Children's Audiobook: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood

Book 3 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

Read by Katherine Kellgren
Duration: 6 hours and 50 minutes

Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."

The Incorrigible children actually were.

Since returning from London, the three Incorrigible children and their plucky governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, have been exceedingly busy. Despite their wolfish upbringing, the children have taken up bird-watching, with no unfortunate consequences - yet. And a perplexing gift raises hard questions about how Penelope came to be left at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and why her parents never bothered to return for her.

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

With the publication of Kitchen, the dazzling English-language debut that is still her best-loved book, the literary world realized that Yoshimoto was a young writer of enduring talent whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of contemporary Japanese literature. Kitchen is an enchantingly original book that juxtaposes two tales about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. Mikage, the heroine, is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, Mikage is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his mother (who is really his cross-dressing father) Eriko. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale with the kitchen and the comforts of home at its heart.

Audiobook: Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie

Read by Susan Boyce
Duration: 5 hours and 59 minutes

Daisy Flattery is a free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story. Why else would she agree to the outrageous charade offered by her buttoned-down workaholic neighbor, Linc Blaise? The history professor needs to have a fianc'e in order to capture his dream job, and Daisy is game to play the role. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that changes everything. Now, with the midnight hour approaching, will Daisy lose her prince, or will opposites not only attract but live happily ever after?

Teaser Tuesdays #114

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Wow! I haven't done one of these since August! I am back in school to get my teaching credential, so that, along with other many things, is what has been keeping me super busy. I hope I can post as many teasers as I can in 2016. :)

My Teasers:

Spotlight: Some (Amazing) People I Know by Keith Maginn

Hello, readers!

Check out this new book:

 

 What is it about?

Drink Cultura: Chicanismo by Jose Antonio Burciaga

From Amazon: This book is about the Chicano experience of living within, between and sometimes outside of two cultures--the damnation and salvation, and the celebration of it all.

"In some ways a book Erma Bombeck might have written, that is, if she were from El Paso, dressed in Tony Lama boots, and full fledged member of raza."--Gary Soto

"A passionately lyrical lección para todos about the history of the Western and Southwestern people. Burciaga is deeply rooted in the indigenous realities."--Carlos Santana

Amazon

My thoughts: I bought this book many, many years ago while I was an undergrad. I graduated with a B.A. in Chicano and Latino Studies, so the theme of this book was the main focus of what I studied in college. I almost forgot I had this book until I was sorting things out of my book boxes at the beginning of the new year. I became very excited when I found it because it brought back memories of everything I held dear in my late teens and early twenties. I had high hopes for this book.

Afterlife by Douglas Clegg

*sigh* I am slacking off again. I wrote this post last week but forgot to publish it. 

Years after the closing of a secret school for gifted children, Julie Hutchinson has terrifying visions that ignite a series of paranormal invasions of her home. Will she -- and her children -- survive the chilling touch of the afterlife? 

Amazon  * B&N

My Thoughts:  I've been trying to find spooky reads for a while. This one sounded very promising. I have read a Douglas Clegg book before and I thought it was creepy. I expected the same kind of vibe from this book. However, I found myself debating how I felt about it for many days.

Bout of Books 15: Wrap-Up

It has ended! Bout of Books 15 has finished! It was a lot of fun and I am so glad to have been able to participate in it. 

So how did Vonnie do?

Honestly, I was hoping to end the last day with a bang but my health decided to let me do otherwise. I ended up catching a cold, which had me sneezing like crazy and having a headache. My eyes were also very irritated. But...I can't complain too much because I was able to achieve my main goal: Read at least 2 books from my TBR pile. 

And guess what? I was able to finish 3 books from my pile!!! Yay!!! 

Here's what I read:

My To-Be Read List: January's Reveal

My To-Be Read List is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. Each month you pick three books on your TBR list and people vote on the one you should read that month. What a great way to get me to read more from my pile, right?

And guess what? It's time to reveal what book got the most votes! 

For the month of January 2016, I will be reading...

Bout of Books 15: Day 6

 
Bout of Books is an awesome read-a-thon that encourages people to read. So sad that it's almost over.

Today's challenge is:

The Comfy Reading Spot--
Once Upon a Chapter

Bout of Books 15: Day 5

 
Bout of Books is an awesome read-a-thon that encourages people to read. For this BoB, my goal is to get my TBR books read and to listen as to many audiobooks as possible.

