2011 Reading Wrap up

I had a great reading year in 2011. There are so many books to read both old and new that I will never get to them all but I sure try to buy as many of them as I can. I am sad to say that I did not meet my own personal 5x4 Reading Challenge goal but came closer than last year. Perhaps I'll do better next year on my personal challenge. I did read over 100 books this year.

Absolute favorites of 2011:

1. Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith - This was a sweet book with soft humor. The dog was the best!
2. A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer - One of the best mystery books I read all year!
3.Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck :)
4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - Why did I wait for so long?
5. The Postmistress by Sara Blake - Loved it
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Again...Why did I wait so long to read this wonderful book?
7. The City and The City by China Mieville - Weird and wonderful. This author has an unstoppable imagination.
8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - All I can say is wow!
9. Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz - I'm always a sucker for a dog and I really liked this one.
10. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - This wonderful historical fiction book made me want to read more by this author.

Other Favorites:

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Marti
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin
Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
Silas Marner by George Eliot

Books out of my comfort zone:
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor

Books I just knew I would like but didn't so much:
The Last song by Nicholas Sparks
Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

Some of my least favorites:
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Union Pacific by Paul Colt
All the Flowers are Dying by Lawrence Block

I'm revisiting an end-of-year survey that Perpetual Page Turner hosted last year.

Best Book of 2011I had a hard time choosing the best book I read in 2011 but decided on Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. Or Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Worst Book of 2011 I thought I would never get through Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Worst book might be a little harsh to describe how I feel about this one, but oh my...

Most Disappointing Book of 2011 Catalyst by McCaffrey and Scarborough. I've read many of McCaffrey's books and several of Scarborough's and have generally liked them. I fully expected to like this one.

Most Surprising (in a good way) Book of 2011 The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I didn't think I'd like them all that much, but truly enjoyed the reading of them.

Book You Recommended to People Most in 2011
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith

Best Series You Discovered in 2011
The Holmes on the Range series by Steve Hockensmith. This is a western series with likable characters, lots of amusing situations and just plain fun to read.

Favorite New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2010
Barbara Kingsolver, Steve Hockensmith, Jo Nesbo

Most Hilarious Read of 2011
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book of 2011
A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

Book You Most Anticipated in 2011
The City and the City by China Mieville. This had been on my wish list for a while and I was really looking forward to it.

Favorite Cover of a Book Read in 2011
It's hard to choose so I will put 4 of them here!

Most Memorable Character in 2011
Danny Cartwright in A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer

Most Beautifully Written Book in 2011
The Poisonwood Bible - sigh

Book That Had the Greatest Impact on You in 2011
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor. Things should not be forgotten, such as the sacrifice of all the people involved in this action: soldiers from many countries as well as the local people.

Book(s) You Can't Believe You Waited UNTIL 2011 to Finally Read
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012
Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz

Best Moment of Book Blogging in 2011
There isn't a single moment. I always enjoy it when people post comments and I find things in common with other readers.

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
Oh yes, I did. I unfortunately joined 16 challenges last year. I finished 12 of them including the 100+ Reading Challenge.

Best Bookish Discovery
The book blogger community continues to amaze me, so this isn't a new discovery. But so many of the things I read make me stop and think, I love it.

LOOKING AHEAD…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2011 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2012?
I can't wait to read The next book in the Corduroy Mansions series. It has been sitting on my shelf and I need to read it before I can go on to the third one.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2012?
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith. I can't wait to get my hands on this, the newest installment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series!

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2012?
One goal of mine is to read books I already own and buy no (or very few) new books. Really, they are piled to the ceiling and I need to read them, not just keep on getting more! I would also like to visit my book blogger friends more and make new friends.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for your top10 favorite books of 2011. They are listed here in no particular order.

1. Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith - This was a sweet book with soft humor. The dog was the best!

2. A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer -  One of the best mystery books I read all year!

3. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - Read it!

4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - Why did I wait for so long?

5. The Postmistress by Sara Blake - Loved it

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Again...Why did I wait so long to read this wonderful book?

7. The City and The City by China Mieville - Weird and wonderful. This author has an unstoppable imagination.

8. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - All I can say is wow!

9. Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz - I'm always a sucker for a dog and I really liked this one.

10. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - This wonderful historical fiction book made me want to read more by this author.

I'm looking forward to reading about your favorite books of the year.

