I honestly don't know if anyone reads this blog. It doesn't really matter to me. I write it more for myself than anything. I just wanted to put it out there that I am still reading. I haven't written for a while #1 because school started. Nothing happens, at least for the first month, except school once it starts. #2 I have been having some health issues and frankly I have not felt up to writing. I am however still reading. In fact I have read a number of books since my last entry. I am simply going to list them for now because I don't have much time - Blockade Billy by Stephen King, One Summer by David Baldacci, Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones, Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson, and One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. I know I should have taken the time to write about each one of these because they were all great reads. Maybe I will take the time to do that at a later date.
I am currently reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. This is the sixth book in her spectacular "Outlander" series. I have to say she is one of my all time favorites because of this series. I believe I have written about these books before. They are almost indescribably great reads.
I will be having surgery next Tuesday, October 18th. I don't know how long it will be until I will be able to get online to blog again, but never fear I will continue to read!
Happy Reading!
Texas Library Lady
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
More Historical Fiction
I honestly can not remember the first book I read in the historical fiction genre. I wish I could. I'm not sure about the title, but I can say my love of history is directly linked to two men, my father and Coach Z. My entire life, my father has worked on genealogy. Every family vacation I could remember growing up involved libraries, historical societies, research centers, and of course cemeteries (I'm sure a part of my love for mystery, suspense, and thrillers is derived from my many hours spent in various graveyards). It wasn't until after I married I discovered the joy of Disney World! As ironic as that may be that trip also included genealogy because my husband's grandfather was raised in Florida, in Orlando,so it was very appropriate that we visit the land of his birth, oh and the mouse of course. Even now at forty I find myself drawn to cemeteries. Everytime I see one I have to point it out. My husband recently said there was no denying I am my father's daughter. On a recent trip to Kansas, we made a detour to Winfield where my maternal grandfather is buried. As weird as it may be I also have paternal relatives buried in the same cemetery. As soon as we arrived I was the first out of the car because I always want to be the one to find the tombstone of the family member for which we are searching. I love walking around reading the headstones, wondering how each person died. I know it is morbid, but it is what I think about when calculating their age and reading their names. On this trip we also visited the historical society in Topeka. I don't remember the last time was given a name and date and told to find a birth announcement or death notice, but it felt like welcoming back an old friend to have the microfilm swish around the knobs as the pages of the newspaper swirled by in a flash. The thrill of discovery was rekindled in me. I wanted to find more. In fact I took it upon myself to search for my Mother's birth announcement, but sadly was not able to find one. I believe it might not have been in the paper because my grandmother was so very ill after my mother's birth. The doctors did not believe my grandmother would survive, and it was only with the miraculous care, hands, and prayers of her nurses that she did.
As I was saying at the beginning my love of history actually came from two men, my father and Coach Z. Coach Z was one of my history teachers in high school. I think my junior year. I remember how he would bring history alive for us. He would tell a story. It was not just dates and facts, he would make the events come alive and almost make you feel like you were there experiencing the events with the people of the past. He is one of the reasons I took so many college hours of history and ended up with a minor in history. What a wonderful gift of storytelling he had and I am so thankful to have experienced history through his class.
My favorite time period in history is actually the Revolutionary War. I also love reading about the Civil War. Through the many family vacations we have taken during my youth i have had the great fortune to visit many of the battlegrounds for both of these wars. It is amazing to me to read a story about the places you have seen and think about to the details of why happened on those same land we now walk without any real though to previous events. So many people never think about history. They don't wonder what happened on this spot on this day, at this hour one hundred years ago.
I have read a number of time travel books, and I guess my love of history has made genre one of my very favorites. I love the idea of traveling back in time to visit the different places and times I have only read about. To meet some of the great men and women of hiotry would be fascinating, although I believe it would also be very overwhelming. Yes, I am educated (two college degrees and aspirations of working on a doctorate someday) but to think of being in the same room as Abigail and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin is terrifying. I would hate to think these great people of history would see me as a bumbling fool.
