Crazy4reading (Monica) 2014 Category Challenge

This is a work in progress. I am not sure what the categories will be this year. I have a few ideas just need to fine tune them.

Well I have started my categories but I may change them around. I am thinking of being adventurous and going for 7 books in each category which would be for a total of 98 books.

Here is what I have:

Book Club reads
Mystery/Crime
TBR - anything that has been on my list for more then 2 years.
ER Books, Books from publishers/Authors
E-Books, Audio Books
1001 Books to read before you die
Books for BINGO Challenge
Books from Series
TIOLI Challenge
Romance
True Crime (books based on real crime)
Am I too Old for these (YA, Children's Books)
Book or movie which is better
Misc.

I also am thinking of having:
Memoirs, biography, autobiography
Historical fiction - non romance

Just not sure if I want to get rid of any of the categories I have listed above.

Possible reads:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen recommended by christina_reads
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
To Die For by Linda Howard
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Here are my trackers:

2014 Category Challenge:




75 book Challenge:




You can check out my 75 Book Thread HERE

My ROOT Challenge Ticker:




15,000 Pages read in 2014




I have also been trying to lose weight and I did not do well in 2013 in keeping off what I lost and in trying to lose more. Here is a ticker to keep track of my weight. I will be updating it on Weds.

Category 1 - Book Club reads
1. Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
2. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
3. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (4/16/14)
4. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (5/18/14)
5. City of Thieves by David Benioff (6/18/14)
6. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (9/17/14)
7. First Mothers Bonnie Angelo (11/13/14)

Possible reads:

Category 2 - Mystery/Crime
1. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
2. Love Story, with Murders by Harry Bingham
3. One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
4. Iced by Carol Higgins Clark
5. Never Buried by Edie Claire
6. 1st to Die by James Patterson

Possible reads:

Category 3 - TBR - anything that has been on my list for more then 2 years

1. The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith (2/2/14)
2. Broken Angel by Sara Samarasinghe (2/8/14)
3. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland (2/21/14)
4. Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick (8/15/14)
5. Prodigal Father by Gina Ferris (8/30/14)
6. Damaged Rebirth by Becca Vincenza (11/20/14)
7. Imprinted by the Alpha by Jocelyn Thomas (11/22/14)
8. Private Demon by Lynn Viehl (12/11/14)

Possible reads:

1. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Category 4 - ER books, Books from publishers/authors
1. Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams
2. The Eye Unseen by Cynthia Tottleben (3/2/14)
3. My Water Path by Timothy Joseph (4/5/14)
4. The Good Suicides by Toni Hill (6/19/14)
5. Until I found you by Victoria Bylin (7/15/14)
6. Island Girls by Nancy Thayer (7/27/14)
7. Her Last Whisper by Karen Robards

Possible reads:

Category 5 - E-books, Audio Books
1. Ines of my Soul by Isabel Allende (2/18/14)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (2/23/14)
3. Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (3/1/14)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling (5/3/14)
5. Catching Hell by Mindy Klasky (7/19/14)
6. The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia (8/9/14)
7. The Cat Manual by Michael Ray Taylor (9/5/14)

Category 6 - 1001 books to read (didn't read many last year - hoping to read at least 2 this year)
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgeral (3/31/14)
2. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Category 7 - Books for BINGO Challenge, or any challenge on GR
1. Real Vampires live Large by Gerry Bartlett
2. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
3. Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey
4. The Present by Johanna Lindsey
5. Reaching First by Mindy Klasky
6. Alpha Mine by Brenda Sparks
7. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Category 8 - Books from series
1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
2. The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer
3. angus, thongs, and full frontal snogging by Louise Rennison
4. The Magic of You by Johanna Lindsey
5. Obsessed with Me by Eve Rabi
6. Third Degree: A Hot Baseball Romance by Mindy Klasky
7. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
8. Real Vampires get Luck by Gerry Bartlett

Possible reads:

Category 9 - TIOLI Challenge

1. Fantastic Beasts & where to find them by Newt Scamander (1/2/14)
2. Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp (1/3/14)
3. Kennywood: Roller coaster Capital of the World by Charles J. Jacques (1/11/14)
4. The Magnificent Mummy Maker by Elvira Woodruff (8/9/14)
5. Dear Austin by Elvira Woodruff (8/25/14)
6. Stopping Short by Mindy Klasky (8/31/14)

Category 10 - Romance

1. Montana Bride: A Bitter Creek Novel by Joan Johnston (4/11/14)
2. Perfect Pitch: by Mindy Klasky (4/24/14)
3. Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer (5/1/14)
4. A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey (5/6/14)
5. Say You Love Me by Johanna Lindsey (6/3/14)
6. Second Thoughts by Mindy Klasky (7/24/14)

Category 11 - True Crime (books based on real crime)

Category 12 - Am I too Old for these - YA, Children's books

1. Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend by Alison Leslie Gold (1/18/14)
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J K Rowling (1/22/14)
3. Summer State of Mind by Jen Calonita (7/31/14)
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (11/12/14)
5. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (12/31/14)

Category 13 Book or movie ~ Which is better or Memoirs or Historical Fiction (non romance)

1. Things I overheard while talking to myself by Alan Alda
2. Looking for Alaska by John Green
3. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
4. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Possible reads:

1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
2. Harry Potter books

Category 14 - Misc. - any book that doesn't fit into any other category or if cats are finished

1. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (7/8/14)
2. Fractured Angel by Ken Williams (8/23/14)
3. Savannah by John Jakes (8/31/14)
4. 99 to Nowhere by Domino (11/5/14)

Great to see you are setting up shop for 2014, Monica!

Great to see you Lori! Didn't think this group was started yet. Glad to see I was wrong. Now I just need to get my categories in order and I will be ready.

Nice categories :) What's the BINGO challenge?

The group has been around since like August or something, it's one of the only ones that gets made really early, I guess for all the plotting that happens lol.

Thanks PolymathicMonkey! I am still trying to think of some categories. I see some of the members really think about their plan. I just don't have time to think about a plan and I am not that creative.

The BINGO Challenge is a bookshelf BINGO game I have played on Goodreads. You sign up and are placed on a team. Every week a shelf or shelves is/are called and once everyone on the team has posted a rating and review for that shelf you get a stamp on your BINGO card. The team with the first BINGO wins. We just did a speedy round of BINGO where 2 shelves were called each week. And I was having trouble fitting some of those books into my Categories this year.

I still have to go an check out some of the other threads. Maybe that will help me think of some new categories.

Ahh I see, interesting.

Oh yeah, there are tons of great categories! You could add another genre, time period, country/region, a particular subject (like there's a lot of WWI reads going on due to the date), nonfic vs fic (reading one of each for whatever various things you feel like), etc, there's tons more ideas floating around! :)

It's the books that are read rather than the clever categories they go in that really count, IMHO. I look forward to following your year of reading!

@20- I had a memoir category in 2013 and I have only read 1 book that fit there. I have so many I want to read but just didn't get time too. So I think I will be doing that category again.

Mamzel I love the books that are read. Just surprised at how some people are able to come up with such clever ideas. Like the Monopoly one.

Going to go look at some threads to get some ideas.

I had some one recommend that I read Sarah Addison Allen because I read one of her books this year for my Library Book Club. So now I have another category to possibly add or change. I have had a recommended books category before.

I really like Sarah Addison Allen's books, and that's not usually a genre I'm interested in. Which one did you read and what did you think?

I read Garden Spells and I enjoyed it. I listend to the audio but I am thinking of actually borrowing the book from the library and reading it to see if I have a different take on it. Sometimes I think I miss things while listening to the audio book.

I am finding that even with 14 categories, I could still use more. Everytime I think I have every genre or theme covered, I think of another. Yours seem pretty broad so hopefully you will have no problem fitting in all your reading.

I never thought I would have the problem of needing more categories. I may change some of the categories if I have trouble filling them.

Well I received my SantaThing books and I will have to see if I can get one or two of them read this year. These are the books that I received:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
To Die For by Linda Howard
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

I have heard of Ann Brashares and Connie Willis but not the other authors. I look forward to discovering new authors this year. I had the Ann Brashares book on my wishlist and didn't even know that.

Ooh, To Say Nothing of the Dog! I hope you enjoy that one -- I really liked it!

Good luck with your challenge! I'll be following your mystery category in particular ;) See you here or at the ROOT group!

christina_reads I keep hearing great things about Connie Willis' books. I am hoping to get to her books this year. Thanks for stopping by.

hi rabbitprincess! I am hoping that most of the mystery books are from my TBR piles. I'll see you here and at the ROOT group.

Well since 2013 is coming to an end here is a list of the books I have started and hope to finish in January.
Here is a list of books I have started or plan to start for 2014:

Kennywood by Charles J. Jacques
Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
Memories of Anne Frank by Alison Leslie Gold

I am doing a re-read of Harry Potter so I will be starting with:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

I will also be reading:

Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp

Fantastic Beasts and where to find them by Newt Scamander

I don't think I am taking on too many books for January.

Happy Reading all!!

I am hoping to be able to place all of these into one of my categories.

Well I am sitting here watching and listening to the Mummers Parade and trying to read at the same time. I am dog sitting a 9 month old Husky who has no self control or off switch. I have a 3 year old Beagle Basset mix and she is wanting to relax now. The Husky wants to do nothing but play. He just doesn't get tired. He leaves tonight around midnight and I am thrilled to get a break.

Here is a picture of my dog with one of my cats:

At the start of last summer, we had a young pit bull stray show up and she moved in until we found her a new home. She was very, very energetic and while our two old dogs were friendly, they also napped for a few days after she left.

Well I am planning to take off on Friday and spend the day with my dog to give her my full attention and to treat her to some late Christmas Presents. I didn't give her any because the husky does not know how to share and will destroy all her toys. My daughter and her fiance have a pit bull mix and she can be energetic when she is around other dogs but will sleep when alone. I will be happy to get back to my bed and sleeping schedule tonight.

Love that picture! Happy New Year, Monica!

Great categories and some interesting books. Look forward to reading your views on The Kite Runner I read it some time ago :)

Thanks Lori! Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Melanie! Thanks for stopping by. I am hoping I can find my copy of the Kite Runner. I have a lot of books in boxes because I am trying to organize and I don't know which box it is in.

I have no doubt your dog will care that she didn't get the presents on Christmas. Every day with you is Christmas!

Thanks Mamzel. I do spoil her. My son bought me a sign that says a spoiled Beagle lives here. That is so true. I know once the Husky, Hunter leaves she will be sad because she will miss him.

Well I finished my first book of the year. Here is my review:

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them by Newt Scamander

Well since I am a Harry Potter freak I figured I should finally read this book again. I just needed to read it again to reacquaint myself with the interesting beasts from all the Harry Potter books.

I loved the little hand written notation made by Harry and Ron.

5 stars

I hope to finish another book either tonight or tomorrow. I have a snow day and will be home all day. I plan to read as much has I can.

Oooo- I'm having a snow day too! I made lots of plans but hope to get in a good chunk of reading also.

Betty I was just outside shoveling and I want to go play in the snow but my dog doesn't. It is too cold for her. So I guess I will have to just sit here and read. I'll see if I can survive. ;)

I love my dog, I really do, but reading your last note--oh, how I wish we could trade dogs for the winter! My Arthur LOVES to play in the snow--he'd stay outside romping all day if we'd let him (and accompany him)! He's just finally stopped begging to go out and fallen asleep, having come in an hour ago, and I'm resolved to stay as still and quiet as possible so that he might do the same for a while!

Jennifer, I would love for my dog to go out and play in the snow even if only for a little bit. She is sitting by the sliding glass door and keeps scratching to go out and once I open the door she feels the cold and turns away. It is too cold outside for her. The wind chill is -2. Our walk this morning consisted of running out the front door and walking to the neighbors mailbox and then turning around and running back to our tree. She went to the bathroom and ran to the front door. Thanks for stopping by.

