Friday, May 30, 2014

Undetected, Book #14

Ok, I'm gonna let the secret out.  With my birthday money I bought myself a Paperwhite Kindle. I know some of you are not believing your eyes right now, but it is indeed true.  I have been debating off and on for awhile now and decided just to take the plunge.  (No pun intended with the book I just read!) It is a lot different than having the paper book in your hand, but it is sure nice and easy to slip in my purse and takes up a lot less room.  And now I can clear off that night stand even faster!!  

That said, I just finished my first book I read on the Paperwhite.  I have always loved Dee Henderson books of late because they have so much more than just a simple love story in them.  I'm not opposed to simple love stories, but sometimes I want to read something with a little more depth or plot line.  This puppy had nearly 500 pages (on the PW) stock full of info about the Navy, submarines, warfare, solar flares, being a Commander on a submarine, Control Room sagas ... it took me the first quarter of the book to even figure out where the love story was going to come in!!  The only thing I didn't like about it was the ending.  It was really, really getting good and then BOOM! It's over.  And this "series" does not feed off other books like other series' of hers or other authors. This is just a fill in the blank of how you think they are going to live happily ever after.


When asked what he does for a living . . .
Commander Mark Bishop is deliberately low-key: "I'm in the Navy." But commanding the ballistic missile submarine USS Nevada, keeping her crew trained and alert during ninety-day submerged patrols, and being prepared to launch weapons on valid presidential orders, carries a burden of command like few other jobs in the military. Mark Bishop is a man who accepts that responsibility, and handles it well. And at a time when tensions are escalating around the Pacific Rim, the Navy is glad to have him.

Mark wants someone to come home to after sea patrols. The woman he has in mind is young, with a lovely smile, and very smart. She's a civilian, yet she understands the U.S. Navy culture. And he has a strong sense that life with her would never be boring. But she may be too deep in her work to see the potential in a relationship with him.

Gina Gray would love to be married. She has always envisioned her life that way. A breakup she didn't see coming, though, has her focusing all her attention on what she does best--ocean science research. She's on the cusp of a major breakthrough, and she needs Mark Bishop's perspective and help. Because what she told the Navy she's figured out is only the beginning. If she's right, submarine warfare is about to enter a new and dangerous chapter.

(picture and description at amazon.com


For anyone who is wondering, I do still plan to read real paper books, I mean who could ditch your first love?!?

O:)
Melissa

 
 

Saturday, May 17, 2014

The Chance, book #13

Yes, it has been nearly a month since I have posted and honestly I haven't read much in that time.  Our lives have been crazy with me working now, gymnastics twice a week, dance tryouts, two plays Rebecca has been in --- it's almost like I leave my paying job then go to my second job as taxi driver!!!  I know a lot of you all do it all the time with sports, but this has been our first foray into this world.  I'm pretty sure 86% of my meals this past month have been eaten in the car while driving!  But, the end is in sight with this next week being the last week of the show!!!

I don't have a lot of time to write about this book, but let me simply say that I liked the end, but it took a while to get there.  In the first of the story, bad things happen to the main characters, and it takes a long time for the redemption to come.  And as soon as it does come, the story is over!!  That was my take away. 

The day before a teenage Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other and buried them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later, dig the box up, and read the letters. But now, as that date approaches, much has changed. Ellie has abandoned the faith she grew up with, her days consumed with loving her little girl and trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches TV to catch a glimpse of her old friend Nolan, now an NBA star, whose faith is known by the entire nation. But few know that Nolan’s own personal tragedies have fueled both his faith and athletic drive. Despite his success, Nolan is isolated and lonely, plagued by a void in his heart that has remained since that night beneath the old oak tree with Ellie. For both Ellie and Nolan, the coming date is more than just a childhood promise. It’s the chance to make sense of it all—the chance to find out if it’s ever too late to find love again.

Karen Kingsbury weaves a moving tale of heart-wrenching loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only a forever kind of love can heal. She delves deeply into a theme that resonates within us all: Hope lives for those willing to take a chance.  (picture and description from amazon)


O:)
Melissa