AN INTRODUCTION

I've been gone for a long time from this here blog. If you could even consider it that. My goal for 2014 was to write more. Lean on my blog for guidance. Express myself through my words. It maybe 11 months late, but I think I'm finally read and willing to do so.
It's always fun to give you a little background about the person behind the blog. I learn new stuff everyday about the blogs I read and I find it really enjoyable to know more about their ins, outs, preferences, and such.



Name/Occupation/Age/Stats Sarah/Business Office at Republic County Hospital, Nursing Student, Mother, Wife, Girl Scout Leader and all the in between/28/ Married mother of 2 daughters and 1 stepson. Fur mom to Yogi the Teddy Bear and Kate the kitten.




Family Info. Husband Tim (Married since 2005), Step son Kaleb (12) - All boy. State wrestler, Football & Baseball player, avid sport lover. (Also note he's at that age where parents & family are no longer cool and he only wants to be around his friends and girls.) Daughers: Lexus (9) All girl which means no sweating, running, getting dirty or playing sports. She also has her BFF Lindsay who is basically our 3rd daughter. They are either always at our house or Lindsays. We are just used to it now and love her as our own. Brooklyn (7) is a spitting image of her momma, loves her momma with all her heart and is so kind hearted to everyone she meets. She listens, follows rules and hasn't quite developed the attitude and hate her siblings have. We have a 5 year old Teddy Bear (Yogi) (and before you ask- its a Shih Tzu/Bichon cross) and a Kitten named Kate that Lexus just got for her birthday.
Favorite Hobbies Scrapbooking, Scuba Diving, Snowboarding, Take pictures, Reading, Drinking Wine, shopping, Sleeping, Watching movies, Netflix, Dr Pepper, Coffee with White Chocolate Mocha creamer.
Five Things I Can't Live Without My Cell phone, my family, my friends, Dr Pepper, Netflix,
Typical Day. Wake up at 5am, shower, get ready for work, get kids ready for school, arrive at work at 7am, leave at 3:30, pick up kids from school and go to dance, sports practices, do homework, supper, bathtime and bed. I then work on my homework and clean up the house before crashing and waking up to do the same exact thing the next day.
Favorite Go-To Beauty Products I really don't wear a lot of makeup, nor do I use anything fancy in my hair and don't paint my nails or anything like that. Plain Jane girl right here. I do feel a good mascara can go a long ways.
Favorite Music/Bands/Singers Bob Marley, The Avett Brothers, Pink, Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty, Modest Mouse, Blake Shelton, Johnny Cash, Luke Bryan, The Offspring
My Top 10 Movies When a Man Loves a Woman, Grease, PS I love You, Drop Dead Fred, Pippi Longstocking, Pitch Perfect, The Twilight Series, The Notebook, Practical Magic, Clueless.
Favorite Food to Make Anything in a crockpot. Peppered Steak, Chicken & Noodles, Soups. I hate cooking so if the crockpot will do it for me, and everyone will eat it, I'm happy.
Top Reads (in no particular order) Black Lies, Anything by Nicolas Sparks, His Bright Light by Danielle Steele, The Hunger Games, Twilight Series, 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, Ugly Love, Cross Roads, The Shack


Other Q&A
What you wanted to be when you grew up: I wanted to be a volconologist, a substance abuse counselor or a nurse.
Beauty secret: Less is More. No matter who you are, pounds of makeup is gross. Be proud of who you are and don't try to cover it up.
Celebrity crush: Ian Somerhalder/Channing Tatum




Welcome to my world, Stay a while?

Five on Friday

I'm linking up with April, Darci, Christina and Natasha for Five on Friday! I LOVE reading everyone's posts every week and tell myself I'll get around to doing it but rarely do.
If you haven't linked up with them before, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, grab their logo, and join the party by using the linky tools. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found! :)

ONE:

Can't wait to have a girls night with my BFF, Ami and head to see Mockingjay in theaters. Ya'll, please tell me you read the books and are diehard fans like we are?!?  I've been patiently waiting since November 22, 2013 for this movie to come out. I just don't know that I'm publicly read to bawl over Finnick and Prim's death.  If you haven't seen the trailer yet, here it is!

