Read 100+ Books in 2012 discussion

Here's February's challenge. Don't start reading until February 1 but start looking through you TBR piles or thinking about what you want to read. Remember you can change your theme reads. If you read a book that doesn't fit any of the themes mark it at the end of your list as a bonus book.

1. Read a book that is second in a series or has a 2 in the title.

2. Read a book with a title or author's name beginning with any of the following letters: F-E-B-R-U-A-Y

3. In honor of February being a short month, read short book.

4. In honor of Valentine's Day read a love story. (It can be a romance, or have love or heart in the title or the author's name, or have a heart on the cover. Be creative.)

5. Read a book that's been made into a movie. (Hopefully the movie follows the book.)

6. Read a cookbook, make a recipe from it, and tell is how the recipe worked out and if you'd recommend the cookbook.

7. Since it's cold out, read about about fire.

8. Read a book by an African-American author.

9. Your choice

Bonus books:

Here are my choices for this month's challenge, subject to change of course, but I'm pretty happy with them at the moment!

1. 2nd in a series: Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson (I own them all and I want to read another to see if I should continue or what.) Done! 02/25/12

2. Author's name beginning with F: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke (How can I resist a mystery series that also involves food?!) Done! 02/10/12

3. Short Book: Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter by Josh Gates (It's about 250 pages or so, and DT is one of my favourite TV series.) Done! 02/04/12

4. Love Story: Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister (It looks kind of promising, let's hope it's good!) Done! 02/12/12

5. Movie Tie-In: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Everyone else has read the darn thing! Besides, it's a buddy read in another group, so two birds with one stone.) Done! 02/18/12

6. Cookbook: SMART SCHOOL TIME RECIPES by Alisa Marie Fleming (A bit of a cheat, as I've used some of these already, but I'll pick one I haven't. Not just for kids, good adult recipes too.) Done! 02/26/12 Pear/Apple Crisp

7. Fire: You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister Done! 02/27/12

8. African American Author: Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler (I really didn't know what to pick for this, but it looks good.) Abandoned 02/28/12 I just couldn't bring myself to continue to read this.

9. My Choice: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Another buddy read, I hope it is as good as it looks!) Done! 02/08/12

Bonus Books:
1. The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris Done! 02/04/12
2. Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark Done! 02/22/12


Progress: 8/9 Total Read: 10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a fantastic read. It took me 80 pages to get into (this sets up the story) but I was so glad I kept with it. Loved it. I have to read the sequels.

9/9, 29 books

1. Read a book that is second in a series or has a 2 in the title--A Magical Cats Mystery 2--Sleight of Paw by Sofie Kelly--finished 2/10/12

2. Read a book with a title or author's name beginning with any of the following letters: F-E-B-R-U-A-Y--Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens--finished 2/2/12

3. In honor of February being a short month, read short book--Starch Contrast by Deanna Wadsworth--finished 2/5/12

4. In honor of Valentine's Day read a love story. (It can be a romance, or have love or heart in the title or the author's name, or have a heart on the cover. Be creative.)--My Ruthless Prince by Gaelen Foley--finished 2/14/12

5. Read a book that's been made into a movie. (Hopefully the movie follows the book.)--The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor--finished 2/16/12

6. Read a cookbook, make a recipe from it, and tell is how the recipe worked out and if you'd recommend the cookbook--Baked: A New Frontier in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito--finished 2/27/12

7. Since it's cold out, read about about fire--Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Phillip Connors--finished 2/8/12

