Well, where did the year go? I love reading back through these threads at the end of the year and remembering all the great books I read and what you had to say about the ones you read.

Here are the details of how this works.

As usual, I got a huge box of books for Christmas, so I'm raring to go! Hope you are, too. Can't wait to see what you're reading this year.

LabRat

1. The Butter Battle Book, by Dr. Seuss.

Dr. Seuss's classic book about an arms race. More sophisticated than one might expect.

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.

A caterpillar eats and eats and eats until he has a stomachache.

(Can you tell small children are visiting?)

3. Rain Makes Applesauce, by Julian Scheer

Beautiful art, catchy words ("Oh, you're just talking silly talk!")

4. Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp, by Mercer Mayer

A children's book, but might be too scary for the younger ones.

The Hangman's Daughter - Oliver Potzsch

A middling historical mystery. To be honest, it was notable most for the fact that Magdelena was a completely peripheral figure, not central to either story or mystery. We learned almost nothing about her and her main role was to pop up every now and then and fluster the young doctor who WAS a main character by flirting with him. So the biggest mystery was why she was worthy of the title.

LabRat

Exile's Valor by Mercedes Lackey.
Fun re-read of one of the Valdemar series, this time about Alberich, the Weaponsmaster of the Heralds.

#1 Presumed Guilty by Jose Baez

I've read a lot of true crime but never from the POV of one of the lawyers. While I'm sure there's bias, this book about the Casey Anthony trial did lead me to question some of the evidence.

Joan

I just discovered a new author - or at least new to me - whom I thoroughly enjoy. David Rosenfelt.

He writes quite intriguing legal mysteries which is not my favourite genre but his characters are witty. And, my favourite part is that the author is an incredible dog lover - he runs a rescue foundation - and although they're not always integral to the plot, there is a fair bit of interaction with dogs. The interaction is matter-of-fact and never forced which, even though I'm a dog lover, would completely turn me off.

I would highly recommend the 'Andy Carpenter' series which starts with 'Open and Shut.'

For more info, www.davidrosenfelt.com

5. The Clan of the Cave Bear, by Jean M. Auel

This is an old favorite of mine (I first read it in high school) that I finally got a chance to finish re-reading. It's the first and best book of the Earth's Children series, a series of books about people in prehistoric Europe. There is great attention to detail, though not always quite accurate (scientific understanding has changed a bit since it was researched and written in the late 1970's and published in 1980).

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

An interesting account about the woman who may have been the real designer behind the Tiffany Lamps!


Before Versailles By Karleen Koen

Fascinating account of the court of French King before he designed the famous building.

1) The Eye of Moloch by Glen Beck

This book is labeled as a thriller. The first 80% of the book was very slow and boring. Nothing thrilling about it. The last 20% was a little better until the ending--a cliffhanger. I think each novel should stand on it's own and this one doesn't. It is also the second book in the series. I don't think I'll be reading the first book or the upcoming sequel.

#2 The Whisper by Emma Clayton

Sequel to The Roar. I only read the first book because my son was super excited about it. I'm a big fan of futuristic dystopia stories but this one was rather average and the sequel was average as well.

Joan

#2 Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

US Navy Seals on a mission in Afghanistan that doesn't go well. Good story.

#1 - Adventures of Superman - by Lucy Rosen, John Sazaklis, and Donald Lemke,
Pictures by Steven E. Gordon and Andy Smith, Colors by Eric A. Gordon and Brad Vancata

Okay, I know this is a compilation of "I Can Read" books but I did *read* it to my son. He received it for Christmas.

The first story "Meet the Justice League" was more an adventure with them than and actual origin story. Therefore, disappointing. Interesting factoid, according to this story Green Lantern founded the JL with Flash and Aquaman.

The second story is "Escape from the Phantom Zone." Sound familiar? Yep, Zod and his crew (from SM-II) are back and hating on Supes. Let's just say Superman defeats them in the traditional sense (ala Smallville) as opposed to the *new* MoS way.

The third story: "Superman vs. the Silver Banshee". The Silver Banshee was an interesting character and I wouldn't mind seeing more duals with her. She reminded me of the kind of villain, who wasn't all bad, just caught up in the wrong crowd and who made some bad decisions. She did make Lex Luthor look silly and that's always a plus in my villain book.

