In the Forests of the Night- Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

176 pages

Vampire girl loves a tiger.
Vampire boy kills tiger because vampire girls hunts in his territory.
Vampire girl nearly kills vampire boy, and becomes a stronger vampire.
The end.

2008 total: 34
pages read: 13,988

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

249 pages

Amazon.com Review
Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople? A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat. (Ages 9 and older)


I liked this book. Even though it is a children's book, I found it hard to put down.

It gave any interesting picture of life in colonial Connecticut.
The witch hunt was actually a smaller portion of the story than you would expect.
The reasons for suspicion of witchcraft were ridiculous, though I'm sure similar charges were used during the New England witch trials.
All in all, this is a good, delightful read.

2008 total: 33
pages read: 13,812

A Spoonful of Poison- M.C. Beaton

312 pages (large print edition)

From Publishers Weekly
When elderly Mrs. Andrews blithely jumps to her death off the tower of Saint Odo the Severe during a church charity event in the Cotswolds village of Comfrey Magna, LSD-laced jam proves to be the cause in bestseller Beaton's saucy 19th Agatha Raisin mystery (after 2007's Kissing Christmas Goodbye). Agatha joins the local authorities in the investigation, which focuses on the six women who contributed jam to the church fete, including wealthy Sybilla Triast-Perkins. Agatha and Toni Gilmour, her young detective-in-training, soon find unmasking the lethal jam poisoner complicated by Sybilla's sudden suicide and a murder connected to the theft of the fete's proceeds. Beaton's sly humor enhances the cozy-style plotting, while updates on Agatha's and Toni's respective romantic travails are delightful as ever. The open-ended resolution points to more madcap mayhem to come


This is the newest Agatha Raisin mystery.
It wasn't my favorite.
It's not a bad book, but, it was predictable.
I find that all of the recent Agatha Raisin books have become predictable and pretty much the same.

2008 total: 32
pages read: 13,563

currently reading: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Skin- Ted Dekker

400 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* A freak tornado drives five characters together in the little Nevada town of Summerville in this striking morality tale superficially reminiscent of Stephen King's Desperation (1996). Dekker's philosophical considerations are his own, however. It seems that as the storm descended a serial killer named Sterling Red began his killing spree. The reader won't understand why for a long time, but, apparently, the killer is partially motivated by the desire for revenge against a nervous deputy--a Las Vegas emigre--named Colt. Sterling Red makes a curious demand of the group: kill the ugliest person among you within six hours. Otherwise, he will wipe out the rest of Summerville. Not that the little group will accede, but just suppose. Is it beauty or ugliness that's skin deep?

I liked this book. I read it in one night. I couldn't put it down- I had to know what was really going on. lol

I have to admit, the explanation was surprising, though a bit off the wall and not likely to really happen.
This book definitely has its flaws, but it was still an enjoyable and suspenseful read.


2008 total: 31
pages read: 13,251

Recent Reads

Due to problems with my internet connection, I have been unable to update this blog in quite some time.
Obviously, I don't have time to review all of the books I've read since the last entry, so I'm just posting a quick list for my records.

Stephanie Meyer: Twilight (544 pages), Eclipse (640 pages), New Moon (608 pages), Breaking Dawn (768 pages)
Teri Blackstock: Breaker's Reef (480 pages)
Lisa Samson: Women's Intuition (386 pages)
PC & Kristin Cast: Marked (The House of Night series) (horrible book! I couldn't finish it)
The Quilter's Apprentice- Jennifer Chiaverini (224 pages)
The Quilter's Kitchen- Jennifer Chiaverini (224 pages)
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie- Sharon Dunn (304 pages)

2008 total: 30
pages read: 12,851

The Kanner Lake Series- Brandilyn Collins

To read my review of the first book in this series, Violet Dawn, click here.

Coral Moon

319 pages

From the Back Cover The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn’t even detect a breath. Spider fingers teased the back of her neck. Leslie’s feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking … what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony at last month’s trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing. Leslie Williams hurries out to her car on a typical workday morning—and discovers a dead body inside. Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest? In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible. Or is it?