8. Read a book by an African-American author--Vertigo by Michael Mandrake--finished 2/21/12

9. Your choice--Love and Protect by Naima Simone--finished 2/4/12

Bonus books:
Starlight Starbright by Jamieson Wolf--finished 2/5/12
Starting Over--Starla Kaye--finished 2/5/12
Special Delivery: Man for Christmas--Marianne Stephens--finished 2/5/12
The Stir of Echo by Susan Gabriel--finished 2/11/12
Beguiled by Paisley Smith--finished 2/12/12
Beyond Curious by Paisley Smith--finished 2/12/12
The Romeo Club #1: Surprises by Brita Addams--finished 2/12/12
The Heart's Greter Silence by Anne Brooke--finished 2/12/12
Sucks and Blows by Storm Glenn--finished 2/12/12
Betty and The Beast by S. L. Carpenter--finished 2/16/12
Imperative: Missing You--Belinda McBride--finished 2/17/12
Because He Needs Me by Lynn Granville--finished 2/17/12
Beautiful Demon--Sarra Cannon--finished 2/19/12
Inner Demon by Sarra Cannon--finished 2/20/12
Angel is a Centerfold by Alix Storm--finished 2/20/12
The Loneliness of Donne Matte by W. B. Emerson--finished 2/20/12
Please, Professor by Adriana Rossi--finished 2/21/12
My Wish For Christmas is You by Drea Becraft--finished 2/21/12
Checkmate by Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna--finished 2/25/12
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman--finished 2/26/12

OK, here are my selections for this month:

1. Read a book that is second in a series or has a 2 in the title.

The Delilah Complexby M.J. Rose (started 2/8 finishex 2/11)

2. Read a book with a title or author's name beginning with any of the following letters: F-E-B-R-U-A-Y

44 (Forty-Four) by Jools Sinclair (started 2/15 finished 2/15)

3. In honor of February being a short month, read short book.

12 West Chartertin Blvd by
R.M. Hines (Started 2/3 finished 2/4)

4. In honor of Valentine's Day read a love story. (It can be a romance, or have love or heart in the title or the author's name, or have a heart on the cover. Be creative.)
Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many by Heather Wardell (started 2/1 finished 2/3)

5. Read a book that's been made into a movie. (Hopefully the movie follows the book.)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
This movie is coming out in 2012 so I will have to report back on whether or not the movie stays close to the book.
(Started 2/4 finished 2/6)

6. Read a cookbook, make a recipe from it, and tell is how the recipe worked out and if you'd recommend the cookbook.

Circle of Friends: JoAnn & Vickie's Favorite Recipes
(read 2/11) didn't find anything I was DYING to make so I also read

Microwave Dessert Recipes by 108 cookbooks (read 2/11) am going to make "No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake" will report back!
7. Since it's cold out, read about about fire.

Through Smoke by Jessica Tate (started 2/15 finished 2/17)

8. Read a book by an African-American author.

9. Your Choice

Darkness on the Edge of Town byJ. Carson Black (started 2/21 finished 2/25
)



Bonus Books:
The Likeness By Tana French (finished 2/9)
David and Suzanne's Big Frickin' Candadian Motorcycle Advanture (started 2/1 finished 2/29)

Love the title for your love story--7 exs are 8 too many.

The description makes it sound awfully hilarious too. Might be my first read next month, I'm really looking forward to it.

My first read this month was my "love story" Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many. I had an expectation going in that it might be a bit predictable. The premise, however, is pretty unique.

While I don't watch any of the reality TV dating shows, this book takes an interesting spin on the concept. Drunk and depressed MC fills out an application to go on one such show. When she arrives to start filming, she slowly realizes that the men she is there to get to know and choose from are seven of her ex-boyfriends!

Turns out, the producers are doing it a little differently this season, and are shipping these 8 people to a tropical island. Once there, another plane lands... and out comes ANOTHER of MC's exes with seven of his other ex girlfriends.

I won't give away anything else, but the book kept me laughing and curious enough to keep reading. It ended the way I expected it to, but was a pretty satisfying story none the less.

3.5 stars from me
My Second read was 12 West Chartertin Blvd.

Thirty years ago four friends made a pact to never share their secret, until one of them can't deal with the guilt anymore. And this is about all I can without giving away the entire story.

Super fast read, took me about an hour or so, story was OK. Not a lot of character build up, but I do like the way the author transitioned between the past and the present.

