Jasmyn's 2010 Reads

Well, we're off again. It's looking like I will be able to make the goal of 75 in 2009 so I'm signing up again for 2010. I plan on making a dent in my TBR list (up to over 500 just since I started actually writing them down last year) and going through some of my old favorites here to get more accurate reviews and ratings up.

Good luck everyone!

1. Seahorses Are Real by Zillah Bethell
2. Dear Mr. Unibomber by Ray Cavanaugh
3. The Heart of the Buddha by Elsie Sze - touchstone refuses to stay where I put it, so I took it off
4. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
5. Wicked by Beth Henderson - no touchstone that I could get to work for the title
6. Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
7. Dark Alley by Evan Marshall
8. Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
9. Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo
10. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
11. The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
12. Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King
13. A Marriage By Chance by Carloyn Davidson
14. Just After Sunset by Stephen King
15. Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter
16. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
17. War of the Twins by Margaret Weis
18. Dark Seduction by Brenda Joyce
19. Alexander the Great by John Gunther
20. Kiss of Darkness by Heather Graham
21. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
22. House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods two in one by Robert Liparulo
23. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander
24. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
25. Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

26. The Link by Colin Tudge
27. A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel by Mel Starr
28. Shades of Gray by Wendy Douglas
29. Twilight Phantasies by Maggie Shayne
30. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
31. Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
32. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
33. Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart
34. The Bhagavad-Gita translated by Barbara Stoler Miller
35. Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander
36. The Magic of Krynn by various authors
37. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
38. The Bride Fair by Cheryl Reavis
39. Through the Dark Woods by Joanna Swinney
40. The Sword by Bryan M. Litfin
41. Kender, Gull Dwarves, and Gnomes by various authors
42. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
43. Rumors by Anna Godbersen
44. Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin
45. The Drifter by Lisa Plumley
46. The Judge by Egan Yip
47. Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
48. The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer
49. Nightshade by Ronie Kendig
50. Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan

51. Mothers and Other Liars by Amy Bourret
52. The Red Siren by Marylu Tyndall
53. 8235152::The Blue Enchantress by Marylu Tyndall
54. 9133427::The Raven Saint by Marylu Tyndall
55. Karma Bites by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
56. The Writing Circle by Corrine Demas
57. The Keening by A. LaFaye
58. Love Remains by Kaye Dacus
59. It Started With a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech
60. The Season by Sarah MacLean
61. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
62. Hero Wanted by Dan McGirt
63. Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
64. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
65. Alien Revealed by Lilly Cain
66. The Panther's Lair by Esmerelda Bishop
67. The Clouds Beneath the Sun by Mackenzie Ford
68. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
69. Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris
70. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
71. Salome at Sunrise by Inez Kelley
72. Wings in the Night Part 1 by Maggie Shayne
73. The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike
74. Motor City Fae by Cindy Spencer Pape
75. The Bloodgate Guardian by Joely Sue Burkhart
76. Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator by janninell::Janni Nell
77. 10190467::Tempting the Enemy by Dee Tonorio
78. Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul
79. 883::Dracula by Bram Stoker
80. Vixen by larkinjillian::Jillian Larkin
81. The Next Queen of Heaven by Gregory Maguire
82. The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox
83. A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez
84. Valley of Dry Bones by royalpriscilla::Priscilla Royal
85. 39958::My Lord Jack by tarrhope::Hope Tarr
86. Betrayed by Claire Robyns
87. Chasing Silver by Jamie Craig

Welcome back!

Glad to see you with us again in 2010, Jasmyn!

Heavens, Ms. 9, I thought I'd lost you!

>7 richardderus: Well I'm glad you found me Richard. I wouldn't want to have you wandering around looking for too long.

Yes, the sniveling and the constant whimpers of "where is my 9siekins?" worked the nerve of just about everyone in the Challenge.

Ah hah... found and starred you.

I used to feel guilty about my stack of TBR books--until I joined LibraryThing and realized that my 50 or so is relatively nothing. 500, huh? I think that's almost as many books as I currently have listed in my entire library! Haha, good luck this year. ;)

1. Seahorses Are Real by Zillah Bethell

A provoking story of Marly and her fiance David. Marly is "damaged" inside and can't seem to find a way to be fixed. David is her lifeline and her outlet of anger and disappointment (in a very bad way). She nags, yells, demeans, and damages him thoughout the story only to regret it seconds later. The pages took the reader into Marly's mind and thoughts as she struggled with, what appears to be, depression and abuse, although they are never named.

4/5

Hmmm... I think I can safely say I'm not attracted to this book so far. What is it about Marly that has David stay engaged to her ?

David loves Marly. David wants to help Marly fix herself. There were good times in the past that are reference to, but the book seems to focus on the falling apart period.

2. Dear Mr. Unibomber by Ray Cavanaugh

I requested this book from the Members Giveaway program because I thought it would be more about the history of the Unabomber. It is a series of letters written to him after he was imprisoned. However, most of the letters center around the author and his lack of faith in the system and life itself. While mildly entertaining, it was not what I had been expecting at all.

2/5

May I just mention, dear Ms 9, that I am deeply and heart-feltedly grateful to you that I don't have to add a single title to my wishlist yet? You rock! Keep up the good work, and I'll spring for a birthday present!

I'm only 40 pages into The Heart of the Buddha by Elsie Sze and it's amazing so far. You've contributed so much to my wish list I would feel bad not returning the favor.

3. The Heart of the Buddha by Elsie Sze

Marian and Ruth may be twin sisters, but they do not always see eye to eye. Such is the case when Marian decides to go to Bhutan, a small country near India, to work in their library for 6 months. During her time in Bhutan something happens to Marian. After a frantic call home from Bhutan to Ruth, several weeks after she was supposed to be back, Ruth decides to go find her twin sister. Her search leads her all across the small country and into neighboring countries as well as she tries to put the last few weeks of her sister's whereabouts together.

Marian and Ruth are both very richly developed characters. They are subject to the whims of their very unique emotions and viewing the country of Bhutan (which I admit to never having heard of before), through both their eyes was fascinating. It was a country rich in culture as well as people. It was also a wonderful look into the Buddhist religion for me.

Throughout the book, you will read of two separate journeys that while vary drastically follow the same path...through love, life, faith, and family.

4/5

Whiplash... that's what I got watching Dear Mr Unibomber fly past my wish list and not make a landing.

On the other hand, the Elsie Sze book has definitely found its target and sounds like something I need to read

#18: That one looks good. Into the BlackHole it goes!

Oh drat. Blast. Phooey. *grumbles off to wishlist*

I am a complete sucker for all things Bhutani.

You mean you've actually heard of Bhutan before? I almost thought it was a made up place until I Googled it.

The culture there does sound fascinating. And the scenery...if it's anything like the book describes, I want to go see it.

I just heard that we're expecting a "big" snowstorm tonight. Estimates are currently at 6-12 inches. Everyone cross your fingers for the college I work at closing down for the day so I can bury myself under a blanket and three cats with a book.

Thank goodness that LT says I won't like The Heart of the Bhudda at all, because you made it sound good! ;-) Nice review!

It's 35F and sunny here again. I love this. Y'all can have the big snows, no charge, that Long Island ordinarily would get; anything to help a pal get more reading time!

Well, so much for our 6-12 inches...we got more like 4 so I'm stuck going to work today. Sometimes I wonder how the weather people come up with these crazy forecasts.

36F, sunny, light breeze. I could get used to this.

Holy Gift Ceftificates Batman!!! (Ya, I'm a dork)

I didn't realize how many books I had managed to pick up with my Christmas gift certificates until I added the most recent installment to the piles. All told there were one bubble envelope and three boxes this week!!

In addition to the Prydain series that came earlier this week the following titles are now earerly awaiting me.

Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart I read one further into the series earlier and thought I'd give another one a try.
Through the Dark Woods by Joanna Swinney A LT recommendation, but I can't remember from who.
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr Third installment in a series that I quite enjoy.
Rumors by Anna Godbersen Second in a series that held my interest enough to see what happened next.
Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin Fourth in a trilogy (?).
The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox Recommended on a blog that I follow.
The Magician of Hoad by Margaret Mahy Another LT recommendation from before I was tracking them.
The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz Fourth in a fantastic vampire series.
Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell A new book by an author I've come to adore.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini After reading The Kiterunner I just had to try another by this author.

Well, that's about it for the recent shipment...There are still 8 other books from Christmas waiting for me as well. I have requests out for a gift of a new bookcase or two.

WOW.

That's what we here in Old-Man's-Land call a buttload o' books!

4. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

A group of us on the LibraryThing 75 challenge thread are reading the Chronicles Prydain this year. We started in January with the first book, The Book of Three. The first book in the Chronicles of Prydain didn't hold up to the second, The Black Cauldron, which I read many times when I was younger, it was a favorite. Perhaps these many reads of the sequel are what lead to me not quite enjoying it as much as I would have. We are introduced to quite a cast of characters. Our main being Taran, the assistant pig keeper, and his pig, Hen Wen (I love that name, I wonder if it means anything).

Taran meets up with an odd assortment of companions in the form of the annoying (at least to him) girl Eilonwy, and the bard, Fflewddur. They find themselves rushing to beat the bad guy, The Horned King, to the castle so they can warn the good guys about the attack. The story is enjoyable and easy to follow, but occasionally moved a little too fast for me. I could tell the author was trying to convey a feeling, but he moved on before it had sunk in. Overall I'm glad I read this book, and look forward to reading the sequel, The Black Cauldron, again next month.

3.5/5

Congratulations on the haul, Jasmyn!

I'm very excited about them, but it makes me nervous about how well I'll do reading 25 for the Books of the Shelf Challenge. I'll get easily distracted by all the new shinies.

I feel like a slacker commenting 15 messages later (it's been less than a week), but I liked your review of Buddha. I used to travel internationally for my job, and I still love reading about new cultures (I did know about the EXISTENCE of Bhutan, but know nothing ABOUT Bhutan).

FYI - In this current page update/version, your touchstone for that title is mis-directing (I notice mine change on occasion).

Thanks for letting me know the touchstone wasn't going in the right direction. I'll try and get it fixed when I get home tonight.

Wicked by Beth Henderson

Lilly Renfrew has just witnessed a murder. She doesn't care it if was "just" a prostitute...to her it is still another human being. A small gasp betrays her and the murderer realized he's been watched leading to a chase through the Barbary Coast area and directly into Deegan Galloway's arms.

Deegan has been bored...he wants adventure, and when the little wren, Lilly, stumbles into his arms trying to escape from a man chasing her, he is quick to oblige. Once he hears her story he decides to join in the hunt for the murderer.

While this is labeled a Romance, and it does have a few steamy scenes in it, it was more of an action/mystery in my opinion. The hunt for the murderer leads to all manner of unusual circumstances and list of highly unlikely suspects. The author does a wonderful job of keeping the true bad guy's identity a secret until almost the very end, which I admire a lot.

Lilly and Deegan are both wonderful characters that are struggling to realize who they really are underneath. Their journey together is fun to follow and I truly enjoyed watching them become who they really were.

3/5

Several of my touchstones are not going to the right place, I will try and get them fixed later tonight.

Hmmm...I think auntie has this one...I'll have to check. Tnx, 9 dear.

Ok, got some of the touchstones corrected before LT decided it didn't want me to change any more.

6. Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart

Bailey Ruth has been sent back from Heaven once again. This time her mission is to watch over a little boy named Kieth, the long lost grandson of a quite wealthy, and very ill, woman named Susan. When Susan turns up dead, a result of foul play, after announcing that she was leaving everything to her recently found grandson, there are many suspects, as many were remembered in her original will. It is up to Bailey Ruth to try and discover the identity of the murderer and keep little Keith safe, all while not breaking the Precepts that she was ordered to follow when she was sent from Heaven

This was supposed to be a Christmas read for me, since the events in the story all happen around Christmas time, but I didn't quite get to it in time. The story was a little hard for me to get into at first. The reader is introduced to a slew of potential hiers to Susan's fortune right off the bat, and it took me awhile to get them all sorted out. Once I had and the action picked back up, I was very happy with the pace of the book. The author kept the identity of the killer a secret until the very end, at least she kept it secret from me.

Bailey Ruth bothered me a bit. I understand that her character is a bit like an angel, having been sent down from heaven and all, but she was a bit of a goodie-goodie at times. Her only saving grace was that she did occassionally break the rules she was supposed to follow while on earth. This is the second book written about Bailey Ruth and I have added the first to my wish list to see if I warm up to her a little bit more.

3/5

Six books already in the new year? Good going, Jasmyn!

I find myself with a little more reading time than I did last year. In December I graduated with my Associates degree and will not going back to start on my Bacherlor's degree until fall semester. It's leaving me tons more reading time!

Good for you!

7. Dark Alley by Evan Marshall

A sanitation worker named Garry is found murdered in an alleyway. His supervisor Anna decides that the police aren't doing enough and begins to investigate on her own. A few days later another body is found...then another...and another. The killer is nicknamed the "Mews Murderer" and the police seem to be chasing their own tails as Anna tries everything she can to discover who the killer is before they can strike again.

To start with, I have to say that I loved the character of Anna. She was intelligent and thought through the facts coming up with some interesting points of view...some of which lead her the right direction and which lead her away. Her cop boyfriend, however, seemed to be in the story only as a way for her to get into the crime scenes. It would have been nice to see more from him, he seemed to have a lot of potential that was never used.

The mystery itself was well laid out and presented. I managed to guess the murderer early on, but I think it was just a lucky guess. We follow Anna as she interviews persons of interest and looks for clues. There were a few spots where the dialog was a little choppy or drawn out as she was asking people the same questions one after another.

Even though I had somehow managed to guess the culprit, the reasons behind his actions do not become clear until the very end. The story wrapped up very suddenly, and I would have liked to see it take more than just a couple pages. I was a bit rushed for my taste.

Overall, the book was very enjoyable and I had a hard time putting it down. If you are a mystery fan you will enjoy the story.

3/5

Onto the wishlist it goes, thanks for the very helpful review, Jasmyn!

