Let me first say that I met the author of this book about a year ago and see her about once per month at various networking groups. I actually paid for the paperback book and then again the digital copy so I could have a copy available on my kindle as well. I always feel like I’m a little harder on reviews with people that I know personally and professionally because I probably hold them to a higher standard. Having said that, this is THE book to purchase if you are looking good, quality referrals.

Oh, it doesn’t tell you how to get business, but it teaches you to network effectively. When I get rich, I’m buying this book by the pallet and passing them out at networking groups to all those people that you talk to who are just plain doing it wrong (and that could be you because invariably these people don’t know that they are doing it wrong – it’s completely obvious to the rest of us though!).

The layout is fantastic. I think it may very well be one of the most put-together self-published books I’ve read in a while. It’s not so thick with text that you lose the ability to focus, has lots of bullet points to break it up and really hone down on the things you need to be paying attention, and has a pattern so you know what to expect. My favorite part of this pattern was the “why do this work?” section. Ya know, I’ve read a lot of self-help and business books over the years and that’s one thing that a lot of them are missing. The “So what?” factor. Why are we doing this? Who cares? Alas, someone tell us! I realize that sounds ridiculous, but it really helps to tie the point together.

The information that Patti gives us is what she’s culled together, learned, and researched on over the past twenty years or so. This book isn’t coming from some 25-five-year old who just got out of college. It’s written by a professional woman, with professional polish, about how to make yourself, organically, a networker. I don’t really think it can be “taught” per se, if I’m being honest. I think it’s something you do learn, though – and it’s something that you can hone in for yourself. The author does a fabulous job of nudging your brain where it needs to go when you are in business networking situations – and, maybe more importantly, even when you are NOT.

The chapter “Focus on Quality” was a real eye-opener for me. I think I sometimes forget to do this and I’ll be making a few changes in how I handle things myself in the near future.

Honestly, I cannot think of any business owner that would not benefit from reading this book, so I’ll recommend it for those folks – even if you think you know it all… you probably don’t.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2011: 51

I bought the K2 when it came out and then the K3 (now known as the Kindle Keyboard). I was excited to see there was a new device. I knew the difference would be small. I’ve also ordered a Fire and a Touch. So, that’s where I’m coming from with this review. I bought the Basic Kindle with ads just so I could check it out and see if I wanted to upgrade my Kindle Keyboard. The answer is… I don’t know. So, I’ll talk a little about the differences in this review.

The page refresh and time to turn on/off is much improved. It appears to only do a full “anti-ghosting” (for lack of a better term) refresh every 6 or 7 screens. This is allowing it to put up a new e-ink screen faster. Kinda nifty. This is, by far, my favorite improvement over the previous versions.

The on/off button is slightly different. There’s no slide. You push it in. It’s a little annoying at first, but I can see that at least it won’t get snagged on things in my purse like it does now. Of course, it will probably still get bumped around and turn on. So, this is kind of a draw for me. I must have bigger thumbs than the average person

There’s also no hinge. From looking at the photos of the covers coming for the Kindle Touch it looks like it sits in a frame of sorts now, so I’m guessing the contacts on the back is how it will charge from the device if you buy a lighted cover. The cover is a sore spot for me. I like to read in bed. I need a light and I really like having my kindle in a cover. I really want to use this one to see if I like it over my keyboard version, but this will be a tough one. I’ll suck it up and get over it, a cover should be out soon-ish, right?

As I mentioned, I bought the ad-supported version. The ads aren’t obtrusive, they show up as screen savers and also as a little block at the bottom of the menu. They are NOT in the books at all.

I don’t have a library card/overdrive so I wasn’t able to test that out. It does have less internal space than the Kindle Keyboard, but that’s only a consideration if you’re using a lot of books. This kindle also doesn’t have speakers or a headset jack (remember, very basic, entry level!) so it doesn’t have the need for audio files. I think the space is fine unless you must have more than 1400 books on it for some reason. Obviously, no text-to-speech on this one either.

The virtual keyboard is much easier to use than I anticipated, it’s pretty zippy and I was able to type up a note easily and quickly, maybe slightly slower than I can on my keyboard version. The highlighting is slightly different with two other steps put in there from what I’m used to. Most people might not notice this, but I do make notes, so I noticed it right away.

The look is basically the same, same screen resolution. It is a lighter black color around the screen like a shimmery silvery black almost.

Bottom line for me? I’m not sure yet what I will do with this kindle. I LOVE the faster page turns. LOVE. But the lack of a lighted cover right now (not taking off stars for that as I’m assuming that will be remedied pretty quickly). For now, I’ll play with both and decide. Then decide again when my Touch gets here in November.

I’ll update the review when I do decide, but my gut reaction is that, page turns aside, I’ll end up sticking with my keyboard version for a little while longer.

