Samantha_kathy Tries for 75 This Year

I’ve been hanging out over at 50 Books group for a few years now, but this year it seems that I might finally make it to book #50 before the year is over. So I thought, what the heck, let’s really challenge myself. Besides, I’ve been eying this group for a while now, it seems like a lot of fun here.




Books read 2011

January

1. Luxembourg and the Jenisch Connection by David Robinson (1.5 stars)
2. God’s Spy by Juan Gomez-Jurado (5 stars)
3. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (4.5 stars)
4. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (5 stars)
5. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (4 stars)
6. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (5 stars)
7. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (4.5 stars)
8. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (5 stars)

February

No books read at all. *Gasps at the horror of it*

March

9. Cleopatra by Carlo Maria Franzero (2.5 stars)
10. Ferguut by Anonymous (4 stars)
11. Monte Carlo by Stephen Sheppard (4 stars)
12. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (5 stars)
13. Alle wegen naar Rome by Jan Blokker Jr. (3.5 stars)
14. Zijdezacht Zand by Sandra Bakker (5 stars)
15. A Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert (5 stars)
Not a book: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (3 stars)

April

16. Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage (2.5 stars)
17. The Elf of Luxembourg by Tom Weston (4 stars)
18. Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston (5 stars)
19. Reynard the Fox by Willem (3.5 stars)
20. Vampire Dragon by Annette Blair (4 stars)
21. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs (5 stars)
22. Beowulf by Caitlin Kiernan (5 stars)
23. To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan (3 stars)
24. Khap Djaai by Sandra Bakker (4 stars)
25. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer (5 stars)
26. The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett (5 stars)
27. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman (3.5 stars)
28. The Abyssinian Proof by Jenny White (4.5 stars)

May

29. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer (4 stars)
30. Dinomummy by Phillip Manning (5 stars)

June

31. Platinum Cowboy by Rita Herron (5 stars)
32. Security Blanket by Delores Fossen (5 stars)
33. Armed and Devastating by Julie Miller (4 stars)
34. Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent (4 stars)
35. Introduction to Ecological Genomics by Nico van Straalen & Dick Roelofs (5 stars)

July

36. The Moses Expedition by Juan Gomez-Jurado (5 stars)
37. Desert Ice Daddy by Dana Marton (4 stars)
38. State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (4 stars)

August

39. Atlantis by David Gibbins (4 stars)
40. London: A Brief History by Charles River Editors (3 stars)
41. Slave by Sherri Hayes (5 stars; no touchstone)

September

42. Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs (3.5 stars)
43. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo (4 stars)
44. Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler (5 stars)
45. Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle (4.5 stars)
46. Simon Said by Sarah Shaber (4 stars)
47. Death at Daisy's Folly by Robin Paige (4 stars)
48. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
49. Baby Bling by Elle James (4 stars)
50. Priceless Newborn Prince by Ann Voss Peterson (4 stars)
51. Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
52. Frisco’s Kid by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
53. Everyday Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
54. Harvard’s Education by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
55. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
56. The Admiral’s Bride by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
57. Identity, Unknown by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
58. Get Lucky by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)

October

59. Taylor’s Temptation by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
60. Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
61. Prehistoric Cookery by Jane Renfrew (2 stars)
62. Hoe schrijf ik een biografie (How to write a biography) by Dik van der Meulen en Monica Soeting (5 stars)

November

63. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (3.5 stars)
64. Term Limits by Vince Flynn (5 stars)
65. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn (5 stars)
66. The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly (5 stars)

December

67. The Third Option by Vince Flynn (4 stars)
68. Last Call by Jennifer Schmidt (3.5 stars)
69. Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie (4 stars)
70. A Different Kind of Christmas by Alex Haley (4 stars)
71. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (3 stars)
72. Rules of the Wild by Francesca Marciano (3 stars)
73. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (5 stars)
74. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry (4 stars)
75. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy (4 stars)
76. Experience the Tower of London by Sarah Kilby (4 stars)
77. Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy (4 stars)
78. Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy (5 stars)
79. Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs (3 stars)
80. A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow (4 stars)

Welcome to the 75ers. I'm fairly new to the group, only a few months, but quite enjoying myself. Loving your list for the year, some sci-fi I loved or that's been hanging around my tbr for years.