Couldn't help but chuckle at your observation that "her cop boyfriend, however, seemed to be in the story only as a way for her to get into the crime scenes". So I guess he wasn't doing too much to help solve the murders huh?

I kept waiting for him to become more of a character and not just another cop in the story, but it never happened. The book is part of a series so perhaps he develops more in others.

8. Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The first in the Legends Trilogy from the realms of DragonLance. The series starts up several years after the Chronicles Trilogy. We are revisited by three old friends, the twins, Raistlin and Caramon, and the kender, Tasslehoff.

The war has changed all of them over the short time since its conclusion and the world feels at peace. But some feel otherwise, such as the cleric, Crysania, a new character that is introduced.

Raistlin has grand plans, more ambitious than anyone suspects, but he needs help. Through his manipulations, the group finds themselves magically transported to a previous age...the age of the Cataclysm where all will be forced to make the difficult choice between their lives or their soul.

The book follows the characters back in time, allowing the reader to see a point in the world's history that was often mentioned in the previous series. In the distant time the stage is set for a battle between ambitious evil and pure goodness. The first book ends with such a cliff hanger that I just about screamed because it took so long to go grab the next one off my shelves.

5/5

Good review, Jasmyn ... damn...another trilogy. I'm getting bogged down now with alot of books in a series. Do I really need to add another one to the already teetering pile? *self-control wavering.....*

Oh this is far more than a trilogy. I've been reading the series for years. There are about 15 or 16 trilogies that I know of that are written in this fantasy world. They are soooo amazing though. The characters and the stories are all amazing. As part of my Books Off the Shelf Challenge, I'm rereading all of the ones I have.

9. Tell Me Something True by Leilo Cobo

Gabriella lives in two worlds, with her dad in California most of the time, and a few precious weeks with her grandmother in Colombia. Her next trip to visit will become memorable in many ways, beginning with finding her mother's diary, a book the shows a whole new side to Helena, Gabriella's mother that passed away when she was young. Gabriella is trying to decide what to do with her life and who she really is. Her trip to Colombia introduces her to a new side of life, a dangerous and secretive side.

The story is told through the eyes of both mother and daughter, their stories beginning to run parrallel as Helena discovers a new life, and Gabriella discovers the beginning of hers. Both women are fascinating and fun, a joy to read about.

4/5

#49: That one looks good. I will see if I can find a copy. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

10. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

Alex Cross is a well known detective, known for solving difficult cases, but when the phone rings at his birthday party, he finds himself in the midst of his wildest case ever. A case that involves the grisly murder (I'm glad they didn't give more detail than they did) of his estranged niece. The investigation is full of loops and twists and eventually leads him into the highest profile case he's ever had, with ties that seem to go all the way to the White House.

This is my first Alex Cross book, and I really enjoyed reading it. He is a fantastic character that many will be able to relate to. The death of his niece isn't the only tragedy he faces in this book, and the way he handles all the blows that come his way was very touching. He is the type of person I would want to have as a friend.

The only complaint I have about the mystery solving itself was there were a couple "hand of God" moments. Things seemed to break in the case at just the right time without any action on Alex's part. This held true especially in the case of the ending, where all leads seemed to die out when miraculously something happened. Up until that point, the crime solving was done quite nicely...calling in old friends, dropping words in the ears of the right people, and good old fashioned foot work.

There were a couple times the story dragged, and this coupled with the final clue, caused it to lose the 1/2 star. I would still recommend the story to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

3.5/5

#51: Yep, I definitely need to catch up to the Alex Cross series again :)

This was the first one I've read from the series, but I've added the first to my wish list to see if I want to read the whole thing or not.

11. The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

The secret year is a story about living in the past. For a year, Colt and Julia were having a secret affair. She was from a rich family, had rich friends, and they all tended to look down on the people that lived in the area Colt lived in. Until a chance meeting down at the river changed everything. Now Julia is dead and Colt finds himself unable to publicly mourn her, because no one has any idea that they even knew each other. To top it all off, Colt feels that he is partly responsible for the car accident that killed her.

Colt finds himself in the possession of a journal that Julia wrote the year they were "together". He finds himself reliving the moments they shared and unable to truly move forward. As he lives in the past, the rest of the world is moving forward with or without him. He struggles to let go and find a place where he belongs again

The characters struggled with all the typical teenage issues, which were only compounded by the loss of Julia. At times I felt bad for Colt and others I thought he was acting like a spoiled brat. We learn about Julia through the journal entires that Colt reads, and she becomes a character that many could relate to. The story was touching and I breezed through it in two sittings. I had to make myself put it down the first night because it was 2am and I really needed to sleep.

4/5

arrghhh....good review, Jasmyn.... now I need to read it to find out what happens to Colt.

There was a period where I was reading those Alex Cross books almost back to back. Have not been back in a while but I am glad to hear that Patterson has not sullied up Cross. I have stayed away from Patterson for sometime because I felt like he was getting a bit formulaic and churning out book after book.

Wicked sounds like a nice guilty pleasure.

12. Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King

In interesting look at the Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi. A man who was known for his temper, holding grudges, and his wonderful and imaginative designs not only in architecture but ways to make the building of them easier. It was interesting to read how designs were selected and plans carried out "way back then". I can't fully comprehend how anything ever got done. The storyline tended to meaner a bit, which through me off a bit and made it a bit more difficult to follow.

3.5/5

#57: I read one of Ross King's other books and enjoyed it, so I will give that one a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

It's been pretty hectic at work so the reading has slowed down a bit. We're implementing a new software so the financial services area can go paperless and it's turning into quite a bit of work.

A Marriage By Chance by Carolyn Davidson

Chloe Biddleton has a quite a suprise coming with JT Flannery show up on her ranch. He's recently acquired the rights to half her ranch...winning them from her scalawag of a brother in a game of cards. It would be an understatement to say that the Chloe, who has been running the ranch since her father's death, is furious. As the two are trying to get used to their new business arrangement a gang of cattle rustlers show up and starts stealing livestock from several of the ranches in the area...including Chloe's precious Double B. And the suprises keep coming...along with a marriage proposal.

I loved Chloe. She was outspoken and not afraid to voice her opinions. She fights tooth and nail to maintain her place as co-owner of the Double B. JT is a gentleman all the way. A gentleman that sees his future finally lined up before him when he wins the rights to half the ranch. He's ready to settle down and he thinks Chloe will be the best part of it.

The romance takes second stage to the daily goings on at the Double B Ranch, which is why I enjoyed this story so much. The characters interact in a very real way and their emotions come off the page very well. This book was a great read.

4/5

#59: I may have that one hanging around my house somewhere. I will have to investigate . . .

My seven year old daughter wrote her first review today. She found some of my old old Garfield books and has decided that they are quite amusing. I find it amusing to hear her burst out in a fit of giggles while reading a book in bed after lights out.

This is what she had to say:

I liked the part when Garfield wanted to eat everything that is out. I like the part when Garfield slept on Jon's head. I like the part when Garfield is a fat cat. I like the part when Garfield thinks about beeing nice to odie. I don't like the part when Garfield hit's a Grandpa with a flower pot.

Tell your 7-yo she did a great job, Jasmyn!

14. Just After Sunset by Stephen King

I'd like to start by saying that I'm not a big fan of short stories. There never seems to be enough time to develop anything. However, I also love Stephen King, so I found myself reading a book of his short stories thinking that it would probably be ok as one great would more than cancel out the bad. For the most part it was a great book. There were only a couple of the stories that didn't please me as much as they could have...had they been developed and expanded into full size books. So I'll give a short wrap-up of each one, but I don't want to give too much away.

1. Willa was a nice short little story to get the blood flowing and the eyes working. It was sweet and happy with a bit of sadness tossed in for flavor.

2. The Gingerbread Girl is a story of running, and how running can either save you or...well...not save you I guess. A woman finds herself pitted against quite a psycho.

3. Harvey's dream left me with one question....What? I totally missed the point on this one.

4. Rest Stop was one of the best in the book. A look at what would you do if you found yourself in a situation you needed to handle, but weren't sure if you could.

5. Stationary Bike was another excellent one, where imagination meets reality and a man may have gone too far trying to get into shape.

6. The Things They Left Behind was touching and moving, but it left me wondering What? agian. It was well written, but the topic deserved to have more to it than just a short story.

7. Graduation Afternoon is a great start for a book. It reads almost as if King started to write one and then stopped after the first chapter.

8. N. is probably my favorite in the book and actually kept me up late to finish. Good old fashioned Stephen King horror.

9. The Cat From Hell had me laughing, but I don't think I was supposed to. (Richard you will not want to read this one.)

10. The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates is one I hardy even remember reading. A story about moving on and accepting death.

11. Mute was very entertaining if predictable. What happens when you confess your innermost thoughts to a hitchhiker that you think is deaf and mute? Well, let me tell you it isn't what you expect.

12. Ayana reminded a bit of The Green Mile. A story of healing and miracles.

13. A Very Tight Place is probably my second favorite in the book. A good old fashioned suspense about a neighbor that takes his frustrations out on his gay neighbor...but maybe the tables will end up being turned.

So, there you have it. It wasn't a waste of time, but I would have ripped some of those pages out had I been the editor. But if I did that then we wouldn't have the magical number of thirteen stories!

3.5/5

15. Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter

Atlantis exists! It is guarded by a race of shapeshifting dragon of unbeilevable fighting skill and hunkiness (even if they do sprout scales when provoked). Darius is the head man...er dragon, and is entrusted with guarding the portal that separates our world from his. His duty is to slay everyone that comes from our side and he takes his duty seriously, never letting any pass. Then one day Grace stumbles through and something changes. He breaks his sacred vow for the first time, intrigued by the fiery red head that dares to defy him.

But this isn't the only change heading towards Darius. As he runs around after Grace, trying to keep her from getting killed by the other dragonmen, he discovers that she isn't the only human in Atlantis after all. There is a second portal, guarded by his mentor and father-figure that becomes strangely silent, and suddenly Grace finds herself caught in the middle of a battle to save a world that most still think is mere myth and legend.

As Grace and Darius rush to save not only Atlantis, but all the people they hold dear, they find themselves plunged into a very heated romance. And wow...do I mean heated. This is not a book for any who blush easily. While the romance plays second fiddle to the fight for Atlantis, it is definately there and wants you to know it!

Grace is a fantastic female character. Not only is she not stick thin and model georgous, she actually has a head on her shoulders and isn't afraid to fight to get what she wants and protect those she cares about. It isn't suprising that Darius struggled to resist her.

Darius is a lean mean fightig machine...with the additional abitilities you would commonly associate with dragons as well. While his character is hard and ferocious, we occasssionally are allowed glimpses into the inner-Darius and can easily see why Grace would fall head over heals for him.

This is the first book in the Atlantis series by Gena Showalter and I have the next two sitting in my filing cabinet drawer (I ran out of room on the TBR shelf) and I can harldy wait til their turn comes up to read more about this fascinating new world, Atlantis.

4/5 (would have been more, a bit too steamy in places for me)

#64: Heart of the Dragon sounds like one I would enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander

The evil Lord Arawn is creating mindless, undieing cauldron-born. The familiar companions from The Book of Three join forces with the greatest lords of the land with a plan to steal the cauldron and destroy it. Plans like this never seem to go well, and this one seems to be foiled from the very beginning. We are intruduced to a handful of new characters, I'm not sure if they will continue throughout the rest of the series or not.

I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series. Alexander has slowed the pace down, without losing momentum. I felt like I was able to settle into the scenes and enjoy them before I was suddenly rushed on. It gave many of the scenes more of a atmosphere that I enjoyed very much. I also felt as if I was able to get to know the characters much better by being able to listen to conversations.

I think that my favorite character this time around, has to be the dwarf, Doli. He was honorable, brave, complaining, and funny. Everything that a real person seems to have in varying degrees. I was glad to see that Taran had developed and grown, as has Eilonwy. The two still argue almost non-stop, but you can see that they have learned to rely on each other for advice and guidance.

I can't wait to read the third book. The series is exciting and I look forward to seeing how the furture pans out for everyone.

4/5

17. War of the Twins by Margaret Weis

There's not much more you could ask for from a second book in a series. We return to the watch the brothers Caramon and Raistlin Majere in the next step in their adventures through time. Only now things are really starting to get interesting. Crysania and Tasslehoff haven't gone anywhere...in fact all four friends seem to be going everywhere and everywhen! We travel backwards and forwards through time as they desperately try to alter the past and there's even a trip or two into the depths of the the Dark Queen's realm, The Abyss.

As this story of loyalty and betrayal comes to a point at the end of this book and I can't wait to dive into the next. Throughout the building up of the atmosphere, our characters continue to develope and progess, although if they are going in the right direction is still up for discussion. After all, what would a pure cleric of good be doing working with the black robed evil mage?

4.5/5

#67: I note that this is the middle book of a trilogy, but part of the larger Dragonlance series. Do you have to read the Dragonlance series in total to appreciate this trilogy?

No, the DragonLance series is a world that several authors have written shorter 3 to 6 book series within and somehow manage to maintain a comprehensive time line. This series can be stand alone, but you may understand the characters of Caramon and Raistlin, as well as a few off hand references they make, better if you read The Chronicles first (another of my old favorites). The Chronicles tells the story of the brothers and a group of their friends during the war that happens several years before Legends.

Both of these trilogies are two of the best in the overall series. And, from my understanding, the Legends trilogy was the second set written, a couple years after Chronicles, so it's a great place to jump in.

Chronicles (reviews are most likely on my 2009 thread)
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning

Legends (see above for reviews - third review coming soon.)
Time of the Twins
War of the Twins
Test of the Twins

ETA: I'm in the process of re-reading all I have of the series as a portion of my Books Off the Shelf Challenge. Once I've done that, I'd like to catch up on the parts of the overall series I'm missing.

OK, thanks for the help, Jasmyn. I had already put the books of the Chronicles in the BlackHole. Unfortunately, my local library does not have all the books of the Chronicles. It does, however, have all the books of the Legends trilogy.