Now I need to sit down and finish another book. Happy Reading all!!

Finally finished another book. I should have had this finished earlier but I spent time talking to my son this morning and watching tv with him. Then I went out for a massage and get something to eat with my friend Amy. Now I am home and was able to finish a book.

#2. Quidditch through the ages by Kennilworthy Whisp

I love Quidditch and to read a book that tells you the history of a fantasy sport is just fun. Have you ever been to a Quidditch match? I have and it is interesting to see the muggles trying to create this game.

Learning about the teams and the moves that the players do to score or to try and score is interesting. If you have read the Harry Potter books you have some background but you learn more by reading this book.

5 stars

My current reads are:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Stranger in the room by Amanda Kyle Williams
Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
Memories of Anne Frank by Alison Leslie Gold

I would love to finish another book this weekend.

Happy Reading all!!

Jennifer - my dog Gracie is kind of like yours. She's a border collie and loves to be outside although as she's getting older, she does takes few naps during the day. But come snow weather, she too will bark and beg for you to come out with her. She especially likes it when you shovel so she can chase the snow and try to eat it. She also likes to run out the door, take a bite of snow and then come back in.

Our dog's favorite thing of late is a sort of ice skating he's invented--we take him to a four-square lot nearby (fenced in, meant for neighborhood kids, but dog-owners use it to let their dogs run since there's no dogpark in the neighborhood). It's iced over a couple of times, and when it does, we've stopped even bothering to take a ball along to play--he just loves running and sliding and running and sliding all over the place! I'm dreading next week, though--it's going to be in the single digits here, and far too cold to be outside, much as he won't understand the short short walks! Meanwhile, good luck with each of your puppies in this cold!

Betty that is great that your dog loves the snow. I think mine is getting annoyed with the low temps.

Jennifer I love how dogs have no problem with the ice. Myself I would fall on my butt if I even tried to walk on ice. Well our temps are up today and tomorrow but then Tuesday the temps are going back down to single digits. Not going to be fun.

Well I finished my 3rd book for January. Not a great read but I enjoyed it.

#3. Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams

Stranger in the Room started out slow. We meet Keye Street again in this book. I have not read the other book that starred Keye Street. She is a recovering alcoholic that use to work for the FBI BAU until her alcoholism shattered that career. Now Keye is a private investigator.

She has a co-worker name Neil who I loved from the start. He was smart ass and entertaining. He is a tech geek that helps Keye on some cases. Keye does bail bond jumpers, investigates for a lawyer and also consults with the Atlanta PD where her boyfriend Aaron works in major crimes.

A Stranger in the Room centers around Keye and her cousin Miki. She has a stalker and a history of cutting and addiction problems. When the Atlanta PD are working on a murder case Keye feels that her cousin's stalker and the murders are related.

The story got interesting my Chapter 20. I found myself bored with a lot of the writing about Keye's alcohol addiction and Miki's problems. Always reading about how the alcohol tastes to an alcoholic got on my nerves when it came to the 3rd time reading it. That was the only thing that annoyed me the most.

4 stars

Going to read:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Kennywood, Memories of Anne Frank and Time Keeper. I need to finish Time Keeper by January 15th for book club.

#4. KennyWood: Roller Coaster Capital of the World by Charles J. Jacques

I had read this book when I first picked it up when I was visiting Kennywood back in the 1990's. I couldn't remember if I had finished the book so I decided to read it and finish it this time. I am glad that I did.

Kennywood started out as a Trolley Park. I can remember when I first went there with my in laws. Hearing my mother in law talk about the park and to try and give me a history was interesting. I am not sure if she had visited the park before with her kids.

One interesting thing I found in the book is my ex-husband's last name. There is a person mentioned in this book who was manager. I remember telling my mother-in-law about it and she swears that the person could be a relative of theirs.

This book takes you through the many changes that Kennywood goes through to be able to survive from 1898 through to the 1980's and still going. Kennywood was constantly changing and improving the park. They looked at what was popular and how things were changing in other theme parks.

I loved reading about the different rides that kept appearing. The pictures were treasures to look at. Seeing how the park looked back in the beginning is just astounding. Reading about rides that were successful and not so successful was interesting. Kennywood even survived a few fires that destroyed the dance pavilion and a few rides.

I am now looking to read more of the books about amusement parks since reading about Kennywood the Roller Coaster Capital of the World!! I do love Roller Coasters!!

5 stars

Different Pictures of Kennywood:

Those Kennywood-ads are great!

I loved reading about the ads in the book and to actually see them added to the fun of the book.

I finished my 5th book of the year!!

#5. Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

The time keeper is a wonderfully written work of fiction. It got me thinking about how time oriented we are. We are all so busy with work, activities, and just trying to fit everything into a day and not taking time to just look at life around us.

The Time Keeper is about father time, Sarah and Victor. Dor is a boy who starts counting and looking at how the sun and moon change. He starts telling day and night. With the sun he realizes that the day will be the same at some point. He is so wrapped up in doing this that when his wife Alli gets ill he wants to save her.

Dor is 'sentenced' to live in a cave until his time is up. He then listens to voices for thousands of years. He almost goes crazy. This is when he hears Sarah and Victor. He also draws pictures on the cave wall of his life with Alli. Once he reaches the end of what he remembers is when he is able to go into our time.

He has to save Sarah and Victor. Sarah feels like a nobody. She is not popular. She is a smart girl. She also feels that she is not pretty. Victor is an older man who is dyeing of cancer. He wants to freeze himself until there is a cure so that he can continue to live even without his wife.

I don't want to reveal the ending but I think this book is worth the read. Also take some time just to relax and enjoy your life and appreciate everyone!!

5 stars

I am still reading:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Memories of Anne Frank by Alison Leslie Gold

I also have my newest book club book to start. That is audio so I can listen to that one and finish it quicker. I don't have to finish it until mid February.

Happy Reading All!!

Another book finished this weekend.

#6. Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend by Alison Leslie Gold

I love any book about Anne Frank. I remember reading the Diary of Anne Frank many times as a young girl. I will even read it again, hopefully this year.

Memories of Anne Frank is the reflections of her best friend Hannah Goslar. This book also tells the story of Hannah and her family. How the war affected them. Hannah does not know that Anne and her family are in hiding. She thinks that Anne is in Switzerland. I found myself crying by the end of the book.

I will be reading more books about Anne Frank this year.

5 stars

Still reading:

Harry Potter, and Dead in the Family. I also need to start an e-book that is an ER book too.

Happy Reading All!!

Well I finished another book tonight.

#7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Well I still love Harry Potter. The Sorcerer's Stone is not my favorite Harry Potter book but I still enjoy reading it.

Harry Potter is an orphaned boy who doesn't know that he is a wizard until his birthday. Harry is left on his only living relatives steps after his mother and father have been murdered. Harry doesn't learn about how his parents died until he starts receiving letters from no one.

If you love fantasy, magic, and just a great story then you definitely need to read the Harry Potter books. I could go on forever about this book but then I would be spoiling the story for you.

5 stars

I will be starting some new books just not sure what it will be. Still reading Dead in the Family. I would love to finish it this weekend. These snow days are helping me with getting my reading done.

Happy Reading All!

I finished another book late last night.

#8. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Well I really didn't care for this book. I found it boring at times. Sookie also got on my nerves with her blood bond with Eric. I just didn't feel for the characters this time. I like that Jason and Sookie are trying to have their relationship as brother and sister again.

The two natured have revealed themselves to the rest of the world. There is still some residual effects from them coming out. Some people just don't want to deal with those that they don't consider 'normal'. You have Shifters and Weres that are now being attacked and not necessarily physically.

There is a death of a Were whose body is placed on Sookies land. So you know that someone is after Sookie and wants her in jail or killed. Eric's maker arrives in this book and Sook can feel the bond of him through the bond of Eric.

The end is when I didn't want to put the book down because I wanted to know what would happen to Sook, the Were's that had betrayed the pack, Eric and his maker and the sibling. I am hoping the next book is better then this one.

3 stars

I will be starting my book club read. I cannot remember the title. I also will be starting book #2 in Harry Potter. I know I will finish at least one book this month. I also have a few ER books to finish.

#9. The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith

A nice book just to read during the holiday or even after. This book is filled with Christmas Letters and recipes. I found the letters interesting. It made me think about my Christmas and if my mom ever wrote letters to family.

I loved how the letters started out as just being written by hand to being carbon copies to being printed on a computer. Just added to the time line and seeing how things change. I enjoyed reading the recipes and wonder if I would be able to make any of them.

3 1/2 stars

I will be starting Chamber of Secrets. I am listening to Ines of my Soul by Isabel Allende.

I saw today that Allende has a new book out called Ripper. I'm really looking forward to reading it.

I will have to see how I feel about this book. I am listening to the audio and so far it is okay.

I finished another book today. I just started a game on Goodreads and I will be reading a book a week so this will help me get more books finished. I just started this book on Friday and finished it today.

#10. Broken Angel by Sara Samarasinghe

Well I received this book from the author for a review. I waited too long to finally get around to reading this book. Broken Angel is the story about a teenager and her mother dealing with the death of her father while deployed at war.

Sara grasps the many facets of loss for anyone at any age. Angel and her mother Dawn receive a phone call one night to tell them that her father was killed. Angel shuts down and avoids her friends. She doesn't want to be around anyone or anything that she did when her father was alive.

Angel spirals out of control and starts smoking, drinking and doing drugs. Everything happened in a very short time. She does meet a boy from school named Brent who is not from her usual crowd and she has a connection to him and is able to talk to him. I loved how they became friends and supported each other.

Angel finds Meditation to help her deal with grief and the loss of her father. This was interesting to just read about how meditation can help you in so many different aspects of your life. I am now interested in reading up on Mediation and finding more books written by Sara Samarasinghe.

5 stars

I am listening to Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende and reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Not sure if I will be picking up another book. I need to finish Ines of my Soul by the 19th of February.

Happy Reading all!

I wake up this morning to learn that my all time favorite child star has passed. Shirley Temple Black has died at the age of 85. I have her autobiography and I want to read it again. I think it will be one that I read very slowly this year.

Very sad news indeed. Her autobiography would be interesting reading.

Her autobiography is very interesting. I will definitely be reading again this year. My daughter said we should go out and remember her by having some Shirley Temples. I will definitely be doing that sometime.

#11. Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende

Not sure if this book was really interesting or not. The narrator did not capture my attention too much while listening. I find most historical fiction very interesting. It could be that this particular history was not of interest to me.

Ines of My Soul is a work of fiction on Ines Suarez. I found some of the story interesting and that I did chuckle at some things. I am not familiar with Ines Suarez which is why the story didn't capture my attention.

3 stars

I am still reading Chamber of Secrets. My ER book and started Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland. I know I will be reading this series. I started the book on Saturday and I am more than half way done. I need to finish it by Friday for a challenge.

#12. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

Wow! I really wish I had read this book earlier. Why I didn't read it when I first got it I'll never know. I was hooked from the very first chapter.

Any Given Doomsday is the first book in the Phoenix Chronicles. I wasn't sure what to expect. There are a lot of supernatural beings that I have never heard of before.

Elizabeth Phoenix is the strong women in this series. She is a psychic and doesn't like having it. She decides to use her ability for good.

Her foster mother Ruthie is brutally murdered and she now has received more gifts. She learns that she is the one that will have to fight all evil for the human race to survive.

Elizabeth or Phoenix is not too happy about this. She has to be trained by someone in her past name Sawyer. He scares her. Phoenix needs to open herself up to her ability and to be able to see visions without having to touch people.

She is on a mission to find out who killed Ruthie. Will she be able to handle the truth? Will she be surprised by what happens?