My intention when I started writing tonight was to give insight into my latest discovery, The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. This was one of those books that just fell into my lap. It wasn't the cover that caught my attention necessarily, but the blurb's description of the main character, Edie's "love of words and mystery." I found a number of quotes that I simply fell in love with while reading, including (from page 16), "I'm just not the type of person who accumulates friends or enjoys crowds. I'm good with words, but not the spoken kind; I've often thought what a marvelous thing it would be if I could only conduct relationships on paper. And I suppose in a sense, that's what I do, for I've hundreds of the other sort, the friends contained within bindings, page after page after glorious page of ink, stories that unfold the same way every time but never lose their joy, that take me by the hand and lead me through doorways into worlds of great terror and rapturous delight." I was also grabbed by this wonderful quote on page 25, "After all, it is the librarian's sworn purpose to bring books together with their one true reader." I tight I. It have been reading about myself when I came across, "It's natural in times of great perplexity, I think, to seek out the familiar, and the high shelves and long rows of neatly lined-up spines were immensely reassuring.amid the smell of ink and binding, the dusty motes in beams of strained sunlight, the embrace of warm tranquil air, I felt that I could breathe more easily. I was aware of my pulse slowing to it's regular pace and my thoughts drilling their fenders."
I have never claimed to be a writer. The only reason I write this blog is to help me remember and express my opinions of the books I have read, the adult books and not the children's picture books I read for my professional life. This is all about my enjoyment of the written word, like Edie's. That being said, I claim to be a reader.
I was completely enamored by the author's use of time. I love the way the book begins with the prologue of The True History of the Mud Man. As you read through the book, you find what an important role this book has on so many of the characters. Although the Mud Man is a fictional character I am so very glad Ms. Morton provided us the readers with the story so we could be privy to the emotion brought about by this book on all of the characters. We are then thrust into a kitchen in England where a letter is delivered 50 years late. Through the characters reading we find ourselves engrossed in their private letters and then transported back in time to relive their experiences. What begins as a summer reading on the history of this great castle ends with the discovery of a great mystery and deep secrets held in the walls of the fortress. Just as reading a letter or journal transitions into a new chapter where the writer is no longer writing but actually experiencing the events recorded on paper. The writing evolves into the story with such wonderful detail. It is a beautiful, way to bring the reader closer to the characters in a unique manner. The way the story is woven together through letters, manuscripts, journals and books is one of the most enduring elements to me as a lifelong reader. I look forward to reading Ms. Morton's other books and simply want to say to her, Thank You. The Distant Hours did not make me a reader, like The True History of the Mud Man made Edie a reader, but I am grateful I found this book and this wonderful story.
As I was saying at the beginning my love of history actually came from two men, my father and Coach Z. Coach Z was one of my history teachers in high school. I think my junior year. I remember how he would bring history alive for us. He would tell a story. It was not just dates and facts, he would make the events come alive and almost make you feel like you were there experiencing the events with the people of the past. He is one of the reasons I took so many college hours of history and ended up with a minor in history. What a wonderful gift of storytelling he had and I am so thankful to have experienced history through his class.
My favorite time period in history is actually the Revolutionary War. I also love reading about the Civil War. Through the many family vacations we have taken during my youth i have had the great fortune to visit many of the battlegrounds for both of these wars. It is amazing to me to read a story about the places you have seen and think about to the details of why happened on those same land we now walk without any real though to previous events. So many people never think about history. They don't wonder what happened on this spot on this day, at this hour one hundred years ago.
I have read a number of time travel books, and I guess my love of history has made genre one of my very favorites. I love the idea of traveling back in time to visit the different places and times I have only read about. To meet some of the great men and women of hiotry would be fascinating, although I believe it would also be very overwhelming. Yes, I am educated (two college degrees and aspirations of working on a doctorate someday) but to think of being in the same room as Abigail and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin is terrifying. I would hate to think these great people of history would see me as a bumbling fool.
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| The Distant Hours by Kate Morton |
I have never claimed to be a writer. The only reason I write this blog is to help me remember and express my opinions of the books I have read, the adult books and not the children's picture books I read for my professional life. This is all about my enjoyment of the written word, like Edie's. That being said, I claim to be a reader.
