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Showing posts with label Las Vegas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Las Vegas. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: The Birds and the Bees
It's been a hot minute since I posted on my blog, even for my favorite weekly meme. February turned into a busy month and some things had to fall by the wayside (although I did manage to post my first review of the year last week). Besides regular life busy-ness, we did a fun family road trip to Las Vegas and California. We surprised our two youngest kids (the only ones living at home these days) with tickets to see U2 in Vegas. After two days there, they flew home (poor suckers had to work and go to school) and my husband and I continued on to California for a few days. I barely cracked open the book I took with me, but that's okay. It was a wonderful vacay. Highlights included:
- Walking along the Hoover Dam Bridge, in spite of the cold and the wind.
- Rocking out to U2 in Las Vegas at The Sphere—between the band's iconic music and the incredible special effects, it was amazing and different than any other concert I've ever been to.
- Watching the Postcard from Earth video at The Sphere the next day. It was interesting to compare/contrast our two Sphere experiences. Both were phenomenal, but my husband and I enjoyed the concert more and our kids (15 and 19) preferred the movie.
- A surprising conversation with two Las Vegas showgirls on The Strip because of the BYU jacket I was wearing
- Surviving (in spite of a little throwing up/peeing my pants situation) a nerve-wracking drive over a surprisingly snowy mountain pass
- Visiting live family members in Central California and Santa Barbara and dead ones at San Bernardino's Pioneer Memorial Cemetery
- Touring Hearst Castle
- Watching elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery beaches (more entertaining than you would think)
- Exploring Solvang and eating delicious ebelskivers
- Visiting two different California missions—Mission San Miguel and Old Mission Santa Inés. Despite their problematic histories, the missions are interesting places to learn about California's history, its Indigenous peoples/cultures, its early architecture and to see religious art.
We actually did do some bookish things, come to think of it. On our way to Santa Barbara, we stopped in Solvang, a charming Danish-style tourist town. There's a bookshop there that houses a small, but informative Hans Christian Andersen museum. They also have a cute Little Mermaid statue in the center of town in homage to the beloved author. In Santa Barbara, we stayed with my husband's cousin and his family. They have five very energetic kids, who love to listen to books read aloud. It was sweet to have them draped all over us while we read them stories. I won't post the pictures to protect the children's privacy, but it was super cute.
I actually broke the book-buying ban I started in January in California as well (although I didn't even realize it until hours later). My great-great grandfather was an early settler of San Bernardino. I bought this postcard history of the city at their Historical and Railroad Museum:
My husband says that purchasing it doesn't really count against my ban because (1) It was more of a donation to the museum than a book purchase, (2) The book is for research purposes, not entertainment value, and (3) He's the one who handed over the cash, so technically, he bought it, not me! LOL.
At any rate, we had a great time on our trip. Between that and being busy with other things, I just haven't had a lot of hours to devote to my blog. I do appreciate those of you who dropped in to check on me during my absence. It's nice to be missed.
After that TL;DR intro, let's (finally) dive into TTT (hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl). This week's prompt is: Top Ten Book Covers Featuring Things Found in Nature. I'm always up for a nice, easy topic, although I did change it up just a wee bit. While scrolling through my TBR list on Goodreads, I was surprised to see how many of the book titles on there feature animal names, specifically birds and insects. It was a cinch to find ten for this nature-y prompt.
Top Ten Books On My TBR List With Bird and Insect Names in the Titles
- in no particular order -
1. Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien—This is the tenth installment in one of my favorite cozy mystery series. As Chinese New Year approaches, Lana Lee and her fellow business owners at Cleveland's Asia Village are getting ready for a big holiday celebration to bring in customers and good luck for all. The festivities take a dark turn when a lion dancer is murdered. Lana once again calls on her inner Nancy Drew to solve a crime.
2. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce—Set in 1950, this historical novel features a spinster schoolteacher who decides to shuck off the gloominess of post-World War II London and set out on a grand expedition. Determined to fulfill her childhood dream of finding the mythical Golden Beetle of New Caledonia, she and an unlikely companion discover the freedom and joy of travel, friendship, and adventure.
3. The Call of the Wrens by Jenni L. Walsh—With timelines in both World War I and II, this historical novel pays tribute to the brave British women who served as motorcycle dispatch riders on the Western Front during both conflicts. Our fictional heroines learn about courage, sacrifice, love, and resilience through their life-changing war experiences.
4. He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox—Beekeeper Beckett Walsh loves working with her father in their family's apiary. When he dies unexpectedly, naming a woman Beckett doesn't know as a new part owner in the business, she's shocked and angry. Callie Peterson is just as flummoxed, but she needs the money selling the apiary could bring in. As the two women clash over the odd situation they suddenly find themselves in, they will untangle a knot of family secrets that will change everything for both of them.
