Recent Book Activity

Happy Bookcrossing!

I live in Olive Branch, Mississippi, which is a small town just over the Memphis, Tennesee/Mississippi border, with my husband, 1 dogs, and 1 cat. I am a nurse by trade, and I've been happily married since 1976. We have one daughter, who is married and lives in New York. No grandchildren - yet. One of my favorite leisure pastimes is reading. My whole family loves to read and we have always had a lot of books in our home. I love books and coffee, (there will be both in my heaven) and I love Bookcrossing! I also love to sing, and enjoy singing karaoke online at Singsnap.com.

I love to trade books, and am happy to trade anything that I have designated "available" on my bookshelf. I am also willing to move something on my TBR list up and trade it as soon as I read it. If you see a TBR you are interested in, PM me and let me know. My favorite types of books are mystery/suspense (especially crime fiction), general fiction, classics, and dark fantasy (especially vampire fiction), but my taste is certainly not limited to those. I also have a passion for reading and collecting books ABOUT books. So, in between reading entire novels, I will be reading in and re-reading in books like 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall, Book Lust and More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl, A Year in Reading by Elisabeth Ellington & Jane Freimiller, Defining Moments in Books edited by Lucy Daniel, The Novel 100 by Daniel S. Burt; well, you get the idea. The list goes on.

You'll see all kinds of books on my bookshelf - not just the genres I love to read - because, since joining Bookcrossing, I have acquired many books by browsing bargain tables at bookstores, thrift shops, garage sales, and library sales for books to release as well as books to read, and from trading books with other Bookcrossers and through online book trading sites.

I also enjoy meetups with the Midsouth Bookcrossers. Our group can be found on Facebook.

Here is how I interpret the 1-10 rating system:

1 - Good fuel for the fireplace on a cold winter's day. I wouldn't want to throw it away because someone might see it in the trash, think it looks good, and waste some of their life reading it. Hated it, hated it, hated, hated, hated, hated it. Hated it.

2 - Worth throwing away.

3 - May have some nice cover art - a book that you can decorate a table with - but what's on the inside is crap.

4 - Didn't really like it, but would release it, hoping that someone else might like it.

5 - Undecided whether I liked it or not.

6 - Liked it, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to everyone. A guilty pleasure might fall under this category.

7 - Liked it very much and would recommend it as a good read.

8 - Loved it and really want to share it.

9 - Spread the word - this is a "Don't miss".

10 - One of the best books ever written. The Crème de la Crème.


Books I read in 2006:
First to Die by James Patterson
Second Chance by James Patterson
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris Journal Entry
Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov Journal Entry
Third Degree by James Patterson
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman Journal Entry
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey Journal Entry
Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg Journal Entry
The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lillian Jackson Braun (audio library book)
Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews Journal Entry
Open House by Elizabeth Berg Journal Entry
Jolie Blon's Bounce by James Lee Burke Journal Entry
"C" is for Corpse by Sue Grafton Journal Entry
Blue Dahlia by Nora RobertsJournal Entry
From a Buick 8 by Stephen King(audio library book)
Shoot the Moon by Billie LettsJournal Entry
The Red Hat Club Rides Again by Haywood Smith(audio library book)
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead by Charlaine HarrisJournal Entry
The Narrows by Michael ConnellyJournal Entry
Dead to the World by Charlaine HarrisJournal Entry
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier (library audio book)
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine HarrisJournal Entry
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk KiddJournal Entry
4th of July by James PattersonJournal Entry
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson
The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons(library audio book)
Sister Chicks Do the Hula by Robin Jones Gunn(library audio book)
The Last Juror by John Grisham (library audio book)
Undead and Unemployed by Mary Janice Davidson
Undead and Unappreciated by Mary Janice Davidson
Lunch at the Picadilly by Clyde Edgerton
The Bell Witch at Adams by Gladys Barr
The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson (library audio book)
Blood Price by Tanya Huff
Blood Trail by Tanya Huff
The Closers by Michael Connelly
Rules of Prey by John Sanford


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Books I read in 2007: (I started working full time again in late 2006, and in 2007 became so busy with work & home duties that I was unable to read as much as I usually do. I also kept forgetting to record books I had read here, so I'm sure I failed to list some.)

Outlander - Part I by Diana Gabaldon (Library audio book)
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Children of the Night by Mercedes Lackey
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke
Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes(Library audio book)
The Blue Edge of Midnight by Jonathan King
Burning Water by Mercedes Lackey
Joy School by Elizabeth Berg (Library audio book)
Missing Justice by Alafair Burke
Close Case by Alafair Burke
The Overlook by Michael Connelly
Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais
Last Car to Elisian Fields by James Lee Burke
The Fifth Horseman by James Patterson
Dark Prince by Christine Feehan
The Delicate Dependency by Michael Talbot
The Forgotten Man by Robert Crais
Moonlight on the Mill Pond by Lori Wick
Just Above a Whisper by Lori Wick
The Sixth Target by James Patterson
The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman

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Books I read in 2008 (This list will be smaller than previous years as I am currently working full time and trying to take care of a big house, husband, mother-in-law - she is in a wheelchair & lives with us now - and 2 big dogs:

The Linnett Bird by Linda Holeman
"D" is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
"F" is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton
3:16 by Max Lucado
The Abs Diet for Women by David Zinczenko
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (downloaded audiobook)
Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Priory School by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
Blind Alley by Iris Johansen
The Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
"G" is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Moseley
90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper & Cecil Murphy
Free Fall by Robert Crais
Ghost of a Chance by Nina Bruhns
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Lullaby Town by Robert Crais
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer




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Books I read in 2009:

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Oral History by Lee Smith
Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels
Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
Altogether Dead by Charlaine Harris
Marked (House of Night - Book 1) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly



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Books I have read in 2010:

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
After Sundown by Amanda Ashley
Little Bitty Lies by Mary Kay Andrews
Minion by L.A. Banks
The UnDiet by Bronwyn Schweigherdt, M.S.
The Frugal Gambler by Jean Scott
Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer by Suzanne Somers
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Rider - Life & Times of Lucas Payne by H.P. Manning
Rain Gods by James Lee Burke
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Muffins and Mayhem by Suzanne Beecher
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber
204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber
311 Pelican Court by Debbie Macomber
Stop Prediabetes Now - The Ultimate Plan to Lose Weight and Prevent Diabetes by Jack Challem and Ron Hunninghake
The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen
The Killing Game by Iris Johansen


Books I Have Read in 2011:

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Lethal People by John Locke
Lethal Experiment by John Locke
Saving Rachel by John Locke
Now & Then by John Locke
Wish List by John Locke
A Girl Like You by John Locke
Vegas Moon by John Locke
The Love You Crave by John Locke
Follow the Stone by John Locke
Don't Poke the Bear by John Locke
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Free Kindle Books and How to Find Them by Michael Galagher
Mike's Guide to Better Slot Play by M. J. Veaudry
Healthy & Fit After Fifty by Steve Fisher
Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy by Jonni McCoy
The South Beach Diet Supercharged by Joseph Signorile
Healthy Weight Loss Diet & Cookbook for Seniors by Jeanie Blanton-Trimble
The Search by Iris Johansen
Body of Lies by Iris Johansen
Countdown by Iris Johansen

Books I've Read in 2012:

A Measure of Mercy (Home to Blessing - Book One) by Lauraine Spelling
Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Mama Does Time (A Mace Bauer Mystery) by Deborah Sharp


Currently reading:
Currently Reading:
Mysterious Island (Audio Book) by Jules Verne


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