Welcome!

Welcome! I see you jumped right on board with the TIOLI challenges this month. I hope you have a great time reading and chatting up a storm with other fellow LTer's. :)

Welcome to the group!

Thank you all for your warm welcome!

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I finally finished Atlantis by David Gibbins, my book for the Reading Globally group theme read The Sea. My review is below, but here you can find my post on the theme read thread where I also answered some discussion questions posed.



Review Atlantis by David Gibbins (4 stars)

Jack Howard, an underwater archeologist, discovers clues that could lead him and his team to the legendary city of Atlantis. But the deep waters of the sea don’t only hold the secrets of the past, they are also the terrain of pirates who will stop at nothing to get their hands on valuable archeological finds. And when Jack’s team discovers a Russian submarine from the Cold War era, there is suddenly more at stake than just their own lives.

I loved this book. It had a little bit of everything I love: history, mystery, and adventure. It is definitely a book for those that love history, as it is full of historical information. It is very clear that David Gibbins knows what he is talking about, as well he should, considering he’s an underwater archeologist himself. His hands-on experience is most notable in the descriptions of the diving scenes, which were breathtaking.

The only downside of David Gibbins’ extensive knowledge of his subject is that sometimes the book was a bit information heavy. Especially on history subjects, which I didn’t mind because I love history, and on weaponry, which got a bit tiring after a while because it doesn’t really interest me.

But, all in all, this book was a great read and I am really happy it is only the first in the series. I look forward to reading more of Jack Howard’s adventures.

#6: That one looks fun! I will have to give it a shot.

#7> It was a lot of fun, especially since I really like history. Parts of the true facts I already knew, but I also learned a lot of new things.

#8: I am also a history buff, so I will probably enjoy it too.

#9> Ah, a fellow history buff! :)

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Review London: A Brief History by Charles River Editors

London: A Brief History is brief indeed, and more of a collection of facts about London than a story of its history. But this lightning fast overview of London is interesting nonetheless. It was a quick read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in London, but this is not the book if you are looking for a story of London throughout the ages.

I read this book as part of the TIOLI challenge, and it sure managed to wet my appetite for a real book about London's history. Perhaps a good idea to find one to take with me to London in December? Anyone got a good rec?

I'm glad you enjoyed Atlantis. I read this a couple of years ago and thought the premise was really interesting and the parts of the books that he actually was telling the story, I really enjoyed. But I think I had much less patience than you when he went on his scholarly debates. Half the time I was so frustrated with the scientific details that read like a textbook at certain parts that I almost wanted to give up on the book!

#11> I have to admit, I love non-fiction books about history as well, so that probably helped. And I know that when a scientist gets to talk shop so to speak, they do tend to run on and on, especially with an audience that is willingly listening, so that was pretty realistic.

I am hopeful though that he manages to pace his information flow better in his later writing.

#10: One book I have seen mentioned several times in connection with London is Peter Ackroyd's London: The Biography. I have not read it, but have seen good reviews of the book.

#13: Yes, I saw that listed on the challenge as well, and I am familiar with Peter Ackroyd as an author - he's quite good.

I've checked on although they did not have London: The Biography in my library, it was available through ILL, so I have requested it.

#14: I hope you enjoy the book!

41. Slave by Sherri Hayes (sorry, touchstone isn't working)



Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death. As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Darren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how. But Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing. Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?

I started this book with equal amounts of anticipation and trepidation. This kind of storyline can make for a really good book, or one riddled with clichés and bad writing. But this book was even better than I had anticipated. I couldn’t put it away and the story pulled me in completely.

What I liked most about this book was how the author never went for the easy solutions. There was no magical cure for Brianna, Stephan made mistakes – some which he realized and some which he didn’t (want to) see. The secondary characters were well rounded, none were completely vilified, something that could have easily happened with Richard’s character. He doesn’t approve of Stephan’s lifestyle, but loves his nephew enough to keep trying, and he does have a valid point about Brianna, even though Stephan refuses to hear it.

