Marcia's Back!!! (allthesedarnbooks' First 2011 Thread)

Hey, friends! It's been a very, very long time since I've been on LT. But I've not forgotten about all my LT friends. Darlings, I am alive and well. I wasn't around for the latter half of 2010 as things got very very busy at school and then I had my wisdom teeth out in Dec, then the holidays. In Jan my best friend's mother passed away and I spent all of February and March battling a pretty nasty case of bronchitis, plus recovering from a severe Vitamin D deficiency. Anyway, I'm feeling much better now, and can't wait to tell you guys what I've been reading and see what you have been reading.

For those of you who don't know me or need a reintroduction, I'm Marcia. I'm and I live in upstate NY. I've been reading mostly fantasy, romance, and mysteries this year, although lately I've started to get back to nonfiction. I will probably read in many genres (I hope) throughout the year.

Here's books 1-25 of what I've read so far this year, to be continued in the next post: (Rereads are starred)

1. Petty Magic: Being the Memoirs and Confessions of Miss Evelyn Harbinger, Temptress and Troublemaker - Camille DeAngelis
2. Away - Away Bloom
3. Collision Course - K.A. Mitchell
4. No Souvenirs - K.A. Mitchell
5. The Fall of the Kings - Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
6. Blue-Eyed Devil - Lisa Kleypas
7. Practice Makes Perfect - Julie James
8. The Dickens With Love - Josh Lanyon
9. Our Lady of Immaculate Deception - Nancy Martin
10. A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin ***
11. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
12. A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin ***
13. False Prophet - Faye Kellerman
14. A Storm of Swords - George R.R. Martin ***
15. The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story from Buchenwald to New Orleans - Mark Jacobson
16. The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths
17. Your Scandalous Ways - Loretta Chase
18. Grievous Sin - Faye Kellerman
19. Let Our Fame Be Great: Journeys Among the Defiant People of the Caucasus - Oliver Bullough
20. River Marked - Patricia Briggs
21. Baltimore Blues - Laura Lippman
22. The Compass Rose - Gail Dayton
23. Sanctuary - Faye Kellerman
24. Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning
25. Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning

(to be updated as new reads are completed)

26. Faefever - Karen Marie Moning
27. 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement - Jane Ziegelman
28. Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning
29. Shadowfever - Karen Marie Moning
30. My Korean Deli: Risking It All For a Convenience Store - Ben Ryder Howe
31. The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science - Douglas Starr
32. Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Collapsed, and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend - Barbara Oakley
33. Of Swine and Roses - Ilona Andrews (short story)
34. Wanting - M.L. Rhodes
35. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town - Nick Reding
36. The Danish Girl - David Ebershoff
37. Bossypants - Tina Fey
38. 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson
39. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan
40. A Feast for Crows - George R.R. Martin ***
41. Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way - Jon Krakauer
42. Passion Play - Beth Bernobich
43. Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey ***
44. The Poison Tree - Erin Kelly
45. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family - Mary S. Lovell
46. The Throne of Fire - Rick Riordan
47. The Vast Fields of Ordinary - Nick Burd
48. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
49. Fatal Shadows - Josh Lanyon
50. A Dangerous Thing - Josh Lanyon
51. Mystery - Jonathan Kellerman
52. The Hell You Say - Josh Lanyon
53. Abandon - Meg Cabot
54. The Untouchable - John Banville
55. An Improper Holiday - K.A. Mitchell
56. Magic Slays - Ilona Andrews
57. Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
58. Magic Mourns - Ilona Andrews
59. Butterfly Tattoo - Deidre Knight
60. Evil at Heart - Chelsea Cain
61. The Night Season - Chelsea Cain
62. Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris
63. Heist Society - Ally Carter
64. Cut & Run - Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
65. Bad Company - K.A. Mitchell
66. Bayou Moon - Ilona Andrews
67. Death of a Pirate King - Josh Lanyon
68. The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon
69. Justice - Faye Kellerman
70. Them: Adventures with Extremists - Jon Ronson
71. Angels' Blood - Nalini Singh
72. Breaking Silence - Linda Castillo
73. Catch Me If You Can - LB Gregg
74. Warrior - Zoe Archer
75. Vintage: A Ghost Story - Steve Berman
76. Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter
77. Lead Me On - Victoria Dahl
78. Lessons in Love - Charlie Cochrane
79. Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All - Paul A. Offit
80. Bad Case of Loving You - Lainey Cairo
81. Girls Like Us: Fighting For a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself - Rachel Lloyd
82. Hot Head - Damon Suede
83. A Dance with Dragons - George R.R. Martin
84. Putting Makeup on Dead People - Jen Violi
85. Chasing Smoke - K.A. Mitchell
86. The Soldier's Wife - Margaret Leroy
87. Mama Does Time - Deborah Sharp
88. A to Z - Marie Sexton
89. Sticks & Stones - Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
90. Promises - Marie Sexton
91. Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
92. Fire - Kristin Cashore
94. The Letter Z - Marie Sexton
95. A Change of Pace - Tielle St. Clare
96. Come Unto These Yellow Sands - Josh Lanyon
97. Aftertime - Sophie Littlefield
98. Turn Left at Sanity - Nancy Warren
99. The Psychopath Test: Inside the Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind - Jon Ronson
100. The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
101. Unfamiliar Fishes - Sarah Vowell
102. Overcoming Perfectionism: The Key to a Balanced Recovery - Ann W. Smith
103. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
104. Strawberries for Dessert - Marie Sexton
105. Jung on Active Imagination
106. Doomsday Book - Connie Willis ***
107. Fish & Chips - Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
108. Heartless - Gail Carriger
109. The Measure of Madness: Inside the Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind - Cheryl Paradis
110. Graveminder - Melissa Marr
111. Body of Evidence - Patricia Cornwell
112. The Scalpel and the Silver Bear: The First Navajo Woman Surgeon Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing - Lori Arviso Alvord and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt ***
113. Hotel Insomnia - Charles Simic
114. All That Remains - Patricia Cornwell
115. American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee - Karen Abbott
116. Callander Square - Anne Perry
117. Dangerous Ground - Josh Lanyon
118. Paris A to Z - Marie Sexton
119. Mama Rides Shotgun - Deborah Sharp
120. Bayou Dreams - Lynn Lorenz
121. Overbite - Meg Cabot
122. Space, in Chains - Laura Kasischke
123. Great Plains - Ian Frazier
124. Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef - Gabrielle Hamilton
125. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead - Sara Gran
126. Paragon Walk - Anne Perry
127. Resurrection Row - Anne Perry
128. Farthing - Jo Walton
129. Ha'penny - Jo Walton
130. Caught Running - Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
131. Half a Crown - Jo Walton
132. Special Delivery - Heidi Cullinan
133. Double Blind - Heidi Cullinan
134. Boys of Summer - Cooper Davis
135. All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin
136. The Heir - Grace Burrowes
137. Rutland Place - Anne Perry
138. Between Sinners and Saints - Marie Sexton
139. Fate's Edge - Ilona Andrews
140. Bad Boyfriend - K.A. Mitchell
141. The Soldier - Grace Burrowes
142. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective - Kate Summerscale
143. Men Under the Mistletoe - Harper Fox, Josh Lanyon, Ava March, and K.A. Mitchell
144. Bluegate Fields - Anne Perry
145. Diving in Deep - K.A. Mitchell
146. The Apprentice - Tess Gerritsen
147. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor - Lisa Kleypas
148. The Christmas Countess - Adrienne Basso
149. Broken Wing - Judith James
150. Magic Gifts - Ilona Andrews
151. Str8te Boys - Evangeline Anderson
152. Once Upon a Winter's Eve - Tessa Dare

Hi Marcia! I think just when I started to follow your thread last year you stopped posting, lol. Looking forward to keeping up with your reading this year!

Glad to see you back with us again, Marcia!

Yay, I'm glad you're back!

Welcome back, Marcia!

Welcome back!

Hi, Stasia, Zoe, Darryl, LibraryLover23, and drneutron! Great to see you all and thank you for the welcome backs.

Today I plan on attempting to read some of your guys' threads, as well as continue to get my library up to date. I will post reviews of the books I read now as I finish them (hopefully), but if you have any questions about any of my previous reads, feel free to ask. ;)

And since I dropped out a little early last year, here's a list of the books I read in 2010 after I stopped posting on my thread.

128. Hunger - Michael Grant
129. Lies - Michael Grant
130. Day of Atonement - Faye Kellerman
131. What I Did For Love - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
132. Sin's Daughter - Eve Silver
133. Blood of the Demon - Diana Rowland
134. Tigers and Devils - Sean Kennedy
135. The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan
136. Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
137. Sins of the Heart - Eve Silver
138. Poison - Sara Poole
139. Sworn to Silence - Linda Castillo
140. A Little Death in Dixie - Lisa Turner
141. Pray for Silence - Linda Castillo
142. The Magicians - Lev Grossman
143. The Accidental Demon Slayer - Angie Fox
144. Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux - John G. Neihardt
145. Brother Odd - Dean Koontz
146. The Bite Before Christmas - Heidi Betts
147. Make Mine Midnight - Annmarie McKenna
148. Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
149. The Lady Matador's Hotel - Cristina Garcia

Welcome back, Marcia!!! :)

Welcome back. I am new to the 75 challange, I have only been on LT for a year now, but I am loving every minute. I also live in NY but a couple hours north near the Adirondacks. I look forward to following your thread.

