Numbers Challenge

How's everybody doing?

2010-06-11T15:09:00.000-04:00

There's only 2 1/2 months left and no one has posted a review on here. Have you been reading books with numbers?

Would you prefer a Mr. Linky to link up your reviews?

Check in!

Numbers Challenge 2010 - Info and Signup

2010-01-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

To returning challengers: What do you think of the new logo?

The challenge is to read books whose titles have a number in them from Jan 1, 2010 to August 1, 2010. This includes written numbers like 'one' and numbers like 10th or first or even half.

You can pick from different levels this year:

1. Read one book with a number in it
2. Read three books with a number in it.
3. Read five or more books with a number in it.

Need some help picking? See the sidebar.

You can cross-over with other challenges, use e-books or audio books and re-read books.

Note
Since I'm late in posting this any book you read since Jan. 1 that has a number in it can be counted towards your goal, regardless of when you join the challenge.

Want to Join?
Comment on THIS post to join. Please include a link to a SPECIFIC POST on your blog with your book choices. This will be what I link to in the Participants list. If you don't have a blog, just say so. You'll still be added.

If you would also like to be able to post on THIS Blog, leave your email address. I suggest putting it like this to prevent spam: yourname AT yourprovider DOT com If you are already a member of this blog but no longer want to be, you can leave this blog through your dashboard. If you are already on and want to stay on, no need to say anything.

NOTE: If you don't want to be a member of this blog but wouldn't mind your review being cross-posted to this blog, email me your review and a link to your blog and i'll post it.

2009 Information and Sign-Up

2009-08-01T08:11:00.002-04:00

*This is a Sticky Post. Scroll Down for newest Entries*

IMPORTANT: READ ALL

The challenge is to read 5 books whose titles have a number in them from Jan 1, 2009 to August 1, 2009. This includes written numbers like 'one' and numbers like 10th or first.

Need some help picking? See the sidebar.

You can choose up to three that are on lists for other challenges. So two of the choices must not be on any list. You can re-read books but all books must NOT be read until January 1, 2009.

Want to Join?
Comment on THIS post to join. Please include a link to a SPECIFIC POST on your blog with your book choices. This will be what I link to in the Participants list. If you don't have a blog, just say so. You'll still be added.

If you would also like to be able to post on THIS Blog, leave your email address. I suggest putting it like this to prevent spam: yourname AT yourprovider DOT com If you are already a member of this blog but no longer want to be, you can leave this blog through your dashboard. If you are already on and want to stay on, no need to say anything.

NOTE: If you don't want to be a member of this blog but wouldn't mind your review being cross-posted to this blog, email me your review and a link to your blog and i'll post it.

ABOUT TAGGING: If you do decide to post your reviews on this blog (and I hope you will) please note I have changed around some of the tags. Please tag your book with the number in it. If the number is between 1-9, there are tags like this: "1_One" Use those. For over 9, you can just input it either as a number or a word, depending on how it is in your book. Also tag as fiction or non-fiction. Always include your name and use the tag "Lists" for your book choices and "Wrap-Ups" for your wrap-up posts. Sorry to have rules but I'm just trying to make this blog easy to navigate so those looking for book ideas can find them.

The Rabbi's Cat 2 by Joann Sfar

2009-07-02T17:55:00.004-04:00

Graphic novel, 144 pages

Hardcover 2008

Translated from the French

Only the second graphic novel I've ever read, they are not my cup of tea it seems. The first was The Rabbi's Cat, which is charming, funny, and beautifully illustrated by France's top graphics artist, and a very good story. This one is the second book with the same characters. About a rabbi and his daughter in Algeria, pre World War II; the rabbi's cat can speak, it even argues Torah, and points out incongruities in people's behaviour. There are two stories here really, one about an old man and his mangy pet lion and a delightful con they have going, which is fun to read.

The second part is about racism but I didn't like it when the arguing got loud and even somewhat physical (perhaps an attempt on the author's part to prove his point?) despite everyone being of the same religion. And the author gratuitously threw in the "f" word-once, it spoiled the tone for me. I'm glad that I wasn't reading it with a child on my lap. This is a book for adults. There's no faulting the artistry or original story but I am clearly the wrong person to enjoy or to judge graphic novels.

Reviewed by Sandra at Fresh Ink Books

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

2009-07-02T17:24:00.005-04:00

Fiction, 133 pages

Hardcover 1988 (UK)

The idea of a mother not loving her own child seems almost taboo as a subject for a novel. Such feelings just aren't possible, or at least they're not natural or normal, are they? That's the general consensus. I wanted to read The Fifth Child because someone said it put them in mind of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin which I also read and reviewed. They are both about having a child who is difficult to love. Let's be honest, even their mothers find them impossible to love. They do try, very hard, over a period of long years, but ultimately admit their true feelings. Both books are well written and I thought at first they were quite different stories. Kevin, in Shriver's book is a teenager who's killed fellow students in a school shooting before the story even begins. Ben, the fifth child to a couple who planned a large family and celebrated each child's arrival, is odd and frightening and difficult to control from the day he's born. We follow his beleagured mother and family from birth through to his teen years.

Then I realized that the only difference in the stories is whether they are related to us before disaster strikes, as in the case of Ben, or afterward, as with Kevin's killing spree. Each book hits tender spots and like most tragedies are not the easiest to read. But I think they both need to be read. The questions raised need to be faced-by everyone. Should these children be drugged? Is psychiatry or behaviour therapy enough? Should they be "put away" in cases where they cannot be controlled? Then there's the issue of blame. People seem to need to point fingers when things go wrong. Are the parents, especially the mothers, ultimately responsible for the monstrous behaviour of their children? I'm glad I read these books. I learned things, empathy being the very least of these. I highly recommended We Need to Talk About Kevin. I recommend The Fifth Child as well.

I have also read and reviewed the sequel Ben, In the World by Doris Lessing.

Reviewed by Sandra at Fresh Ink Books

One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon

2009-05-20T15:30:00.004-04:00

Edie Swann heads back to her hometown, Redbud, with one intention only - and that is revenge. She has a list given to her by her dying aunt that has the five names of the men that her father had dealings with shortly before his tragic death. Her only problem is that someone starts off-ing these men making her the main suspect in their murders.

Local lawman and the man that makes Edie's heart race - Holt Drennen is handling the death cases of these prominent Redbud residents... but are they accidental deaths or murders? As his feelings for Edie grow so do his suspicions of her somehow being involved.

This book can be emotional when it delves into Edie's insecurities and fears. Although on the outside she might look tough riding a Harley, tattoos all over and wearing leather - she is rather fragile on the inside. She is a strong character that has to overcome her past and learn to live for herself and her future.

While spine-tingling is not a word that is usually associated with romance Annie Solomon makes it so by her masterful descriptions of these crimes. The not over descriptive intimate love scenes are frequent and varied throughout this read - add in a mysterious murderer, and you have a true page-turner.

There were some interesting plot lines, and the narrative was good enough to keep me intrigued, sometimes to push me to go to the next chapter when I know I should stop and go to bed. It definitely had me guessing as to the twists and turns it was going to take and I was never able to guess whodunnit until the very end. Overall, I enjoyed the book as a nice little romantic suspense read and would definitely recommend it.

2009-05-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

*Reprinted with permission from A Comfy Chair and a Good Book

Title: One Fine Day
Author: Mollie Panter-Downes
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 241
Published:1947
Date Finished: 19 Jan 2009
My Rating: 5
Challenges: Decades, New Author, Library, Numbers, 100 +

In this beautiful and lyrically told novel Mollie Panter-Downes chronicles a day in the life of the Marshall family, a middle class family living in post World War II England.
While Britain has come out of the war victorious, life has not returned to what it once was and for most, it never will.

The change the Marshall family feels most keenly is domestic. They have been left to manage a house and garden without the servants that they once had.

"And it suddenly struck him as preposterous how dependent he and his class had been on the anonymous caps and aprons who lived out of sight and worked the
strings. All his life he had expected to find doors opened if he rang, to wake up to the soft rattle of curtain rings being drawn back, to find the fires bright and the coffee smoking hot every morning as though household spirits had been working while he slept. And now the strings had been dropped, they all lay helpless as abandoned marionettes with nobody to twitch them."

The gardener who kept Stephen's garden growing and vital was killed in Holland. The maid, nanny and cook left to help with the war effort and won't be returning. Finding new help is all but impossible as the younger generation looks to expanding possibilities that have opened up beyond their country villages.

Flighty Laura is left to keep the once beautiful, now crumbling, house together and keep dinner from boiling over, burning or being eaten by the cat. Stephen is left with only the occasional help of a slow, plodding, half-deaf old man in the garden. Their daughter, Victoria, does not remember much about life before the war and does not understand her parent's present concerns and stresses.

