Speed Reviewing (Vacation books)

http://www.blogher.com/7-nonfiction-picks-read-pool

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Bitsy's Bait and BBQ - Pamela Morsi, 4.5 Stars!

While Emma Collins wonders who in their right mind would use her hard-won divorce settlement to purchase a bed-and-breakfast down in the Ozarks, her free-spirited sister Katy fantasizes dreamily about how this move to a small town will be just the thing for her six-year-old son, Josh.

And, as usual, Emma is right. But it is not until they drive to Warbler Lake, Missouri, to take over Bitsy's B & B that they realize just how right she's been. In this part of the country, B & B stands for Bait and BBQ! The girls know little enough about running a bed-and-breakfast, but a bait-and-BBQ?

With their money and futures sunk into a run-down, roadside rattletrap, the girls have no choice but to roll up their sleeves and get to work. But as they settle in and get to know the difference between fatheads, night crawlers, mealworms and shiners, no one is more surprised than they are when they actually get the place up and running.

But trouble is brewing. Katy's ex-husband is having second thoughts about the custody arrangements for Josh, and he fully intends to get him back. With the prospect of losing the little boy, the sisters face another challenge, only this time it's Katy who proves that she, too, can solve a problem.

*** Loved it! Great character development. It was fun and fast.Great storyline, very believable. I fell in love with Katy and Emma and was so invested in their lives. This is one of the books I had set aside for my trip. Well I started it the day before leaving and loved it so much I actually finished it before I even left the house! I definitely would like to explore this author some more!
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Sunnyside Blues - Mary Carter , 3.5 stars!

Twenty-five-year-old Andes Lane has spent nine years moving restlessly from place to place as she searches for somewhere that feels right. In the little blue houseboat bobbing on a Seattle lake, she thinks she's found it. But Andes has barely had a chance to settle in before her new life is upended by her landlord, Jay, and his ten-year-old son, Chase. Smart, secretive, and precocious, Chase touches a chord with Andes even as he plays on her last nerve. When Jay needs someone to take care of Chase temporarily, Andes agrees to accompany the boy to Sunnyside, Queens, on a quest she's sure will prove fruitless. But in this new, strange, unexpectedly welcoming city, Andes will confront the secrets she tried to leave behind and the lies that have kept her running. And against all odds, she'll discover a place, a man, and a new-found peace of mind that feel very much like home.

***This book was just pretty good for me. I read another one by this author -  "The Things I do for You" which I thought was much better. I like the characters in this book and I loved the beginning. The whole first half of the book took place in Seattle on the docks of the floating houses. I loved this but then the story switched to Sunnyside (Queens) NY. I didn't care for this part as much. It was a good storyline and had a good ending. Just was not as Great as I wanted. Still a good read though.
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First Grave on the Right - Darynda Jones, 4 Stars!

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

***This book was FUN, with a capital F! I was giggling and laughing out loud all throughout. I kept reading parts of it out loud to my mom and texting parts to friends. Great storyline, great characters and lots of fun! I loved Charley, she was awesome, very sarcastic and snarky! A woman after my own heart.
Here's a few quotes -
"The shower felt like heaven covered in warm chocolate syrup."
"Isn't that a bit like the pot calling the kettle African-American?" heehee
"She's like a hurricane on crystal meth."
"I whine more than a goth with a blog fetish."
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Ocean Beach - Wendy Wax, 3.5 stars!

Unlikely friends Madeline, Avery and Nicole have hit some speed bumps in their lives, but when they arrive in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood, they are all hoping for a do-over. Literally. They’ve been hired to bring a once-grand historic house back to its former glory on a new television show called Do-Over. If they can just get this show off the ground, Nikki would get back on her feet financially, Avery could restart her ruined career, and Maddie would have a shot at keeping her family together.

At least, that’s the plan – until the women realize that having their work broadcast is one thing, having their personal lives play out on TV is another thing entirely. Soon they are struggling to hold themselves, and the project, together. With a decades-old mystery—and the hurricane season—looming, the women are forced to figure out just how they’ll weather life’s storms.

***Again this book was pretty good. I liked the characters well enough, there were just so many of them. I have to admit that for the whole first half of the book I kept getting them all confused. I kept forgetting who was who's mom, who had the baby, who was the match maker etc. It did have a great storyline! I loved the whole make-over reality show idea! I think this idea would make a great series. The descriptions of the house and the renovations were great, but there were some slow parts. I thought the ending was a little over done. I felt like she tried too much to make it exciting. Pretty good book though, def. good enough for a summer read.
Here's one really good quote -
"The kind of blue-eyed blondness that caused complete strangers to deduct IQ points and to speak to her slowly using really small words."
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Th th th th thats all folks!