Great to see you back, Marcia. I read The Magicians earlier this year--what did you think?

I am so pleased you are back. I missed you!

Hugs and a hearty welcome back to you!

>10 profilerSR:, Thanks, Sher!

>11 bbellthom:, Thank you and pleased to meet you! The 75 challenge and LT are both wonderful. I live in central NY, in Binghamton to be specific. The Adirondacks are beautiful. I'll have to track your thread down sometime soon. :)

>12 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! I actually loved The Magicians. I don't know if it's because I'm in the target demographic of twenty-somethings who grew up on fantasy or what, but I really thought it was fabulous. I found it darkly funny and I thought the language was quite beautiful in places. I had heard there was a lot of sex and drugs, so I think I went in anticipating a lot of those, and it was much milder than I had expected. I liked the angst and the almost nihilistic lack of morals and direction, which appeals very much to the Generation Y-er in me. I can definitely understand why it isn't for everyone however.

>13 Whisper1:, Thank you, Linda! I missed you too. *hugs back*

Just finished my first book of the 24 hour readathon, Methland: The Life and Death of an American Small Town, of which I will post my thoughts when the readathon is done. On to The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness.

I saw your post on Linda's thread and thought I would just come through here and say Hi! All the best to you, and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Methland, a book I've heard about but not read.

Great to see you back, Marcia!

>14 allthesedarnbooks: I know, I'm not the target demographic, and I got a little impatient with all the drugs and booze, but I did end up thinking the book got to a good place. I am, however, sad to see a sequel, because I think it ended at the perfect spot.

>16 labwriter:. Hi, labwriter! Thanks for stopping by. I thought Methland was pretty good and will expand on that more in a few minutes.

>17 tloeffler:, Thanks, Terri! It's great to be back. Now I just have to try to catch up on all the threads people have started and find all my old friends, lol.

>18 ronincats:, Yeah, it's not that there wasn't a lot of drugs and booze, it was just that I had heard so much about it I think I was expected like Valley of the Dolls or something, so I was like "Oh, that's not that bad." I agree with you about the ending, Roni, it did seem to be at a perfect stopping point. I will be interested to see what Grossman does with the sequel, however, and if he manages to continue the story in a way that keeps the integrity of the work alive.

Ohmigosh, I was so excited for this championship Uconn vs. Butler game and dude, it is so, so boring.

35. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Town by Nick Reding

Within the last ten years or so, I've seen more articles about meth labs being busted in the local paper. At one point, the next county over from mine was being the "meth capital of New York State". I know that in some of the more rural parts of my own county meth is an increasing problem. In my own small city of less than 50,000, we even had the dubious achievement of the first fatal meth lab fire in NYS. Despite all of that, I've never actually met a meth addict.

In Reding's Methland, he travels to Oelwein, Iowa, a small town struggling with methamphetamine production and use. Reding is at his best when profiling the people he meets there, both in law enforcement and city government and the meth users themselves. He has a gift for describing people in a realistic way. He also draws a great portrait of a small town in despair. His ideas tying the meth epidemic into the rise of big pharmaceuticals and agribusiness as well as US immigration policy are interesting but seem to belong in a different book entirely. Maybe it's that I don't have enough of an education in economics myself, but IMO Reding lacked the facts and research (or perhaps just the ability to communicate economic and political ideas) to back up his claims. At least he didn't express them in a way that satisfied even this casual reader, unschooled in economics and usually the type of girl who takes an excuse to blame big corporations for social ills. Overall, this is a worthwhile, sad, and gritty read; I would have enjoyed more of the stories of the people of Oelwein and the other towns Reding visited and less of the weakly presented mishmash of socioeconomic analysis.

Great review Marcia!

>21 Whisper1:, Thanks, Linda! I was worried about this one, as I was afraid I wouldn't be able to adequately express what I did and did not like about the book after so long away from LT. I think it's going to be very good for my brain to get back to discussing books and thinking about them in a more critical context.

Oh, and before I go to bed, I will share with you guys a picture I posted yesterday on the Readathon thread. I was not the only one who spent most of Sunday reading. Here's Cordelia:



She's reading Charles M. Schulz's Suppertime!, starring her idol, Snoopy. She appreciates his snarky, anti-establishment attitude.

Cordelia has good taste!

I will tell her you said so, Stasia. :)

LOL

23- Love the photo!

I took a similar photo back when I was in high school. I was lying on the floor with all my school books and homework spread out...and I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came back my dog was lying in my spot on the floor. It looked like she was doing my homework!

>27 BookAngel_a:, Aw, that sounds adorable! My dog loves books. She likes the way they smell, especially library books or used books. Sometimes I come across her licking a book, but she's never chewed on one, so I think she understands that while we can love and sniff and kiss books, we cannot eat them. ;)

---

I'm spending today trying to finish The Danish Girl, The Ask and the Answer and Ten Big Ones before they have to go back to the library tomorrow. And then tonight I'm going to see the musical of The Color Purple, which is one of my all time favorite books.

I still have not read The Color Purple!

>29 alcottacre:, Oh, Stasia, I hope you get to it sometime soon! It is, hands down, one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life.

36. The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff

I loved this book. It's beautifully written and filled with precise, artful descriptions of places and people. Loosely based on a true story, it introduces us to Einar Wegener and his wife, Greta, both artists in 1920s Copenhagen. One day, Greta suggests that Einar help her complete a portrait by filling in for her female model. This suggestion opens the door to Einar's repressed past and hidden longings. Einar's transforms into Lili, the woman who has been inside of him all along. Through out this remarkable journey, Greta loves and supports Einar and Lili. While the novel has a lot to say about gender and identity, the most amazing part of it is the love between the two leads. Einar/Lili is a sympathetic character and Greta is even more clearly drawn, a woman of openness, compassion, and unending loyalty and love. The novel moves through Copenhagen, Paris, and Dresden in the 1920s and 30s. The settings are beautifully drawn but it's the portrait of a marriage in flux and the intimacy and trust between two people that makes the book outstanding. Last year, I read Ebershoff's The 19th Wife and I really liked it. The Danish Girl is very different in style and content, shorter and more straightforward, sticking to a conventional narrative structure. Sometimes simplicity is the best and, in my opinion, The Danish Girl is a much stronger novel than The 19th Wife. It's a breathtaking, bittersweet, and lovely novel, and I highly recommend it. Five stars.

I started to read The 19th Wife and gave up on it 50 pages in. I will give The Danish Girl a try (if I can get my hands on it) and see if I like it any better.

I love your review of Methland. The book has been on my wishlist for a while, but it is chronically checked-out at my library (read "missing"). I may have to just go ahead and purchase it. (I'm so cheap!).

I also loved your review of The Danish Girl. I read The 19th Wife and wasn't as impressed by it as some were. It sounds like The Danish Girl has improvements in areas where The 19th Wife fell short. I will add it to the wishlist!!!!

It's so great to have you back!!!

Marcia

You are back and my tbr pile will once again be filled with your suggestions. Thanks for the great comments re. The Danish Girl. It is now on the list.

>32 alcottacre:, Stasia, I hope you will like The Danish Girl. It really is different from The 19th Wife and I think it's a lot better, even though it's Ebershoff's first novel and The 19th Wife is his third.

>33 profilerSR:, I'm so glad you enjoyed my review of Methland, Sher! As far as purchasing it, I think I should probably let you know that it's a pretty short book for nonfiction, so you might want to keep that in mind. But it is a good read.

>34 Whisper1:, Thanks, Linda! I hope you like The Danish Girl. It's my favorite nonfiction read of the year so far.

-----

I am in a little bit of a book funk at the moment. I had to return The Ask and the Answer and Ten Big Ones to the library before finishing them. Then this weekend I had guests in from out of town, which, while fabulous, was not very conducive to a lot of reading time.

Then, yesterday, my 100-year-old grandmother was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and a urinary tract infection. I can read a lot at the hospital, but I'm having trouble focusing on anything.

Sending good wishes for your grandmother--those conditions are so dangerous at that age that I am sure you are having trouble concentrating on mere books. Time for some comfort reads.

>36 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni. She's hanging in there, but it's not looking good.

Marcia

I'm so sorry that your grandmother is ill. You have had quite a year my dear! Sending big hugs your way.

>38 Whisper1:, Thanks, Linda! It never rains but it pours, huh? *hugs back*

-----
37. Bossypants by Tina Fey

I needed something lighthearted and this fit the bill. It's laugh out loud funny at times and actually has some good advice for life. Enjoyable. Three and a half stars.

