#and Russell having to come and drag her away to solve a case

[julie-finlay]

Finlay Friday

13x06: "Pick and Roll", script extracts. Tiny deleted snippet under the cut.

[philliamwrites]

Ocean Eyes, Golden Mind

Fandom: All For The Game (Nora Sakavic)

Pairing: Neil/Andrew

Tags: #math nerd neil, #neil with glasses, #no exy

Summary: In which Neil hates his new prescribed glasses until they attract the interest of a certain Andrew Minyard.

Commissioner: Ziegenkind

Notes: Title taken from Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes.’

Ocean Eyes, Golden Mind

Dude, it’s just a frat party. Who doesn’t go to frat parties?

     The message flashes Neil’s screen white, its sender none other than his roommate Nicky who is supposed to study for an upcoming test in Public Policy in exactly nineteen hours. That’s what Neil writes him. Nicky’s reply comes instantly.

Those who study tend not to party. You know. Like you.

     Neil leaves him on read. If he wants to party, he’ll lock himself inside his room, two bottles of Jack Daniel’s by his side while watching every existing compilation of cats attacking people on the small screen of his phone. He knows how to have a good time, alright. Not everyone has to set their scale like Nicky: More than once Neil has been the spectator of him coming back to the dormitory completely wasted, but still eager enough to get frozen waffles from the fridge. Being too drunk to put them in the toaster, he usually just climbs up to his top bunk and puts them between his thighs to eat them partially defrosted. It’s this fragile line between genius and stupidity that has Neil doubting if he should fill in a request for changing roommates or just live with the fact that Nicky Hemmick is one special kind of man.

    So instead of spending his night curled into himself, wall against his back and eyes on every stranger distributing awful shots, Neil sits at the Math Tutoring Centre on the west side of the campus and gives group tutoring sessions.

    Math comes to Neil like breathing. Like Bertrand Russel said, not only does Mathematics possess truth, but supreme beauty—a beauty cold and austere, like that of a sculpture. It is sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. It is poetry—elegant and deep—of logical ideas to create harmony in a written line. Once he tried to explain that to Nicky over microwaved Mac n Cheese with Girls running in the background, clearly overestimating him, because Nicky only stared into space for a few seconds, and replied, “You really need to get laid, man.”

    Reluctant at the beginning, Neil only agreed to join the Tutor Program because his math professor promised to throw in some extra cash. Something about raising the graduate numbers in order to get the board of education off his back. That’s where Neil’s jurisdiction of interest ends, but he has enjoyed it more than expected—the empty hallways, the harsh light of the ceiling lamps, the smell of chalk, the faint echoes of students still lingering in classrooms. There’s this magic about the Palmetto State University at night—a vulnerability that can only live once the sun sets behind the horizon. When else would he find a kid sleeping under a table in the library, or seniors breaking down in tears for exact 10 minutes before continuing their studies as if nothing has happened.

    There’s another reason he’d rather spend his evening on campus, one Nicky doesn’t need to know because then Neil won’t hear the end of it. That reason being 5’0’’ tall chemistry prodigy Andrew Minyard, sitting in the last row of Neil’s math sessions each Friday. He only knows about him thanks to Nicky’s never-ending complaints, but that never really stopped him from throwing a few or more glances in Andrew’s direction. Just curiosity, of course.

    So when he stands in front of the blackboard now, putting away his lesson papers which are full of numbers and equations—the kind that has enough letters to look like sentences—he feels dozens eyes burn holes in the back of his neck, and one pair belongs to Andrew. No one asks why he’s here, but everyone knows he doesn’t need to be.

    In his one year of giving tutoring sessions, Neil has learnt that exactly three types of students exist: Students who are really good, certainly not in need of the extra lessons, but going anyway for some extra ego-buff and unnecessary brain-flexing. The second type is students who are okay, doing their tasks, following the lesson, not really attracting any attention safe for some crude jokes. The last type has Neil questioning his belief in the educational system of the whole state because he doesn’t understand how they are allowed inside the sacred halls of PSU.