Mollie Panter-Downes created a very powerful, character driven novel illustrating how life has been irrevocably changed on all levels of society following the war. Through following the seemingly mundane day in the life of one family on a hot summer day we see an entire nation coming to grips with a new way of life and a new social order.
While there is a strong sense of what has been lost throughout the novel, there is also a sense of hope and optimism.

"But never, even then, had Laura felt quite this rush of overwhelming thankfulness, so that the land swam and misted and danced before her. She had had to lose a dog and climb a hill, a year later, to realize what it would have meant if England had lost. We are at peace, we still stand, we will stand when you are dust, sang the humming land in the summer evening."

Originally published in 1947 this novel examines the war and it's impact on those left to pick up the pieces of a post war life.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

2009-03-30T12:20:00.003-04:00

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Nineteen Minutes is set in Sterling, New Hampshire - a town where nothing ever happens – that is until the day that Peter Houghton walks into his high school and in 19 minutes kills and injures several of his classmates and teachers. The story is told through several perspectives and ranges anywhere from when before Peter is born until about one year after the deadly shooting. We hear from Peter’s parents, his old best friend Josie Cormier, who eventually became part of the popular crowd and abandoned her friendship with Peter, Josie’s mom, Alex - also the judge sitting on the case, Patrick the detective who was able to apprehend Peter after the shooting and, of course, Peter himself.

I was so caught up in this book while reading it - there were just so many emotions that I went through (anger, despair, heartbreak, sadness, etc.) The story is written in a way that helps you relate and even sympathize with all of the main characters. I thought it gave good insight into bullying, and the torture that some kids are put through while in school. The peer pressure, the complicated tumultuous life of teens - was perfectly captured.

This book will stick with me for a while, I think.

One Silent Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2009-03-19T10:05:00.005-04:00

Bad boys need lovin’ too!

This is the story of Stryker - yes, Strykerius (tormentor of all things Dark-Hunter, Acheron and Nick Gaultier related). Yet I thoroughly enjoyed reading the bad guy’s side of the story.

In this story we were able to get a glimpse of the romance between Stryker (all around Dark-Hunter nemesis) and his first-wife Zephyra (she’s a total bwitch). Upon reading this you see Stryker in a whole new light and why he is the way he is. Yes, Stryker, was human at one point. He was a child, he loved, he made mistakes... he was/is a man. I found myself feeling sympathy for him and understanding a little more of the world that Sherrilyn Kenyon has created.

Although it can be a bit confusing with all the Greek mythology she normally intertwines with her storylines, this book (I think) is like a new era for the Dark-Hunter series. Sherrilyn is involving a lot of new and different characters that I can’t help but anticipate the day when we get to read their stories.

For those of you who are fans of the Dark-Hunter series, this book felt like an intermediate point, where she just filled you in on information that she was unable to incorporate into any of her other stories. If you have not read a Dark-Hunter novel before than this definitely is not the book you want to start the series on (definitely read some of her older stuff and I’m sure you’ll get snagged along with the rest of us into this world).

But intrigued I am! With all the new ~~hotties~~ characters that she is introducing I can’t wait to read the next installment.

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

2009-02-10T09:35:00.003-05:00

This one is a toughie. I haven’t decided whether I liked this one or not.... yet. I’m leaning towards the not liking direction though.

The story revolves around the lives of the residents of a luxury building on Fifth Avenue. A place that just by living in it or being seen entering or exiting from it - meant wealth and power. Each resident of One Fifth is interconnected somehow and it was neat to see how one of their actions would cause an effect in one of their neighbors’ lives. I also liked that architecture was the center-piece of the story. I will say, that there were a lot of characters (each written in the first person) introduced all at once, which was confusing at first, but once I got passed that and actually started focusing on who was who and what was what it became easier to read and the pages began turning. The writing was very hip and fresh and I loved her comments on 20-somethings, bloggers and the Internet.

But in the end, it just didn’t strike a note with me. I don’t know if it was that I just didn’t connect with any of the characters or that we have no similarities in common, but I found that none of the characters were likeable. There was one character that I did like but she was the one that we barely read about (figures). I got the impression that this book was expressly written to become a movie or tv series.

All in all, if you like reading stories about New York City life, sex, lies and money, (Drama, Drama, Drama), then this is something that I’d recommend you read.

Kathrin's Numbers books:

2009-01-15T18:07:00.002-05:00

Apparently, I completely forgot to post my list of books here, so there you go:
1) Meg Cabot: The Princess Diaries 09 - To The Nines
2) Cameron West: First Person Plural
3) Janet Evanovich: Seven Up

It is not yet complete, as you see, but I will get to it eventually. I'll link the finished books to the reviews here.

NOTICE: On Labelling Your Posts

2009-01-04T09:08:00.002-05:00

I'd like this blog to be a simple way to look up books with numbers in them so please label as follows:

your name (so we know it's your post)
fiction or non-fiction or children's or teens fiction or non-fiction
you can add a genre if it makes sense (i.e. mystery, historical fiction)
If it's about the Holocaust, add that as a label
the number in the title*

*if it's between 1-9, the labels look like this: 1_One, 2_Two so it will be one label whether the number is spelled out or it's the numeral. For numbers above 10, please add it as a numeral if it's a numeral and a spelled out word if it's a spelled out word. So if your book says Fifteen, add the label Fifteen. If it says 15, add label 15.

If I see posts that aren't labelled right I will relabel them. I'm not trying to be difficult I just want it to be easy to navigate when looking for books.

NOTE: Look at the labels on the side to see what's already been used, it might give you an idea of something fitting to add to your post.

Numbers Challenge is OVER!

2008-08-30T19:21:00.000-04:00

Your Time is UP! How did you do? Did you finish? If you were posting your reviews to this blog, please feel free to keep posting if you haven't reviewed them all yet. If you didn't finish, don't worry, you did great!

I plan on running this challenge again next year so keep an eye out in December for signups. If you write a wrap-up, please let me know either by email or in the comments of the wrap-ups post below. If you didn't write a wrap-up, or want to give me anonymous comments or suggestions, please comment here on what you did or didn't like.

See you in 2009!

Challenge Wrap-Up Posts

2008-08-14T22:15:00.002-04:00

*This is also a sticky post, scroll down for newest

Since not everyone is directly posting their reviews to this blog, I'm going to link to everyone's wrap-up post so that you can see all the reviews. When you post a wrap-up, leave a comment here. If you already commented above, you don't need to again.

Susan's Wrap-up
Tara's Wrap-Up
Jackie's Wrap-Up
Joanna's Wrap-Up
Tiny Librarian's Wrap-Up
Jill's Wrap-Up
Callista's Wrap-Up
Joy's Wrap-Up

Finished up

2008-08-10T01:43:00.002-04:00

I didn't get my last few (sort of got behind on the blogging part) on here but here they are....

I read 1 through 7 of the Women's Murder Mystery Series by James Patterson in addition to the previously mentioned Three Cups of Tea.

The last one on the list was Two in the Far North by Margaret Murie. I am moving to Fairbanks, AK in a month and this was part of my purchases when I was up there in June. It's the amazing story and journals of Margaret Murie, one of the women pioneer's in the world of conserving the great outdoors for all to enjoy. She moved to Fairbanks when she was 9 and spent a large portion of her life in Alaska before moving to Wyoming where she and her husband continued to work for the national conservatory group.

Two in the Far North tells the tale of Murie's young years growing up but also her travels with her naturalist/biologist husband through the then unchartered lands of Alaska, tracking caribou and geese. They even took their newborn son on one said research trip. Truly an amazing adventure capturing the heart and soul of Alaska.

Callista's Wrap-Up

2008-08-02T19:14:00.002-04:00

I'm not posting one to my blog so I'll post one here.

Here's what I read (only one of which was on my original list):

Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear by Sharon Dunn
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley
My First Year as a Teacher by Pearl Rock Kane
When We Were Six by A.A. Milne
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Fav Book: My First Year as a Teacher by Pearl Rock Kane
Least Fav: When We Were Six by A.A. Milne

Reviews can be found here.

Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear by Sharon Dunn

2008-08-02T19:11:00.001-04:00

Stars: *****

Summary: When a man turns up dead in a teddy bear costume, Ginger and the other ladies of the Bargain Hunters Network learn a lesson about trusting in God rather than in wealth as they try to solve the crime and clear one of their own.

First of all, I gotta say, that when I got the offer to review this book, I had a good laugh. After all, how often is it do hear a book title like this one? There was no way I could say no to this one, I just HAD to know what it was all about. I’m sure glad I did say yes because I relished every moment I was reading this book.