2.5 stars from me.

OK, you've hooked me on 7 Ex's Are Eight Too Many. I'll have to get it. Right now I've got a Root Beer Bundt Cake in the oven from my cookbook selection, Baking. It's taking longer to bake than the recipe says but it was easy to mix up. I'll let you know about the icing later. Tasting won't be until tomorrow. I've tasted this before at cookbook potluck but the person only made it right before bringing it and you couldn't taste the root beer so I'm baking it a day before I need it and will see how that changes the taste. I also got the good unsweetened cocoa.

1. Short Book: Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter by Josh Gates
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review: Well, I suppose I should start by saying that I do love the Destination Truth show and have seen all the episodes, which probably makes me biased when I say I very much enjoyed this book. As I was reading I kept hearing Josh Gates' voice and delivery and I could picture the episodes he was talking about and that did add to my enjoyment.

That said, he does talk about world travel and customs and it's interesting, independently of if you've watched the show or not. He's obviously passionate about getting out and discovering the world and not always following the beaten track and it shows in the descriptive passages.

He also takes an honest look at a number of cryptids and phenomena. Gates might be the host of a show which are trying to find proof of these things, but at the same time he's a realist and a skeptic. Yet he has the greatest respect for those who have told him of their experiences and that comes through in the book as well.

If you are a Destination Truth fan, you should buy this book, no question. If you don't know what Destination Truth is then I still think you may well enjoy it, but it's probably something you want to get from the library or a friend. That said, when you do read it, it may make you want to start watching the show.

2. Bonus Book: The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Review: I enjoyed this book so much. There is something about the language and flow of the passages that is truly enticing, though I can't quite put my finger on it. It's not that it's formal (because it's extremely accessible) but it has a certain class to it I guess you could say.

It's a very plot driven book and what a plot! There were a number of occasions where I was sure I knew what was going on and then something would be done or said and I would need to read just one more chapter to try to figure that bit out. And then it would happen again. Harris manages to include many twists and turns without becoming convoluted. The pace is slower but steady. Each chapter unfolds to reveal just a little bit more, even if at first not all the pieces of the puzzle seem to fit.

If I have one complaint about the book it's that while I was eating up the plot, I thought the characters could have been a little more developed. On the one hand you had very clear descriptions of them and their personalities. But somehow it was difficult to become emotionally invested in them. I am going to put that down to the writing style and the fact that plot obviously was paramount, because I have no real good reason for why that was so. Though having said that, I did quite like the Anatomist of the story, Dr. Thomas Silkstone.

Overall an entertaining, well thought out and constructed book and well worth the time spent reading it.

Sheila wrote: "OK, you've hooked me on 7 Ex's Are Eight Too Many. I'll have to get it. Right now I've got a Root Beer Bundt Cake in the oven from my cookbook selection, Baking. It's taking longer to bake than t..."

Sheila, if you have a kindle, I'm glad to loan it to you if you would like.

I don't have a kindle. I have a Sony e-reader. I have one of the first ones put out but I love it. But thanks. I should be able to get it at the library.

I made the Root Beer Bundt cake from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. It was very easy to make. It took longer to bake than the recipe called but that was no problem. I used really good 100% cacao powder. Very smooth. This was the best chocolate cake I every had but I never tasted the root beer. I used A & W Root Beer. Maybe next time I'll use some root beer flavoring or maybe get Root Beer Schnupps and substitute it for half the root beer. The cake is very moist and gets better as it gets older. I'm going to try another recipe this weekend--probably cookies.

3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Rating: 3/5 stars
Review: I think it's going to be hard to review this book without including spoilers, but I'm going to try! I should also start by saying that I thought this was a standalone book and not the first in what is to become a series.

