Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A to Z Book Challenge

Karen of OCDAbout books, http://ocdaboutbooks.blogspot.com, has a challenge on her blog that I decided to partake in, the challenge is to read a book that starts with a letter of the alphabet, 26 letters, 26 books in a year, you do not have to read them in alphabetical order. I will make a post each time I finish one of the books and include a review.

Karen has a great blog, she reviews books, includes some of her youtube videos, has IMM posts, exciting challenges and lots of other interesting book related items, wander over and check her blog out sometime!

Below is a list of the 26 books I have chosen they are all on my bookcases at home so this should help lighted my TBR pile somewhat!

Okay here is my list for the Alphabet Challenge;
1. Amagansett by Mark Mills
2. Blackbird by Jennifer Lauck
3. Casual by Oksana Robski
4. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
6. Fatal Flowers by Rosemary Daniell
7. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
8. Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
9. In the Hand of Dante by Nick Tosches
10. Jesus Out to Sea by Jame Lee Burke
11. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
12. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
13. Meg Hell's Aquarium by Steve Alten
14. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
15. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
16. Phantasies by George MacDonald
17. Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary Carlip
18. Remembering Blue by Connie May Fowler
19. Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
20. Those Who Saved Us by Jenna Blum
21. Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
22. Vanish by Tess Gerritsen
23. Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler
24. Xenocide, book 3 in the Ender series by Orson Scott Card
25. You Suck by Christopher Moore
26. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pisig

Wish me luck!

The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lillian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell (Cat Who... #28)

by Lilian Jackson Braun

"The residents of Pickax eagerly await the start of Pickax Now, a festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the town's founding. In the midst of preparations for parades and performances, newspaper columnist James Qwilleran must make time to entertain Harvey Ledfield, an aspiring architect visiting from out of town." "Qwill welcomes Harvey into his home ...more "The residents of Pickax eagerly await the start of Pickax Now, a festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the town's founding. In the midst of preparations for parades and performances, newspaper columnist James Qwilleran must make time to entertain Harvey Ledfield, an aspiring architect visiting from out of town." "Qwill welcomes Harvey into his home to sketch, but strange occurrences seem to follow Harvey around. Why, for example, did the extraordinary Siamese Koko leap from the balcony onto Harvey's head while he was drawing Qwill's barn? And why have Harvey's aunt and uncle - residents of nearby Purple Point - not been seen in public since Harvey's arrival?" Soon, Koko's strange behavior is not the only sign of trouble in Pickax. A knitter with psychic powers predicts murder, and a woman makes a weekend trip to Pickax from California to leave a message for Qwill. It's up to Koko to help Qwill piece the clues together. (this is reprinted from the Goodreads site)

My review;
4 stars I have read all "The Cat Who" mysteries and I really enjoy them, this one is no exception. They are a light, fluffy kind of read. The first ones in the series were a lot more detailed, better mysteries and I loved how I learned about something about an unique subject, for instance walnuts, in each book.

The more recent books in this series have not had as much character development as the earlier ones and the mystery is usually kind of an afterthought to whatever else is going on in Pickax with Mr. Q and the cats, but I still like these fun, quick reads!

This is the first book in my yearly 50 book challenge group on Shelfarie.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Unbelievable by Sara Sheperd

Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars #4)

by Sara Shepard (Goodreads Author)

Four pretty little liars' charmed lives have turned into living nightmares.
Emily's been shipped off to Iowa to live with her überconservative cousins. Aria's boyfriend is behind bars—because of her. Spencer's afraid she was involved in Ali's murder. But Hanna's fate is far worse: She's clinging to life in the hospital because she knew too much.
If these girls don't start listening to me, Hanna's going to look like the lucky one. Reprinted from the Goodreads site.
My Review;
5 Stars!
Great addition to this highly addictive YA series. I was right about the identity of A and how A got their information on the girls. But of course this book ended with a major twist that I didn't see coming, so now I have to get the next book; "Wicked"!

Hannah was getting on my last nerve in this book, I think she is my least favorite of the girls and I cannot believe the dumb decisions these girls make sometimes, but their lives are anything but dull so I will have to get the next book in the series; "Wicked"!

Friday, October 1, 2010

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

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)

by George R.R. Martin

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace...only to be launched on an eve ...more Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace...only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

A Feast for Crows
It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears....With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors. (from Goodreads site)

My review; 5 stars/a favorite

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this series, the setting, the characters, the action, the dialogue, use of POV- characters, the list is just endless of the reasons I LOVE this series! There is so much intrigue, romance, war, spys, backstabbing, family fights, and lest I forget, DRAGONS!, although in this particular book the dragons are talked about, but don't really appear! I cannot wait for the next book in this series!!

Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott

Blue Shoe

by Anne Lamott

3.19

Mattie Ryder is marvelously neurotic, well-intentioned, funny, religious, sarcastic, tender, angry, and broke. And her life at the moment is a wreck: her marriage has failed, her mother is failing, her house is rotting, her waist is expanding (and she's a perfect size 12 model at Sears), she has a crush on a married man, and her two young children are behaving the way youn ...more Mattie Ryder is marvelously neurotic, well-intentioned, funny, religious, sarcastic, tender, angry, and broke. And her life at the moment is a wreck: her marriage has failed, her mother is failing, her house is rotting, her waist is expanding (and she's a perfect size 12 model at Sears), she has a crush on a married man, and her two young children are behaving the way young children in the midst of a divorce behave. Then she comes upon a small rubber blue shoe - the kind you might get from a gum ball machine - and a few other trifles that were left years ago in her deceased father's car. They hold the clues to her messy upbringing, and as Mattie and her brother follow these clues to uncover the secrets of their past, she begins to open her heart to her difficult, brittle mother and to the father she only thought she knew.(published from the Goodreads site)

My review;
This was an audio book I listened to on the way to and from work, it was okay, the narrator was great, but the story was just kind of so so, I didn't like alot of the characters, especially the main character Mattie.

The storyline just kind meandered, I'm not sure if I'll read another book by this author or not.

So Many Books, So Little Time