Today's challenge is:

Scavenger Hunt--
The Book Monsters

Bout of Books 15: Day 4

 
Bout of Books is an awesome read-a-thon that encourages people to read. For this BoB, my goal is to get my TBR books read and to listen as to many audiobooks as possible.

Today's challenge is:

 Villain Mash Up by
Bingeing on Books

Oh man...I had to give it a good thought...Okay, this is my villain mash up:
Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series 
and Miss Trunchball from Matilda by Roald Dahl

Bout of Books 15: Day 3

 
Bout of Books is an awesome read-a-thon that encourages people to read. For this BoB, my goal is to get my TBR books read and to listen as to many audiobooks as possible.

Today's challenge is:

  The Rainbow Challenge by Ranty Runt of a Reader

I attempted to do both the cover and author challenges:

Audiobook: Second Star to the Right by Mary Alice Monroe

Read by the author
Duration: 11 hours and 57 minutes

Sometimes fairy tales do come true…
As a single mother of two, Faye O’Neill has no time for fairy tales. She’s not even certain she believes in luck. Practical, smart, and desperate to escape a shadowy past, Faye takes a job at a top advertising firm in London where she hopes she and her children can find a fresh start. When she finds the beautiful two-story flat for rent in a stately old Victorian complete with a neglected but tumbling English garden, she can scarcely believe her good fortune. But it isn’t long before Faye realizes not everything in the old home may be as peaceful as it seems.

A strange light begins to appear in her children’s rooms at night, and then there’s the reclusive elderly tenant, Crazy Wendy, her landlady warned her to steer clear of, the woman who spends her evenings spying on Faye’s children from her garret-room window. The woman who believes she is Peter Pan’s Wendy. To make matters worse, Faye, who has sworn off men, discovers her downstairs neighbor Jack is a disturbingly handsome professor with a talent for charming women and children alike. Before she knows it, Faye has embarked upon a whole new adventure into a world where anything might be possible, where broken hearts can be healed by a kiss, and where Neverland may not be a place of fables but a forgotten land one can still find if they are only brave enough to follow the second star to the right.

Bout of Books 15: Day 2

Bout of Books is an awesome read-a-thon that encourages me to read. Want to participate? Sign up here.  You have until the end of Tuesday to sign up. 

Today's challenge is:

Would You Rather hosted by Writing My Own Fairy Tale  

 

Would you rather:
Lend books to someone who dog-ears pages or to someone who reads with cheesy Cheetos fingers?

Eew!!! NO!!! No one touches my books with dirty hands!! So I guess I rather lend books to someone who dog-ears the pages. 

Bout of Books 15: Day 1

Bout of Books 15 has officially started! I am very excited to be participating in this read-a-thon! I missed the last one so I am highly looking forward to this one. Woop woop!!

Want to participate? Sign up here.  You have until Wednesday to sign up. 

Vonnie's Goals

• Finish reading Afterlife by Douglas Clegg and finish listening to Second Star to the Right by Marie Alice Monroe.
• Read at least 2 more books from TBR pile
• Listen 2 or more audiobooks
• Participate in at least 3 challenges

My January TBR List: Vote

I saw this meme at Flood of Books and I thought it was an awesome idea to encourage me to stick to my TBR pile goals for 2016. My To-Be Read List is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. Each month you pick three books on your TBR list and people vote on the one you should read that month. What a great way to get me to read more from my pile, right?

I have started 2016 good so far by beginning to read this book from my pile:

Goodbye 2015 and Hello 2016!

Holy Moly! It's 2016!!!

I hope everyone had a fun, relaxing, and safe New Year's Eve. But guess what? It's time for a new chapter in our lives. This could mean that we can start all over or simply continue adding to the enrichment of our lives. Here's a lovely quote I found:

2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge Sign-up

Here we go again! 

I keep joining the TBR Pile Reading Challenge because I always start the year with good intentions, but I seem to always fail miserably. Out of my 43 books that I read in 2015, only 5 of them were TBR books. What the heck! Lol

I really need to make a better effort in tackling my TBR piles. So my goal for 2016 is to read at least 12 books from my shelves.  

So yes, I am joining the 2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge again and I am really, really hoping to stick to my goal.