It’s not too often you have such humour mixed in with a murder mystery. I could definitely see the two being mixed in such a way that detracts from the book but Sharon Dunn put them together spectacuarly.

The whole idea of a Squirrel Convention is hilarious and at first glance you assume the author made it up for the book. However this is not the case. Well I don’t know if there has ever been a Squirrel Convention per say but there is at least one Squirrel Lover’s Club, from which Sharon Dunn got some information on Squirrels.

The book cover is splendid to look at. It succeeds in catching the eye (although the title alone would do that too.)

I didn’t guess whodunnit which is the mark of a good mystery. It’s no fun if you figure it out halfway through the book. However unlike some mystery books, all the clues are methodically explained so you can try to figure it out for yourself.

The characters were likable and real, you could truly see them as real people. There is a wide range of ages amongs the characters which you don’t usually see and was a pleasant surprise.

The book is what I consider Christian Fiction Light, Christian Fiction that is acceptable reading for a non Christian as well. I definitely want to read the first book in the Series (Death of a Garage Sale Newbie) and however many more are to come.

One Well: The Story of Water by Rochelle Strauss

2008-08-02T19:09:00.001-04:00

Stars: *****
Illustrated by: Rosemary Woods

This is an awesome children’s non-fiction book about the Earth’s water. It covers such topics as how all the oceans, rivers and ponds are connected and how the water we have know is the same water that’s always been on the Earth, even billions of years ago. How water is used and how much the average person uses in different countries is covered too. At the end is talk about why it’s important to conserve water and how to go about it.

I knew most of this information but learned a few new things. For example, I knew water was used in production when cooling or heating objects or washing the parts. However I never imagined how much water was used in various ways to make objects. Did you know that about 147 000L (38 800 U.S. gal.) of water is needed to make a car? Or that about 5200 L (1375 U.S. gal) of water is needed just to make one fast food lunch (burger, fries and soda)?

The format of the book was easy to follow and kept my attention and the illustrations were wonderful. I enjoy books that show an overhead view of a large area. The more detail the better. It’s nice to have to really study a picture to see everything in it.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to children ages 10 and up who either want to learn more about water or who need information on it for school.

24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley

2008-08-02T18:58:00.001-04:00

Stars: ****

I read this book for the Numbers challenge.I stumbled across this book while searching for books through my library catalogue. I’m glad I did, it’s a great teen book.

Summary: “So when his friends take it upon themselves to get him a date to the prom by placing an intensely humiliating ad in the school paper, they think they are doing him a favor. Jack doesn’t agree. But then the most amazing thing happens: Responses to the ad are overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that Jack must narrow the list down. A lot. Not an easy task. Turns out, the girls at City High are quite the competitive bunch. From drive-by-flashings to breaking and entering to cell phone stalkers, these potential prom dates will stop at nothing to snag the suddenly popular Jack. How will he ever choose just one?”

While it’s obvious the book is hilarious, it also has a serious side with a great lesson for all involved. This book would fall in the Honesty is the Best Policy lesson area.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

2008-08-02T18:56:00.001-04:00

Stars: ****

Summary: “As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe’s outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold – the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.”

I must admit that the summary at the back did not sound all the interesting to me. However the book was very well put together. The summary just doesn’t explain enough. Sal is on the road with her Grandparents and is telling them the story of her friend Phoebe and her life, which at times seems to be very similar to Sal’s. The book switches back and forth from what is happening with Sal and her grandparents to what happened with Phoebe. It does not always alternate every other chapter, which makes it more interesting since you don’t know whose story will be continued next until you start reading.

The story has good lessons in it and would make a good school read I think.

My First Year as a Teacher by Pearl Rock Kane

2008-08-02T18:52:00.002-04:00

Stars: *****

I REALLY enjoyed this book. I have always wanted to be a teacher except that I don’t agree with almost everything in the school system. However I love reading about teaching and learning new things so that I can attempt to homeschool my children.

This book is an anthology of short stories from teachers all across the U.S.A. telling what they remember most from their first year of teaching and what they learned. Some of the stories are about one specific student or incident and some of the stories cover many little things that span the whole first year. All but one gave really great advice and I am interested in checking out another book from the My First Year series titled My First Year as a Doctor.

If you are a teacher or are thinking about being a teacher, I recommend this book.

Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne

2008-08-02T18:48:00.001-04:00

Stars: ***

I'm reading this a little out of order since I haven't yet read When We Were Very Young but I needed a book with a number in it.

As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of poetry and while there were quite a few cute ones in this book, most weren't that great and one or two were really boring and confusing. You can tell for the most part that the poetry wasn't written recently.

If you like children's poetry, you will like this better than I did.

My Wrap-Up

2008-07-27T11:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks Callista for hosting this challenge! It was my first!

Here's my wrap-up.

Tiny Librarian's Wrap-Up

2008-07-22T14:04:00.000-04:00

Hooray, another challenge completed! Thanks to Callista for hosting this fun one!

My books were:
1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
2. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
3. One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
4. 21 Proms by various authors
5. Second Chance by Jane Green

Favourite book?
Well, I gave 2 of them 4 stars - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and One Of Those Hideous Books... I'd say my top fave was the Detective Agency because I found it really charming and it brought back my faith in McCall Smith (the last couple of his I'd read hadn't wowed me as much as 44 Scotland Street).

Least favourite book?
I gave the other ones all 3 stars, so none of them were bad books. I'd say it was probably 21 Proms just because I'm not really that big a fan of short stories, but I don't regret reading it.

Second Chance by Jane Green

2008-07-18T14:48:00.003-04:00

At last, I'm finished! I managed to still get done in time even though I misread the rules and had to switch 2 books at the last minute.

My review of British chick lit author Jane Green's Second Chance is here.

Death of a Thousand Cuts by Barbara D'Amato

2008-07-13T19:59:00.002-04:00

Description:

"The Hawthorne House was once known for its remarkable success rate with autistic children. Now, fifteen years after it closed former residents have returned to Hawthorne House for their first-ever reunion. But the gala event turns into a bloody nightmare when the House's revered founder, Dr. Jay Schermerhorn, is found tortured to death in the mansion's basement.

Schermerhorn had enjoyed a worldwide reputation for his innovative methods and compassionate treatment of autistic children. How could anyone have hated him enough to kill him? As Chicago detectives probe deeply into the history of Hawthorne House, a troubling picture emerges-of a man who inspired both fear and hatred in the children and families who came to him for help."

My thoughts:

This book was a good police procedural with an emphasis on the wide spectrum of autism behaviors. I liked how the point of view switched from former patient Jeffery Clifford who has developed ways of coping with the world to detective Emily Folkestone who learns about how autistic people behave.

Date read: 6/1/2008
No. of pages: 386
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery

One Day the Ice Will Reveal All Its Dead by Clare Dudman

2008-07-13T19:54:00.002-04:00

Description:

"In this passionate and haunting tale of obsession, endurance, courage and love, Clare Dudman imaginatively re-creates the life of the German scientist Alfred Wegener, whose theory of continental drift--derided and discredited by his contemporaries--would eventually revolutionize our perception of the world.

From the moment he nearly drowns in an icy Berlin canal in 1883 at the age of three, Alfred Wegener's irresistible urge to discover the unknown takes him on an extraordinary quest. Record-breaking flights in hydrogen balloons, several lengthy expeditions across the unexplored and treacherous ice of Greenland, the searing horrors of trench warfare in the First World War all form part of a restless search for truth, knowledge and the meaning of love. Wegener's keen powers of observation and his theories on everything from the flow of ice to the formation of raindrops eventually coalesce into his controversial theory of continental drift, which he struggled his whole life to defend.

Distinguished by Clare Dudman's lyrical evocation of the unforgiving beauty of the Arctic, One Day the Ice Will Reveal All Its Dead is the beautifully written story of one man's unshakable belief in an idea and the remarkable woman whose strength and devotion allowed him to pursue all his dreams. "

My thoughts:

Seen through the eyes of Alfred Wegener, this book about his life mixed both poetry and science. I liked learning about Wegener's expeditions in Greenland and about his trying to convince the scientific community about continental drift.

Date read: 5/15/2008
No. of pages: 401
Year: 2004
Genre: Fiction

1776 by David McCullough

2008-07-13T19:50:00.002-04:00

Description:

"In this stirring book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.

Here also is the Revolution as experienced by American Loyalists, Hessian mercenaries, politicians, preachers, traitors, spies, men and women of all kinds caught in the paths of war.

At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books -- Nathanael Greene, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of winter.

But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.

