Prophecy of the Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy, Book I) by Michelle Zink Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.This book takes place in the late 1800s and Zink has a refreshing writing style I am finding enjoyable. This easy to read book is a true page turner that has left me eagerly awaiting the next book in the trilogy.
Evermore (The Immortals Book 1) by Alyson Noel Seventeen-year-old Ever survived the car crash that killed her parents, younger sister, and their dog. Now she lives with an aunt in Southern California, plagued not only by survivor guilt but also by a new ability to hear the thoughts of all around her. She tries to tune out all these distractions by keeping her hoodie up and her iPod cranked loud, until Damen, the cute new boy at school, convinces her to come out of her shell. Damen, however, is frighteningly clever—and has the strange ability to produce tulips from nowhere and disappear himself at critical moments.For readers looking to fill the void left by the Twilight series, this is a different variation on the girl meets boy love story. Where Twilight has vegetarian vampires, the Immortals has immortal beings. Noel's truly captures the teenage voice. You can read my book review at: Bobbi's Book Nook.
Eli the Good by Silas House Bicentennial fireworks burn the sky. Bob Seger growls from a transistor radio. And down by the river, girls line up on lawn chairs in pursuit of the perfect tan. Yet for ten-year-old Eli Book, the summer of 1976 is the one that threatened to tear his family apart. There is his distant mother; his traumatized Vietnam vet dad; his wild sister; his former warprotester aunt; and his tough yet troubled best friend, Edie, the only person with whom he can be himself. As tempers flare and his father’s nightmares rage, Eli watches from the sidelines, but soon even he cannot escape the current of conflict. From Silas House comes a tender look at the complexities of childhood and the realities of war — a quintessentially Southern novel filled with music, nostalgic detail, a deep respect for nature, and a powerful sense of place.I was lucky enough to attend the national book launch of this book by one of my favorite Kentucky authors. House has an authentic Kentucky voice and his writing flows off the page in lyrical form. This is truly a beautiful book.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown 
Today's One-Minute Writing Prompt: Break
What responsibility would you like to forego (without any negative consequences) for one week?
I don't wanna grow up - I'd like to be free from all responsibility for one week. No work, no bills to pay. No stress, no family decisions to make. No housework, no putting off doing the laundry. No cooking, no washing the damn dishes. No bedtime, no feeling guilty for staying up all night.
I think all of us are kids at heart and would love nothing better than being able to live like a kid again - without a worry in the world. But this is the real world, so I guess I'll suck it up and just be glad I'm alive to enjoy it.
Today's Writing Prompt: 101
Colleges offer courses like English 101 and Biology 101, teaching students the basics of those subjects. What "101" course do you think colleges should offer to help 18-year-old students learn what they really need to know?
I think they should offer "Common Sense:101." So many kids today are coming out of college with excellent degrees and "book" knowledge, but too many of them don't know how to relate this to every day life. I've always said, you have to have some common sense in order to appreciate your book sense.
Long before Americans began collecting McDonalds Happy Meal toys and Beanie Babies, Troll dolls and Cabbage Patch Kids, or Bobble Heads and Furbys, there was the wildly popular Pet Rock. Introduced in the summer of 1975, these clean, cheap and well-behaved rocks became THE pet to have.
Marketed as if they were “live” pets, Pet Rocks even came with a “Pet Rock Training Manual.” The manual had instructions on how to properly raise and care for one's newfound pet (notably lacking instructions for feeding). The instruction manual contained several commands that could be taught to the new pet, and while "sit" and "stay" were effortless to accomplish, "roll over" usually required extra help from the trainer. “Potty training” and "Come" were found to be impossible to teach, but "attack" was a much easier command (picture cavemen throwing rocks).
