Finding It by Valerie Bertinelli

Welcome back to chez Bertinelli, where life is as crazy and comical as ever. In revealing talks with her longtime boyfriend, Tom, Valerie gets even more personal about her inner worries: her maternal anxieties about her son, Wolfie (he’s fallen in love and, as she writes, "getting your sex talk from Eddie Van Halen wasn’t recommended in any of the parenting books I read"); the challenges of dealing with a blended family; her mother’s own new diet adventure; and a craving for a deeper relationship with a Higher Power ("I have experienced days of inner peace and connectedness with a larger spirit—twice," she writes. "Why not more often?"). And as if these everyday challenges weren’t enough, Valerie is working to maintain her own very public weight loss and approaching her fiftieth birthday. This is the story of what happens after you change your life. And it’s not all peaches and cream, or even low-fat yogurt.
This inspiring memoir, from the beloved actress and author of the bestseller Losing It, is an optimistic story for trying times. Warm and friendly, honest and self-aware—with the same winning wit and candor that touched a generation of fans in Losing It—Finding It is about working on all the reasons we gain weight in the first place so that it doesn’t happen again. It’s about becoming better, not just thinner. And it’s about believing in love and happiness, having faith that both are possible, and finding out that God does want you to enjoy life’s desserts—even when you’re on a diet.
-Goodreads

Second book by Valerie that I have read and really enjoyed both of them. I think I liked this one a tiny bit more then the first. Lots of insights in to her life with her (now) husband, her son, Ed, her parents and a little bit about her brothers. It was a deviate page turner.
3 out of 5 stars

Tall, Dark, and Hungry by Lynsay Sands

It bites: New York hotels cost an arm and a leg, and Terri has flown from England to help plan her cousin’s wedding. The new in-laws offered lodging. But they’re a weird bunch -- and it isn’t just that they’re Canadian! There is the sometimes-chipper-sometimes-silent Lucern, and the wacky stage-actor Vincent: she can’t imagine Broadway casting a hungrier singing-and-dancing Dracula. And then there is Bastien. Just looking into his eyes, Terri has to admit she’s falling for someone even taller, darker, and hungrier. She’s feeling a mite peckish herself. And if she stays with him, those bloodsucking hotel owners won’t get her!(less)
-Goodreads

Number 4 in the Argeneau and so far my favorite by far. Loved this story line with Bastien and Terrie. If Ever there was a vampire story that I wanted to come true this would be it.
4 out 5 stars

America By Heart by Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin's Going Rogue earned her slots on bestseller lists coast to coast, but according to the former Alaska Governor, it also had another, unforeseen benefit: She credits her book tour conversations with ordinary Americans as the inspiration for this book. In America By Heart, the always outspoken former vice presidential candidate intersperses personal reflections with her favorite classic and contemporary readings on family, religion, and patriotism. Rousing selections for like-minded mavericks; bound to be a bestseller.
-Goodreads

I loved every second about this book. Kept me interested with every page turn. I can hear Sarah as I read it. I would recommend to all of my conservative friends.
5 out of 5 Stars.

Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Search Amazon.com for single white vampire by lynsay sands

SWM - "Lucern." Successful biographer of family, books recently categorized as "paranormal romance." Something of a recluse. Hates crowds, aggressive women. Doesn't like sunbathing, garlicky dinners or religious symbols. Likes old-fashioned values; spicy Mexican dishes; warm, nice-smelling neck; and plump red lips. Stronger than ten men and can vanish in the blink of an eye. Currently unaware he's seeking a woman to share eternity.

SWF - "Kate C. Leever." Newest editor of Romance at Roundhouse Publishing. Perky, fun. Has recently discovered a legacy author just dying to be broken out. In fact, her career could take off from it. (The tall, dark, handsome writer just needs to be taken to several romance conventions and introduced to his fans . . . and stopped from acting so strange in public.) Dislikes "difficult, rude, obnoxious, pig-headed writers." Currently she's met the man of her wildest dreams.
- Goodreads

This is the one that I had a hard time putting down. (3rd in the series) I had a fun time reading about all of their mishaps. I thought the ending was a little silly and could have been better but other then that it was a fun read.
3 out of 5 stars

"Aarons Pick" - Champ

RILEY is awful at sports. He wants to quit the baseball team, but his dad won't let him give up. So when one bad swing brings a three-legged dog into his life, Riley feels like he's been thrown a curveball. How can he take care of a dog and make his dad proud?

CHAMP is a former champion show dog. But when the accident that leaves him with Riley also leaves him with three legs, this dog has to learn some new tricks. Can Champ show Riley that winning doesn't always mean coming in first?


Together, Riley and Champ make a great team, but not everyone thinks so. Could they be separated?
-Goodreads


Aaron brought this book home from school and was so excited that he decided I had to read it. The book is about a fun loving border collie (as is our wonderful dog Jackie) I thought this book was absolutely adorable with lots of life lessons. It brought tears to Aarons eyes and surprising my eyes also.
The way Aaron acted made me decide to do a "Aarons Pick" aspect to my reading blog. It might give you some ideas for your 4th grader out there.
Aaron will chose the star status on these books.
5 out of 5 stars

Decision Points - President George W Bush

President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life.

Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America’s 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life.

In gripping, never-before-heard detail, President Bush brings readers inside the Texas Governor’s Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America’s most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century.

President Bush writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments reforming education, treating HIV/AIDS in Africa, and safeguarding the country amid chilling warnings of additional terrorist attacks. He also offers intimate new details on his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith, and relationship with his family.

A groundbreaking new brand of memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on one of the most consequential eras in American history – and the man at the center of events.(less)
-Goodreads

What a delightful read. To be able to get into the mind of our former president. To be able to understand what he was thinking what he was being told. What he was feeling. I found this to be such a good read that I had a hard time putting it down.
4 out of 5 stars