The Life (and lies) of an inanimate flying object: This week at The Life and Lies…

A few minor ramblings before I get into the cool stuff (the book related stuff that you actually care about :D)

I had a government test on Thursday. It was open book! yay! I think I did pretty well………

Ok. So I’ve been working on a sequel to my book series. I don’t have a title yet. But I had most of the plot. The problem was, it’s a character-driven crime thriller. How can you have an exciting crime thriller that’s character-driven? Well… you have to have a good plot. I had a basic plot, but no under-plot. No mission. No crime-thriller aspect of it that ran through the whole book. Sure Lindsay and Brett did some short-term missions here and there… but I had no main mission. However I knew that if I waited long enough, it would come. Lindsay would disclose whatever secret she was keeping, Brett would be more than willing to let me in his head, and Michael would stop being a stupid stubborn meanie-pants (hey! I’m your favorite character! Don’t say that about me—) Shut up, Michael.

I figured it out in government class. Of all places. Duh. I knew that class would serve me well in some way, shape, or form…

No I’m not going to tell you what it was! That would defeat the purpose of reading it later!

As far as my other classes… well let’s just say that today I’m going to read a few chapters of a certain Statistics textbook. Anyone out there want a textbook review? It would give me a good excuse to read it! Oh yeah. Another good excuse—passing the class? Yes…… Anyway the test (which i’m not ready for and am probably gonna fail) is on Monday :\ blech.

Also I’m trying to pick a famous speech (or any speech, famous or otherwise) for an English assignment. Any ideas or favorites you’d like to share?

I’ve prolonged the contest for HEARING FROM GOD EACH MORING because I only had about 9 people enter… go enter! the new deadline is February 10th. Just tell me your favorite Bible verse.

Also, I’ve got a blog survey goin’ on right here… just trying to figure out where I stand etc. :D Please fill it out, it takes 30 seconds!

Ok, onto the fun stuff:

Last Week:
Guest Post: E-readers vs. Real Books
Bleeding Violet
Alice I have been (short review. Full coming soon.)
Cheating Death
The Channel

This week I will read/review:
Searching for Tina Turner
Whatever else I get to.

In My Mailbox:

For Review:
Sons of Thunder

Sophie Frangos is torn between the love of two men and the promise that binds them all together. Markos Stavros loves Sophie from afar while battling his thirst for vengeance and his hunger for honor. Dino, his quiet and intelligent brother, simply wants to forget the horror that drove them from their Greek island home to start a new life in America. One of these sons of thunder offers a future she longs for, the other the past she lost. From the sultry Chicago jazz clubs of the roaring twenties to the World War II battlefields of Europe to a final showdown in a Greek island village, they’ll discover betrayal, sacrifice and finally redemption. Most of all, when Sophie is forced to make her choice, shell learn that God honors the promises made by the Sons of Thunder.

Won:
Dream Chaser

Hades doesn’t often give second chances...
Xypher has one month on Earth to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture in Tarturus. But redemption means little to a demigod who only wants vengeance on the one who caused his downfall.
Until one day in a cemetery...
Simone Dubois is a medical examiner with a real knack for the job. Those who are wrongfully killed appear to her and help her find the evidence the police need to convict their killers. But when a man appears and tells her that she’s more than just a psychic, she’s convinced he’s insane.
Now the fate of the world hangs in her hands...
It was bad enough when just the dead relied on her. Now’s there’s the seductive Dream-Hunter Xypher who needs Simone’s help in opening a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight insatiable demons. The future of mankind is at stake—and so is her life. The only question now is: Who is the bigger threat: the demons out to kill her, or the man who has left her forever changed?

Books Bought (goodwill! yay!):

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

(Sherlock Holmes. Enough said.)

