Challenge: 50 Books discussion

1 Night Jan. 1, 2010
This delightful little book is written by a friend of mine. I think I would classify it as a fantasy-romance.

2 Honeymoon Jan. 2, 2010
A quick read - it kept me guessing and the O'Henry end topped it off. Definitely a mystery-thriller!

3 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown Jan.7, 2010 5/5*
I went to sleep last night a little frustrated that I was too tired to finish my book so when I woke up at 5am I had to get up and go somewhere with light so I could read the last 40 or so pages!
This was definitely a "mystery-thriller". Brown manages to pack a lot of action into a 24 hour plot. There are car chases, madmen, brilliant but sometimes dense professors, a beautiful woman with an amazing mind, tragedy, government secrets, computers and a collection of strange symbolism all caught up in unstoppable action.
As for the question, "Did you figure out "who-dun-it" before the end, or did the author surprise you?" Yes, I did figure out the "who" early on, but then the author put us into his mind, but the "why" took most of the book to decipher. At times I felt that I was in a lecture hall with Langdon talking to his students about all the ancient secrets and I think that that was what Brown intended, to enlighten his readers. I know this is a work of fiction but the eternal question when it comes to Brown's books is, "How much is real and how much is fiction?"
Of course it will be made into a movie soon I am sure!

I am losing sleep reading this book as well! Dan Brown does that to me. Considering this is his most recently released book, why aren't more people reading it? If you have not read Digital Fortress, I suggest you pick it up. Sam

Thanks, I have read it and Deception Point also.

4 The Good Guy Jan. 10, 2010
I finished this book late the other night. I would give it 5*. You knew from the beginning "who dun it" or actually who the bad guy was and what he was trying to do, murder the heroine, but the plot of the book was a cat and mouse game with the hero trying to keep the heroine alive - classic story, good vs. evil; hero, girl, & bad guy! Dean Koontz kept me reading trying to figure out the "why did someone want this girl dead" and how he was getting his information. And maybe the best part was the post-script at the end. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone but it was interesting to see that the evil ones actually had some values.

5 Cruel Intent Jan. 13, 2010
This is another thrilling story from J A Jance. Her newswoman turned amature detective, Ali Reynolds, finds herself embroyled in another murder mystery, that of the wife of her general contractor, Bryan. Ali is convinced that Bryan is innocent. What follows is a fast paced story as Ali follows a lead that might get her killed!

6 Invisible Prey Jan. 18, 2010
When Lucas Davenport is called to a crime scene where an elderly woman and her maid are bruttaly murdered the question is why? What follows is a thrilling chase. We know who the killers are but Davenport is kept busy trying to figure out who and especially, why?

7 The Chase Jan.22, 2010
This book started out in 1950 with the salvage operation of a locomotive from a lake in Montana. The story goes back to 1906 as it follows as Isaac Bell, a detective for the VanDorn agency, tries to find and stop the notorious "Butcher Bandit" who has been robbing banks all over the West. The bandit is very careful to leave no clues because he murders anyone who happens to be in the banks that he robs. He also leaves no tracks. The mystery is how he gets out of town.
From early in the book we know who the bandit is as we follow his exploits in trying to elude capture. The great SanFrancisco earthquake and fire help him escape.
An interesting read with a historical perspective.

8 The Whole Truth Jan. 25, 2010
This book is about Perception Managers and the steps they will undertake to lead the world in a new path. The characters are huge and the stakes are huge. You know right from the start who the "bad" guys are and you hope the "good" guys are just that. Baldacci leads us on the chase. Will WWIII start? This book really makes you think about the "Truth" in this information age.

9 Little Bo in France Jan. 31, 2010
I was in a waiting area that had this cute book and decided to see about Julie Andrews Edwards as a writer. It was a sweet story about a cat who travels to France with her friend Billy who is searching for a job.

10 Saving Faith Jan. 31, 2010
This was another thriller that pits the "good guys" abainst the "bad guys", only in this case you are not sure that they are really what they seem. The characters are lobbyists, politicians, the FBI and the CIA. The whole theme of this book is "Staying Alive".

[image error] 11 Stealing Kisses Jan. 26, 2010
Sometimes you need to read something "trashy" just to get all the murder and mayhem out of your brain. This little double book has two little romances where the girls are just reluctant to fall in love with the right man.