    Andrew is a special type on his own—the enigma that keeps Neil awake at two in the morning because he’s desperate to solve it, but without knowing where to start, he’s just running in circles. His fingers itch to solve an equation with multiple variables, to find the solution to a problem and get it off his mind.

    He doubts it will be this easy with Andrew.

    “Before we continue to look at scalar products in R- and C-vector spaces, we’ll consider bilinear and semi-bilinear forms in general, and link them to matrices for their representation to chosen bases.” Neil’s hand flies across the board, leaving letters and parenthesizes that look like bizarre drawings—art in its most complex form. Once he’s finished, he takes a step away, wipes the chalk on his fingers off on his jeans, and turns to his audience. “What happens to this equation with the semi-bilinear form σ?”

    Two hands shoot up immediately. He ignores them; no need to feed their ego, and instead picks a freshman who’s been staring at his phone for the last ten minutes. Making way, Neil moves back to the student’s seats and leans against a desk.

    Is it the farthest place away from the board? It is.

    Is it the closest that will get him to Andrew? Might be so.

    It certainly gives him a good look at what Andrew’s been doing since Neil started—and that is not solving a single task on the paper Neil has handed out at the beginning of the session. Andrew, apparently bored before it even started, has taken out a slip of paper with a sudoku puzzle on it and is solving it against his leg, completely linked out of the instruction.

    Neil tries not to stare too much at Andrew’s bare arms, and instead looks back at the board.

    “Does that look right?” the freshman—Rhys or Rheeze or something like that—asks, turning around.

    Neil narrows his eyes and squints at the board. He can’t make out a single thing, and that’s bad, yes, but his feet betray him, staying rooted where they are instead of reducing the distance until he can distinguish σ from a.

    “Where does the l come from,” he asks. Multiple heads snap in his direction.

    “That’s a j, Josten,” someone says from the other side of the room.

    Neil squints harder. “And the u?”

    “A μ.”

    “No, it’s a v,” a girl next to Neil says, and that’s when the everyone starts shouting about what’s on the board and what isn’t.

    Neil bears it for a solid minute before he surrenders. He pulls a small case from his pocket, opens it. Puts his glasses on.

    The whole room goes silent.

    Neil checks the equation, nods. “Correct. Who’s next?”

    Multiple people stir, one manages to get up, and walks straight into a table leg. Neil questions that ‘straight’, because only then the freshman guy stops staring at Neil and steers his attention to the equation on the blackboard.

    It was a bad idea, and Neil still hates Allison for forcing him to go. She’d dragged him to the doctor last week to get his eyes tested, annoyed by his never-ending questions of ‘What’s written there?’ or ‘Is that a six or an eight?’.

    “They’re my eyes,” Neil had said, arms crossed as he sat in the office and waited for his turn.

    “And it’s me who has to see your ugly squinting face,” Allison had replied.

    Two hours later Neil had finally his prescriptions but that didn’t mean he was free from Allison’s clutches. He would have been fine with some glasses from the dollar store, but she insisted that if he’s going to wear them more than once a day, he should get designer glasses—thin frames and a color that matches his copper hair. She suggested gold. Neil picked black. The look of disappointment on Allison’s face was something that deserved its own painting to commemorate it. But once they’d finally chosen the right pair, she’d given him the very same look most of the students are giving him now—a mix between slight awe and disbelief as if he’s grown a second head. Or owes them all a month’s worth of lunch money.

    “Well,” had Allison said at least, turning away to pack up and go home. “Tigers have their stripes. I have my eyeliner.” She threw him another scrutinizing look over her shoulder. “You have your glasses.” If it was supposed to make him feel better, it didn’t work, and right now he regrets nothing more than allowing Allison to drag him around.

    Neil’s eyes land on Andrew’s sudoku puzzle, now half-hidden under his papers, and he sees now that he isn’t even solving the thing, but simply coloring in the empty squares.