Glad you found something to make you laugh. It sounds like you need this kind of book.

I'm keeping you and your grandmother in my thoughts.

>40 Whisper1:-41, Thanks Linda and Sher! Your support is much appreciated.

----

Grandma passed away yesterday afternoon. She was 100 years old and lived a good, long life. She was a very unique individual. She actually worked for 30+ years as a proofreader, which is awesome.

----

38. 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson

This is a really lovely young adult book. Maureen Johnson is one of my favorite YA authors. Previously, I had read and enjoyed her Devilish as well as Suite Scarlett and its sequel Scarlett Fever. In this novel, 17-year-old Ginny is left a series of blue envelopes by her deceased aunt. They lead her on a journey through Europe where she becomes more brave and has some great experiences. The sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope comes out in a few weeks and I've already pre-ordered it. A great, fun read. Four stars.

P.S. For the next week or two, 13 Little Blue Envelopes is available for free on Kindle and Nook. I highly recommend downloading it if you're a fan of YA lit.

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother :(. At least you have the comfort of knowing that she lived a good long life, though.

I have 13 Little Blue Envelopes sitting on the shelf at home. One of these days.

I'm going to pass your info on 13 Little Blue Envelopes on to my sister, who has a Kindle, Marcia.

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother--I know you and your family will miss her. Over 30 years as a proofreader--amazing! How she is needed these days in the publishing business!

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother - it sounds like she was an amazing woman.

((Hugs)), Marcia. I am sorry to hear about your grandmother, but it sounds like she had a wonderful life.

I'm sorry to hear of your grandmother's death. It sounds like she was an amazing person. I'll continue to keep you and your family in my thoughts.

Thanks for all the hugs & support guys! It really helps. :)

I've finished Will Grayson, Will Grayson but don't have the energy to post a review tonight... will try to get to it later this weekend/next week. And then, of course, I have to catch up with all of you!

Hugs to you dear one!

Hey guys! I've been lurking around a little but not up to much posting. I've finished two more books: A Feast of Crows (a reread) and Three Cups of Deceit (no touchstone?). Will try to get up my thoughts on those as well as Will Grayson, Will Grayson eventually.

I finally caught up for the last month and a half yesterday, so I know how it is. Sending {{{{{hugs}}}}} and prayers.

>51 ronincats:, Thanks Roni! *hugs back*

Just stopping by on your thread Marcia. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Three Cups of Deceit as I am just reading Three Cups of Tea.

>53 weejane:, Thanks for stopping by! I will hopefully be posting some reviews today. Meanwhile, I will say in regards to Three Cups of Deceit that it was very well written and eye-opening... Jon Krakauer always writes excellent nonfiction.

39. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I absolutely loved this YA book. It's fantastically absorbing and well-written. Green and Levithan tell, in alternating chapters, the stories of two characters, both teenagers named Will Grayson, whose lives connect sometime in the middle of the book. The characters are perfectly drawn, there are laugh out loud moments, and the book realistically depicts teenage conversation, hormones, awkwardness, and emotion. This is a book about accepting who you are, whether you are straight or gay, loving those around you and learning to cherish your friends and treat them with respect. Highly recommended. Five stars.

Hi Marcia

My tbr list is filled with your recommendations. What the heck, I'm adding another one -- Will Grayson, Will Grayson is now added with the others.

Hugs to you!

HI Marcia! Welcome back. I am new to the 75 group. I will try to follow your thread. I hope I won't be adding as many books as Whisper1 has been adding.

I wish my dog would stop chewing on books. I have a few that I had packed away and she has gotten a hold of them and has chewed them. Not bad enough that I have to replace them or get rid of them but just enough to make them look worn. Some of them were my ER books. Any one have any ideas on how to stop this..?? Oh she is only 1 year and 3 months old and she is a beagle mix.

Now back to your thread.. Sorry for high jacking it. :)

>56 Whisper1:, Hey Linda! I hope you get to Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I adored it. If it makes you feel better, my list is always filled with your recs as well. ;)

>57 crazy4reading:, Hi and welcome to the group! Don't worry about highjacking my thread, lol, this group is just as much about friendship and conversation as anything else. As far as advice for you in re to your dog, I don't really know what to say. Cordelia has never really had a problem chewing books, or chewing in general. When she was a puppy she would chew baskets, but other than that she's pretty good. With books, she just sniffs and licks. Probably if you used some kind of behavior modification techniques with your puppy, you could change the chewing. Have you talked to a trainer at all?

40. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

This one was a reread for me. I've been rereading A Song of Ice and Fire this year, in anticipation both of the debut of the series on HBO (which started in April and is awesome if you haven't been watching) and the release of the fifth book (hopefully for real this time) in July. A Feast for Crows is, IMO, the weakest book in the series, but it's still a fantastic tale of political intrigue, war, and the sacrifices people make for power, love, and survival.

#57 & 58 - We have a 5 year old Yellow Lab who LOVES chewing books, but only hardbacks. We have found that he usually does this when he doesn't get enough exercise. So we make sure take him out a lot and leave him things that are okay to chew. (And try our best to keep hardbacks out of reach!)

#59 - I'm very excited to start reading this series! Maybe I will do it over the summer. I keep hearing some many good things about it!

>60 weejane:, Ooh, I hope you love the series as much as I do! I will warn you though (as I'm sure everyone has) that Martin is super slow when it comes to finishing books and keeping the saga going. We're all just praying that he finishes it in our lifetimes, really.

Hi Marcia,

Good to see you back!

#59 The books are awesome and the HBO series looks pretty good too! I have been taking the series slow, one book a year.

#58
I have't talked to a trainer due to the fact that I don't really know of any in our area that I trust. I may just go to one of the pet stores and see what they recommend.

#60
weejane ~ That maybe the problem is that she doesn't always get enough exercise. I work full time and my son is home and gets tired of taking care of the puppy. (She really isn't ours) I was taking her for a walk almost everyday and then we got rain for about a week and I just couldn't due it that often. I will start doing the walk again and see if that helps her.

Now back to Marcia's thread. I never heard of the book A Feast for Crows nor did I realize it was made into a series on HBO. I will look to see if it is something I would like.

#63 A Feast for Crows is book 4 in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R. R. Martin, the name of the HBO series is A Game of Thrones (the same as the that of the 1st book in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire")

I'm simply stopping by to say hello.

I'm curious to see your full thoughts on Three Cups of Deceit. I've really enjoyed the two Krakauer books I've read, but I'm not sure I want to read an attack on philanthropy.

#66 - I would not call Jon Krakauer's book an attack on philanthropy. Krakauer used to be a fairly substantial contributor to Greg Mortenson's charity, but after hearing about some financial misappropriations and possible lies contained in Three Cups of Tea, Krakauer wanted to know what was going on. What he found was more sad than attacking. The way I read Three Cups of Deceit was that Krakauer applauds the underlying mission of Greg Mortenson, just not the way he is going about it or the fabrications in Mortenson's books.

>67 weejane: Thanks for that info. I did download the book as soon as I saw it, so I do have it available for reading one day.

I just wonder what the overall effect of the book will be. I think Three Cups of Tea, even if not entirely accurate, does a lot to promote a worthy cause. The message goes beyond the individual circumstances. I can see people becoming leery of donating money to any cause after all the negative media coverage, and I'm not sure that's worth the cost. I guess it depends how serious the offenses are. The one thing I've heard about is that Mortenson merged together multiple trips to Pakistan to make for a smoother narrative, and I can't say I really care much about that.

I will have to look for Three Cups of Deceit too. I have read and enjoyed both of Mortenson's books.

>62 PiyushC:, Hi, Piyush!

>65 Whisper1:, Hey, Linda, thanks for stopping by. :)

>68 _Zoe_:, Zoe, I will address this more in my (still upcoming, hopefully soon) review of, but the main problem that I (and Krakauer, I believe) have with Mortenson is not the bending of facts in the book, which I think is somewhat understandable in a memoir/autobiography, but the financial misappropriations and poor management skills he has shown in running the CAI, as well as the general pattern of deceit he has adopted.

>69 alcottacre:, If you do read it, Stasia, I hope it is not too disillusioning for you. I found it pretty upsetting.

>70 allthesedarnbooks: I'm looking forward to your review. I enjoyed Three Cups of Tea as well, and I think I'll read Stones into Schools before going on to Three Cups of Deceit, in case the latter destroys my interest in the former.

Marcia- I'm new to your thread. I've seen you around for awhile and lately saw that you were on Good Reads too. But of course, the selling point is: We share a lot of books. Yah.
I would like to find a copy of Three Cups of Deceit. Is it only available for purchase?

#70 - Marcia, I completely agree with what you say about the financial misappropriations. I agree that is Krakauer's main point and seems to be the impetus behind him withdrawing his own support from the CAI.

