2013 BOOK CHALLENGE! Are you in?

[Caseheidi]

Book 33 of 100 - Dead Ever After by Charlain Harris (Last of the Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire series)

Summary by Goodreads:
There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart...

Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough..

As the ending to a series, it was good. It brought everything together. A lot, and I mean a lot, of the past characters were at least mentioned. In fact, I now kind of wish I had re-read the other 12 books before starting this one. I had to figure out a few of the characters mentions before and it took a bit before I had that Ah-Ha moment. The book did end the way I kind of thought it would, with one exception that I will not mention as it is a spoiler.

If you haven't read this series, it is fun. Not my favorite, but I would recommend as long as you enjoy supernatural characters and can accept their reality.

 

[Caseheidi]

Finished book #30: Dark Passage- Kingdom Keepers book 6 by Ridley Pearson

This one takes place on the Disney Dream & is a little more violent. It looks like the next book (which won't be out til next spring) will take place at Disneyland.

The five Kingdom Keepers and their core friends have uncovered a startling truth: Maleficent and the Overtakers (Disney villains) are plotting a catastrophic event that could have repercussions far beyond the world of Disney.
Aboard the Disney Cruise Line's inaugural passage through the new Panama Canal, the Keepers and their holograms uncover a puzzle hidden within the pages of a stolen journal. The point of that puzzle will reveal itself in the caves of Aruba, the zip lines of Costa Rica, and the jungles of Mexico. A destructive force, dormant for decades, is about to be unleashed. The five Kingdom Keepers are to be its first victims.

Next book: The Maze Runner

I didn't realize this was out. I have to go pick it up. Thanks!

 

[wiigirl]

Book 33 of 100 - Dead Ever After by Charlain Harris (Last of the Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire series)

Summary by Goodreads:
There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart...

Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough..

As the ending to a series, it was good. It brought everything together. A lot, and I mean a lot, of the past characters were at least mentioned. In fact, I now kind of wish I had re-read the other 12 books before starting this one. I had to figure out a few of the characters mentions before and it took a bit before I had that Ah-Ha moment. The book did end the way I kind of thought it would, with one exception that I will not mention as it is a spoiler.

If you haven't read this series, it is fun. Not my favorite, but I would recommend as long as you enjoy supernatural characters and can accept their reality.

Thats a really good book.

 

[threeboysmom]

Zoo by James Patterson. This was a great book!! It's extremely intense and gripping from page 1. Have to say I didn't really care for the ending. It will make you think. It's basically about animals going insane and practically taking over the world. The way it was written makes me think it could happen in the real world!

I have this one on my "to read" list. Thanks for the review!

 

[threeboysmom]

I hope it's not too late to join. I just signed up at Good Reads and joined over there too under MissHippy.
I will decided tomorrow on my book count. I have just started reading Wicked and am about to re read The Great Gatsby.

Thanks

NEVER to late to join! Just let me know what your book goal is so I can add you to the list!

Book 10/40-I don't think I'm going to meet my goal at this rate, but I'll keep trying

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

I loved this book. My first 5 star read of the year. Waiting for the second in the trilogy to come in.

edit: One of the words in my c and p fom Amazon was censored. I didn't know we couldn't use that word. I'm sorry.

Hmmm, I normally TRY to stay away from series books (just have to many books already on my "to read" list, but I think I'm going to have to add this one!) Thanks for the review!

 

[GILL635]

Ooh I had no recollection of her sleeping with 2 guys in that book! Please don't think bad of me - I don't agree with that stuff either!

I genuinely cannot remember it


x

 

[willowsnn3]

Goal 72

#36 Magic Street by Orson Scott Card

Good book, nothing spectacular but interesting.

 

[BearcatsFan]

25/50 - A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

This book started good. I figured out "whodunit" pretty quickly, but that was okay as I still wanted to see how everything was resolved. I did not like the way it ended. A lot of the storyline, including the ending, was pretty unbelievable to me. I expected better as I generally like Sparks' writing.

3/5 stars

Next Up: 1st To Die (Women's Murder Club Series) by James Patterson

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

25/50 - A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

This book started good. I figured out "whodunit" pretty quickly, but that was okay as I still wanted to see how everything was resolved. I did not like the way it ended. A lot of the storyline, including the ending, was pretty unbelievable to me. I expected better as I generally like Sparks writing.

3/5 stars

Next Up: 1st To Die (Women's Murder Club Series) by James Patterson

I'm reading "The Best of Me" right now and I am a little disappointed. Kind of boring.

I loved his books "The Guardian"(actually named our dog Singer after it) and "The Rescue".