    He takes a second too long and meets Andrew’s eyes staring back at him.

    “Problem, Josten?” Andrew asks with a blank expression, tapping the end of his pen against his monochrome picture of black and white squares.

    Neil wants to see how far he can push until he walks against a brick wall and breaks something. He returns his gaze to the board but feels Andrew’s eyes like a solid touch on the back of his neck.

    After the session, the students hurry outside, still throwing curious glances over their shoulders at Neil and if he could merge with the back of his chair and disappear forever, that would be totally okay. It isn’t until a shadow looms above him that he looks up from his own homework and draws in a careful breath when Andrew towers above him.

    Neil raises an eyebrow. “Problem, Minyard?”

    Andrew’s face gives nothing away, and when he stretches out a hand, Neil doesn’t flinch. His glasses slip off easily, held between Andrew’s thumb and index finger.

    “Nicky told me he’s trying to convince you to join him tomorrow,” Andrew says. Neil needs a second, because that is the most words he’s heard out of Andrew’s mouth.

    “I have no reason to go,” Neil says, his eyes jumping up and down, from the equation that makes his sight blur to Andrew leaning his slender waist against the table.

    “You have one now.” It’s barely neutral enough to not sound like a threat, but Neil stares at Andrew nonetheless, and when he puts Neil’s glasses on, Neil’s heart does a weird stutter. He’s still starring at Andrew when he leaves the room, and no, his eyes don’t stray, they stay on Andrew’s broad back, and if they dip lower it’s because of the light.

    Once he’s alone, Neil takes a deep breath, exhales slowly. Puts his head in his arms and counts to ten in French first, then again in German. His heart still does this weird thing, trying to bruise his ribs from the inside.

    He gets his phone, texts Nicky he’ll go to the frat party tomorrow and puts it away, not interested in his roommate’s reply. There’s still the equation he needs to solve, but for the first time Neil’s heart isn’t really into math, and he is quite alright with it.

[2classysisters]

Since 2017 has come to a close, I thought it would be fun to share with you my top favorite books that I read in 2017.  I’m a HUGE book worm and am almost always in the middle of reading a book.  This year I read 83 books (outside of teaching), which I think is a good accomplishment considering I was finishing up grad school for half of the year.

The books I’m sharing with you today are in no particular order.  I’m a very indecisive person so I thought I would have too much difficulty putting them in an order.  These books are the ones I read in 2017 that I rated the highest, recommended to others, overall loved and just stuck with me after finishing them.  Let’s get into my top reads.

1. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero Genre: Self-Help/Inspirational Rating: 5/5stars

Synopsis: This book is basically a how-to guide on how to create a life you’ll love.  Jen tells you how to stop doubting yourself (with some humor along the way), learn to love yourself, take risks, and set goals to live an amazing life.  There are 27 chapters in this book and each chapter covers a different topic.

Thoughts: This book is amazing and so inspirational.  I absolutely loved it.  This was one of the first books I read in 2017 and I think it really put me in a good mindset for the year.  I appreciated that this book had a lot of humor in it because it made it that much more enjoyable to read.  I think every woman needs to read this book.  Honestly, I’m probably going to read it again in 2018 for more inspiration!

2. Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks Genre: Romance Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: 32 year old Russell Green is living a great life, at least he thinks so.  He has a great wife, a six year old daughter, and a career in advertising.  Then he loses it all.  He’s left with no job, no wife, and now is a single dad raising his daughter.  Now, Russell has to learn how to navigate his new life.

Thoughts: I always love a good Nicholas Sparks book.  I know they’re all a bit cheesy and usually predictable, but they’re always favorites of mine to read.  It’s been awhile since I read this book, but again I loved it.  Yes, it’s a romance book, but there’s also so much more to this book!

3. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick Genre: Autobiography Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: This is an autobiography of Anna Kendrick’s life and her rise to fame.