Total for January: 11 books- 4274 pages

12 A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years Feb 4, 2010
This is the third book in the "Wicked Years" series about the characters from L. Frank Baum's Oz. The first two books dealt with the Wicked Witch of the West and her son. This book is about the "Cowardly Lion". I enjoy the point of view that Gregory Maguire provides in his books but this is my least favorite of the series. 3*

13 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, February 2004 Feb. 7, 2010
This short story collection is good reading. I especially like the story "The Theft of the Double Elephant" by Edward D. Hoch staring his series character, Nick Velvet who charges $50,000 to steal "worthless" objects.
I know that this is a magazine but because the content is strictly short stories and it is 142 pages, I consider it a paperback booklet.

14 Inca Gold Feb. 12, 2010
Another Dirk Pitt adventure starts in the jungle in Peru and ends in the Sonoran desert. The story about a King's ransom of gold that the Incas hid on an island is intertwined with a large art smuggling operation that has covered several generations of the same family.

15 Shock Wave Feb. 16, 2010
Wow, this book hardly lets you take a breath from start to finish it is an adventure set on the sea. Dirk Pitt somehow comes up against one of the worst bad guys around, and not just once. The twist at the end leaves you breathless.

16 The Bad Beginning Feb. 17, 2010
I am not sure if I like the book or not. I really like the children and really hate the bad guy so I guess it is OK. I think that this is really just one of the stories in a really long book that was published as short books to appeal to younger readers.

17 The Reptile Room Feb. 18, 2010
To continue with the review from the previous book. This series could be distressing because of the really nasty characters that the children run into but somehow they figure out things before their really dense financial guardian, Mr. Poe, does.

18 Bleeding Kansas Feb. 23, 2010
This book dips into the history of a small group of neighbors in Eastern Kansas. They were settled by anti-slavery activists in the 1850's. In the 1970's, they were touched by a hippie commune and by the time of this story some of them have become almost manic in their conservative beliefs. A clash between a group practicing Wicca, the anti-Iraq-war movement, and two religious groups believing that a red heifer is the salvation of the world tragically brings one of the teenagers to join the Army. After he is killed in Iraq, things go to "H*** in a Handbasket". It illustrates the underlying emotions that simmer in the great plains.

[image error] 19 Max Feb. 24, 2010
This was a very quick read for me. I love this series. The mutant kids have been genetically created with human and avian genetics so they can fly. They are also very strong and smart. In this 5th installment of the series the flock are taking part in a series of air-shows when someone tries to shoot them down. The rest of the book follows the story to Hawaii and the deep parts of the ocean.

20 Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box Feb. 24, 2010
My friend Kathy loaned me this beautiful book. In it former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tells about many of the pins that she has worn over the years. She uses her pins to make a statement. This practice started with a meeting with Iraqi officials in 1994 when she wore a serpent pin in response to a poem that had been published about her in the Iraqi press calling her a serpent. The book has gorgeous photography of many of her pins along with stories about them.

Arlene wrote: "18 Bleeding Kansas Feb. 23, 2010
This book dips into the history of a small group of neighbors in Eastern Kansas. They were settled by anti-slavery ac..."

Was this a good read? I've followed Paretsky's VI Warshawski series for YEARS, and I was curious about this one?

It was good but way different from the VI Warshawski series.

21 The Mediterranean Caper Feb. 26, 2010
This is an earlier Dirk Pit novel. I loved the adventure but some of his solving of the mystery just seemed a little too pat.

22 First Wife, Twice Removed Mar. 2, 2010
A typical little English mystery. Two dead women, possibly connected by one man. The DC's and DS's follow the clues. I liked it.

23 The Wide Window Feb. 19, 2010
This one didn't get posted. Again we are following the lives of the orphans as they try yet again with a new guardian. You would think that Mr. Poe would be more perseptive when he meets Count Olaf in yet another disguise but he isn't.

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Total for February: 11 books, 3257 pages

24 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May 2010 Mar. 2, 2010
My favorite story from this issue was "The List" by Loren D. Estleman with the LA film detective Valentino in a South of the Border mystery.

25 Big Jack Mar. 5, 2010
We are again in the future with this J.D. Robb (Pseudonym) book. As NYC Detective Eve Dallas is trying to find who killed two young women the back story is of a huge diamond heist in the past. Are they related? Dallas is thinking so. I like reading these books with their futuristic touches.

[image error] 26 Lavender Morning Mar. 8, 2010
I loved this book. The book follows a young woman as she changes her life after she inherits an old mansion from an older friend. By moving to Virginia she finds herself in the middle of a mystery, why did Edilean never tell her about her home and her home town which was named for her ancestor? It is the first of a series. The next book has just moved to the top of my TBR list.