The book begins in London on October 26, 1775, when His Majesty King George III went before Parliament to declare America in rebellion and to affirm his resolve to crush it. From there the story moves to the Siege of Boston and its astonishing outcome, then to New York, where British ships and British troops appear in numbers never imagined and the newly proclaimed Continental Army confronts the enemy for the first time. David McCullough's vivid rendering of the Battle of Brooklyn and the daring American escape that followed is a part of the book few readers will ever forget.

As the crucial weeks pass, defeat follows defeat, and in the long retreat across New Jersey, all hope seems gone, until Washington launches the "brilliant stroke" that will change history.

The darkest hours of that tumultuous year were as dark as any Americans have known. Especially in our own tumultuous time, 1776 is powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch, and what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.

Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history."

My thoughts:

This book is a very informative look at a single year in American history. I liked learning about the British and Loyalist point of view as well as the problems Washington had in keeping the army together. The portraits, letters and the maps also add to the experience.

Date read: 5/13/2008
No. of pages: 294
Year: 2005
Genre: History

3rd Degree by James Patterson

2008-07-13T19:45:00.001-04:00

Description:

"Plunging into a burning townhouse, Detective Lindsay Boxer discovers three dead bodies...and a mysterious message at the scene. When more corpses turn up, Lindsay asks her friends Claire Washburn of the medical examiners office, Assistant D.A. Jill Bernhardt, and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas to help her find a murderer who vows to kill every three days. Even more terrifying, he has targeted one of the four friends. Which one will it be?"

My thoughts:

This was a good suspenseful mystery as Lindsay and her friends try to figure out who the murderer is before the next victim dies. I liked the characters and the plot and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, 4th of July.

Date read: 4/27/2008
No. of pages: 339
Year: 2005
Genre: Mystery

fearless fourteen by janet evanovich

2008-06-29T16:49:00.001-04:00

This was a very good summer read. It was easy to read and very funny especially in certain parts.

21 Proms

2008-06-18T17:04:00.002-04:00

21 stories about the prom, by some of today's hottest young adult authors. Check out my review here.

Pu-237 and Other Russian Fantasies

2008-06-16T09:52:00.001-04:00

This was a collection of five short stories and one novella. Most of the stories were atrocious, but the novella was really good! Read my full review (which focuses on the novella) at my blog.

Six of One

2008-06-08T13:24:00.002-04:00

This is actually the first book I read for the challenge. I've just been putting off the review!

Nanjing 1937

2008-06-01T18:15:00.000-04:00

Nanjing 1937 by Ye Zhaoyan
Historical Fiction

This book takes place in Nanjing the year leading up to the infamous massacre by the Japanese in 1937. The story is about Ding Wenyu, a womanizing professor of foreign languages. He is a immensely popular professor who does not abide by any rule of either etiquette or common sense. He is invited to the wedding of one of his colleague's and falls head over heels in love with the bride, Ren Yuyuan. He starts by sending daily love letters to her. She at first is embarrassed and does not know how to handle the undeserved attention. Ren's marriage to a arrogant philandering pilot has problems from the start.

The urgency of the love because of the environment gets more and more tense at the invasion draws nearer.

There is a tremendous amount of detail in this book. The author describes this year in amazing attention to detail. The amount of research done was phenomenal. The Chinese politics and attitudes are described.

I found this book intriguing but difficult to read. First the romance was a little farcical. This may be the Chinese style. The book read like a history book at times instead of a historical fiction. I do not know whether this is because of the amount of detail in the book or because of the translation

rating: 7/10

Slaughterhouse-Five

2008-05-26T00:55:00.001-04:00

Something tells me that most people have already read Slaughterhouse Five in their lifetimes. If not, this is what I thought, here.

Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark

2008-05-24T22:38:00.002-04:00

I just finished Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark. I've been wanting to read this book for a very long time and I'm glad I finally got around to it. It was a very good book. It took me a little bit longer to read than I thought it would but I just don't have the time to read like I used to.

One Little Sin by L. Carlyle

2008-05-13T16:11:00.001-04:00

Per a recommendation from, someone who I can't remember at the moment, I decided to read Liz Carlyle's One Little Sin. It's the first novel in her Little trilogy and introduces us to Esme & Alasdair. This is the type of novels I was raised on believe it or not, so I actually found it to be quite a good read. Historical romances can be more than trashy novels (unfortunately, they do have that reputation to some people), but they are the perfect getaway for someone who is looking for a happy ever after.

I have a more detailed review posted up at my blog.

Date Me, Baby, One More Time by S. Rowe

2008-05-11T22:33:00.003-04:00

For my fourth novel, I read Date Me, Baby, One More Time by Stephanie Rowe. The novel was good, but I definitely liked her second novel, Must Love Dragons more.

We’re introduced to Justine Bennett, the Guardian of the Goblet of Eternal Youth, and Derek LaValle, who is cursed to die on his 32nd birthday. His only solution…kill the guardian and the curse will be lifted.

I have a more detailed review posted up at my blog.

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

2008-05-04T19:34:00.003-04:00

This is an incredible short story collection, and there are a couple stories in it that I think everyone should read. For a detailed discussion, and links to some of the stories, go to my post.

One Foot in the Grave by J. Frost

2008-05-02T00:03:00.002-04:00

One Foot in the Grave had me captivated from the first chapter and it didn't let go until I finished it four hours later. Seriously people, if you haven't read Halfway to the Grave, then go out and get it so you can read this novel. Don't wait for the library to get it in for you, go buy it. NOW! Jeaniene Frost was one of the greatest impulse buys I've ever had and I would fanatically recommend her to anyone else.

Honestly, I love this series. I think I'm going to unpack Halfway to the Grave, just so I can read both of these novels again, back to back.

I have a more detailed review posted up at my blog.

The Fourth Hand by John Irving

2008-04-22T17:53:00.003-04:00

Description:

"While reporting a story from India, New York journalist Patrick Wallingford inadvertently becomes his own headline when his left hand is eaten by a lion. In Boston, a renowned surgeon eagerly awaits the opportunity to perform the nation’s first hand transplant. But what if the donor’s widow demands visitation rights with the hand? In answering this unexpected question, John Irving has written a novel that is by turns brilliantly comic and emotionally moving, offering a penetrating look at the power of second chances and the will to change." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This book started with a touch of quirky humor but over time changed into a serious love story. I liked how Patrick learns about true love and compassion as he tries to win Doris' heart. I also found the insight into television news coverage informative.

Date read: 3/22/2008
No. of pages: 313
Year: 2002
Genre: Fiction

Fahrenheit 451

2008-04-19T23:35:00.002-04:00

Have you read it yet?

Here are my thoughts.

Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer

2008-04-13T02:51:00.003-04:00

Title: Twelve Read Herrings
Author: Jeffrey Archer
ISBN: 0006490484
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers/1994
Pages: 324

At one time, I used to read Jeffrey Archer like crazy. I do like the way he writes. I won't call those masterpieces, nonetheless, his books hold interest.

Twelve Red Herrings is a collection of short stories. As the name suggests, there are twelve stories, each with a read herring. It is left on the reader whether he can find that out opr not. The stories can all go in a numerous way. Archer has given great endings. But the reader can interprete those in his own way too. The last story has four different endings. All to be read in order.

Trial and error has the jury foxed, Cheap at Half Price has a woman getting a diamond necklace fooling two men, Dougie Mortimer's Right Arm is about losing a winning sports for money. Do Not Pass Go is about an Iraqi who is hunted by Sadam Hussain. Chunnel Vision is about novel writing and trying to find a great ending for that. Shoeshine Boy is about a Governer-General and visit by Mountbatten as a dignitary. You'll Never Live to Regret It is about Insurance payout. Never Stop On the Motorway has a suspence which can be called nail-biting. Not for Sale is about a girl who wants to be a well- known artist. Timeo Danaos is a story about a penny pinching banker. An Eye For An Eye is about a woman accused for her husband's murder. One Man's Meat has four different takes, to be read in the order it is given.

I liked all but my favourites are Do Pass Let Go and Never Stop on the Motor Way. This book is worth reading. I did like the stories and had a whale of a time imagining different endings. I could discover few odf the Red Herrings. You go ahead and try finding those!

Short stories are good to read as one can simply pick and choose, not following any particular order. As I am kind of busy packing as I move to a new house next week, this book suited me fine!

FIRST Degree

2008-04-06T14:47:00.001-04:00

David Rosenfelt

Genre: Legal Thriller

Published: 2003

Personal Rating: 4/5

Andy Carpenter is back! And, he's back with his girlfriend, PI Laurie Collins. The good news is that Andy's circumstances allow him to pick and choose what clients he wants to represent. The bad news is he has accepted Laurie as his client when she is accused of murder.