Thoughts:  I really like Anna Kendrick.  She’s very witty and I’ve enjoyed her acting in all of the movies she’s been in.  I listened to this book on audio book and highly suggest you do too.  Anna Kendrick herself reads the audio book version, which makes it even better to listen to! She definitely uses a lot of her humor in this book and I found it highly entertaining and interesting!

4. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh Genre: Mystery/Thriller Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: Jenna Gray’s life is turned upside down when her son is killed in a hit and run.  This story follows Jenna Gray’s journey as she moves to a cottage on the Welsh coast to get away from that terrible day.  Meanwhile, this story also follows a pair of Bristol police investigators who are trying to solve the hit and run case.

Thoughts:  This is one of my favorite genres to read.  I absolutely love trying to solve the mystery and figuring out what is going to happen next.  This story gripped me from the start.  There were times that I was so surprised during it, that I had to flip back and try to figure out how some things were possible.  This mystery is in no way predictable.  Once you start reading it, you won’t be able to put it down.  It definitely had a surprise ending that I wasn’t expecting!

5. Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts Genre: Romance Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: This novel throws you into a world of magic and thievery.  Roxy Nouvelle, daughter of a world famous magician, has inherited her father’s talents and love for jewel thievery.  Enter Luke Callahan, an escape artist, who steals Roxy’s heart.

Thoughts:  Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors.  Honest Illusions is an older book of hers, but I didn’t read it until this past year.  Two of my closest friends (thanks Laura and Rachel) raved about it and told me that I needed to read it.  It took me a little bit to get into this story, but once I did I was hooked.  Reading about Roxy and Luke’s lives and the world they lived in was so interesting. This novel is very different from any of Nora Roberts’ other books.

6. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch Genre: Young Adult Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: This book follows the story of Lina, who is spending her summer in Italy.  She doesn’t want to be there, but it was her mom’s dying wish that she gets to know her father.  While in Italy, Lina is given an old journal of her mother’s.  Lina uncovers mysteries and secrets of her mother’s life with the help of a boy named Ren, who is one of the first people she meets in Italy.

Thoughts: This book was a quick, light read, which I absolutely love reading!  I really enjoyed the story line and getting to know the characters.  This story left me yearning to go back to Italy and wanting gelato and pasta!  I loved that it took place outside of Florence since that was my favorite place in Italy I visited.  If you enjoy YA books, I highly recommend this book!

7. When Life Happened by Jewel E. Ann Genre: New Adult Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: I’m not going to give much of a summary for this book because I don’t want to ruin it and give anything away.  You simply need to read it.  Trust me!  This is the story of Parker Cruse.  She’s 26 and has just moved out of her parent’s house to live on her own and start to grow up.  First, she needs to find a job.  Her journey has ups and downs, love, heartbreak, and secrets.

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book!  It wasn’t predictable like a lot of new adult books can be.  Reading this story had me going through many different emotions such as happiness, sadness, and anger.  I truly enjoyed going along on Parker’s journey of adulthood with its many ups and downs.  Months after reading this book, I still find myself thinking about it

8. A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas Genre: Fantasy Rating: 4/5 stars (book 1) 5/5 stars (book 2) 5/5 stars (book 3)

Synopsis: Feyre, who is 19, hunts to help her family survive.  One day when she is hunting in the woods, she ends up killing a wolf.  Little did she know that this would have such a big repercussion.  Later that night a beast-like creature arrives at her family’s cottage demanding that she pays retribution for it.  Feyre is dragged away from her home to a magical land that she has only heard about through legends.  This series follows Feyre as she learns about the magical Fae world and how to navigate it while making sure she survives.

Thoughts: So far there are three books in this series.  These books are pretty long, but I didn’t find this to be an issue at all because they’re all so good.  I easily got absorbed into the characters, story line, and magical Fae world from the very beginning.  This series has a bit of a beauty and the beast vibe to it at times as well.  I thought the first book was really good, but I was told that the second is the best and that I needed to get to that book.  I definitely agree with this.  The first book was still really good, but once you read the second, there’s no debate about which one is better! After reading the second book, I didn’t think it was possible for the third book to be better, but I ended up thinking it was the best one!  I really can’t wait for the fourth book to come out since it’s seems like the series just gets better and better with each book.  If you’re into YA and fantasy, you NEED to read this series!!!