What I also really liked in this book was the way the lifestyle was depicted. No hard-core BDSM just for the sake of it, no BDSM fairy tale where everything is always candies and roses and nothing ever goes wrong, but no vilifying it either. But I was most impressed by the fact that the author never drew a line in the sand between submission and voluntary slavery where submission was the ‘right’ choice and slavery the ‘wrong’ choice. Considering this was a book about a girl rescued from forced slavery, such a distinction could have easily been made but never was. In fact, the author showed that neither submission nor slavery is wrong, as long as all parties agree to it.

So, all in all, I was very impressed with this book and I liked it very much. I was very sad to see the end of it. The ending itself is very open ended and after some checking on the author’s blog, it appears that this was the first book in a series about Stephan and Brianna. Now that I can get behind! I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

#16: Not my cuppa, but I am glad to see that you enjoyed it.

I went away for a weekend and managed to read 5 books. What wonders it does to my reading pace when I don't have a computer and internet!

So, grab a cup of tea, sit back, relax, and enjoy this really, really long post! *winks*

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Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs (3.5 stars)

Death by Darjeeling, the first book in Laura Child’s Tea Shop Mysteries, just breathed atmosphere and character. It had a great flow of words that drew me straight into the story and made me forget everything around me. I loved Theodosia, the main character, and cared about her right from the first few pages.

I won’t lie, the book could have used a stricter editor. Some parts did not connect with the plot at all and could have easily been cut out. There were point of view shifts, often sudden and for a short time. But both were not annoying me like usual, because the story flowed so very well. I can overlook these faults easily; I didn’t even notice them when I was reading, only when looking back on the book.

All in all, this book gave me everything I want in a cozy mystery – unique, atmospheric setting, colorful characters, and a juice mystery. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and sincerely recommend this book!

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Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo (4 stars)

I read through this book like a speeding bullet. Emma’s voice was spot on and I could empathize with her very easily. It was a fun read for me as a Jane Austen fan, but I do think that people not familiar with Jane Austen might miss a lot when reading this book.

I have to say, I expected a fluffy chick-lit book, but this was much more than that. It had a bittersweet and more realistic ending than I had anticipated. This lifted the book to a higher rating, as it felt so perfect and yet so real.

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Fool’s Puzzle by Earlene Fowler (5 stars)

Despite the fact that it is advertised as a craft mystery revolving around quilting – something the title also leads you to believe – this book was more character driven than craft driven. It worked out perfectly, with just enough quilt references to satisfy me as a quilter without it being overwhelming. I found it a refreshing change in pace that the mystery plot is the most important one, so different from all the themed cozy mysteries that are available right now.

Also, I have to say it, finally we have a main character that keeps information secret from the police for a logical reason: family. She keeps digging for the same reason. And also, hurray, a cop that is neither clueless nor heartless! No cliché characters to be found here, only characters that felt like they could walk straight off the page and into the real world.

I loved it! Really, really loved this book. I highly recommend it!

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Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle (4.5 stars)

An interesting main character with an interesting profession and a eclectic cast of secondary characters does not automatically make a good cozy mystery. But for Homicide in Hardcover it certainly made the excellent mystery plot even better. Despite the fact that I found the ending a bit creepy, I really liked this book. Highly recommended!

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Simon Said by Sarah Shaber ( 4 stars)

I love a mystery like this with a body so old. You can research without getting in the way of the police, for they don’t really investigate a murder so old. This makes for a credible storyline with an amateur sleuth.

The point of view switched quite a lot, certainly in the first few chapters, which isn’t my favorite thing in the world. Especially in cozy mysteries I like a tighter point of view. In this case, it took until the fourth chapter before I really started connecting with Simon, the main character, because his voice wasn’t coming through before that because of the pov switches. But once I did connect to Simon, I really got into the book.