I was completely enamored by the author's use of time. I love the way the book begins with the prologue of The True History of the Mud Man. As you read through the book, you find what an important role this book has on so many of the characters. Although the Mud Man is a fictional character I am so very glad Ms. Morton provided us the readers with the story so we could be privy to the emotion brought about by this book on all of the characters. We are then thrust into a kitchen in England where a letter is delivered 50 years late. Through the characters reading we find ourselves engrossed in their private letters and then transported back in time to relive their experiences. What begins as a summer reading on the history of this great castle ends with the discovery of a great mystery and deep secrets held in the walls of the fortress. Just as reading a letter or journal transitions into a new chapter where the writer is no longer writing but actually experiencing the events recorded on paper. The writing evolves into the story with such wonderful detail. It is a beautiful, way to bring the reader closer to the characters in a unique manner. The way the story is woven together through letters, manuscripts, journals and books is one of the most enduring elements to me as a lifelong reader. I look forward to reading Ms. Morton's other books and simply want to say to her, Thank You. The Distant Hours did not make me a reader, like The True History of the Mud Man made Edie a reader, but I am grateful I found this book and this wonderful story.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Patterson - Never Disappoints
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| Now You See Her by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge |
I believe I have read just about every one of James Patterson's adult novels. I say just about because I know there are a few that I started to read and just couldn't get into at the time, but that is a rarity when it comes to my relationship with Mr. Patterson. He has a way of grabbing hold of me and sucking me in like no other author. I can't really describe what I like about his writing. I guess maybe it is the twist and the way he leads you down one path and before you know it you have been shot clear to the other side of road with one of his great spins.
In Now You See Her he does it again. He pulled me in from the very beginning of the book when our main character Jeanine is walking into a downtown New York hotel and meeting a handsome young stranger, Mr. Smith. Of course, the reader thinks only the worst as Mr. and Mrs. Smith quickly go up to one of the luxury rooms. Well, the twist starts there and doesn't end until the last page, back in New York in a luxury penthouse apartment.
Flashing back, we meet a young Jeanine in Florida partying with her college friends as they celebrate their last spring break as students. It is this last night that changes everything for Jeanine. The choices she makes in that evening change her life forever.
Patterson continues his short chapters, one of my favorite things because I always think I can make it through one more chapter before I have to ... (fill in the blank...go to sleep, fix dinner, get back to work, wash clothes, etc.). The only problem with the short chapters is I tend not to stop with just one more. I am always compelled to continue reading because I simply can not put the book down. I really do love James Patterson's books. I go to his website often to see when the next books will be released. As soon as I see a new one is coming out I go straight to my public library's website and put the book on hold. If the book has not been ordered yet because the date is too far in the future, I make an appointment on my calendar reminding me to go in and put the book on hold about six weeks prior to the release date. I always want to be one of the first to read his newest book. Right now I will have to wait until August to read his new book (Kill Me If You Can), which actually has a few pages of preview at the end of Now You See Her. I don't ever want to read the previews because I can't stand to wait for the entire book.
Oh, and yes, I already have this book on hold...it's a pending status because the book hasn't been released, but as soon as the library gets it in I will have a copy in my hands!
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Book to Movie, part 2
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| The Help by Kathryn Stockett |
It seems that everyone (or just about everyone) I have talked has already read this book. Okay, I was a few years behind, but oh man, oh man am I glad I finally made the time to read it. In fact I spent more time on this book than either other this summer. I wanted to relish in the character's descriptions and "their stories". I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with the compassion of some of the characters and despised the hate and cruelty depicted by others.
I can't imagine treating another human being, especially someone I have brought into my home, in the manner in which some of the "white" women were treating their "help". It just does not make any sense to me. I know times were very different in the 1960, especially in southern states like Mississippi. [Well, according to a friend (of color) times might not have changed so very much based on the treatment she and her husband ("white") experienced when driving through Mississippi about 15 years ago.] I have read books, seen movies, and heard about the civil rights movement, but this book seem to show a side I had never thought about, let alone experienced.
I was not raised in a household with any kind of domestic help. In fact this seems like a foreign concept to me, having someone come into your home to clean, cook, and raise your children. I know I am not the best at doing any of those things, but I really can't see paying someone to come into my home and do those things for me (not that I wouldn't love it on some days, like the first day of school or Thursday evenings!). I know my grandmother had a maid named Bernice. I don't really know a lot about her, in fact the only story I really remember hearing was about her drinking the cooking sherry. I couldn't even tell you her last name, what she looked like, or anything else. I don't think she was working for my grandmother after I was born. I believe there would have been a least a few pictures of her holding me. I don't think my grandmother would have fit into any of the chapters in The Help, at least I hope not. It would make me really sad.