The last chapter/story was "Day of Doom", which I thought was an interesting story to use for an "I Can Read" Book. I definitely went in to it with fears that it would end with Lois weeping over the dead body of our favorite hero. But, instead, the author went with the ol' bait and switch ending and made Superman save the day. Let's say he did it in a way, I'm sure Lois will be asking about in her next interview.

6. King Dork, by Frank Portman

A young adult novel that strives to be the Catcher in the Rye for the Millennial Generation and doesn't quite succeed. Still an entertaining read, though.

The Borgia Mistress - Sara Poole

Third outing for Poole's fictional poisoner to the Borgias and it was every bit a treat as the previous books. I do love a strong female character in a historical novel and Francesca is a marvellous example. Add in a cast of interesting side characters and an intriguing plot and you have a winner.

LabRat 😁

#3 Grace, Gold and Glory by Gabrielle Douglas with Michelle Burford.

Interesting Gabby Douglas bio.

Joan

Tactics of Mistake by Gordon R. Dickson

I've read numerous short stories by Dickson but this is one of a few novels. Tactics of Mistake is part of the Childe Cycle/Dorsai series. I like Dickson's writing but I would classify this as juvenile fiction based on the plot complexity.

3) Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Thriller with an interesting twist to it. One of James Patterson's best recent novels.

7. Insane City, by Dave Barry

A bridezilla, a reluctant groom, 3 idiot groomsmen, Haitian refugees, and an orangutan--all in Miami. Very funny in parts, but with a fair amount of mood whiplash, too.

4) One Second After by William R. Forstchen.

One year in America following the detonation of an electromagnetic pulse. Very good story, good writing.

Oh boy - I just bought that one tonight and I'm thrilled to hear it's good.

Joan

I just finished reading my 24 year old daughter's fantasy novel! She's been writing forever and feeling like nothing's ever been good enough to submit to a publisher so that all she does is edit and re-edit and never send anything away.

I told her that all I wanted for Christmas was a manuscript that she would be willing to send off. (And I told her if she didn't give me that gift at Christmas, then she obviously didn't love me. ) (Guilt, the great motivator!)

Then when she gave it to me Christmas day, I procrastinated about reading it. I was nervous that I would hate it or only tolerate it and then what would I do!

Well, I read it and had to force myself to put it down to go to work or sleep or do anything else. It was absolutely awesome! Last Tuesday, we shipped it to Daw Books so now we wait and see what happens next.

Irene otherwise known as Proud Mama!

Good luck!

So exciting--and such an awesome/proud time for you, too...keep us posted!

Seeing someone go after their dreams is truly inspiring

Laura

#5 (Classic #1) Heidi by Johanna Spyri. Great story. I've read it before but had forgotten much of the story. A good one to start with!

One of my goals for this year is to read some classic books. I've been reading about the Common Core for schools and the fact that they are de-emphasizing classic fiction. I feel that this is a very poor idea. Then I remembered a newspaper article , The Top 100 Classic Books to Read.'. Found it and a few other similar articles and collated tham. So, my top 100 list has 214 books on it with many still missing books that I will add as I think of them. This will be a multi-year project.

I hope you enjoy it!

Wolfling - Gordon R. Dickson

Again, I like the author's short stories. This would've been a great book at 325 pages but it was only 225. The final wrap-up took about 10 pages.

It's almost like the authors in '65-'70 were pushed to cut manuscripts to a specific length after they were written.

The Caster Chronicles - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

#2 Beautiful Darkness
#3 Beautiful Chaos
#4 Beautiful Redemption
Dream Dark (short story)

I quite enjoyed the rest of this YA series. I'd quite like to see this on TV, a la the TVD/TSC type of show. Could be interesting.

LabRat

6) Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman Low key mystery but fun to read.

#4 The Good Girl Revolution by Wendy Shalit

Interesting read about the images and expectations that bombard girls and women.

Joan

Stay Close - Harlan Coben

Not one of his best, it has to be said. At times, it seemed to be phoned in, with sketchy characters and the barest of plots. I didn't hate it, but I've read better from him.

LabRat

Daughter of the Empire - Janny Wurts and Raymond Feist

Mara of the Acoma, a 17 year old would-be temple initiate, inherits the ruling position of her House after her father and older brother are killed--the victims of a sworn blood-feud. With powerful enemies, no family, little leadership training and limited resources just staying alive could be considered "victory".

(BTW This is my second time through the series.)