The Good: The pictures. Like everyone else who has read this book I found the strange old photos captivating, like peeking in on a moment in time long past. They added to the ambiance created by the author which brings me to the second good thing: the mood and tone set by the author throughout the first half of the book. The reader doesn't know what to believe, what is fact and what is imagination and the suspense is well played. And the last thing I liked was the author's quite ingenious talent for melding historical fact in with his fictional narrative and the creation of alternate explanations for events to fit his world.

The Bad: The pictures. Yes, I know I said they were good, but they allow the author to become lazy about certain explanations and descriptions. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I want to know that the author can write those thousand words to convey the picture and I'm not convinced Riggs can. A lot of what was written to go with the pictures seemed to be merely lip service, as though the picture alone was supposed to do the job. Secondly, inconsistencies within the concept the author has created plague the second half of the book. I am all for suspending belief when reading, but then the author must be convincing and follow the rules within the alternate reality he's created. At times it seemed Riggs was making it up as he went along and would have done well to go back and read what he'd written previously. My biggest problem though stemmed from the fact that it was quite obvious by the last couple of chapters that Riggs knew he was writing a sequel. And I feel like he genuinely thought that was a good enough excuse for him to not write a proper ending to this book. Even novels in series should make sense in their own right and while I can't exactly say this one doesn't make sense, it's rushed at the end, things deserving of more explanation simply aren't given it.

Overall though it was an enjoyable read. The first half of the book showed a great deal of promise and it entertained me sufficiently that I do want to read the next installment, which I suppose it ultimately what every author wants, that you are enticed enough to see what they come up with next.

Just finished Fire Season: Field Notes of a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors. It was very interesting. He told what a wilderness lookout does during fire season but he also told a brief history of the U.S. Forest Service and conservation and some history about Gila National Forest. I was fascinated. It was enjoyable not dry.

Janie I do that kind of thing sometimes. Especially when I get new books and then I want to just "sample" them by reading the first chapter and before I know it I am reading anywhere from 2-5 books!

Just finished Sleight of Paw by Sofie Kelly, book 2 of her A Magical Cats Mystery. A good light read. There is more world building in this story than the first volume, Curiosity Thrilled the Cat. I like this series and am looking forward to the next one. Cozy mysteries. Good for a snowy weekend when you can't or don't want to get out.

Finished reading "The Bell Jar" Wednesday night. I liked this book, but I think that I would have liked it better when I was in my early 20's and I could relate a little bit more. 5/5 for me though, thought it was brilliantly written.

It's been a busy month for me, but trying to find time to read - Here's what I've read or reading presently:

1. Read a book that is second in a series or has a 2 in the title.

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor . . . Well, maybe it's Book 1 in the series!

2. Read a book with a title or author's name beginning with any of the following letters: F-E-B-R-U-A-Y

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand


3. In honor of February being a short month, read short book.

Silas Marner by George Eliot - Finished reading the story this morning and did not enjoy it.

4. In honor of Valentine's Day read a love story. (It can be a romance, or have love or heart in the title or the author's name, or have a heart on the cover. Be creative.)

5. Read a book that's been made into a movie. (Hopefully the movie follows the book.)

L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy

6. Read a cookbook, make a recipe from it, and tell is how the recipe worked out and if you'd recommend the cookbook.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck . . . Doesn't tuna come in a can????

7. Since it's cold out, read about about fire.

8. Read a book by an African-American author.

9. Your choice

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Bonus books:
Bonus book time! Now reading "Legend" by Marie Lu

Good Read to All!

Chuck wrote: "It's been a busy month for me, but trying to find time to read - Here's what I've read or reading presently:

1. Read a book that is second in a series or has a 2 in the title.

An Irish Country D..."


I'm looking forward to your review of "An Irish Country Doctor" audible keeps recommending it for me.

I really enjoyed "Atlas Shrugged" as well. It's a pretty powerful story.

Happy reading!

Finished The Delilah Complex by MJ Rose. I have to say that I didn't enjoy this one half as much as I enjoyed the one I read last month. This time Dr. Morgan Snow is helping a secret society of dominant women cope with the "murders" of some of their submissive men. It's doesn't skirt the dirty stuff as much, which isn't quite the kind of story I want to read. There is a surprise twist at the end I didn't quite expect, but so far not my favorite read of the month. 2.5/5 stars for me.