This is actually my third encounter with Andy, but First Degree is the second in the series. What I enjoy most is Andy's wit and the courtroom scenes. While there are still murder scenes and maybe a tense scene, here or there, Rosenfelt writes with a flow that makes me feel comfortable and one that has continually pleased. The ending in this one had some spots that were too pat, but still enjoyable. I look forward to Bury the Lead.

One of those hideous books where the mother dies

2008-04-04T01:27:00.001-04:00

One of those hideous books where the mother dies by Sonya Sones
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I enjoyed her What My Mother Doesn't Know a few years ago, Numbers Challenge, Triple 8 Challenge

Summary (from Booklist): "After the death of her mother, high-schooler Ruby is sent from Boston to L.A. to live with the father she has never met: "He's such a scumbag / that he divorced my mother / before I was even born." The "scumbag" is Whip Logan, a famous movie actor, but Ruby is too angry to be impressed; at the airport she wonders whether to "ask him for his autograph, / or kick him in the balls." Sones' latest free-verse novel follows Ruby through her first few months in her new home, a mansion where her every desire is granted--except what she longs for most: her best friend, her boyfriend, and of course, her mother."

My thoughts: I'm usually not a verse-novel gal, but Sones is a really good writer. The poems make it really seem like you're right in Ruby's head, feeling such deep grief and anger, and they definitely resonate the way poetry should. But there's humour, as well, such as Airplane Lunch:

They

call

this

chicken?

I liked that Ruby loves to read and that she doesn't want her life to be like one of those hideous books: "I love to read,/ but I can't stand books like that./And I flat out refuse/to have one of those lives/that I wouldn't even want/to read about." I hate those hideous books, too!

This one loses a star only because the truth about Ruby's dad and some of the other events (I won't spoil it) are predictable. But even that doesn't detract much from the greatness of the book, which is a well done cross between a (non-hideous) teen angst book and a fish-out-of-water story.

(Cross-posted on my blog.)

16 Lighthouse Road

2008-03-30T12:28:00.005-04:00

Debbie Macomber

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2001

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

Olivia Lockhart, a judge in Cedar Cove, Washington, lives at 16 Lighthouse Road. This book revolves around Olivia and all those in her life including: her mother, her children, her friends, her ex, her new male friend, and the people she presides over on the bench. AND, there are offshoots from the people already mentioned. So, there is a mega amount of characters all sharing the drama in their lives.

This type of book is just not for me. The concept of meeting people in a town and learning about their lives isn't all that bad, but to me this is like knocking on a stranger's door and asking them to share their life with you. I'm assuming that's the point of the book, Welcome to Cedar Cove!, so that may be a very nice compliment, but I have no interest in these people. Don't get me wrong, they are good people, but I can experience this is my daily life. I would rather read something else. Life is too short.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

2008-03-29T23:55:00.003-04:00

My review for this one got a little long!

The gist is a thumbs-up.

Click here if you'd like to read the whole thing.

Lean Mean Thirteen by J. Evanovich

2008-03-25T12:43:00.001-04:00

In anticipation for Fearless Fourteen, which is being released in June, and for my numbers challenge, I re-read Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich. I have already written up a review on this novel, so I'm not going to do another one. However, I will say that this series never gets old. It's easy to go back and reread each of the books and even if you don't remember what has happened previously, it's not a big deal. You can easily read them out of order and not really miss anything.

4th of July

2008-03-24T15:28:00.002-04:00

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: June 2006
ISBN-13: 9780446613361
Sales Rank: 270
448pp
Series: Women's Murder Club Series, #4
Edition Description: Reprint

I continue to work my way through the Women's Murder Club books. This one was fun to finish as I was in San Francisco at the time. I was able to wander some of the streets. My goal was to walk the route Inspector Boxer takes every Saturday morning but I just didn't have time. Once again, Lindsay and her crew forged through a mess of a case but this time it was to defend Lindsay after a young girl and her brother are shot during a police altercation. In spite of a manditory R&R Lindsay and the gals get wrapped up in a serial murder case as she awaits her fate. Next time I go to California I'll have to check out Inspector Boxer's Half Moon Bay retreat!

Three Cups of Tea, anyone?

2008-03-24T15:22:00.003-04:00

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: January 2007
ISBN-13: 9780143038252
Sales Rank: 12
368pp
Edition Description: Reprint

If only my friends had told me Greg was from Montana....I would have read this book much sooner! If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. For anyone who has said, why should I vote, what can one person do or for anyone who has wondered what can one person do; this book is for you. With little to no "how to" knowledge this one man set out to make a difference simply by relying on those who had helped him. The result has been an education for hundreds of children in the remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Even with national recognition Greg can be found in his basement in Bozeman, MT when he really needs to think through things inspite of having a "real" office after many years of being a grass roots operation.

By treating individuals of different cultures and faiths with a neutral, mutual respect, Greg Mortenson has literally built bridges, not to mention schools in some very remote places. If you are struggling with your "role" in society or your place in your community, read Three Cups of Tea for a bit of encouragement. Enjoy!

The Dark One by R. Thompson

2008-03-24T13:34:00.003-04:00

I ended up switching one of my picks for The Dark One by Ronda Thompson when I heard about her death. There is a more detailed review at my site, but here's something....

Overall, the story was good. The characters were engaging and they made you want to continue reading. I've been in a reading slump for the past couple of weeks, but I never felt like I wanted to put the book down. I started this book last night and I finished it within a day. I probably won't go out and buy these books, but I will be checking out the rest of the series from my library.

2nd Chance

2008-03-22T23:36:00.002-04:00

2nd Chance
by James Patterson

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5

Read: March 21-22, 2008

Challenge: Numbers Challenge

First Line: Aaron Winslow would never forget the next few minutes.

The Women's Murder Club returns in this second installment of the series! This time, they are up against a brilliant murderer who is seemingly killing people at random. But Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is under the impression that the killings are somehow related and that there is a serial killer on the loose. But in order to convince her boss and co-workers, she has to enlist the help of her girls in the Club. And what they find out will rock the city to it's core.

This was another great one from James Patterson! This one read so incredibly fast and was a great read!! I still do not know why I waited so long to start this series, but am definitely glad that I'm reading them now!!

Finishing this book also completes the Numbers Challenge. (My first finished challenge! Yay! - I'll post a end-of-challenge round-up post shortly).

7th Heaven

2008-03-18T21:39:00.003-04:00

I just finished 7th Heaven by James Patterson. I really enjoyed this book. It was very easy to read and the ended was a huge surprise. I just hope this book sticks with me longer than some of his other books. I'll keep reading his books as I can though. I always like them even though I might not remember them a month from now.

2008-03-07T12:43:00.000-05:00

Crossposted from my blog:

Title: Half of a Yellow Sun
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
ISBN: 978-0-676-97812-4
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, a divison of Randon House
Pages: 433/Hardcover

I have had this book since September 2007. I just never got around reading it. And after finishing it today, I ask myself why didn't I read it sooner?

Half of a Yellow Sun is a very well written book. It captures the reader's mind as soon as he/she starts reading it.

The story starts with 13 years old boy Ugwu, from the nearby village, being employed as a houseboy for University professor Odenigbo, who is filled with revolutionary zeal. Ugwu calls him master and fascinated by the numerous books in master's house. He is not treated as a servant. Rather his master sends him to the primary school for the children of the Univirsity dons. Ollana comes to live with Odenigbo as his mistress, giving up a life of luxury with her parents, in Lagos. Meanwhile Richard, an Englishman, falls hard for Kainene, Ollana's twin sister who refuses to belong to anyone. Their lives cross, merge and intertwine. Fragility of their relationship is tested by the all-consuming violence.

Ollana and Odenigbo share a beautiful relationship despite being not married. Richard loves Kainene but she remains aloof. Ugwu, meanwhile is very faithful to his master and Ollana and Baby, their daughter. The smaller charaters too leave a mark on the reader.

This novel is haunting in the sense that it is set in 1960s when Biafra struggled for independence from Nigeria. The violence that follows because of it is very chilling and shattering. There are ethnic wars between class and race.. The descriptions are stark and the reactions are horrific. The ultimate question is who should take moral responsibility for all this bloodshed. Why allegiances has to asked again and again?

When Ugwu is conscripted and said to be dead, Ollana breaks down. It is so poignant to see her shouting at Odenigbo in her angst. For Master, Ollana and Baby, Ugwu is more than a houseboy. He is family.

In the midst of ongoing war, we see Kainene and Ollana working for the betterment of the refugees intheir own way. There are disappointments but there are promises kept too. We may see death, rape, pillage but we see belief and hope in humanity too.

For someone so young, Adichie has good insight. She sure knows what she is writing. Very beautiful prose, it keeps us totally involved. She brings Modern Africa alive for us. That is reason enough to read her. She is a worthy succesor of Chinua Achebe. I truly recommend it for all.