If you are at all familiar with the Raymond Feist's excellent 6 novel Riftwar series, this novel is set on the Tsuranni side of the rift. The two series do not depend on each other, though, and the Empire series could be read on its own.

Based on the style, the shared authorship seems more due to Janny Wurts writing in his world than Feist's contribution. Feist's saga has more than a dozen main characters, more subplots than I could count and the POV shifts between groups of them as they quest to save Midkemia from the Tsuranni invaders.

In contrast, the "Empire" novels are more straightforward in their construction and only focus on 2-3 main characters with a much simpler plot. ("Simpler" in comparison to Feist's anyways.) Janny Wurts introduces the Tsuranni culture in depth while telling an engaging story. The story does continue in the sequels but this is a standalone novel.

Oh, I adore the Empire series. One of my well-thumbed favourites that has been re-read so often it's falling apart. Mara is such a great character. I loved all the clever and scheming ways she used to defeat her enemies and foil their plots. And the complex society - which seemed predominently based on Japanese feudal culture - was fascinating.

I think you may be right on the division of labour. I tried to read the Riftwar saga after these but just couldn't get into it and the same was true of the novel I tried by Wurts alone.

Together, though, they definitely produced magic.

LabRat

#5 The Digital Invasion by Dr. Archibald Hart and Dr. Sylvia Hart

I was looking forward to reading this book. However, it was disappointing. The last 'topical' book I read (The Good Girl Revolution) sited all sorts of practical examples: quotes, magazines, etc... Those made it a compelling read. This book did nothing like that. The subject matter is different but with issues such as pornography addiction and cyberbullying, most of us could site lots of examples.

Some of the 'quizes' offered to see if you had problems with technology seemed a bit foolish.

Joan

7) The Storm by Clive Cussler Typical Clive Cussler book. Interesting and enjoyable.

8) Stages by Jay Osmond Biography. A little sparse on detail but interesting.

8. Hot Six, by Janet Evanovich

This is one of the funniest books in the Stephanie Plum series.

The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov

Detective Elijah Bailey is charged with solving the murder of a Spacer scientist. The case pits the interests of Earth and its 8 Billion people against those of the 50 Spacer worlds and their virtually unlimited resources. Bailey is in the middle and his new partner on the case is an advanced Spacer robot. He needs to solve the case fast to ease the tensions--and before his robot partner beats him to it to save his job.

Asimov was told once that a science fiction mystery would be impossible to write. The argument was because the hero could always solve the case with some kind of a whizbang frammitz it would make the story unreadable. This is Asimov's answer to the challenge.

This is a re-read but it's been close to 30 years since the last time. I remembered the generalities but not the specifics so it was still an entertaining read. Though I have to say that compared to modern novels that run 300-450 pages, the older (1960-1975) SF novels I have seem minimalist.

2. Poptropica: Lunar Colony by Patrick Kinney - This is a kids adventure book about a 13 y.o. boy who accidentally get sent to the moon on the space program's last flight.

This story had characterization and plot holes a mile across and twice as deep, but my kids didn't care (or even notice). It did start off REALLY slowly (which my kids *did* notice). It starts off as sad commentary on where our space program was headed, but turns into a quest to find aliens.


3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: Book 2: The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

I now know why I never read the other books in the series. I thought that the Magician's Nephew was better written. This book was okay until the Aslan and the White Witch meet. Then it just fizzled out as if CS Lewis didn't know what to do with it and copped out an ending. The death of Aslan gave my children nightmares, so they were probably too young for me to read it to them. Additionally, the reason for his death was too vague and, well, frankly, not explained. It seemed like graphic violence for no reason at all, other than to scare the reader. We'll wait awhile (if ever) before reading more of the series. I, personally, was disappointed. The kids have decided that after reading the book, they don't want to watch the movie adaptation.

I have always heard that Aslan is a metaphor for Jesus, and that his death is a version of the Crucifixion. Of course Jesus and Aslan are both resurrected.

C. S. Lewis was known for being a prominent Catholic apologist. Another interesting something I've heard (and I don't know how true this is, but it's interesting to speculate) is that the seven books of the "Narnia" series can each be tied to a specific Catholic sacrament:

1) "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" - obviously Communion/Eucharist, the willing sacrifice.

2) "The Magician's Nephew" - Baptism, where everything is made new.