#71 - Zoe, good luck with Stones into Schools. I just didn't read it because I found the writing and overall narrative arc so awful in Three Cups of Tea.

#72 - Mark if you have a kindle, I would be willing to loan it to you (assuming this is one of the books where I can do that).

>71 _Zoe_:, I think that's probably a good plan, Zoe. Probably reading Stones into Schools will give you more insight into Mortenson, as well. Like Brit, I wasn't a fan of the writing style of Three Cups of Tea but since Stones into Schools doesn't have a co-author (or at least has a different uncredited ghostwriter) that may be different, too.

>72 msf59:, Hi, Mark! Nice to meet you. We do have a lot of books in common, don't we? I like LT better than Good Reads in general, but I like to keep track of my pages/progress in books I'm currently reading on GR, as it is easier there. As far as Three Cups of Deceit (ooh the touchstone finally works!), it's put out by Byliner a new company that is publishing short nonfiction works (longer than an article, shorter than a standard book). As far as I can tell, it's only available for purchase as a Kindle book at $2.99 or an Itunes audiobook at $4.99. If you do have a Kindle and it is loan-able (I'd be surprised, as most of them aren't yet) I'd say your best bet would be to take Brit up on her offer.

>73 weejane:, Yeah, I think that if the financial stuff weren't so dire (as well as the schools that never actually opened or were closed) the factual inaccuracies would be much less damning. It's the combination that really gets to me.

41.Three of Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by John Krakauer

This book is a short (at about 75 pages) and well-written critique of Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asian Institute (henceforth referred to as the CAI) and best-selling author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools. Jon Krakauer's works are always readable and thoroughly researched, and this one is no exception.

Krakauer doesn't choose to investigate Mortenson out of spite. Rather, he was once a big fan of the man, his books, and his works, contributing a great deal of money to the CAI. But after he learned about the questionable financial practices within the organization, especially by Mortenson himself, he withdrew his support. The more he found out, the more disquieted he became, and he began digging deeper.

The first accusations involve Mortenson's trips to Pakistan (and later Afghanistan) upon which he based his narrative and his charity's mission. Beyond the substitutions of one village or another and combinations of trips, there is an apparently fabricated kidnapping by the Taliban. Krakauer also alleges that Mortenson misrepresented many of the areas in which he was building schools, describing them as Taliban and fundamentalist breeding grounds, when in fact the Taliban has little or no influence in these areas. As a frequent reader of memoirs and "creative nonfiction" I understand how sometimes the "truth" can be bent or adjusted in order to make a readable, coherent narrative, so these accusations bothered me the least.

As the book continues, Krakauer switches to accusations of financial misappropriations, poor bookkeeping, and mismanagement of the CAI. We learn that none of Mortenson's profits from his two books go toward the CAI but the CAI spends more on promoting the books, including flying Mortenson to appearances in private jets, than on the schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, many of which are now "ghost schools", unstaffed and empty of children. Various members of CAI's board have left because Mortenson refuses to make a detailed account of the money he spends abroad, so that the bookkeepers are left to guess and fabricate numbers. I wouldn't be surprised at all if problems with the IRS are on the horizon.

Krakauer concludes that while Mortenson has inevitably done some good work, if the CAI is to continue its mission, Mortenson must step aside and hand the charity over to people who are more adept at accounting and managing. After the publication of this book and the piece on 60 Minutes, there is already a lawsuit against Mortenson and an investigation by the Montana Attorney General.

I recommend that you read the book and judge for yourself. I will certainly be following the story as it develops, and I hope that when all the dust has cleared, Krakauer will write a follow up, as his insight and excellent journalism make a highly disturbing story more palatable. Four stars.

P.S. To show just how pervasive Mortenson's image and organization have become I saw this billboard when I was out last night:

Great review. It definitely sounds like a must-read book, sad as it may be.

Brit- I don't have a Kindle but thank you very much for the offer. I'm sure I'll find it somewhere.

Marcia- Wow, what an excellent review of Three of Cups of Deceit! Good job! I'm not sure I even have to read it now. Just kidding, I'm a big fan of Krakauer.
I read Three Cups of Tea, just over a year ago and was so impressed by it, which makes this story even sadder.
Between you and me, Good Reads is a bit of a yawn, compared to the lively people here on LT. The only reason I ventured over there, was that the podcast of "Books on the Nightstand" was set up on GRs and I love those people. Are you a fan?

Congratulations on your hot review!

Well-deserved! I wouldn't be surprised to see it at #1 tomorrow.

Marcia that was excellent review!

#75: Nice review, Marcia! I wish my local library had a copy of the book.

Thanks to everyone for the congrats on the review! It means a lot to me. :) This is the first time I'm had a hot review, so it's pretty exciting. My reviews tend to be either short and quick and fluffy or kind of a pain to write because I get so caught up in word choice. This one was the latter lol. I think it's good for me to write longer reviews as I can start to overcome some of my pent up anxiety about writing in general and hopefully get back to writing outside of reviews as well.

Yesterday I had a lovely day with my mom. We went to go see the new movie version of Jane Eyre, which was pretty good. The film looks beautiful and is well-acted. It's not super faithful to the text however, so if you're a big fan I'd keep that in mind.

I've been in a bit of a mini book funk since Fri or Sat. I'm trying to read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn, which is really good, but I just haven't been able to get into it much.

___

>77 msf59:, No, I haven't heard of them, Mark. I will have to check them out. Like I said, I mostly use GR for the status/page updates (I like the little bars especially). I also like how they put new blog entries by authors you follow all on your homepage feed, which is convenient. I haven't explored groups there much or tried to make many friends, as I am quite content with the fabulous people on LT.

Marcia

I agree with you re. the latest adaptation of Jane Eyre. I did like it though and would recommend it. What seemed to be missing was the incredible romantic feeling between Rochester and Jane. Other adaptations illicited a feeling of love. Still, the setting and acting was superb.

#82 Brandon Sanderson is a wonderful writer and Mistborn is one of his best works, you may also want to try Elantris, a stand alone book, if you like Mistborn.

>83 Whisper1:, I agree, Linda. Unfortunately in this version Mr. Rochester came across more as a sex predator than a romantic hero. But the acting and the look of the film was lovely.

>84 PiyushC:, Piyush, I read and enjoyed Elantris last year, and Warbreaker the year before, which I liked even better. I'm about halfway through Mistborn and I've definitely gotten into at this point. At first it was kinda slow going, but I don't know if that was Sanderson's fault or my book funk's.

Marcia, I am yet to read Warbreaker and The Way of Kings, which rank high in my TBR. You may also want to try his Alcatraz series, they are funny and very light to read.

>86 PiyushC:, Warbreaker was awesome! I've heard so many good things about Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, it's already on my wishlist.

42. Passion Play by Beth Bernobich

I found this book, the start of a new fantasy series, rather uneven, at times boring, distasteful, and, rarely, intriguing. Our heroine Therez (later called Ilse) is not very likable, especially at the beginning of the book. She runs away from her pampered rich girl life because her father has promised her in marriage to a rich older man whom she has heard rumors about. Unfortunately, this section passes very quickly. Therez/Ilse makes a snap decision to leave the very night her father announces her engagement; our view of her home life is so limited that, although we're told her father is difficult and oppressive, we don't really get to see it so her actions don't make a lot of sense.

She then joins a caravan traveling to the capital city where she is gang raped (not depicted too graphically, thank God) and held captive. This was a difficult section to read as she is degraded more and more. Eventually she ends up working as a secretary for a mysterious brothel owner/lord/spy and is able to come into her own. The "hero" is also rather cruel to her at some points, although he never rapes her, he does keep her in solitary confinement as a punishment at one point.

The worldbuilding is rather confused. The magic system is run of the mill but the political and cultural world Bernobich attempts to insert her characters into is very convoluted and not fully explained.

The book gets much more interesting toward the last third or so, as the plot finally starts to pick up and Ilse starts to become more aware. It wasn't enough however, to make me want to read the rest of the series. Not recommended. Two stars.

#42

What a......cheerful book it sounds! Methinks I shall not be reading that one.

>88 allthesedarnbooks: Great review. It's sometimes nice to find a book that I don't want to read, for a change!

>89 lunacat:, Haha, yes, I think you'll be fine skipping it, Jenny. I felt like I was reading one of those old skool romances from the 80s where one horrible thing befalls the heroine after another.

>90 _Zoe_:, Thanks, Zoe! It's rare I actually finish books I dislike after a few chapters, so as a result I don't get to write that many bad reviews. I kept hoping this one would get better, and it did, eventually, just... not enough. I kept reading it and thinking, "A woman wrote this? Really?"

#88: Skipping that one! I hope the next read for you is a much better one, Marcia.

>92 alcottacre:, Thanks Stasia! I'm actually way behind on my write ups so I've read several good books since that one. :)

Well, that is good!