Just wait until I delve into the Forgotten Realms. It's a world similar, yet far different than Dragonlance with sooo many good series in it.

I visited my local used bookstore and found the 3 books of the Chronicles (even though I am not supposed to be buying books), so I am set to read the Chronicles before the Legends now.

I think you will really enjoy them. I'm curious to see who your favorites are going to be.

18. Dark Seduction by Brenda Joyce

Once I started reading this, I thought for sure I wasn't going to like it. The overall story is about a group of super-men, called Masters, that are descendants of the old gods. Ok, so far not too bad, but there's a catch. One of their many powers is the power to mesmerize women and have their way with them (this is a romance), and if they lose control, or if they are just super evil bad guys, they can drain their sexual partner of life and use it to temporarily give them more power. This was the part that had me a little too wierded out...even for a paranormal story.

The saving grace....the characters and the story itself. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you dropped a modern day single and independant woman into the medieval ages? Well, I actually have, and this book dips right into all the what if's you could possibly ask for. As our leading lady Claire finds herself in the far far ago Highlands, she finds herself ordered around and considered as nothing more than eye candy and mother material. Claire, who is used to taking care of herself in the big city is constantly at odds with the super men Masters that are smothering her.

Our main man is also the primary smotherer (is that a word?). Malcolm is flabbergasted to find that Claire just won't meekly run off and do as he orders (yes orders) her to do. There are quite a few interesting arguments about time periods and what she should be allowed to do. Well, they were interesting at first and then they got a bit boring and repetitive.

So off our two mains go to hunt down the evil Master, that is actaully hunting them. There are a few twists and turns along the way, and we find more and more about the past of our two stars and how they are linked in so many more ways that you think at first. If you can get your mind over or around the 'I'm going to have sex with you, but I may steal your lifeforce' part of the book, you will find a great medieval romance along with a fascinating tale of fighting the not only the evil around you, but the evil within you as well.

3.5/5 (I havent decided if I'm going to continue the series or not)

19. Alexander the Great by John Gunther

This is an old school book that I acquired from my grandparents (I think). While it introduces the history of Alexander the Great in a wonderful young adult novel fashion, I was suprised at the moral lessons that included. The book clear state that certain personality traits were "evil" or "wrong" and others were "ideal", In one instance they even pointed out that drunk people have boring conversation. Not only did I learn a little about Alexander's life, I had a few chuckles along the way.

3/5

haha.... clearly John hasn't met some of my friends who have the funniest conversations when drunk. ;-)

20. Kiss of Darkness by Heather Graham

Vampires abound in this book...vampires of all types, including the so powerful Master. He is back at full strength and on the hunt. A hunt that starts with wild parties to lure in the innocents and feast. Jessica Fraser finds herself drawn into the Master's schemes in a most unusual way. She is hunting him...but how does she know of his existance and how can she expect to stand a chance against his power. The answer to this lies in an unexpected blast from the past (the very very distant past), in the form of Bryan MacAllister. Who is the man that shows up knowing more than he should at just the right moment?

The book got off to great start. We jump right in and meet Jessica and her group of freinds as she is saying good bye to them. She's going to a conference in Transylvania of all places. The action starts here at one of the Master's notorious parties. After this things began to get a little confusing for me. There is much we don't learn about Jessica until at least half way through the book. And what we don't know isn't explained in a very good way...it's just suddenly tossed out there. It left me with a "what the hell is going on" feeling. I actually went back and reread part because I thought I had missed something.

Once we have this sudden change in our main character under control, things begin to develop rapidly. They develop...and develop...and develop some more. There were at least three times I thought I was reading the final scene only to encounter a "but wait" moment. One, even two of these is fine to throw a surprise the reader's way, but this ended with a few too many.

When the ending finally did come, it seemed very disappointing after all the repeated hype. If the author had worked the ending in about 50 pages sooner, it would have had a fantastic finish. Unfortunately, it just left me feeling a bit let down.

2.5/5

I read this last year and didn't like it either. I'm sorry you shared the same fate.

21. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

An interesting look at time travel. We explore an ancient Egytian religion that possesses powerful magic capable of crossing distance and time. We see just what might happen to modern people if they find themselves suddenly thrust back unprepared to a different time period.

I didn't particularly care for the main character, he seemed very self centered most of the time. I was intrigued enough to continue to follow his adventures through old England and Egypt. The Doctors Romany and Romanelli I found the most interesting. The concepts behind them were great, and their blunders seemed somewhat humorous at times.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was it's brief look into consequences. What happens when we go back in time? Do we change the future? Would we know it if we did...or would our memories corrent themselves since all this has already happened anyways? It's a circular arguement that the book brushed on through most of its pages. I enjoyed it.

4/5

#78 I wish I had been reading more threads last year then...I could have avoided it :)

I'm reading this now, and liking it so far. I like the glimpses into the Egyptian religious practices of old and the consequences of time travel.

#79: I am about done with my second time around on The Anubis Gates and enjoying it as much this time as I did the first (back in 2008). I am glad you liked it too, Jasmyn.

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! I was just notified that I will be getting my first Early Review book from the librarything monthly sign up!!!! I'm soooo excited....

...in case you couldn't tell.

I'm struggling through Mrs Dallowy, I just can't seem to fall into Virginia Woolf's style for some reason, so I decided to finish off a two for one book that my grandmother left me to read over Christmas.

22. House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo

I'll try to split this between the two stories, but they flow together so seamlessly that I didn't realize I'd started the second book until I noticed I was reading another chapter 5.

In the first book, House of Dark Shadows, we are introduced to the King family, mom, dad, little sister Toria, middle son David, and oldest son Xander (Alexander). They are on the way to Pinedale, where dad has just gotten a new job as principle in a school there. None of the kids are overly thrilled about the move...but kids are rarely happy about leaving everything they know behind. They move into an old run down house on the outskirts of town...and this is where things get interesting.

The house seems to play games with sight and sounds. You'll hear someone talking upstairs only to find out they're in the room right next to you. Not only that...there is a hallway lined with doors. Doors that take you to another place and time.

I loved all the kids....wasn't too fond of the parents. The story moves quickly and keeps you interested. You follow Xander and David primarily, and it's wonderful to see the world through the eyes of children again. Everything seems fresh and new, even if I know it really isn't. The story hooks you very early on and drags you along happily through all the adventures.

Warning: There may be very minor spoilers since this is about the second in the series

In the second book, Watcher in the Wood, the family is dealing with the disappearance of their mother, the strange appearance of a man intent on getting them out of the house by any means necessary, and a meadow that seems to take all their cares away for awhile. Secrets are revealed and feelings are hurt. I wonder if these will cause permanent damage to relationships later on, so far it's an open door to go either way.

Xander, David, Toria, and their father are all eager to jump in and help find their mother, who has disappeared through one of the portals. However, they all have their own idea of how it should be done sparking arguements, more lies, more secrets, and a few near death experiences. The pace of the story continues in a way that I could hardly tell that one book and ended and the next had started.

Two new characters are also introduced. The creepy man that is bound and determined to get the Kings out of the house, and a mysterious old man that is desperate to find a way to get there. I have the third in my cabinet waiting for me, and I just may need to move it forward in my reading list a little. They leave you with quite a cliff hanger!

4/5 for both.

#83: I was the same way when I found out about my first ER book. Congratulations!

Jasmyn,

What did you win?

I'll be getting A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel by Melvin Starr.

#87: I look forward to your review. I have never read anything by that author.

23. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander

Prinecess Eilonwy has been sent off to train to become a lady. Taran and faithful Gurgi accompany her and what is expected to be a peaceful voyage and farewell. Of course, things never work out the way they seem. Achren, the enchantress, is back and up to no good. Then one day the Princess goes missing.

The companions find themselves together once again on a hunt to find the Princess Eilonwy before Achren can cause her harm. Along the way we meet my favorite minor character in the book....a very large feline. She's wonderful, and reminded me of my own cats.

The book overall is a great story. I'll be holding onto it so that I can read it with my daughter in a couple years.

4/5 stars

24. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

I just couldn't finish this book. I made it up to just after page 100 and had to put it down. The only person I was able to enjoy was the crazy guy. I'll set it aside for now and perhaps take it up again later for another shot.

1/5

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy Mrs. Dalloway. I haven't read that one yet, but I'm a Virginia Woolf fan, myself.

Hopefully you like your next read a bit more!

I'm thinking that since I've been in a bit of a fantasy kick lately that I just wasn't in the right mood for that type of story with Mrs Dalloway. I've put it back into my TBR stack at home and will visit it again when I might be more open to it.

#92: I am a 'moody' reader too, Jasmyn, so sometimes it just does not matter what the book is if I am not in the mood for it, I am not going to read it. I do hope you come back to Mrs. Dalloway when you are ready. It is worth the read IMO.

I finished the final book in the Legends of the Twins trilogy last night. I hope to have my review up this evening. I'm still basking in the glow of such a fantastic finish that I'm not sure what to say yet.

#94: 'Basking in the glow' sounds very good. I am looking forward to your review, Jasmyn.

25. Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The third and final book of the Legends trilogy finishes off the series with quite the epic conclusion. Raistlin and his brother Caraman, Tasslehoff, and Lady Crysania have split ways. Raistlin and Lady Crysania enter the abyss to do battle with the dark queen, Takhisis. Meanwhile Caramon and Tasslehoff are thrust forward in time to bear witness to the effects of Raistlin and Crysania's actions. Not particularly liking what they see, they rush back to the present to try and change the future and save the world they love.

This volume is a fast paced epic conclusion that keeps you turning pages up until the very end. All four are faced with decisions that, if made incorrect, could lead to the end of the world. The end shows us that not everything is at it seems, and that people will suprise up until the very last. The only way for a hero to save this day is make an ultimate sacrifice for eternity. Who will be the one willing to give everything they have and could have to stop the end of time?

I am continuely amazed at the characters in these books. They come to life in a way that is seen so rarely. They become your friends and family. You cheer when they succeed and would do anything to stop them from making the mistakes they do. Their development is so seamless and natural that I am continually surprised to find they are not real. As this part of their story ends, we look forward with what is rest of the world to better days, and grieve for those that were lost along the way.

5/5

#96: Sounds like another terrific book I need to get to some time. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

26. The Link by Colin Tudge

In interesting look at a spectacular fossil found at a dig site in Germany called the Messel Pit. The fossil is believed to be one of the "missing links" in the evolution of humans. While it would have been nice to hear more in the book about the fossil itself, the book did give a wonderful history of a period in ancient history called the Eocene. It explored several different theories of evolution branches that could have potentially lead to humans.

Overall a very informative book. My only complaint was the lack of more information on the fossil, Ida, herself.

3.5/5

27. A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel by Mel Starr

This is a murder mystery set in the small are of Bampton in old England. We follow our detective, Master Hugh de Singleton, as he tries to solve the case of a brutal murder. A man has been found with his throat slashed in the bushes near the road leading the St. Andrew's Chapel. While investigation the murder, he uncovers an unusaul trail of related crimes that lead to quite a stunning conclusion.

While I was able to guess several of the details before they were explained by Hugh. However, as the story is written by Hugh himself as a chronicle of his investigation, he often informs the reader that something turned up to be important, but he did not realize it at the time of the discovery. The case leads the reader on quite a merry chase through the little town, introducing us to many of the residents. Starr's writing brings these people and their town to life through the eyes of Hugh as he struggles to find the trail of the killer.

The writing was nice and liesurly, carrying you through the book at a steady pace as Hugh lays the groundwork for everything to come together. On the down side, I found very little to feel suspense about. Since it was written as a chronicle by Hugh after the fact, there were many insights and thoughts included. I got a little tired of hearing how badly he wanted to find a wife, the subject was dwelt on too many times and too often. I can hardly imagine that a man investigating such a grisly murder would have much time to complain to himself about his lack of a wife.

I have added earlier chronicles to my wish list, but they are not near the top. The story was engaging but needed to have that moment of suspence to make it a little more exiting for me.

3/5

Hi all,

Does anyone know how I can e-mail Carolyn Davidson?

Oh my goodness! Two months and two early review books! I just saw that I will be getting The Sword: Chiveis Trilogy by Bryan Litfin from the March batch!

#102: Congratulations, Jasmyn!

28. Shades of Gray by Wendy Douglas

Derek Fontaine is running from his past and his family. He is going to claim the ranch in Texas that was given to him by his recently deceased uncle. He does not expect an overly warm welcome from the ranch hands, but when he stumbles into cattle rustlers and murder, he's definately in for more than he bargained for.

One of the unexpected things on Derek's new ranch is Amber. His uncle's housekeeper who has stayed on waiting for Derek to arrive hoping that he will allow her to stay. Amber is also running from her past and the nearby town that has shunned her unjustly.

As Derek struggles to bring the ranch back into operation, he develops a deep respect for Amber's hard work and dedication to his Uncle and the ranch. However, will his assumptions about her past tear them apart or bring them back together?

3/5

I'm so very very far behind on threads...there must be thousands I haven't read yet. Going to spend this afternoon catching up, writing a review, finishing The Jane Austen Book Club, and do a write up for my new Nook. I've read exactly one book on it, and I'm surprisingly happy with it!

I've heard some good things about The Jane Austen Book Club and I'll be looking out for your review. Trying to decide if this is something I want to read

29. Twilight Phantasies by Maggie Shayne --- my first ebook on the Nook.

I picked this up as my first book on my new Nook ereader because I somehow got my hands on book 12 in this series and wanted to at least read the first one before reading number twelve. I found it for waaaay to much money online or 2.99 in electronic format...so electronic it was!

Twilight Phantasies is the story of a very special woman named Tamara. Tamara works for a top secret government agency that tracks and studies people with "unusual" abilities. He guardian also works for this agency tracking a vampire named Eric Marquand. Tamara's guardian is quite fanatic in his belief that all vampire's are inherently evil and should be destroyed or made weak so he can study them.