TWO: 

We are going with all my cousins and their kids to see Disney on Ice this weekend in Lincoln and I couldn't be more excited. Ever since our family business closed down, everyone has moved away and taken their own paths and we don't see each other as often. And despite not ALL of the Lambert side of the family being there, its still going to be a lot of us and that makes me happy. Plus, next Wednesday we'll all be together at Grandma & Grandpas for Thanksgiving so its twice in a week which makes me even happier. Topping on the cake?! Hello, its Disney on Ice! I've never been and I think I'm just about as excited as the kids are! 

THREE: 

I've enrolled for my 3rd semester of college. Never did I think I'd be at this place in my life to start college at 28 or go to school for anything completely different then what I always envisioned myself doing, which was working at Lambriar. I couldn't be happier to follow my dreams of becoming a nurse, and am so proud of myself for being able to do the school thing and work full time and be a mom to 3 very busy active children. The house may be a little messier, my calendar may be fuller, I sleep a lot less and drink way too much coffee, but I'm doing it. I'll be applying for LPN school and taking my TEAS test within the next month so keep your fingers crossed and say an extra prayer for me will ya? 

FOUR: 

How is it almost Thanksgiving and where did the month of November go? 33 days til Christmas? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the holidays and being around family, but I hate buying gifts and stressing over where the money is going to come from and how I'll find the time to get it all done. I am TRYING to not be a Ba humbug this year, I owe that to my children. So Christmas lists and carols and decorations galore, here we come. But not until the day after Thanksgiving, or I'd be in trouble. There are strict rules about that you know. 

FIVE:

A friend sent me this recipe and it looks to die for. Its a must try this weekend! I'll let you know how it turns out! Soup and sweater weather is about the ONLY good thing about Winter! 

Blogging for Books: The Divorce Papers

FROM AMAZON: 

Sparkling and sophisticated, this sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking debut novel tells the story of a very messy, very high-profile divorce and the endearingly cynical young lawyer dragooned into handling it.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old-line New England firm, where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are trapped behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one week, with all the big partners out of town, Sophie is stuck handling the intake interview for the daughter of the firm’s most important client.

After eighteen years of marriage, Mayflower descendant Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim has just been served divorce papers in a humiliating scene at the popular local restaurant, Golightly’s. Mia is now locked and loaded to fight her eminent and ambitious husband, Dr. Daniel Durkheim, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Mather Medical School, for custody of their ten-year-old daughter Jane. Mia also burns to take him down a peg. Sophie warns Mia that she’s never handled a divorce case before, but Mia can’t be put off. The way she sees it, it’s her first divorce, too. For Sophie, the whole affair will spark a hard look at her own relationships—with her parents, colleagues, friends, lovers, and, most important, herself.

A rich, layered novel told entirely through personal correspondence, office memos, e-mails, articles, handwritten notes, and legal documents,The Divorce Papers offers a direct window into the lives of an entertaining cast of characters never shy about speaking their minds. Original and captivating, Susan Rieger’s brilliantly conceived and expertly crafted debut races along with wit, heartache, and exceptional comedic timing, as it explores the complicated family dynamic that results when marriage fails—as well as the ever-present risks and coveted rewards of that thing called love.

My review: 

This story is interesting with well developed characters and a narrative that moves along very well. The book is made up of emails, letters, and legal documents which makes for an interesting format. All in all, I would say it was a great book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and this review is my own opinion. 

Throw Back Thursday

Circa '97 and everyone was looking fly! The big bangs, the huge glasses. Eeek. I do however wish we could take another Lambert family cruise or trip! 17 of us then, would be over 33 of us if we went now! Love and treasure all our memories together growing up, even though everyone is so far apart now. 

Halloween 2014

I've never been real good with Halloween costumes. They are last minute, scrounge up whats left over at Walmart after everyone picks through everything, type costumes. This year, we were ahead of the game and despite wanting to make homemade costumes for everyone (and encouraging Lexus to be the crazy cat lady- which she refused), I'd say we did pretty good. The candy overload and tired whiney kids at the end of the night who fell asleep while sorting their candy stash made the long night worth while. We went to the truck or treat downtown after school, drove to Mahaska and Narka and then back to Belleville to hit up a few prime spots. 

Pippi Longstocking - Her Favorite Movie. My favorite costume EVER! She fits the part to a T! My mom is digging out pictures of when I was Pippi Longstocking back in the day. It will be fun to compare! Bonus? It only cost me $2 for this whole outfit! :) If your children have not been blessed to see this movie- hurry up and go buy it. RIGHT.NOW. Brooklyn was even skipping down the road singing "Life is a Breeze, we live it for fun. No apologies to anyone." 

Walking Dead Girl- Her attitude and facial expressions definitely made pulling this off easy. Funny thing is I don't know why she wanted to be this? We watched the first episode of Walking Dead and I had such a panic attack and the girls were so terrified we haven't and won't watch anymore. Yet, this is what she wanted to be. Guess the first episode made a lasting impression on her! She also won Best of Show award at a Halloween party we attended for her costume. 

Poor Pippi Longstocking- her siblings are all walkers. I think she can take care of herself though! 

Between the leg pose and the dead skin grossness, I'd say Kaleb pulled this off fairly well last minute. All we heard the whole time was he was too old and not going to dress up or go trick or treating. He ended up changing his mind. Who doesn't love candy?




Hope you and your family had a Happy Halloween!

Blogging for Books- Peter Pan Must Die Review

From Amazon: 
In John Verdon’s most sensationally twisty novel yet, ingenious puzzle solver Dave Gurney brings his analytical brilliance to a shocking murder that couldn’t have been committed the way the police say it was.

The daunting task that confronts Gurney, once the NYPD’s top homicide cop: determining the guilt or innocence of a woman already convicted of shooting her charismatic politician husband -- who was felled by a rifle bullet to the brain while delivering the eulogy at his own mother’s funeral.  
Peeling back the layers, Gurney quickly finds himself waging a dangerous battle of wits with a thoroughly corrupt investigator, a disturbingly cordial mob boss, a gorgeous young temptress, and a bizarre assassin whose child-like appearance has earned him the nickname Peter Pan.
Startling twists and turns occur in rapid-fire sequence, and soon Gurney is locked inside one of the darkest cases of his career – one in which multiple murders are merely the deceptive surface under which rests a scaffolding of pure evil.  Beneath the tangle of poisonous lies, Gurney discovers that the truth is more shocking than anyone had imagined.
 And the identity of the villain at the mystery’s center turns out to be the biggest shock of all.

My Review:
In terms of plot this is the best of the four Dave Gurney books. The mystery is a deep one and the author gives clues that will allow the reader to figure out the ending. But the clues are hidden and subtle. I admit that I missed several of them. So the ending was a surprise. But a very interesting one.
I really enjoyed the detective story part of the book. However, there's way too much psychobabble in this one. Gurney's wife, Madeleine, has become one of the most annoying characters in modern fiction. She buzzes through the story like an annoying mosquito one can't swat away, generally getting in the way and spouting vacuous psychobabble at every turn. She keeps trying to get Dave to go to a shrink to find out the deep hidden reason for his interest in investigating crimes. He ends up going and gets told "Nothing in life matters more than love". Just the kind of meaningless New Age crap Madeleine gushes over. Happily, said shrink has terminal cancer so we won't have to put up with his prattle in any future volume. Madeleine is the kind of annoying nitwit who would find that silly "Eat Prey Love" book "uplifting and profound." One can only hope that in the next Dave Gurney book (and I certainly hope there is one!) 

For more info on blogging for books check out www.bloggingforbooks.org 

Blogging for Books: Until You're Mine A Novel

From Amazon: 
You're alone. You're vulnerable. And you have something that someone else wants. At any cost.
 
Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has it all. Pregnant with a much-wanted first baby of her own, she has a happily established family of two small step-sons and a loving husband with a great career. But she is also committed to her full-time job as a social worker, and her husband travels often. So when Claudia hires Zoe to help her around the house in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, it seems like the answer to her prayers. But despite Zoe's glowing recommendations and instant rapport with the children, there's something about her that Claudia cannot trust.
 
Moreover, there has been a series of violent attacks on pregnant women in the area, and Claudia becomes acutely aware of her vulnerability. With her husband out of town for work and her family far away, who will be there to protect her? And why does she feel unsettled about Zoe? Realizing appearances can be deceiving even in her seemingly perfect world, Claudia digs deeper into Zoe’s blurry past and begins to wonder – how far would someone go to have a child of her own?