The only thing I really have to complain about is that the editing on this Kindle edition could be better. Line breaks are sometimes missing where they should be, dialogue often doesn’t start on a new line, and sometimes where there should be numbers there is merely blank space. This sloppy editing job was annoying, and threw me out of the story when there was something missing from the text.

But, despite the abysmal editing, I really liked this book and looks forward to reading the rest of the series.

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Phew! *wipes forehead*

If you look at that list, you might think I did nothing but read while I was away! All of my muscles, especially those in my legs, will vehemently protest that assumption though.

I guess I need to go on holiday more often, it does wonders for clearing my TBR pile! (And I have to say, long live the Kindle! No more worrying about how many books to pack, just one device with enough books on it to last me a year...okay, a few months...maybe weeks if I don't have a lot to do. Anyway, you know what I mean!)

Death at Daisy's Folly by Robin Paige (4 stars)



Kate and Sir Charles gather with a host of memorable guests at the Warwicks' Eaton Lodge for an English country-house weekend. Meet Albert Edward, Prince of Wales; his "darling Daisy," the Countess of Warwick; their friends -- and their enemies. Someone has murdered a stableboy and the Prince, smarting over a recent gambling exposé and seeking to avoid scandal, directs Sir Charles to find the killer. But the stakes go up when a guest is shot with the Countess's gun.

Another great installment in the Robin Paige Victorian-Edwardian Mysteries. This one not only is a great mystery, it also is an excellent showcase of the different layers in British society at the time. Not only between the upper layers and the servants, but also all of the subtle layers in those groups. From royals to Kate, who’s not a peer, to the Uppers of the servants all the way down to the scullery maids.

But what I love most about this series is the excellent way the historical setting is used. From showing the reactions to the new phenomenon motorcars, which was not favorable at all, to more political issues of the time like Anarchists. It’s both a rich picture to serve as a backdrop for a truly excellent mystery, as well as an excellent reason in and of itself to read this book.

The only thing I didn’t like as much was the fact that for half the book Kate and Charles are making assumptions about what the other thinks instead of actually taking. But, they finally did talk, so I’m happy over-all with the progress in their personal relationship.

All in all, I was very charmed by this book and I heartily recommend it to mystery lovers and historical fiction fans alike.

48. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann, 1st in the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series. Review to come, but suffice to say that I really liked this 1st book in a romance series with Navy SEALs as main characters. What can I say, Steve McGarrett of the new Hawaii Five-0 has me hooked on SEALs! (Sam Hanna of NCIS: Los Angeles didn't help either.)

49. Baby Bling by Elle James, 3rd book in the Diamonds and Daddies series. The overall plotline of the 4 books in this series is coming to a close, and the tension is mounting. So I'm off to read the last book!

Reviews will come later!

Oh, dear, updating hasn't been at the top of my to-do list as of late. Therefore, this rather long list, all of which I have yet to review. (I will, I promise, this Sunday I'll take the day and do it! No, really!)

I've been on a reading binge lately, especially Susan Brockmann; I've read her entire Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series now. Have I told you guys yet that I love, love, love Navy SEALs in my suspense romance novels?

50. Priceless Newborn Prince by Ann Voss Peterson (4 stars)
51. Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
52. Frisco’s Kid by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
53. Everyday Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
54. Harvard’s Education by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
55. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
56. The Admiral’s Bride by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
57. Identity, Unknown by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
58. Get Lucky by Suzanne Brockmann (4 stars)
59. Taylor’s Temptation by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)
60. Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann (5 stars)

Finishing up Prehistoric Cookery today, and also reading Hoe schrijg je een familiegeschiedenis (How to write a family history) by Marijke Hilhorst and Hoe schrijf ik een biografie (How to write a biography by Dik van der Meulen and Monica Soeting. I really want to have them all finished before November starts. Ideally, I also want to finish The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann, but I'm being realistic here.

Basically, this month has yet again proved that I read in fits and starts. One month I read more than 10 books, the next I struggle to even finish one. Really, I need to find a way to be more consistent. It's the same with all my hobbies, I do something a lot then turn around and not touch it for months. If only there was like 48 hours a day or so...