I loved the way the chapters were written from the perspective of the different characters. There was no need for an all seeing / knowing narrator because the characters themselves could tell their story and everything about what was happening in their lives and in their work place. I really wanted to hear more of their stories. I actually wanted to read the finally book in order to really get a more rounded feel of all of the maids and their different work households. I was as encouraged by the uplifting stories of the women of the house, as I was disheartened by the villainous acts of women to their hired help.
Loved, loved, loved this book and I am anxious to see the movie. I know it will not be as good as the book (or the movie I have already created in my mind while reading the book), but I will go see it any way.
After reading this book, I know one thing is for sure... I will never be able to look at chocolate pie the same way again!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Time for Reading, NOT for Blogging
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| Make Take Murder by Joanna Campbell Slan |
I have been reading scrapbook mysteries since I discovered them, I don't even remember how long ago. Joanna Campbell Slan's Kiki Lowenstein series is actually the second scrapbook mystery series I have found (the first being by Laura Child's Carmela Bertrand series). Both of these authors provide wonderful ideas greatly enter mingled in great mysteries. I have tried a number of the tips and tricks from both series. They can get my creative juices flowing which can cause a great conundrum...be creative or read. Usually reading comes up on top, therefore I have not completed a number of the projects and scrapbooks I have started and/ or planned.
In this fourth book in the series, Kiki, while searching for her missing paycheck in the dumpster behind her scrapbook store discovers a severed leg. When a message from the owner of the leg reveals Kiki knows more about this case than even Kiki realizes. Wonderful, creative scrapbooking tips are included in this mystery which will make even the most inventive cropper want to try them out.
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| Elvis and the Grateful Dead by Peggy Webb |
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| Lift by Kelly Corrigan |
I picked up Lift by Kelly Corrigan right after finishing Elvis. It was going from one extreme to another. This book is a letter from a mother to her daughters telling them of special moments in their lives. While reading I felt a true connection with the author. I loved the way she talked to her daughters, as well as her sister-in-law who lost her son in a car accident. Some of the memories moved me to tears and others made me laugh out loud. What a wonderful way to share with her daughters as well as the world her love for her children.
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| Elephant's Graveyard by George Brant |
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| Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt |
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| First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones |
I did not find First Grave on the Right at the library. I actually found it while walking through the book aisle of Sam's Warehouse Club. I have almost one hundred books on my Nook, another one hundred on my Kindle, and too many books around my house to even try to count, but I ALWAYS have to go down the book aisle to see what great books are waiting for me to add to my ever growing list of must reads. I'm not really sure what caught my eye, maybe the scythe, but this is the only book I picked up and added to my list. In fact I was so intrigued by the concept of a private investigating grim reaper that I stood there in the aisle and looked up the cost of this book on my Nook app on my phone. (Yes, I guess this is a little reading obsession going on, but in a good way, right?!?) When I found out it cost more to purchase the book on my Nook than the actual book in my hand I was a little disappointed. I wanted to read the book, but I was just not willing to use the cash in my purse (another obsession of mine...hoard the cash.) As soon as I got home I checked to see if the local library had a copy of this book. I immediately placed it on hold. It came in the next day and I received the text message letting me know it was available only minutes before I finished reading Making Toast. Therefore it was the next logical choice for me to read. Right?
First Grave is by Darynda Jones, the winner of the 2009 Golden Heart for Best Paranormal Novel for this manuscript. It is the first in a series of at this time three books about Charlotte Jean Davidson, known to her friends and family as Charley Davidson. Not only is she a private investigator working with the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department, but she is also the Grim Reaper. She works with her Uncle Bob to solve cases and references a number of cases she has helped solve in her lifetime through stories she tells to her assistant Cookie. I really enjoyed finding this new series and am anxious for the second book to come out in August.
Now, I must get started on the next book on my list. I have actually already started reading it and I am hooked so I need to stop writing and get to reading.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Challenge COMPLETE!
I finished the 12 in 12 challenge by my goal...ALMOST. I actually finished at 12:09 AM on July 1st, but I think that is pretty good. I wanted to finish before July, but missed it by only minutes. I'll take it!
I really LOVED Payback Time by Carl Deuker. I chose the book simply because it had a football helmet on the cover (yes, again judging books by the cover). I LOVE football and when football season is over I tend to grab at least one football book to read in order to make it through until the next season. With the way this year is panning out, I might be reading a lot of football books! Anyway, this was a wonderful book that had football in it, but was really more about the journalistic writings of a high school newspaper sports writer. Football and the players played an important role in this book, but if I say too much it will ruin the story. I have to say, I was very surprised with the twist in this book. I will say, being the football fan that I am, the Philadelphia references were difficult for me to read (I really can't stand the eagles - yes I know that is their name, but not so important to me!) and made a lot more sense at the end of the book.