Eeek! Somehow I've gotten ten books behind in writing reviews! I'm off to Washington D.C. today for a week (attending a convention) and I don't know how much time I'll have to post while I'm there, so meanwhile here's a list of all the books I've read since the atrocious Passion Play. Reviews may or may not come eventually.

43. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
44. The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
45. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell
46. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
47. The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd
48. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
49. Fatal Shadows by Josh Lanyon
50. A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon
51. Mystery - Jonathan Kellerman
52. The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon

Looks like you have been busy reading!

I found Mistborn a wonderful series, how did you like it?

Congratulations on passing 50 books for the year already, Marcia!

Safe travels!

>96 ronincats:, Yeah, I had a busy few weeks reading before I went to Washington, Roni, which was great as I didn't have a lot of time to read while I was there.

>97 PiyushC:, I enjoyed Mistborn a lot, Piyush! It definitely took me a while to get into it, probably because the worldbuilding was so complex, but by the midway point or so I was very involved. I will definitely read the rest of the series eventually.

>98 alcottacre:, Thanks, Stasia! I had a good trip. :)

Hey guys! I'm back from Washington. I had a fabulous trip. The conference was good and I got to go to the White House, the Capitol, and the Museum of the American Indian (which was not open last time I was in D.C.). I also got to have dinner with my half-sister, meeting her and her husband for the second time and my teenage niece for the first time, which was awesome. And I saw a play, Night and Day by Tom Stoppard, who is my favorite playwright, that I had never seen performed before. I came away from the trip very invigorated and energetic in regards to my political activism and future plans, although I did catch a bad cold on my last day there which I am spending a few days recovering from. It's hard not to let even the small health setbacks upset my can do attitude but I'm trying to stay positive.

What's up with the changes to LT while I was gone? The group threads seem... different. I don't know if I like it. Change is hard and all that.

I did finish one book since last we spoke, Abandon, which I will post a review of shortly. As for the back logged reviews, I will try to get to them eventually, too, although I don't know how soon, since I think once I recover from my bug I will be pretty busy. I also need to catch up on all of your threads! :)

53. Abandon by Meg Cabot

I enjoyed this YA book quite a bit. Meg Cabot can usually be relied on for good, easy summer reading, and Abandon was no exception. It's loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone with a modern twist. What I loved about this book is that the heroine, Pierce, while drawn to the dark, mysterious, paranormal young man, is also afraid of him. She doesn't want to die to be with him, which is refreshing, as in most YA paranormal romance books the girl will do anything to be with the boy, consequences be damned. Pierce is attracted to John but she also will do anything she can to escape from him. I definitely look forward to the rest of this series. Three and a half stars.

I'm glad you had such a great trip!

Glad you had a great trip, but sorry to hear about the cold--that can take all the pleasure out of it! I hate how miserable colds make me feel. No need to get fancy on the reviews, just post a comment and move on.

I'm stopping by to say I hope you feel better.

Hugs!

I hope you get over the cold soon too, Marcia, but I am glad to hear that the trip was good!

I will have to look for Abandon for Catey. She is a big Meg Cabot fan.

Thanks for the good wishes everyone! I'm feeling a little better. :)

Drive by reviews: 43-45

Don't have time for full reviews on all these, but here are some quick comments on some of the books I read in between Passion Play and Abandon.

43. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
This was a reread for me after my disappointing experience with Passion Play. Dark sexuality, violence, prostitution, and sadomasochism are all present in this novel, but Carey's superior world-building, characterization, and writing are so excellent that she makes her world and her characters come to life in a way that is never distasteful. The book may not be for everyone, but I definitely love it. (And at some point I need to get around to the rest of the series). Four and a half stars.

44. The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
I picked this book up off of the new books shelf at the library, having never heard anything about it, expecting a simple thriller. What I found, to my pleasant surprise, was so much more. It's truly a novel of psychological suspense, but it's also a story about coming of age, the families we make, and the regrets we live with. The melancholy harshness of it reminded me a little bit of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which is one of my favorite novels of all time. I won't say too much more without giving away the plot, but I highly recommend this little novel and cannot wait to see what Kelly writes next. Four and a half stars.

45. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell
I greatly enjoyed this multiple biography of the six Mitford sisters: Nancy, the eldest, who became a famous novelist; Pam, the quiet, "domestic" one; Diana, who married Sir Oswald Mosley, the English fascist leader; Unity, who was in love with Hitler; Jessica, or "Decca", a rebellious Communist; and the youngest, Deborah or "Debo", who eventually became the Duchess of Devonshire.

Up next: reviews of 46-48. Today is my "day off" but I still have some stuff I need to do from home and possibly some errands to run, but I will try my best to get caught up today, at least up to 53 or 54, if not up to the full 59 books I've read. :)

Sounds like a productive day, in all ways!

> 107 Ok, I added three books to my wishlist from one, count it-ONE, of your posts! Disappointed that my library doesn't have The Secret History. I have reserved The Poison Tree, which sounds wonderful.

Hi There Marcia

I'm added The Poison Tree to the TBR pile.

Hugs to you dear one!

Glad to see you enjoyed the Lovell book on the Mitford sisters. I read it several years ago and liked it too.

Haha, so my attempts to accomplish everything in one go on my day off didn't work so well! I got absorbed in reading, which I'm sure you guys can understand. ;)

>108 ronincats:, It was semi-productive, Roni! I was pretty lazy but at least I got a lot of reading done and enjoyed myself. I also went to go see the new X-Men movie, which was fluffy but fun.

>109 profilerSR:, Thanks, Sher! I'm glad you could find some interesting suggestions. I hope you like The Poison Tree as much as I did. It's a shame your library doesn't have The Secret History --- it's a modern classic!

>110 Whisper1:, Hey, Linda! I hope you enjoy The Poison Tree. Hugs back!

>111 alcottacre:, Thanks, Stasia! I think I first read about it either on your thread or someone else's here on LT. It was definitely interesting!

#112: I find Lovell to be a good biographer. I have read her A Rage to Live, Straight on Till Morning, and The Sisters.

#112 - I really want to go see the new X-Men movie, but I'm really looking forward to Captain America.

#114 Am looking forward to Captain America too, and then The Avengers next year. The new X-Men movie just doesn't look appetising enough.

>113 alcottacre:, Thanks, Stasia. I will have to check out those as well. It's so rare to find really good biographers.

>114 weejane:, Captain America does look good Brit. The new X-Men was okay. Not as good as the original trilogy but way better than the Wolverine movie.

>115 PiyushC:, Yeah, it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi, Piyush. I would recommend waiting to rent it probably rather than seeing it in the theater unless you're really looking for something to do of an evening.

----
I'm so tired right now... I would like to stay at home and read and such tonight, but instead I have to get myself going and go out for my friend's bachelorette party. We already had her bridal shower this afternoon... I think it's a bit much to expect everybody to do both in one day, but I am not the bride. :)

In which I attempt, once again, to catch up on my own rapid fire reviews (in installments) before tackling all of your threads!

46. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
This is the second book in Riordan's Kane Chronicles. IMO, it's not quite as good as the first book, The Red Pyramid. It's more action driven, and we don't get to see as much character development as we did in the first book. I really disliked Carter through a lot of this book, which I'm pretty sure was not the intention (although Riordan's teenage characters are always believably flawed). Sadie, however, really starts to come of age and into her own as a strong young woman. Overall, it's a fun, fast paced read, and the world of the Egyptian gods continues to grow, expand and fascinate. Four stars.

47. The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd
I picked this book up off the Young Adult shelf at my local library. I hadn't heard of it previously, but when I read the description and realized it was a story about a gay teenager coming of age, I couldn't resist picking it up. Boy, am I glad that I did! The book is narrated by Dade, a gay teenager living in a small midwestern town. Dade is a fully realized character, not just a caricature of a teenage gay boy. While there are the usual struggles of coming out and dealing with first love, the book is about far more... Dade's parents are splitting up and he longs for something more than the empty life he has in his little town. Burd has a way with language and some of the descriptions are just plain beautiful. He manages to capture the moodiness and longing of being a teenager without making the character annoying or trite. I highly recommend this one. Four and a half stars.

48. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
It took me a while to get into this fantasy novel, the first in a trilogy. I had previously read and enjoyed two of Sanderson's stand alone novels, Warbreaker and Elantris. The worldbuilding is equally complex here, and for me that made the beginning of the book slow going. But once I started to understand the world and care about the two main characters, Kelsier and Vin, the book started going faster and by the last 200 pages or so (it's your typical fantasy book, fairly long lol) I was on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy at some point. Three and a half stars.

49 & 50. Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon
These are the first two books in Lanyon's Adrien English mystery series. I actually read them in one combined edition, but I'm counting them as two books because they were originally published as such, and also, I'm cheap that way. Adrien English is the owner of an mystery bookstore in Los Angeles. When his childhood friend and one time love interest is murdered, Adrien becomes one of the suspects. Things get even more complicated as he develops an attraction to Jake Riordan, the closeted detective who's heading the case. Thus begins Fatal Shadows, and to say much more would be to give the fun away. Both of the books are excellent. They're both mysteries and love stories, and Adrien and Jake are both believable, highly flawed but still likable, characters. Recommended for mystery fans and fans of m/m romance, as there are some fairly explicit sex scenes. Four stars for each.