1st to Die

2008-03-04T11:23:00.003-05:00

1st to Die

by James Patterson

Copyright: 2001
Pages: 462
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 2-4, 2008
Challenge: Celebrate the Author; Triple Eight - From my TBR Shelf & 1st in a Series; Numbers Challenge

First Line: It is an unusually warm night in July, but I'm shivering badly as I stand on the substantial gray stone terrace outside my apartment.

In the first installment of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay (homicide detective), Claire (medical examiner), Jill (assistant DA) and Cindy (crime reporter) form their club in the wake of a possible serial killer in San Francisco. Targeting couples on the night of their wedding, the bride and groom killer is rocking the city. With few clues at the crime scene, Lindsay decides to form the group in order to catch the killer before he takes the lives on anymore newlyweds.

I loved this book! I'm not sure why it sat on my shelf for so long before I ever picked it up, but I absolutely adored it!!! It was such a quick and enjoyable read. I even found myself crying a little at the end. Excellent book ... I can't wait to get to the second one!

The Rule of Four

2008-03-02T21:04:00.002-05:00

The Rule of Four

by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

First Line: Like many of us, I think, my father spent the measure of his life piecing together a story he would never understand.

The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a Renaissance text, and Tom Sullivan have always had a love-hate relationship. This book consumed his father's life. And during his final year at Princeton, he finds the book consuming him and his roommate, Paul Harris. As Paul tries to figure out all the pieces to the puzzle of this book, the deadline for his senior thesis hovers above him. But then, a long-lost diary is found and Paul believes he has solved it. But before he has time to finish his thesis and state his conclusions, thereby revealing the final pieces to this mysterious puzzle, he has to fight forces that are against him. With the help of Tom and their two roommates, Gil and Charlie, they embark upon a journey that might kill them all.

I really enjoyed this book. Although it does seem to lag in certain places, overall I felt myself rushing through it because it was so suspenseful! I could hardly wait to get to the end of it. I have read that some people are likening it to The Da Vinci Code, but I wouldn't. I felt that in a way it was much better than Dan Brown's book, whereas in other places (like the writing style) it did sort of lack what Brown's book had. It's hard to describe, but definitely an enjoyable read!

HALF Broken Things

2008-02-27T10:42:00.002-05:00

Morag Joss

Genre: Psychological Suspense

Published: 2005

Personal Rating: 4/5

In a nutshell (I'm not a fan of giving too much away), three troubled adults independently find themselves in dire situations and eventually congregate in the same home. Their need and desire for love and acceptance is of the utmost importance; it's that drive which leads them into . . . well, more trouble.

Peculiar. That's my one word description of this novel. However, when all is said and done, there is so much more to this book. The story begins slowly, but gradually and strangely draws you in. Throughout the book, I felt liery - not quite sure what these people were capable of doing in the name of family. After a little more thought, maybe a better description would be: Peculiarly thought-provoking.

Even though at some point this book made it onto my TBR list (no recollection of when or why), I specifically read it now for the "J" Author (A ~ Z Reading Challenge). I'm thankful for the challenge, because it was worth the read. I may have missed out on it, otherwise.

Eleven on Top by J. Evanovich (AudioBook)

2008-02-25T13:08:00.006-05:00

It wasn't one of my 5 that I was going to read, but I picked up a copy of the audio book for Janet Evanovich's Eleven on Top. I've posted a review on my site.

3rd Degree by James Patterson

2008-02-20T23:19:00.004-05:00

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: January 2005
ISBN-13: 9780446614832
Sales Rank: 188
368pp
Series: Women's Murder Club Series, #3
Numbers Challenge

I always hesitate to start a new series when I'm several books behind. With book #7 hitting the best seller list this past month, I was a bit hesitant to dive into this. But I have caught a few reruns of the Women's Murder Club during this endless writer's strike and liked the foundation. I'm now three books into the series. They have all been "easy" reads and I have finished them quickly. I like to have books like this on my shelf to pick up in between those "heavy" reads. I had just finished Deep Survival, a nonfiction book about near death situations, and was in need of a switch.

Murder, dead bodies, conspiracy are my usual choice of mindless reading. So this story of Detective Boxer and her female colleagues was just what I needed. This time the group underwent some big changes and a lot of stress. They prevailed in the end, just what you want from your favorite heroes. I'll pick up the fourth one in a book or two, reading a little deeper subject right now.

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

2008-02-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Review by Dana: http://aceandhoserblook.blogspot.com/2008/02/tell-no-one.html

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

2008-02-15T20:32:00.001-05:00

I knew it was a bad idea. But see, I'm doing this Numbers Challenge... and everyone else has read it. But really... I knew it was a bad idea.

So clearly, before picking up The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom I was biased. It just seemed so... Oprah's Book Club. You know, before she did the revamp and "discovered" Steinbeck. Plus, my horrible horrible roommate had it as a fixture on her desk in our dorm room. (Thank goodness those days are long over). This wasn't going to be a book I'd like.

But I had to try it because... 1. It was a national best seller / everyone's read it and 2. I did enjoy Tuesdays with Morrie.

Starting out I surprised myself. I didn't mind it. Lately there's been the circus/carnivale setting trend going around, I like it. (Water for Elephants, Carnivale, etc) I enjoyed hearing about the old time pier amusement park, all that. And I even started to wonder who Eddie would meet in heaven. But that's about it...

The second half of the book I had to force myself through. I actually set a time limit.

My complaints? ... I've been trying to figure that out. I think I felt like Albom was trying too hard. It was too sentimental? It didn't work for me. Sorry I can't be more eloquent.

Recommendation: If you are the one other person out there who hasn't read this book, skip it.

2nd Chance

2008-02-14T11:32:00.003-05:00

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: January 2003
ISBN-13: 9780446612791
Sales Rank: 190
432pp
Series: Women's Murder Club Series, #2
Numbers Challenge: 2 of the required 5.

I was hooked with the first one and enjoyed the second one as well. Lindsay Boxer is the type of woman I want to be...maybe minus being shot at and such. I also need a group of women like Jill, Claire, and Cindy to be able to meet up with for margaritas when I need a collective thinking effort. Since I don't have all that I'll make do with the book. Poor Lindsay has to deal with her father's past in this one but comes out shining, albeit a little black and blue.

I'm half way through 3rd Degree and have Three Cups of Tea in my bag. The next review shouldn't be long to follow.

Two Little Girls in Blue

2008-02-11T13:58:00.000-05:00

Two Little Girls in Blue
by Mary Higgins Clark

Copyright: 2006
Pages: 390
Rating: 5/5
Read: Jan. 10-11, 2008
Challenges: What's in a Name (Color category); Numbers Challenge; Triple Eight Challenge,
From my TBR Shelf category

First Line: "Hold on a minute, Rob, I think one of the twins is crying. Let me
call you back."

Margaret and Steve Frawley's three year old twin daughters, Kelly and Kathy, have been kidnapped from their own room, their babysitter knocked unconscious. When the ransom note comes in for eight million dollars, the money is put up by Steve's employers. Unfortunately, only Kelly comes home safely. But when Kelly begins to voice concern that Kathy is not dead, as was widely assumed, Margaret goes frantic trying to bring Kathy home safely.

I loved this book! It was great!!! The twists and turns were wonderful. I love reading Mary Higgins Clark ... she never disappoints! This book read rather quickly and was enjoyable. Another A+ effort by MHC!

Cocktails for Three

2008-02-04T01:43:00.000-05:00

Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
3 stars

Book description: Three women, smart and successful, working in the fast and furious world of magazines, meet for cocktails and gossip once a month. Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover - and hoping that one day he will leave his wife and marry her. Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with - motherhood. Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes - until a ghost from her past turns up, and almost ruins her life. A chance encounter in the cocktail bar sets in train an extraordinary set of events which upsets all their lives and almost destroys their friendship.

First line: "Candice Brewin pushed open the heavy glass door of the Manhattan Bar and felt the familiar swell of warmth, noise, light and clatter rush over her."

My thoughts: Madeleine Wickham is better known as Sophie Kinsella. So when I spotted this book while browsing in a used bookstore and noticed the note saying that's who she was, I snapped it up, since I enjoyed the Shopaholic books and especially Can You Keep a Secret?

This one's okay, though I didn't think it had the sparkle of her other work. It's pretty darn predicitable (although the Shopaholic ones are, too, but somehow their charm makes up for most of it) - you know Candice is going to get herself in trouble with the person from her past, it's not hard to guess who Roxanne is having the affair with, and it's obvious that Maggie is in for some post-partum depression.

That seems to be a theme as chick lit writers turn into mommies - the joys but mostly horrors of having a baby. I really felt for Maggie, feeling like she had to do everything perfectly while being so completely exhausted.