Since the challenge is complete I guess you thought I would stop reading. After all that was the point right, to get through all of the books needed in order to finish the challenge? Not at all, the point of finishing the challenge was so I could read all of the books I have been accumulating since last summer. I save books to read during the summer so I can immerse myself in the story and the characters. I have a book next to my chair that I have wanted to read since I saw it on display in the library. The fourth book in a series I have enjoyed since I fell across the first a few years ago. It is a scrapbooking series. Actually it is the second scrapbooking series I have discovered and I really enjoy reading them because they give me inspiration to create my own special treasures. I carried this fourth book with me yesterday with all intentions to read this book. I was going to have a lot of quiet time in order to read and I thought I could make it through at least a fourth of the book. This was not the case because since I was spending my time in a library (one of my very favorite places, in my very favorite chair) I found a few new books I wanted to read. When you let me loose in a library, it is like giving a shopaholic a free, unlimited shopping spree in the Mall of America! I couldn't NOT look just in case the book I have been waiting for FOREVER is right here on the shelf calling my name.
That is exactly what happened! I found the second book to a series I started reading at the exact same point, place, and time last year. I discovered Richard Paul Evans' The Walk last year and fell in love with the journey of a man walking across the United States from Washington to Key West, Florida. The first book takes Alan Christoffersen barely across Washington and ends in a very surprising manner. The second book picks up right where the first left off. It was like finding an old friend. I sat down and read almost half the book during this quiet time alone in my favorite chair. I finished the book this morning and feel like my friend Alan is a long away from me now because I have to wait until next April to see where his journey will take him on his quest for Florida.
So now I have finished yet another book so I better go back to the book I intended to read yesterday. Let's see if I can finish this book before I find another one that starts calling to me.
I really LOVED Payback Time by Carl Deuker. I chose the book simply because it had a football helmet on the cover (yes, again judging books by the cover). I LOVE football and when football season is over I tend to grab at least one football book to read in order to make it through until the next season. With the way this year is panning out, I might be reading a lot of football books! Anyway, this was a wonderful book that had football in it, but was really more about the journalistic writings of a high school newspaper sports writer. Football and the players played an important role in this book, but if I say too much it will ruin the story. I have to say, I was very surprised with the twist in this book. I will say, being the football fan that I am, the Philadelphia references were difficult for me to read (I really can't stand the eagles - yes I know that is their name, but not so important to me!) and made a lot more sense at the end of the book.
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| The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown |
The second to the last category on the challenge was an adult bestseller. Well, if you have been reading my blog for a while, you will see that a number of the books I read are adult bestsellers. I guess as one of the readers I have contributed to this status. I haven't simply chosen the book because of it's placement on the New York Times Bestsellers List, I read them because the book intrigues me or because it is written by an author I have been reading for years. So when it came to this area I had to do some research. I went back to the beginning of the year to see titles of books on the NYTBL starting in January. When I got to the end of the month, I spotted The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. Now, I am not sure if this quote was actually in the description provided on the NYTBL, but it is one of the reasons I was HAD to read this book, "There is no problem that a library card can't solve." This quote, and a number of others including, "Because despite his money and his looks and all the good-on-paper attributes he possessed, he was not a reader, and, well, let’s just say that is the sort of nonsense up with which we will not put" were simply too goo not to record and remember. I am not a Shakespearian scholar by any means (in fact if it weren't for my son's invovlement in a Shakespearian theater group I wouldn't know half this much) but I was surprised how many of the quotes used throughout the book I have heard or knew from other references. This books was not a typical book I would have chosen to read if it had not had the reading / book references. I usually find suspense, thrillers, mysteries, romance, comedy more to my liking, but this book grabbed me from the very beginning. I loved the book's voice. While reading I almost felt there were four sisters and the narrating sister was never invovled in the story just an ever seeing presence. This is a book I will remember for a long time because of the growth of the sisters through the book and their love of family, books, and reading.
