The Devil Don't Knock Blog Tour

 
Susan Sims Moody, the author of the book The Devil Don't Knock, is a friend from school.  Recently on Facebook, she asked for people to review one of her three books and post something on their blog, Facebook, Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble.  Since I love to do book reviews, I volunteered my services.

The Devil Don't Knock is the third in the Jennifer Martin series but it can stand alone on its own merit.  At first, I wasn't sure what to expect.  When I hear about local authors, I tend to look at their work and judge it different from one I might find on the Best Sellers List.  I really enjoyed this book.  As I read it, I felt myself drawn into the characters and the situations in which they found themselves.  Susan had twists and turns in the right places and it wasn't predictable (at least to me - hehe).  As I began to develop my own ideas as to what might happen, I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't work out the way I thought it would.  I'm afraid if I write more about the book, I will give important information away and spoil it for you.  Let me say this, I loved this book!!

There were two problems I had towards the end (and these are just personal preferences).  The first problem was with two of the minor characters who spoke Spanish.  A translation noting what was said would have been really helpful.  The website I used to translate the lines was really rough and made it a little difficult trying to figure out what they were talking about.  The second was with Arcana.  Her character seemed important in the beginning and throughout the development of the story but seemed underutilized in the end.  Granted, she is in a very important scene at the end but her character just seems anti-climatic.  Other than that, I love this book!  I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to read southern fiction or just something different.

Susan Sims Moody is a native Mississippian and graduate of Mississippi State University.  She is married to Tom and has two children.  They currently live in Wisconsin.


The author provided a free copy of this book for review.  I was not compensated in any way.

**At the time this post was written, the final cover had not been completely decided.  I will try to add it later.

Linus is back and other ramblings

Everyone has been so patient, reading all the posts about birthdays and anniversaries so I want to thank you and do something different. I'm actually going to post something other than the before mentioned.

The reason for the lack of other postings on my blog is because I have been playing on Facebook. I will admit: it is very addicting; some people even call it "crackbook" because it is so habit-forming. I've been caught up in reading everyone's status and comments and looking at the pictures posted by my friends. One of my favorite features on Facebook is the chat. The other night I was chatting with Mich, my sister-in-law and with my friend Tracy AT THE SAME TIME for a few minutes. (Chatting is like Instant Messaging.) I have even got to chat with my dear sweet friend Angie who lives in Hawaii. Fun!!!

For those who are familiar with the "Charlie Brown" comic series, you know Linus. He is the one who carries his blanket with him everywhere. Andrew's nickname is Linus because he does the same thing. I am blessed that he does not have one specific one; he likes any of the receiving blankets we have, as long as it has a tag. He likes to hold the tag and stuff the blanket in his mouth to chew/suck on. It all started with burp clothes when Andrew was teething. When I got rid of the burp clothes, he started using the blankets I covered him up with. Well, last Tuesday, January 13th, he was playing with his blanket during nap time at school. The teacher took it (along with two other little boys' lovies) and put them up. Andrew went straight to sleep and didn't ask about it. He went the rest of the week WITHOUT ANY of his blankets (except the big one I crocheted him), even at naptime and bedtime!!! Now, Andrew did ask about it a couple of times but was easily distracted. Then, the inevitable happened. Saturday while I was with Hannah at her friend's birthday party, Mike GAVE Andrew his blanket when he was trying to get him to lay down for a nap. Now, before you start blaming Mike, he is not entirely at fault. We had folded clothes the night before and I left Andrew's receiving blankets folded up and on the coffee table instead of putting them away in the closet. So, where we were going places without "blankie" before, now it is our companion wherever we go. My strategy now is to wait a few more weeks before weaning Andrew off it again. Little by little we are taking it away: it has to stay in the car when we go places; he only gets it at nap and bed time, etc. We'll see what happens.

In case anyone was wondering, I do have pictures from Christmas. They have been downloaded off my camera (I think). Again, when I have the time, I don't think about it. (I have to adjust them before posting here.) When I am up to my ears in laundry and dishes, I can't get them off my mind. I promise to post them when I get a chance. PROMISE!!! I have LOTS of other pictures too. I just can't remember what they are all of right now. Hey, be happy I have something other than birthday and anniversary posts for you to read right now. HEHEHE

Hannah did a poster for her school's reading fair. Unfortunately, she didn't place but did get a ribbon for participating. It was actually kind of fun to do. I wish they did this when I was in school. We had Science Fairs, not reading fairs. YUCK!! Science is not my forte' but reading is right up my alley. I LOVE TO READ!!! Or, at least I do when I can sit down and concentrate. Grandma got Mike and me a book that was put out by the History Channel. It is on different obscure facts on events, people and items that occurred in (and even changed) history. It was awesome!! I love history and reading and this book combined both!! It took me a little bit to finish, even though the articles were short. I was reading them at night while watching t.v. after the kids went to bed. I learned quite a bit from it.

Well, I guess that is all my ramblings for now. If I think of anything else to post, I'll try to remember to write it down and add it later.

Newest Addiction

I am loving Facebook!! My friend Beth is the first person I know that started using Facebook. When she moved to Florida, it was an easy way to keep in touch. If you are not familiar with it, it is an online program, similar to MySpace, but, to me, a lot more fun. You create a page, download a profile picture if you want (so people will know who they are contacting), then you either invite people or grant access to people you know to your page. I can't describe it accurately, but it is fun to use. My friends and I have been kidnapping each other and sending them to different locations, sending each other virtual gifts, joining different causes (like for breast cancer or autism), and joining different groups (like Women voters for Palin, Chick-fil-a fans, etc.). At first, I wasn't that interested in doing anything with my page. Little by little my friends from church, MOPS, and school have gotten me more and more involved. My favorite feature is chatting (it is like instant messenger IM). I have been able to talk to my sister-in-law Michelle and my friend Stacy on line using Facebook without having to tie up the phone line. Check it out. If you decide to create a page, let me know. I'll be looking for you.