The theme of the book is secrets and how we hide them from even our closest friends. I did like the message that it's good to tell people when you need help or are having problems, to avoid everything from stress and to actual crises before they get to be too much to handle.

Overall, it's not a bad piece of Chick lit - I polished it off in about a day while sick in bed.

The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency

2008-02-02T16:01:00.000-05:00

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
4 stars

I've been meaning to read this one for some time - despite being disappointed in a few of his books recently, I like Alexander McCall Smith. And it seems as if this series has charmed just about everyone. I haven't heard a bad word spoken against it. And I was quite charmed, too. [Note, I may have a few spoilers here, so don't read on if you plan to read this one. But I have a feeling I'm one of the few people left who hadn't read it!]

I was surprised, though, to find horrific incidents sprinkled throughout what I thought was going to be basically a cozy mystery - Precious' husband is a violent rapist who tries to kill their unborn child, then leaves her. While Smith and Precious both love Botswana, there are still references, mostly subtle, to Africa's problems - AIDS, corrupt police, smuggling, etc.

But Precious definitely lives up to her name - she's very clever, funny and has a heart as big as her "traditional" frame. It was quite interesting and rather funny to see a fat lady be admired, for a change, and I could imagine Precious' large frame sailing through town on her missions. I did wonder, however, how she could remain a private private detective when everyone in the area knew her and she was rather hard to miss.

I also found some funny touches in the names of businesses (include the name of the agency) caused by English not being the native language in Botswana. My favourite was the Go Go Handsome Man's Bar, but I also got a kick out Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors.

I liked that there were smaller, mostly gentler cases mixed in with the larger case of the kidnapped boy. My favourite was the one about the doctor that seemed to be incredibly forgetful but was actually a set of twins. I enjoyed how Precious used her instincts, feminine wiles, and the knowledge she gleaned from both Agatha Christie novels and the PI manual she sends away for. And, of course, I liked that the kidnapped boy was found safe and sound.

An African lady written by a Scottish man seems fairly implausible, but McCall Smith is in fine form. While the sequels aren't right at the top of my TBR list, I have a feeling I'll be visiting the Agency again.

Thirteen Reasons Why

2008-02-02T01:33:00.000-05:00

First time novelist Jay Asher debuts with a fantastic read! We meet Hannah Baker thru a series of farewell tape recordings. These aren't just any recordings, they are the last words of a suicidal teenager. Hannah is an ordinary high school student with all the problems of a teenager, when one boy starts one rumor. It snowballs from there. Her life is turned upside down when that one rumor becomes her entire reputation. We catch Hannah's story while Clay Jensen is listening to her tapes, which were mailed to him 2 weeks after her death. Hearing the voice of his high school crush is so hard, but Clay has to know why he one of Hannah's 13 reasons for leaving this world.
I can't believe the concept of this book. It's one of those ideas that makes you wish you had thought of it first. It's a fantastic read and the characters are so real. If I recommend one book to anyone this year, it will most definitely be this one! I just saw that Joy read this too!

A THOUSAND Bones

2008-01-28T07:52:00.001-05:00

P. J. Parrish

Genre: Mystery

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 4/5

P. J. Parrish is actually a sister team and this is the first in their new series starring Joette (Joe) Frye, who was plucked from their Louis Kincaid series. One sister is more adept at "character development" while the other's strength is the "gory stuff", so they make quite a pair . . . and it works!

In A Thousand Bones, Joe (note: pet peeve of mine - naming characters with cross gender names) who is currently on the Miami Police Department's Homicide Division shares with her lover, Louis (too close to Louise for my liking) Kincaid, about her past harrowing experience of being a rookie cop in Echo Bay, Michigan. Almost the entire book is told in flashback, which gives the reader a great understanding of Joe and how she dealt with chasing down a killer.

Ultimately, Joe's experience happened to be one of terror. The word choice and sentence structure contributed to a very fluent flow with no lulls in the story. I didn't find it to be a page-turner, yet I was always interested. I look forward to following this series.

THIRTEEN Reasons Why

2008-01-27T16:55:00.000-05:00

Jay Asher

Genre: YA Fiction

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 4/5

This was, without a doubt, a page-turning debut novel and an extremely creative and deep endeavor by Jay Asher. While the storyline of suicide is heart-wrenching, Asher delivers it in a way to help teens (and adults alike) to understand the process and influence we all have in contaminating or contributing to someone else's well-being.

The story of Hannah Baker personifies my thoughts on the header of my blog "Thoughts of Joy...": "Words can and do change lives." It also depicts how our actions or lack thereof affect others and ourselves. It's quite a powerful, enticing book, leaving me with much to mull over. I most enjoyed Asher's creativity and plot, which encourages me to watch for this author's name in the future.

No Second Chance by Harlan Coben

2008-01-27T16:27:00.000-05:00

Copyright: 2003
Pages: 420
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 2-3, 2008
Challenge: Numbers Challenge; Celebrating the Author Challenge

First Line: When the first bullet hit my chest, I thought of my daughter.

Dr. Marc Seidman wakes up in the hospital to find that twelve days earlier his wife, Monica, was shot dead in their home, and their daughter, Tara, is missing. When the ransom note arrives, Marc's hopes go through the roof. But when the drop goes bad, everything around him spirals out of control. Eighteen months later, another ransom note is delivered. Instead of contacting the police and doing the "right" thing, Marc takes matters into his own hands. With the assistance of his ex-girlfriend, they chase down the clues to Tara's disappearance, only to realize that there's more to the story than meets the eye.

*~* This story was well plotted and fast paced. I was sucked in with the first sentence and could barely wait to figure out if Tara was still alive. The revelations at the end are shocking, to say the least. The ending came out of left field to me. This was only the second Coben book that I have read (the first I read years ago) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Update on my progress

2008-01-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

I have read several books for this challenge since my last posting.

Three Dirty Women and the Garden of Death by Julie Wray Herman 01/07/2008 3/5 This is a very good mystery. When one of the members of the Three Dirty Women is suspected of murdering her soon to be ex husband the rest of the women go diging to find out who really did do it. I will for sure read more of this series.

The Second Time Around by Marry Higgins Clark 01/10/08 3/5 Typical Clark book. I have read several of her books and am never disappointed.

The Fourth Perimeter by Tim Green 01/14/08 3.5/5 Another good book by this author. I really like his writing style. Keep me wondering what was going to happen next.

I am now reading Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton. I will more then likely finish it later this evening. Not a very big book but still well written. It is keeping me turning the pages to find out who did it.This will make five books that I have read for this challenge when I am finished. One more to go and I will have my first ever challenge completed.

Ivy

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult---Gautami's first read

2008-01-13T11:29:00.000-05:00

Title: Second Glance
Author: Jodi Picoult
ISBN-13:9781416549192
Publisher: Atria Books/2003
Pages: 506
Genre: Fiction

Second Glance was a book beyond my imagination. It took me into an entirely different world. Jodi Picoult makes such a world possible with her words.

Ross Wakeman has a death wish since Aimee, his fiancée died. He tries to kill himself in every way conceivable but always comes back alive. He tries desperately to connect with Aimee in some way thus becoming a ghost hunter. Strange things start to happen in tiny Comtosook, Vermont as a developer wants to build a strip mall in an ancient Abenaki Indian burial ground. The inhabitants talk of supernatural forces at work and Ross tries to explain the paranormal phenomena and meets Lia, who reawakens love in him. When he tries to follow his heart, next thing he sees is beyond anything he can comprehend.

To read more, visit here...

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

2008-01-07T03:46:00.000-05:00

(I think we're supposed to cross-post reviews. If not, Callista, let me know and I'll just replace the post with a link!) (Cross-posted, with changes, at my blog.)

I finished Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne on January 2nd. It's my first completed book of 2008, and it's also my first pick for the Numbers Challenge. This post ended up too long, even without a plot synopsis, so if you want to know the story's bare bones, Wikipedia tells it quite well (though if you read the last paragraph, it tells the ending).

I've never read Jules Verne before, but of course I've heard of him. And, while I am about to comment on his writing style, I'd like to point out that apparently the B&N edition uses an older translation that cuts out 23% of the original French text. Of course, if I had known that, I'd have gone with a different translation. So I was actually quite curious about how the original French sounded, since the English I read was, in a word, uninspired. And this being the day of the internet, I found the French version and read chapter ten of part one (when the reader, and narrator, meets Captain Nemo). It corresponded quite closely with the English, in that the construction was simple and the vocabulary straight-forward. How straight-forward? Well, with two years of college French, I was able to read the whole chapter, and the few words I didn't already know were easily discovered through context. While this might be great news for a French lit student (oh why did my professor make us slave away with Apollinaire?), the style combined with the endless cataloguing of sea life makes the book feel like an enthusiastic schoolboy's daydream. That's not necessarily a bad thing-it's quite fun to get swept along with Verne's equal fascination for technology and oceans-but it did prevent me from giving it more than just three stars.