Tuesday Top Ten

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created  at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for 10 books you would love to get for Christmas. Here's my list:

1. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard. I have been wanting to listen to this book for a couple of years. I've even requested it from the library but they have yet to get it. I've put it down and one of the books to read next year for a Reading Challenge so I'm going to break down and buy it if I don't get it for Christmas. :)

2. On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. When I saw that this book was used in the making of the newest Pirate's movie, I just decided I wanted to read it. Go figure.

3.Emma by Jane Austen. The Penguin Clothbound Classic. I want to read this and these books are so pretty. What can I say.

4. Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor. I've had this Pulitzer Prize winning book on my list for a couple of years.

5. Howard's End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading From Home by Susan Hill. I need to quit buying books and read the ones I have. So I thought this one might be a springboard to that goal. Perhaps I'll go buy it.......

6. Discount Noir by Various Authors. An anthology of over 40 short mystery stories that take place in and around a big discount store (Megamart.) Sounds like fun....gotta have it.

7. You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning by Cilea Rivenbark. This author never fails to meke me laugh. Out loud. Regardless of where I am.

8. Women of Magdalene by Rosemary Poole-Carter. I've seen several very positive reviews of this book on the book blogs in the past and would still like to get it.

9. A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith. This is the third in the Corduroy Mansions series. This is the same author who wrote the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (which I can't get enough of) and many other books. I greatly enjoyed the first two books and will be reading this one soon.

10. I am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley. This is the newest Flavia De Luce book. I just love this series and can't wait to read this one.

October Wrap up

I haven't wrapped up a month in quite a while so this will include some reading thoughts from other months.

# In October I read my on hundredth book and thus completed my 100+ Reading Challenge!

# I read 9 books in October. One was a reread: Cujo by Stephen King. It broke my heart again. Three of them were the next installment in series I keep up with.
1. Cold Vengence by Lincoln and Child (the Agent Pendergast series)
2. Eve by Iris Johansen (the Eve duncan series)
3. Ghost Story by Jim butcher (the Harry Dresden series)

I read one classic last month: The Black Tulip by Alexander Dumas. I mainly liked it for the look into the culture of the tulip growers and "tulipmania."

# In the last few months I have finished The Chunkster Challenge, The Read Your Name Challegnge, The What's In A Name Challenge, and the What An Animal 4 Challenge

While I've read a lot of books (for me) I have quite a few challenges I haven't finished. Hope to knock two or three more of them out before the end of the year..

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week we get a new theme.  This week's theme is top 10 books that should be required reading for teens. It is hard to say that any book should be "required" as I would love to see teens out there reading books that they choose. Since there will be "required' reading I feel a variety should offered in order to help them become familiar with different types of writing and perhaps find a genre they would like to read more of. It's going to be hard to choose just 10 but here are my picks:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I think this is a book everyone should read, it's one of my all time favorites.

2. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
This is not only a classic with pirates, high adventure, suspense and adventure, it is also study in moral ambiguity. Plenty of fun reading, plenty of meat to discuss.

3. Night by Elie Wiesel
The past should be remembered.

4. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
I loved this one as a teen and loved it as an adult.

5. 1776 by David G. McCullough
History that is very readable.

6. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Or any other book by this great author!

7. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
A great introduction to the fantasy genre. Perhaps they will be encouraged to go on to The Lord of the Rings. I was.

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
They know the monster from the movies. Now read and find outr who the real monsters are.

9. Anything by John Steinbeck
Peruse his books and choose one.

10.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
This moving story of an autistic teen is a must read.

Well, there are so many great books out there it is hard to stop here.

Mailbox Monday / In My Mailbox

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. It is now a Blog Tour, and this month, Mari Reads is hosting! WARNING: Mailbox Mondays can lead to extreme envy and GINORMOUS wishlists!!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. In this meme we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library.

I haven't done this in a few weeks and I've received more books than I can read this year! I hope you got in some treasures!