Wow, Chuck, you've read some heavy hitters this month. I tried Atlas Shrugged and couldn't do it. I'll have to try it again. Is it worth it?

Sheila wrote: "Wow, Chuck, you've read some heavy hitters this month. I tried Atlas Shrugged and couldn't do it. I'll have to try it again. Is it worth it?"

I'm actually listening to "Atlas Shrugged" as an audio book. I use the gym 5 days a week and thought I'd listen to it. It's a total of 11 hours so it won't bad. So far I'm really enjoying the story. The story is being read by Edward Herrmann - Terrific voice.

Yes, Edward Herrman does have a great voice for audio. He often narrates documentaries.

4. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Rating: 2/5
Review: My copy of this book also has a novella added to the end. It was borrowed from a friend when I noticed she had most of the series on her shelf. Three hundred pages of rather bad dialogue and description of the hammer-you-over-the-head sort later I called her up to try to tactfully ask why she liked them so much. I won't bore you with all the details of our conversation, but it came out that she'd read these not long after giving birth to her daughter, a lovely but extremely colicky baby. In essence, she enjoyed them because "You don't actually have to read the whole thing to get it and the recipes are fantastic!"

Suddenly why she and the many Goodreads readers who voted this one of the best cozy series liked these books made sense. In her case it was because she could half pay attention while pacing the hall with a screaming baby in a Snugglee and then go stave off sleep deprivation with massive doses of sugar from cookie recipes contained within the book.

And in that sense, these books make perfect sense. They are very easy to read. It honestly doesn't matter if you skim a paragraph (or a page), you won't miss much. If you only have a few moments in a grocery checkout line and want to skim the rest of the chapter before it's your turn, you can safely do so (and maybe even would prefer to). And the recipes (though I've yet to make any) do sound fantastic.

Is it really that bad? Yes and no. The writing is pretty darn bad in places, but it was the author's first novel. The mystery itself is pretty cleverly conceived, the investigation not so much so. The characters are sometimes fairly amusing (worth a smile at least) but then are sometimes annoying as well. For everything I like about this book, I can find something I don't like.

Ultimately I will wind up making a couple of recipes from the book. One of these days (though probably not any day soon) I will try reading another one or two in the series to see if the writing gets better. Even if it doesn't, I'll probably get some good recipes out of the deal, so I won't care that much.

Tatum wrote: "4. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Rating: 2/5
Review: My copy of this book also has a novella added to the end. It was borrowed from a friend when I notice..."

I have also read most of this series, again thought mostly for the awesome recipes. My favorites are the blueberry muffins and red velvet cookies. Both have been a giant hit at my house!

So I finished listening to The Likeness by Tana French on Thursday night. I have to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed her first Dublin Murder Squad book "In the Woods" which was an awesome yet slightly disappointing read.

The Likeness follows Cassie Maddox as she goes undercover as Lexie Madison for the second time. Only this time, she's the person who stole the made-up identity she created as undercover agent. "Lexie" managed to get herself murdered and Cassie poses as her to find out who did it. All the while lying to all of her friends, who may or may now know she's lying.

This one takes a few unexpected twists and turns, enough to keep me interested. And while you never quite 100% find out who really did it, I'm coming to accept that this is part of Tana French's appeal as a writer.

I don't recommend this one if you need your stories to be tied up neatly with a bow. You kind of have to decide for yourself.

I give it 4/5.

Kristy wrote: "So I finished listening to The Likeness by Tana French on Thursday night. I have to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed her first Dublin Murder Squa..."

Thanks for the review Kristy. "The Likeness" is on my "Books to Read" list." I throughly enjoyed French's 1st book so I'll continue with the series.