Because it's not just the style that's schoolboyish. Of the four main characters, three of them-Pierre Aronnax (a French scientist), Conseil (his faithful-one might be tempted to say dog like-servant), and Ned Land(the red-blooded Candian harpooner) feel like charactertures. In fact, throughout the entire novel, I couldn't find one instance of character development; everyone behaved in the exact same manner all the time. The only intriguing person in the book is Captain Nemo for, while his behavior in the present never changes, there are hints at a dark past (after all, what could have compelled him to renounce humanity and live in a submarine?). Unfortunately, those hints are all too rare. It's possible to excuse this, in fact to find a certain brilliance it in, since Pierre is the first-person narrator. He tells the story through his journal and, as a rational scientist, it's easy to imagine that aboard the submarine he'd be much more focused on the nature and gadgets that surrounded him than any of the people. I haven't read any other Vernes, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and believe that he was staying perfectly true to his narrator. Also, there are moments when poetry, in the form of Captain Nemo's speeches, glimmer through:

"You like the sea, captain?"
"Yes, I love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven-tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite,' as one of your poets has said. In fact, professor, Nature manifest herself in it by her three kingdoms, mineral, vegetable, and animal. The sea is a vast reservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knnows if it will not end with it? In it is supreme tranquility. The sea does not belong to despots. Upon its surface men can still exercise unjust laws, tear one another to pieces, and be carried away with terristrial horrors. But at thirty feet below its level, their reign ceases, their influence is quenched, and their power disappears. Ah! sir, live-live in the bosom of the waters! There only is independence! There I recognize no masters! There I am free!"

If this is the case, I can only wish that Venre had chosen a scientist narrator interested in psychology! Really, Pierre himself best sums up the fault in the book

...I have read it to Conseil and to the Canadian. They found it exact as to facts, but insufficient as to effect.

Despite my qualms about Verne's style and characters, I found the plot to be wonderfully inventitive and exciting; whether Captain Nemo was saving a diver from a shark or showing Pierre Atlantis, I was always curious about the next adventure!
While the fiction may be lacking a thing or two, the science is certainly up to snuff. Verne does a meticulous job of presenting the wonders of the deep sea to readers. Take Pierre's catalogue of fish, the first time the 'windows' of the submarine are revealed:

For two whole hours an aquatic army escorted the Nautilus. During their games, their bounds, while rivaling each other in beauty, brightness, and velocity, I distinguished the green labre; the banded mullet, marked by a double line of black; the round-tailed goby, of a white color, with violet spots on the back; the Japanese scombrus, a beautiful mackeral of these seas, with a blue body and silvery head; the brilliant azurors, whose name alone defies description; some banded spares, with variegated fins of blue and yellow; some aclostones, the woodcocks of the seas, some specimens of which attain a yard in length; Japanese salamanders, spider lampreys, serpents six feet long, with eyes small and lively, and a huge mouth bristling with teeth; with many other species.

These kinds of lists are one of the main feautures of the book, and I quite enjoyed them. Also, whatever energy Verne spared in character development must have been turned to making the technology believable. The Nautilus is a submarine, but also a self-contained environment that can get everything it needs from the ocean, except air (which it surfaces for rather like a mechanical whale). Through Captain Nemo, Verne (in my opinion a tad overzealously) justifies the possibility of such a craft. Here's a sample passage of the kind of information Captain Nemo shares:

"Professor," said Captain Nemo, "my electricity is not everybody's. You know what sea-water is compsed of. In a thousand grams are found ninety-six and a half percent of water, and about two and two-thirds percent of chloride of sodium; then, in a smaller quantity, chlorides of magnesium and of potassium, bromide of magnesium, sulphate of magnesia, sulphate and carbonate of lime. You see, then, that chloride of sodium forms a large part of it. So it is this sodium that I extract from sea-water, and of which I compose my own ingredients. I owe it all to the ocean; it produces electricity, and electricity gives heat, light, motion, and, in a word, life to the Nautilus."

How's that for technical? Passages like this are common as well.

In sum, I had a lot of fun exploring the ocean, found out many interesting facts (for instance, a fathom is six feet, and the Sargasso Sea terrified sailors due to its sluggishness and large amount of seaweed), and have a bit of a crush on Captain Nemo. I see him as a civilised, ocean-dwelling counterpart to Heathcliff (oh! if only I could read Captain Nemo's backstory as relayed by a Bronte), and I appreciated being able to spend time aboard his splendid, and scientifically rigourous, vessel. A fitting start to 2008.

First Book Finished

2008-01-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

I finished reading the first book for this challenge. The First 48 by Tim Green. It was a very good book, very well written, I had trouble putting it down at night. This is the story of a father who will do anything to find his kidnapped daughter.

Ivy

My List

2008-01-02T23:22:00.000-05:00

I posted my list on my blog!

Click here to see it.

Good luck everyone!

Jackie's Five

2008-01-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

Here are my 5 picks for the challenge. I don't have any alternates yet since I'm having trouble finding interesting books in the Urban Fantasy/Fantasy genre. If anyone can recommend anything, from any genre, I'm all ears.

Just One Bite by Kimberly Raye
One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
~~The Fairy Godmother (tales of the 500 kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey~~ Changed to: The Dark One by Ronda Thompson

Information and Signup

2008-01-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

*This is a Sticky Post. Scroll Down for newest Entries*

NOTE: This challenge end date has been extended to August 1, 2008.

The challenge is to read 5 books whose titles have a number in them from Jan 1, 2008 to August 1, 2008 This includes written numbers like "one" or "forty." UPDATE: Numbers like 10th or First are fine too.

Need some help picking? See the sidebar.

You can choose up to three that are on lists for other challenges. So two of the choices must not be on any list. You can re-read books but all books must NOT be read until January 1, 2008.

Want to Join?
Comment on THIS post to join. If you want to add your list and/or review your books on this blog, put your email in the comments like this: myname AT yourprovider DOT com and your blog url.
If you just want to post the list/reviews on your blog then just add your blog url.

UPDATE: If you don't want to be a member of this blog but wouldn't mind your review being cross-posted to this blog, email me your review and a link to your blog and i'll post it.

I know there are a lot of great challenges going on starting Jan but remember, they are all just for fun, if you don't finish, you don't finish, no big deal!

Again I hope to have a prize but don't have one yet. However it will for sure be a book with a number in the title.

Krin's Picks

2007-12-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

For this challenge, I will read:

David McCullough. 1776
John Irving. The Fourth Hand - also on Celebrate the Author and Winter Reading Challenges
Clare Dudman. One Day the Ice Will Reveal All Its Dead
Barbara D'Amato. Death of a Thousand Cuts
James Patterson. 3rd Degree

Bookworm's Picks

2007-11-24T23:17:00.000-05:00

Bookworm's Picks:

1. 1984 by by George Orwell
2. Fahrenheit 451 by by Ray Bradbury
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
here are my alternates:
6. In the Tenth House by Laura Dietz
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
8. 44 Scotland Street by Alexander Mccall Smith

Gautami's Picks

2007-11-24T22:21:00.001-05:00

My list:

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer

Three Muskeeters by Alexander Dumas

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Kristina's Picks

2007-10-03T09:48:00.000-04:00

Here is my list for the Numbers Challenge! This will definitely help to getting a bazillion books off of my shelf!!

1. One for the Money - Janet Evanovich (also goes to 1st in a Series challenge hosted by Joy)
2. Year Zero - Jeff Long
3. The Five Bells and the Bladebone - Martha Grimes
4. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher (also 888 Challenge)
5. Three Days to Never - Tim Powers

I have an alternate because I think that #3 is further along in her series than I am....if that's the case I have Five Women - Roma Jaffe

Tiny Little Librarian's Picks

2007-10-02T22:58:00.002-04:00

Edited May 24 because I didn't read the rules properly about needing to have two books that aren't part of another challenge!

1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

2. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella)

3. 21 Proms edited by David Levithan and Daniel Ehrenhaft

4. Second Chance by Jane Green

5. One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

Callista's Picks

2007-09-25T19:09:00.000-04:00

1. The 7 Stages of Marriage by Sari Harrar
2. 24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury(Also 888 Challenge)
4. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult(Also 888 Challenge)
5. Chromosome 6 by Robin Cook(Also 888 Challenge)

Extras:
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Twenty Questions by Alison Clement
Four Blind Mice by James Patterson