Still haven't written those reviews yet either, which is totally my bad! I swear, I'll at least start today! (After I finish Prehistoric Cookery)

Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes & History by Jane Renfrew (2 stars)

Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes & History by Jane Renfrew is exactly as the title suggests. It’s a small, short book about the history of food and food preparation in prehistoric Britain which includes a few recipes. Text is brief and to the point, although parts of it read more as a long list of items than as an actual story. The research seemed solid and the author was honest enough to admit the uncertainty there still is about all of this, all points in favor of this book.

However, I do have two problems with the book. The first one is that the book claims to have adapted the recipes for the modern kitchen. The blurb on the back literally says: “The recipes, which have been adapted for the modern kitchen…” But I don't agree with that. A lot of the ingredients used, especially the herbs, are not easily available and no alternatives are given. Very few of the recipes could be cooked without needing to do some actual foraging in the wild or some complicated cooking method. So adapted for the modern kitchen is not a phrase I would use to describe these recipes.

Another problem I have is more serious, namely that there are no warnings for the use of some ‘uncommon’ herbs. Uncommon in this case means not available in most stores, if available in stores at all. For instance, one recipe calls for tansy, which can be a) toxic in too high substances and you need to know which leaves are safe to harvest to avoid this, and b) it is not safe to use if you are pregnant! No warnings for the use of these herbs, which we do not use today anymore and thus most people know nothing about, is not given at all. The Latin names are mentioned in the text, but not until after the recipes and it’s easy to overlook. Also, nothing is said about how to harvest them or how to deal with them in the kitchen. In contrast, she does warn about picking and eating mushrooms if you are not absolutely sure about what you do – the same goes for herbs, especially those you cannot find in stores (unlike most edible mushrooms which are readily available these days), yet she doesn’t say a word about it. I find this to be a very, very dangerous thing.

So, while the historical portion of this book is fine, if a bit dry at times, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. The recipes are simply unusable – and believe me, I tried some of the easier ones – without either changing them, leaving things out, or doing very complicated things. And that is without taking into account the possible dangers of the recipes that I find do not fit the ‘adapted to the modern kitchen’ moniker at all. All in all, I do not find this book worth my time – a great disappointment.

Just a little fly-by:

62. Hoe schrijf ik een biografie (How to write a biography) by Dik van der Meulen en Monica Soeting (5 stars)

63. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (3.5 stars)

Another fly-by. Oh, how busy the holiday season is! It's a miracle I'm able to get any reading done at all.

64. Term Limits by Vince Flynn
65. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn

I added reviews for Hoe schrijf ik een biografie (How to write a biography) by Dik van der Meulen en Monica Soeting, The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, and Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn.

Also reviewed Term Limits by Vince Flynn, which was a book that really made me think. So the review is below, hopefully it will spark some discussion.

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In one bloody night, three of Washington's most powerful politicians are executed with surgical precision. Their assassins then deliver a shocking ultimatum to the American government: set aside partisan politics and restore power to the people. No one, they warn, is out of their reach -- not even the president. A joint FBI-CIA task force reveals the killers are elite military commandos, but no one knows exactly who they are or when they will strike next. Only Michael O'Rourke, a former U.S. Marine and freshman congressman, holds a clue to the violence: a haunting incident in his own past with explosive implications for his country's future....

This thriller is fast-paced and Vince Flynn juggles the different strands of the story with ease. Never did I get confused about who I was reading about and one by one the different storylines started to come together to culminate in an exciting, realistic ending. For a first novel, this was absolutely amazing!

But more than just a well written thriller Term Limits is also a book that made me think. Who do you feel sympathy for? The killers, the FBI, or the politicians? Perhaps only for the innocents caught in the crossfire. Since the publication of this novel politics has only gotten worse and the monetary crisis this book predicts has come to pass. But when does fighting for freedom, for civil rights, become an ordinary crime? How far can and should you go in today’s world if you want to change it? Can killing ever be justified? Though questions that this book made me ask, and I still haven’t found an answer to them. And that, I think, is the true power of this book.