Just finished up a batch of Monster Cookies from Baking: New Frontiers in Baking. Very good. Very easy. I changed a few things. I used peanut M&M's instead of plain. I used natural peanut butter. I used baking stones. The first batch came out crunchy but I was very careful on the timing of the last three batches and they came out chewy. I got 7 1/2 dozen but I only used a small cookie scoop that was about 1 inch instead of the two inch scoop they said. The cookies are still a nice size, especially for small children so you'll have less waste. Good taste. Next week I'm going to try their recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Mine always come out flatter than pancakes. I'll see how their recipe comes out.

Made my no-bake chocolate cheese cake today. Super yummy. It's very rich though. Only took about 10 minutes to get it ready to chill. My cousin has been over with me today and we were both anxious to try it before she went home so we both just had some, and it's good, will be better fully chilled. So I'll report back later when I have my after-dinner dessert.

5. Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister
Rating: 4/5
Review: I wish I had realized before I was 3/4 of the way through this book that there are two series that come before it (Guardian and Silver Dragons) which are set in the same world and feature a lot of the supporting characters from this book. I upped my rating from 3 to 4 stars based on the fact that now I realize why the author sometimes wrote like I should know what was going on in the world or who certain characters were because if I'd started at the beginning of course I would have!

While I recommend starting with the other two series and while I intend to now go back and do so, this is still an enjoyable read even if you don't. It would have been a very solid 3 stars regardless of my sometimes slight confusion. The story is engaging and interesting, the romantic element is solid and there's even a bit of a mystery to go with the fantasy.

But what really makes this book are the characters. All the characters, even the supporting ones are well drawn. At times they are silly or goofy, but in a good make-you-laugh-out-loud kind of way. MacAlister is quite a clever author and if sometimes I had to suspend belief just a little to go along with what her characters were doing or saying, I must say I was happy to do so.

I also loved her take on dragons, ancient beings who spend most of their time in human form, only occasionally resorting to dragon form. Her dragons and their lifestyle are great.

N.B. There's a couple of tastefully done erotic scenes in this book, not too graphic but still for mature readers.

Janie The Double sounds really good. I think I will have to look for that one since you enjoyed it so much. Creepy idea though.

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in a while, I read an entire book... ON A WORK DAY! Usually I like to zone out in front of the TV after work but 44 by Jooles Sinclair was just too interesting.

44 is the number of minutes Abby was dead. Now she's alive (again) and isn't too worse for the wear. She can only see in black and white, and everyone she used to be friends with thinks she's a freak. Suddenly, she begins to have visions of murders happening in her town.

I will admit, this one was a free kindle book, and I super enjoyed it! It's a quick read, but it has a heartwarming ending. And I think the story is pretty unique, which is kind of hard to come by these days.

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Rating: 5/5

I am so glad I finally read this book! It took me the better part of a week to read it, but I enjoyed it so much and will certainly be reading the rest of the trilogy. (Plus now I can see the movie!)

Review: From start to finish this was an excellent read. Part thriller, part mystery, part portrait of people's lives and how actions affect individuals over time, the novel struck just the right tone. Slowly but surely things were revealed, characters gained depth and through it all the threads of the plot were being woven together.

You find yourself with a real interest in the characters and the plot, with wanting to learn more about them and wanting to know how all the pieces of the puzzle are going to come together. And the author manages to keep you guessing right up until the end. Quite brilliant and very highly recommended.

Finished reading this morning "Legend" by Marie Lu - Now reading "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck.

What's Legend about? Is it a book that the movie was based on?

Just finished Beautiful Demon by Sarra Cannon. It's a YA book but it drew me in and I have to read the second book in the series. There are so many unanswered questions. I have to find out why Harper cannot remember certain things in her immediate past but can remember other things.

Sheila wrote: "What's Legend about? Is it a book that the movie was based on?"

No, different book. Legend is a YA story by Marie Lu - " What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem."

I decided it was time for a light read!