*From a couple of yard sales:
Whiteout by Ken Folett
Mark's Story by LeHaye and Jenkins

*From Mary's Books (a little used book shop downtown:)
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Rebel Island by Rick Riordan (part of his Tres Navarre adult series)
The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee

*From Goodwill:
Three Junes by Julia Glass
The Stranger by Albert Camus
I Love You, Ronnie (the letters of Ronald Regan to Nancy Regan)
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Smash Cut by Sandra Brown

*From Half.com:
Beneath the Ice by Alton Gansky
Gone, Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane

*From Barnes and Noble:
He is Legend (a short story collection celebrating Richard Matheson)

*From the library (audio books):
Holmes On the Range - Steve Hockensmith
On the Wrong Track - Steve Hockensmith
The Black Dove - Steve Hockensmith

*From the library:
D-Day:The Battle For Normandy by Anthony Beevor
Dog Boy by Eva Hornung

Mailbox Monday / In My Mailbox

I've combined two mailbox memes, Mailbox Monday and In my Mailbox.

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. It is now a Blog Tour, and this month, Mari Reads is hosting! WARNING: Mailbox Mondays can lead to extreme envy and GINORMOUS wishlists!!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. In this meme we share the books we've received, bought or taken out from the library.

Here are mine:

I received this ARC from Hyperion Voice:
The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
A gripping tale of passion and courage set in World War II-occupied Guernsey,
The Soldier's Wife tells the story of housewife and mother Vivienne de la Mare,
as she is torn between loyalty and love.
A Voice Trade Paperback Original.

The cover is beautiful, the story line sounds appealing. I can't wait to get to it!

From Half.com I purchased:
Mary Called Magdalen by Margaret George
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George

I recently finished The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory and thought I'd like to read more about Mary Queen of Scots This book is huge at 866 pages. While searching for this one I ran across Mary Called Magdalene and had to have it too. It is also a chunkster at more than 600 pages.

From the BOMC I purchased:
I'll Mature When I'm Dead by Dave Barry
I LOVE these collections by Dave Barry. They always make me laugh. A lot.

From the Library:
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Already read and reviewed. It's a must read for any of King's Constant Readers. I quite enjoyed it.
Three Seconds by Roslune & Hellstrom
This international best-seller was the winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel award. It's what I'm reading next.
Retirementology by Gregory Salsbury,, Ph.D.
This is the first of many, or at least several, retirement books I feel I'll be reading in the near future.

April Reading Wrap-Up

April was another great reading month. I completed two more challenges: The Audiobook Challenge. This one went a lot faster than I anticipated. I attribute that to the new digital branch of our library. I can sit at home and borrow books on my iPod, love it. And I completed the What's In a Name 4 Challenge.


My favorite children's book this month, read for the Read To Me Picture Book Challenge was Wet Dog. What a fun little book!


I read my second Chunkster Challenge book for the year: Jewel by Brett Lott. It also worked for the Oprah's Book Club portion of my personal 5 x 4 Reading Challenge and was the final book needed for the What's In a Name Challenge 4. It provided an interesting look at how one family delt with a child with Down Syndrome in the 40s on up. It aslo provided a look into race relations on an everyday basis in rural Mississippi and California during that time period.

My favorite books of the month were Deeper Than the Dead and Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag closely followed by The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory. My least favorite were The Devil's Right Hand and Against Medical Advice.

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Hilarious Book Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This week the theme is REWIND! Go back and pick up a theme you didn't get to participate in. I have chosen to list book titles I thought was funny.

1. You Suck by Christopher moor. What made this really funny to me was that it was about....Vampires! I can always count on Moore for a laugh.

2. Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old like a Skank: And Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom by Celia Rivenbark. This woman cracks me up. Her books are collections of articles and essays she writes for a newspaper.

3. Hammerhead Ranch Motel by Tim Dorsey - I have followed this series for some time. Serial killer and all time Florida trivia champ Serge Storms blows from one end of Florida to another visiting places of historical significance, dragging his stoned sidekick, Coleman, with him. Along the way they find evil doers that just need killing. Some of them very creative to say the least.

4. The Sweet Potato Queen's First Big-Ass Novel by Jill Conner Brown - I haven't actually read this one but it is one my list just because of the name.

5. Tomb With a View by Casey Daniels - This cozy-ish, paranormal mystery series is really entertaining. The first one I read, Don of the Dead, hooked me, and I thought the title was pretty cute - a nice play on words - as the dead guy who came to Pepper for help was a mafia Don when he was alive.

6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - I re-read Pride and Prejudice before I read this just to be able to compare the two. It was great, offbeat reading fun.

7. To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn - this is one of the Chet and Ernie mystery series. With a title like that you know the main character is a dog. I can't wait till the next one comes out.