9. Womanizer by Katy Evans Genre: New Adult Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: This is a story of a forbidden love.  Olivia has moved to Chicago for an internship after college.  On her first day, she meets Callahan and there’s an instant attraction between them.  Later, Olivia learns that not only is Callahan the CEO of the company she’s interning at, but also her brother’s best friend.

Thoughts: I read this book without reading the other books in the series first.  This is book four in the series, however you can read it as a standalone since each book focuses on different main characters.  I really enjoyed the story line of this novel and couldn’t wait to find out how it all ended.  I also really liked both Olivia and Callahan’s characters.  After getting glimpses of some of the other characters from this series, I definitely want to read the other books too.

10. Drive by Kate Stewart Genre: New Adult Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: I’m really not sure how to describe this book.  All I’m going to say is that it centers around music and an epic love story.

Thoughts: I honestly can’t get over how amazing this book is!  This was my first book by the author, Kate Stewart, and I was hooked from the first page.  Her writing is absolutely flawless and she has a way of pulling you in.  This story left me feeling so many emotions throughout it.  The characters in this book were all so good too!  I really loved them all and felt completely invested in them.  I truly can’t rave about this book enough.  If you enjoy reading this genre, then you have to read this book!  Trust me, it will be one of your new favorites!

11.  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: This story takes place during World War II.  It follows the lives of two sisters who have their differences, but are still close.  Isabelle, the younger sister, lives in Paris and Vianne, the older sister, lives in the French countryside with her husband and daughter.  Once the war starts, Vianne’s husband is sent off to fight while Isabelle is sent to live with Vianne by her father.  As the war progresses, life as they knew it is gone for the sisters.  They find themselves responding to the war in different ways and in situations that they would’ve never thought they would be in.

Thoughts: This book has been on my to-list for a very long time.  After months of being on the waiting list for the ebook through my library, I finally was able to read it and get what all the hype was about.  Historical Fiction isn’t my go-to genre, but I do enjoy reading it every so often and am trying to read it more.  I was interested in this book because I had heard about all the good reviews it’s gotten.  Plus, I find World War II to be a very interesting topic.  I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t hooked from the very beginning, but once I got into this book I couldn’t put it down.  It was so interesting reading about each of these sisters’ lives during World War II and how they responded to the war. I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in historical fiction.

12. On the Way to You by Kandi Steiner Genre: New Adult Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: Cooper is a young adult working at a diner to save up money to go to college out of state.  One day a stranger walks into the diner and Cooper ends up going on a road trip with him to leave town sooner than expected.  With that begins a road trip romance.  However, this isn’t your typical road trip romance.  It’s so much more!

Thoughts: This was another new author for me and I’m glad I found her.  I’ve read a few romance stories where the characters are on road trips.  This story has its light, happy, upbeat moments, but there’s also plenty of serious and heavy moments too.  Cooper and Emery aren’t like any characters I’ve read about before and I loved that about them.  I was rooting for them the entire way.

13. Weightless by Kandi Steiner Genre: New Adult Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: You really just need to read the official synopsis on Goodreads here.  It’s so unique and intriguing that you’ll have no choice to read this book to find out its meaning.

Thoughts: After reading the synopsis for this book, I really wasn’t sure what to expect at at all.  I wasn’t even sure what it was going to be about.  I can tell you that this story is not what I would have guessed at all.  Like the first book I read by Kandi Steiner, I fell in the love with the characters and became invested in them.  Kandi Steiner has a way of taking romance stories and making them into something so much more.  Her stories seem so real and raw and this book was no exception.  I would love to tell you more about this book, but I think you should just trust me and read it.

14. A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner Genre: New Adult Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: Like the above book I talked about, you need to read the synopsis on Goodreads for this book too.  You can find it here.  This synopsis is so intriguing as well.