3) "Prince Caspian" - Confirmation. In "LWW", the humans accept Aslan/Jesus as their savior. By the time of Prince Caspian, the humans of Narnia have fallen away from "Aslan worship" (if there is such a thing) and the Pevensey children serve as the means for the Narnians to rededicate themselves.

4) "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" - Holy Orders, where one goes to seek God. Note the symbolism in Reepicheep going off into the sea filled with lilies, and meeting a Lamb (the classic symbol for Christ.)

5) "The Silver Chair" - Penance. Eustace, Jill, and their Marsh-wiggle friend keep on messing up, but despite their sins are able to finish Aslan's mission after all.

6) "The Horse and His Boy" - Marriage. Aravis and Shasta meet and will eventually get married.

7) "The Last Battle" - Extreme Unction, Last Rites. Obvious, given the subject matter. I will say that this is the book which I liked the least of the series. Now that I'm older, I can see a little bit of the theological underpinnings behind the story. Lewis does work in the "Plato's Cave" analogy, which I of course totally missed when I was a kid but picked up on it when I got a few more years and a little more education.

******SPOILERS for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe******

Yes, I have heard that as well and looked for more out of the book. Something. *Anything.* But that was about it, comparison-wise.

okay, I'll also grant that Aslan is a 'godlike' figure whom everyone (good) in Narnia admires upon meeting or hearing of him. He agrees to the White Witch's trade to save Edmund's life for his own, a) despite having created the world in The Magician's Nephew (which was more genesis-esque with the creation of Narnia and garden with the apple-tree where they once more meet the white witch, in my opinion), b) to follow the rules of a never before mentioned or explained "deep" or old magic, which frankly couldn't be older than Aslan himself (see "a") and/or the White Witch (who arrived during genesis), and c) The White Witch had absolutely no claims whatsoever that Edmund had acted as a traitor, being that she was never a rightful queen of Narnia, and because, technically, he never acted against her.

If Lewis was going for some kind of allegory, he didn't decide to do so until that point in the book, IMO. From that point in the book, the plot makes no sense, whatsoever, especially the last chapter. Although, I must say that the chapter with Aslan and the statues was pretty cool from an imagery standpoint.

Lewis describes Aslan willingly being led to his death in gristly detail for *pages*, while the death of the White Witch is only mentioned as an afterthought. OH, right, btw she's dead. :rolleyes: If it is allegorical, and you're supposed to turn the other cheek and 'do as I do', then why would Aslan killing the White Witch be acceptable? It was like Superman killing Zod.

So, yeah, I was disappointed. For a world-renown author, and one of his most honored books, yes, I expected better writing.

I read 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' as a kid. I didn't see the symbolism (of course, I was only 9 or 10), but my sisters and I had fun pretending we were going to Narnia by walking into the coat closet.

Has anyone seen the play, or the movie, Shadowlands? It's about the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman (or Gresham). I saw it in college (a college production). It's pretty insightful.

9. The Hunger Games Companion, by Lois H. Gresh

I decided to read this after reading a free excerpt I downloaded to my Kindle. It's an interesting book, looking The Hunger Games series in terms of history, sociology, psychology, and science. There's also a snarky list of apocalyptic predictions throughout history (none of which came true). There's even a rather random Superman reference.

This isn't the sort of book I'd buy for the high school library, despite it being about a popular YA series. The reason is that the author writes about things going on "as I write this," which means that in a few years, it would be incomprehensible to most teens unless they have an interest in history.

9) Without Warning by John Birmingham

The Governer's Wife - Mark Gimenez

Not the one I've enjoyed most from this author. The characters were drawn in fairly broad strokes and the plot was a little predictable.

LabRat

Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
Typical door-stopping length novel by Stephenson. Fascinating story of an "avout", Fraa Erasmas, who lives in a "concent" on the planet Arbre. As the story opens, Erasmas is going to take vows to live his life in the Concent of Saunt Edhar.
Stephenson has his characters review, well, basically, all of Western Civilization. There's a whole lot of philosophy in there, which he manages to make incredibly interesting. As one reviewer said, " The more you know about history and ancient Greek thought the more you will be blown away by Anathem; and that is before the correlations to more recent philosophy and an extended meditation on zero-gravity navigation. A re-imagining of intellectual history, only Neal Stephenson can make the fine points of esoteric philosophical and intellectual minutia so much fun to read."
I really enjoyed it, but I can see that some people might find it dull. But I highly recommend it.