Tamara decides to go ice skating in the middle of the night, she can no longer sleep, and meets the very same man (vampire) that her guardian has been tracking and attempting to capture this whole time. She instantly feels the connection...it's as if their minds were somehow joined.

Needless to say, when her guardian finds out, trouble arises...in many many forms. I throughly enjoyed the story and the characters. The small side plots and characters only brought the main ones to life even more. I've purchased the next couple in the series and I hope they are just as good.

3.5/5

30. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

This is a simple and very real story of a group of friends that decide to get together to read the complete books of Jane Austen. As we listen to their tales and their thoughts on the books, we fall into their lives. Problems that sound so simple become complex as we see them through the people living them.

Readers of any sort will be able to relate to this group of readers. I did find some of what happened to be a bit predictable, but it was in a comfortable sort of way. I've always enjoyed books that about life, and I think this one will be read for years to come.

On a side note, I've ordered the movie from NetFlix to see how well they did it.

4/5 stars

I ordered a copy from Netflix as well just incase because there's a waitlist for this at my library and I'm 4th on the list. Thanks for the review .. I definitely want to read this

Congratulations on your new ereader!

Internet is not liking me here...try again later at home.

Billie says, "I no like mama's e-reader. There's no place for me to sit inside it."

#112: Cute!

Watched the movie The Jane Austen Book Club last night. It was fantastic!! The parts they changed were more than forgivable. The way they incorporated the flashbacks and meetings was not true to the book, but I loved it all the same. The only part that threw me off the most was the looks of the women...I had them pictured totally different than the movie did so it took me a few scenes to get them all straight in my head.

An added bonus....Grigg, the only male book clubber, is quite nice looking - even better than I imagined him.

I need help!!

My daughter (7yr old) saw me reading The Link by Colin Tudge (the story of the fossil Ida) and decided that she wants to read a book about fossils and archeology. I've looked around the local bookstores but haven't been able to find something for her age range. Anyone have any ideas?

I have seen a couple of fictionalized accounts about Paleontologist Mary Anning. An older one from 1991 is called Dragon in the Rocks by Marie Day and a more recent one called Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon by Jeannine Atkins. They may be a challenge for her but worth the effort. I love, love, love hearing about a young girl interested in science. I hope she sticks with it.

Wow, snap! I just watched The Jane Austen Book Club yesterday! I loved it too .. but perhaps because I hadn't read the book. Oddly enough, when I picked up the book at the store, it just didn't seem like something I'd have liked to read, so I left it alone. But I found it on Netflix and as a movie, it seemed whimsical ... It was alot of fun.

30. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

I read this book awhile ago, shortly after it was released in hardcover, and decided to read it again before I picked up the rest of the series. In Wicked, we read about the life of Elphaba, eventually known as the wicked witch of the west. We visit the shocking circumstances of her birth - the first green child ever seen. We follow her as she grows up, a fairly normal childhood, and then leaves for school. While at school she meets the rest of our cast of characters and becomes very politically active. Here is where the book really becomes interesting so I won't say too much more and risk giving too much away.

I actually loved the young Elphaba and enjoyed seeing her grow up and learn. Maguire shows us a side of her story that does not stray from the facts of the original Wizard of Oz, but gives us an alternate viewpoint where evil may not really be so evil. Elphaba is just like any other person in the land of Oz, but gets a bad reputation by standing up to the Wizard and the things he does that she feels are wrong.

Wicked is a quick read with enjoyable characters throughout. While the story is familiar, it is told in a way that makes it seem brand new. I hope to start Son of a Witch soon.

4/5

31. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laura Viera Rigler

Courtney is having a bad couple months. She finds her fiance is a flirt and possible more and her best friend was covering for him. She decided to take solace in some nice hard liquor and a Jane Austen novel. The next morning she wakes to find herself no longer Courtney living in LA, but Jane Mansfield living in England...a long time ago.

As Courtney/Jane struggle to figure out what happened to send her into another time, place, and body...she comes to learn that not everyone is as they seem and first impressions don't usually last.

The story of Courtney as Jane is a wonderful adventure into the world of Jane Austen, full of romance, mistaken intentions, and best friends. The story ends in a somewhat traditional Austen fashion, but is even more wonderful because of it.

4/5

32. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowlings

A collection of 5 short stories about the wizarding world of Harry Potter. These are written in ways that are similar to "muggle" fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood or Cinderella. Each tells the story implying a very valuable moral lesson throughout. All were cute stories, but I think I enjoyed the commentaries by Dumbledore the best.

3/5

#120: I think I enjoyed the commentaries by Dumbledore the best.

I did too.

Me three!

33. Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart

Annie has recently found herself owner of her late uncle's mystery bookstore named Death on Demand. Every Sunday she has a group of mystery writers in as a group to discuss whatever it is mystery writers talk about. This Sunday goes a little different than past ones. One of the writers, Elliot, is speaking on all the dirt he's managed to dig up on all the other group members. But just as Elliot gets started something happens, he ends up dead, and Annie end up the prime suspect.

As Annie and her friend Max rush around the island to find clues to clear her name, several more end up dead. This is where I started losing interest. I have read further books into the series, and enjoyed them. I just could not get into anyone here and the solution seemed somewhat thrown together at the last second. It just wasn't quite my cup of tea.

2.5/3

I have this one near the top of my pile. I'll have to see if I agree.

Since I enjoyed the first book I read from the Death on Demand series, I'm hoping she just developed enough as a writer between #1 and the one I read, that it was just a better book. I'm going to give the series one more book to make it or break it and see what happens.

34. The Bhagavad-Gita translated by Barbara Stoler Miller

I picked this up because it is one of the essential texts of Hindu culture and I enjoy learning the history of culture and religions. This particular text is a series of conversations between the Arjuna (a warrior/prince) and the god Krishna. There are some interesting sections on what is the basis of action is and how we should approach it mentally and overcome our physical desires.

I don't like to rate books that can be viewed as religious texts, so I give them all 3 stars as a rule.

3/5

I'd like to announce a very special guest blogger today...my 7yr old daughter, Alyssa. She thinks is awesome that I write things on the computer that "other people" can see and read. So I had her write a short "This is what I like" type of review about the most recent book we read together.

Ima Nobody Becomes A Somebody by Brenda Poage

I like the part when Ima did not quit when Billy hit her in the head with a volleyball. I like tha part when Ima went to the circus to see the wonder dog. I learned that you never quit something that you start. I learned that you do not be a bully to someone else that doesn't look good. I learned that you fight back when someone is being a bully to you.

Now for my own personal two cents. The book was fast paced and humorous, which is great for a first grader. The names throughout the book are great, such as the gym coach Mr Go-gettum. Ima learns that the best thing you can be is yourself, and that no matter what other people say even a Nobody can still be a somebody.

Good job Alyssa! (and you too, Jasmyn)

Nice review, Alyssa!

Awesome review from both of you!

It's great that you read together but reviewing together is even better!

Awesome review from both of you!

It's great that you read together but reviewing together is even better!

35. Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander

Taran has finally admitted his feeling for the Princess Eilonwy. The problem now is that he doesn't believe that his bloodlines are worthy of her. She is a princess after all, and he is but a lowly assistant pig keeper, a orphan that does not know where he really came from. So he sets of with the ever faithful Gurgi as his companion in a quest to find out who he is.

We are visited by several old friends from previous books in the series and introduced to a handful of new bad guys. I have to say the bad guys are getting better - or more badder? - as the series progresses and more and more inventive plans are needed to foil their plots.

Taran learns much about himself through his journey and learns some very important lessons along the way, with one of the most important being about who he really is. I loved the sorcerer, Morda. It seems all of man's faults are wrapped up quite nicely in one little package. Fflewddur returns with Llyan, such a wonderful friend that manages to save the day at least once. Kaw, the pesky crow shows us that help comes from the least likely places. And of course the faithful Gurgi, the best friend Taran could ever have is along for the ride.

I think this will have to be my favorite so far in the series. With just one more left, The High King, I can't wait to see how everything ends.

4/5

#132: It was my favorite book in the series thus far, too. I am glad you enjoyed it, Jasmyn. I am just sorry there is only one book left.

Ahh, what a great series... glad you're enjoying it!

I like Alyssa's review - more please!

I have a biography of Mary Anning written for slightly older children but don't remember the author. But there must be non fiction books aimed at children with pics of fossils. I don't know who does such books where you are but if Danny wanted a book on a subject I guess I'd see if Dorling Kindersley or Usborne published something attractive with pictures - I think it's the sort of thing where reading age doesn't matter because children can look at it at every now and again over the years.

How about looking up online - natural history museum websites etc - that might lead you to info about suitable books?

36. The Magic of Krynn multiple authors

The Magic of Krynn is the first in a series of books with short stories about the lives of the characters in the previous two trilogies of DragonLance. Some of the stories are about the main characters (the Majere twins) and some give background to some of the more popular side characters that we grew to love as we read the earlier books. This is a set of short stories that can be read as a stand alone, but having read the previous books does enhance all the tales. The short novella at the end written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is a great story. We visit Caramon and his family, his wife and 5 kids. We get a small glimpse into how his life is effecting the relationship with his three sons as they become adults and go to have their own adventures.

My favorite story is probably the one about Tasslehoff Burrfoot, the curious kender who is incapable of fear. Hearing about one of his crazy little adventures is always a treat.

3.5/5

My daughter just found out that she is going to be able to participate in her school's pizza party for meeting her reading goals this school year. She was very excited...needless to say so was I. I love the fact that we can share something as wonderful as a good book and I can't wait until she's reading some of my old favorites so we can compare our thoughts on them together.

#137: Congratulations, Alyssa! (and mom)

*bursts with reflected pride in a reader-mom raising a reader-daughter*

If my girl wasn't a reader, I'd be crushed, so I know how you feel!!

I let her read some of the comments that you guys have left and she's out of her mind with happiness. She says she wants to read more so that she can write more....how awesome is that!

#140: She says she wants to read more so that she can write more....how awesome is that!

That is terrific, Jasmyn!

My small order from bookcloseouts.com came in and since everyone else is sharing, I thought I would, too. Far too many of them are in a series so this order will only add more in the future, I can see it already.

Touched by Venom by Janine Cross
Druid's Sword by Sara Douglass
Adam Runaway by Peter Prince
Outriders by Kathryn Mackel
The Serpent and the Rose by Kathleen Bryan
V: The Original Miniseries by Kenneth Johnson by A.C. Crispin

Nice, Jasmyn! Those should keep you busy for a couple of days, right?

Reading may be a bit slow for the next week or so. Alyssa and I were in a car accident this weekend. We're both doing ok...well she's doing great, has practically forgotten it already. But I'm still a bit sore and reading lines of print makes my head spin after awhile. So I'll have to be sustained by NetFlix for a few days...

I am glad to hear that you two are all right for the most part! Here's hoping that the head spinning stops soon.

Oh yikes... hoping for a full recovery soon. I had a small car accident last month and it took about a week for me to get back to normal... all the best to you, take it easy for a few days :)

Jasmyn,

Glad to hear that you can away from the accident basically unhurt. Just remember cars can be replaced... people can't. We're glad that we didn't lose you.

37. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Finally...a look into Ash's boyfriend, Seth. While this book doesn't necessarily revolve around him, it takes a long, hard, honest look into the relationship between the Summer Queen and her mortal boyfriend. We see how complicated and frustrated both are with the situation. While Ash is immortal, she lives knowing that Seth will age and die and she will be without him for the majority of her life. Seth is terrified of losing Ash to the emotions and needs of her Faery Summer Court, and especially her Summer King.

Seth must find a way to stay with Ash forever, but his options are incredibly limited. To top it all off, Bananach, a faery that craves nothing but war and chaos, has her hands in the pot stirring away, hoping to start an all out war between the factions. Seth finds himself stuck in the middle, being used as a pawn to further various courts desires. Will he make the correct decisions, or will he cause the devastating war that Bananach hopes for?

This volume of Melissa Marr's series was quite intense. Everyone is at everyone else's throats over something. We are also introduced to the High Court, the court that almost never fully leaves the Faery realm. All the characters are forced to make hard decisions, decisions that could effect the balance of things everywhere. I did get a little tired of hearing Seth and Ash complain about their mortal/immortal situation. We realize this upsets you, I don't want to hear about it every 20 pages or so. However. this series just keeps going strong and it sounds like there may be more to come. I certainly hope so!

4/5

38. The Bride Fair by Cheryl Reavis

This story takes place in a Southern town shortly after the Civil War...a town under Union occupation still. The hostilities between the Union army soldiers and the residents is high. That doesn't keep the mothers from trying to marry their daughters off to the ranking officers. With too few men, and too many women, the city is often referred to as a bride fair.

One young lady of marriage age is Maria Markham. Maria's two brothers and her fiance were killed in the war, and her father is quite ill. To help keep the house running they board the highest ranking Union officer in their house, a Colonel Max Woodard. Max has no nice feelings for the town. This is the town where he was kept as a prisoner of war, watching hundreds of his fellow soldiers die, nearly dieing himself. While Max is a fair leader, not allowing his men to take advantage of their situations, he holds no love for the town at all.

I loved the characters in this book. Max and Maria were both so hard headed about things, it reminded me of so many I know today. The prejudices on both sides were fascinating and added an element of danger to the story that was always lingering in the background. Reavis did a fantastic job of setting the stage for Max and Maria.

There were numerous twists and unexpected turns throughout that led up to a perfect ending. Not only must Max and Maria fight to find their own happiness, they are both fighting the strict customs and codes of the times. This would have to be one of my favorite romances so far.

4/5

39. Through The Dark Woods by Joanna Swinney

This is the story of a woman's battle with depression. It started when she was in school and carried into her adult life. She has many wonderful stories of the people that helped, the people that hurt, and how she's emerged a happier person. Many of the things she said made so much sense I'm amazed that everyone didn't already know them. The tips she offers for people suffering from depression and well as well as the ones trying help that with depression, are wonderful. The only down side of this book for me was the constant references to Christianity. I know these may help many people, but as someone that doesn't practice any particular religion, they seemed a bit forced at time. Still a book a would recommend to anyone with depression or anyone that knows someone with depression.