66. The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly

In a land of saffron sunsets and blazing summer heat, an Englishwoman has been found dead, her wrists slit, her body floating in a bathtub of blood and water. But is it suicide or murder? The case falls to Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands, who survived the horror of the Western Front and has endured six sultry months in English-ruled Calcutta. Sandilands is ordered to investigate, and soon discovers that there have been other mysterious deaths, hearkening sinister ties to the present case. Now, as the sovereignty of Britain is in decline and an insurgent India is on the rise, Sandilands must navigate the treacherous corridors of political decorum to bring a cunning killer to justice…knowing the next victim is already marked to die.

Set in the early 1920s in British India The Last Kashmiri Rose is the first book of the Detective Joe Sandilands series. And I’ll tell you, if the rest of them are as good as this one I’ll be a very happy girl. The plot is well thought out, the setting is crucial to the plot and, unusual for this type of book, the why of the murders is more important than the who, although for about half the book the killer’s identity isn’t known. This book scores very well on all fronts, plot, setting and characters are great and make this a page-turner despite the slow simmering of happenings.

But what I loved most about this book was the setting. India is described so vividly that I felt as if I were there. While Anglo-India is most prominent, something of the native people and culture is also shown in this book. The time period is also an interesting one. There is unrest simmering under the surface due to tension between the British and the natives, and an uprising resulting in a lot of casualties is not that long ago. Not to mention that World War I is only just over and nobody was left untouched by that. The early 1920s is also an interesting time for forensics and criminal psychology, which were just up and coming in being used in investigations, and of which Joe Sandilands is a fervent fan. But perhaps most striking of all did I find the gap between Joe, who hasn’t spent that much time in India, and the English living in India that he meets. Time is ‘behind’ in India, often Joe thinks ‘it could have been the 90s’ by which he means the 1890s. This contrast puts you even more in the 1920s frame of mind than mere descriptions of the time period could have done.

All in all I really liked this book and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended!

Library trip today! Bringing a great big pile back, taking...none away? All of the books I want are not there, but I'm on the waiting list! Besides, enough unread books in the house to get through December (and January, and February, and March, April and May) before I run out of things to read.

67. The Third Option by Vince Flynn

Mitch Rapp, the CIA's top counterterrorism operative, is sent on his final mission, to eliminate a European industrialist who has been selling sensitive equipment to one of terrorism's most notorious sponsors. But he doesn't know that the ultimate target of this mission is himself. Set up by forces within the US who do not want the next Director-elect of the CIA to take over, and therefore need a disaster for the present regime, Mitch refuses to die... the conspirators have made an awful miscalculation. They have enraged one of the most lethal and efficient killers the CIA has ever produced. Now they will pay.

This book has an explosive start and from there on it’s a thrilling ride as Mitch Rapp is on the run, unsure of who he can trust – if he can trust anyone at all. Written in the same style as the previous book Vince Flynn draws the reader into the plot with multiple threads that all converge. But where Transfer of Power kept the same break-neck pace until the end, this book did not. The last 150 pages or so the pace slowed down, which I thought was a pity.

Still, despite that, this book was a good one and although this particular case is closed there’s a loose thread which I assume will become the main plot of the next book. I’d still recommend this book, if only because Mitch Rapp and his reactions were outstanding in this one.

I liked The Last Kashmiri Rose too.

30: Did you read any others in the series? If you did, did you like them as much as The Last Kashmiri Rose? As far as I could see, not all books in the series are set in India.

That's the only one I've read although I've got another installment or two on loan from a friend to read when I get around to them.

I think I must have read the first 3, don't know why I didn't read further. There are about 8 or 9 in the series but I don't know how many are set in India. I bought most of them secondhand a few months ago (I originally read the ones I read from the library) but I've such a bad memory I'll probably start with The Last Kashmiri Rose again.

33: I wish you much pleasure re-reading The Last Kashmiri Rose :)

Book 4 is the last one set in India. I've read the first four and I'm ready for #5. I've put off reading it because I didn't like #4 as well as the first three, and because I tried reading the first book of the author's Letitia Talbot series and didn't like that one at all.