Until You're Mine was a fantastic read! I love a great thriller-- fast paced, complex plot and a great twist mean an all consuming afternoon of great reading.I truly enjoyed this story, what a wild ride. It's rare that I read a book that makes me gasp aloud, OH My GOD! I'd definitely pick up more Samantha Hayes! If you haven't signed up for Blogging with Books yet, you definitely should! 

Sunday Social

You know the drill, answer the questions, grab the button for your post and have some Sunday Social fun! Don't forge to link up with Neely and Ashley.  

1. One Item you wish you could splurge on right now: Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras. Anyone have an extra $700 laying around they wanna give me? 

2.  If you had an entire weekend of no plans what would you do? Rip down and remove wallpaper from my living room, prime & paint and make it feel a little more homey than it does right now, 1/2 done. My OCD is kicking in and I am starting to feel like a caged animal looking at the 10 layers of who the hell picked this shit out in the first place. 

3. Next place you are visiting outside of your current city? Either Las Vegas or Ft Meyers FL for a girls weekend in October with my momma.Well technically, we're still trying to decide. I have a flight credit on Southwest and need to use it up before January. Suggestions for the perfect mother daughter getaway location? 

4. Are you a neat freak or a clutterbug? Neat Freak. I can't stop. I won't stop. OCD freakshow over here. 

5. Favorite Summer purchase? My Lily Rose Lace Chiffon Maxi Dress. Its unbelievably comfy and perfect for work, going out, etc. And the price? Can't beat the $20 I spent on it. Kohls does it again! 

Fiend: A Novel

From Amazon: 
When Chase Daniels first sees the little girl in umbrella socks tearing open the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he’s no stranger to horrifying, drug-fueled hallucinations. But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived. The funny thing is, Chase’s life was over long before the apocalypse got here, his existence already reduced to a stinking basement apartment and a filthy mattress and an endless grind of buying and selling and using. He’s lied and cheated and stolen and broken his parents’ hearts a thousand times. And he threw away his only shot at sobriety a long time ago, when he chose the embrace of the drug over the woman he still loves.  And if your life’s already shattered beyond any normal hopes of redemption…well, maybe the end of the world is an opportunity.Maybe it’s a last chance for Chase to hit restart and become the man he once dreamed of being. Soon he’s fighting to reconnect with his lost love and dreaming of becoming her hero among civilization’s ruins.  But is salvation just another pipe dream?  Propelled by a blistering first-person voice and featuring a powerfully compelling antihero, Fiend is at once a riveting portrait of addiction, a pitch-black love story, and a meditation on hope, redemption, and delusion—not to mention one hell of a zombie novel.


Although I'm convinced the world doesn't need another zombie novel, Fiend twists the genre in an interesting way. The title could refer to zombies, or it could refer to the dope fiends who are the novel's protagonists. They were metaphorical zombies, spending their lives "walking that thin line between suicide and preservation," even before a plague killed everyone and began reanimating corpses. Fiend is about living as a drug addict more than it's about zombies, but it may be necessary these days to add zombies to a novel in order to get it published. In any event, zombies are always good for a laugh, and the early chapters of Fiend offer some very funny moments. At the same time, an addict's misery isn't funny at all. Peter Stenson makes it feel raw and real. The metaphor, addict as zombie, is apt and effective.

Your move, chief.

I am not one to get emotionally upset over a celebrity passing. I don't act like I know them or let my world stop turning because they are gone. I did however, with Robin Williams. The man is a genius. I've grown up laughing and crying with him and his characters. But I think the reason my heart hurts so much for him, is because of his struggle. The struggle that he felt so alone and that life was so bad that he couldn't go on anymore. His world was so dark that he couldn't see any light. That despite being able to make the world laugh, he couldn't find his own happiness. Suicide isn't "giving up" or "giving in". Suicide is a terrible decision made by someone whose pain is so great that they can no longer hold it, and feel they have no other option but to end it. Its a decision you can't take back, and a decision that will affect your friends and family forever. It is not taken lightly. Imagine, if you will, feeling so desperate, so desolate, so incredibly sad and hurt that you honestly cannot see a way out. The feelings leading to suicide are the darkest a human mind can fathom. It’s like being shut into a dark tunnel with no point of light to guide your way. You can hear voices on the outside, but the walls are too thick to get in. And feeling like it’s closing in, like there’s no way out—well, suicide, for that person, is a blessed release. Life, however, is never wasted. Williams did things in his life that touched people to their core. It is a sad, sad loss, but it is not a waste.Suicide is not a weak decision. It is a decision that takes an incredible amount of strength to make, actually. Someone isn’t weak if they end their life. They are desperate. There is a difference. It’s okay to feel angry at the person for dying. It’s okay to question, to rail against the forces that caused this. But it isn’t weakness. Mental illness isn’t weakness. It’s a disease, a pervasive, sometimes awful disease. The person doesn’t deserve anger and skepticism forever. They deserve compassion. Their family deserves compassion.Ending a life is incredibly, incredibly tragic. It represents a lost battle with mental illness. In that, it is no different than cancer, or diabetes, or a heart attack. Where it is different is that suicide is a choice. Whether it is the right or wrong choice for that person is solely the business of that person who commits suicide. But for the family left behind, it is devastating.

