to others who may enjoy them. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel The Dead Beat by Marilyn Johnson American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld Truth about Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani The Physician's Irish Lady by Susan Macatee Against the Tide by Elizabe...

Broken Resolutions by Olivia Dade My rating: 3 of 5 stars I'm a sucker for any romance novel starring a librarian. Things I liked: 1. That the hero, Jack, was a famous author. 2. The idea of a singles night at the library and the librarian, Penny, didn't understand why they were hosting such an event. 3. That is wasn't a story where Penny had to change to win Jack. Things I didn't like: 1. That Jack brought up the stereotypical "library of the past" with the old lady librarian with a bun who shushes people. 2. The rushed feeling of the book, I would have liked a longer novel instead of a novella. 3. The location of their of nightly activities while in the library. That just didn't sit well with me. I've already got book 2 waiting for me to read and review! I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews FBI/ US Attorney by Julie James (read book 5) #1 Something About You #2 A Lot Like Love #3 About That Night #4 Love Irresistibly As found on the printable list of books by Julie James, she doesn't consider these a series but a set of stand alone books that take place in Chicago and all focus around the criminal justice system. They have connected characters but you don't have to read them all. I personally like to read connected books in order so I get the reference back to other books. A 6th book came out this year and I read that one too! Three things I liked about this series: I liked that it was set in Chicago and not NYC or LA or another big coastal city. The characters were for the most part in their early to mid-30s (like me). This goes along with the last point, but all the characters were (for the most part) set in their career choices and in who they were as a person. There wasn't much if any the need to fi...