5. The Night Raven by Sarah Painter—Urban fantasy really isn't my thing, but the Crow Investigations series sounds promising, so I'm going to give it a whirl. In this first installment, private investigator Lydia Crow is called in to head up an investigation into her cousin's disappearance. The incident is causing tension between four magical families who have been abiding by a tentative truce for almost 100 years. Can Lydia find her cousin before all hell breaks loose?
6. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang—This historical novel features two women—a soprano in need of a career boost and a Chinatown seamstress who's desperate to flee an arranged marriage—whose lives intersect when they are brought together by a railroad baron who owns a valuable collection of Chinese antiques. The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 rocks all of their worlds, leaving an intriguing mystery behind for the women to solve.
7. A Hundred Crickets Singing by Cathy Gohlke—The title of this book is enough to give me nightmares (I hate crickets!), but the story sounds like one I'd like. It's a dual-timeline novel that features two women living in the same home 83 years apart. When a vicious storm rips through her Appalachian estate, revealing a hidden room and an old trunk, Celia Percy opens a Pandora's box of secrets and lies that stretch back to the Civil War and the people—both free and enslaved—who lived at the home at that time.
8. Olive Bright, Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves—This series debut introduces 22-year-old Olive Bright, who raises pigeons in a quiet English village. World War II is raging and she's desperate to do her bit to help. When a covert intelligence operation comes calling, asking for her pigeons, Olive gets her wish. As she does her secret work, a woman in her town is murdered near Olive's pigeon loft. Does the killing have something to do with Olive's clandestine job? Is she in danger? Olive must find the answers before she becomes the next victim.
9. Dragonfly by Leila Meacham—World War II novels are hard for me to resist. Obviously. In this one, a group of very different Americans are brought together to form an elite spy ring. Secret identities intact, they are dropped into Nazi-occupied Paris, where they are not to be in contact with one another. When one of them ends up in front of a firing squad, the others are left to question what is real and what is simply another subterfuge.
10. Locust Lane by Stephen Amidon—Emerson, Massachusetts, is a wealthy suburb full of influential families. When a teenage girl dies after a night of partying with three other local kids, a police investigation is launched. The authorities pry into their families' lives, revealing secrets, suspicions, and, finally, the shocking truth.
Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are your favorite books that fit this theme? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Highly Implausible Plot Line? Who Cares When It's So Totally Entertaining?
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for Mormon Girl: Incognito, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, A Date With Danger. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.
Eight months ago, Jacklyn "Jack" Wyatt was just your average college co-ed. Then, she got involved in an FBI sting operation, fell in love with special agent Damon Wade, and almost died during the rescue of a kidnapping victim. Jack's undercover FBI gig ended in flames (literally) and now she's back to her boring old mall job. On the plus side, Damon's a thoughtful, devoted boyfriend who makes Jack's heart skip several beats every time she sees him. On the not-so plus side, he's evasive about his job, his family, his membership in the Church, and about his true feelings for his very patient girlfriend.
When Damon travels to Las Vegas on business, Jack comes up with a brilliant plan to reignite their romance. Unfortunately, her surprise visit to the Strip doesn't quite go according to plan. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of another FBI operation, this time posing as a ruthless gunrunner. Determined to protect Damon and his team by playing her part to perfection, Jack must trip her way (on stilettos, no less) through a world so unfamiliar it might as well be Mars. To convince a crew of hardened thugs that she's a fearsome international arms dealers, Jack will have to fake her way through casino games, weapons demonstrations, and dangerous negotiations with the highest rollers in Vegas. A tall order for a Utah native who's never played poker or held a gun and thinks bluffing is pretty much a mortal sin. What's a good little Mormon girl to do?
With Damon by her side, Jack knows she'll be safe. Ish. But when he reveals some shocking secrets about his past, she no longer knows whom to trust. If she gets out of Vegas alive, the pair's going to have some serious DTR'ing to do ...
So, you know how LDS romantic suspense really isn't my jam? While that hasn't changed, I have become a fan of Kari Iroz who happens to write ... wait for it ... LDS romantic suspense. I know! Whodathunkit? The thing that I like about her books, A Date With Danger and its sequel, Mormon Girl: Incognito, is that they don't take themselves too seriously. They're rom-coms more than anything else. Our heroine, Jack Wyatt, is hilarious. She's a funny, vulnerable, self-deprecating Everywoman who's impossible not to like. Damon has less personality, but he's got hidden depths that I hope will be explored more in further novels (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for many more installments in this series). Even more so than A Date With Danger, the happenings in Mormon Girl: Incognito are highly implausible; even still, they're totally entertaining. I very willingly suspended my disbelief so I could follow along on Jack's misadventures in Vegas and, you know what? No regrets. I had a great time tearing through this fun, lighthearted novel. Sure, it's far-fetched, but who cares when it's such an enjoyable read? If you dig clean romantic comedy/suspense with a light sprinkling of LDS doctrine/culture, then you really ought to check out Jack Wyatt. She's a gem.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of A Date With Danger by Kari Iroz and of the movie Miss Congeniality)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild sexual innuendo, scenes of peril, and references to illegal activities
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Mormon Girl: Incognito from the generous folks at Covenant. Thank you!