Thoughts:  Clearly after I read my first Kandi Steiner book, I went on a little bit of a binge with her books.  They’re all just so good.  I’m not sure which one is the best.  It’s hard to pick since they all have such different story lines.  With this book, I really wasn’t sure what the story line was going to be like after reading the synopsis.  I honestly was a bit leery of it, but since her other books were so good I decided I needed to read this one too.  I’m glad I did because it was such a great book!

15. Love Always, Kate by D. Nichole King Genre: YA Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: Kate is a seventeen year old girl who has been dealing with Leukemia since she was 11.  She had been in remission, but now she’s back out of remission.  At this point Kate has three choices: another round of chemo, a new experimental drug, or just enjoy the time she has left.  Kate thinks she knows what she wants, but then Damian walks into her life.  Damian has his own issues that he’s dealing with, but there’s an instant connection between them.  Kate is left with the big decision of deciding what she wants to do and thinking about how it’s going to affect those around her.

Thoughts: After reading what this book was about, I figured it wasn’t going to be your typical happy YA romance and it’s not.  Even though this book  had its sad parts, it also had plenty of great, happy moments.  I truly enjoyed this book even though it left me going through a roller coaster of emotions.  However, if you’re not into sad books then this one probably isn’t for you.

16. Undeniably You by Jewel E. Ann Genre: New Adult Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: Sydney is an aspiring museum curator currently house sitting around the world to save up money.  This summer she’s dog/house sitting for her aunt and uncle for 30 days while they’re away on vacation.  Within the first 24 hours, Sydney meets Lautner, a pediatric resident.  Their attraction is instant and they spend all their time together.  What will happen when Sydney’s 30 days are up?

Thoughts: The first half of this book is light, fun, steamy, and humorous.  But then the second half takes a big turn.  It’s becomes a lot more real taking you through a roller coaster of emotions.  This book was SO good!  I thought there were many twists and turns that took me by complete surprise.  It definitely wasn’t predictable at all either, which is always refreshing!

17. We’re All Wonders by R.J.Palacio Genre: Children’s/ Picture Book Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: This is a picture book based on the chapter book, Wonder, geared towards younger readers.  Auggie and his dog Daisy teach you the importance of choosing kindness and what it means to be a wonder.

Thoughts: I’m an elementary teacher, so I had to include one picture book because I just can’t get over how amazing this one is!!! I read this book to all of my students and it was so amazing to hear their reactions and responses to it.  They all did so well getting the message of the story.  This book has become sort of the theme in our classroom this year, which I love.  I read Wonder years ago and absolutely loved it!  I was so excited when I heard that a picture book came out.  It’s perfect to read with elementary aged students.  The illustrations are fantastic in this book too!  Seriously, do yourself a favor and read this book and share it with everyone you know.  Make sure you see the movie Wonder too because that is also amazing!

  Have you read any of these books?  What were you top favorite books that you read in 2017.  Share in the comments below!

-Michelle

My Top 17 Books of 2017 Since 2017 has come to a close, I thought it would be fun to share with you my top favorite books that I read in 2017. 

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Well here is a special lady who really requires no introduction (but I’m going to anyway as this is how these things work.) I only have the fabulous Noelle Holten aka Crimebookjunkie stopping by to share all of her book love confessions. Now for the off few of you who don’t already know Noelle, here’s a little bit more about her.

About Noelle

My name is Noelle and I am in my mid-40’s. I am an avid reader and by that I mean I am never without a book! By day I am PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, and by night I read all things crime!! My fascination for books started at a young age and I truly feel withdrawal symptoms if I am unable to read for a few days hence the name #crimebookjunkie! I am interested in many genres, my faves being Grit Lit, psychological thrillers and all things murder. I do enjoy Police Procedurals and legal/action thrillers as well. I tend to keep away from Chick Lit and Erotica…however, if forced at gun point I may give just about anything a read…except Erotica!  I would rather die…..