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| Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris |
The last book on the challenge was my personal choice. Now, all of the books on the challenge were my personal choice just in specified categories. So, I chose the fourth (and hopefully not last book) in the Harper Connelly series written by Charlaine Harris, Grave Secret. I recently read the third book in the series and really wanted to see what Harper and Tolliver were going to do in the next book. I love reading series books, it just really bothers me when they end, or worse yet when the author simply stops writing about the characters in the series. Now, it is my understanding this series has been picked up to be a new television series on CBS called Grave Site. I will give the show a chance, but I would much rather read more books about this twenty-something who has the ability to locate the dead after being struck by lightning.
Since the challenge is complete I guess you thought I would stop reading. After all that was the point right, to get through all of the books needed in order to finish the challenge? Not at all, the point of finishing the challenge was so I could read all of the books I have been accumulating since last summer. I save books to read during the summer so I can immerse myself in the story and the characters. I have a book next to my chair that I have wanted to read since I saw it on display in the library. The fourth book in a series I have enjoyed since I fell across the first a few years ago. It is a scrapbooking series. Actually it is the second scrapbooking series I have discovered and I really enjoy reading them because they give me inspiration to create my own special treasures. I carried this fourth book with me yesterday with all intentions to read this book. I was going to have a lot of quiet time in order to read and I thought I could make it through at least a fourth of the book. This was not the case because since I was spending my time in a library (one of my very favorite places, in my very favorite chair) I found a few new books I wanted to read. When you let me loose in a library, it is like giving a shopaholic a free, unlimited shopping spree in the Mall of America! I couldn't NOT look just in case the book I have been waiting for FOREVER is right here on the shelf calling my name.
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| Miles to Go by Richard Paul Evans |
So now I have finished yet another book so I better go back to the book I intended to read yesterday. Let's see if I can finish this book before I find another one that starts calling to me.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Summer '11 - 12 in 12 challenge
Okay, I know NEXT year is 2012, but THIS year before the end of the school year I was given a challenge called 12 in 12. Now, let's see if I can remember all 12 of the books I am supposed to read this summer.
2 - Texas Lone Star Books
a. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
b. Payback Time (still reading - very good) by Carl Deuker
2 - Graphic Novels
a. CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk by Sekou Hamilton
b. Troublemaker by Janet Evanovich
1 - Adult Bestseller
a. ?????? (don't know what I will choose yet...saving it for next to last)
1 - Genre you usually don't read
a. On a Pale Horse (fantasy) by Piers Anthony
2 - E-books
a. Stupid History by Leland Gregory
b. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
1 - Preview book for 2011-2012 school year
a. Oh, Harry by Maxine Kumin
1 - Book of choice
a. ?????? (don't know what I will choose yet....saving it for last)
2 - Texas Bluebonnet Books
a. Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer
b. The Case of the Case of the Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
Okay, needless to say, I didn't need a challenge to get me to read this summer. In fact I have been waiting all school year to have more time to read. This challenge did provide me with the opportunity to read some great books I might not have otherwise read, for instance On a Pale Horse.
Fantasy is not necessarily a genre I jump up to read. I am more the suspense/ thriller reader. My husband, however, loves fantasy. When I was pregnant with our son he started reading one of the David Eddings Belgariad books. I could not stay awake to listen. It was just not my thing. When I showed him this challenge he told me he would choose the book for the genre not usually read category (yes, he knows me and my reading habits that well...it's what comes with both of us being a librarian). This is the book he chose. I have to admit it was a good read. At first I was reluctant to read the book simply because of the cover. I truly believe fantasy books have turned me off for all of these years because of the cover picture. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but come on who doesn't?!? I was surprised how this book grabbed me. It was fascinating to read about all of Death's adventures. I was intrigued by the job and really hope my soul is able to leave my body before the pain of death overtakes me. Weird, yes, but this book really makes you think about your own mortality. I'm trying to decide if I want to read any of the other books in this series.
I chose Payback Time BECAUSE of the cover! I LOVE football and it seemed this book would have something to do with my favorite sport. I am currently reading this book (started this afternoon and I am almost 100 pages in - for me that is great because I am a slow reader) so I am not going to write about it yet. Next time.
Since I have had a Nook for over a year now, the e-book part of the challenge was fairly easy. I chose books I have been wanting to read. A lot of people love Charlaine Harris for her Sookie Stackhouse books, the basis for the HBO True Blood series. I have read a few of these books, but I have to admit I am not really on the vampire bandwagon. I have read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, but I think I might have had my fill of vampires for a while. I love the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris. An Ice Cold Grave is the 3rd book in this series about a young woman who can locate the dead after being struck by lightning. This book takes place in North Carolina.