8. Big Trouble by Dave Barry - Well the title isn't particularly funny but the book is hilarious! Get it and read it.

9. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith - one of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. Love the name, love the book.

10. So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish by Douglas Adams - This is the 4th book in the Hitchiker trilogy. What can I say? Though I didn't find It quite as funny as the first three, it was still a good read.

I just have to add these two:

11. Why Beulah Shot Her Pistol Inside The Baptist Church by Clayton Sullivan - This is one that I just knew I would like but was somewhat disappointed in. The title was so great, it made me laugh.

12. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - What a fun read this was! If you haven't read this you should at least check it out. This isn't a novel, it is a series of essays on his childhood and life in general.

Theme Thursday - Emotion

Love this new badge for Theme Thursday!

Theme Thursdays, hosted by Reading Between the Pages, is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)

•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading

•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post

•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)

The theme this week is EMOTION. Mine comes from page 15 of Jewel by Brett Lott:

"Pastor had only nodded, took off his hat, held it with both hands. For some reason I thought I could see fear in his face, as though her merely meeting his eyes were enough to destroy him, or as though she'd suddenly become someone else, a woman with standing, bearing, a voice he knew he had to listen to. "

This book was published in 1991. It is a bittersweet read so far, the struggles these people really tugs at my heart strings.

55 Question Book-Related Survey

I saw this 55 Question Book-Related Survey on Sara Says and decided to do it. Here goes....


1. Favorite childhood book? The Black Stallion


2. What are you reading right now? Jewel by Brett Lott & Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag


3. What books do you have on request at the library? Electric Barracuda by Tim Dorsey


4. Bad book habit? I have way too many books in my TBR...I need to stop buying books and read the ones I have.


5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? Secrets to theGrave by Tami Hoag


6. Do you have an e-reader? Yes, I LOVE my Nook.


7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? I'm usually reading one and listening to two at any given time. I listen to one in the truck on the way to and from work or town and there is one on my iPod (borrowed from the digital branch of the library) that I listen to while working around the house.


8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Yes, they have. I never before kept track of my books. Also I am joining challenges which have widened my reading range.


9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?) Horns by Joe Hill


10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? I can't choose just one so I'll limit myself to 3: A Red Herring Without Mustard Corduroy Mansions A Prisoner of Birth


11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? I don't read out of my comfort zone much, I, trying to read more nonfiction and within the last year or so I've started to read more YA but it is an uphill battle.


12. What is your reading comfort zone? I read lots of mysteries, urban fantasies, children's picture books, literature, most anything.


13. Can you read on the bus? No buses to ride around here, except the school bus. :) I can read in the car so I suspect I could read on the bus.


14. Favorite place to read? On the couch or in the bed


15. What is your policy on book lending? I don't generally lend books I really want to keep, I just give away some of my paperbacks. I have a few friends who are readers that I can trust with any of my books.


16. Do you ever dog-ear books? I always have a bookmark.


17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? No


18. Not even with text books? Well, in text books I highlighted and wrote.


19. What is your favorite language to read in? English - can't read any other language


20. What makes you love a book? If it makes me care


21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? If I read a book I know a friend will like I'll recommend it, I don't have friends who read urban fantasy or sci fy so I don't recommend those. It just depends on who the people are.


22. Favorite genre? mystery thrillers, urban fantasy, fantasy....well most anything


23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) Non Fiction, I'm making myself read more of it


24. Favorite biography? Born Naked about Farley Mowett. Loved it, love his books.


25. Have you ever read a self-help book? Lord, Teach Me to Pray by Kay Arthur


26. Favorite cookbook? The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook


27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin - The dad's sacrafice was truly inspiring.


28. Favorite reading snack? Chips and a coke - yum


29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. The closest to this would be Little Bee. The back of the book went on about how magical the book was. It was totally different than I expected. it was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't magical.


30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? I don't read many reviews


31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I don't like to do it, but I will tell how I feel and try to remain respectful.


32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Russian


33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? Crime and Punishment - whew!


34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? War and Peace. I don’t know if I’ll ever even try that.


35. Favorite poet? Robert Service, T.S. Eliot


36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? 5 or 6


37. How often have you returned book to the library unread? Too many to count


38. Favorite fictional character? If I had to choose just one it would be Dave Robicheaux


39. Favorite fictional villain? Hannibal Lector


40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Light fun reads like Janet Evanovich or Jennifer Crusie.


