Wow, it's been ten days since I posted anything.  That might be a record for me.  In case you're wondering, I do have excuses.  Good ones, too.  Things like a 3-day writer's conference, a flooded upstairs, head lice, and a needy 3 year old.  See?  I told you they were good.  

I think a new Sunday Salon post is about the perfect way to dive back into regular blogging.  It's Saturday evening, but whatevs.  I'm flexible.  Here goes:

Outside my window:  The sun is going down, but it's still very, very warm outside.  I believe today's high was 100 degrees.  Boo hiss.  My girls did convince me to go swimming today.  It didn't last long as I very un-gracefully fell off a floatie and scraped up my foot.  As I was bleeding out, we saw a mongo spider.  Plus, the water was still pretty cold.  So, yeah.  

I am listening to:  The very annoying background music to a video game my son is playing.  Also, my kids arguing.  It's lovely.

I am reading:  Thanks to all the chaos going on in my life (see my good excuses listed above), plus the fact that I was so inspired after attending LDS Storymakers that I've been working on a novel of my own (not the one I've been taking to Boot Camp/Publication Primer for the last three years, but a BRAND NEW one) I haven't actually been reading much.  I am, however, just about done with Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.  It's non-stop action, with not a lot of actual plot.  Entertaining, though. 

I am going to read:  Excellent question.  I don't know.  I'll decide when I finish Pandemonium.  

On the Blog:  Um, yeah ... did I mention I've got excuses?  Really, really good ones?

Around the Book Blogosphere:  I've barely had time to think about my own blog, let alone anyone else's.  Sorry.

I am thinking:  That once my house gets put back together (See Excellent Excuse #2: a flooded upstairs), it will look fabulous.

I am grateful for:  Mothers.  I've got a great one.  So does my husband.  Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.  Keep doing what you do because, frankly, you're awesome.

Around the house:  I mentioned the flooded upstairs.  Yeah.  I'm not sure what happened exactly (I was out of town), but the bathroom flooded causing $10,000 worth of damage.  After 4 days of heavy duty fans blowing 24/7, it's all dried up, so this week, we'll be having guys come to do drywall upstairs and in the garage, paint three bedrooms, and lay down new carpet.  It will look great when it's done.  I just want it to be done now.  I'm tired of living in a construction zone, you know?

In the kitchen:  The only thing that has happened in the kitchen this week is a pan of chicken enchiladas.  It's one of my standard meals—we all love it.  Other than that, we had some yummy sandwiches from Steve's Krazy Subs, Blizzards from DQ and I believe the kids had Panda Express while I was out of town.  Yeah.  We should probably eat real food sometime soon.

High of the Week: I've been on a creative high, writing like mad.  It's been fun.

Low of the Week:  Picking lice and nits out of my daughters' hair.  Not.  Fun.  

Family Matters:  Since the girls' bedrooms were both damaged in the flood, they've been bunking together in the guest room.  Neither of them are getting much sleep, but it's funny to hear them chatting together at night.  The boys went on a Father/Son campout on Friday/Saturday, so the girls and I had a sleepover in my room.  Good times.

The coming week:  Besides the aforementioned home repairs, I'll be cleaning, catching up on book reviews, and getting end-of-the-school-year stuff together.  My kids only have 9 days of school left.  Yikes! 

Words of Wisdom:  Don't sweat the small stuff.  I've really learned that this week.  A sense of humor goes a long way in times of chaos.  

Have a wonderful week, everybody! 

(Image from Deseret Book)

Kallene Ashton, a 29-year-old graphic designer, loves her cozy neighborhood in the southeast end of the Salt Lake Valley.  Her house is spacious, the views from the deck are breathtaking, and she's made some good friends on her street.  It's one of these friends—stay-at-home mom Linda Longdale—who's got Kallene feeling worried.  Not only did Linda confide in Kallene about her impending divorce, but now she's gone missing, leaving behind an angry husband and a distraught toddler.  Maybe Linda just needed some time away, but the longer she's gone, the more Kallene fears she's come to some kind of harm.  

When Linda's dead body is discovered off the canyon trail where Kallene and Linda liked to jog, the question becomes:  What happened to Linda?  Who killed her?  And why?  As Kallene searches for the answer, prying into the secret lives of the neighbors she thought she knew, she makes some startling discoveries.  Her sniffing around turns up some intriguing possibilities, but it also means she's on the killer's radar—and just might be his/her next victim.  Can Kallene solve the mystery of her friend's death in time to save herself?  Or will her days of running in the canyon end with her own body broken and discarded in the underbrush?