I can't wait to continue this series. Now I just have to decide if I want to buy the rest of the books.

5 stars

I am still reading my ER book The Eye Unseen by Cynthia Tottleben. I will be starting to listen to The Chamber of Secrets. I also have my newest library book club book to read. Not sure what else I will be picking up to read.

Well another book down today.

#13. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

I still love this series. No matter how many times I read the books it still has the same effect on me each time. I listened to this book in 2 days.

Jim Dale does an awesome job on narrating this book. In the Chamber of Secrets we finally meet Lord Voldemort and learn more about him. We also meet a house elf, Dobby. So much happens in this book.

Harry, Ron and Hermione go to a death day party, try to figure out how is the Heir of Slytherin. Some Hogwarts students think the Harry is the Heir because he can speak to snakes. While Ron, Harry and Hermione think Draco is the Heir.

We also me the wonderful, charming Gilderoy Lockhart. All the witches are bewitched with him. He was the most annoying character in this book, yet entertaining none the less. We also learn a lot in this book that give you information towards the other books in the series.

4 stars

I am hoping to finish my ER book this week. Then I am not sure what i will be reading.

Well I finished another book today.

#14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

I actually listened to the audio again. I loved this book again. I remember the first time I read it I didn't love it as much. The audio makes me like it more then reading it. Jim Dale does an awesome job with the voices. Some of the voices make me laugh.

Harry is again in for some trouble at Hogwarts. A very dangerous wizard escapes from Azkaban and is a threat to Harry. Harry doesn't know anything about the prisoner besides his name Sirius Black.

Harry does some under age magic when Uncle Vernon's sister Marge is visiting and gets under Harry's skin. Harry thinks he is going to be expelled from Hogwarts. He is surprised to learn that he won't be expelled.

Harry, Ron and Hermione learn about new dangers in the Dark Arts, in Magical Creatures and in Divination. There is so much information in this book and I don't want to reveal it all. I found myself tearing up while listening to the book. Now I can't wait to start book number 4.

5 stars

Almost all the HP books get 5 stars. I love them all for different reasons.

I am still working on my ER book The Eye Unseen by Cynthia Tottleben. Since I am reading it on my computer it is taking me longer to read. I then have another ER book to read which is also on my computer. I then have 2 print ER books to read. I am hoping to get a ROOT in there at some point. Plus I will be starting the 4 HP book.

I also have my Book Club book to read.

Azkaban is my favourite of the movies and possibly of the books as well, although I also like Half-Blood Prince.

When I first read Azkaban I didn't enjoy it. But each time I re-read it I enjoy more. I love the movie.

Well I finished another book tonight.

#15 The Eye Unseen by Cynthia Tottleben

Well I don't even know how to start with this review. It was a very weird book. I had read some reviews while I read the book and people are calling it horror. I haven't read much horror but this book reminded me of when I read The Lost Boy by David Pelzer. The abuse that he went through growing up. That book was fact.

The Eye Unseen is fiction and I felt it dealt with abuse but as I read the book I realized it was more then just abuse. Lucy, her mother Joan and her sister Brandy just seem to be crazy people. I felt like I was reading about schizophrenia in a family.

I enjoyed the story and found myself enthralled in the book. The things that Lucy goes through is horrifying but I guess if you think your child is the devil child it makes you do strange and dangerous things.

4 stars

I really am not sure how I felt about the book. I didn't love it nor did I hate it. It was a weird book.

Now I will be starting My Water Path by Timothy Joseph which is another ER book.

Happy Reading all!!

I finished a book last night:

#16. The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Well I enjoyed this book and series. This book dealt more with Jon the youngest member in Miranda's family. He is the one that everyone would eat less so that he could have more food. His mother felt that her children were more important in surviving then herself.

The last book left us with them traveling to the enclave in Tennessee. It is in Sexton. He is considered a slip along with his step mother and her son Gabe. They got into the enclave because they had passes. He is accepted and not accepted. The 'real' clavers remind him of him being a slip.

The rest of his family is considered Grubs. Clavers think of them as poor and not deserving of any respect what so ever. They want everything handed to them. The Claver's talk down to the grubs who work in Sexton as house keepers, nannys, drivers etc.

A new girl arrives at school, her name is Sarah and Jon befriends her only to be told by the 'real' clavers that she is not welcomed. Supposedly she is just a grub that has someone with a strong leadership in ranks.

Sarah is different in that fact that she doesn't see people as being Clavers or Grubs. She sees them as people. Jon starts to realize how much he has been sheltered and given a better life due to his family giving things up.

Jon also goes through a period of feeling guilty about Julie's death. He blames himself until he learns the truth about how she really died. The pain he goes through and hating his family for being Grubs, and yet still loving him. Jon truly grows in this book. He learns a lot about himself and the world in general.

I don't know if this series is continuing but it could. This book also has questions at the end. I found the questions interesting and helps give you a different perspective of this series. Some things I noticed about this book I felt almost mimic how our society is really. The way we treat people differently if they don't look a certain way. If they do manual labor they aren't worthy of respect etc.

I felt that the people in the Enclave felt they are better then everyone else and entitled to everything. I also feel that the people in the Enclave are almost like politicians and celebrities. They think that they can get away with everything. They are entitled to do what ever they want like get drunk and hurt the grub girls, kill people, burn buildings without repercussions. They will blame the grubs for all the bad stuff just like celebrities, politicians and people in general try to blame others for the things they do.

4 stars

I am still reading My Water Path by Timothy Joseph. I will be starting my book club book because I have to finsih that in a week. I will also be starting Goblet of Fire

#17. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

The Yellow Birds was an okay book. I wasn't blown away by it. I disliked the way the book went from one place to another each chapter. You start out in Iraq in 2004 and the next chapter you are in Fort Dix NJ in 2003. I found myself getting confused at first. I read the last chapters by skipping and reading the ones that went together.

I found the story line interesting about the war and how a person deals with the war, the training and after returning from the war. That part of the book I enjoyed I just didn't like the going back and forth in the book. I have read books like this before and have found the same thing, that I do not enjoy that writing style.

I would suggest reading this book just for the information and to see how our men and women deal with war.

3 stars

I am still reading My Water Path by Timothy Joseph and will be starting Real Vampires Live Large by Gerry Bartlett

Happy Reading all!!

#18. Real Vampires Live Large by Gerry Bartlett

When I started the book I was confused since it has been awhile since I started this series. As I continued with the book I started to remember the first book. Glory is back and things are not quiet for her.

We are introduced to some very interesting things in this book. Like Energy Vamps (EVs). You also have the human Westwood still trying to kill Glory and any other vampire. I love how Glory is independent and yet needs a man.

I found myself enjoying the book more as I read. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

5 stars

I will be starting Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. I am reading an ER book My Water Path by Timothy Joseph. I would love to finish another book this weekend.

Happy Reading all!!

Another book finished today!! I love easy books.

#19. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
I know I need to read more of the Stephanie Plum novels. I really enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing at the dialog between Lula, Connie, Diesel and Stephanie.

Plum Lucky takes place around St. Patty's day. Stephanie's grandmother goes missing after she finds a duffelbag filled with money. Stephanie's mother is worried and sends her daughter out to find her.

She finds her in Atlantic City and that is when the fun begins. Stephanie, Lula, Diesel and Connie work together to rescue grandmom after she is kidnapped in Atlantic City. This is a fast pace story and easily read in a day.

5 stars

I will be reading my ER book My Water Path by Timothy Joseph. I would like to finish it this week so I can start a new ER book.

Happy Reading all!!

The Stephanie Plum books are probably one of the few that can make me laugh out loud.

dudes22 they are the only books that I laugh out loud to. I try to read them in my house because I don't want people to see or hear me while out.

I finished a book late last night. I am 2 books a head of schedule to make it to 75 this year. If I can keep up at this pace I may just make it to more then 75.

#20. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I finally got around to reading this book. I enjoyed the story of Gatsby. My daughter had me watch one of the movies before I read the book. I have to say that it seems like the book and the movie were pretty much the same.

Gatsby is a man that makes something of himself for a woman that he loves. He wants to be rich like she is and has to work to get there. Mr. Carroway is the only one who really becomes his friend in the whole book.

I did not care for Tom Buchanan in the book or movie. I found him very self absorbed and annoying. It is interesting to read about how life was in the early 1900's in fiction.

5 stars

I am still trying to finish My Water Path I would like to finish it this week. I will also be starting The Goblet of Fire either this week or weekend.

I finished a different book today. I had started it for a challenge on Goodreads yesterday and finished it this morning.

#21. Angus, Thongs, and full frontal snogging by Louise Rennison

This book was awesome!! I was chuckling to myself while reading it. This is the diary of Georgia Nicolson from England. She is a 14 year old girl.

You follow her through her holidays and school. She talks about boys, lesbians and life as a teenager. I had originally bought this book because of the glossary in the back to learn some English words while reading Harry Potter. I now can't wait to read the other books in this series.

5 stars

I am still reading My Water Path I am enjoying it. Not sure what I will pick up next. I have 5 more ER books to finish up plus listen to Goblet of Fire.

Okay I was on a roll today. Plus the Read A Thing started tonight so I decided to read for 2 hours and finish another book. Now on to more books.

#22. My Water Path by Timothy Joseph

WOW!! This book was fantastic. My Water Path is the story of a boy named Jory who becomes and orphan after his father dies. He will have to go to foster care and the woman is a "witch" with a 'b'. So Jory decides to run away.

He is on the Mississippi in a boat that Jacob and Max found for him. He met Jacob and Max when he first ran away and they become friends and helpers to Jory. While Jory is asleep on his boat a storm starts and he is taken out into the current. This is when he meets Moses.

This story is set during the time of racism, the KKK and Civil Rights. Jory is a white boy who is saved my a black man and wants to live with him and his family. The story is one that I didn't want to stop reading unless I really had to.

I found myself crying at one point because Jory gets married and he has children. One of the children is born on April 4 1968. Which is a happy day and a sad day. I cried because that is the exact same day and year that I was born. It is happy and sad because of the birth of Jory's son and Martin Luther King was assassinated. Take the time to read this book.

5 stars

I have a book club book to start and a few ER books to read. I would love to finish another book this week during the Read A Thing. My Book club book is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I have to see what my next ER book would be.

Well I finished one of my ER books. Only 4 more to go but still need to receive one of them. I have a book club book to finish up by Wednesday hoping to finish that book this weekend.

#23. Montana Bride: A Bitter Creek Novel by Joan Johnston

Well I seem to have found another series to read and a new favorite author. Another great book from LT Early Reviewers program. Montana Bride is number 12 in the Bitter Creek Novels by Joan Johnston.

Montana Bride is the story of Henrietta Wentworth (Hetty). You meet Hetty when she is with Gracie, Griffin, Mrs. Templeton and Bao (pronounced like Cow). Mrs. Templeton, Gracie and Griffin are on their way to meet Mrs. Templeton's groom. Instead of Mrs. Templeton becoming the mail order bride for Karl Norwood, Hetty does and also becomes the mother of Gracie and Griffin.

The many stories that are intermixed with this book makes the story enthralling and page turning. You have orphans, innocent woman and people that are just pure evil. Gracie and Griffin are brother and sister and orphans. They hire Mrs. Templeton to pretend to be their mother and be a mail order bride. Hetty is someone they find when they decide to go through an abandon wagon.

I found Hetty's story heart wrenching. She was an orphan and was left for dead in the wagon after being attacked by savages. She is one of 6 siblings. The lies that she tells to keep herself and the children she has come to love are the lies that could also destroy the happiness she is starting to experience.

The ending of this story has me wanting to experience all the Bitter Creek novels.

5 stars

My book club book is Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. My next ER books will be: Perfect Pitch by Mindy Klasky (which is an e-book) and Love Story, with Murders by Harry Bingham. (actual book)

Happy Reading all!