41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. Hummmmmm


42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. I can't think of one....


43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? the dogs, husband, house work,


44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? Gone With the Wind

45. Most disappointing film adaptation? The Hitchiker's Guide to the Universe. LOVED the book, not the movie 46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? Around 60 dollars

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Never

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? I find it frustrating when the author adds lots of little rabbit trails and odds and ends that do not help the story along, I've been temped several times on this account to just lay the book aside.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized? They are loosley organized by genre

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? I keep most of the hardbacks and trade or give away the paperbacks

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Anna Karenina - I have been meaning to read it for years....

52. Name a book that made you angry. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? Nights in Rodanthe

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? The Picture of Dorian Gray

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? Mysteries!

Top Ten Tuesday-Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the

The Broke and The Bookish.

This week the topic is:

The Top Ten Books I'd Like to See made Into Movies

It was kind of hard to stop at ten.....

*The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley This is the first book in the Flavia de Luce series and is such a lot of fun. I keep picturing kids to play Flavia. This would be sure to be a hit at the box office.

*The No1 Ladies Detective Agency - OK, I know this has been a special on TV but I haven't been able to see it. I read this several years ago and have kept up on the series, each book as lovely as the last. I would truly love to see it become a movie.

*The Three Miss Margarets by Louise Schaffer - This wonderful story of three women ageing gracefully together in the south while keeping a lifelong secret would make a great movie.

* Divine Justice by David Baldacci - This book was a thriller, a real page turner, so I think a movie would have to be an edge of your seat viewing treat.

*Thanks for the Memories by Celia Ahern - This was one of my favorite books in 2009, one that I will revisit. I think with it's touch of the paranormal and the right man to play the lovable and at times crabby father I'm sure this movie would be one I would re-watch.

*The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Great book...need I say more?

*Boneshaker by Cherie Priest - As popular as zombie movies are I think that this mix of steampunk type sci-fi with zombies would be unique and would find a large viewing audience. Very entertaining!

*Void Moon by Michael Connelly - The author himself said in an interview: "It is basically a caper story and a chase story. Hollywood usually can make these fairly well." I'll have to go with him, this has enough action scenes to make any action movie watcher happy.

*The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King - This is a favorite of mine. I read it several years ago and still rememmber lots of it. It is sweet and sad and would make the perfect chick flic.

*Blue Heaven by C.J. Box - This was a page turner with a bittersweet ending. "They" could make a wonderful action tear jerker out of this one. C.J. Box is one of my go to authors, I read anything he puts out.

Amazing Eagle cams

I found two places that have live cameras trained on nesting eagles! One eaglet hatched sometime last night and it looks just ...wonderful. I love these things. While I was teaching 1st grade a few years ago we were able to watch one of these eagle cams all season long and watch the eaglets grow up. The kids were anxious to check them every day.

Here are the links if you are interested:


http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14360982

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/eagle-cam

March Reading Round-up

March was another busy reading month for but has taken a kind of funny turn. I joined two more challenges this month: What an Animal 4 and the Graphic Novel Challenge. Graphic novels are not something I get to very often so I was thinking this might not be very easy to complete, however I found 4 graphic novels at the library that grabbed me right away.

This month I completed the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge. YEA! I read two nonfiction books for my personal 5x4 Reading Challenge and 3 picture books (Read to Me Picture Book Challenge) by Dr. Seuss. I decided on Dr Seuss this month because his birthday is in March.

My FAVORITE book this month was Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, one of my nonfiction selections. My favorite fiction was a toss up between Play Dead by John Levitt and The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke.

All in all I feel it was a productive reading month. Hope you had fun with your reading this month!

Theme Thursday - Animal

Here's fun meme, hosted by Reading Between Pages:

*A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
*Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading. *Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
*It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)

Mine is from page 17 of Beaglemania by Linda O Johnston:

Typically, in puppy mills, adult male and female purebred or designer dogs were bred over and over again, procreating as fast as nature allowed, until they could no longer reproduce, and then they were adopted out too. Or kicked out on the street. Or, much too often, they were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized if taken to a vet or a shelter.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top 10 Tuesday time – a weekly bookish meme hosted over at The Broke & The Bookish. Today the topic is:

Top Ten Authors That Deserve More Recognition

It will be fun to read every one's list for this one. Here are the ones I managed to think of in no particular order:

*David McCullough : I've read two of his histories and find them very readable. I am not much of a reader of history, but he can keep my interest.