 

[StephMK]

#20 - Sparkly Green Earrings - cute memoir by Melanie Shankle - I think she writes a blog and I'm guessing I got this from pixels of ink. It was cute, funny stories about motherhood and life with just a touch of religion tossed in. Easy read and broken into lots of paragraphs that tell stories and share thoughts.

#21 - Bend in the Road - Nicholas Sparks - typical Sparks story. I also figured it out before revealed. I think I must have OD'd on romance when I was younger because I just can't get into romance stories.

I'm impatiently waiting for 2 books off my waiting list at the library! I have another I'm working on in the meantime.

 

[tiggrbaby]

I think I must have OD'd on romance when I was younger because I just can't get into romance stories.

I'm the same way!

 

[PigletsPal2]

Goal: 52 books this year.

#35 - Anne of the Island
#36 - Anne's House of Dreams
#37 - Rainbow Valley
#38 - Rilla of Ingleside
#39 - Chronicles of Avonlea
All of these books are by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

I was a reading fool this past week! I was on a mini-vacation and there wasn't much else to do, so I got real involved with Anne Shirley Blythe and her family and friends. I find these books to be very sweet and gentle, and sometimes just what I need to take my mind off the troubles of the world and my own very less important problems .

Chronicles of Avonlea takes us to the end of WWI. The Blythes and their families and friends have endured many hardships during the war, but they endure them stoically and remind themselves that the King's Canadian subjects are far better off than his English subjects. There is loss of family members and friends, and many of the community find that they are stronger than they ever imagined.

I've tried to put these books away for a bit and read something else, but they keep drawing me back. I don't think I'm going to be able to concentrate on or enjoy other books until I'm finished with the Anne Shirley saga!

That having been said, I'm off to read the final five books, ratchet up my goal, and jump into some of the recommendations made on this thread!

Queen Colleen

 

[nemofans]

I didn't realize this was out. I have to go pick it up. Thanks!

I had to request my library to order it b/c they didn't have it. The librarian said they would have ordered it anyway, but hadn't yet.

 

[Ginny Favers]

35/50: Kissing Shakespeare

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide.

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda to use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

I can not even tell you how much I loved this book. I never thought men in tights could be so appealing. It's a YA.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I'm reading "The Best of Me" right now and I am a little disappointed. Kind of boring.

I loved his books "The Guardian"(actually named our dog Singer after it) and "The Rescue".

Have you read The Lucky One yet? I liked it a lot.

 

[GILL635]

Have you read The Lucky One yet? I liked it a lot.

I want to read this one, as the film was brilliant!

Nights In Rodanthe was a good book, as was Dear John, of his. Theres quite a few Nicholas Sparks I want to read.

Does anyone read Diane Chamberlain ? Hers are quite good

xx

 

[Glynis]

Goal - 100 Books

Book #36 - "Secrets Over Sweet Tea" by Denise Hildreth Jones

From the book cover: "As the lives of a boisterous pastor's wife, a polished news anchor and a beleaguered divorce attorney intersect on the tree-lined streets of Franklin, Tennessee, scandal threatens to topple their carefully constructed worlds. Grasping at survival, they embark on a journey of friendship and courage, desperate to find a way back to laughter, love, and life."

My review: I really enjoyed this book. It was definite fluff, maybe what I'd call a "beach read." However, I loved the characters. The story lines were believable, and there was just a touch of religion to smooth things out. I would recommend it.

Next up: Either "A Catered Murder" or Dan Brown's newest "Inferno". It's on hold for me at the library, and now I have to see if my sick daughter is well enough to take a jaunt to pick it up.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Have you read The Lucky One yet? I liked it a lot.

Yes! I enjoyed it, but not as much as the ones I listed in the previous post.

I had said that I wasn't happy with the one I'm currently reading (The Best of Me) but that changed last night! I can not put it down now, and I actually got teary eyed.

 

[threeboysmom]

Finished #19 out of 50

Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

This was a reread for me (read it years back in college). Most of it was stuff I already knew, but the last few chapters were practical in nature and were a good reminder to me.

I do think anyone who is a Christian ought to read this book at least once in their life, and even non-believers might gain some insight or at least some understanding of the Christian faith by reading this book. And I'll just leave it at that.

Still currently reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and LOVING it!

 

[nemofans]

Finished book #31: Maze Runner by James Dashner

Very quick read. Definitely kept my interest. It doesn't explain very much about the situation they are in & why they are in the maze. You just get some bits here & there, which makes you want to read the rest of the series. While searching my library for book 2 in this series, I found a prequel! So I am reading that now which sheds much more light on what's happening & why they were in the maze.

Currently reading: The Kill Order (prequel to Maze Runner) & then I'll go to book 2 The Scorch Trials.