27 American Wife Mar. 14, 2010
This book is a fictional autobiography of an American first lady. It is a thinly veiled story about Laura Bush. The author moves the family to Wisconsin and obviously changes much of the story but it is set in the time frame of the Bush family. I did enjoy the story and wonder how many of the moved background stories are really based on the reality.

28 The Raven Ring: A Lyra Novel Mar. 16, 2010
This little adventure takes place in the space of a couple of weeks when Eleret travels to pick up her late mother's things from her battle commander. The unexpected interest in her mother's ring is the center of all the action.

29 The Empty Chair Mar. 18, 2010
This Lincoln Rhyme novel has a new twist with every chapter. Rhyme and Sachs are called in when a strange young man has taken the 2nd young woman in two days. Following the clues leads them around the North Carolina countryside trying to find the "insect boy" and the two women. The twists continue to the last pages.

30 Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance Mar. 23, 2010
This story took place in Australia and Argentina and the present and the past. The element that ties it all together is the tango.

31 A Fisherman of the Inland Sea March 27, 2010
This science fiction short story collection by Ursula K. Le Guin explores several new ideas including the "churtin" technology in which travel between places is instantaneous. Very interesting.

32 The Stone Monkey Mar. 30, 2010
This is another fast paced mystery with Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs helping the FBI and INS chase a human smuggler who ties up loose ends by killing the witnesses. Very fast paced with twists and turns along the way.

Total for March: 10 books, 3509 pages

33 A Grave Mistake Apr. 4, 2010
This book takes place in Toussaint and New Orleans, Louisiana. Jilly Gable is caught up in a murder that takes place at her restaurant. Her mother, who abandoned her as a child, has just moved back into town with a very rich husband. And then there is the very handsome Guy Gautreaux, a police detective on leave from the big city, who is on leave in the sleepy little town. The story gets very complicated with old and new murders and old and new intrigue involving all the characters. The mystery is how they all fit together and why. Nothing is simple in this tale.

34 The Thirteenth Tale Apr 09, 2010
I loved this book. Margaret Lea lives a quiet life in an apartment above her father's bookstore. From time to time she writes a biography of some obscure literary figure from the past. Then she is asked to meet with Vida Winter who is England's most famous living author. What follows is a journey into both their pasts. She isn't sure if Miss Winter is telling her a "story" or the truth about her life. The tale takes her on many twists and turns.

35 Surrender the Pink Apr. 16, 2010
This is a humorous story by Carrie Fisher. Dinah Kaufman is a soap-opera writer who uses her relationships with men as inspiration for her stories.

36 The Plague Dogs Apr. 25, 2010
I enjoyed reading this book but it was difficult to keep reading. Some of the characters talk in the dialect of the English Lake District. I read this by just allowing the dialog flow through my brain and was able to follow most of the action. The actions of many of the people in the story are disturbing, especially the so-called scientists at the research center. It is definitely not a "quick read."

37 The Cat in the Hat Comes Back Apr. 22, 2010
I read this book to my granddaughters. They love hearing about the Cat. Dr. Seuss writes books that grown-ups can enjoy while they are reading them to children.

38 Amelia Bedelia Apr. 22, 2010
I read this book to my granddaughters. It is a favorite for them. They laughed a lot but I'm not sure if they really understood why Amelia misunderstood the directions. I enjoyed what happened because my mind works that way!

39 Hero at Large Apr. 26, 2010
This is one of the little romances that Janet Evanovich wrote before she became famous for her Stephanie Plum series. In fact, this is the first book she ever had published. They have been re-released and are a lot of fun.
In this one there is a single mom, an older Aunt, a little girl, and a hunk with a big dog. I enjoyed reading it. A fast read.

40 Cat in a Golden Garland Apr. 30, 2010
A quick little mystery staring Midnight Louie who discovers something in the chimney of a holiday party that shouldn't be there.

Total for April: 8 books, 2557 pages

41 The Lost Quilter May 4, 2010
I got caught up in the story of the slave Joanna who made a quilt from scraps of cloth saved from making clothing for the master. In the stitching she hid a story of a journey North to her short lived run for freedom in 1859. In the story is some of the history of the Underground Railroad, slavery and cruelty on the plantations of Virginia and South Carolina and later in Charleston at the beginning of the Civil War. It is a story of love and despair and survival.

42 The Winds Of Change: A Richard Jury Mystery May 10, 2010
Richard Jury is puzzled by several, seemingly unrelated crimes, the murder of a child; the murder of an unidentified woman and the disappearance of a child 3 years ago. He travels around the country following the threads to their final knots. A satisfying English mystery.