10) (Classic #2) Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. I didn't like this one at all. I won't be reading any of her other books. This was listed on my classic book list but it was copyrighted in 1996. Rather new to be a classic. I don't see this book being around in 100 years. The whole thing boils down to Bridget needs to get a life, find a hobby, and clean her apartment.

10. Seven Up, by Janet Evanovich

Not as funny as Hot Six, but still an entertaining read during lunch break at work.

Accused - Mark Gimenez

I was excited to see this one was a sequel to the first book I read and the one I've so far enjoyed the most. I liked it. Wouldn't mind seeing another one with these characters at some point. Not least to correct the ending, which stuck in the craw somewhat.

The Abduction - Mark Gimenez

The first half of this one was very slow, but hoo boy did it explode into life in the second half. I ended up really enjoying it.

LabRat

Servant of the Empire - Janny Wurts and Raymond Feist

Lord Jingu is dead and Lady Mara is leading House Acoma to greatness within the Empire. Unfortunately with his ascendancy to Minwanabi Lordship, Desio has sworn a Blood Oath to the death god Turamaku. Minwanabi or Acoma...only one House will survive.

Lady Mara has purchased Midkemian slaves to further her financial ambitions. One of them keeps questioning Tsuranni traditions and infecting her with the most alien ideas. Will Kevin's ideas be a blessing to Mara or will they result in the end of House Acoma?
______________________________________________

Not sure if it counts, but I'm also reading a 500 page computer manual so I can build a controller for my greenhouse. Interesting but no plot.

Like This, For Ever- Sharon Bolton

Another cracking outing for Bolton's flawed, damaged detective, Lacey Flint. Kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat all the way.

LabRat

4. Poptropica: Cryptids Island - adapted by Max Brallier

Another book in the Poptropica series. My kids didn't like this book as much because the villain Gretchen Grimlock was "really mean". Annie enters a contest where a millionaire offers $1mil to anyone who came bring him proof of 4 Cryptids. Despite these creatures having alluded people for centuries, Annie has no trouble finding them :rolleyes: but Gretchen Grimlock is always stealing her proof and trying to knock her out of the contest. My kids didn't like how Gretchen wasn't playing fair. I tried to explain to them that she's a villain and villains aren't known for playing by the rules.


5. The Wide-Awake Princess - by E.D. Baker - Princess Annabella, younger sister to the famed Sleeping Beauty princess, received the gift of not having magic touch her, so that she couldn't be cursed as her sister was. Her "gift" has unforeseen consequences, both good and bad.

I saw this children's book at the library and was instantly drawn to the idea. I was enchanted by Annie and the troupe of fairy tale archetypes she encounters while searching for a prince to kiss her sister and awaken her kingdom. I must say though, most of the princes she comes across, and she meets quite a few, aren't the type of man *any* mother would want their daughter to marry. My daughter and I very much enjoyed this story. I didn't realize until after we finished it that the author's "Princess and the Frog" story is the one Disney based their movie. (It's up next on our list).


It was a little confusing reading these two books at the same time (one chapter of each, each night) because both characters were named "Annie".

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde.
Hilarious police procedural where Inspector Jack Spratt investigates the death of Humperdinck Aloysius Jehoshaphat van Dumpty.
There's a new pun or allusion every minute ("Thomas Thomm, the son of Reading's premier solo flautist, was convicted in court of stealing a pig last Wednesday.") I'm sure I missed some, so I'd better go back and re-read my Mother Goose.

That seems like a fun read.

#6 The Passage by Justin Cronin

I saw this book mentioned on a few websites comparing it to The Stand and Swan's Song. Since I enjoyed those post apocalyptic books, I was looking forward to this one. The writer does a nice job with creating characters and with his descriptions. However,there were some credibility issues with the plot for me so it didn't pick up momentum.

#7 The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
Fourth book in the series. My kids got me into this one about aliens on Earth trying to prevent another race from invading.

Joan

I'm going to have to try that one. Thanks for the recommendation.

Rubbernecker - Belinda Bauer

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Far from your standard thriler, it turned out to be less about murder than about 18YO Asperger's sufferer Patrick's struggle to understand a world that confuses and baffles him. His poignant quest to discover the truth of his father's death and bring a murderer to justice. By turns funny and sad with some great side stories intertwined (I particularly loved the ironies of Tracey's story), and some startling twists and turns, this was a real winner. And the perfect ending from Patrick himself made me smile with a lump in my throat.

