Book #72 - Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

This is the fourth, and unfortunately final, book in the bride quartet series, and it was worth the wait to see how Parker's story turned out. Nora weaved another unique and believable love story with this one, and I found on the last pages I was tearing up while making a goofy smile. I feel a small sadness that the journey with these four women is over because Nora does such an exceptional job of making you feel a part of the story rather than just a spectator. Again, I want to see what the future weddings will be like, if they will have children, if they will all continue to live on the Brown Property, etc. I highly recommend the entire series for an easy yet blissful read.

Book #71 - The Confession by John Grisham

So, it took me a month, but I've finally finished this book. Please do not take that as a reflection on this book and what I thought of it. Between school, Will, and pregnancy fatigue, I just haven't been reading like I was at the start of the year. This book was excellent. Grisham makes the reader take a deep, hard look at the death penalty and the severity of executing the wrong guy. Talk about a mistake that cannot be undone. Initially, I thought the most gut-wrenching part of the book was when Donte was put to death and exonerated the next day, but I was wrong. The last page, held the most sickening realization in the book...people just don't care, and the death penalty will remain the status quo. Why is it that the conservative right sees no problem with executing adults with no remorse or feeling that they have broken one of the ten commandments, but the very same people go crazy on a woman who chooses not to carry a unwanted pregnancy to term. I'm not trying to make this blog a political statement or express my beliefs. Rather, I'm simply trying to bring to light an incredible double standard that seems to be more pronounced from day to day.

Book #70 - The Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Like the previous in this series, it is light-hearted and fairly suspenseful. Previous books always started with Hannah Swensen (local busy-body) finding a dead body within the first 2 chapters. However, the author mixed it up this time. It took nearly 200 pages for the murder to happen because the author used a little flash back flash forward to tell the story. It made it far less redundant. Ended with another near-death experience for the heroine and of course she helped catch the bad guy. Book was again loaded with new recipes for cookies and other treats, and I have to say that I was for the first time enticed enough by three of them to run copies and perhaps try them.