The Love Child

As Anna Martell grows into womanhood in the nineteenth-century English countryside, she is determined to overcome the legacy of her birth--as one of six illegitimate children--a goal aided by the love of wealthy Timothy Barrington. (the summary from the back sounds so much better than this… but I don’t feel like typing it out)

A Season beyond a Kiss

Her marriage to dashing American shipping magnate Jeff Birmingham signals the beginning of a wonderful new life for Raelynn Barrett. In the loving shelter of her husband's embrace, the pain of loss is diminished, as is her anger over her family's tragic and undeserved disgrace. But try as she might, Raelynn cannot close her ears to the cruel accusations and whispered rumors about her new spouse that buzz around her head like bees. And she cannot deny what her own eyes see, though the images before her seem to brand her darling Jeff as the worst sort of criminal, forcing her to flee his desire and his love.
Yet Jeff knows he is innocent—-though he is unaware of the conspiracy that has shrouded his marriage in secrets and now imperils it with lies. And he will oppose the treachery with every fiber of his being in order to preserve his threatened happiness—-to win back the trust of the woman he cherishes...and secure his place forever in his beloved Raelynn's heart.

The Last Season

For the solitary, introspective Morgenson, who grew up in Yosemite Valley and as a young man honed his mountaineering skills in the Himalayas, this was more than a job -- it was a calling. He became fiercely devoted to preventing outside forces from encroaching on the wilderness he loved.

But over the years, the isolation Morgenson had once cherished took its toll, and he grew increasingly estranged from his wife and friends. When, at the height of his struggles, he went missing without a trace in Kings Canyon National Park, where he had long patrolled, many suspected suicide or foul play. Morgenson, after all, had once said, "The least I owe these mountains is a body." As one of the Park Service's most intensive search-and-rescue operations unraveled, some wondered if they were searching for a man who did not want to be found.

The Other Boleyn Girl

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.
Tamed by a Laird

Baroness-in-her-own-right, Jenny Easdale is ready to accept her fate. She’s agreed to marry a man she will never love—yet not before slipping away for one last adventure. Following a traveling minstrel troupe, she’s whisked into a world of intoxicating freedom. Then, all too soon, she finds herself in danger—from a vengeful political plot against Scotland and from the man who has come to take her home.
Duty bound to return with his brother’s wayward bride, Sir Hugh Douglas is not prepared for how her quick wit, courage, and laughing eyes touch his warrior heart. Now, as the merry minstrels play matchmaker and passion sparks between Hugh and Jenny, the conspiracy against Scotland builds…and threatens all they hold dear.

Jennifer Government

In the horrifying, satirical near future of Max Barry's Jennifer Government, American corporations literally rule the world. Everyone takes his employer's name as his last name; once-autonomous nations as far-flung as Australia belong to the USA; and the National Rifle Association is not just a worldwide corporation, it's a hot, publicly traded stock. Hack Nike, a hapless employee seeking advancement, signs a multipage contract and then reads it. He discovers he's agreed to assassinate kids purchasing Nike's new line of athletic shoes, a stealth marketing maneuver designed to increase sales. And the dreaded government agent Jennifer Government is after him.

Dracula

Jonathan Harker is sent by his law firm to Castle Dracula to discuss business with Transylvania noble Count Dracula. His nightmare experience there is just the start of a macabre chain of events. Harker soon finds himself in a race against time to free his wife, Mina, and other souls who are in thrall to the evil count. Dracula must be destroyed at all costs. . . .

Alaska Twilight

"You're afraid of really living, Haley." He flicked his finger at her camera. "You hide behind your camera instead of stepping out and engaging life with both hands. You're so afraid you'll fail at something, you won't even try."

For some people, Alaska is a breathtaking wilderness adventure, full of light and beauty. For Haley, it is a dangerous world of dark dreams and tortured memories. On the surface, she's here to document wildlife activist Kipp Nowak's bear encounters. But her real reason is to unearth the truth about a past murder. The suspense mounts when another body turns up, and Haley begins to wonder if the tragedies she experienced in the past are connected to the dangers and mysterious incidents of the present. From behind the viewfinder of her camera, Haley observes it all, including Tank Lassiter, the bear biologist who has been forced to lead Kipp and his team into the Alaskan backcountry. As she watches him with his work, she feels a growing attraction. It will take great courage and faith to confront the truth she once ran away from. Before it's over, Haley may be viewing herself from an entirely new angle.

Alaska Twilight is the story of a young woman's emergence from the shadows of past sorrow into the light of forgiveness and grace.

(Ok I’ll admit, I picked this one up because not only is my name used, but it’s spelled correctly. Do you have any idea how rare it is to find my name not only used in a book but spelled the way I spell it? Not only that, it’s Christian Fiction. I’m pretty excited about this one!)

Swapped at pbs:
Catch Me if you Can (reviewed)

Night World no. 1