*Billie Letts: She writes a wonderful stories full of believable, sympathetic, and quirky characters . They are in situations that have you worrying about and pulling for the characters.

*Harold Bell Wright: His most famous book is "The Shepherd of the Hills" and is one of my all time favorites. He is well known as a "tale teller" whose stories were written to uplift and strengthen the reader. I have yet to see where anyone has read and reviewed anything of his and I hate that lots of folks are missing out on The Shepherd of the Hills.

*Elie Wiesel: His most famous work, Night, told his personal story of being held prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for speaking out against violence, repression, and racism. His many books include fiction as well as non-fiction.

*Ariana Franklin: I just started reading this author last year. Her historical mysteries are intriguing. I have really enjoyed them.

*Cecelia Ahern: Her stories are lots of fun to read. They are sweet, sad and funny. Her writing makes you feel as if you were right there in the situation.

*China Melville: What he writes is basically fantasy, but it is so much more. In the complex worlds he builds for his novels you can see problems that haunt us now.

*Dave Barry: This guy is one of the funniest writers I have ever read. My sister and I love to sit and read his collections together. He can find the absurd in most anything. His novel Big Trouble is the FUNNIEST book ever. Give him a try.

*Spencer Quinn: This is a fairly new author, at least to me. I've read three of his books, the Chet and Bernie series, and quite enjoyed them.His characters are delightfully quirky and his mysteries fun.

*Jennifer Crusie: I'm not much of a romance reader, but I've read several of hers and loved them. I think it is because the romance wasn't very heavy. The stories were all good.

Theme Thursday

Theme Thursdays, created by Kavyen @ Reading Between Pages, is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it.
The rules are simple:

A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday's)
-Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
-Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
-It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don't necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have "They kissed so gently" or "Their lips touched each other" or "The smooch was so passionate"
This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week my addition to Theme Thursday comes from page 5 of Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston:

Following Officer Gibbons, I hurried out of the well-insulated backyard shed that appeared so inconsequential from the outside - a moderate-sized steel structure that looked like a rural barn's younger brother, complete with red sides resembling painted wood.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Top Ten Tuesday

Top 10 Tuesday time – a weekly bookish meme hosted over at

The Broke & The Bookish. Today the topic is:

Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves

All those things that annoy you in a story,

with book covers, bookstores, etc.

This should be fun!

*Broken spines-I let a friend read one of my Stephen King books once. Her husband, being a fan, wanted to read it too. He bent the book back in several places and broke the back to pieces. I had to donate it to goodwill and purchase a new one. I don't guess I had to, but I couldn't stand it. Talk about ticked. I don't buy used books with broken spines either, paper or hard back.

*Dog eared pages - Please use a bookmark if you have one of my books. I actually lend them with a bookmark in them, just in case....

*Coffee cup rings - on book covers.

*Short Stories - I'm making myself read some short story collections this year. Usually I find that short stories just leave me - empty - wanting more.... especially if it is a good one.

*Books that are too long - with a lot of extra stuff thrown in just to make it long. I don't mind a long book if the story moves right along but please don't drag out scenes, add story lines that end up not adding anything to the main story......

*Modern slang in historical fiction - it's distracting

*Newest book in a series is hard back - when all the others have been paperback

*Bar code or other stickers - over prices on audio books or over the blurb.

*Books without a blurb - I want one even if it is a favorite author.

*The heroine who does stupid things - in the name of being strong and independent. Yikes!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A weekly event hosted by Sheila from Book Journey to discuss your reading week ~ the books you've read and those you plan on reading in the coming week. It is a great way to meet other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your wish list.

I just finished:
Glass Rainbow (audio) by James Lee Burke
Play Dead by John Levitt

I'm now listening to:
The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory (in the truck)
Decision Points by George W. Bush (iPod)

I'm reading:
Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

Next up:
Hell's Corner by David Balducci (after Decision Points - iPod)
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (paperback)

Theme Thursdays (Crockery/Utensil)

Theme Thursdays, created by Kavyen @ Reading Between Pages, is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it.