I loved this book. It was very good and very suspenseful. Supernatural elements make it different from anything else by this author (at least the ones I have read). I love Brandilyn Collins. The chapters are short (which I like because I tend to read in short spurts), she gradually reveals the identity of the killer through flashbacks, the characters seem real and you genuinely care about them.



Crimson Eve

336 pages

From the back cover: Realtor Carla Radling shows and "English gentleman" a lakeside estate- and finds herself facing a gun.

Who has hired this assassin to kill her, and why?
Forced on the run, Carla must uncover the scathing secrets of her past.
Secrets that could destroy some very powerful people.

I think this was my favorite book in the series. I read it in one day. It literally keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Ms. Collins' tagline "Don't Forget to Breathe" is a fitting description for this book.


Amber Morn

315 pages

From the back cover:
On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die …


This was my least favorite book in the series.
I think part of the reason is because I didn't give it my full attention.
I read it during Hurricane Gustav.
Needless to say, I was somewhat pre-occupied while reading it.
It was a good story line, and I'm sure it is a good book if you read it under normal circumstances. :-)

Also read:
White Lightening- Minton Sparks (128 pages)
The Miracle at Speedy Motors- Alexander McCall Smith (224 pages)

2008 total: 21
pages read: 8673

River's Edge- Terri Blackstock

363 pages

First sentence: "The cramps woke Morgan at 3:30 a.m., startling her out of a deep slumber."

From Publisher's Weekly:
This well-crafted suspense novel picks up immediately following the second installment in the Cape Refuge series: Blair has just become a Christian and a newspaper owner; Morgan struggles with infertility; and Jonathan faces two opponents in his quest to become the mayor of Cape Refuge, their small Georgia island town. When the wife of one of Jonathan's opponents goes missing, among those the chief of police suspects are the third mayoral candidate (who is, unsurprisingly, an atheist), a prosperous fertility doctor and a local psychic who appears to have uncanny knowledge about the case. Despite some didactic moments (a biblical exposition of the dangers of divination, for example), the novel manages to be more plot-driven than message-driven, a step forward for evangelical Christian suspense. Numerous red herrings in the meticulously plotted story will keep readers guessing, and they will be delighted by the skillful surprise ending.


As the above review says, the many red herrings definitely keeps you guessing until the very end. That is always a good thing in a mystery story.
I liked this book. I like this series...... but I still don't like Morgan. lol

Last sentence: "It was like a smile from God."

2008 total: 17
pages read: 7,345

currently reading: The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Quaker Summer

Songbird / Cape Refuge / Southern Storm

464 pages

First line: Mama waited tables down at the Texas Inn, right where Route 29 dipped back up from its sojourn across the bridge that spanned the James River.

Gospel singer Charmaine Hopewell has been searching for her mother since she was 11 years old, abandoned, and thrown into the foster care system.
Now she is married to Harlan Hopewell, a beloved televangelist who has risen to popularity due to his disdain for psychology and psychiatry.
Charmaine, despite their loving relationship, hides her own depression and search for meaning.
Upon finding her mother in a mental institution, Charmaine realizes she must force Harlan into a decision: publicly support his wife and her needs or hide their new-found cross to ensure his rising popularity.
Either way, Charmaine fears his ministry, and her own-both born through hardship and sacrifice-will be destroyed.

I absolutely loved this book.
It is not as bleak as the above description may sound.
It is charming, funny, southern, and touching.

Last line: She's been singing "Good Morning Merry Sunshine" for a while now. I've learned to join in as best I can.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

768 pages

From the Back Cover
Set in the South, volumes one and two from the Cape Refuge suspense series by Terri Blackstock come together under one cover. A unique island setting, close-knit relationships, fast-paced action, and underlying themes of faith combine to make for reading you cant put down at a value you can't turn down.

I liked these books. I liked "Southern Storm" better than "Cape Refuge", though.

These books are fast-paced, surprising, and suspenseful. They are both good mysteries.

My complaint about the first book (Cape Refuge) is that the characters weren't very well developed. I had a hard time picturing them in my mind. There weren't may physical descriptions of any character other than Blair, who has a prominent burn scar on her face.

I really dislike Morgan. She's supposed to be this caring, loving, mother-type woman, but she doesn't come across that way. She cries at the drop of a hat. She comes across as the stereotypical "weak woman." She annoys the heck out of me. You can be loving and motherly without being weak and naive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Currently reading:
River's Edge - Terri Blackstock (third in Cape Refuge series)
Quaker Summer- Lisa Samson


2008 total: 16
total pages read: 6,982

Blink- Ted Dekker

389 pages

First sentence: "They call it the cradle of Islam."

I loved this book.
Seth is a graduate student with an extremely high IQ.
He stumbles upon a Saudi Arabian princess on the run from an arranged marriage. Her marriage is the key to a political coup.
Seth develops the ability to see multiple futures, this enables him to save the princess (and ultimately the world).


Last sentence: "Samir walked down the street, vaguely comforted."

2008 total: 13
pages read: 5750

Sisterchicks do the Hula

278 pages

First sentence:
"Laurie came up with the idea to go to Hawaii."

Two sisterchicks go on a dream vacation to Hawaii.
Along the way they revel in God's creation and learn the deeper meanings of "aloha" and doing the hula.

I didn't like this one as much as I liked the first "Sisterchicks" book. Maybe because I'm just not a sand and surf kinda gal. I dunno, but this one didn't float my boat.

Last sentence:
"I might have gone my whole life without ever learning to do the hula."

2008 total: 12
pages read: 5,361

Sisterchicks on the Loose- Robin Jones Gunn

274 pages

First Sentence: When my husband, Jeff, tells this story, he says it started the day I dyed my hair green.

I am really glad I decided to try something new for this reading challenge.
I normally do not read "chick lit" but I have been curious about Sisterchicks and the Yada Yadas, so I decided to give it a try.

I loved this book. This may be the best book I've read this year (next to Harry Potter, that is ;-)). I liked it even better than "The Yada Yada Prayer Group." It was a fun, feel-good, beautifully written book. I can't wait to read more in this series.


Book Description
SISTERCHICK (n.): A friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you're being a brat.

Unlikely best friends Sharon, quiet mother of four, and Penny, former flower child/motorcycle mama, hatch a plan for a "post-kids" trip to seek out Penny's only living relatives somewhere in far-off Finland.
The land of reindeer, saunas, and starry nights holds infinite promise for the free-flying sisterchicks, who feel their hearts fill with a new zest for living . . . and a fresh view of the One who flung the galaxies across the heavens!

Last sentence (or 3 ;-)): Forever eighteen. Forever knit together by the same hands that dimpled the moon with His thumbprint. Forever sisterchicks.

2008 total: 11
pages read: 5,083

The Yada Yada Prayer Group

385 pages

First Sentence:
I didn't really want to go to the "women's conference" the first weekend in May.

I liked this book.
I am surprised that I liked it, to be honest.
I thought it was going to be a lot of fluff, but it isn't.

It is a fun book, but it also tackles some serious issues and gives you a few things to think about.

I'd recommend it. :-)

From an Amazon review:
The "Yada Yada Prayer Group" is a diverse group of women thrown together to pray during the Chicago Women's conference. But when one of the women's sons is shot while they are still at the conference, they band together to pray round the clock. When the conference comes to a close they discover that they don't want their prayer group to end. While at first they try to keep it going via email, they soon find it is worth the extra effort to meet in person.


Last sentence:
Lifting my face and with awkward grace, on one leg and two crutches, I began to dance.


2008 total: 10
Pages read: 4,819

Spring Reading Thing 2008

I've decided to join this challenge because, for some reason, I tend to read less during the spring and summer months.
Hopefully this will keep me motivated. ;-)




I may completely change the list later on. lol
These are not the type of books I usually read-check out the rest of this blog if you don't believe me. ;-)

If I start reading these and absolutely hate them, I will have to change the list. I know, I know. I'm fickle. I'm totally aware of this. lol


Here is my reading list:

The Yada Yada Prayer Group

Sisterchicks on the Loose

Sisterchicks do the Hula

Sisterchicks in Sombreros (if my request on PBS gets accepted- been waiting for 2 days)

Village Diary - Miss Read

The Red Tent (I must admit, I feel a bit reluctant to start this one. I'm not sure why. I may end up removing it from the list.)

something by Jodi Picoult (Depends on what I can find at the library. I've never read anything by her, and I'm ready to give it a try).

Quite a Year for Plums

111 pages

This book actually has 220 pages, but I didn't finish it.

I like Bailey White.
I loved "Mama Makes Up Her Mind" and "Sleeping at the Starlite Motel."
When I saw this one on Paperback Swap, I snatched it up right away.

Well.

I wish I hadn't.

This book is the worse I have read in a long time. Possibly the worse book I've ever read.
It is excruciatingly boring and confusing.
There is no plot..... unless you count endless facts and discussions about chickens a plot.

There is a character list at the beginning of the book.
I had to look back at it at least twenty times (no kidding)
There were a lot of characters and they weren't introduced in any way in the novel (except for the character list).
They didn't have any distinguishing traits or anything to tell them apart- except by looking back at the character list.
There is almost no descriptions of anything at all.

I hated this book.
Hated. it.

2008 total: 9
pages read: 4,434

Thr3e- Ted Dekker

404 pages

I loved this book!
It was fast paced and kept me guessing right up to the shocking ending.

I am thankful for the few good Christian writers out there.
It's refreshing to read something that is real; something without both the vulgarity in many contemporary novels and the cheesy-churchy-shove-a-moral-lesson-down-your-throat quality of most Christian fiction.


Thr3e cheers for Ted Dekker!!
(sorry, couldn't resist. ;-))

From Publishers Weekly
Dekker delivers another page-turner with this psychological Christian thriller about Kevin Parson, a 28-year-old seminary student who suddenly becomes the target of an evil nemesis called Slater. Obsessed both with Kevin's downfall and the number 3, Slater initiates a game in which Kevin must answer riddles to avoid Slater's destructive, potentially murderous retribution. Slater particularly wants Kevin to publicly confess a secret sin, and Kevin is at a loss as to what that sin might be. Once Dekker establishes this premise, he masterfully takes readers on a ride full of plot twists and turns. Not only does he spin a compelling tale of cat and mouse, but he also creates a narrative world in which it's possible that no one is quite who he or she seems. Dekker gradually discloses his protagonist's nightmarish childhood and delivers an almost perfect blend of suspense, mystery and horror. Dekker's prose is strong, putting him in a league above many other evangelical Christian writers and showing improvement over his previous work. Aside from following certain Christian fiction guidelines such as making his gorgeous 20-something characters entirely virginal, Dekker eschews most of the conventions of evangelical fiction. His spiritual message is subtle and devoid of the theologically and politically conservative agenda present in other novels.


My TBR Pile:
Village Diary- Miss Read
Quite a Year for Plums- Baily White
The Yada Yada Prayer Group- Neta Jackson
The Red Tent


2008 total: 9
pages read: 4,423

House- Frank Peretti / Ted Dekker

354 pages

Hmm..... what do I say about this book?

I liked it for the most part.

On one hand it was suspenseful and fast moving.

On the other hand, it left some things unexplained.
It was confusing at times.
Some things were very obvious from the beginning, and I still don't get "The only way out is in."

You won't fully understand what is going on until the very end.
The explanation was simple. I was hoping for a bit more.

I guess, all in all, I will say this book was good. I liked it, it was a good read, but it won't be on my list of favorites.

2008 total: 8
pages read: 4,019

February Reads

Moi
4 total
HP- Half Blood Prince
Hp- Deathly Hallows
Kissing Christmas Goodbye
Goodbye, Mr. Chips

C (12 y.o.)
10 total
Jack Sparrow- Age of Bronze (#5)
Jack Sparrow- Silver (#6)
Jack Sparrow- City of Gold (#7)
Jack Sparrow- The Timekeeper (#8)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 - Roderick Rules
Childhood of Famous Americans: Davy Crockett
Childhood of Famous Americans: Albert Einstein
The Bad Beginning- Lemony Snicket
The Reptile Room- Lemony Snicket
The Wide Window- Lemony Snicket

M (10 y.o.)
3 total
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart- Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur (#1)
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart- Search for the Sunken Treasure (#2)
Jack Sparrow: Siren Song (#2)

L (8 y.o.)
9 total
Haley the Rain Fairy- Daisy Meadows
Dingos at Dinnertime (Magic Treehouse)
Civil War on Sunday (Magic Treehouse)
Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Treehouse)
Nancy Drew Girl Detective- Monkey Wrench Blues
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew- Scream for Ice Cream (#2)
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew- Pony Problems (#3)
Scooby Doo and the Sinister Sorcerer
Scooby Doo and the Ghostly Gorilla

Goodbye, Mr. Chips- James Hilton

115 pages

I was reading Saint by Ted Dekker.
I was having a really hard time getting into it.

I read the amazon reviews, and I found out that Saint is actually the second book in a series.
The book jacket said nothing of a series, if I had known I wouldn't have checked it out.

The reviews were mixed- most people said the beginning is good but it falls apart in the end. I had already read the good part? Really?

It wasn't worth the effort to continue so, 150 pages into it, I decided to give up on it.


I wasn't in the mood for a long book, so I grabbed the first short book in my TBR pile.
It was "Goodbye, Mr. Chips."
I cannot believe I have gone this long without reading it.
It is, after all, a classic.
I liked it.
I really liked it.
I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob. (sorry, couldn't resist ;-))
It was quite a story.


2008 total: 7
pages read: 3665

The Loose Change Book Fund

We've started a new thing at our house.
The Loose Change Book Fund.
lol
We've decided to use all our our loose change to buy books.
What better way to put all of that change to use?
From now on, all loose change goes directly into the book fund box.

Yesterday the kids rolled up a TON of loose change.
We ended up with $104!

We spent the evening shopping on Amazon.
Amazon rocks, btw!
Most of their books qualify for free shipping, and a lot of the kids' books qualify for their "4-for-3" discounts.
Our total before the discounts was $106.
After the 4-for-3 discounts, the total was $91.
And that's not including the free shipping.
I *heart* Amazon.

Here are the books we ordered:

For Read-Aloud:
The Spiderwick Chronicles (all 5 hardbacks in a box set for $30)

For L (8 years old):
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew (a Nancy Drew series for younger girls)
#5: Case of the Sneaky Snowman
#6: The Fashion Disaster
#8: Lights, Camera.....Cats!
#10: Ticket Trouble
Lucy the Diamond Fairy- Daisy Meadows

For M (10 years old):
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart:
#3: The Caper of the Crown Jewels
#4: The Mystery of the Mona Lisa
Shredderman (a mystery / spy series):
#2: Attack of the Tagger
#3: Meet the Gecko
#4 Enemy Spy

For C (12 years old)
Dance of the Hours (Pirates of the Caribbean Young Jack Sparrow series #9)
Warriors, book 2: Fire and Ice
Guardians of Ga'Hoole boxed set #1-4 (sort of like Warriors, but with Owls instead of cats)

I know it seems like odd numbers, but they already have the previous books in the series they've ordered.

As you might note, I didn't order any books for myself.
I have decided that I will use paperback swap for my books.
In the past I felt guilty using the points for myself when I could be using them to get books for the kids or even school books.
No more of that.
I'm tired of reading whatever the library happens to have on hand (and our library sucks, I think I may have mentioned that once or twice before ;-))

So from now on it will be good books for everyone!

Until Next Time.......

Kissing Christmas Goodbye- M.C. Beaton

313 pages

I know it's not Christmas. ;-)

I didn't find anything very appealing on our last trip to the library, so I picked up this book.
It's the only Agatha Raisin book I haven't read (out of the ones they have at the library).

I didn't like this one very much.

It wasn't a Christmas mystery at all.

Agatha is now running a detective agency, she's no longer pining away for James, and she just doesn't seem like the same old Agatha. In more than one place she missed out on obvious clues.

I had to make myself keep reading. I had read over 100 pages into the book (and it's only 300) so I hated to stop. I sort of wish I had stopped now. lol

Yesterday's trip to the library was a better one.
I got a Ted Dekker book, "Jacob Have I Loved," and the first in a new mystery series.

I also bought "House" by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti and
I have 3 books coming from Paperback Swap: Village Diary by Miss Read, Thr3e by Ted Dekker, and The Yada Yada Prayer Group.
I can't wait to dig in!


2008 total: 6
total pages read: 3550

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

759 pages

Wow!
What an amazing book.
What an amazing series.
Now I understand what all the hype was/is about. lol

I cried more than once- for Dobby, for Harry, for Dumbledore, and even for Snape.

