Tag: Books

2009 Wrap-Up, part 1

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It’s been a fun blogging year and I’ll focus on a few of the numbers. 

53 – Number of books I gave away

2 – Memes I participated in (Teaser Tuesday & Monday Movies)

9 – Series I continued (Sophie Metropolis by Carrington, Boston PD-FBI by Neggers, Stephanie Plum by Evanovich, Lincoln Rhyme by Deaver, Myron Bolitar by Coben, Lucan Davenport by Sandford, Women’s Murder Club by Patterson, Bailey Weggins mysteries by White, Milan Jacovich by Roberts)

7 – Series I started and plan to continue (Chesapeake Shores Trilogy by Woods, FBI Suspense Thrillers by Coulter, Elm Creek Quilts by Chiaverini, Della Cooks  by Wells, Texas Rangers by Neggers, Sarah Woolson by Tallman, Tradd Street by White)

67 – New authors read this year.  My favorite discovery must be Deborah Smith since I read 3 of her books this year.

35 – Blog awards received.  Thank you!

1 – Author signing (Daniel Levin)

6 – Trip posts (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, New York City, The Wilds of Ohio, Washington DC, Denver/Vail, Kelley’s Island)

100 – Favorite movies list posted.

Stop by tomorrow for my wrap up of favorite books and challenges.

The results are in…

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and you have chosen 50 of the 55 books I will read in 2010 for the Read Your Own Books Challenge.

Opening up the voting to you was fun!  71 of you voted for 1-5 books and the top vote getter was She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb with 12 votes.  Here’s a photo of the top 50 vote getters.  Half of these books received 4 votes or more.

Start from the top left and you’ll see the books with the most votes.  The last stack on the right received 2 votes each.  There were 5 others that had 2 votes, but I was able to choose which ones not to read.  It was nice to have some choice 🙂  Here are the others that received 1 or 2 votes.

I cannot tell you how much fun it has been watching the votes come  in!  The book I am most excited to read, based just on the comments left by the 8 people who voted for it?  The Tea Rose by Donnelly.  The one I’m most intimidated by?  War and Peace by Tolstoy.  Yikes! 

I want to thank each of you who voted.  As I review each book I’ll give a shout out to the people who voted for it.  Now for what you’ve all been waiting for.  To choose a winner I had all of the books that had received votes lined up with a paper in it that had each of the voter names.  I told Jason to go shopping for a book and he chose The Glass Castle (maybe because he brought this home for me from work) and then told him to choose a number between 1-10.  He chose 7.  The 7th person to vote for The Glass Castle?  Alita of AlitaReads!  Alita will receive a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  If I could afford it I’d sent one to each of you.

You can see the list here with the people who voted for each one.  Thanks for choosing half of my reading list for the new year 🙂

You Choose 50 of the Books I read in 2010

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UPDATE – Voting Closed.  Results are here.

So, a few weeks ago I came up with this really great idea of letting the readers decide 50 of the books that I read next year.  They had to be from my over 300 books and each person can only vote for 5.  When the first few votes came in it was fun.  Then a few more came in, still fun, but began to wonder what I had gotten myself into.  The next day I began to think that I hadn’t really thought this whole thing through.  It’s almost 2 weeks and 62 voters later and I have embraced the challenge.  I mean what’s not to love about having to read War & Peace? 

There is still time to vote!  Please stop by my post and peruse my titles and vote for up to 5. If you click on each of the pictures they will enlarge for easier viewing. I am committed to reading the top 50 vote getters (if there’s a tie I will choose which ones to read).  I am out of town until Tuesday, but when I get back I will choose one participant to win a $20 B&N gift card.  Actually, Jason will choose randomly.

So, if you haven’t voted already, please do.  The more votes I have the better chance that my 2010 reading list will be awesome 🙂  You have until Tuesday evening.

Go here to look at the titles and vote.  See you all Tuesday 🙂  Right now A Prayer for Owen Meany and She’s Come Undone are the top vote getters with 10 votes apiece.

Murder in the Air, by Ellen Hart

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Cover ImageFinished 12-23-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub. 1997

Sophie Greenway Mystery series #4

Mother:

I haven’t got much time.  By now, you’ve heard what happened.  Don’t believe what the police tell you, please!  Wait until you hear the story from me.

Opening Lines

Sophie Greenway and her radio talk show host husband, Bram, live at the fancy hotel she owns and runs in the Twin Cities.  The hotel is the temporary home to actors who have come to St.Paul to work in a new live radio mystery theatre serial.  The new owner of the radio station, Heda Bloom, has decided to use this series to change public opinion  that her son murdered his lover 30 years before and is still on the loose.  By bringing back the original actors from this series all the players from the time of the crime are back.  She has hired a reclusive writer for the series, one she has never met but who seems very familiar with the all the players in the Justin Bloom story. 