Oh captain, my captain, I hope you find peace on the other side. RIP, Robin Williams. 

"So if I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you’d probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can’t tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You’re a tough kid. And I’d ask you about war, you’d probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, “once more unto the breach dear friends.” But you’ve never been near one. You’ve never held your best friend’s head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I’d ask you about love, you’d probably quote me a sonnet. But you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn’t know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms “visiting hours” don’t apply to you. You don’t know about real loss, ’cause it only occurs when you’ve loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you… I don’t see an intelligent, confident man… I see a cocky, scared shitless kid. But you’re a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my fucking life apart. You’re an orphan right? … You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally… I don’t give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can’t learn anything from you, I can’t read in some fuckin’ book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I’m fascinated. I’m in. But you don’t want to do that do you sport? You’re terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief."

So What Wednesday

Go say hello to Shannon at Life After I "Dew". Her So What Wednesday posts have always been my favorite and I think I'll jump back into the blogging world by making this my first post! 

Today I'm saying So What to... 

1. The fact that school starts tomorrow and my kids haven't practiced going to bed early or waking up before 10am yet. Oops! Tomorrow is gonna suck. 

2. Since moving into our new forever (or until I'm ready to move again) home, I haven't set up my office and I start my online classes today. Nothing like being unorganized and last minute. 

3. Balancing my checkbook and putting it off for 1 more day. Or two. 

4. People being dramatic and causing issues because they are lonely and feel bad about themselves. I won't let them bring me down. 

What are you saying So What to? 

2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas

From Amazon: 
Madeleine Altimari is a smart-mouthed, rebellious nine-year-old who also happens to be an aspiring jazz singer. Still mourning the recent death of her mother, and caring for her grief-stricken father, she doesn’t realize that on the eve of Christmas Eve she is about to have the most extraordinary day—and night—of her life. After bravely facing down mean-spirited classmates and rejection at school, Madeleine doggedly searches for Philadelphia's legendary jazz club The Cat's Pajamas, where she’s determined to make her on-stage debut. On the same day, her fifth grade teacher Sarina Greene, who’s just moved back to Philly after a divorce, is nervously looking forward to a dinner party that will reunite her with an old high school crush, afraid to hope that sparks might fly again. And across town at The Cat's Pajamas, club owner Lorca discovers that his beloved haunt may have to close forever, unless someone can find a way to quickly raise the $30,000 that would save it. As these three lost souls search for love, music and hope on the snow-covered streets of Philadelphia, together they will discover life’s endless possibilities over the course of one magical night. A vivacious, charming and moving debut, 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas will capture your heart and have you laughing out loud.This is a unique book about what happens to several characters over the course of one day and night, Christmas Eve Eve, as they make their way through Philadelphia to a jazz club called The Cat's Pajamas. The City of Philadelphia gets top billing along with Madeleine, a nine-year old jazz singer; her teacher Miss Greene; Miss Greene's high school crush, Ben; Lorca, the club owner; Alex, his son; Pedro, the dog; Mrs. Santana, his owner; a snarky cockroach, Clarence; and so on and on.

I'll be honest. I'm still not sure what to think about the book. I alternated between delighted (with the spare, quirky prose, the detailed settings, and authentic characters) and frustrated (with the authentic characters) and occasionally confused (with the random fantastical element) while reading it. I stayed up finishing it later than I planned (a good recommendation), but I couldn't put a conclusion into words when I finished. That's not a bad thing, unless like me, you like to put things, like answers and endings, in their place. I'm glad I read it, and I'll be recommending it to my reader friends. I hope I get a taker because I want to discuss it with someone.