4/5

#149: I will look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

40. The Sword by Bryan M. Litfin

What would happen to the human race if we lost all technology and went back to stone castles, handmade clothes, farming by hand? The people in The Sword show us. There has been a series of tragedies...a disease that wiped out most of the population....a nuclear war....climates gone haywire. A few scattered groups of people survive to rebuild their lives. One of these groups names their land Chiveis. Chiveis is a mostly happy land, surround by wilderness that none dare to enter. But Chiveis has lost the God of the ancients and now worship their own gods in their own way.

Then on day everything changes. It starts with a guardsman, a well known tournament champion, discovers a book of the ancients far from the borders of Chiveis. He brings this book back to share with his friends, Anastasia (a farmer's daughter), Maurice (his friend and mentor), and Shaphan (his student). This small group of people decide to bring the ancient's God back to Chiveis no matter what the cost.

This leads the group into quite a religious struggle with the High Priestess of the current religion who refuses to see a new religion that could potentially take some of her power from her. The group is attacked from without and faces betrayal from withing as they struggle to make sense of this new God and bring his truth to their world.

I loved this book, the plot, the character, the setting...everything. The characters are engaging and interesting. Their lives flow through a world that is well made, beautiful, and at times frightening. The struggles they endure and the choices they make move the story forward is way that draws the reader even further in. I can't wait to see what the second book brings.

4.5/5

Jasmyn, It sounds really interesting. I'll have to add it to my books to investigate which may mean I have to SQUEEEEEZE it in this year. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

41. Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes by various authors including Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Another series of short stories involving the world of Krynn, of which I have many of the series. A perfectly fine stand alone series, the stories are full of humor and adventure. The story Hearth Cat and Winter Wren is my favorite from this selection. Exploring the lives of adventurers as they are turned into animals while trying to save people from an evil wizard.

4/5

#152: That one sounds too good to pass up! Adding it to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

The Sword sounds pretty interesting! Onto the list it goes... nice review, too!

42. Affinity Bridge by George Mann

This story had so many different elements to it...a zombie plague, a ghostly policeman, an airship crash, crazy scientists, and a touch of the paranormal. It was almost too much to keep up with. I can's imagine how Sir Newbury managed to keep up with it all, but somehow he did with the help of his beautiful assistant, Veronica.

The story starts off with the investigation of a glowing policeman that seems to be responsible for several murders. As Sir Newbury begins the investigation he is instead directed, by the Queen herself, to investigate an air ship crash. Somehow all of this and the zombie plague tie together fairly neatly in the end, but in a very odd way.

While I did enjoy reading the story, there were times it seemed to jump around a bit, and I could not find myself truly loving any of the characters. The saving grace, and what piqued my interest, was the final chapter. It just may compel me to give the second book a chance and see what happens.

3/5

#157: I just got The Osiris Ritual yesterday, so I am hoping to give it a read over the summer, Jasmyn. It sounds like I enjoyed The Affinity Bridge more than you did though.

43. Rumors by Anna Godbersen

(minor spoilers if you haven't read the first book, The Luxe)

In the second book of the Luxe series we are focused a bit more on the younger Holland sister Diana. As society reels from Elizabeth's death and speculates on possible alternatives, Diana must grow up quickly to save the family. They are quickly running out of money and things to sell for money. Her best hope is to marry her sister's former fiance, Henry Schoonmaker, who is mourning for Elizabeth. But it isn't a simple as all that. Penelope Hayes, who played a part in Elizabeth's death/disappearance, has her eyes on Henry as well, and she is not afraid to use every underhanded trick she can think of to win him over.

Diana is a girl after my own heart. She mocks society and all it's silliness as she attempts to play along - if only for appearances sake. She loves Henry deeply and passionately, and prays for when it will be considered appropriate for them to leave mourning and become engaged. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Will have settled in California and are looking for oil when a letter from Diana causes enough concern for them to risk returning to New York to try and help, for Elizabeth's mother is quite ill and the financial situation is becoming even more dire.

Penelope is a very mean person (I'd like to use a different phrase, but my daughter reads this). While I respect her will to fight and do whatever it takes to get what she wants...I hate to see how she treats the people around her in order to get it.

This book moved a bit more slowly for me than the first in the series. There were many small details that became large ones and I'm hoping they are all made relevant in the third book. I'm far too attached to Diana to give up on her now and will be ordering the next in the series, Envy as soon I can.

3.5/5

44. Tehanuby Ursula K. Le Guin

Tehanu returns us to the world of Earthsea, to the time after the The Farthest Shore and The Tombs of Atuan. Tenar has grown older, had a family, and is now a widower when she received an urgentl from Sparrowhawk's former mentor Ogion, the mage that took her in when she first came to the area. As she journeys to her cottage we are introduced to the little girl Therru, marked by horrible tragedy and evil.

While at Ogion's cottage, Sparrowhawk returns to Tenar, but he returns scarred and damaged, missing part of himself. Tenar, Sparrowhawk, and little Therru make a life journey together to put the pieces of themselves back together and bring the work back to a better place.

This book was a fantastic read. it gave me what I've always wanted at the end of a series....just one more book. A book to show me how they ended up, what their family was like, and who would continue on after them. Tenar and Ged (also called Sparrowhawk), reunited after many years, are still the same characters I had grown to love in the earlier books. Only this time they are wiser, and will need to use all of their wisdom to help little Therru. Therru drew my sympathy from the start, and I admired her spirit and her tenacity to overcome her difficulties. This was a great addition to the Earthsea Cycle.

4/5

I believe there are now 5 Earthsea novels and some short stories.

45. The Drifter by Lisa Plumley

Miss Julia Bennett needs a husband...and quick. The published etiquette author has been given a chance to interview for a new column on the east coast...the only problem is that she's on the west coast and her father will not allow her to go until she is married. With the interview date looming before her, Julia tracks down her last chance, the bounty hunter Graham Corley.

Graham is a wandering man, a drifter - and nothing could surprise him more that Julia's outlandish proposition. A proposition to act as a fiance, even get married so that she can convince her father to allow her to travel back east. Neither quite know what they are really getting into when they agree to their strange bargain.

Julia is a priss...a priss of the worst sort. She is the person that quotes her own books - Miss Julia's Behavior Books - to people so they know how to act correctly. She is well educated and is seen as the odd one in her little town. Meeting Graham will shows her a side of herself that she doesn't realize exists, and even begins to enjoy. I began to truly enjoy her as she grows and throughout the story into a new and happier person.

Graham is you standard bounty hunter. He never stays anywhere longer than he must, and looks forward to his time on the road...until he meets Julia. He enjoys being able to tease her about her prim and proper ways and does everything he can to bring her out of her shell.

I enjoyed this story much more than I initially thought I would. I disliked the characters at first, but as they grew I began to like them very much, as does the town they live in.

3/5

46. The Judge by Egan Yip

Darek is a simple delivery boy...he earns just enough to make ends meet in his simple life. Then one day things change. The mythical judges have made an appearance and killed thousands. Darek is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is linked to this vigilante style group. Arrested, he find himself fighting for his freedom and his life across the galaxy.

This book is the ultimate sci-fi/fantasy book for young adults. You get teleportation, aliens, space monsters, sword fights, super-human abilities, just to name a few. The characters are engaging and the action is almost non-stop, but doesn't seem to be forced or overly rushed. The characters are constantly fighting battles not only with their enemies, but within themselves.

The ending revealed much about our characters past that pulling many of the lose ends together. My only complaint is that much of it seems to come out of the blue, with not previous hints by the author (unless I totally missed them). The book was hard to put down and had me rooting for the good guys all the way.

3.5/5

Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Teagan has a plan for next few years of her life. After high school comes college. No boys, no excitement until after college. Life has another plan for Teagan. One day after finishing her shift at the zoo, her friend Abby calls her frantic. Abby has had a horrible dream of goblins and evil shadows...and they were after Teagan.

Teagan's brother, Aiden, has the remarkable talent of being able to learn songs immediately after hearing them and singing them back perfectly. He also never gets lost.

The strangeness continues when Finn arrives bringing with him the unimaginable, the goblins from Abby's dreams. But don't worry too much, Finn was born to fight them, and he will need all his skills to help get not only himself, but Teagan's family out of trouble.

A story full of twists and turns, interesting characters (human and otherwise), and fantastic places that are brought to life. I had a hard time putting this down and picked it up again as soon as I could. Teagan is a bright girl who knows how to use her brains, which helps them out of many tricky situations.

I hope Hamilton writes more about the goblin world we visit here. I'd read them all in a heartbeat.

5/5

#164: That one looks interesting. I will have to give it a shot. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

48. The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer

A look into the life of the notorious queen Marie Antoinette. The story, told in a journal format, begins when Marie is very young and still living in Austria. It follows her life as she prepares to marry and become the dauphine of France...eventually becoming the Queen. The story follows her blunders and misconceptions, her disappointments and her few joys. We follow her through the end of her life at the guillotine.

This fictional account of what Marie Antoinette's life may have been like gives a new look into the infamous queen. It portrays her in different light, a confused child forced into the world of adults in a culture she not only doesn't understand, but one she wants to change for the better. The story was engaging and captivating. My heart went out to her and the entire royal family and the rebellion overtook their lives. While their decisions may have led to their downfall, we see how they may have known no better.

5/5

Poor kid...she deserves a thorough rehabilitation, don't you think, Ms. 9? I feel for her. That damned mistranslation, "let them eat cake," is the Meme that Killed the Queen. "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" doesn't mean "let them eat cake," not by a long shot, and yet it simply won't die.

And Louis...! What a goof! She had a lot of stuff to overcome and she simply wasn't capable of overcoming it. *sad sigh*

#166: My local library does not have that one yet, but it does have several others of Meyer's that I can try.

>#167 If it doesn't mean let them eat cake, then what does it mean. That myth was touched on by the book, but never really clarified what she really said.

I think my next pick will be the one about Catherine De Medici or Darwin.

>169 jasmyn9: "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" was said by La Reine in response to her learning of Parisian bread riots...starving people demanding the staff of life. The only bread La Reine would be familiar with was brioche, a light and eggy white bread, quite quite different from the heavy pumpernickely stuff the rioters were demanding to stave off starvation. Her statement was better translated as, "So let them HAVE bread!" She knew nothing of the realities of their lives, so she used the word she knew for the bread she knew.

Brioche, to the Parisian mob, was an unimaginable luxury. Like someone saying to people in the USA rioting about not being able to repair their old cars, "So go buy a new one."

Very interesting!! I love learning stuff like that. Thanks Richard!

49. Nightshade by Ronie Kendig

A touching tale of redemption just about sums this story up. We have Max, the ex Navy SEAL who has returned from duty scarred. Trying to be a "real man" he hides his hurts from his wife, Sydney, and they continue to eat him up inside until one night he snaps. It tears their marriage apart, and even though they love each other deeply, it seems that they will never be able to find their way back to each other.

Max was just the right mix of macho tough guy and a scarred and injured warrior. I enjoyed his character from the get go and his fragile relationship with Sydney was portrayed in a way that I could see the thin threads that just barely held them to each other. Both strong people, fighting for what they think is best.

Max's special ops team is full of personality. It was a wonderful group of characters that allowed the author to pull things into the story in ways that just seemed natural. Each and every person introduced plays a very special and important role in Max and Sydney's journey. It is a dark and very dangerous one, but one they must face if they ever hope to save their marriage.

The rating on this book could be split into two sections for me. The story of Max and Sydney gets 4-5 stars all the way. However, there is a parallel story line of Jon and Kimber that we follow as well (don't want to say too much more and give anything away). I found their story to be a bit over done and syrupy, predictable and a little preachy, and would only give it 1 or 2 stars. While their role was very important in the overall plot, I just didn't enjoy them much at all.

Overall a good book, one that doesn't show military as all glamorous, but how it can leave the mind as well as the body scarred, making it difficult to return to a "normal" life.

3/5

#172: I will give that one a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

50. The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan

Lena seems to be your standard California girl: surfer boyfriend, lives within walking distance from the beach, and hardly a care in the world. But her life isn't as perfect as it seems from the outside. Her dad refuses to allow her to learn how to surf after he almost died in a surfing accident. She isn't as close to her boyfriend as everyone seems to think. And recently she's been sleepwalking her way down to the beach late at night. What is going on?

Lena is an engaging character that is struggling to find who she really is. And it all begins with a mysterious key, given to her in the water by someone...and the key opens up a whole new dimension to her life. A dimension that leads her dangerously close to losing all she already has and will force her make a decision between two parts of herself.

I loved this book. I loved the characters, they were all developed so fully. I loved the location, who can't love the beach, the ocean, and the waves. I loved the plot. The storyline unfolded and wrapped me up. Lena is a very real character with both good and bad qualities. She tries to bring out her good, and hide her bad, just like the rest of world.

There is a mermaid in the story, and an entire merfolk world. The world under the waves is beautifully simple and elegant. It's a new look at how they live and interact. The people under the waves are so different and yet so much the same. They seem so very foreign and yet their emotions make them so familiar. This was one of my top read so far this year.

5/5

#174: I will look for that one, Jasmyn. It looks very good. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

51. Mothers and Other Liars by Amy Bourret

An early review book that I hesitated to request, but am glad that I did. Ruby Leander has a secret, some would call it horrible, some would say deep dark, but I don't think any of those could really apply. Her daughter, Lark, isn't really hers. She found her in a trash can as she traveled to her new life out west. Assuming the baby had been abandoned, Ruby is shocked when nine years later, she finds that Lark's real parents have been looking for her all this time.

The story follows Ruby's decision to do the right thing and how it impacts the lives of all around her. Ruby and Lark go through a roller coaster ride of emotions as Ruby is charged with kidnapping and faces never seeing her beloved Lark again.

While I found much of the plot line to be strain believablilty, it still brought me into the lives of this small family. Their emotions were written plainly on every page and touched my heart. Ruby struggles with her decisions, constantly second guessing herself if what she decided was best for Lark. Lark struggles to find who she really is now that she knows her true history. Every day brings a new challenge into their lives and they overcome them as best they can.