After my husband read If I Should Die by Jennie Hansen, he described it as a "Mormon Desperate Housewives."  Since I kind of love that idea (I mean, how many times have you wondered if your totally-together Relief Society president or your perfect Peter Priesthood neighbor was hiding a deep, dark secret?), I was excited to read If I Should Die.  Then, I actually read it and ... yeah.  Despite the intriguing Desperate Housewives vibe, the novel's another run-of-the-mill Mormon mystery.  It's not just predictable (I knew the murderer the minute I "met" her/him and I'm usually clueless when it comes to guessing whodunit), it's also far-fetched and poorly constructed.  The characters are cliché, the dialogue is stiff, the red herrings way too obvious.  Altogether, a disappointing read.  A bummer, too, because I really do like the idea of a Mormon Desperate Housewives.  I just know my R.S. president's hiding something.  No one can be that sweet, spiritual and giving ...

A funny:  In reading (well, skimming) Jennie Hansen's blog, I've come to the conclusion that she and I have completely different tastes.  Her opinions on the Whitney finalists are pretty much the opposite of mine.  So, maybe it stands to reason that I didn't care for her book—she probably wouldn't care for one I wrote either!

(Readalikes:  Nothing comes to mind.)

Grade:  D

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for violence and mature subject matter (including child neglect/abuse)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought If I Should Die from Deseret Book with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

    

You know how all month I've been whining about how behind on reviews I am?  Well, I'm still behind.  Very behind.  So behind that, not only was I unable to review The Minefields by Steven C. Eisner, but I also forgot to post the summary and excerpt I promised to post.  Gah!  

It's a day late, but here you go, anyway:  

Sam Spiegel has it all: A promising career at a top Madison Avenue advertising agency, an apartment in New York City, and a beautiful wife. He also has strong family ties, so when his ailing father, Harry, recruits him to turn the family’s sleepy Philadelphia ad shop into a regional powerhouse, Sam cannot refuse. Once entrenched in reviving Spiegel Communications, Sam begins a delicate dance of power with Harry. While Sam enjoys increasing success, Harry Spiegel remains mired in old traditions and weighed down by financial worries. Sam’s wife, Amy, also joins the agency, but she deeply resents Sam’s decision to leave New York. The two struggle in their marriage, which appears to center too much on business and not enough on intimacy. It isn’t long before emotions come to a head, putting everything Sam has worked for at risk. Despite these challenges, he’s able to build an impressive ad agency, winning many prestigious national accounts. Then it all changes. In the aftermath of 9/11, an international airline account—Spiegel’s largest—finds itself in a vulnerable position. Now caught in a stunning professional reversal as his life starts a downward spiral, Sam must find his way through the minefields around him—and survive.  (Text is from the book's jacket cover)

And, now, for the excerpt:  We three watched Harry W. Spiegel, calm and inexorably still. I sat by the curtain. Twenty minutes later his breathing stopped. Sunday Morning came to its end. The trumpet cleared and the kettledrum was left to solo out with a light patter, fading to quiet.

That is all.

(Image from Deseret Book)

Although she has retired from the cloak and dagger life of a spy, Isabelle can't quite restrain her interest in the mystery.  She knows she should mind her own business, but the more she gets to know the serious-minded James, the more endearing she finds him.  And, the more she ponders Phillip's disappearance, the more she realizes how much she misses the rush of the career she's left behind.  So, with Sally in tow, Isabelle offers her sleuthing services to a reluctant, but grateful James.

It's not long before James has amassed a small group of searchers, an intriguing set of strangers, all of whom are intent on finding young Phillip.  While all members of the party insist they are helping only out of the goodness of their hearts, Isabelle questions their motives, especially as the journey becomes increasingly more dangerous.  Someone, it seems, is more intent on finding the jewel Phillip is hunting than the man himself and that person will stop at nothing to get the precious stone.  Even if it means killing a nosy former spy in the process.  With her life in danger, Isabelle must find the traitor—before it's too late.

Before picking up Legend of the Jewel, I'd never read anything by N.C. (Nancy Campbell) Allen.  A shame, because, apparently, she began writing about Isabelle and her cohorts in her popular Faith of Our Fathers series.  No matter.  Legend of the Jewel works well as a standalone, but even better as the first installment in an exciting new series.  Isabelle's a compelling heroine, someone who's tough, though grieving and vulnerable.  The romance between her and James develops in a believable manner, while never feeling dull or stale.  Although this is LDS historical fiction, it's not preachy (really, it hardly mentions religion at all); it's just a fun, clean mystery that's well-written and entertaining.  I loved it.