The rules are simple:
*A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
*Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
*Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
*It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

My snippet is from Play Dead by John Levitt.

I was hungry, but the fridge didn't hold much of interest. I dug around and came up with some cheese, so I made a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches, the old-fashioned way, in a frying pan with a plate on top of them to provide the proper weight for grilling. (pg. 173)

Wordless Wednesday

Roxi

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because she is particularly fond of lists. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
This should be a fun list. It will take some thinking

*Flavia de Luce - I think this precocious child would be a lot of fun to have in the family. Never a dull moment with her around

*Biggie - from the Biggie series by Nancy Bell. What could be better than a rich, loving, smart Grandma?

* Enzo - (The Art of Racing in the Rain) ok, so he's a dog. I would just love to have him living with us!

*Dad Howitt (The Shepherd of the Hills) - a simple, wise man - what a great grandfather he'd make.

*Stephanie Plum - if she was in the family, I'd probably get to meet Ranger. :)

*Patricia Anne & Mary Alice from the Southern Sisters series by Anne George. These two would be wonderful sisters, lots of fun, adventerous & brave.

* Anna Pigeon from the series by Nevada Barr - What a great aunt or sister she would make. A caring person who is always moving to a new exciting place. YEA!

*Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice - What a wonderful dad he'd make (if you actually needed one) or uncle. He loves his daughters, he doesn't expect them to bend to the rules for young ladies of the day and puts up with their mom with humor.

*Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - He has been my hero for years. It would be great to have your hero in your family. I would love for him to be my uncle.

*Joe Grey from The Joe Grey mystery series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy - Yep he's a cat. I have a dog on this list and now a cat. I think they would get along just fine and would liven up my life wonderfully.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. When Marcia was ready to move on from being the weekly host, she was kind enough to set up the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour, and this month, I’m Booking It is hosting!

I got in quite a few books this week one way or the other. It seems a pretty diverse group but I'm looking forward to them.

On my Nook:
*The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes I saw this series reviewed on a blog and decided to try one. Set in Scotland, it is on the noir side of PI work.
*Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Another book I saw reviewed. This one concerns family secrets in two story lines that alternate between the present in America, and the past during World War II in Nazi Germany.

In the mail:

The Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King

This year I've decided to give short stories a try. this is one of the books I decided to buy. It caught my eye because of the editor, one of my favorite authors.

*Play Dead by John Levitt

The fourth book in the Dog Days urban fantasy series I've been following.

*Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

The cover attracted me to this book. It sounds like a fun cozy mystery that hits a soft spot in my heart, pet rescue.

From the library:
Decision Points by George W. Bush

I've been wanting to read this one for a while. I borrowed it from the digital branch of my local library and I'm listening to it on my iPod. So far I'm liking it.

*Trouble Maker by Janet Evanovich

This is a graphic novel, book one in the Barnaby and Hooker series. This will be a fast read and i'm sure I'll enjoy it. Evanovich never fails to make me laugh.

The Ghost King by R.A. Salvatore

This is the third in a fantasy series. I read the first two several years ago and am just getting to this one. I've enjoyed many books by this author so expect to like this one as well.

From the used book store :
*Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes I read this one years ago then saw the movie, Charly. What a touching book. I will reread it soon.
*A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
I found this used and decided to read it for my personal reading challenge which includes a section for Oprah's Book Club books.

eReader Giveaway! YEA!

Bibliophilic Book Blog is giving away an eReader! Go there and check out the details on her blog. How much fun, a chance to win your choice of and eReader $200 or less. Don't miss out!! Be sure to mention I referred you (it's a question on the contest form).

Friday 56

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Friday 56
This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

It's that simple.

My line is from Unusual Suspects (a collection or mystery and fantasy short stories)

"The Duke's new house wizard tugged on his beard sagely."

Top Ten Tuesday: Dynamic Duos

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by
The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is
Top Ten Dynamic Duos (those bff's, partners in crimes,

or powerful couples that you just can't forget about).

For this topic I've decided to stay away from the classics. Most of my fovorites will be touched on by others, Holmes & Watson, Scarlett & Rhett, Elizabeth & Darcy, Tom & Huck, Arthur & Guinevere......

1. Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell: from James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series, one of my favorites. Both are damaged souls, violent, but at heart good guys.

2. Stephanie Plum & Ranger (or Morelli): from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Laugh out loud reading.