----

On a somewhat related note, when I was reading Mistborn I was reminded of one of my favorite (sadly out of print) young adult fantasy novels of all time, Sherryl Jordan's Winter of Fire. The worlds are definitely similar (an enslaved people looking for a savior, a world where the sun is darkened out, mining etc.). I know I have a copy of Winter of Fire somewhere, and now I really want to reread it, and do you think I can find it? Of course not. Grrr. This is the probably with having too many books. When there's a certain one you want to reread, you can never find it.

Mistborn is no longer a trilogy, The Alloy of Law is set to release later this year as the fourth book in the series, though a different timeline (300 years since) from what I understand, Mistborn, like all Sanderson books, invests a lot in character development without making much sacrifice to the pace of the book.

Not to mention that he's planning to do a whole other Mistborn trilogy at some point, and a sequel to Elantris.... Informative blog post.

I've still only read the first Mistborn, but I keep meaning to catch up. I very much liked Elantris and had fun with the Alcatraz series too.

Thanks for the information Zoe, even though I am a frequent visitor to his site, I had missed the later half of this page. I have read and enjoyed Mistborn Trilogy, Elantris, first 3 books of Alcatraz series and am currently reading Way of Kings apart from keeping up with the Wheel of Time series (the reason why I decided to try Sanderson) and in a relatively short time, I have become a fan.

I've been tempted lately to read Wheel of Time. I read the first seven or so--however many were out at the time--more than ten years ago, so I'd have to start all over at this point. I'd like to get to the end of it, but I've heard that there are some really awful books in the middle, so I can't decide whether it would be worth it. Decisions, decisions.

Hi Friend!

I'm adding Vast Fields of the Ordinary to the tbr pile.

All the best,

Congratulations on hitting 50 books for the year, Marcia!

I am planning on reading The Throne of Fire soon. I loved the first book and am sorry to see that you did not think that the second was as good as the first.

>118 PiyushC:-121, Thanks for all the useful info, Piyush and Zoe! I love when there are such interesting discussions on my thread. :) I'm never read The Wheel of Time books, which I guess makes me a bad fantasy fan, but they always just seemed like such a huge undertaking.

>122 Whisper1:, I hope you like The Vast Fields of Ordinary, Linda! I thought it was lovely and heartbreaking but also kind of hopeful. And it talks about a gay teenager but manages to give him more in his life and identity than just being gay, which so often is a problem in ya books.

>123 alcottacre:, Stasia, I hope you enjoy The Throne of Fire! It was great, just not as great as the first book. Some of the middle Percy Jackson books were (in my remembrance) more action driven and less character-oriented and that's what The Throne of Fire reminded me of. It's still way better than half the books out there, though. Rick Riordan is awesome.

I still have to read the last two of the first series by Riordan. They are sitting here...

#124: Rick Riordan is awesome.

I agree! I like his Tres Navarre series for adults too.

>125 ronincats:, What are you waiting for, Roni? All the cool kids have done it. ;)

>126 alcottacre:, I haven't read those yet, Stasia! Probably because the first one is not available at my library or, last I checked, on Kindle. Hopefully I can find a copy somewhere tho!

51. Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman
Latest in Kellerman's Alex Delaware series. This one was okay. Not very exciting, as it's barely been a month since I finished it and I don't remember very much of the plot. Good summer popcorn reading, but def not the type of brilliant mysteries he was writing at the beginning of the series. At this point, it's like he's just churning them out for profit or out of habit, which is never good. Three stars.

52. The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon
Third book in the Adrien English mystery series. This one had a pretty convoluted (and IMHO unrealistic) plot involving Satanism, and there's a lot of tension between Adrien and Jake, so it's not my favorite in the series. I'd still give it three and a half stars, however, as Lanyon's books are always well written and pretty much impossible for me to put down once I start reading them.

53. Abandon by Meg Cabot (see post #101 for review)

54. The Untouchable by John Banville
This was a fascinating book. I had never read anything by John Banville, although I'd heard great things about him. I was looking to read something about the Cambridge spies and this title came up as a fictional take on the story. Written as the memoirs/journal of an elderly former spy who has been exposed as a Communist double agent, it is a well-constructed and complex narrative. Banville's real accomplishment is the narrator himself, Victor Maskell, who is through most of the book, rather unlikable but always manages to remain interesting. Banville writes Maskell's point of view in such a way that you find yourself sympathizing with, if not ever liking, the man. The historical and spy aspects are intriguing but the book is a triumph as a character study of a complicated man. Four stars.

55. An Improper Holiday by K.A. Mitchell
I always enjoy K.A. Mitchell's m/m romances. This one is a little bit different, in that it's placed in an historical setting rather than a contemporary one. Although the characters worry about being arrested and charged with sodomy, I'm not sure how realistic the rest of the history it is. There are definitely some views expressed that seem very anachronistic to me. It's a good love story though, between a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic wars and his school days lover. And obviously due to the historic setting they're in the closet and there is a lot of angst on at least one of the main character's parts about being gay. A sexy, enjoyable, short and quick read. Three stars.

56. Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
This is the fifth book in the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series. It's an exciting installment filled with action and the characters we've come to love. Definitely not the place to the start the series (this is one you have to pick up from the beginning or you'll be totally lost) but for fans, it's a must-buy. Four stars.

57. Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
I enjoyed this collection of young adult short stories about vampires. There are lots of great authors included, some famous and others not so famous. As with most anthologies, the book is a little bit uneven, with some stories being merely mediocre and others brilliant. My favorite stories are "Vampire Weather" by Garth Nix, "Sit the Dead" by Jeffrey Ford, and "The Perfect Dinner Party" by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black. Recommended for vampire lovers and fans of young adult paranormal fiction. Three and a half stars.

58. Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews
This is a short story set in the Kate Daniels universe, originally published in the anthology Must Love Hellhounds and now re-released as an ebook novella. It focuses on Kate's best friend, Andrea, and her lover, Raphael, telling the story of how they finally get together. It's okay, nothing too special, and probably will only be enjoyed by fans of the series. Three stars.

Adding The Untouchable and Teeth: Vampire Tales to the BlackHole. Thanks for those recommendations, Marcia.

Hi Marcia

I hope your summer is going well.

>130 alcottacre:, You're welcome, Stasia!

>131 Whisper1:, Thanks, Linda! It's been good but very busy. I just got back from vacation, which was fun. I hope your summer is going well, too!

-----

Just got back from a week in Myrtle Beach. It was fun, but I didn't get to do as much reading as I would have liked, since I went with friends instead of with my mom, who reads as much as I do lol.

I hope all of you are having a great day! Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. :)

I'm way, way behind on my reviews so I'm just going to do a super-quick rundown, installments. First up, Books 59-65. It will be: Title and author, genre, stars, and maybe a few sentences (or more) of comments if I'm so inclined. It is summer, so expect a lot of romances and mysteries.

59. Butterfly Tattoo - Deidre Knight, contemporary romance, five stars - One of the best romances I've read in years, this is the unusual and beautifully written story of a bisexual, widowed man and a scarred, strong woman who fall in love. Definitely worth a read, if only for the fact that a bisexual hero is given as much personality and credibility as any heterosexual.

60. Evil at Heart - Chelsea Cain, mystery, three and a half stars - The third book in Cain's series starring detective Archie Sheridan and the beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell. Archie is still emotionally messed up by his encounters with Gretchen, who has escaped from prison and is running loose.

61. The Night Season - Chelsea Cain, mystery, four stars - This fourth book in the series doesn't feature Gretchen, which in some ways is a relief. Archie shines as he investigates a series of deaths during a major flood in Portland. The setting and the flood scenes are particularly vibrant and scary.

62. Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris, urban fantasy, three and a half stars - Latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Okay and better than some of the middle books, but still not up to par with the earliest books in the series.

63. Heist Society - Ally Carter, young adult, four stars - First in a series about Katarina Bishop, a young thief, and her teenage crew. Loads of fun.

64. Cut & Run - Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux, three and a half stars, m/m contemporary romance/mystery - This is an interesting book for fans of m/m (gay) romance. It's the story of two male FBI agents working on a serial killer case who fall in love. The mystery plot is subpar: I guessed who the killer was long before the heroes. The characterization and dialogue are pretty good though, and the chemistry between the leads is pretty hot. I thought it was interesting to see the hate-turns-to-love trope that is so popular in heterosexual romances used to great effect here as well. This is the first in the series and I will definitely read the rest.

65. Bad Company - K.A. Mitchell, three stars, m/m contemporary romance - K.A. Mitchell is a great author and I always enjoy her books. My problem with this one was that, although the sex was hot, for the majority of the book neither of the heroes was very likable and I didn't care whether or not they got a happy ending, which kind of defeats the purpose of reading romance.