Blogging for Books- The Opposite of Maybe: A Novel

From Amazon: 
Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other’s sentences—so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised.
But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her. Now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.
It’s meant to be a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers. When Soapie reveals a long-hidden secret, Rosie wonders if she has to let go of her fears, and trust that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits her just may be the one she was meant to live.
This is one of the most unique novels I've read in years. Within the first few pages, I was so quickly engaged in the lives of these characters that I laughed aloud while reading and woke my husband, then woke him again when I started sniffing and weeping later in the book. This deceptively simple novel is written with heart and generosity for even the most flawed characters (like the boyfriend who obsesses about starting a teacup museum, of all things). You'll be left wanting to dance, and maybe even feeling like you want to open your arms to forgive even the most churlish, petty people you've been mad at for years. THE OPPOSITE OF MAYBE is marketed as women's fiction, but it's the best kind of universal literature, with wit, depth, and a refreshingly humorous perspective on what it means to be human and pursue passion with joy and determination.

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton

From Amazon: 
    Noa P. Singleton never spoke a word in her own defense throughout a brief trial that ended with a jury finding her guilty of first-degree murder. Ten years later, having accepted her fate, she sits on death row in a maximum-security penitentiary, just six months away from her execution date. 
Seemingly out of the blue, she is visited by Marlene Dixon, a high-powered Philadelphia attorney who is also the mother of the woman Noa was imprisoned for killing. Marlene tells Noa that she has changed her mind about the death penalty and Noa’s sentence, and will do everything in her considerable power to convince the governor to commute the sentence to life in prison, in return for the one thing Noa is unwilling to trade: her story.
      Marlene desperately wants Noa to reveal the events that led to her daughter’s death – events that Noa has never shared with a soul. With death looming, Marlene believes that Noa may finally give her the answers she needs, though Noa is far from convinced that Marlene deserves the salvation she alone can deliver. Inextricably linked by murder but with very different goals, Noa and Marlene wrestle with the sentences life itself can impose while they confront the best and worst of what makes us human in this haunting tale of love, anguish, and deception.

The story was good and kept me involved until the end, but the descriptive writing style is the reason I gave this 5 stars. I found myself rereading paragraphs just to admire the mental image that Silver could create. The story is intense and compelling. One can believe that it actually happened even though it is a fiction. 

Blogging for Books

I recently stumbled upon Blogging for Books because of another blog friend. I am already in love. Books and reading are my passion. I don't have a favorite genre, and tend to spend way too much money on my Amazon account because I'm always downloading new books to my kindle. Blogging for books is great in the fact that all they ask is a book review in exchange for a free book. You can download the book directly to your Kindle (or other reading device) or they will send it to you in the mail. I chose Mother, Mother. 

From Goodreads: 
Josephine Hurst has her family under control. With two beautiful daughters, a brilliantly intelligent son, a tech-guru of a husband and a historical landmark home, her life is picture perfect. She has everything she wants; all she has to do is keep it that way. But living in this matriarch’s determinedly cheerful, yet subtly controlling domain hasn’t been easy for her family, and when her oldest daughter, Rose, runs off with a mysterious boyfriend, Josephine tightens her grip, gradually turning her flawless home into a darker sort of prison. Resentful of her sister’s newfound freedom, Violet turns to eastern philosophy, hallucinogenic drugs, and extreme fasting, eventually landing herself in the psych ward. Meanwhile, her brother Will shrinks further into a world of self-doubt. Recently diagnosed with Aspergers and epilepsy, he’s separated from the other kids around town and is homeschooled to ensure his safety. Their father, Douglas, finds resolve in the bottom of the bottle—an addict craving his own chance to escape. Josephine struggles to maintain the family’s impeccable façade, but when a violent incident leads to a visit from child protective services, the truth about the Hursts might finally be revealed

I haven't read too many psychologically thrillers, but I really should more often. Mother, Mother is a book that's impossible not to enjoy; with an unconventional perspective on what it means to be a doting mother, it at once left me greatly disturbed and deeply satisfied, which is an emotive pairing I never expected myself to feel. Talk about a family with major issues and secrets. This book is not for the faint hearted. Mother, Mother is is brilliantly twisted and engrossing.