35: I think perhaps it's a good thing that the setting changes after 4 books. Perhaps the rut of the setting is what made #4 not as good? A new setting might be just the thing to get the series back to the level it was before.

That's a good point! I'll try to work the next one in early next year and see if the change in setting makes a difference.

I'm glad I tried her Joe Sandilands series first. If I had read the Letitia Talbot book first, I never would have tried the other series and I would have missed out on some good books.

Short Story Reviews (not counted towards 75 books)

When Tony Met Adam – Suzanne Brockmann – 4 stars

This short story is part of the Troubleshooter universe of Suzanne Brockmann and was written in honor of the final repeal of DADT. I loved this story a lot, even though the end was a bit sudden. What I liked most was the fact that the teammates of the gay Navy SEAL were afraid of saying the wrong thing and thereby putting their teammate in an awkward position due to DADT. Highly recommended, even if you have no idea who these characters are!

The Affair at the Victory Ball – Agatha Christie – 3 stars

A short Hercule Poirot story that was mediocre compared to Agatha Christie’s usual brilliance. Still a solid little mystery, but easily solved by me early in the story – something that never, ever happens with Agatha Christie’s full sized novels. I also think Hercule Poirot doesn’t really work in a short story, but otherwise this story was a nice, quick read.

Daddy Die Hard – Isaac Sweeney – 2.5 stars

A short non-fiction story about the author using John McClane as a father figure after his own father leaves him and his mother alone. While I liked what little he said, I had expected more from this going by the description of the story. It left me rather dissatisfied and I think it could have been a lot better.

68. Last Call by Jennifer Schmidt

While on vacation, a night out turns into a drunken haze, and Novalee Jensen wakes up hung over, confused, and… married? Fleeing Nevada, Novalee returns home to Montana to hide out, dreading the moment when her husband will show up to take her hard-earned business. But two years later just when Novalee thinks her secret is safe, guess who walks through her door? Now, face-to-face with the man she left in a hotel room two years ago, Novalee discovers the difficult part isn't having to explain her actions that night, or the questions that arise about the sexy stranger's arrival, it's keeping her hands off her husband. And what's Novalee to do when the hardest part turns out not to be confronting her past, but facing a possible future without her soon-to-be ex-husband?

Multi-millionaire Dean Philips wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel room to find the pretty blonde he married the night before gone. The piece of paper he possesses proves she served her purpose, and guilt ridden over his actions, Dean begins a battle with his father for a fight for his grandfather’s fortune. When Dean is ordered to have his wife appear in court, he finds himself in a small town in Montana, looking for the woman who ran off two years ago. Caught up in secrets and lies of his own, he has to find a way to persuade her to come back to Vegas with him without having her find out that she's the missing puzzle piece to everything he's been fighting for. But when Dean decides to mix a little pleasure with business, he suddenly finds himself in unfamiliar territory that could cost him everything.

I liked this one. What started out as a fairly typical romance plot was made just that little bit better by the realism of the feelings and events. There was no easy acceptance on Novalee’s part of the lies, nor was Dean completely comfortable with lying in the first place. I also liked how Novalee’s past was dealt with – she’s damaged but not broken, and there are no magical solutions, just Novalee doing her best to move on with her life. The writing style of this book was pleasant as well. All in all, I enjoyed this book.

69. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie – 4 stars

It is Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is an old-fashioned mystery, where all suspects are gathered in one manor house in the country and the murder victim is despised by all. The fact that it is Christmas makes the actions of Simeon Lee, the murder victim, all the more vicious, and without it being Christmas the murder would probably never have taken place, or at least there would have been fewer suspects with motive around. As always in Agatha Christie’s books there are plenty of secrets to go around and it falls to Hercule Poirot to find those details that actually matter in this murder case. I don’t always like Hercule Poirot as a character, but he was more tolerable in this book than normal. And the twist at the end was brilliant.