This is a mystery that is brimming with characters and plot.  I was engrossed in the story and had to pay attention to keep up with everything that was happening, so that I was completely unprepared for the end.  I mean I was floored, didn’t see it coming at all.  I don’t usually start a series in the middle, because I want the story of the characters from the beginning, but I picked this up at a used bookstore because I needed one more holiday book for my quiz and I’m so glad I did.  As much as I don’t want to start another series right now I may have to look for the first one.

The book isn’t perfect.  Sophie’s son is preparing a commitment ceremony with his boyfriend and while not a major storyline, felt a little like a public service announcement for tolerance (a good theme, but seemed forced into the story).  Although I guess she could have been following up on a major storyline from an earlier book.  See the questions I have when I don’t read a series from the beginning?!  And while I loved the big payoff at the end of this mystery I wanted a little more, maybe to see a little more of the fallout. 

I would recommend this for mystery lovers.

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now there is a tie for the top vote getter between A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving and She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb)

Last Lines Quiz

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As we approach the end of a decade I thought it would be appropriate to see what last lines of famous literature you would know.  Please leave the # and the title and author’s last name.  No Googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

1. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald – Florinda

2. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before.  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain – Susan

3. He loved Big Brother.  1984 by Orwell – AlitaReads

4. ‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.’  A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens – Bermudaonion

5. I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita. Lolita by Nabokov – Candice

6. Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity! Bartleby the Scrivener by Melville – Susan

7. I don’t hate it he thought, panting in the cold air, the iron New England dark; I don’t. I don’t! I don’t hate it! I don’t hate it! Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner

8. Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.   Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Carroll – Word Lily

9. Are there any questions?  The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – ‘Nise

10. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.  Animal Farm by Orwell – Candice

11. Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.  Catcher in the Rye by Salinger – Candice

12. For now she knew what Shalimar knew: If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.  Song of Solomon by Morrison

13. “Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.” Gone with the Wind by Mitchell – Susan

14. He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance. Frankenstein by Shelley

15. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!  A Christmas Carol by Dickens – Wrighty’s Reads

 

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now the top vote getter is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving)

The Christmas Box, by Richard Paul Evans

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The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans: Book CoverFinished 12-20-09, rating 3.5/5, fiction/novella, pub. 1993

“Tell us, Richard, which of the senses do you think are most affected by Christmas?” 

I looked over a t Keri.  “The taste buds,” I said flippantly.  Keri rolled her eyes.

“No.  I take it back.  I would say the sense of smell.  The smells of Christmas.  Not just the food, but everything.  I remember once, in grade school, we made Christmas ornaments by poking whole cloves into an orange.  I remember how wonderful it smelled for the entire season.  I can still smell it.  And then there’s the smell of perfumed candles, and hot wassail or creamy cocoa on a cold day.  And the pungent smell of wet leather boots after my brothers and I had gone sledding.  The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood.”

Chapter IV

Rick, his wife and four-year old daughter move into a mansion in Salt Lake City to take care of an elderly lady, only she seems to need companionship more than anything else.  Rick is just starting a new business and spends little time at home and when he does he is distracted by work.  Mary, their host and employer, strives to show Rick what is really important.

I’m sure most people have read this.  I put out my beautiful copy every Christmas.  But here’s a confession –  while I’ve  faithfully displayed  it every year for over a decade, until today it had remained unread.  I know, I know, how is this possible?  Well, I’m really not into sugary sweet stories that try too hard and I thought this to be the case with this short book.  And then today I counted how many books I’ve read this year and discovered that I need to read four more to reach my goal of 130 by the end of the year.  So, this book was read out of necessity.

This is a sugary sweet story that tries too hard, exactly as I expected.  Only I didn’t mind.  It didn’t take more than an hour to read and it put me in the Christmas spirit.  Not the frantic wrapping/shopping kind, but the what Christmas is all about kind of spirit.  I’m ready to finish up everything I need to do this week, only I’ll do it with a lot less stress. 

I think if you have a copy in the house you should take an hour to read it again and be reminded that Christmas is what we make it.

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now there is a tie for the top vote getter between A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving and She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb)

My Secret Santa

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bookbloggerholidayswap

I have been remiss in not telling you about my wonderful Secret Santa!  A few weeks ago I received a package in the mail from Bliss at My Shelf Runneth Over.  Here’s what I found when I opened it.

First, I have to say how much I love that card!  How cute are all those puppies?  And then she sent me one of her favorite books ever, The History of Love.  I’d never heard of it but when I put it with hundreds of others in my tbr pile, others saw it.  I think it’s gotten 3 votes already for me to read next year, so it must be a favorite of a few other book lovers 🙂  And she included a beautiful looking and smelling soap.  I started using it right away and I love it! Don’t I have a great Secret Santa? 