Chuck wrote: "Sheila wrote: "What's Legend about? Is it a book that the movie was based on?"

No, different book. Legend is a YA story by Marie Lu - " What was once the western United States is now home to the ..."

That does not seem like a "light" read but it does sound good. I'll have to check it out.

Believe me, it is light reading - Every so often I'll pick up a YA fiction to read and enjoy.

Sheila it amazes me how much you manage to read in a month! I am still working through my 7th and 8th books. I hope to have 10 read this month.

Tatum wrote: "Sheila it amazes me how much you manage to read in a month! I am still working through my 7th and 8th books. I hope to have 10 read this month."

A lot of them were short books, less than 100 pages. I was also off sick from work and I get bored watching TV all day.

Now reading "Bright's Passage" by Josh Ritter, #4 in our February Challange. This is a story about a father's love for his family.

"Henry Bright is newly returned to West Virginia from the battlefields of the First World War. Grief struck by the death of his young wife and unsure of how to care for the infant son she left behind, Bright is soon confronted by the destruction of the only home he’s ever known. His only hope for safety is the angel who has followed him to Appalachia from the trenches of France and who now promises to protect him and his son.

Together, Bright and his newborn, along with a cantankerous goat and the angel guiding them, make their way through a landscape ravaged by forest fire toward an uncertain salvation, haunted by the abiding nightmare of his experiences in the war and shadowed by his dead wife’s father, the Colonel, and his two brutal sons.

At times harrowing, at times funny, and always possessed by the sheer gorgeousness and unique imagination that have made Josh Ritter’s songs beloved to so many, this is the debut of a virtuoso fiction writer."

Finished "Bright's Passage" yesterday afternoon - A different read. 3/5 stars.

7. Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark
Rating: 3/5
Review: I enjoyed this although at times I felt there was too little depth to the characters. Still, Clark managed to keep me guessing right up until the end. She had the requisite amount of suspicious activity and likely suspects and a good deal of suspense to drive the plot. Very short chapters (almost more like scenes) give you a perspective on what many of the different characters are doing or thinking, which builds the suspense of the story and gives insight into parts of the plot. All in all a good, easy to enjoy novel.

I apologize for my lack of posting/reviewing this month. It's kind of been one of those months where just about anything that can go wrong has. Case in point, I can only use about 1/2 of my computer screen right now, because the inner component has been cracked (and unless my cats were using my laptop as a trampoline while I was at work, I have no idea how). So I have to wait until my friend can come down and put in the replacement before I can a whole lot of stuff online.

This month I have read 10 books, which is pretty good since I've had no sick or no snow days.

I am back to David & Suzannes Big Frickin' Canadian Motorcycle adventure. I read half of this book at the beginning of the month, and then I just needed a break from it. I hope to finish it this weekend and bring my total to 11 books for the month.

Good luck with your computer. I can understand putting a book down. I've done that with The Lost Wife. It's good but very emotional to read. But I will finish it by the end of the month.

Now reading "Triptych" by Karin Slaughter, one of my favorite mystery/crime writers.

"From Atlanta’s wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael’ s lover before she became his enemy. But unbeknownst to both of them, another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer’s trail in the most coincidental of ways—and who may be the key to breaking the case wide open."

Triptych sounds good. Let me know how you like it.

I certainly will Sheila. 'Triptych' is Book 1 of Karin Slaughter's Will Trent/Atlanta series. Will Trent was also in one of the following series . . . Can't remember which one, but he is!

The "Georgia" series:
Book 1, Undone
Book 2, Broken
Book 3, Fallen

The "Grant County" series:
Book 1, Blindsighted
Book 2, Kisscutt
Book 3, A Faint Cold Fear
Book 4, Indelible

What I enjoy is the characters cross over into the other Slaughter series of books - I finally figured it out so what I'm doing now is reading the "oldest to the newest," regardless of the series.

To be honest Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos are my favorite mystery/crime authors, but Karin Slaughter may have just passed them up (sorry guys!).