70. A Different Kind of Christmas by Alex Haley – 4 stars

It is 1855. Fletcher Randall is the son of a Southern plantation owner who is pro-slavery, as it is all he’s ever known. But when he goes to school up North, he’s exposed to the anti-slavery sentiments of several of his classmates. It is the start of a personal journey for Fletcher which culminates in a risky undertaking on Christmas Eve that could cost him his life.

This book is short but packs quite a punch. The writing style fits the story beautifully, and that’s not something I say lightly. The emotional journey Fletcher makes is believable and even when he’s still pro-slavery he’s easy to empathize with, despite not sharing his views at all. The ending is a little unexpected, but I thought it was a fitting end to the book.

I read Hercule Poirot's Christmas this month as well and I enjoyed it. For me, Agatha Christie is an author I can always rely on to deliver a decent (and sometimes outstanding) mystery.

I totally agree with you about Agatha Christie. I've never read a really bad book from her yet, and in today's world where bad books seem to get published a lot that's worth it's weight in gold.

71. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - 3 stars



Meg Murray, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course, and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a "tesseract," which, if you didn't know, is a wrinkle in time.

Meg's father had been experimenting with time-travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?

For a science fiction book written almost 50 years ago this story held up really well. The science of the time travel in the book, the different planets and races, and the evil the characters face seem as ‘real’ today as they did when this book was first written. The story has the right amount of tension and lighter moments in it and always seems to be moving forward.

Yet having said all that, all this book did was show me once again that science fiction really isn’t my cup of tea when it comes to books. The only science fiction I like seems to be the science fiction on tv. So while I didn’t hate this book, in fact, I found it to be highly readable – it is the first science fiction book I can remember actually finishing – I didn’t really like it either. That, however, had nothing to do with the book and everything to do with me. So for everyone who does enjoy science fiction I would recommend this book, because it is charming and simply a good story. And that, coming from a science fiction book hater like myself, is high praise indeed!

Rules of the Wild by Francesca Marciano



Rules of the wild tells the story of Esme, an Italian immigrant now living in Kenya, and her struggle to fit in there, to find herself, and the love she feels for two very different men. The fact that the author herself is also an Italian now living in Kenya shows and brings the descriptions in the book to life. The writing style did take me a while to get into, but once I got used to it, it was fine. The ending, while not the happy ending I was hoping for, felt hopeful even if it was ambiguous and fit the tone of the story. So despite it not being a fairy-tale ending, I ended up liking it quite a lot.

However, a lot of the story is about looking back, and Esme reflecting on her life and how things all went wrong. Esme is a fairly passive character and that combined with the lack of forward movement in the story made the whole book feel very passive. I didn’t like that very much.

All in all, this was an ok book. It didn’t shine for me, although the immigrant lifestyle was very well depicted, as were all the different aspects of Africa. That, for me, made the book more worth reading than the whole story about Esme.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks and the same to you!

One more before I go on vacation:

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (5 stars)

Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family – a wife and four daughters – on a mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

The Poisonwood Bible is narrated by Orleana Price and her daughters, who are all very different people with their own unique perspective. This gave the book a unique 3-D picture of the situation, both their private situation as the more general situation of the country they live in which is in turmoil. Right from the beginning I knew things were going to go wrong, and as the book followed the family as things slid from bad to worse without them knowing it, it seems, until it was too late. Every time there was a point at which they could turn things around I was hoping they would, but didn’t really expect it.

What I liked very much was that the story continued after the main happenings in the Belgian Congo, that it showed how the events there affected the family for decades afterwards and how they ended up living their lives. That, for me, was perhaps the best part of the book.

All in all, this was a heavy book (both in subject as in size), but very, very good. It will stick with me for a good long while and I highly recommend it!

*************

I'll update my list until the end of the year when I get back on Jan 2nd!

A quick, quick update, just a list of the books I read in the last few days of the year. Reviews can be found on the book pages.

74. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
75. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
76. Experience the Tower of London by Sarah Kilby
77. Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy
78. Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy
79. Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs
80. A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow

You were busy! I've read three of those; I'm working on getting caught up on Hyzy's White House chef series slowly. I'll probably read the second and maybe the third this year.

I always find plenty of time to read when I'm away from home and thus away from the internet :D