3. Chet and Bernie: from the Chet and Bernie mystery series by Spencer Quinn. This is a fun series with a great partnership. Chet is a dog and these are told from his point of view.

4.Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi: The main characters of Alexander McCall Smith's The Ladies No. 1 Detective agency series. This is not a series of edge of your seat thrillers rather each story is low key, sometimes sad, sometimes sweet. Mma Ramotswe always approaches her cases with wisdom, intelligence, and patience. Mma Makutsi is her assistant.

5.Eve Dallas and Roarke: from the ......In Death series by J.D. Robbs. This series is set slightly in the future which is what attracted me to it in the first place. Each story I've read has been good.

6. Rachel Morgan and Jinks: from the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series.

7. Adelia Aguilar and Sir Rowley Picot: From The Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin. This is a wonderful mystery series set in the time of King Henry II. These stories are addicting with great historical details.

8. Harry Dresden & Michael Carpenter: from The Dresden files series by Jim butcher. This series was actually my introduction to urban fantasy. I was hooked after I read the first book, Storm Front.

9. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee: The Lord of the Rings :)

This was my first read in fantasy. It was such a great read.

10. Serge A. Storms and Coleman: The Serge Storms series by Tim Dorsey. The books in this series never fail to make me laugh. Serge is a serial killer who only kills bad guys and is obsessed with all things Florida.

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday

The in my mailbox meme is hosted by The Story Siren. This meme is were everyone tells about what books they received during the week.

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. You can view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months

I made quite a haul this week, I'm very excited about all the great new books!

In the mail:
A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin
Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz
Gideon's Sword by Preston and Child

Used Book store:
Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Days of Infamy by Newt Gingrich & Willian R. Forstchen
Against Medical Advice by James Patterson & Hal Friedman (Non-Fiction book on CD)

Library:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Trouble Maker by Janet Evanovich & Alex Evanovich

February Wrap Up

I had another great reading month! I read 6 novels (only one was an ebook), listened to 5 novels, and read 3 picture books. One of the novels, The Regulators, worked for the Chunkster Challenge. I was excited to have finished the Twilight series. That makes 24 books for various challenges for the year and 6 picture books for the Read to Me Picture Book challenge.

Progress in all my challenges, as well as links to reviews can be viewed here.

Feburary
17. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
18. Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (picture book)
19. I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter (audio)
20. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
21. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (audio)
22. The Regulators by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
23. Luke Goes to Bat by Rachel Isadora (picture book)
24. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (audio)
25. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (eBook)
26. The End of the Road by Sue Henry
27. Ibis: A True whale Story by John Himmelman (picture book)
28. A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer (audio)
29. The Fourth Man by K.O. Dahl
30. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (audio)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Just HAD to buy...

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by

The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is:
Top Ten Books I Just HAD to Buy...

But Are Still Sitting on My Bookshelf

Oh my, that could be a lot of books. I'll weed it down, a lot...

My top ten:

1. Black, Red, White = three books by Ted Dekker

I'm listing these three as one entry because I wanted them enough that I bought them all three at one time.

2. Desperation by Stephen King

I bought this years ago at the same time I bought The Regulators by Richard Bachman (also known as Stephen King.) They are novels related to each other. I read The Regulators, finally, a couple of weeks ago so I am that much closer to reading this one.

3. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

I read the blurb on this one and just had to have it.....and there it sits.

4. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

I've read some about Edith Wharton and wanted to read some of her work. I purchased this to that end.

5. Black Order by James Rollins

I like reading Rollin's books, they are page turning thrillers. I bought this and why I haven't dived into it yet I can't tell you.

6. Phantom in the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love

I bought this because it was by Sherrilyn Kenyon, I liked the cover, and it didn't seem to be part of a huge series. I haven't gotten back to it so I'm not sure about the series part.

7. When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

I saw this one in someones list a couple of years ago when I was participating in a southern reading challenge. I'm now listening to another book by this author but haven't read this one.

8. Testimony by Anita Shreve

I've read several great reviews about this one so got it one time when I had the chance.

9. Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

I bought this one right of the shelves at B&N as a new-to-me book and author. It will be a scary fun read I think. I have to get to it.

10. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David O. Relin

In an effort to read more non-fiction I've purchased several non-fiction books. This is one I have been wanting to read, is sounds so good. So...why is it still sitting there?