LabRat

11) The Hot Gate by John Ringo. Good classic space opera.

11. Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller

I found a copy of this play in a box of donated books and decided to read it. It's just as much of a tearjerker to read as it is to watch.

Blind Sight - Terri Persons

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. Primarily, because the supernatural characters were missing entirely and the supernatural plot elements barely there at all. Without them, the main characters were bland and the plot lacklustre. Perhaps the next in the series will get back to basics.

LabRat

#8 Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

I've had a lot going on so this fluffy read about three friends sharing a beach house and solving each other's problems was just what I needed.

#9 Wool by Hugh Howey

Some one on this group recommended this one as a futuristic dystopia story. Short but very good! I've noticed there are lots of companion pieces that I'll have to look into.

Joan

12. Hard Eight, by Janet Evanovich

This Stephanie Plum novel was pretty intense -- and yet still managed to be funny.

13. Explosive Eighteen, by Janet Evanovich

This Stephanie Plum was kind of meh, and I had trouble telling it apart from Hard Eight, which I was reading at the same time (one at home, and one at work -- memo to self: if you're going to read two books at once, make sure they have different characters). I kept getting the plotlines mixed up. Also, the interesting stuff (Stephanie's Hawaiian vacation) was glossed over and only talked about in retrospect.

14. Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich

This one had an interesting plot (actually, several interesting plots). There was no personal growth for Stephanie or any other character, but the book was still entertaining.

Think that might have been me. Glad you enjoyed it! I got book 2 - Shift - for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to reading that shortly.

LabRat

I'm looking for that one too. It gets a little confusing. There's a Wool Omnibus edition that seems to have more parts to it. It's an intriguing peek into a different world.

Joan

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde.

Henrietta "Goldilocks" Hatchett, star reporter, is missing after going into the woods and meeting some anthropomorphized talking bears. Also, notorious serial killer the Gingerbreadman (who regularly taunted the police in his letters: "Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbreadman!") has escaped from St. Cerebellum's Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Inspector Jack Spratt of the Nursery Crime Division is looking into these cases. As he tells a colleague, "I would look into where he was baked. There can't be many ovens that would hold a seven-foot tall Gingerbreadman."

He also must deal with anthropomorphized talking bears, illegal porridge dealers and honey pushers, the Member of Parliament (currently being blackmailed) who sponsored the Act to allow anthropomorphized bears to carry weapons for self-defense (yes, the right to arm bears), and answer the following question: Why were the bowls of porridge at different temperatures when they were all poured at the same time?

15. The Bear, by Claire Cameron

This is a good book, but the subject material ...

The story is narrated almost entirely by a five-year-old girl, who survives an attack by a rogue black bear after her father stuffs her and her two-year-old brother into an ice chest to keep them safe (the parents are not so lucky). The bear attack is based upon an actual incident that took place in Canada in 1991 (but in real life, no children were involved). Not for the faint of heart.

16. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

Wow. This book was excellent. It's about teens with cancer, something that has been written about many times, but this book is very philosophical, and at times goes between hilarious and tear-jerking. Highly recommended.

#10 Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson

This book told the story of a relationship between a man and a woman, alternating between their POVs. With the title, I was expecting more drastic from the 'lies'.

Joan

12) Hearing With My Heart by Justin Osmond. Dealing With a 90% hearing loss.

#11 Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand Fluff about a family recovering from the death of one of its members. This writer always does a good beach story.

Joan

Mistress of the Empire by Janny Wurts
Mara of the Acoma survives an assasination attempt but loses one of her sons. Opposed by Jiro of the Asanti and the Hamoi Tong even with her considerable talents and resources she is in a very dangerous position.

When the Assembly of Magicians prevents her from defending herself from the Traditionalists all appears to be lost. Her allies are sidelined, knowing that to defy the Assembly is the quickest way to obliteration. In the end, even the Emperor is unable to help her.
______________________________________________

I had forgotten how involved this story was. Very enjoyable read. (Seriously, I've upgraded the set to hardcover so I can keep them around longer.)

The Wrath Of Angels - John Connolly

Another cracking outing for my favourite ever detective - Charlie Parker (Well, joint first with Reacher. ) Seriously haunting, creepy, LOL witty and thrilling. Add in truly beautiful, lyrical writing and appearances from a slew of old faces and you can't ask for more.

