L #19- Nanny Returns

What a fun book! Really, it was! Nanny Returns, written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries. I read The Nanny Diaries years earlier since my profession is that of a nanny. I also saw the movie. I enjoyed the original because it's hysterical to read about extreme-nannying. I had no idea there was a sequel until I stumbled across this one in the discount section at Barnes and Noble.

And it was just as humorous, and extreme, as the original. I loved that the timeline jumped ahead 12 years. So you get to see how Nan, Grayer, and the famous Mrs. X changed (or didn't!) in the years since the original book. A quick, easy, and fun read....perfect for poolside, while I was, you guessed it, nannying. I've even got the splashed and wet 305 pages to prove it.

L #18- The Apprentice

Thanks to probably my only reader ;) I remembered I was behind on this blog yet again. Oops! Clearly I stink at blogging.

#2 in the Tess Gerritsen "Rizzoli and Isles" series is The Apprentice. This one was once again, wonderfully written. But I must admit, I'm a little done with the Warren Hoyt story. Gah, he's creepy! Just the thought of someone breaking into my house while I'm asleep gives me the chills. I'm scared of the dark on a good day, so thankfully Matt wasn't out of town while I read these stories. I still prefer the 5th book in the series (yeah, yeah, I accidentally read them out of order), but Tess Gerritsen really hasn't disappointed me yet! This one had 366 pages.

I'm going to take a small break from Gerritsen for a few books, so that I don't get burnt out.

L #17- The Surgeon

With my recent Tess Gerritsen novel in mind, I hit the bookstore to get the first book in the Rizzoli and Isles series. This particular book outlines the background for the criminal Warren Hoyt (as seen in the TV show). And wow. He is waaaaay more creepy and crazy in the book than he is in the show! The book was incredibly well written and very fast paced. But I'm not ashamed to admit that I was a little wary to go to sleep for a couple of nights. This one had 350 pages and I finished it in 2 days.

#16- In Too Deep

I'm trying really hard to get back on track. Since I'm a little behind for the year, I decided to give all the "quick" reads higher priority than the books that may challenge/engage me a little more. So I started In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz. This one was only in my queue because I had read the other 2 in this series. And I have to say, I was bored out of my mind! I didn't find the characters engaging and I feel like she focused way too much on the paranormal. Now granted, that's the whole point of the Arcane series, but it was just one series of unbelievable coincidences after another. 324 pages.

It might not be JAK's fault though. I *may* have been soooo distracted by the recent Tess Gerritsen purchases, that I didn't even give this one a chance. I'm about to bore my 2 readers ;) with several Gerritsen novels because I just love her so much now! And coincidentally, I convinced Matt to give her a try. He informed me today that he finished The Surgeon (the first in the Rizzoli & Isles series) on the plane today. So that's up next for me!

#15- Vanish

I've been hearing a lot about Tess Gerritsen lately. I've been meaning to give her books a try. Matt and I got into the TNT show last summer called "Rizzoli and Isles", which is apparently based off of Gerritsen novels. Since I really enjoy that show, I was pretty sure I'd enjoy the books. So I borrowed this one from a friend this week.

It's about a woman who is apparently dead, but wakes up in the morgue. She goes on to hold hostages in the hospital, one of them including a pregnant Rizzoli. The story involves Rizzoli, her husband, an FBI agent, and Isles, trying to figure out what has happened. It was a VERY fast pace, quick read, with tons of interesting twists and turns. Best of all, there wasn't much distraction with character subplots and/or romances. I enjoyed this a whole lot more than I expected. I think there will be a lot more Gerritsen novels in my future. This one had 336 pages.

# 14- The Neighbor

While in Victoria, I realized I had nothing to read on the boat ride back to Seattle. So we ventured into an adorable little bookstore called Munro's. With vaulted ceilings (that were painted with images!) and small selection, this bookstore was a breath of fresh air. It isn't often you find a cute little store, with great customer service, that isn't a huge chain. Well, perhaps it's a Canadian chain....that I don't know. But if felt new and completely interesting to me.

We were on a time crunch to catch the boat back, so I grabbed the first thing that seemed remotely interesting. [Side note, I'm totally not used to paying the more expensive price on the back of books!] The book I got was The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner. I think this is my second Lisa Gardner book. This particular one was kind of disturbing. It had a lot of focus on sexual predators that I found difficult to read. But, it was a quick read. This one had 466 pages.

Finished 13- Water for Elephants

So I'm totally dipping behind, but I have a lot to catch up on. I finished this book on my trip to Seattle/Victoria. It was a very interesting story, but also very surprising. There were a lot of sad and horrific details in the book. Reading the back info section, the author mentions that some of the story came from fact and anecdote surrounding real life circuses. It's hard to believe people were able to live like that. But I also found it fascinating to read about a completely different way of life.

This one had 331 pages.