>77 crazy4reading:
Georgia is so cute, isn't she! And a lot funnier than I had expected.

#24. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I don't think I would have picked this book up if it wasn't for my Library Book Club. I am happy that our group chose this book. It is a heartwarming and heartfelt lecture from a dying man. Randy Pausch was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. After he has a surgery and learns months later that the cancer has metastasized and only has months to live.

This book is about his last lecture and just dealing with death and life in general, for him, his family and people that he knows. Reading about Randy, his wife Jai (pronounced Jay), and their three wonderful children who are all very young.

I found myself tearing up at the end of the book. To feel the love that Randy and Jai have for each other is so heartwarming. And the love that he has for his children is something that he wants to leave for them to see.

4 stars

Now I have my ER books to finish.

Today I went dress shopping with my daughter for Mother of the Bride dresses. It was fun, exhausting and great to be done with it for now. I found a few dresses and bought 2 of them. I figure I would be able to wear the dresses to work too.

I didn't go for the typical MOB dresses. I didn't want a real fancy one. I even found another one that I liked but didn't buy it because it was missing the jacket. I will check another store to see if I can find one with a jacket.

My daughter and I have totally different tastes in clothes. She prefers plain boring things when I like a little color and flare to them.

I also need to lose some weight before I wear the dresses, so I am again starting on my exercising and eating right. Her wedding isn't until Oct of this year so I have a few months. I just need to make sure that I am diligent in my exercising and eating.

Congratulations to your daughter (and to you as mother of the bride)! Glad you had a good time dress shopping.

Yay! A fall wedding for your daughter and double yay for finding not one but two dresses you might wear as mother of the bride. I like a little colour and flare too. ;-)

The 2 dresses I bought are actually black. One is black with white polka dots and the other is a color block with tan and white. They both looked great. I am still going to look to see if I see another one that I like more.

I love black dresses - black is totally chic for weddings these days! - and the two you have purchased sound great. I always worry about color block but only because depending on how the color block works, it tends to accentuate my hips.... and I can do with out that, thankyouverymuch. ;-)

>86 lkernagh:: - Can't we all? !

My sister had a very pretty black and white dress for her son's wedding - almost like a toile with flowers black on white. Very pretty.

The color block one really makes the waist look smaller. I have hips and butt so I try not to wear anything that really draws the eyes there. The color block dress just looked great but too tight in the hips. So my goal is to lose some of my hips and butt before the wedding. There is another black with white polka dots I want to buy but I didn't because the jacket that was supposed to come with it was missing and I want to see what it looks like with the jacket. I love the dress so I may just buy it and find my own jacket. I will try to take a picture of both the dresses and share them with everyone.

I really hate shopping for dresses because it can make me depressed.

My biggest hates are shopping for bathing suits and bras - both of which I need to do badly!

I hate shopping for them too. My daughter tells me I need to wear under wire bras. I hate them. I will need a bathing suit if I decide to use the pool at the Y.

#25. Love Story, with Murders by Harry Bingham

This is my first book by Harry Bingham and I was pleasantly surprised. I had never heard of the author of this book before winning this ARC.

This is the second book in the Fiona Griffiths series. I have not read the first one so not sure if that mattered. I still enjoyed the book. I now want to read the first and third books.

Fiona Griffiths is a cop in the UK. She is not your typical cop. Her adoptive father is a known criminal that has never been convicted. Fiona also has some problems with her mental state. I don't even know how to describe it.

There are two murders in this book that are connected but not by being committed by the same people. They are connected by Love. Fiona has her way of investigating which isn't always above the law. Her life is also put in jeopardy twice. She is left for dead in the freezing cold and the way she survives is interesting.

Fiona is also trying to figure out who she is. She starts investigating into her father's past and trying to find out why she was left in the back of her father's car one day during church. She feels that her father knows who her parents are and that there is a reason why he is her father. That is the part that really has me interested in the series.

3 stars

I will be reading an ER book again. I have 3 left to finish. I would love to finish another one this week.

#26. Perfect Pitch by Mindy Klasky

This was a cute story with a baseball theme and music, which are two of my favorite things. The story starts with the Summer Beauty Queen be awakened by her phone. This is all due to DJ Thomas a pitcher making a comment about being stuck with the Summer Beauty Queen.

This is the set up for the potential romance between Samantha Winger and DJ Thomas. DJ apologizes and you can feel the attraction right from the beginning. Samantha wants to start a program called Musicall to bring arts back to the schools.

This is a series I will read just for pure entertainment.

4 stars

Still have some ER books to read.

I tried on dresses this past weekend and the light in the fitting room was awful so they didn't fit at all! Totally the light's fault. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

Eva the light is terrible. When I was trying the dresses on at Davids Bridal there were no mirrors in the dressing room so I had to go out each time to see what the dress looked like. I didn't like any of them. I believe your story. :)

Another book finished.

#27. Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer

I won this book through Librarything's Early Reviewers program. I found the story very cute. The characters are Emily, Maggie, Ben, Tyler and Francis. Emily is a young girl of a rich family that visits Nantucket during the summer. Maggie, Ben, Tyler, and Francis are all island people. They live on Nantucket all year.

Francis is the mother of Ben and Maggie. She is a single mother that sews clothes for the locals and those that come during the summer. Tyler is Maggie's best friend on the island. Emily and Maggie are best friends too.

Your first meet them as they are young girls and call themselves Nantucket Sisters. Emily's family tries to tell her that she should be socializing with her own kind. Emily doesn't understand and enjoys spending time with Maggie and her brother Ben.

The years pass and you see them as they grow up. The changes they go through. The friendships change, and possibly end forever. Emily loves Ben and yet will they ever be together forever. Maggie doesn't realize who she loves at first. I loved the story and seeing how the relationships changed throughout time. I look forward to reading more books by Nancy Thayer.

4 stars

I am also reading The Good Suicides by Antonio Hill. I will be starting The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.

I worked my library's book sale this past weekend. I am a volunteer for the Friends of the library. I worked Friday, Saturday and helped break it down on Monday. I used some vacation time and decided to spend the time helping and getting a chance to shop for books. Here is a list of the books I bought:

Foundation & Empire by Isaac Asimov
Oedipus the King by Sophocles
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harried Beecher Stowe
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
The Last Algonquin by Theodore Kazimiroff
Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
Fell by David Clement-Davies
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
The Royal House of Windsor by Elizabeth Longford
Motherhood and Hollywood by Patricia Heaton
How to Lose your Ass & Regain your life by Kirstie Alley
Life is not a Stage by Florence Henderson
Death Walked in by Carolyn Hart
Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart
Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich
Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
The Last Catholic in America by John R. Powers
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich
Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham
The Goodbye Summer by Patricia Gaffney
The Bachelorette Party by Karen McCullah Lutz
Have your Cake and Kill him too by Nancy Martin
The Cassandra Compact by Robert Ludlum
The Hotel Hampshire by John Irving
Calico Joe by John Grisham
The Strangest Thing Happened by Ethel Barret
The Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marian Babson
Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler
The Hope of Spring by Wanda Brunstetter
Cursed by Carol Higgins clark
Shadow of Power by Steven Martini

Wow, what a haul! Looks like a very productive book sale all round.

Looks like you'll have some good reading ahead! I would find it very hard to work at a book sale since I would be finding too many books for myself!

rabbitprincess it was very productive. We still had a lot of books left over too.

mamzel I spent about $20 or so at the book sale which isn't too bad. On Saturday there was also a bake sale and I bought some treats for myself. On Monday I was allowed to take any books I wanted. It was hard not to walk out with boxes of books.

I now have to recycle some of my books to make room for some new ones. I have to find a different place to take them besides the one Library.

I finished another book tonight.

#28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

First time I listened to this book. I have read it so many times that listening was like reading it for the first time. The fourth installment of the Harry Potter series is on of my favorites. When it first read it I loved it. It is one of my many favorites from this series.

Harry is once again embroiled in danger of getting killed by Voldemort. This year at Hogwarts they are hosting the Tri Wizard tournament. We learn about 2 other Wizarding Schools. Dermstrang and Beauxbanton.

I love the friendships that are formed in this book along with the enemies they meet. Hermione makes friends with Victor Krum. Ron falls for a Vela. This is one of the best books I have every read/listened to.

5 stars

I have just started reading A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey. I am also reading an ER book The Good Suicides by Antonio Hill.

>96 crazy4reading: Wow, that is a crazy-good book haul! Hope you enjoy Much Ado About Nothing...it's my favorite Shakespeare.

Christina - Thanks. I love most of Shakespeare's writing so I am hoping Much Ado About Nothing is one of those.

I finished another book late last night.
#29. A Heart so Wild by Johanna Lindsey

I have wanted to read Johanna Lindsey for a few years now. A Heart So Wild is set in Kansas in 1868. The two main characters are Chandos and Courtney. When the first meet in 1868 it is not a pleasant one. Courtney is traveling with her father and step-mother from the east coast. They have stopped at a farm for the night and that farmer is attached by Indians for his role in the brutal murders and rapes of a Comanche tribe.

Courtney and her step mother Sarah are told to hide in the feed storage so they are protected from the Indians. They are discovered but not hurt because when Chandos sees Courtney he feels that she reminds him of his sister that was murdered and raped by the white man and he cannot to that to her.

Four Years later Sarah has re-married because she thinks Courtney's father is dead. Courtney works in the hotel that Sarah's husband owns. She keeps old newspapers just to know what is going on outside of Kansas. That is when she sees an picture of her father in a Texas papers. She is determined go to Waco to find him.

A gunslinger comes to town and that is who Courtney decides should take her to Waco. He will not do it at first. He is drawn to her and tells her to be ready in an hour. The tension between the two is just unnerving. They are attracted to each other but both are too stubborn to admit it. Courtney does not know that the gunslinger she is with is the Indian she met 4 years before. She just knows that she trusts him and his blue eyes.

I loved the whole story. The attacks that they went through. Chandos attacking Courtney to try and teach her that she should't have trusted him. Him not being able to hurt her and also him wanting to protect her from the beginning. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

5 stars

I will be starting The Good Suicides by Antonio Hill and my library book club book. Not sure what will be next after those two. Besides another ER book.

#30. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Well I finally took the plunge into reading this book and I was pleasantly surprised. I quite enjoyed the story of Carmen, Lena, Bridget and Tibby and their first summer apart.

Carmen bought a pair of pants at a thrift shop and never wore them. She was going to get rid of them the first summer they were all going away except for Tibby. While everyone is at Carmen's house the pants are spotted and the girls all try them on. Each girl is different in height and size but the pants fit each one. They are magical.

Carmen is going to visit her father in South Carolina, Lena is traveling to Greece to visit her grandparents with her sister Effie, Bridget is going to Soccer Camp in Baja California. Tibby will be staying home and working at her new job at Wallman's.

The adventures the girls and the pants go on is just so interesting. Carmen gets to her father's and learns that her father is getting married and has a new family. Lena's Grandmother wants to fix her up with a local boy named Kostos. And Bridget is the one that is just full of energy and sees a boy at the soccer camp very attractive. Tibby is making a documentary and meets a girl name Bailey.

The different adventures each one goes through both with the pants and without is entertaining. I found each of the girls to be very different and could be annoying at times. They were well written as teenagers.

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other ones in this series.

5 stars

I am still reading The Good Suicides by Toni Hill. I also need to start my book club book and finish that by Wed (5/21).

Finished my audio book for book club. Here is my review:

#31. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

This was my library book club read for this month. I had the audio version and not sure if it was the narrator or just the fact that the audio book didn't capture my interest in the story. I liked the story line but I just didn't feel it in the audio version.

I felt torn between the two women Isabel who keeps a baby that her husband finds on a boat near the light house they live in. Isabel has had miscarriages and a still birth. I felt for her but yet I just couldn't fathom keeping a baby just to please my need to be a mother.