3.5/5

52. The Red Siren by Marylu Tyndall

What would you do if you were a girl in colonial America faced with a tough choice? The choice between allowing your father to give you away in marriage to horrible men, or find a way to support yourself. Today that choice would be easy, but in Faith Westcott's time, her options seemed limited. She had to find a way to save not only herself, but her two sisters from what she saw as the horrible fate of marriages that they had no say in. Her choice to try and raise money is an interesting one. She turns to piracy...with the stable hand as her first mate and loud mouth parrot along for the ride.

Few people believe the tales of the fiery red haired captain, the temptress that lures ships to their doom, know only as the Red Siren. But Lt. Dajon Waite has had a run in with her in the past, where she took everything from him, and now he eagerly looks forward to laying his trap to capture her.

Faith beats Dajon at every turn. On the sea and on the land, she leads him in a merry chase that somehow ends up turning into a romance. But what will happen if he ever finds out that she slips to the seas at night to steal from the heavy merchant ships as they come into port?

3/5

#177: Pirates?! Sold! I will be looking for that one.

53. The Blue Enchantress by Marylu Tyndall

We return to the coast of Charles Towne shortly after Faith is pardoned for piracy and wed to her Captain Waite only to discover that the middle Westcott sister, Hope, has stowed away on a boat for England to be with her lover, Lord Falkland. To her surprise the Lord Falkland has a Mrs. Falkland and Hope is set off at the next port to be sold on the auction block into slavery. An acquaintance from home, Mr. Mason, comes to her rescue, giving half of what he owns to buy her and take her back to her home.

This sets the stage for a trip through a hurricane, a ship wreck, and pirates with quite an odd moral code. While I found Hope to be a spoiled flirtatious brat, there was something endearing and vulnerable about her. Mr. Mason on the other hand is a self-righteous snot, and I didn't particularly care for him until Hope somehow worked her magic.

Once again, Tyndall has introduced not only memorable main characters, but a group of side characters that I fell in love with as well. The story was engaging and entertaining - a great follow up to The Red Siren. The story is once again a Christian tale, but avoids being overly preachy and just becomes another aspect of the story.

4/5

54. The Raven Saint by Marylu Tyndall

The youngest Westcott daughter, Grace, is about to find out a lot about life. She is betrayed and kidnapped by Captain Rafe Dubois, bound to be given to a Spanish don as vengeance for something her father, the Admiral did. Grace instantly turns to prayer and places her life in God's hands only to have him seem to do nothing.

I disliked Grace in a major way at the beginning of this book. She was everything I disliked about preachy Christians that think they are better than everyone else. Thankfully, Rafe was there to somehow show her the error of her ways.

This was quite a complex plot line, with many spins and twists to keep the action going. Rafe comes from a dubious past that is catching up to him, threatening not only him, but Grace, whom he has learned to hold dear. With all these interesting people roaming the pages, I found my favorite to be the little ship cat, Spyglass.

3/5

This trilogy sounds very unusual for its genre. I am highly allergic to Christianity, so I will give it a miss, but the author gets top marks for originality.

I usually avoid the Christian genre as well, but the story sounded so good, I thought I’d give it a shot. The author did an excellent job of weaving her religion straight into the story. It was obviously there, but without punching you in the face. I think if more Christian authors wrote this way, the genre wouldn’t be as “shunned” by non-Christians as it is.

*squares shoulders*

If you can read it, so can I.

*goes off to wishlist The Red Siren*

Even though I am a Christian, I tend to stay away from the so-called Christian fiction just because I find it so poorly written or so strident that I feel as if I am being beat about the head with religion. I am glad to see an author whose books are well-written and tactful (if that is the right word?), so I will be looking out for the trilogy too.

>184 alcottacre:: Hear, hear! I know what you mean... fortunately I think some publishers are realizing this and the CBA "rules" are beginning to change -- I think for the better, but it's going to be a long and bumpy road in the meantime. This is one of the reasons I participate in a few of the publishers' review programs -- I'm interested in seeing how the standards, quality, and rules change.

Now, how's this for weird? I'm so anti-Christian...but there are several books of Christian fiction that I regularly recommend! Leota's Garden is one...I love it for its message of forgiveness, and the fact that it's never too late...as well as Rivers's series of novellas about the women in Christ's lineage...Unafraid et alii...because they take on some very tough subjects in the Bible and make them fit the message of compassion and love and acceptance that so few of y'all's co-religionists seem to espouse.

But stellar writing they are NOT!

#186: the message of compassion and love and acceptance that so few of y'all's co-religionists seem to espouse.

I hope I never fall into that category!

Thanks for the recommendations, Richard. I will look for them.

55. Karma Bites by Stacy Kramer

As Franny gets ready for the first day of school, she is convinced that her life sucks. She's managed to dye her hair orange, her parents are getting divorced, her two best friends aren't talking to each other, and to top it all off, her crazy grandmother has moved in. Grandma happens to have a few tricks up her sleeves to try and help Franny, but they are only to be used when there are no other options left.

Franny gets her hands on Grandma's trick, a magic box that provides recipes to fix things for you. Franny dives right in and attempts to fix all the things she thinks are wrong with her life, only making things worse. Franny needs to put things back quick, but will she be able to?

This book was just about perfect. The only thing that I really disliked was the way some of the sentences were presented. The characters, especially grandmother, are priceless and unforgettable. The story shows us that sometimes things that seem to be wrong are really what's best in the long run. A great read for teenagers.

3.5/5

I'bve got 2 or 3 more reviews to put up, but I'm feeling lazy this week.

It's summer - be lazy all you want!

I promise to get off my lazy tush and get my reviews updated.

We're going on vacation this weekend which means several hours in the car both ways and hopefully several more books finished. And I know that if I don't get current before then, I could potentially get really lazy and just fall more behind.....

:)

Yeah well, during summer everyone is a bit lazy, right?

Yes, I hope everyone is and I'm not the only one here.

I love writing reviews, but if I let too many pile up waiting for me it starts to seem more like a task I *have* to finish instead of something to sit down and enjoy.

more like a task I *have* to finish instead of something to sit down and enjoy.

Nay nay! Never let it get to that point! Take time off, and even consider not writing reviews of those particular books. ANYthing not to have the dreaded "have-to block"!

I sat out on the porch with my kitty kitties and wrote them last night (with an actual pencil and paper OMG!). So typing them back out will be done shortly. Now that they're written I feel much better.

56. The Writing Circle by Corrine Demas

This review was probably one of the hardest I had to write. I was so torn on what I thought of the book overall. I loved some of it, but at the same time I found it rather annoying and frustrating. The story follows a group of writers that get together to share their thoughts and their stories with each other. The story follows their lives as their lives quickly become intertwined on a variety of levels - from romance, to hate, to respect, to lasting friendship.

The book is rather confusing at first. It was very difficult to follow the changing narrators at first, but as the story continues and you begin to know the characters, it becomes a wonderful way to tell the story. I think the part that threw me off the most was when people from outside the writing circle became narrators and also became very central to the story. There was almost too much going on to know where you were supposed to be.

After thinking on the book for a few days, I literally could not get it off my mind, I decided that I enjoyed the book enough to be glad that I read it, but not enough to try and read another like it.

3.5

57. The Keening by A. LaFaye

Influenza used to be one of the most dreaded diseases in the world. When Lyza's mother succumbs to the disease, it is up to Lyza, a teenage girl, to take care of her father and prevent the rest of the family from putting him in the work farm for people who are not quite there mentally. Lyza struggles to find a way to save her father, remember her deceased mother's wishes, and figure out who she really is.

The character of Lyza was fascinating. She reminded me of myself so much as a teenager. Knowing where you wanted to go and who you wanted to be, but not having a clear picture of how to get there. I loved the way she related to her mother and father, and was willing to sacrifice anything to save her father from being committed to the work farm.

The story concentrates very much on Lyza and her father, rarely leaving the small world of their family, and then only when necessary. This was the perfect way to write this very intimate story of the love between a daughter and her father, and their search to find their way in a world that has suddenly changed.

4/5

#197: That one sounds very good. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn. I will look for it.

58. Love Remains by Kaye Dacus

Zarah and Bobby have a history, one that didn't end well the last time they parted - with broken hearts and misconceptions. When Bobby returns home to start his new job with the Tennessee investigation team and finds himself investigating Zarah, her boss, and her entire team at the Tennessee Historical Society. He must put his feeling for her, both past and present to solve the case fast so that he can see if she'll let him try again. To top it all off, their Grandparents are shooting for a match made in heaven.

I didn't quite find myself enjoying either of the main characters. I was drawn to some of the side characters and might pick up the next one in the series to see if I like them better. Zarah was too caught up in being perfect to let herself have fun, and Bobby was so caught up in trying to prove he was worth the time of day that it almost got annoying. Not my favorite read for the year.

2/5

#199: I hope you have better luck with your next read, Jasmyn!

The Keening sounds really intriguing. I look forward to that one!

59. It Started With A Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech

CG Silverman is starting a new school, in a new town, and hoping for a new life - a more popular life. When the small "in" group of girls takes notice of her on her first day, she can hardly believe it. Before she knows what's happening she's the rebel of the group - doing whatever she feels like and going where no one has dared (or really should dare) to go before. One small white lie spins into another and suddenly CG is living a life of lies and half truths, dragging her friends, teachers, and family in with her.

I fell in love with CG from the get go. She was fun, outgoing, and truly a rebel in her own little way. When the white lies starting getting bigger and bigger (and even a bit ridiculous, but hey this is fiction), she finds herself living a double life. She strives for the approval of the popular group and once there she's scared to let go - so things just keep getting crazier.

The popular group is so stereotypical that it's perfect. They are cruel to the world at large, but latch on to silly little charitable projects that are "cute" to do. As the story unfolds and CG becomes a full fledged member of the group we get to see their inner demons and more about what makes them tick. We see their insecurities, their family secrets, and their surprising love for each other.

Somehow through this whole mess, CG ends up actually doing some good, and when everything falls apart around her (as we all knew it inevitably would), she finds out who her true friends are.

A little over the top in some spots, but still a good read.

3.5/5

60. The Season by Sarah MacLean

I read this book as part of a debut book contest hosted at http://theshadyglade.blogspot.com and it won my vote for the round. Alexandra is about to enter her first London season...much to her dismay. She has little patience for gowns, balls, dancing, or potential husbands. Somehow she makes her way successfully through the myriad of balls and gatherings.

On the other hand, the close family friend, Gavin, is still recovering from the sudden and suspicious death of his father. When spies, espionage, and murder come into play he goes on the hunt for his father's murderer. In the midst of this, sudden feelings for a certain young woman come to the surface. Unfortunately, Alexandra insists on helping, and getting herself into and out of trouble.

A great story. Pegged as a romance by some, I felt that the romance was there but not so much that it was distracting. I'm glad I was selected to judge so I could have a reason to pick this up and bump it to the top of the reading list.

4/5

#203: I had that one home from the library but did not get a chance to read it before I had to return it. I will have to check the book out again!

61. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Louisa Cosgrove is in trouble. On the way to stay with some friends of her older brothers, she finds the carriage stopped in front of an asylum instead. An asylum for mentally ill women, and they seem to think she's someone names Lucy Childs. Try as she might to convince them of their mistake, they just assume her "confusion" is all part of her mental condition.

Louisa was an oddity for her time. She wanted to be a doctor like her father in an era where females even being nurses was still frowned upon. As she tries to unravel the threads of her past and figure out how she ended up in the asylum, Wildthorn, we get to see the difficulties and joys of her life as she grew up. We also get a very intimate look into what asylum life was like - and it wasn't very pretty.

Louisa finds unexpected friends, and surprising enemies as she goes. I was very surprised when the betrayer of her trust is finally revealed and is forced to come to terms with what happened to Louisa.

While the story was interesting and moved along fairly well, there were times I had a little trouble believing in some of the characters, at times they seemed very static.

3.5/5

>205 jasmyn9: Dear Miss 9: When using the new sticky touchstones, one must still use brackets....

XD

I do have brackets...when I edited it filled the brackets in with crazy number stuff.

The crazy number stuff is what makes the touchstones "sticky"...that is, the unique identifier information that doesn't go away when edited, and so makes the touchstone specific to one work instead of attaching to a list of works with similar titles.

They'll take some getting used to.

Well, I like that they are sticky, but do they have to show the numbers? My lists up top are all crazy looking too now!

My inner-OCD is itching to fix them.

I know they look crappy, but the stickiness is worth any amount of visual pain to this fussbudget user.

I meant to curse thank you for psoting such an enticing review of The Season. I now must have it.

"Thanks."

I didn't think I was going to like it at first. The book description seemed pretty generic to me.

I'm reading The Clouds Beneath the Sun for the Early Reviewers right now. I think you might be adding that one, too.

62. Hero Wanted by Dan McGirt

If you enjoyed Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you will love this comical fantasy story of Jason Cosmo. A woodcutter by trade, forced to be a hero by destiny and possibly a case of mistaken identity. As Jason flees his hometown of Lower Hicksnittle, he finds unlikely allies in a wizard, Mercury Boltblaster, and the seductive twins, Sapphrina and Rubis. A very entertaining tale with all the classic fantasy elements.

4/5

63. Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

Bess Southerns is a charmer, a wise woman, a healer - trained in the forbidden folk magic of the Catholic church. By helping her neighbors she risks bringing the law down on not only herself, but her family and friends. We watch as she has a family, some that stand by her and some that leave because they fear her skills. We follow the family through her daughter and her granddaughter.

When a neighbor accuses someone of witchcraft, however, the hunt for witches begins and Bess finds her family under scrutiny. This was an interesting look into not only the way the lower class lived, but also how the fear of witches could be contagious, drawing many innocents in along with the guilty.

The book could have been a tad bit shorter. There were a few times I had to set it down because I felt that it had stalled and I needed a break from it.

3.5/5

#212: That one looks fun. I will see if I can find it. Thanks for the recommendation, Jasmyn.

64. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Anna has been best friends with Frankie and her older brother Matt for as long as she can remember. They go and do everything together until one awful day when the unthinkable happens. There is an accident and Matt dies, while Anna and Frankie live. As the girls and their families mourn and try to move on with their lives, Frankie has an idea. When they go on vacation, they make every effort to have a summer fling - to have fun and leave their sadness at home for a few weeks.

Anna reluctantly agrees. In their search for a summer fling they become different people. They lie and sneak around not only from other people but from themselves. Both have secrets they struggle to keep hidden.

While this was a touching story with some lively characters, much of it seemed disjointed or overly stereotyped. An enjoyable read, but could have been better.

3/5

#215: Skipping that one! I hope your next read is better, Jasmyn.

65. Alien Revealed by Lilly Cain

Alinna is an alien (very human like) that has been sent to scout the earth and decide if they would be good allies for her people. She is instructed to stay out of sight and out of the way. Fate has other plans when her small craft crashed near an Earth space base. She is retrieved by Major David Brown who assumes she is a doctor he has been waiting to show up, but he soon realizes she may not be who he thinks she is.

Whoa Nelly! Talk about a short but very hot romance. The short little book had me blushing like you wouldn't believe. Alinna and David manage to somehow overcome their initial distrust and sparks go flying - perhaps fireworks would be more appropriate. All that aside, the story was cute and entertaining. It ended quite abruptly and seemed almost unfinished though.

2.5/5

#217: Well, it does not look like that read was any better than the previous one. I do hope you hit a hot streak soon!

66. The Panther's Lair by Esmerelda Bishop

Sydney Chase has sworn off all relationships after her most recent disaster of a now-ex-boyfriend. She decides that a one night stand will keep her going for a bit and finds herself in the mysterious Raimond Decoudreau's nightclub, The Panther's Lair.

Raimond is dark, mysterious, handsome, all that you would expect a romance hero to be. But he is also hiding a secret. A secret that he is not sure she will accept.

Another quick steamy book. It helped me pass by a long afternoon.

3/5

67. The Clouds Beneath the Sun by Mackenzie Ford

You can find quite an interesting group of people at an archeological dig in Kenya in 1961. This is where Natalie Nelson finds herself as part of a remote dig site in the Serengeti. Things are going great until the team runs into grave robbing and a murder that Natalie becomes a key witness of. But of course, that is not all. Natalie finds herself in a battle between two brothers - a competition that has been around for their entire lives.

I don't think anything I say can really do justice to this book. I feel as I was in Kenya, I felt the heat, I heard the animals, I smelled the Serengeti. There was a lot going on in Kenya in the early 60's and I was able to experience a little bit of all of it by reading this book.

The characters were engaging and dynamic, the setting was beautiful. My only complaint is that the author lingered over the political aspects of what was going on in the country in a way that I didn't understand at first.

4/5

68. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Many of us wonder what it would be like to be a vampire....but how many vampires strike to be like us? Lenah has been a vampire for hundreds of year, but she yearns to return to her human life. Rhode - a vampire willing to die for Lenah to have her wish - succeeds in returning her to a mortal life in today's world.

But mortal life is not what she expected. She is enrolled in an exclusive high school and must adapt to life in a new era. As she makes new friends and finds a new life, she must be careful not to let her past catch up to her...because it is hunting her, and everything she has grown to love could be destroyed if it catches up.

4/5

#220: You could have stopped that review at 'archaeological dig' and I would have looked for the book. Thanks for the recommendation!

#221: That one is already in the BlackHole. I hope my local library gets a copy in soon.

Wow, waaaay behind in reviews. Classes were kicking my butt this semester, but I did manage to finish a few good books along the way.

69. Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris

First of all, this cover looks amazing, I want to hang it up on my wall.

Lillie St Claire works for the city dispatching ghosts and other various things that go bump in the night, day, or during recess. She is caught between being respected and feared by almost everyone, but never thought anyone would stoop to trying to kill her.

Enter John Thresher, a psi-crime detective that has his eye on Lillie for multiple reasons. John is the kind of guy that always seems to show up at just the right time to save the day. Saving Lillie is going to involve a little more than one heroic moment when some particularly undead begin showing up at her doorstep and are linked to her recently deceased husband. Lillie and John have quite an interesting bond grow between them and sparks start to fly (in a good way).

I enjoyed reading a book where the ghosts, goblins, zombies, and leprechauns are part of the modern world, some even in a good way. A fast paced quick read. 3.5/5

70. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

The continuing story of Oz through the eyes of Gregory Maguire. We meet the boy Liir, often seen at the side of Elphaba in the first book of the Oz series. Liir is found beaten, battered, and barely alive by a secluded order of Maunts. As they nurse him back to health he relived in his dreams his past and what has happened in his life since the wicked witch, Elphaba, was killed by Dorothy.

As much as I enjoy Maguire's books, this one had me a bit confused at times (which may have been his intent) about why Liir was acting the way he did. At times it just didn't seem like a logical or an emotional choice was made, he just did something completely random.

I fell in love with the Emerald City all over again - not because it was beautiful, but because it was so real all over again. We run across a few people and places from Wicked, and it was wonderful to visit and see how they turned out.

4/5

71. Salome at Sunrise by Inez Kelley

Bryton Haruk has a sworn duty to protect his king and his country, but his duty has been difficult ever since the day he wife was killed by invaders. And now he finds the invaders returning and threatening all that remains dear to him. He swears vengence and justice, to be the lawful executioner of the invader's leader.

The King watches as Bryton is eaten up from within and summons a powerful spirit to help ease his pain and teach him to love life again. Salome, a bird-shifter, answers his summons and swears to find a way to bring Bryton peace before he dies.

Salome is an absolutely amazing character. Watching her learn the ways of the human world she has been summoned to brings a lightness to the story that keeps it from becoming too dark. Bryton can't stand Salome and her gentle ways at first, but as they come to know each other he sees a different part of him unlocking. As they come closer and closer to Bryton's goal, both are forced to re-evaluate the reasons behind their actions and learn to look to the future instead of the past.

3/5

Glad to see you surface again, Jasmyn!

72. Wings in the Night Part 1 by Maggie Shayne

A collection of novels and short stories about vampires falling in love (see Msg 107 for review of first in series). Overall pretty good stories, but I wouldn't recommend reading them all together like I did. They start to get a little predictable. I'm going to wait a little bit before diving into the rest she wrote.

3/5

73. The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike

What if genies really existed? And what if you happened to stumble upon a magical flying carpet that could take you to them?

Sara is visiting her father in Istanbul and is totally bored out of her mind. Visiting him one day at work she finds an unusual antique carpet. The next thing she knows she flying across the ocean to an enchanted island of the djinn.

But when Sara and her new friend, Amesh, decide to use the djinn without understanding their ways...disaster strikes. Amesh betrays Sara and leaves her stranded on the island alone. Sara must find a way to escape and return home, and the only way she can do this is to learn the mysterious ways of the djinn and the Carpet of Ka.

This is a great, fast paced book. Some of the dialog seemed a little forced, but the book is aimed at a young teen audience. There were plenty of twists and turns and all the characters end up someplace and someone different than when they started.

3/5

I do not think I have read any of Pike's books yet although I know I had one of them home from the library once. I will have to try it again.

74. Motor City Fae by Cindy Spencer Pape

Meagan is a Detroit artist, finally breaking through and making money on her paintings. Then one day she stumbles into Ric Thornhill, and boy does he have a story for her, one that she finds hard to believe. Meagan is not just your ordinary person. In fact, she's a half-elf/half-human, and to top it all off she's an heiress that has an assassin out to get her.

Ric and Meagan must fight not only for their lives, but for the fae city and society. The imagery of the fae world is fantastic. A pleasant mix of several cultures myths. This and the political intrigue were my favorite parts.

A good, quick read. Too bad the characters seemed to be very stagnant and stereotypical.

3/5

75. The Bloodgate Guardian by Joely Sue Burkhart

Dr. Jaid Merritt's father has mysteriously disappeared...into a portal after performing an ancient Mayan ritual...and she saw it all on her webcam. Jaid heads to her father's dig site (overcoming a childhood fear of digs), to try and find a way to bring him back.

Instead, she stumbles upon an ancient priest, and by ancient I mean thousands of years old, but still amazingly handsome, named Ruin. Ruin is the guardian of the gate her father inadvertently crossed through, which also allowed a few demons from hell into the world.

Jaid and Ruin rush to find a way to close the gate and save their loved ones from eternal torment at the hand of the demons, and to save the world from being devoured by the demons that escaped.

This is an Indiana Jones meets romance style of book, and the author really pulled it off very well. A great read (and not gory), full of action, adventure, mystery, and romance.

4/5

76. Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell

Allegra is a detective. A detective of paranormal happenings. Her most recent case takes her to Scotland where a bleeding rose has been discovered. While this may sound odd enough, we get to throw in a banshee, two dead bodies, a ghost, a shapeshifter, and Allegra's own guardian angel.

At first I thought the author was going to have a hard time trying to tie all of these strange happenings up into one cohesive story, but she did an excellent job. I was surprised and excited at the events as Allegra hikes through the small village trying to do her job.

Although initially pegged as a romance, there was not much of it to be found. While it was there, was not the main drive of the story and more of a pleasant background threading its way through. Again the characters were a bit stagnant (my biggest complaint of "romances"), but the plot made up for it quite a bit.

4/5

77. Tempting the Enemy by Dee Tenorio

Detective Pale Rysin is a werewolf, the leader of his pack. Jade-Scarlett is a member of the powerful order of the Sibile (women with strange magical powers), but she is also half-wolf. When she is sent to help Detective Rysin investigate the murders of several young women, sparks fly...in more than one way.

There is an instant attraction between the two, but their worlds have been taught to hate each other for years. Will they be able to overcome their prejudices and work together to solve the murders, or will their differences and desires to work alone hinder them leading to only more grisly deaths.

I loved this book. The characters were forced to evolve as they learned more about each other and the history that taught them to hate. The interactions between them a perfect and drive the story forward even as the events around them shape who they are becoming.

4/5

78. Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul

Chiril is in danger. An invading force is sneaking their way through the borders led by a terrible beast known only as The Grawl. A group of friends must fight once again to save their country, with the help of dragons.

I did not realize this was part of a series until after I started reading it. I really wish that authors would include that on the cover. Because of this, it took me quite awhile to get into the storyline and understand the relationships between the various characters. However, once I figured them out a bit, they were fantastic.

All the characters had just the right mix of seriousness, humor, doubt, and heroism. Lady Peg had me laughing every time she spoke. Paladin had me wanting to meet him so we could talk philosophy. Tipper reminded me of any love struck confused young woman that is trying everything she can to do the right thing.

The storyline is almost your typical good guys vs bad guys, but The Grawl puts an interesting twist on things. I found myself feeling sorry for him throughout many parts of the story. Overall a good read. I may try to find the previous books and see if they are just as good.

4/5

Almost caught up! I have 9 more reviews to post (I think). Those will have to wait until later tonight or tomorrow.

Oh ya.....YAY!!!! I hit 75.

Brava, Jasmyn!!! Congratulations!

Congrats!

79. Dracula by Bram Stoker

A favorite classic story of many I know, I finally found time to read it myself. The story was very interesting and I was surprised to see the character of Van Helsing appear (although I guess he had to enter the world of vampires and werewolves somewhere). The story moved fairly quickly. It was a very traditional vampire tale, but this is were so many came from I didn't really expect much more. I found myself disliking several of the characters that I was supposed to feel sympathy for. They were just too good. Overall a good book that I'm glad I found the time for.

4/5

Thanks for the congrats! So many good books this year, it's going to be hard to pick my top ones.

Oh, hey, are you aware of the 2011 forum being up already? Might should head over ans stake out the territory. You *are* coming back in 2011, right, he asked anxiously....

Yes, yes...how could I resist coming back for another year!! I just haven't had the time to make my way over there.

I've been sharing my BIG news with my family, and now that most of them all know I suppose I can share here as well.

There will soon be another little reader in my house - sometime around the end of July. My daughter is quite excited about "finally" (her words) becoming a big sister. (It has been on her Christmas list for a couple years).

So, I'll wander over to the 2011 forum this weekend and find myself a little nook or cranny to call my own.

VERY COOL! Much happy dancing for your great news!

#242: Great news, Jasmyn! That means at least 4 new babies coming in 2011 for 75ers! We are certainly doing our bit to make sure that there is an up-and-coming generation of readers!

80. Vixen by Jillian Larken

Let's go back to the 1920's, to the days of flappers and prohibition, and young lady's trying to make their mark on the world. Gloria Carmody seems to have everything...the money, the boy, the lifestyle, and friends. But she's just not quite happy with any of it. One night she sneaks out with her best friends, Lorraine and Marcus, into the biggest speak easy in town. She falls in love with the music, the atmosphere, and the people.

Lorraine has always been jealous of Gloria. She had everything, the perfect life, but at least she could tag along and absorb part of the glory as her best friends. Then one day she finds out that Gloria is hiding a secret from her, a big secret. She holds Gloria's future in her hands - what will she do with it?

Gloria's cousin, Clara, has come to town to help Gloria plan for her upcoming wedding. She also comes to escape a wild lifestyle back home and get back on track the way a proper society girl should. Little does she know that all her secrets are at risk of spilling out and ruining her new life.

This book in one of the memorable reads for 2010. The characters were developed perfectly and the story was captivating. I don't think I've ever read a novel about the 20's and it was fascinating to read about the time period. Jillina Larken is going on my watch list for authors, I can't wait until she releases the next in the series.

5/5

81. The Next Queen of Heaven by Gregory Maguire

This book has one of the most diverse cast of characters I've ever seen. We start out with the rebellious teenage girl (Tabitha) and her super religious mother (Leontina - a Pentacostal). The two brothers of the family - one an attention starved young man that would do anything to please and the other surprisingly like Tabitha. Next we meet the Catholics (they share a parking lot with the mother's chuch). The way we meet them is rather interesting. Leontina sneaks into the Catholic church one morning to "borrow" some cream and gets knocked out by a falling virgin Mary statue.