I kinda like this format... I may just keep it. :)

Welcome back, Marcia! The new format works for me.

Welcome back. I'm glad you had a great vacation.

>123 alcottacre:, Thanks, Roni! I like it, too. :)

>124 allthesedarnbooks:, Thanks, Linda! It was nice to get away, even if I'm not really a beach person.

I've been reading a lot more and going on the internet a lot less, which means unfortunately that I get way behind on posting my own reads, let alone catching up on all of you own threads! Anyway, here's the next part of my attempt to get this thread current, featuring books 66-70. :) Once again, I will warn you that it's probably going to be heavy on the romance and mystery, as it is still summer and my brain is like pudding in the heat.

66. Bayou Moon - Ilona Andrews, contemporary fantasy/paranormal romance, four and a half stars - This is the second book in Andrews' The Edge series, after On the Edge, which I read last year and really enjoyed. If anything, I enjoyed this book even more. The heroine is strong and kicks a lot of butt, the hero is handsome and damaged, the chemistry between them is excellent, the worldbuilding is first-rate, and the magic and action are exciting. Recommended for urban fantasy (although it takes place in a swamp, instead of a city, which is awesome) and paranormal romance fans.

67. Death of a Pirate King - Josh Lanyon, m/m romance/mystery, three and a half stars - Fourth book in Lanyon's Adrien English mystery series. The mystery in this one isn't as contrived as in The Hell You Say, but the characters and the relationships still outshadow the suspense. Because Adrien and Jake are on the outs for most of the book, this one's not my favorite as a romance reader. Like most of the books in the series, it's still, IMHO, worth reading however.

68. The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon, m/m romance/mystery, four stars - The fifth (and last, at least for now) book in the Adrien English series. It's a fitting conclusion and a good read that left me in a satisfied place.

69. Justice - Faye Kellerman - mystery, three stars - Part of Kellerman's Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series. Not my favorite by any stretch. Besides the portions of the book that are written in third person from Peter's POV, there are also sections written in first person narrated by a teenage girl, which makes for jarring and uneven transitions. The mystery takes a while to get going and the ending is less than satisfying.

70. Them: Adventures with Extremists - Jon Ronson, nonfiction, three and a half stars - An interesting book, this chronicles Ronson's experiences with extremists (Neo-Nazis, Muslim extremists, etc.) of various stripes. It's mostly nonjudgmental (to some points where I was getting more judgmental at home of some of these people) and intriguing, definitely worth a read to try and understand these strange (to us) worldviews. The narrative style is a little sloppy and haphazard for my tastes, but it's still pretty readable.

Congratulations on getting so much reading done! I think summer is a good time for light reading. Thanks to the July Juvenile and YA challenge, I'm moving a couple dozen children's and YA fantasies off my shelves this month myself. Then I can donate them to my school library and have some additional shelf room!

>137 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! I just need to catch my posting up to my reading lol. Summer is great for light reading. I hope to get to some YA and juvenile books for July myself. :)

I am with you in hoping to get lots of YA books read this month, Marcia!

>139 alcottacre:, So far I'm 0 for 5 unfortunately, Stasia! Hopefully I'll get to some soon, although I'm currently reading A Dance With Dragons, so it may not be for a week or two lol.

And... the light reading continued. :) Books 71-75.

71. Angels' Blood - Nalini Singh, paranormal romance, three and a half stars --- The first book in a series about angels (not the Christian kind) and vampires in a unique world. Pretty enjoyable... I will read the rest of the series.

72. Breaking Silence - Linda Castillo, mystery, four stars --- Third book in the Kate Burkholder series. Very good, as they all have been.

73. Catch Me If You Can - LB Gregg, m/m romance/mystery, four stars --- First book in a series. Takes place in the art world/galleries, which is a cool and different setting.

74. Warrior - Zoe Archer, paranromal/historical romance, three and a half stars --- First book in Archer's Blades of the Rose series. Exciting if a little over the top at some points. Also totally completely implausible, but if you're looking for accurate historical fiction, you're probably not reading this one anyway. Some of the sex scenes are pretty ridiculous, but the chemistry between the two leads is great and the heroine kicks some major butt. I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series.

75. Vintage: A Ghost Story - Steve Berman, young adult, four stars --- Interesting young adult ghost story. This is narrated by a gay teenager whose name we never learn, who starts into a strange and spooky relationship with a ghost, and eventually finds a live love interest, which causes some supernatural drama. Genuinely scary at some points, and also poignant in the characterization of the main character, who was kicked out of his house by his parents for being gay and now lives with an aunt. Recommended.

#141 Congratulations for reaching the 75 books mark so soon Marcia, looking good for another 50 I think.

Congratulations on reaching the challenge goal.

Congrats on 75!!

Hey, you've done it already! Congrats on the 75!

Congratulations, Marcia!

Well done!

Congrats!

Thanks for the congrats everyone! *hugs you all* I actually reached 75 about a month ago, I'm just so behind on updating that it's not even funny. Anywho, here's another update, books 76-80, which should bring me nearly up to where I am in real time. This one is 4:1 fluff to serious, lol.

76. Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter, young adult, four stars - Second in the Heist Society books and very fun, if maybe not quite as fun as the first.

77. Lead Me On - Victoria Dahl, contemporary romance, three stars - Okay romance. There's some very funny dialogue, and I quite liked the hero, but there were a lot of times when I just wanted to smack the heroine over the head. There was also way too much sex. Don't get me wrong; I'm a big romance reader, so obviously I don't mind a lot of sex, but I like when it moves the plot forward and is actually relevant to the story and doesn't go on for chapters and chapters on end with no break in between. I might try another book by this author because I did like her tone and humor but if the second one isn't any better than this one, I'll give up.

78. Lessons in Love - Charlie Cochrane, historical m/m romance/mystery, four stars - Pretty good m/m romance with an okay mystery (although once again I guessed the murderer before the main characters did, which is always annoying). The two leads have a sweet, slow-building lovely romance and the book seems to give a lot more consideration to the actual social mores of the time than a lot of historical gay romances do.

79. Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All - Paul A. Offit, nonfiction, three and a half stars - Well-written and informative, this book examines the history of the anti-vaccine movement in the U.S. and Europe and how it effects public health. It's written by an expert in infection disease who has also invented a rotavirus vaccine. While I totally agree with Dr. Offit in regards to the need for vaccination, sometime his tone towards those he disagrees with can get a little too nasty, but I guess that's a result of his passion for the subject. Recommended.

80. Bad Case of Loving You - Lainey Cairo, m/m contemporary romance, three and a half stars - An interesting setting (the British public health system) and likable lead characters make this work. I didn't like how the relationship progresses a little too quickly to the "I-love-you" stage, however. I prefer a slow build in my romances. There was also a sex scene at the very beginning of the book, in the prologue, between one of the heroes and a random dude he met in a bar (at first I thought that would turn out to be the love interest but no) that seemed totally out of place and unnecessary. I liked it enough that I would read more by the author, though.

Thanks for the reminder that I need to get back to the Heist Society series, Marcia!

>151 alcottacre:, You're welcome, Stasia! They are definitely fun.

#152: I checked and my local library still only has the first book in the series. Rats.

I read Offit's Autism's False Prophets several months ago and found it informative and very readable. I am looking forward to getting Deadly Choices. Thank you for the review.

Congrats on passing 75! You've been reading a lot of good books.

#150 So which one is the serious one, 77, 78 or 80? :P

>154 profilerSR:, Thanks, Sher! I definitely want to read Autism's False Prophets now. Offit is, indeed, very readable, which is unfortunately rare in medical/science writing.

>155 PiyushC:, Good question, Piyush! Lol.

This post will just about catch me up totally, except for The Soldier's Wife (#86), which I have to write a proper review for, as it was an ER book.

81. Girls Like Us: Fighting For a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself - Rachel Lloyd, nonfiction, five stars - This book is absolutely heartbreaking but, IMHO, a must-read. Lloyd is a former sex worker who now runs a non-profit that helps sexually exploited children. We hear a lot about sex trafficking of immigrants and in third-world countries but the children who are trafficked in the US are not given the same press. This book (and the excellent documentary about Lloyd and the girls she helps, Very Young Girls) is required reading for those with a social conscience. Five stars.

82. Hot Head - Damon Suede, contemporary m/m romance, three and a half stars --- Good m/m romance, although the plot is pretty stupid. But then again, I don't exactly read these things for the plot.

83. A Dance with Dragons - George R.R. Martin, fantasy, four and a half stars --- The long-awaited (seriously seriously long) fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. Awesome but OMG am I gonna have to wait another five or six years to find out what happens next???!!! Aaaah.

84. Putting Makeup on Dead People - Jen Violi, young adult, four and a half stars --- Excellent young adult novel about a high school girl whose father passed away a few years earlier finding her calling in a funeral home. Recommended.