The mother whose child Isabel finds is one that I couldn't like or dislike. She held onto the fact that her child must still be alive along with her husband because they never found any bodies. I felt for her but I also got annoyed with her after she was given her child back.

I will possibly decide to read the book to see if I have a different opinion.

4 stars

I am now reading Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey for a challenge on Good reads. I am still reading my ER book The Good Suicides by Toni Hill. I need to finish the Johanna Lindsey book by Thursday night. I am hoping to get a lot of reading done since I have 3 days off this week.

#32. Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey

I love this series. I wish I had continued this series earlier. I feel in love the the Malory's when I first picked up the books out of order. When I realized it was part of a series I went back and started at the beginning.

Gentle Rogue continues with James Malory and Georgina Anderson. James is a confirmed bachelor. He never plans to get married, that is until me meets Georgina Anderson in a tavern. She is not dressed in the normal lady attire. Instead she is in boys breeches.

Georgina is in England looking for her betrothed Malcolm. She would not be in England otherwise. Georgina is the only girl in the Anderson family. Her brothers are protective of her.

The tension between Georgina and James is priceless. Georgina and Mac are heading back to America and the first ship they are able to bored happens to be James Malory's ship. Georgina has to pretend to be a boy. She is James' cabin boy.

I loved the chemistry between James and George (the nick name James gives her) during the whole voyage back home. Also seeing the to family's together was a laugh a minute. The ribbing from both sides just makes you laugh out loud. I can't wait to continue with this series.

5 stars

I will continue with my ER book The Good Suicides by Toni Hill. Not sure what I will start for my next read for a game I am playing on GR.

#33. The Magic of You by Johanna Lindsey

The Magic of You continues with the Malory and Anderson families. Amy Malory and Warren Anderson are the main focus of this book. Amy has her coming out and has already found the man she will marry. Even though he doesn't know it yet.

Amy is all of 17 when she has her party. Warren is one of Georgina's older brothers. The first time Amy meets Warren she knows that he will be her husband. This book was very entertaining. The seduction that Amy does to get under Warren's skin is delightful.

Warren has been hurt before and is a very angry and distrustful of women and of marriage. Amy is determined to change all that. Amy is a wonderful girl that has learned a lot from her Uncle's, James and Tony. I can't wait to continue this series.

5 stars

I am still reading The Good Suicides by Toni Hill. And I just won 2 more ER books.

Happy Reading All!!

>96 crazy4reading:
Wow, that's some haul! Great price too! :)

Thanks Eva! I still haven't even put them on a shelf yet. I need to just spend a day up stairs organizing all my books. It is just too daunting of a task to do.

Well I stayed up late last night to finish my book.

#34. Say You Love Me by Johanna Lindsey

I couldn't put this book down. I stayed up late last night to finish this book. I knew if I had tried to go to sleep I wouldn't because I wanted to reach the ending of this book. I also realized that this is the first book I had ever read by Johanna Lindsey. It had be about 10 years or more since I read this and I still loved it this time around.

Say You Love Me is the romance of Derek Malory, heir to the Marquis of Haverston and Kelsey Langton. Kelsey is a lady but Derek does not know this when he purchases her at an auction just to thwarts Lord Ashford who is known to beat his whores.

Kelsey is talked into selling herself to help her uncle avoid the creditors. She has to lie and she knows that once she does this she will never be able to marry. She has to tell a story of why she talks and acts like a lady.

When they start falling in love with each other it is interesting. And seeing Derek's Uncles James and Tony noticing how much Derek is smitten with Kelsey. Only one family member learns the truth and that is Reggie. She knew when she first met Kelsey at the dress makers that they would be great friends.

Lord Ashford kidnaps Kelsey as she is leaving the dressmakers one day. Luckily James has his butler tailing Lord Ashford and know that he has taken a woman. When James learns about it and hears the description he knows it has to be Kelsey. This is when I just couldn't stop reading. I needed to reach the end and know what would happen to Kelsey and Derek.

I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

5 stars

I will continue reading The Good Suicides by Toni Hill. I also have a bunch of ER books to read. Plus I have my book club book to start.

Another book finished:

#35. The Present by Johanna Lindsey

The Malory's celebrate Christmas all together in Haverston. Jason Malory lives at Haverston and all the Malory's come to visit for the Holiday. You have James, Georgina, Anthony, Roslyn, Derek, Kelsey, Edward, Charlotte, Reggie, Nicholas, Amy, Warren and all their children.

When all the families start arriving a mysterious present appears in one of the rooms. There is no note, no card or anything to say who it is from. When Amy first sees the present she has a feeling but then the feeling leaves. It is when all the family is there that Amy feels that this present will tell them about their grandmother and who she really is.

One night Amy talks Warren into going down and opening the present. It seems they are not the only ones that have thought of this. Soon the room fills up with all the adults. Amy opens the gift and they discover that it is sealed with a padlock and leather straps. They finally cut the straps and a letter falls out. Once the letter is read they realize that they must read the journal that their Grandfather Christopher and Grandmother Anastasia truth will be revealed to them.

I found the story interesting and entertaining. I saw all the different personalities in Christopher and Ana in all their children. I look forward to reading the next Malory novel.

5 stars

Now I will get back to reading my ER book Good Suicides by Toni Hill. I have 4 more ER books to read too. So I need to get this one done.

Today I went to B&N to use my 20% off coupons. I had two so I bought 2 books. I also bought an umbrella because I forgot to bring one with me and it looked like it could possibly rain. Here are the two books I bought:

When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey
Daddy's Gone a Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark

Johanna Lindsey's book was a hard back on sale for 6.98 and Mary Higgins Clark was a paperback so only 7.99 The umbrella was the most expensive thing I bought.

The umbrella was the most expensive thing I bought.

That is usually how it works out for me when need an umbrella. Looks like you got some good deals on your book purchases!

Another book finished yesterday. I needed to finish it for my book club meeting.

#36. City of Thieves by David Benioff

I enjoy reading books based on actual events even if they are fictitious. I started reading this book and was really enjoyed it. I then had to listen to the rest of the book since I wanted to finish it before my book club meeting. The audio book was just as good. I read the book while listening to the audio.

The narrator was great with the different voices. This also helped with understanding the names of the characters by hearing someone actually pronouncing them. I also enjoyed the relationship between Lev and Kolya. They are 2 different personalities that are joined together for a very strange reason.

Lev is caught stealing from a dead German. He is then taken to see a colonel. Kolya is captured and considered a deserter. They are given orders by the colonel to obtain 2 dozen eggs to make a cake for his daughter's wedding.

The adventures they encounter on their travels to find these eggs by a given date are interesting and brutal at the same time. I am glad that my book club decided to read this book this past month.

4 stars.

I will be back to post my review on my ER book that I just finished today. I will be reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I started reading it last night at the library and I loved the beginning. I will also be reading another ER book. Hoping to finish both in a few weeks.

Lori thanks. Not sure when I will read them.

#37. The Good Suicides by Toni Hill

This is the second book in the Inspector Salgado series. I have not read the first book in this series, The Summer of Dead Toys. I will be looking for this book so that I can get to know the characters better.

Hector Salgado is back to solve another crime. Are the deaths of some Alemany cosmetics employees suicide or murder? You have Sara who is seen in the train station by some people and they say that she jumped. One of the kids takes the ladies cell phone and when the picture is discovered they return it to the police. The picture is of dogs hanging on trees.

I was drawn in to the story from the beginning. Why did Sara kill herself? What happened to Inspector Salgado's wife Ruth? These are the mysteries that drew me into the Good Suicides. The ending was very surprising and kept me guessing until the very end.

4 stars

>112 crazy4reading: City of Thieves has been on my "maybe" list for a really long time...looks like I'll be bumping it up to my "definitely" list! :)

#38. The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had not expected to be drawn in from the very beginning but I was. J.K. does what she does best which is introduce characters and all their personality to make you either hate, or love them.

The Casual Vacancy shows you how people of different backgrounds act with in their kind and with those either above or below them. I am glad I took the time to read this book.

4 stars

I had to write that review during a thunderstorm last night. I am now reading Until I found you by Victoria Bylin. I also have to read the following: Catching Hell by Mindy Klasky, Reaching First and Second Thoughts by Mindy Klasky. They are all ER books so I hope to get through them quickly.

Happy Reading all!

>115 crazy4reading:
Other than feeling it was a little too long, I totally agree!

>116 -Eva-: -Eva-: Yes it was very long. I wasn't going to read it because of that.

I just realized I never posted my review for the one I finished the other day. So here is that review.

#39. Until I found you by Victoria Bylin

Until I found you is the story of Kate and Nick. Two people who are on different journeys when they meet.

Kate is driving when she veers off the street and almost crashes her car. Nick rescues her just before her car falls over a cliff and explodes. Kate doesn't know if she believes in God and Nick has just discovered God.

I found the plot okay. I was annoyed with Kate being such a baby. She is so afraid of being hurt and losing those she loves. She feels that God has taken everyone that she loves and she doesn't understand how a God can do this. I understand going through the fear of losing people and feeling that God has done you wrong. I don't think of myself as a huge practicing Christian but I live by the motto of things happen for a reason and instead of trying to figure out why, just learn from it and move on.

This was a good story and I did enjoy most of the characters. Kate's mother was very charming. Even the descriptions of the scenery was one that you could visualize as you read. I loved the part when it was snowing and Kate decides to make a snow angel. It brought a smile to my face.

3 stars

Well I finished a book tonight. I am now right on track. I hope to finish another book this weekend if possible.

#40. Obsessed with me by Eve Rabi

A freebie from Amazon and I enjoyed the book. This story is about a man obsessed with this girl. The story takes place in South Africa. The man Tarago is white and the woman Tanin is black/Indian.

Tarago considers Tanin a 5 and takes a bet with his brother. That is what starts this story. I didn't know if I was going to like it but as I read the book I enjoyed it. Tanin is in a relationship and doesn't want anything to do with Tarago. Tarago is rich and sets out to destroy Tanin.

The ending of this book has me wanting to read the next one. I need to see what happens.

4 stars.

I now have to see if the next book is free. I try not to pay for e-books or not a lot for them.

I have some ER books I need to finish so I will be reading Catching Hell by Mindy Klasky next.

Another book finished today. Now I am on track again to reach 75 books.

#41. Catching Hell by Mindy Klasky

Another book in the Diamond Brides series. I won this through LibraryThings Early Reviewers program. This is the second book in the series. We meet Anna and Zach.

Anna Benson is the granddaughter of a baseball owner. She is now helping with the team as her gramps is ill. Zach is the catcher for the Raleigh Rockets. Anna is 14 years younger then Zach and she is in love with him.

This story is entertaining. I enjoyed the banter between Anna and Zach. The sexual tension is felt from the beginning when they first met. Now this story continues into the third book with Anna's friend Emily and the new acquisition the Rockets have made.


Now I am reading the next book in the series. Reaching First by Mindy Klasky. I know only have 4 ER books to finish.

Finished another ER book. I am now down to 3 ER books to finish.

#42. Reaching First by Mindy Klasky

Another cute story about romance and sports. This time we meet Tyler who is a first baseman for the Rockets and Emily who just happens to be Anna's friend.

Tyler was just purchased from Texas and gets into a bar fight before leaving his home town. He now has to do community service in his new home. Tyler has a secret.

Emily becomes Tyler's supervisor with the Community Service. Tyler will work on Emily's house to convert it into a place to help with veterans and getting them back on their feet. Emily also has a secret.

Will love reign with the secrets or will they discover each other's secret?

4 stars

I started Second Thoughts by Mindy Klasky. I will also try starting Island Girls and Summer State of Mind my other 2 ER books.

Finished another book tonight!!

