BOOK #59

I'm not gonna lie. I'm turning fifty in about a month. At the beginning of this year, I was freaked out by it. Not the actual age but the damn number. And I can proudly say I've never been afraid to tell my age. But something about the number is hateful. Once people hear it, in their minds, they are saying 'Oh, god, she's old.' When in reality, it couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm at least fifteen years older than all my friends and yet I'm the busiest and most social of all of them. But, in all fairness, I'm not married nor do I have kids - all I have is my freedom. And my aloneness. So perhaps, I'm only busy because I want to be.

Anyway, being naturally curious, I have started to read a lot of books like these. Life affirming stories about the second half (hopefully!) of my life and what I have to look forward to. I have a few relatives who, already at the age of 50, have clearly given up on life. All they have is their family. They don't socialize, they don't exercise (their brains or their bodies), they don't travel - they seemed to have just stopped growing. Up or out. And that's just not me. Nor will it be.

Some of these stories were sad but most were about starting over (a new marriage, a new habitat, a new job) and I'm no stranger to that. I think 'do-overs' are some of life's best surprise treasures. I think I've lost count on how many times I've gotten a do-over. I actually am in the middle of one now. It's a challenge. It's an adventure.

Don't let anyone tell you life stops at 50. If anything, it starts again.

BOOK #58

Aha! The last in my 'sizzling smut' series and I am sorry there aren't any more. It actually made being alone in bed fun again. Although this was the weakest of the five books, as far as the story goes, the incredible sex scenes were still crazy good.

And really, it's the only reason I was reading them.

BOOK #57

Every once in a while, I read a new author and instantly fall in love with their work. Joe Hill is one of those authors. I read his "Heart Shaped Box" and was hooked from the opening paragraph. He's twisted, he's dark, has a great writing style and an over-worked imagination. Said imagination works out great for him, though. And for his readers, as well.

"Horns" is basically one man's journey after waking up one morning with a growing set of horns. There seem to be many interpretations as to what's really going on in his life - best left up to a book club discussion. But oddly enough, we read this book in book club but there wasn't much of a discussion. It didn't seem to be too though provoking or maybe we just all loved it so there was nothing to discuss. I honestly don't know.

The great thing about Joe Hill's books is that they are always a fast read. And his pace is such that you find yourself thumbing the pages faster and faster to get exactly where he wants you to go. He clearly has a great grasp into what makes a great read. Did he inherit it from his dad, Stephen King? I highly doubt you can inherit something like that. I actually like him more than I do his dad and given he only has two books to his name, I'm looking forward to more in the future.

Highly recommend this book if you like the crazy.

BOOK #56

This is Book #1 of the 'sizzling smut series' or so I call it. Again, I can read about anything but I had to read this book really really slowly because I didn't want to miss one minute of the craziest, most detailed sex scenes I have ever read. And the author is some little old lady from the northeast.

Bless you, Bertrice Small, for making reading in bed a whole lot more fun again!!

BOOK #55

Well once I got hooked on this sizzling smut, I had to finish them out. This is Book #2. I thought the first one (which in reality was the latest one) was hot but jaysuz - this was something else. Like I said in my previous post, no one writes sex scenes in quite such lascivious detail as Bertrice Small. God bless her.

Hurry and get this one too. I'm dying to talk about these with someone!

BOOK #54

I bought this book about 18 months ago. Just as it was beginning its rise to infamy. And there it sat. Waiting to be read. To be honest, I was more attracted to the book for its cool cover than for what was inside. Clearly.

I put it into my book club's reading list since it's a bit offbeat, even though it rode the crest of zombie popularity. And I surprised myself as to how much I really enjoyed it. There really were no central characters unless the war itself was the main character. I enjoyed reading about the history of the war through all the international viewpoints. I don't think I've ever read a book written in a true movie documentary style so I think that's why I dug it. It's not a book to be put down and picked up - you lose its authenticity that way. It took me a while to figure that out. So finally, I sat one day and read the whole damn thing. Much better in one gulp.

It'll definitely make a better movie than book.

BOOK #53

When I was reading Rosanne's autobiography, I discovered this book written shortly before hers. It actually was supposed to be a complement to the now-defunct documentary about the making of her award winning CD "The List". The film ran out of money but the book got finished.

Luckily, this author, had worked with Rosanne before so he knew how to steer through the tricky topic waters with her. I enjoyed this book as it really included deep conversations about her recording career, how much she hates touring, dealing with all the deaths in her family and of course, the Cash family legacy. I found her to be open and honest which is not the reputation that precedes her.

If you like Rosanne Cash then I suggest you not only read this book but her own book "Composed: A Memoir" as well. You won't be disappointed.