85. Chasing Smoke - K.A. Mitchell, contemporary m/m romance/suspense, three and a half stars --- Good, nice characterization & romance. Suspense plot tied up too quickly for the amount of space it took up in the book as a whole.

#157 I am only upto Book 3 in the series, I will probably read A Feast for Crows next year and A Dance with Dragons in 2014, by 2016 the next book should be out :)

#157: Adding Putting Makeup on Dead People to the BlackHole. I will have to see if my local library has it yet.

>154 profilerSR:, I don't know, Piyush. 2016 might be a little optimistic... this is GRRM after all.

>155 PiyushC:, I hope they do, Stasia! It really moved me.

#160: No such luck, Marcia. Oh well, it is not like I do not have anything else to read!

#160 True, but GRMM or not, he cannot possibly be thinking of disrupting my reading plans, can he!

I am alive! I haven't been online much and not really on LT at all lately. Things have been crazy... First I had a lazy rest of my summer, then I decided to go back to college this semester (again lol) and then like a week after that started our house got flooded and pretty much destroyed & we were staying with relatives until a few weeks ago when we got an apartment til our house is able to be lived in again. So now I have much better access to the internet but things are still pretty busy with school and all, plus I have been sick (surprise, surprise) on and off with the neverending bronchitis ever since the flood. But... hanging in there! Here's a quick list of what I've read since last we spoke (may or may not get to reviews eventually). In the meantime, if you have any questions about a specific book, just let me know! :)

86. The Soldier's Wife - Margaret Leroy
87. Mama Does Time - Deborah Sharp
88. A to Z - Marie Sexton
89. Sticks & Stones - Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
90. Promises - Marie Sexton
91. Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
92. Fire - Kristin Cashore
94. The Letter Z - Marie Sexton
95. A Change of Pace - Tielle St. Clare
96. Come Unto These Yellow Sands - Josh Lanyon
97. Aftertime - Sophie Littlefield
98. Turn Left at Sanity - Nancy Warren
99. The Psychopath Test: Inside the Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind - Jon Ronson
100. The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry
101. Unfamiliar Fishes - Sarah Vowell
102. Overcoming Perfectionism: The Key to a Balanced Recovery - Ann W. Smith
103. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
104. Strawberries for Dessert - Marie Sexton
105. Jung on Active Imagination
106. The Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
107. Fish & Chips - Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
108. Heartless - Gail Carriger
109. The Measure of Madness: Inside the Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind - Cheryl Paradis
110. Graveminder - Melissa Marr
111. Body of Evidence - Patricia Cornwell
112. The Scalpel and the Silver Bear: The First Navajo Woman Surgeon Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing - Lori Arviso Alvord and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt
113. Hotel Insomnia - Charles Simic
114. All That Remains - Patricia Cornwell
115. American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee - Karen Abbott
116. Callander Square - Anne Perry
117. Dangerous Ground - Josh Lanyon
118. Paris A to Z - Marie Sexton
119. Mama Rides Shotgun - Deborah Sharp
120. Bayou Dreams - Lynn Lorenz
121. Overbite - Meg Cabot
122. Space, in Chains - Laura Kasischke

My goodness! Can't let you be away for a mere 3 months without your reading 37 more books and, oh, yes, having your house destroyed, returning to college and being ill! Seriously, I'm so sorry to hear both about your house and your bronchitis. Did you live in a flood plain? That's so long ago I can't remember if the flooding was in the news--there's been so much, it seems. Was it Irene?

We've definitely missed you; I'm so glad you at least dropped in to give us an update. Hopefully the rest of this year will be nothing but good!

ETA Oh, yes, did you enjoy Heartless?

Welcome back, Marcia!

Welcome back! Nice list, by the way.

>164 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! We live near the Susquehanna River and it was actually Lee, not Irene, that got us. It was in the news, but there was a lot going on so I don't know if it got much attention... The picture in the link is about 3 miles from my house maybe. When we bought the house we supposedly weren't in the flood plain (20 years ago). But we got flooded in 2006 and again this year, so I think we're definitely in a flood plain. We are pretty close to the river, to be perfectly fair. Still, it sucks! Thankfully this time we had enough warning that we were able to move most of our furniture and important belongings to the second floor, so it was only walls, floors, etc. that we have to replace. It came up to just under the kitchen countertops on the first floor this time.

I really liked Heartless. It was a lot better than the last two, more on par with Soulless, I thought.

>165 kidzdoc: & 166, Thanks guys!

Just dropping in again for a quick update... I will probably never catch up with you guys this year, though, so hopefully I will be able to follow your threads all through next year.

Good news... we are back in our house as of yesterday and settling back in post-flood. I am just about done with my semester, too. Unfortunately, I am battling another severe bout of bronchitis, which I have had on and off since the flood in September. I did manage to read some more books since last we spoke, mostly mysteries and romance. A girl needs some fluff in her life. I'm hoping to make 150 again this year, and I think I will probably be able to make it.

Here's a list of what I've read since last time I stuck my head in:

123. Great Plains - Ian Frazier
124. Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef - Gabrielle Hamilton
125. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead - Sara Gran
126. Paragon Walk - Anne Perry
127. Resurrection Row - Anne Perry
128. Farthing - Jo Walton
129. Ha'penny - Jo Walton
130. Caught Running - Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
131. Half a Crown - Jo Walton
132. Special Delivery - Heidi Cullinan
133. Double Blind - Heidi Cullinan
134. Boys of Summer - Cooper Davis
135. All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin
136. The Heir - Grace Burrowes
137. Rutland Place - Anne Perry
138. Between Sinners and Saints - Marie Sexton
139. Fate's Edge - Ilona Andrews
140. Bad Boyfriend - K.A. Mitchell
141. The Soldier - Grace Burrowes
142. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective - Kate Summerscale
143. Men Under the Mistletoe - Harper Fox, Josh Lanyon, Ava March, and K.A. Mitchell
144. Bluegate Fields - Anne Perry
145. Diving in Deep - K.A. Mitchell

I hope you all are doing well, reading good books, and having a happy holiday season! Hopefully I will be able to be around a little more often now. :)

Are you sure you aren't having a reaction to mold in your house?

What did you think of the Jo Walton books?

I'm glad you checked in--we've missed you but understand that RL has to come first.

Merry Christmas, Marcia!

Merry Christmas Marcia!

Merry Christmas, Marcia!

Thanks everyone for the Christmas wishes! They are much appreciated.

>168 allthesedarnbooks:, I'm not sure it isn't a reaction to the mold or flood dust, Roni, although by the time we moved back int our house a few weeks ago we had torn down and rebuilt the walls and had everything professionally cleaned. There shouldn't be any mold left, but I do have a severe allergy to both mold and dust, so it's entirely possible I'm reacting to stuff that's still in the atmosphere from wherever.

I LOVED the Jo Walton books. They were an excellent combination of alternate history and English country mystery. I definitely will be looking to read more by her in 2012.

--------

And, here's a list of the rest of the books I managed to read in 2011. Mostly romance and mystery fluff still. ;) Will try to include a brief review to get myself in shape before I start my 2012 thread.

146. The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen - mystery/thriller, second in the Rizzoli and Isles series, 3and a half stars - Pretty good, gory and frightening, serial killer book. I will def read more in this series, but it may take me a while before I get to the next one, as they are pretty intense.

147. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas - contemporary romance, 4 stars - Just really a delightful, feel-good, sweet Christmas romance. The relationship between the characters has a nice genuine slow build, and they don't have sex until almost the end of the book, which is always a pleasant surprise in romance novels these days. Recommended if you're in the mood for something lighthearted and happy. It left me with a smile on my face and I immediately gave it to my mom to read.

148. The Christmas Countess by Adrienne Basso - historical romance, 3 and a half stars - Pretty good historical romance. I enjoyed it and probably would have given it more stars if not for two things: a) I enjoyed the secondary romance far more than the romance between the main characters, and b) the sex scenes, while not too frequent and saved for close to the end, were really AWFULLY written and full of cliche.

149. Broken Wing by Judith James - historical romance, 3 stars - This book, ugh. I loved the first half but after that... It was like I was reading two different books. It would have been much better if the story ended about halfway through and then was followed by a sequel. The first part was definitely a romance, with a daringly different hero, but the second half, I don't even know. It was just not my cup of tea.

150. Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews - urban fantasy, 4 stars - An enjoyable and exciting novella in the Kate Daniels series. It's up for free download until Saturday on their website.

151. Str8te Boys by Evangeline Anderson - m/m contemporary romance, 3 and a half stars - likable enough m/m contemporary novella, with some hot sex scenes and good characterization that makes the "gay for you" trope work

152. Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare - historical romance, 4 and a half stars - In my opinion, a near perfect novella with an interesting plot line and an appealing heroine. This was my first time reading Tessa Dare since her first novel, Goddess of the Hunt, and I was definitely impressed with how she has grown as an author. I will definitely be reading more by her in 2012.

Psst... 2012 Thread