#43. Second Thoughts by Mindy Klasky

Mindy Klasky introduces us to Nick Durban the second baseman for the Rockets. We also meet Jamie who is a photographer.

Jamie and Nick have a past. Jamie also has a secret. Jamie has a daughter named Olivia and her father is Nick. Jamie is doing a photography job at the Rockets stadium when Nick shows up. You can feel the tension between them as soon as their eyes meet.

I loved the interaction between them. Jamie is doing a calendar shoot for the Rockets and has to bring her daughter. When Nick sees her he knows that Olivia is his daughter. She has his red hair and green eyes. Jamie and Nick both join a dating site and begin communicating with their alter egos. I loved it when they decide to finally meet for a first date.

The way that plays out is entertaining. Another great read for the summer.

4 stars

I will be starting Island Girls by Nancy Thayer and Summer State of Mind by Jen Calonita

Another book finished:

#44. Island Girls by Nancy Thayer

This book really surprised me. Arden, Meg and Jenny have to spend 3 months in the family house on Nantucket. Arden, Meg and Jenny are sisters. They have the same father but different mothers. Arden and Meg and the biological children of their father Rory. Jenny is the adoptive sister.

All three mother's were married to Rory at one point. Jenny's mother exiled Arden and Meg one summer and since then there has been a rift between the girls. This summer after the death of their father it is in their father's will that they will live together in the house for 3 months.

It was a charming story. Seeing the girls grow and become closer and finding men for themselves. They have problems and arguments but really get to know each other. There are some twists that were surprising and add to the adventure. A great summer read.

4 stars

Now I will be reading my last ER book Summer State of Mind by Jen Calonita. Then I don't know what I will read.

>123 crazy4reading: - Hmmm...I thought I had that in my TBR pile since it sounded so familiar. But no...I've 2 other ones by her. I guess I'll be taking a BB.

>124 dudes22: I read one other one by her and I enjoyed it. Now Nancy Thayer is becoming a new favorite author.

Well I finally finished what was my last ER book until July's batch was done. Now I have 2 more to read and both are e-books

#45. Summer State of Mind by Jen Calonita

This is my first book by Jen Calonita. I enjoyed reading the second book in the Whispering Pines Series. I will be looking to see if my library has a copy of the first book Sleepaway girls.

Summer State of Mind is the story about a girl named Harper. Her father is in the music industry and creates music videos. Harper is different since the family has moved to a more elite area. Her father is not happy with her spending habits. You see this early on when she is out with her 'friends' Kate and Margo. Kate begs Harper to buy these shirts for the 3 of them.

When Harper gets home her father informs her that she and her brother Kyle will be going to camp. The camp they are going to is Whispering Pines, where there father used to go in the Catskills. Harper is not happy because she is leaving her friends and the plans they had made.

The adventures that Harper encounters when she first arrives. She is wearing heels and looks more like she should be sitting around a pool instead of getting ready to hike and go down a zipline. Harper is a girl who doesn't know her real self anymore. She has tried to fit in with the popular girls Kate, who is just a user. It takes Harper the whole time she is away to realize what Kate is really like. She discovers that she really does like Whispering Pines and the friends that she has made Lina and Ethan. Her brother even notices the change in his sister and loves her more now.

4 stars

I am reading One was a soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming. I am also going to read some children's books I have.

#46. One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming

I received this book a few years ago along with and ARC I had one. I finally got around to reading this one. This is my second book in this series.

Reverend Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne are at it again. Clare just comes back from being deployed in Iraq. She has problems and joins a support group. Were you will meet more veterans. They are all suffering in there own way.

I enjoyed the story with the many different stories mixed in. Clare and Russ also get engaged in this book. It was interesting to see the wedding planning with Clare's mother from Virginia. One of the soldiers from her support group dies and her death is ruled a suicide. Clare cannot accept that and goes on a mission to find out the truth.

4 stars

I am now reading an e-book right now. The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia

#47. The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia

New author for me. I enjoyed this book and will be looking for the others in this series. The Young Jaguar seems to be based on the Aztec time. It was interesting to get drawn into that time period. I am not too familiar with it but now I want to learn more.

The way they lived back then is one that is hard to picture but fascinating at the same time. The Young Jaguar is a story of a boy of the Chief Warlord. He is able to climb in and out of buildings without getting caught, or at least not right away.

His mother is one that most think of being a barbarian. I loved her the most. Sakuna was her name. She was my favorite even if I got annoyed with her.

4 stars

I have some ER books to read. I plan to start one of them tonight or tomorrow. I also want to get back into Under the Dome. I started that last year but I haven't picked it up yet.

48. The Magnificent Mummy Maker by Elvira Woodruff

I am trying to go through all my children's books and read them so I can decide if I want to keep them or not. I read this book last night.

I enjoyed this story of a melded family. A boy named Andy and his new family. His mother died when he was 2 months old. His father has remarried and he has a brother the same age and a younger sister. His new brother is gifted and Andy feels stupid and doesn't try hard.

He is in the fifth grade and they are studying Egypt. This is when things change for Andy. He feels different after visiting the Museum and the Egyptian display. Very cute story.

4 stars

I am currently reading Third Degree by Mindy Klasky which is an ER book. I also have Fractured Angel by Ken Williams to read too.

49. Third Degree by Mindy Klasky

Another great story by Mindy Klasky. This time we have Josh Cantor and Ashley Harris as the leads. Ashley is a chef and is trying to open her own restaurant by entering a contest on a local tv show. Josh plays for the Raleigh Rockets and is trying to open his own restaurant too for investment reasons.

Ashley and Josh meet at the competition. Josh is only planning to use Ashley to get his grandmother's recipes. His grandmother, Angel told him he had to date the same woman and show proof with pictures. I loved the little teasing each of them do.

So who will win the prize of opening a restaurant in the Rocket's stadium after this contest? You have to read Third Degree to find out.

4 stars

Now I am not sure which book I will be reading next. I have another ER book to read but not sure if I want to read it just yet. I may just pick up a short book to read.

#50. Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick

My first book by Amanda Quick. I didn't know what to expect. I do enjoy books based on the past and Wait Until Midnight is won that I did enjoy.

Mrs. Fordyce and Mr. Hardesty are the main characters of this book. The become acquainted after Mrs. Fordyce attends a seance at a medium's house who is murdered. Mr. Hardesty at first believes Mrs. Fordyce is involved in the murder. After their first encounter you can tell they will be more then just friends.

Caroline Fordyce and Adam Hardesty join together to discover the truth behind the murders of 2 mediums. I enjoyed the banter between them and the way they just worked together.

4 stars.

I have an ER book to read. Fractured Angel by Ken Williams. I don't know what else I will decide to read.

I finished another book today. Not the one I was planning to read.

#51. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

I have had this book on my TBR list for a few years. I don't know why I kept putting off reading this book.

I really enjoyed the stories being told with the different recipes for the different events in the lives of the De la Garza family. The birth of the youngest daughter Tita and how she is supposed to never get married. Since Tita is the youngest she has to stay and take care of her mother until she dies. Tita is denied true love.

This is the main story of Like Water for Chocolate. The recipes are interesting and how they can affect others due to the feelings of the person making the meals.

5 stars

I have an ER book which I plan to start tonight. Fractured Angel by Ken Williams. I don't know how long it will take me to read it. It is an E-book and I also have a PDF copy which I printed at work. So I have another way to read it. Not sure what else I will pick up next to read.

#52. Fractured Angel by Ken Williams

I am glad I didn't listen to the reviews. I usually don't read reviews of books before I read the book. I just happened to read a few and was thinking do I really want to read it. Knowing that I had won the book and needed to review it I plunged forward with reading it. I am glad that I read the book.

This is my first book by Ken Williams. Fractured Angel is the story about homelessness, mental health, alcoholism and much more. You meet Kerry a hard nosed Social Worker, Vietnam Vet who works at a shelter. Then there is Lynne, the rich mom whose daughter is missing and has mental issues. These are the two main characters of this book. You also meet Tracey, Lynne's daughter, Charlene, shelter worker and Simon who is the new boss of the shelter.

Lynne doesn't know anything about what homelessness is like. She decides to pretend that she is an intern to look for her daughter. Kerry and Lynne don't hit it off at first but you can feel that there is potential.

Just traveling with Kerry and Lynne through out town at all the different places the homeless will find shelter. The reactions that Lynne experiences when she sees the homeless are typical of most people. We don't want to think about what is out there, how others are suffering, etc. We like to think that every other country other then America has this problem.

3 stars

My library book club starts up again in September and I picked up my book yesterday. Our September book is Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I hope to read it the next couple of weeks. Not sure what else I will decide to read.

When I win an ER book, I try not to read any reviews until I'm done reading it. Then I check a couple and look at the rating to see if I agree or if I'm way out of whack with everyone else. Not that it changes my mind, but I like to know what others are thinking before I write my review. Just in case I totally missed something important while I was reading.

>134 dudes22: I usually don't read reviews but I just happened to be adding the book and took a look at reviews on another site. I was just not in the mood to start the book and knowing how long it was made me want to just put it down and not read it.

Well I read a much shorter book last night and today.

#53. Dear Austin by Elvira Woodruff

A cute story written in letters from Levi to his brother Austin who is traveling on the Oregon trail.

Levi keeps writing his brother to tell him about all that is going on in their home town of Sudbury Pennsylvania. The trouble that Levi and his friends Possum and Jupiter get into.

Great book for any young reader.

4 stars

I will be starting my book club read Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I am also going to read Prodigal Father by Gina Ferris.

#54. Prodigal Father by Gina Ferris

A pleasantly surprise read. I enjoyed the story of Cole and Kelsey.

Cole has not seen his father for 26 years. Kelsey hunts down Cole because her sister is married to his father and he is ill. The determination that Kelsey shows is what attracts Cole to her.

I enjoyed the building of the relationship between Kelsey, and Cole. The turmoil they both went through as they were each trying to deny the attraction.

4 stars

I am currently listening to Savannah or a Gift for Mr. Lincoln by John Jakes. Next up will be a Jodi Pilcoult book.

#55. Savannah or a Gift for Mr. Lincoln by John Jakes

I just decided to pick a book up while at the library. Savannah just grabbed my attention when I read the summary.

Hattie and her Mother Sara are trying to save their family rice plantation in Savannah Georgia in 1864. Sherman brings his army through Atlanta and is heading right to Savannah.

Listening to the story was very entertaining. Hattie has no problem standing up to Sherman. Her mother doesn't care for the cavalrymen because she is a widow because of the war. The romances that do blossom throughout the book are very intriguing.

4 stars

A good book for being a spur of the moment choice while at the library. I have an ER book to read so I will be starting that one.

I decided to be lazy today and read another book. Now tomorrow I really need to do some serious cleaning and exercising.

#56. Stopping Short by Mindy Klasky

Another baseball player had some romance. Stopping Short is the 6th book in the Diamond Brides series. We meet Jessica and Andrew (Drew).

Jessica works for an imaging company that improves clients images. Drew is a Raleigh Rockets ball player who had gotten into some trouble at spring training. Jessica is an associate that is sent down to Florida to work on Drew's image.

The face of the Raleigh Rockets, Adam, introduces Jessica to the press as Drew's fiance. This is not what Image Consultants has in mind but that is what they have to work with. Jessica thinks of it as part of the job and goes head first into it.

Drew has a past that he doesn't want to tell Jessica, even as they both start to fall in love with each other.

4 stars

Now I will have to start my book club book.

I finished another book just now. I haven't been able to read much since work has gotten busy with the start of the school year. Hoping to get some reading done this weekend.

#57. Cat Manual by Michael Ray Taylor

This was a very entertaining book. I found some things very interesting and true to all the cats I have ever owned. I will say that cats can be trained and taught that the human is the master.