--
Want more opinions on Mormon Girl: Incognito? Check out the other stops on its blog tour:
*June 19th: http://mybookaday.
*June 21st: http://melsshelves.
*June 22nd: https://ldsandlovinit.
*June 23rd: http://Please note: My review was posted late. Also, the giveaway associated with this blog tour has ended.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Clipped, Quirky YA Grief Novel Memorable And Affecting
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Best friends aren't supposed to die. Especially when they're beautiful, vibrant and only 14 years old. Elderly people have trouble with their hearts, not teenagers. That's why it's still so hard for Emmy Anderson to believe her BFF Kim Porter is dead. Kim, on the other hand, embraced her impending demise, even making vehement promises to visit Emmy from beyond the grave. Emmy has clung to those vows, but apparently, Kim has forgotten her. Aching with grief and loneliness, Emmy can't let her friend go. She has to find a way to talk to Kim.
Then, Emmy—who assumed she just sucked at communicating with departed souls—gets a shock: she can see dead people. She spies her nasty science teacher, Emmy's uncle (who is thankfully not naked), even a teenage boy who perished in a tragic roller coaster accident. It seems the only ghost she can't see is the one she desperately needs to find. As Emmy comes to term with her new talent as well as her old pain, she finally realizes that the only way to move forward might be to let Kim go. If only it were that easy ...
Kids-dealing-with-the-loss-of-a-loved-one books are a dime a dozen. Thus, it takes a lot to make one stand out. With her newest, The End Or Something Like That, Ann Dee Ellis succeeds in creating a grief novel that's both memorable and affecting. I've thought a lot about why this one stands out; I think it boils down to three things: writing style, setting, and an overall quirkiness. Although The End or Something Like That is billed as a YA book, it's got more of a middle grade tone. Emmy's clipped, choppy narration makes her seem younger than her years, while at the same time giving her a more realistically teenage thought process than is usually found in YA novels. This, coupled with the intensity of her pain, makes her a wholly sympathetic (although not always likable) heroine. As for setting, there's just nowhere quite like Las Vegas. Its boisterous falsity provides the perfect backdrop for this story about what is real and what is truly important. The unique setting gives The End Or Something Like That part of its quirkiness, but the rest of it comes from larger-than-life characters and the oddball situations they find themselves in. Although the novel deals with familiar themes, it's these three things, coupled with Ellis' strong prose, that makes this story stand out. While it didn't blow my mind, I definitely enjoyed this quick, quirky read.
(Readalikes: I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The End Or Something Like That from the generous folks at Penguin. Thank you!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Leavitt's YA Vegas Romance a Little Thin
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Holly Nolan's beloved Grandpa Jim dies during bypass surgery, the 17-year-old is devastated. She can't imagine how she's supposed to go on with her life, let alone her "part-time" job without his guidance. For as long as she can remember, Holly's been as devoted to saving her grandfather's wedding chapel—a crumbling icon on the Las Vegas strip—as he always was. Lately, it's been a losing battle. Now that Jim's gone, Holly can't bear to see it close, or worse, get bought up by her grandpa's jerk of a business rival. What will become of The Rose of Sharon Wedding Chapel now?
At the reading of her grandfather's will, Holly gets the shock of her life: she is the new owner of the wedding chapel. She's been working there forever, sure, but she knows nothing about steering a failing business back into the black. Or, does she? As Holly pulls out all the stops to save the chapel she loves, she finds herself sacrificing everything—her sanity, her social life and, quite possibly, the love of her life (who just happens to be the grandson of her Jim's rival/mortal enemy). The harder she battles to save The Rose of Sharon, the more she wonders if the fight is worthwhile. Which will win out in the end—the chapel that symbolizes everything Holly loves about her past or Dax, the guy who just might hold the key to her bigger, brighter future?
The Chapel Wars, the newest offering from Lindsey Leavitt, gives readers everything they've come to expect from the popular YA author. The quirky, upbeat story is filled with humor, romance and colorful characters. A vibrant, unique setting, brought to life by a Las Vegas native, definitely adds to the novel's appeal. As much as I enjoy a fun, breezy read, especially one written by Leavitt, this one disappointed me a little bit. The plot felt thin and far-fetched. Dax didn't strike me as all that likable—I get that he's hot, but he's got to have at least a little substance to make me want to root for him. Speaking of substance, I think that's what was really missing in this one for me. It was a little too breezy, you know? All in all, the book kept me entertained, but in the end, it was just an okay read for me.
(Readalikes: The Romeo and Juliet/business rivals aspect of the story reminded me of Lisa McMann's Visions trilogy [Crash; Bang; Gasp], although the plots don't have a lot in common.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), sexual innuendo, and depictions of underage drinking/partying
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Chapel Wars from the generous folks at Bloomsbury via those at NetGalley. Thank you!
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