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Update: I found the covers. I couldn’t find them before, but someone pointed them out. So yay! I’ll pre-order one for it (wish they were available now, but at least I’ll have a lighted cover!). However, after mulling it over, I think I’m going to pass this one to my daughter. ONLY because I’ve ordered a Touch though and I don’t see the point and setting up this one with all my books and collections, etc just to have to do it again in six weeks. Otherwise, I might make the switch. I think I’ll stick with the ads on the Touch as well. I don’t mind them and it’s a change up from the same old screen savers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Wow. I read a lot of memoirs and all touch my life in some way or give me a new perspective, but few have to the depths that Andy’s book has. I listened to it on audio and not only is the story compelling, but the narrator (David Drummond) does an amazing job of transporting you into Andy’s life. I spent a good deal of time trying to swallow down the lump that kept forming in my throat listening to the narrative.

I won’t rehash the plot, but with each successive move in his life, I was left to wonder where the people were that were supposed to be taking care of him. He seemed… a border. How can a child live in your home for eleven years and you not fall in love with him? How can you hang up the phone and not care when he calls you with devastating news? These are the things I was left asking myself.

Even more compelling was his epilogue. I really want to hear more about his life in college. I cannot imagine the struggle he went through after moving out. How about his life now? It seems he does amazing work. Hopefully he’ll do a follow up. Or maybe not. Either way, he’s definitely brought some attention to the problem and, for that, he should be extremely happy.

This book made me want to reach through the pages/words and grab little Andy and take care of him. Give him a popsicle, sit on the steps outside with him and ask him how his day was at school. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him that he was loved.

Don’t miss this one. It will tear your heart out, but I learned a lot. I guess I never gave much thought to the foster care system or how it has evolved (or not). It made me think. Yes, it made me smile a few times – and also shed a tear or two.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2010: 4

This was one of the first Christopher Moore books I read a few years back. A few of my friends were raving over this author and well, I was skeptical. Looking back at my review of this one at first, I seemed less than impressed, but willing to try another book or two by the author. I’m certainly glad I kept up! Christopher Moore takes a certain sense of humor, a suspension of all belief and a love of the corny. This audiobook did not disappoint. The narrator does an amazing job with the voice of Jody, the expression they are able to convey does the character’s exasperated voice a LOT of justice. I was less in love with the way she handled Tommy, but he was kind of young a huge dork, so I’ll forgive. Either way, if you are a Christopher Moore fan, this is definitely worth listening to. I you aren’t, then… well… get on the fangirl team already!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2010: 1

97

I listened to this one on audiobook and had to go back several times because I found the storyline confusing in places. There’s a lot of people and a lot going on. The reader did a FABULOUS job, but it’s a very “busy” plot. I think this book is just okay. Not only is the storyline confusing and busy, but there really aren’t any likable characters in the whole book. I found myself not really caring about whatever would happen. I suppose that is the point, it’s high society and they are all snooty, but I really didn’t find any redeeming qualities in anyone and that makes it hard for me to really get invested in the story.

This WAS however, a pretty light read, just don’t expect any big payoffs at the end, it just is what it is.

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Synopsis

Ponce Morris is a beautiful, rich widow who’s been dubbed “the spare wife” because she’s the perfect companion to the wealthy, powerful couples she socializes with. She’ll go to sports events with the husbands and throw elegant dinner parties and shop with the wives. She’s cool and nonthreatening because the two things everyone knows for sure are that Ponce doesn’t like sex and doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body. Over the years, she has managed other people’s lives – and her own – perfectly. Ponce has everything under control, exactly the way she likes it.

Until . . . Babette Steele, an ambitious aspiring journalist, finds out that Ponce is having an affair with a socially prominent and very married man and decides to break the scandal in a juicy magazine piece. For Ponce’s circle, day-to-day existence quickly becomes a complicated game of social and professional chicken – whoever outsmarts and outmanipulates the other will win.

And there is a lot at stake, not only for Ponce but for her friends, all of whom are in the midst of crises of their own: a philandering novelist who hasn’t been able to write since his breakout Wall Street bestseller, an aging billionaire who can’t seem to resist young women (the younger the better), a legendary news show producer on the decline, an old-time politico looking to rebound from his wife’s death, and an editor at a glitzy magazine that covers the worlds of politics, fashion, and Hollywood. As Ponce’s life threatens to come apart at the seams, the author takes us into a world she knows intimately: a dynamic Manhattan filled with opinionmakers and social fakers.

92

I’m not really a dog person. I have 2 chihuahua dogs but that’s mostly because my husband and son are allergic to cats. I love my dogs, but I don’t consider myself one of those crazy pet-people. I got this free on Audible a while back during a promotion they were doing, figuring I would give it a listen. I am not sure what I was expecting, but…

This was such a cute story of a boy and his dog becoming a man and his dog becoming a family and their dog. Marley’s story is quite interesting, a dog that doesn’t follow the rules and lives life to the fullest. I will admit, I almost got a little teary at the end, but well… I do have a heart, people!