Some of the chapters had me laughing as I was reading. How to wake up a your human. I have taught many of my cats that they do not need to go outside in the middle of the night. They have a litter box to use. I will just take them like there mother's would and tell them to go to sleep.

The chapter with living with a dog or dogs is really funny. If you want a nice funny read definitely read this book.

4 stars

I also started my book club book Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I am enjoying it so far. I will also be reading Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

Just looking at my categories and I see that I have reached 7 books in one of my categories:

Category 5 E-books, Audio Books

I am close on a few others. Hoping to finish at least 3 of the categories this year.

Forgot to post this before:

#58. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

I enjoyed Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books and decided to try out another series of hers. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. This is the first book in the Lily Bard Mystery series.

Lily has a past that she doesn't want anyone to know about. She lives a quiet life in Shakespeare, Arkansas. She works as a cleaning lady and takes a martial arts class. Lily also has trouble sleeping at night and this is when her life changes.

There is a murder in Shakespeare and Lily is the only witness to the disposing of the body. Now she starts wondering who would commit murder. As Lily and the Chief of Police talk it out they both start to come to there own conclusions.

5 stars

Finished my library book for book club yesterday. Here is my review:

#59. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

I really enjoyed this book by Jodi Picoult. Change of Heart deals with religion, capital punishment and some much more.

The characters are Shay Bourne, Maggie Bloom, Father Michael and many others. Those are the 3 main characters. Shay Bourne murders 2 people and is put on death row. Maggie Bloom is an ACLU lawyer and Father Michael is a priest who had served on Shay's trial 11 years ago.

The storyline centers around Shay and his death. He will be killed for committing 2 murders and he wants to donate his heart to one of the victims sister. The topic is so intriguing and for front in the real world.

I just loved the different religious messages and just learning and reading about the many different gospels that we don't usually hear about.

5 stars

My next book for book club is Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth and I am also reading a book by Alan Alda.

I think I would have Alda's voice in my head if I read a book by him.

I have a couple of Alan Alda's books on audio, read by him of course! :)

>142 mamzel: I probably will too.

>143 rabbitprincess: I almost picked up the audio while at the library but decided I wanted to read the book instead of listening to it.

>141 crazy4reading: I'm happy to know that Change of Heart is good, I bought it at one of 24 hours sale of BookDepository, I tend to bought what seems good but you never know :)

#60. Things I overheard while talking to myself by Alan Alda

I decided to read this book because I have been watching Mash and saw the book at the library and picked it up. I have always loved Alan Alda and he reminds me of my father by his stature. Tall, thin, and lanky.

I wasn't disappointed. Reading about Alan Alda's life and some of the speeches he has given through his lifetime were very interesting. How can an actor give a speech to students graduating from medical school and are actual doctors? It was interesting to see how he went about building the speeches and why he did them.

Now I just need to listen one of his own books that he has narrated.

4 stars

Tomorrow is my daughter's wedding. Today we did some decorating for the wedding and reception. We went and got our nails done and then went out to eat. Now we are just hoping the rain is gone by noon. Not sure I will get any reading done. I am currently reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. I was hoping to finish the book today.

Plus my son is moving back with his boyfriend. They both have new jobs up near me. They will be moving the rest of their stuff on Sunday. I am happy to have them back with me.

Congrats on the wedding - hope it goes well!! And congrats on having the boys back too - always nice when people move closer rather than away, which feels like it happens so much more often.

It's so nice to hear you are having a wonderful stretch of happiness! Hope it continues.

Hope the weather held up for the wedding! Congratulations to your daughter :)

>148 -Eva-:, >149 mamzel:, >150 rabbitprincess: Thank you for the well wishes. The weather was perfect for the wedding. I have pictures I hope to post this weekend. I had a great time and danced the night away at my daughter's wedding. I was so sore the next day that I couldn't move.

#61. Looking for Alaska by John Green

I have read a few John Green books. Each one has been a joy to read. Looking for Alaska didn't disappoint.

Miles Halter decides to look for his Great Perhaps and goes from a pubic school to a boarding school. He meets his roommate Chip "Colonel" Martin. Colonel nicknames Miles, Pudge. Pudge meets Alaska and Takumi.

The adventures they take Pudge on are his start to finding his Great Perhaps. Alaska and Pudge seem like very similar people but different at the same time.

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing and crying while reading this book. I believe I have found another favorite author.

4 stars

# 62. Iced by Carol Higgins Clark

I forgot all about this series. I haven't read one of the Regan Reilly mysteries in years. Iced was located in Aspen just around the Christmas Holiday.

Some paintings are stolen and one of the help is suspected of orchestrating the theft. He is missing and everyone assumes he left town.

Regan doesn't believe that the person who everyone suspects actually heisted the paintings because of certain things that she notices, such as; freezing food, not taking all his belongings, just little things like that.

I loved the ending and even laughed while reading the book. I am glad I read this book.

4 stars

I have a few ER books I need to read and my book club book. Which I have to finish by next Wednesday. My book club book is Call the midwife by Jennifer Worth

Glad to hear your daughter's wedding went so well and you had a great time.

I have just been catching up with all your reviews. I read Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult a while back and I also thought it was a really good book.

>151 crazy4reading:
Excellent - that's the way it should be the day after a great party! :)

>153 Roro8: Thanks. We finally got to talk to the nun in our book club about the book. She said she had a lot of notes but she didn't bring them with her.

>155 -Eva-: So true.

Well I finished my ER book. I am still working on my book club book. I hope to finish it this weekend. Plus I am reading HP and the order of the phoenix. It would be nice to finish all of them this weekend.

I took a sick day yesterday because I just didn't feel well. I am glad I did because I was able to read and rest up. Now I am feeling better and hoping to get more reading done today.

63. Her Last Whisper by Karen Robards

Well I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I don't remember reading the 2nd book in this series so now I will have to go back and read that one. I read the first one in this series also an ARC. I really didn't know how this series would be. I enjoyed this book.

Dr. Stone has her ghost with her still and is now hearing more voices. In the last book she had drowned and was brought back from death. Not sure how that affected her being able to hear voices in her head.

Again she is working with a serial killer and things go wrong. A hunter comes for her ghost and Tony the FBI agent needs her for a case in Las Vegas.

I was able to figure out who the serial killer was before the ending but didn't expect the accomplices. Now I am not sure if there is another book in the works.

4 stars

It's a little belated, but: "Hi, Monica!" :) I'm glad to see your reading is going so well. And I love your pet pic near the top. So sweet! :)

>157 saraslibrary: Hi Sara!! Hope your reading is going well. Thanks for stopping by! Better late then never.

I finished another book. I am going a little slow on the reading now. Hoping I can reach 75 books this year.

#64. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

This was slow going for me. I have never watched the show so I wasn't expecting anything out of the book. I found it interesting to read about how birth was in the 1950's in England. The stories of all the different women that she meets was entertaining.

One woman had given birth 25 times. It is hard to believe that. Women and infidelity and then worrying about the baby not looking like the father/husband.

4 stars

Now I need to finish Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Call the Midwife is on my wishlist, so nice to see another person who enjoyed it. I haven't watched the TV show either.

>158 crazy4reading: My reading's going ok. I haven't felt much like reading lately, but I did manage to hit my 75 goal by padding it with tons of children's books. *sheepish grin*

You look like you're right on target to finish 75 this year. Keep it going! :) Btw I'm glad you liked Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. It's one of my faves. The whole series is hilarious, though it does tend to repeat itself involving her boy crushes.

>158 crazy4reading: & >159 Roro8: My grandmother's seen/liked Call the Midwife (the TV show). If either of you've seen Downton Abbey, then you'll probably like CtM.

>160 saraslibrary: I may throw in some Children's books to reach my goal. I am reading some shorter Kindle books this week. Hopefully that will help to reach my goal faster. I would love to watch both those shows. A woman I work with watches both. I told her if I watched every show you tell me to watch I would never get any sleep or get anything done. They are both on my To Be Watched list.

Well I finished another book this morning. Going to try and post this before my power goes out again.

#65. Alpha Mine by Brenda Sparks

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I didn't know what to expect.

Alpha Mine is about Vampires and humans. The story starts 7 years in the past. Katrina is attacked by Vampires when she is leaving her job at a club. Another Vampire rescues her and heals and protects her. Katrina knows there are vampires and is friends with Marcus, the one who saved her.

Now it is 7 years later and Marcus and Kat are living together as friends. Marcus' creator arrives unexpectedly in Las Vegas. His name is Stephan. Marcus and Kat live in Stephan's penthouse. Stephan learns about Kat and feels a connection to her.

The Vampires look for the heartmate. When they find their hearmate they love them for eternity. The way they find out if a human is a vampires hearmate is by drinking the humans blood. I loved Stephan, Marcus, and the other Alpha's that we met in this book. They don't believe in hunting humans. They will fight for humans and protect them.

Hoping there is another book in this series.

4 stars

I started to type a sentence stating that I have been losing power all day today. There have been high winds and I think some wires or a transformer keeps getting knocked out. I kept hearing a buzzing or some other noise. I decided to go out and return a library book while the electric was out. Now just hoping the power doesn't go out anymore.

>161 crazy4reading: if I watched every show you tell me to watch I would never get any sleep or get anything done

:D I know how you feel! Out of the two shows, I've heard people really love Downton Abbey. Just a FYI, if you were debating on which one to watch.

Anyway, go for it re: reading more children's books. Some of them are a lot of fun. Plus, you can read quite a few in a day, if they're short enough. ;)

Ooh, Alpha Mine looks good! :) I'm glad you liked it.

Uh oh on your power. *fingers crossed you won't lose power* I guess it's that time of year, huh? :/

Except that they were both produced by the BBC I can't really see any comparison between CtM and DA. They're both fantastic on their own merit. Watch both!!

>163 mamzel: I will watch them at some point. Hopefully after I get settled in my new place I will have time to read more.

>162 saraslibrary: I have heard the same about Downtown Abbey. I lost power 4 times. Luckily it didn't stay out for more then 30 minutes each time.

#66. 99 to Nowhere by Domino

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't sure what I was getting into. This book is about being in the foster care system. We meet Maxx short for Maxine. She is on the run. She runs into another homeless kid. The kid tells her about the chapel on 99th street.

The chapel is where she meets Rio. He is funny and has a plan even though he is homeless. He pushes Maxx to have a plan too. They start talking about plans when Maxx gets caught by the cops and is placed back with her foster family. The one she ran from because of the father attacking her.

I found myself not wanting to put the book down. Reading 99 to Nowhere just made me think about all the children that are in the system and could possibly be going through similar situations. It was a nice change of pace.

4 stars

I am doing a freebie bingo game and I will be reading a lot of my kindle books. I need to get through some of them. I also have a book club read to start.

>164 crazy4reading: I'm glad the power outage wasn't for very long. Let's hope your winter doesn't get worse than that.

I've never heard of 99 to Nowhere, let alone the author. Nice simple name. :) Have fun at your bingo game, as well as catching up on your ebooks and book club read.

>164 crazy4reading: What book are you reading for your book club?

>166 Roro8: I read First Mothers by Bonnie Angelo

#67 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

I actually listened to the Audio book. I really enjoyed listening to this book. I found the narrator awesome with all the different voices as usual. I would chuckle while listening because some of the lines were funny when you actually hear them being spoken.

This is not one of my most favorite books in the series just because of Harry being so angry during most of it. Listening to it gave me a different appreciation for the story. Harry grows up and learns a lot about himself and Voldemort.

5 stars

#68. First Mothers by Bonnie Angelo

I found this book very slow and boring at times. I enjoy learning about history and even the presidents. This book was very long winded and I felt somethings were repeated over and over again.

The book starts out reading about Franklin Roosevelt and goes to George W. Bush. It seemed like all these presidents had very similar lives and yet different at the same time. Either they were poor or their mother was poor.

I probably wouldn't have read this book if it wasn't for my book club.