This is where things really get interesting as Leontina seems to have lost her mind and is left at home with her three children to care for her. But back to the Catholics. My favorite was Jeremy, the gay choir director, and his two friends are trying to find a place to practice for an AIDS benefit concert. Well, the only place they can find is a nunnery. A nunnery full of old retired nuns that ask only for some conversation in exchange for letting the boys used some space there.

Somehow Maguire manages to get all these people tied up into the same story line as Christmas is quickly approaching. I won't want to say too much more or a lot of the surprises would be spoiled. An amazing book, that actually has you looking at a few serious issues of the world in a new way without even realized it until you're finished.

5/5

82. The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox

Kristina is an unpopular grade school girl that can't seem to find anyone to like her, except for her pet rat. She is the recepient of a very special gift from her teacher, but it doesn't seem like much to begin with. A small ball that seems to make a funny little noise. But this is no oridinary trinket. Getting this to the right place could mean the life or death of all the magical creatures in the fairy tale world Kristina finds herself in.

The reader is introduced to gnomes, dwarves, fairies, and talking animals. There is betrayal, intrigue, sabatoge, and new friendship. This is an amazing book for young readers (my daughter is currently reading through it at 8 yrs old and loves it).

4/5

83. A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez

Sunny is an American who owns a coffee shop in Kabul. She is surrounded by a merging of the two worlds of Afganistan and America. She toes the line between following tradition and pushing forward, allowing her employees to live as they will.

A wonderful cast of characters comes and goes through the shop and we are lucky to get to know many of them. From a country widow to a glamorous British journalist. From a traditional Afghan man to the Americans men willing to risk their lives to save a young Afghan woman. You grow to love them all for their good qualities and want to help them overcome their faults.

An interesting look at Kabul through the eyes of an American living and working in the city, surrounded by her new friends and family.

3/5

#245-247: Adding all those to the BlackHole. I still have not read anything by Gregory Maguire yet.

#248: I think I will give that one a pass.

I have enjoyed Maguire's Wicked series very much, but The Next Queen of Heaven was absolutely amazing.

It is too bad my local library does not have it yet!

84. Valley of Dry Bones by Priscilla Royal

A religious, medieval mystery, I was excited to start reading it because I love the time period. I wasn't overly thrilled with much of this story. There were so many false clues and speculations dropped that it was hard to tell where the plot was actually going at times. The characters were hard to open to, with the exception of the hermit, which I loved.

2/5

#252: I think I will give that one a miss!

85. Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter

The second book in the Atlantis series. Atlantis is a world hidden below the ocean by the gods to contain all of their creations before the humans. The only way in is to discover one of two secret portals...guarded by men that can change into dragons and are ordered to kill all who try to come in.

Grayson James has managed to sneak through these fearsome guardians (not sure how) in search of the mythical Jewel of Dunamis. A jewel that has the power to tell the future, read minds, and separate lies from truth. His company wants to get the jewel before some government can get ahold of it and use it to their advantage during a war. Now, this reason seemed a little far fetched, because if no one can get to Atlantis to retrieve the jewel, then how can they use it? But, OK, I went with it.

Grayson soon realizes that the Jewel of Dunamis is not a gem, but a beautiful woman that is being held against her will by the demoms (one of the many creatures living in Atlantis), to take advantage of her gifts. This being a romance, sparks fly when they meet and Grayson must find a way to rescue her and keep her with him always.

I really enjoyed a lot of the tensions between Atlantean races the author allowed to spring up throughout the story. From dragon men, mermaids, gorgons, minotaurs, demons and vampires, they all had reasons for wanting the jewel in their hand and their reactions to her were unique and real. I enjoyed her character very much, while I found Grayson a little dull. It was a great read to follow up the first book, Heart of the Dragon, and parts of the storyline stem directly from the events that ended the first in the series (which I have found is unusual in romance series).

3.5/5

86. The Nymph King by Gena Showalter

The third book in the Atlantis series. This time we are brought into the lives of the nymphs, briefly introduced in Jewel of Atlantis. A race of man-like creatures that no woman (of any type) resist. They have taken over one of the portals from the dragon-men, and raided the surface (Earth) for women. Apparently, nymphs grow weak if they don't have sex a few times a day. Most of the women come willingly, except for Shaye. The nymph king, Valerian, instantly feels a bond to her and wants to claim her as his own, but one of his warriors has the same idea.

Meanwhile, the dragon-men want their portal and castle back and are planning on launching a full scale attack to kick the nymphs out. Then out of nowhere one of the gods (think ancient Greek) appears and starts meddling with things.

Back with the nymphs, Shaye is slowing losing her resolve to fight against the attraction she feels for Valerian. I enjoyed both the characters of Shaye and Valerian. They were constantly evolving as they learned more about eash other and how best to get along. The supporting characters, both nymph human and other, were developed perfectly for the role they played.

Until the very end I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Then things sort of fell apart...or fell together as it may be...just a little too neatly. It seemed as if she had written her characters into a place she couldn't get them out of.

4/5

87. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

The story of Mariam and Laila. Two Afghan women raised in vastly different ways that find themselves living in the same household with the same abusive (to western standards) husband. We see both their histories and understand their point of view and personalities as they meet and get to watch them grow from bitter rivals, to the closest of sisters. Covering a period of Aghan history about 50 or 60 years, we see the change of regimes over and over and how life was constantly changing for the people.

I'm not even sure where to start with this one. It was amazing on so many different levels. The characters were whispering in my ear their stories as I read . The country of Afghanistan came alive on the pages. I wanted to cry and celebrate and hope with the two women every step of the way.

5/5

88. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

The story of the cowardly lion is a very interesting one. The third book walks us through his childhood, how he met Dorothy, and the part he is to play in the future of Oz.

The lion, Brrr, has quite an eventful past, and the way he received the name "cowardly" is very entertaining, and yet very sad. Brrr's entire life has been trying to fit in, somewhere, anywhere, and the fear that he never truly will haunts him.

We are introduced once again to the strange character of Yackle, the old woman who has followed the story of Oz through all three books so far. We also get a glimpse into her history and why she seems to be so eternal. We meet the Clock of the Time Dragan and it helps us to tie many of the loose ends together. Although the series still seems to lack a true conclusion, most of what has been on my mind was cleared up throughout this book.

4/5

Nice reviews, Jasmyn! I have the first book in the Showalter series, but have not gotten to it yet. Thanks for the reminder!

Good gracious, mother 9! You're reviewing 'em faster than they can publish 'em! Who are you tryin' ta be, Stasia or somethin'?

xo

Haha Richard, I don't think I'll ever reach Stasia's level of reading without somehow getting a permanent caffeine drip installed in my arm. I'm still trying to catch up on things I read early this fall. I have 8 more sitting by my desk at home to get write up. I'm thinking I may even break the 100 book mark this year. I still have 7 days after all.

89. The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz

Schuyler has been on the run since the from her own people, the Blue Bloods of New York, ever since the fateful day the Silver Bloods were fully revealed (end of book 3). She seeks refuge with a group of Blue Bloods from Paris, only to witness their almost destruction as the Silver Bloods and the demon that was accidently released wreak havoc on their annual ball.

She returns to New York to live in secrecy from her friends and try to find the secret her family has hidden for years. With the help of her human conduit, smuggling books out of the archives, she stumbles upon what her true mission should be. While one mystery begins to be solved, many more unravel around her as dark secrets are revealed, and the romance between her and Jack resurfaces.

A good series that I have enjoyed so far. The characters all change very dramatically in this book. It seems to be a major turning point in the overall story. It got a little soap opera-ish with some of the back and forth hidden lives and secrets. At times it almost made it a little hard to follow what everyone was really doing.

3.5/5

90. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The gods exist. We just don't realize it, or at least not all of us. But then one day Zues's master lightning bolt is stolen. He blames Poseidon, all because of an ancient vow that he has broken. A vow not to have children with mortals. The demi-gods are too powerful and could potentially overthrow the gods themselves. Percy Jackson, is this son. And not only did he not steal the bolt, he doesn't even know what he really is.

As a result of the bolt being stolen, the immortals launch an attack on Percy to try and get the bolt, either to give it to Zeus or keep it for themselves. When Percy's family and his best friend, Grover, find out they take him to Camp Half-Blood, a safe training grounds for the demi-gods to grow and learn their past and how to defend themselves.

From Camp Half-Blood Percy is given a quest to find out who really did take the bolt to avoid a battle of the gods that would detroy modern civilization in the process. His quest will take him across the country, from New York to LA, from the Underworld to Mt Olympus. He must confront a variety of mythical creatures, some that offer to help, and some that are set on him failing.

This is a great book (much better than the movie, which is actually a completely different story). The characters are likeable and hateable, they are just enough surprises to keep things interesting without being too confusing for the young adults.

4/5

I was a little shocked at how different the movie was from the book. The movie takes half the book out and makes up the middle part of the story completely. There are several major gods missing, and few extras thrown in to make up for it. Percy's father, Poseidon, is shown in a completely different angle that makes many of Percy's reactions seem a bit odd. It's probably the more different movie adaptation I've ever seen.

#262: I enjoyed that entire series, Jasmyn. I thought the books got stronger as the series went along. I have not seen the film adaptation yet, and doubt I will ever watch it, although my hubby wants to.

91. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I know I'm a little behind the game on this series, just getting it into my reading now, but it was worth the wait.

Katniss lives in the 12th district, the poorest district there is, with her mother and her sister, Prim. She sneaks out under the fences during the day to poach in the forest for food to eat and trade with her friend, Gale. They support their families and keep from starving, but the consequenses of being caught could be deadly.

The day of the Reaping is here. The Reaping is the day two children, a boy and a girl ages 12-18, from each of the 12 districts are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a deadly showdown forcing the children to fight for their lives. There can be only one winner....the last one left alive. Katniss is shocked when her sister is selected from the list to participate and quickly volunteers to take her place.

In the Capitol she is prepared for the games with her fellow selection from district 12, a boy named Peeta. They strike up an unusual friendship that Katniss is scared will only interfere with her winning the game so she can return to her family. Once the game starts she strikes out on her own, hoping to outlast the other contestants. But the gamemakers seem to be forcing her to make a decision. A decision between her life or the life of Peeta. After all, there is only one winner.

This book may sound gory and bloody and rather harsh. Parts of it are, but not so much that it took away from the tale of Katniss discovering who she is and who she can be. She learns the meaning of friendship and trust, compassion and revenge, and above all, what sacrifice really means.

The other contestants in the game are written in a way that they stand out as individuals, but not so much that they take away from the characters of Katniss and Peeta. I'm looking forward to continuing to story to see what the gamemakers have in store.

4/5

#264: I just finished the second book in the series and am on to the third. Glad to know I am not the only one who is slow in getting to them :)

Definitely not the only one. I've got 'em on the list, just keep finding other stuff I need to read.

drive-by hug

Flushing out the last of my reviews for 2010....a little late, I know. But I like to keep them in the correct thread.

92. Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

After reading Perfect Timing, I knew I had to try another of Jill Mansell's books. I'd heard great things about Millie's Fling and it didn't disappoint. Millie is in a rut. A job rut, a boyfriend rut, and she needs some change. Little does she know that change will come about with her decision to speak to bestselling romance author, Orla Hart. Orla immediately takes Millie "under her wing" and sets about trying to find the perfect man for her....and while she's at it, she's going to write a book about Millie's romantic woes and hopefully the finding of her perfect guy.

Millie's roommate and best friend, Hester, is having her own romantic problems as well. With a boyfriend far away for work and a past crush coming back into town, she is torn as to what she should do. Throw in handsome eligible bachelors of every sort and things start happening. But will Millie be able to find the man of her dreams?

4/5

93. The Magician of Hoad by Margaret Mahy

The Magician of Hoad is the story of a boy, Heriot, a boy that is discontent with his place in the world, has always seemed to not fit in. Then one day he finds out that he is actually so much more than he expected. He is a magician, but not just any magician. He is to become the official Magician of Hoad.

But the boy, realizes quickly that he does not want his destiny to be determined by his new title. He wants to be the man he decides he wants to be. He realizes that his powers can be a dangerous thing and that some people would stop at nothing to control them, and if they can't, they would destroy them.

Ultimately this seems to be a coming of age story. Heriot spends his life trying to find out who he really is and what he is really supposed to do. He realizes that neither of these have answers that anyone can give him but himself.

3/5

94. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Lyra has always been adventurous and it has led her into several awkward predicaments, but she is about to stumble into her greatest adventure yet. An unknown force, known only as the Gobblers, has been stealing children. Rumors abound about what happens to the stolen children. When one of Lyra's friends is taken, she decides that she must go find him.

Her quest takes her across the world from the city of Oxford to the swamps where the gyptians live and finally in to frozen north of Svalbard. Here she discovers the awful truth of what the Gobblers are really doing, and it's worse than anyone had imagined.

Lyra's adventures are beyond belief and fantastic. While she can be quite an obnoxious brat at times, you can't help but fall in love with her and her friends. Her friends are varied but loyal. There's just something about the girl that they can't resist wanting to help. The story is written in a way that draws you into her life and had you rooting for her the whole time.

4/5

95. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

The second book in His Dark Materials Trilogy was not nearly as well written as the first. Lyra has crossed over into another world where she meets Will, from yet another world. At first the jumping around was a little confusing, but I think that helped me understand how Lyra felt. Being in a place that is so similar to home, yet at the same time completely different.

Lyra is the same loveable brat that she is in the first book. We see how she has developed as a character a little bit. She has learned that her actions have consequences, and they are not always what she expects them to be. We also meet her new friend, Will. This book is more a tale about Will's quest than Lyra's. The world they meet in is haunted by strange creatures that seem to feed off people and they uncover an artifact with strange powers that no one really understands.

This book seems to be more of a transition book. Things needed to happen in order to continue the story, but I just didn't find this part to be nearly as interesting as book 1 or 3.

3/5