You can follow Noelle at the following links:

Twitter | Facebook | Website

Childhood Sweetheart Favourite book from childhood

My favourite book from childhood has to be The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis.  I loved the idea of finding a secret world through a wardrobe and all the adventures the children found themselves in.

First love The first book you fell in love with

This is a tough one.  I think Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier – I was probably one of the few students who actually enjoyed reading this as it didn’t feel like homework.

Biggest book crush The book character you’re totally in love with

No! No! No! – I cannot choose just one.  I am a bit of a #BookBoyFriendWhore and have fallen in love with so many – John Cooper from Paul Grzegorzek’s But For The Grace of God, Mark Baines from Stephen Edger’s series of the same name, Jake Boulder from Graham Smith’s Watching The Bodies – and I’m also partial to DI Harry Evans in Mr Smith’s other series….but we won’t tell them! Kenny O’Neill in Michael J Malone’s books, Davie McCall in Douglas Skelton’s books…Washington Poe from Mike Craven’s yet to be released series…. Eddie Flynn from Steve Cavanagh’s books…Lennox from Craig Russell’s series…..see….I am so bad!  You have to stop me!

Weirdest book crush Well… duh

Do I have to say? Hmmm…I guess it would have to be Marcie Steele’s (Mel Sherratt) That’s What Friends Are For….I know…a totally feel good GIRLY book!  WTAF?  But if you tell anyone, I just may have to kill you….

Hardest break up The book you didn’t want to end

But For The Grace of God by Paul Grzegorzek – I LOVE this book and I am still waiting for the next one….I NEED John Cooper back in my life!

The one that got away The book in your TBR or wish list that you regret not having started yet.

There are SO many!  I am desperate to read Rattle by Fiona Cummings.  I have heard great things and it is sitting ever so patiently, waiting for me – I hope to get to it soon.

Secret love Guilty Reading pleasure

I absolutely adore the Bridget Jones’ series by Helen Fielding and I am not ashamed to say that at all!  I think everyone at some point in their lives can relate to Bridget and the books always make me laugh!

Love one, love them all Favourite series or genre

Erm….think that might be obvious but just in case it is not clear….I am a total nut when it comes to crime fiction!  That includes action, psychological, legal, medical, serial killer …any sort of thriller in crime where there is a body and a case to be solved! BRING IT ON!

Your latest squeeze Favourite read of the last 12 months

I totally LOVED the #BookBeast that is Stuart MacBrides A Dark So Deadly.  What a fantastic read!

Blind date for a friend If you were to set a friend up with a blind date (book) which one would it be?

Seriously?  Oh man….there are again so many!  I think I would have to say Angela Marsons’ DI Kim Stone series – it is phenomenal!  They could not just read one….they would have to read the whole series.

Greatest love of all Favourite book of all time.

Fydor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is my favourite book of all time.  I can’t explain why other than to say that it draws on the anguish experienced when faced with a moral dilemma and how one justifies their behaviour while also showing that anyone is capable of murder….Mwah ha ha ha!

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Thanks Noelle. A brilliant list (as expected). You know I never knew you were so into crime books … ;). Have to agree about A Dark So Deadly. Wasn’t it fabulous? And you are not a book boyfriend whore. It’s perfectly normal to have at least three, four, five or six concurrent book crushes. Perfectly normal! (I feel better about my three confessions noe lol). If you still haven’t read Rattle yet then you must. It’s sublime.

So folks. On the off chance there are still some crime books she hasn;t yet read, any suggestions for Noelle. Or any crime related erotica you think might finally drag her over to the dark side 😉 (Totally kidding – no suggestions required – ever!!!)

Join me next week when Mike Sahno and CJ Harter will be sharing more of the old #booklove.

Have a fabulous day all

JL

#Booklove: Noelle Holten @nholten40 Well here is a special lady who really requires no introduction (but I'm going to anyway as this is how these things work.) I only have the fabulous Noelle Holten aka Crimebookjunkie stopping by to share all of her book love confessions.