I don’t want to tell you too much about the book and give anything away, but the dogs antics and the author’s storytelling let me laughing, snickering, a little grossed out and a few little tears too. Well worth a listen/read!

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Publisher’s Summary

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wriggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, 97-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, and stole women’s undergarments. Obedience school did no good, Marley was expelled.

And yet his heart was pure. Just as Marley joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. A dog like no other, Marley remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit’s end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

7

The saga continues, as does my obsession. I think this is my favorite so far. I actually think my favorite character is Alice. I don’t know why, she kind of cracks me up. The ending made me a little crazy… so what happened next?!?! I will know soon enough, the next book is on the way to me

Great young adult fiction, love it.

I’m worried that book 4 won’t be the ending though and I’ll thoroughly frustrated even more See, THIS is why I don’t read series… I don’t like being left hanging!

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Synopsis

Edward’s soft voice came from behind me.

I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again. This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine–like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob–knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

88

My bookclub chose this one last month and since I read it back in 2005, I listened to it on audio this time. I’ve actually read this a few times now. It seems to be a book club staple. With good reason, the conversation it causes is always really amazing.

I’ll just put my journal entries from 2005 in here as I still cried over this gosh darn book!…

This is one of the more touching books I’ve read in a long time. It’s a story about an impossible situation. I felt for Anna, deeply – even more so after her revelation of what was truly going on. But most of all, I felt for the mother. What do you do? You have one child who needs this from their sibling and a sibling that wants the right to say no to someone removing parts of their body.

I cried. I cried a lot. I probably cried every fifty pages or so. As a mother, this is one of the scariest things to consider. Do you put both children at risk to save the other? I don’t know.

The ending… my goodness, the ending. I never expected that, not in a million years. Soo… I cried some more.

This was my first Picoult novel and I hope to read more by this author. I loved the writing style, how it took time to describe things, but didn’t get too wrapped up in that. I told the story and told it well.

If you’re looking for a good book with a little bit of controversy in it, this is a wonderful choice… just grab the Kleenex.

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Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate — a life and a role that she has never challenged…until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister — and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

87

This was very well read. The narrator kept my attention. I did have to listen to it twice because the wit and humor does get a little lost in the biblical “stuff”. Speaking of biblical, if you are highly religious, you might find this a little offensive. But I think people are way too sensitive about their religion anyway. This is FUNNY. I totally want the book that looks like a black bound bible for my bookshelf. That would be awesome.

Back to the book… this is great. It fills in what the other books of the bible didn’t tell us… told by Joshua’s (LOL) best friend… none other than Biff. I love Biff. I love that his name is Biff. I just love so much about that that I cannot even begin to explain why.

Just read it. It’s hilarious. Christopher Moore is one twisted dude. And well, I love that.

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Synopsis

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years — except Biff, the Messiah’s best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work “reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior’s pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there’s no one who loves Josh more — except maybe “Maggie,” Mary of Magdala — and Biff isn’t about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

86

This is probably my 2nd favorite Picoult. It’s well written and gripping. I read the book a while back, but grabbed the audio when I saw it on sale. The audio is fabulous, the narration is perfectly executed.

My previous thoughts from early last year:
How well do you know your child? How many parents knew their child was suicidal before they killed themselves? As parents, we like to believe we know our children, that we are close to them and that they tell us everything. Those of that remember being teenagers ourselves, know that isn’t actually true

I was up until 3am finishing this book. I could not put it down. In typical Picoult style, there’s the “shocking twist”, but the deeper levels of the book – how much you really know about your kids – is what kept me interested. I have a 4 and 6 year old. The fact that they will one day be teenagers scares the heck out of me.

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Synopsis

In this contemporary tale of love and friendship, Jodi Picoult brings to life a familiar world, and in a single terrifying moment awakens every parent’s worse fear: We think we know our children… but do we ever really know them at all?

For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty– they’ve grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other’s lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it’s no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily’s friendship blossoms into something more. They’ve been soul mates since they were born.

So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There’s a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father’s cabinet– a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described.

The profound questions faced by the characters in this heart-rending novel are those we can all relate to: How well do we ever really know our children, our friends? What if…? As its chapters unfold, alternating between an idyllic past and an unthinkable present, The Pact paints an indelible portrait of families in anguish… culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama as Chris finds himself on trial for murder.

With this riveting psychological drama, Jodi Picoult explores the dynamics of intimate relationships under stress– from the seemingly inexplicable mind of a teenager to the bonds of friendship and marriage. Few writers have such a gift for evoking everyday life coupled with the ability to create a level of dramatic tension that will keep you up reading late into the night. The Pact is storytelling at its best: wonderfully observed, deeply moving, and utterly impossible to put down.