3 stars

I am reading a few e-books right now. I can't think of them right now.

#69. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

No matter how many times I read or listen to these books I just discover new things and loose myself in them. This is the start of the good versus evil. This is one of my most favorite books of the series. The characters grow and you start to see the strength they have in themselves.

I love this book because Snape has such an integeral part in this story. Draco also plays a huge part in this book. The turmoil Draco goes through. His father in Azkaban. The life of his family in his hands.

Now I can't wait to read the last book in the series.

5 stars

I am reading Imprinted by the Alpha and a few other e-books.

I see you lose yourself in the Harry Potter books like I lose myself in the movies! I haven't read the books. Maybe one of these days I will. ;-)

#70. Damaged: Rebirth by Becca Vincenza

I have to say for some of the Freebies I have been reading so far I have not been disappointed, now that I wrote that I will probably get one I regret reading.

Audrey is saved after being kidnapped, yet she still thinks she is still going to be tormented by her savior Stone. I read a mix of genres and I am not all that familiar with the Paranormal besides vampires. This was a nice change of pace from the typical paranormal that have vampires at the center.

I look forward to looking into reading the next book(s) in the series.

4 stars

#71. Imprinted by the Alpha by Jocelyn Thomas

I got this book as a kindle freebie. I enjoyed it at the start. As the book moved along I was still interested and had some high points and low points. Towards the end I just felt it was rushed to get to the climax.

Ava has a future that she knows nothing about. Her mother has to tell her because her powers will come to light on or after her 21st birthday.

Ava did not know that supernatural beings were real and that she is one. She is the Oracal. She will have powers, visions and the ability to end some supernatural beings.

Ava meets Caleb who is a were wolf and this is her first introduction to the supernatural world and before she knows anything about herself. Caleb is drawn to her, imprints her and will always be there to protect her.

Where is Caleb at the end of this book? He isn't there to protect her. Will he show up at the start of the next book? Those are some of the questions I was left with. Will Ava survive Caleb's step brother? Who knows. I will look into possibly reading the next book if I can find a way to borrow the book.

4 stars

#72 Never Buried by Edie Claire

Leigh moves in with her pregnant cousin, Cara, while her husband is away on his job. Cara is supposed to take it easy and no stress. Leigh does her best until a corpse is found on Cara's property.

This is when the all the weird stuff starts happening. First the corpse with a note, fish with the words GET OUT painted on them, and someone leaving gasoline and matches in the house. Leigh is scared but stays since Cara will not be forced out of her house.

It was interesting trying to figure out who is doing this and why. Now to look for the next books in the series.

5 stars

#73. 1st to Die by James Patterson

Wow, my first James Patterson book and I am in love with his writing. I will definitely be reading more of his books. I have fallen in love with the Women's Murder Club.

I have been introduced to Claire, Lindsey, Jill and Cindy. Each are from a different fields and yet all their jobs work together. Claire is a doctor, Lindsey and Inspector, Jill District Attorney and Cindy is a reporter. Together they solve the Wedding Murders.

They look at the evidence and work out things just by talking to each other. It was enjoyable reading about their meetings and just seeing how they have become friends. They trust each other and will work together to solve the case.

5 stars

I am reading Private Demon by Lynn Viehl plus a few others. I need to finish Private Demon before Friday. Hoping this is just as good as the one I just finished.

>173 crazy4reading: James Patterson's book are very addictive. :) It's been awhile since I read the Women's Murder Club series (I think I only got up to 3rd Degree), but I remember liking it. You'll have no problem finding more of his books at your library--he's everywhere! :)

>174 saraslibrary: I have many of James Patterson's books. I have just never taken the time to read them. Doing a challenge on GR and read it as a buddy read. I am so glad I read it. Now onto the next book.

I'm up to #8 in the Women's Murder Club series, although the first time I started to read them, I only got to #3 and was upset about something that happened in the book and quit the series. Then a couple of years ago I decided to start them over.

>176 dudes22: I hope I don't get upset with book 3 when I do get around to reading it. Glad to see you have been able to start over and get past #3.

>175 crazy4reading: I'm glad you already have some James Patterson books lined up. :)

>176 dudes22: I think maybe the same thing happened to me; I don't remember. I just stopped the series and moved on with some of his others. I can't believe that series is already up to 14. We've got some catching up to do, though you're more than half done. Good job! :)

>177 crazy4reading: I hope you don't either. I'm sure you'll love the series. Good luck with the rest! :)

#74. Private Demon by Lynn Viehl

This is my first book by Lynn Viehl. I enjoyed this book but now I need to go back and read the first book to see if I can fill in the gaps.

This seems to be about vampires and how they are cursed. The vampires in this book/series are not able to turn humans to vampires. It seems that the human die before the mutation is completed.

4 stars

I am reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I haven't read this book since it was released in 2007.

I've never read anything by Lynn Viehl either. And I'm kind of OCD like that, where I have to read books in order. :D I hope you're able to find If Angels Burn so you can fill in the gaps.

Good luck with the Harry Potter series! I hate to say it, but I own them, but haven't even cracked book #1.

>180 saraslibrary: I haven't had a chance to look for If Angels Burn. I cannot believe you have never read the Harry Potter books!!

#75: Heaven is for real by Todd Burpo

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about a near death experience from the eyes of a child. Colton Burpo was only 3 years old when he went to the hospital for what was thought to be the flu. Colton needed surgery on his appendix. The look in his eyes prior to surgery was death.

Colton comes out of surgery and bounces back quickly. Colton doesn't talk right away about his exeprience of meeting Jesus, God and others after he is home from surgery. It takes awhile before he says things that his parents mull over after hearing it. That is when the start to realize that something extraordinary happened to their child.

4 stars

I am still reading the Harry Potter book. I would love to finish that book this weekend. I am also reading Real Vampires get Lucky by Gerry Bartlett. So far I am enjoying it.

LOL! I know, I try not to tell too many of our patrons that either when they ask about the series. ;)

Have you seen the movie adaptation for Heaven is for Real? My mom saw it and liked it. I haven't read the book or seen the movie, so I can't say which is better.

I have not seen the movie adaptation of Heaven is for Real. I would like to see it. I have heard that the movie is bettern. So actually saw the movie first and enjoyed that more than the book. Do you think you will ever read the Harry Potter Books?

Good question. :D I doubt I will this year. Maybe next year? I'm not sure.

#76. Real Vampires Get Lucky by Gerry Bartlett

I can always count on a fun and thrilling read in one of these Glory St. Clair books. I had stumbled upon this series by accident. Saw the first book on sale at Barnes and Noble and picked it up. Since then I haven't stopped getting these books when I can find them.

This book has Glory turning a human to a vampire. Something she doesn't want to do. When her and Valdez stumble upon Lucky Carver behind her shop bleeding out, Gloria has to decide to either save her or let her die. I will say that Lucky is annoying from the beginning.

Lucky is not one to be quiet and unseen and now that she is a vampire she has to learn the vampires rules. As always Glory is very entertaining with the men in her life and it is great to see Blade in this book. I look forward to the next book and possibly seeing Lucky in future books.

5 stars

I am reading the 4th book in the series Real Vampires don't Diet by Gerry Bartlett. I am also trying to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This will be my first time re-reading the last HP book.

I've always wanted to try those Real Vampires... books. I'll see what we have at work and flip through it real quick. Thanks for the rec! :) And happy re-reading your Harry Potter book.

I had a chuckle (which I had to share with my H.P.fan daughter) since there were no fewer than two references to Harry in this morning's funny pages. It makes my happy that Harry is still alive and wel in our world.

Oh, yeah, I don't think he's just a passing phase. He'll be around for a long time, I think. :)

I agree. Other books try to stay (Twilight) but Harry Potter is one that will last a long time.

I think so, too. I don't know if it'll ever make the classics like The Lord of the Rings series, but that would awesome if it does.

Btw:



I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's holiday with your family! :)

Funnily enough, one of the strips had a revenue to TLOTRS, too. Picture Gandolf with reindeer calling out , "Fly, you fools!"

Here's a link to the strip.

LOL! Yeah, FoxTrot is always good for TLOTRS humor, especially with a title like Orlando Bloom Has Ruined Everything. ;)

I have enjoyed reading your reviews over the year, Monica. Stopping by to wish you a happy holiday season and all the best in 2015.

Merry Christmas, Monica!

Merry Christmas Monica and a Happy reading New Year!

Well I finished a few books. I am hoping to finish one more book before the end of the year.

#77. Real Vampires don't Diet by Gerry Bartlett

Glory St. Clare is at it again in Real Vampires Don't Diet. Glory is a vampire that was turned about 400 years ago. She is no your typical vampire. She doesn't like to hunt for food. She prefers the synthetic blood. She is also not you bone thin vampire. She has curves.

This book has Glory and Ray (Isreal Caine) in a very compromising situation. New Years Eve and Glory's on again off again man Jerry travels to Europe to look for his possible daughter. Glory goes to Ray when she learns that he is drinking alcohol. Vampires and alcohol do not mix.

Glory and Ray go out on a lake and meet a Siren. The Siren, Aggie is hunting vampires for a goddess named Crice. Aggie is a fan of Isreal Caine and decides to make Glory and Ray bring her 3 male vampires, and one must be Casanova.

Glory and Ray pretend to be engaged and also go to the Energy Vamps to work on getting Simon Destiny to be another of the vampires for Aggie. The fun begins for Glory, Jerry and Ray. A love triangle is now in full swing in this series. Glory in a pretend relationship with Ray and having to keep her real relationship with Jerry under wraps.

I am looking forward to reading the next book to see what is in store for Glory, Jerry, Ray and Jerry's daughter Lily. Now that Westwood the vampire hunter has been killed it will be interesting to see who besides Simon Destiny will be going after Glory and her friends.

4 stars

#78. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Well It has been 7 years since I read this book. It was published in 2007 and it is the 7th book in the Harry Potter Series. This is the first re-read I have done for Deathly Hallows. I am glad I finally got around to reading it again.

I had forgotten a lot of things in this book. I have watched the movie many times and started to think that was the book. Now that I re-read the book I discovered that I love both the book and the movie for totally different reasons. They transformed the book into a wonderful movie even if things were changed. Some characters left out of the movie or not scene like they were in the book.

Harry and Voldemort will have their final battle. Harry has to leave Privet drive for the last time prior to his 17th birthday. Once he turns 17 the protection that Dumbledore has placed on the house will be gone and Harry could be attacked. The trace is also lifted once Harry turns 17.

Harry, Ron and Hermione set off in a rush after the Minister of Magic has been killed. They start their hunt for the Horocruxes. There is tension between the three of them. Harry feels like he is putting everyone else in danger while Ron and Hermione know that he cannot do it alone.

There are many deaths in this book. Some at the very beginning. The first death that really affects Harry is one that I cried the first time I read the book. This time I was prepared and didn't cry as much.

I think I will re-read this one and take my time and not rush it.

5 stars

I am currently reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I hope to finish that book before the New Year.

Harry Potter books make great rereads! The Goblet of fire accidentally jumped into my hand in november and I enjoyed it maybe even more the second time around.

>197 paruline: They do! GOF is one of my favorites

Well I finished my last book for 2014.

#79. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight was one of the first books I read featuring Vampires. I wasn't familiar with all the 'myths' or 'superstitions' about Vampires. I enjoyed this book because it made me feel like a teenager in love again.

Bella moves to Forks to live with her father. She isn't keen on moving there but does it for her mother. Many of the students are eager to be friends and more with Bella.

Bella sees Edward from across the cafeteria. Edward is not your typical teenager and Bella intrigues Edward.

5 stars

Not sure what I will be picking up next. I will be doing this again in 2015!! Hope to see you there.

Congratulations on ending your 2014 reading with a 5 star read!

Appropriate to finish the year with a bang! :)