“From a Buick 8” by Stephen King

“From a Buick 8” by Stephen King
2002 by Scribner
ISBN: 0-7434-1768-2

“From a Buick 8” by Stephen King. Gripping. Stephen King has such an exquisite understanding of how to tunnel into the everyday and mundane to elicit horror. It’s like I could look at a loaf of bread and see a loaf of bread. But, when Stephen King looks at that very same loaf of bread he sees and understands and makes you look at the ground the wheat came from, the agony of the seeds as they sprouted, the arthritic pain the farmer has but still forces himself on. You get the idea. The horror of everyday stuff. But, such a lovely way he writes. It’s like I climbed into the Buick with him and for just a few moments understood what it was like.

“From a Buick 8” is like that. Just your normal group of people who are Pennsylvania State Troopers and how they protected John Q. Public from the menace of a very curiously made Buick which was delivered to them and left with them, in their custody. Every once in awhile that Buick takes a deep breath and spews horror into their midst or sucks things back to where it comes from.

It’s telling a story within a story as Sandy and the other PSP – Pennsylvania State Troopers tell the son of a dead trooper about his dad and the story of the Buick. Meanwhile, it sits out in Shed B waiting, waiting, waiting for just the right time to take another deep breath.

While I was reading this book I wrote about it a bit in my other blog and you can see that here.

"Ravished" by Amanda Quick

"Ravished" by Amanda Quick
1992, Bantam Fanfare
ISBN: 0-553-29316-8

It wasn't enough that I read just one book by Amanda Quick. No, I hadn't had enough. It is generally that way. I am a fan.

"Ravished" will not disappoint you. Another quirky heroine who flaunts all the rules society would lay upon her and, who, more importantly is not in any way afraid of the hero. Harriet and Gideon's dance through this story will enthrall you.

There is generally a rhythm to stories; for me they are like waves in the ocean swelling up and down, but the climaxes within this story were better than usual. At several points I felt we were moving toward the BIG climax only to realize I was holding more than half of the book yet to be read. That, in itself, is like eating a really delicious, really big cream puff. The book just kept going on and on.

I read these books on my lunch hour too. I had to move quickly through the sex scenes and get them done before I left for work yesterday morning. I knew if I was going to sit at my desk with my baloney sandwich while Gideon swelled and Harriet thrilled I wasn't going to present more than an image of a sweaty secretary.

This is another terrific book by Amanda Quick. Do have a look at her blog too.

"Finding The Deep River Within" by Abby Seixas

"Finding the Deep River Within" by Abby Seixas
2006 Jossey-Bass
ISBN-13: 978-0-7879-8097-9

“Finding the Deep River Within” by Abby Seixas is written primarily with women in mind, this book can benefit everyone. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we do for a living, the things we do at home for our families, our recreation and our hobbies that we constantly feel we are living in a panic. Life is so fast, events happen in our world so quickly that it seems we’ve got absolutely no control over anything.

This book will help you to take control of your life. It shows you how to slow down and to dip down below the surface of conscious living to move into the deep river of spiritual and self nourishment. It shows you that even though you have obligations and tons of responsibilities you can still take time for yourself.

Face it, when you die you’ll have the opportunity to say, “This is what I did”. Now, while you are living deliberately choose what you want to say about how you lived your life.

"Scandal" by Amanda Quick

"Scandal" by Amanda Quick
1991 Bantam Books
ISBN: 0-553-28932-2

Amanda Quick is one of my favorite authors, no matter which pen name she writes under. When she is writing historical romances she writes as Amada Quick and, “Scandal” is as terrific a book as any other she’s written. I have to tell you that I’ve been a fan of Amanda Quick for years and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read her books. “Scandal” is one that I can safely say I’ve read more than 5 or 6 times. It wouldn’t surprise me that I’d read it 10 times.

What is delicious about how Amanda Quick writes is she has these character traits that seem to follow all of her heroines around. They are quirky. They sometimes wear glasses, though in the historicals they are referred to as spectacles. They, many times, don’t listen to authority figures and make up their own minds about what they want to do and above all they love adventure. And, she does the same thing with her heroes. They are always unapproachable and mysterious and at center have a heart of gold.

In, “Scandal” vengeance is the keyword as a woman who is not afraid of dragons takes on the one person who desires most of all to wreck her family and bring every one of them to their knees. Emily Faringdon goes where others fear and brings the dragon (Lord Blade) nearer to the warmth of her heart where everybody lives happily ever after. So, even knowing there’s a happy ending getting there is all of the fun with, “Scandal”

This isn’t the first time I will read this book, nor will it be the last.

Read more about Amanda Quick at her website and under her "real name" of Jayne Krentz

"Blessings" by Anna Quindlen

"Blessings" by Anna Quindlen
2002 Random House
ISBN: 0-375-50223-8

You expect a book to have a beginning, a middle and an end. It's a formula. I personally, also expect a happy ending. Anna Quindlen gave me so much more than that with her novel, "Blessings". I was enthralled. Typical and expected are not what happened here and, yet, it was so plausible. It really could have happened just the way she said.

This is the first time I've read anything by Anna Quindlen and I feel thankful to know she's written other books. I will certainly be reading them.

A painter of words, Anna Quindlen set "Blessings" to swirl about me, to remind me of my own family's secrets nobody ever wanted to talk about and to cry at the end; always for me the cherrie atop my own personal sundae.

"The Secret Pearl" by Mary Balogh

“The Secret Pearl” by Mary Balogh
Nov, 2005 Dell Reprint
ISBN 13: 978-0-440-24297-0

“The Secret Pearl” is a page turner. It’s not a typical Victorian romance. It goes beyond that. Fleur, a young gentlewoman, forced by circumstances into a dreadful position retains her dignity and meets the man who helps and who eventually loves her. Adam and Fleur are incredibly complex characters.

I read this as quickly as I could, taking time before work and at lunch time and at night to finish it. I could not leave it alone. And, I cried. I had to go get a whole box of Kleenex to have at my side for the last part of the book. Mary Balogh is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. This is one incredible book.