The next e-book I chose was actually one I saw on the free book site and grabbed because it sounded like something I would like to read. Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages by Leland Gregory. When I saw how many pages this book had, I really thought it was going to take me a long time to read (not something I was too excited about because I wanted to finish this challenge so I could read what I want to read this summer...as if I don't have a choice on all of these titles). This was not the case at all. I finished it in one day! It was such a great book that goes through all of the history we think we know and tells what really happened! I'm sure if high school students were to read a book like this instead of a text book they would remember these stories a lot longer than the incorrect information we have been learning all of these years.
When it comes to graphic novels I have never been a fan. In fact the closest I have really ever gotten to reading a graphic novel (other than graphic picture books) has been Mad magazine. Even then I would skip over the big sections of "comic book like" stories. I just am not into that kind of reading (maybe that should have been the genre I don't usually read?!?). I went to Half Priced Books in order to look for two graphic novels. I thought I had hit the jackpot when I found two right away. CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk and Troublemaker. I was correct on one count. I enjoyed the CSI story. It was very much like the television series, which I love.
The same can not be said for Troublemaker by Janet & Alex Evanovich. I really wanted to like this graphic novel. I have heard from so many of my friends who love her Stephanie Plum series of books, but this series (this is the first in the Barnaby and Hooker series) just did not do anything for me. I didn't feel the book ended. I understand it is the first book in a series, but it seems that each book should have an ending so you don't have to buy the next book in order for the story to end. You should be able to finish this portion of the story and then let something else happen in the next book. I was very disappointed. Now I'm not sure if I really want to read any of her other books. However being the reader that I am, I probably will read at least one of the Plum books.
There are two books left for me to choose as I complete this challenge. I know what I WANT them to be, but I know I will not read them because they are both over 1200 pages. I'm sure I will find something to fill these two blanks. I really wanted to be finished with this challenge before July so I guess I better stop blogging and get to reading!
2 - Texas Lone Star Books
a. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
b. Payback Time (still reading - very good) by Carl Deuker
2 - Graphic Novels
a. CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk by Sekou Hamilton
b. Troublemaker by Janet Evanovich
1 - Adult Bestseller
a. ?????? (don't know what I will choose yet...saving it for next to last)
1 - Genre you usually don't read
a. On a Pale Horse (fantasy) by Piers Anthony
2 - E-books
a. Stupid History by Leland Gregory
b. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
1 - Preview book for 2011-2012 school year
a. Oh, Harry by Maxine Kumin
1 - Book of choice
a. ?????? (don't know what I will choose yet....saving it for last)
2 - Texas Bluebonnet Books
a. Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer
b. The Case of the Case of the Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
Okay, needless to say, I didn't need a challenge to get me to read this summer. In fact I have been waiting all school year to have more time to read. This challenge did provide me with the opportunity to read some great books I might not have otherwise read, for instance On a Pale Horse.
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| On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony |
It was a bit difficult for me to choose the two Texas Lone Star books I wanted to read. I will admit there were not too many on the list that just grabbed me. Thankfully two of them did right away. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman and Payback Time by Carl Deuker.
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| The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman |
I have actually already written about The Grimm Legacy but it really was a great book. I wish the ending had been left open for a sequel. It was a very unique combination of The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and The Librarian movies from Turner Network Television starring Noah Wyle. I love the way Ms. Shulman weaves the characters around fairy tale objects. What a wonderful idea. I know I said before I don't usually read fantasy, maybe I was wrong...but I am still listing On a Pale Horse for this part of the challenge!
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| Payback Time by Carl Deuker |
I chose Payback Time BECAUSE of the cover! I LOVE football and it seemed this book would have something to do with my favorite sport. I am currently reading this book (started this afternoon and I am almost 100 pages in - for me that is great because I am a slow reader) so I am not going to write about it yet. Next time.
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| An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris |
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| Stupid History by Leland Gregory |
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| CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk by Sekou Hamilton |
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| Troublemaker by Janet & Alex Evanovich |
There are two books left for me to choose as I complete this challenge. I know what I WANT them to be, but I know I will not read them because they are both over 1200 pages. I'm sure I will find something to fill these two blanks. I really wanted to be finished with this challenge before July so I guess I better stop blogging and get to reading!
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