Melody Carver and family move to Salem from California. She wants to start a fresh start at Merston High with her new plastic-surgery nose. Now that she is the pretty one, she hopes to be popular. She likes a boy named Jackson, who is hiding a secret.

Every summer Monica and her friends, Fran and Audrey, attend Madame Vere’s School, a private summer school for girls 6-12. This was their last year of classes.

A new student named Rhoda arrives at the school. She is from New York and her mother is a famous actress on Broadway. No matter what Rhoda does, Monica, Fran and Audrey don’t like her.

One night Monica is, awaken by a rusting sound. She finds a piece of paper with newspaper-cutout-letters on it. It read, “Monica, tell no one. RHODA In DANGER. GO to HAUNTED House. Tuesday at Mid Night. go alone.

I stumbled upon this book at a thrift shop. I am glad that I picked it up, it is a fast, fun read. The illustrations are spooky helping the mystery plot thicken page by page. If you can find Last Look, read it.

They follow a strange man that had bumped into Watch shortly before he became ill. They watch him go into the cemetery and jump through the tombstone of Madeline Templeton. She was a famous witch and her tombstone was the portal to other dimensions and times.

The kids follow the man through the portal and in up in a mirror Spooksville with copies of themselves living there. Will they save Watch and return home?

I have read many Christopher Pike books over the years, but this is my first in the Spooksville series. Despite being book 20, I found it easy to follow the plot. I would have to say that the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine inspired the Spooksville series. Overall, I found The Dangerous Quest fun to read.

Jennifer from Crazy for Books has created this meme.

If you'd like to participate, here's Jennifer's instructions:


Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Question of the week: "What are you reading now and why are you reading it?"
 

The title alone, was the reason why I wanted to review this book. Who hasn’t had some kind of e-mail spam in their inbox? In this book, you’ll learn how spammers think and what the goals of spyware and virus are.

In the news, you always hear about government and big business being cyber attacked, but you don’t hear much about small business or the average person who are attacked everyday. Hackers send out their virus to either test their virus or to try to steal personal and private information from your computer. In other words, hackers are thieves.

In the book, you’ll learn all there is to know about malware, spyware, adware, viruses, spam, spoofing, phishing worms, trojans, SQL injection, Hijack, Rootkits, Bots, and the impact of Malware. You’ll read about the 10 most Common E-mail Scams and How to Defend Against Them.

Honestly, I already knew quite a bit on the subject matter, and if you are also well informed, then this book might not be for you. Someone new to computers, or has little knowledge about protecting your computer, will find this book interesting. There are plenty of links listed for paying and free firewalls, virus scans, and other useful information to keep your computer safe from cyber attacks.

*I would like to thank the Atlantic Publishing Group for sending me a copy to review.

Teagan Wyltson is living a typical average teenage life. She has a part-time job, great family and friends, and she does great in school. She even has a scholarship for college. Her life starts to change when her best friend, Abby, starts having strange dreams about Teagan being in danger, horrible creatures are after her.

Jennifer from Crazy for Books has created this meme.

If you'd like to participate, here's Jennifer's instructions:


Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Question of the week: "What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011? Why are you anticipating that book?"
 

My answer: I have more than one book that I am looking foward to. Thrist Vol. 4 by Christopher Pike, Goosebumps Horrorland: Halls of Horrors series from R.L. Stine, all books by James Patterson, Pale Demon by Kim Harrison, the final chapter in the Vampire Diaries series, and the next installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I love reading a good mystery/thriller.

PUBLISHED BY: Thomas Nelson
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59554-875-7
Pages: 391
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Romance is in the air for the anthology, An Amish Love, by three popular Christian writers, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Kelly Long.

In A Marriage of the Heart by Kelly Long, Abigail Kauffman tells her father that she was uncomfortable when Joseph Lambert was kissing and touching her, which are all lies. Her father believes her and forces Joseph to marry her that very day. Joseph did not mind that Abigail lied because he was in love with her. Abigail wanted to get married so she could get away from her father, but her plans are ruined when Joseph decides that they will live with her father and help with the farm.

The second story is What the Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller, and is about Ellie Chupp who loses her sight in an accident. Her boyfriend dies shortly after. Christopher Miller, who caused the accident, returns home after five years. When he meets Ellie, sparks fly for both of them.

The last story is Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman. Naaman Lapp returns home after leaving his wife for several months. When he was away, he missed the birth of his grandchild. All of his grown children have lost respect for him and including his wife Levina.

Over the years, I have read a lot of Amish fiction, so I was eager to read this book. Each story is completely different from the other, especially Healing Hearts that involves an older couple struggling to patch their marriage. I liked A Marriage of the Heart the best out of the book, because the plot of the arranged marriage is setup in the first few pages. Where The Heart Sees is an emotional tale that I also enjoyed reading. If you are an Amish fiction reader, you will love this book.

*I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for sending me a copy to review.

PUBLISHED BY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-2551-6
Pages: 289
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

The Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life is part autobiography and part inspirational. Glenn Beck, the radio and television host, writes about how he has changed his life. At an early age his mother committed suicide, and he never recovered from it until years later. As an adult, he became addicted to cocaine and alcohol that lead to end of his first marriage. Glenn went though depression and suicide thoughts. When he found a little success in the radio world, he became a material person, a hateful person. After he met his later-to-be second wife, he went inside a church and became closer to God.

Each chapter of Glenn’s is followed by a chapter written by Dr. Keith Ablow. The doctor examines what Glenn has been through, and also shares some of his patients’ stories that are similar.

Unlike Glenn Beck’s other books, this one is not political, but is more spiritual. The authors list seven wonders that will change your life: Courage, Faith, Truth, Compassion, Friendship, Family, and Common Sense. After reading the book, I learned that both authors are very religious, and they believe that everyone has a purpose that God has given them. I enjoyed reading the book, and found it encouraging. Even if you’re not a fan of Glenn Beck, you should check this book.