I feel very bad about how few of you I’ve visited this week.  I am celebrating Christmas at my Grandma’s party today, where I plan on collecting a few more gifts, but hope to start catching up on my blog reading when I get home on Sunday. 

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now the top vote getter is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving)

Everything Austen Challenge completed

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everythingausten2My fourth 2009 challenge is done.  Whew!  Wasn’t sure I was going to make it 🙂  I joined this challenge without ever having read a Jane Austen novel and now I can say I have.  I really enjoyed reading Pride & Prejudice and can understand why this is a favorite of many.  Mr. Darcy ranks right up there with romantic heroes.  I listened to Sense & Sensibility and enjoyed this as well, although not as much as Pride & Prejudice.  I watched the 1995 movie version with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as the two sisters and liked it so much it ended up on my Top 100 list.  I read The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler and watched The Jane Austen Book Club movie and was surprised that I preferred the movie.  And for my last task I watched the 1995 BBC production of Persuasion.  I liked this story and look forward to reading the book.

I am so glad I joined this challenge because it introduced me to Jane and now I feel like we’re old friends.  Thanks Stephanie for hosting this great challenge.

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now the top vote getter is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving)

The Girl on Legare Street, by Karen White

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The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White: Book CoverFinished 12-16-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2009

Book 2 in the Tradd Street series

“And?” I prompted.

“They found human remains inside.”

I didn’t respond.  I was on my knees following the trail of salt, realizing too late that the grainy spills resembled footprints.  I held my breath as if preparing to dive into water, and stopped when I saw that the trail of salt led to the back stairway.

“Jack?” I whispered. ” I think we have a problem.”  And then I dropped my phone and started to scream.

Chapter 5

Melanie is a successful and attractive Charleston realtor who also has the uncanny gift of being able to interact with ghosts.  She has recently reconciled with her recovering alcoholic father and when her mother, who has been absent from her life for 30 years, waltzes back into town she has enough.  Her mother pulls strings with Melanie’s boss and she s forced to help her mother buy her childhood home, just a short walk to her own home.  Melanie is uptight and plans every detail of her life and her mother and friend with sparks, Jack, do not fit into her plans. 

The historical home that her mother bought has been haunted since her mother was a child and the spirit is gaining strength and hatred.  The two must come to terms with each other.  And Jack has started dating a woman who rankles Melanie and much of the book is spent with the silent treatment being used by both of them.  But the puzzle of the past and the details of who this evil spirit may be brings them together, if only to solve the riddle of Melanie’s heritage.

As with the first book, I really enjoyed the ghostly elements of the story.  These evil ones can do real damage!  I enjoyed Melanie more in this one, but Jack less.  I really thought he behaving stupidly, but maybe that’s not too far from reality.  Melanie and Jack keep dancing around each other and a little of that can go a long way.  And I confess that I really didn’t like the very end.  The plot all comes together in a satisfactory way, but the addition of the last page or two was unnecessary.

I would recommend this book and the first one, even if you are not into ghosts, I’m certainly not and I think these are fun mysteries.

tlc tour hostStop by the TLC website and see who else has reviewed this book.  I received this book from the tour for review.

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now the top vote getter is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving)

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

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The Awakening by Kate Chopin: Book CoverFinished 12-14-09, rating 4.5/5, fiction, pub. 1899

In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not  a mother-woman.  The mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle.  It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood.  They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy priviledge to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels

Chapter IV

Edna Pontellier is a young woman living in New Orleans in the late 1880’s,  Her life, like that of most ladies at that time, revolves around her husband, children, and social calls.  Then one summer while she and her family were on Grand Isle, she becomes enamoured with Robert Lebrun, who returns the interest in kind.  As Edna feels propriety fall away, her new way of looking at her life makes her a changed woman and unhappy.  Edna is a woman who is stuck in a box and she longs to break free.

This is a re-read for me.  I read it in college and loved it.  It’s on my Top 100 list and it will likely be there for quite some time.  There is a profound beauty in the writing and with Edna’s awakening that left much for thought.  There were passages that moved me, made me think, and defined the times.  I cannot get into too much discussion without ruining the end, but I would recommend this book as a thoughtful classic. 

Kate Chopin was very sensitive to criticism and the harshness of her detractors over this book forced her to stop writing altogether.  This was her last novel and it is a shame she never got the recognition she deserved when she was alive.  People seem to think you need to agree with Edna’s decisions to appreciate the book.  I think that is missing the point.  But that’s just me.

I chose to read this as part of a book group that Em at The Many Thoughts of a Reader is hosting.  Feel free to stop by her blog as she and others discuss it.  I think I may be the only one who loves it 🙂

This book was from my personal library.

You will choose 50 of the books I will read next year.  If you help me you could win a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble.  Go here to vote. (Right now the top vote getter is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving)