update

I didn't do nearly as much reading as I wanted to do today.

Life got in the way. lol

However, I plan on reading through the rest of the morning.

I'm a bit sleepy, so hopefully I can make it. :-)

Read-a-Thon update

I am participating in Dewey's read-a-thon today.

I'm just posting a quick update to say that I've finished my first book (which I was already over half way finished), " The Body in the Library" by Agatha Christie.

Next up is "The Hunger Games.". I started it earlier this week. I am about 1/4 into it.

My goal is to finish all the books I am currently reading, then perhaps start and finish another one.

Happy reading!


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The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde- Robert Louis Stevenson

94 pages

Most people know the story of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.

I wanted to read it because I had never read it before and I was curious to know if the actual book was true to what I'd always heard.

For the most part, it was.

It was interesting.

I liked the idea of the dual nature of man, and how we can feed either one.

There's definitely a spiritual lesson that can be taken away from this book.

2010 total: 29

Pretty Little Liars: Unbelilevable

352 pages

Book 4 of the series

I believe this was supposed to be the last book in the series, but they ended up adding 4 more to it.

This is the last one I will be reading.

In this book, we find out who "A" is.

We also find out who killed Ali......although I wasn't satisfied with the answer to that mystery...... I have a feeling the next books will dig deeper into that aspect of the story.

As I said, this is the last one I'll be reading. My curiosity is satisfied and, frankly, I'm tired of reading them. lol I liked them but I'm sure I would have enjoyed them even more if I'd read them when I was younger.... it's time for me to read something a little less YA now. :-)

2010 total: 28

Strawberry Shortcake Murder & Perfect

336 pages

Product Descripton:

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else! ~A

Things are getting serious for the four friends, and we still don't know who "A" is.

The parents in this book make me very angry. They all seem to care about no one but themselves. Ugh!

I don't want to give anything away, so that's all I'll say.

320 pages

From School Library Journal:

Adult/High School-Cookie entrepreneur Hannah Swensen is recruited to judge a bake-off but gets embroiled in a bittersweet murder. The victims are not Lake Eden's finest; one is a wife abuser and the other is a snippety blackmailer, but the town is small, concern is rampant, and Hannah is curious. She and her sister Andrea begin sleuthing to prevent their friend (the wife of the first victim) from being accused of a crime she did not commit. The story is at times dense with detail, but the relationships among family and neighbors are pleasingly homespun-and occasionally sophomoric. Spanning the time of the bake-off, this whodunit is appropriately interspersed with mouthwatering dessert recipes. Readers who don't like guts or gore will enjoy this mystery and stick with the amateur detectives as they reach an action-packed conclusion.

I did not like this book. I usually like cozy mysteries and I liked the first book in this series, but this one lost me. There are sooooo many details about every. little. thing. I'm not fond of the main character, either. I won't be reading any more of this series for a long time (if ever).

2010 total: 27

currently reading: Pretty Little Liars #4

Flawless: Pretty Little Liars 2

352 pages

This book picks up where the first one left off.

A's messages and threats intensify until the end of the book when A successfully reveals some of the girls' secrets to everyone.

Also, they finally think they know who "A" is....... but are they right?

These books are fun and addictive, but again, I must warn, they are NOT for younger kids.

2010 total: 25

currently reading: Pretty Little Liars, #3

The Enchanted April

208 pages

"Elizabeth von Arnim's novel tells the story of four dissimilar women in 1920s England who leave their damp and rainy environs to go on a holiday to a secluded coastal castle in Italy. Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Wilkins, who belong to the same ladies' club but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading an advertisement for villas for rent in a newspaper. They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages. Having decided to seek other ladies to help share expenses, they reluctantly take on the waspish, elderly Mrs Fisher and the stunning, but aloof, Lady Caroline Dester. The four women come together at the castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love." ~from Wikipedia

This is another delightful book by Elizabeth von Arim.

I loved it.

On the surface it is a bit "fluffy," but it also digs deeper into the roles and feelings of women in the 1920s.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Heaven is in our home."

"It isn't," said Mrs. Wilkins, again surprisingly.

Mrs. Arbuthnot was taken aback.

Then she said gently,

"Oh, but it is. It is there if we choose, if we make it."

"I do choose, and I do make it, and it isn't," said Mrs. Wilkins ~Lotty & Rose

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She stared. Such beauty; and she there to see it. Such beauty; and she alive to feel it.

Her face was bathed in light. Lovely scents came up to the window and caressed her.

A tiny breeze gently lifted her hair.

Far out in the bay a cluster of almost motionless fishing boats hovered like a flock of white birds on the tranquil sea.

How beautiful, how beautiful.

Not to have died before this... to have been allowed to see, breathe, feel this....

She stared, her lips parted.

Happy? Poor, ordinary, every day word.

But what could one say, how could one describe it?

It was as though she could hardly stay inside herself, it was as though she were too small to hold so much joy,

it was as though she were washed through with light. ~Lotty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a long while she past she had been aware that her life was a noise, but it had seemed to be very much about

something.... but suppose it was only a noise about nothing? ~Caroline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She wanted to be alone, but not lonely. That was very different; that was something that ached and hurt

dreadfully right inside one. It was what one dreaded most. ~Caroline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was it possible that loneliness had nothing to do with circumstances, but only with the way one met them?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kind ladies smiled, reason or no. They smiled, not because they were happy, but because they wished to

make happy,.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The more he treated her as though she were really very nice, the more Lotty expanded and became really very nice.

and the more he, affected in his turn, became really very nice himself; so that they went round and round, not in a

vicious but in a highly virtuous cycle. ~Lotty & Mellersh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was true, she liked him most when he wasn't there, but then she usually liked everybody most when they weren't there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just a rather red, rather round man?" whispered Lotty. Scrap bowed her head.

"He isn't." whispered Lotty.

"Rose sees through all that. That's mere trimmings.

She sees what we can't see, because she loves him." ~Lotty & Caroline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010 total: 24