I was ecstatic to finally find out the real deal with Snape.


I loved the part where Molly Weasley goes after Bellatrix. It was perfect!


I absolutely loved these books and I'm sad that the ride is over.
Sigh.

What, oh what, will I read now?

2008 total: 5
total pages read: 3,237

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

SPOILER ALERT!

652 pages

Oh my! I am shocked. SHOCKED.

I thought surely Snape would turn out to be a good guy.
I can't believe he did it.
I loathe him now.

I never really liked him, but he was one of my favorite characters because, well.... he's a really good character - we are kept guessing whose side he is on, and there was a bit of interesting developments in the last book.

This was one of my favorite books in the series.

I am starting the final book tonight.


2008 total: 4
Total Pages Read: 2,478

January Reads
Gruel and Unusual Punishment
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Kids' Reading Jan. 08

C (11 years old)
13 books
The Figure in Hiding (Hardy Boys)
Akiko in the Sprubly Islands
Akiko and the Great Wall of Trudd
Akiko in the Castle of Alia Rellapor
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Scooby Doo and the Ghostly Gorilla
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, books 1-7

M(10 years old)
10 books
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, books 1-7
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules
Wiley and Grandpa: Night of the Living Eggnog

L (8 years old)
17 books
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, books 1-7
Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Treehouse)
Polar Bears Past Bedtime (Magic Treehouse)
Vacation Under a Volcano (Magic Treehouse)
The Boxcar Children
The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island
The Boxcar Children: Mystery of the Yellow House
The Trouble with Tink (Disney Fairies)
Vidia and the Fairy Crown (Disney Fairies)
Lilly's Pesky Plant (Disney Fairies)
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew: Sleepover Sleuths

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

870 pages

This is definitely my least favorite of all the HP books I've read so far. I did not like it.

It was longer than it needed to be. Actually, all we really needed were the last 100 pages or so. It was actually boring in a few spots.

There was no huge encounter with Voldemort as in the the previous books (although the book leads you to believe that there will be). There is an encounter, but it is not nearly as dramatic as in the previous installments. I find it hard to believe Voldemort would just disappear so easily.

I found myself getting frustrated that the adults wouldn't tell Harry what was going on. It would have prevented a tragedy.

However, towards the end of the book Dumbledore explained to Harry why he didn't tell him - and then he comes clean with everything, incuding exactly why Voldemort came after Harry when he was a baby, and why Dumbledore kept him (Harry) in the dark so often.

I hope the next book redeems itself.

2008 total: 3

Total Pages read: 1,826

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

734 pages

I admit it.
I love Harry Potter.

These books grab you from the first chapter and carry you along on an exciting and emotional ride to the very end.
You barely notice that the book is over 700 pages long, it is so fast paced.
It is plain and simple very good story-telling.

I still do not think I would let my children read them- at least not now. The first two are not so bad, but they get progressively darker.

It took me about a week to read this book, which is good time for me since I only read a few minutes before bed every night. I must confess, though. Those "few minutes before bed" turned into a "few hours before bed" while reading this. :-)

2008 total: 2
Total pages read: 956

Winter Reading Challenge

I've decided to join this reading challenge.

I'm a bit late, however.

It is for the months of Dec-Feb.

My goal is to finish the Harry Potter series.

I read the first 3 a few years ago, and I believe it's time I finish. lol

Gruel and Unusual Punishment- Tamar Myers

Book Description:
Pennsylvania Dutch Inn owner Magdalena Yoder returns in the tenth book in the mouthwatering series... When an imprisoned con man meets his Maker after sampling a bowl of gruel laced with arsenic, it's cruel and unusual punishment-indeed. And since Magdalena provided the last supper, she's convinced that one of his many visitors must have added the sinister secret ingredient. With the reputation of her establishment at stake, Magdalena puts on her detective bonnet to discover who in Hernia poisoned the porridge


I love Magdalena Yoder. These books are very funny and entertaining.

They are not deep and certainly not thought-provoking, but they are delightful diversions.


I could not get the picture to upload for some reason.
If you're interested you can check out the amazon reviews here.

222 pages

2008 total: 1