LabRat

6. The Salamander Spell - by E.D. Baker - The daughters of the Good Green Witch, the Queen of Greensward country, have a problem. Their mother has been cursed to change from being "good" into being a Hag. Now, there isn't anyone to protect Greensward from the Dragons and Werewolves, because neither of her daughters have come into their magic yet.

This was by the same author of Wide-Awake Princess, which we liked better. This story seemed to transition badly between chapters as if parts of the story had been dropped on the editing room floor and with no explanation the characters had jumped to another time and place. Also, the curse which infected Queen Oliviene was badly described and, although, it was implied that it might be a hereditary curse which her daughters might get someday, this was never fully explained. The Salamander Spell which the book is named after is such a small and unimportant part of the book, I have a strange feeling that it was published before proper editing and re-writes were completed. It felt more like a first draft. We liked Wide Awake Princess well enough, we're willing to try the sequel to that thought, next. Let's hope the author doesn't give us another fail.

Also, this author implies that marriage of young princesses seems to be the norm. The main character princess in this book, Grassina, wasn't more than 15. Actually, I think she's 13 and her older sister is 15 and yet both girls were already being woo'd for marriage by princes. This sends the wrong message for the Young Reader crowd the books are aimed at, in my honest opinion.

Never Go Back by Lee Child.
"Since talking to Maj. Susan Turner on the telephone from South Dakota in 2010's 61 Hours (bestseller Childs's 14th Jack Reacher novel), the former military cop has been heading to the Virginia headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP, in hopes of meeting her. In this 18th outing, Reacher finally arrives in Virginia, where his plan to meet Turner is initially thwarted by thugs who want to keep them apart. An arrest for a crime Reacher doesn't remember committing 16 years earlier provokes him to run, kicking off a cross-country odyssey. As usual, head-busting physicality and analytical problem solving play key roles in Reacher's fight to prove his innocence and expose his enemies. Manhunts on both coasts, a link to corruption in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. military drawdown, and the possibility for romance between Reacher and Turner make this entry one of the best in the series."

Thankless in Death by J.D Robb (Nora Roberts)
"Lieutenant Eve Dallas has plenty to be grateful for, especially Roarke’s big Irish family, which is a joyful improvement on her own dark childhood.

Other couples aren’t as lucky. The Reinholds, for example, are lying in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned—and heartbroken by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son.

Turns out that twenty-six-year-old Jerry is not only capable of brutality but has taking a liking to it. With the money he’s stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Eve and her team already know the who, how, and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry’s going to strike next."

Concealed In Death by J.D. Robb
"In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.

The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart."

Like A Mighty Army by David Weber
"For centuries, the world of Safehold, last redoubt of the human race, lay under the unchallenged rule of the Church of God Awaiting. The Church permitted nothing new—no new inventions, no new understandings of the world.

What no one knew was that the Church was an elaborate fraud—a high-tech system established by a rebel faction of Safehold’s founders, meant to keep humanity hidden from the powerful alien race that had destroyed old Earth.

Then awoke Merlyn Athrawes, cybernetic avatar of a warrior a thousand years dead, felled in the war in which Earth was lost. Monk, warrior, counselor to princes and kings, Merlyn has one purpose: to restart the history of the too-long-hidden human race.

And now the fight is thoroughly underway. The island empire of Charis has declared its independence from the Church, and with Merlyn’s help has vaulted forward into a new age of steam-powered efficiency. Fending off the wounded Church, Charis has drawn more and more of the countries of Safehold to the cause of independence and self-determination. But at a heavy cost in bloodshed and loss—a cost felt by nobody more keenly that Merlyn Athrawes.

The wounded Church is regrouping. Its armies and resources are vast. The fight for humanity’s future isn’t over, and won’t be over soon."

17. Pet Sematary, by Stephen King

This is one of my all-time favorite books, but I must say that reading it right before bedtime is not conducive to a good night's sleep. It's arguably King's scariest book, and that's saying something.

LOL, Annie. For me, it's Salem's Lot. Possibly because I first read it as teen with a very active imagination...whose route to work at the time included cutting through a graveyard at 6 am. You don't shake off first impressions like that easily.

LabRat

#12 Practice to Deceive by Ann Rule

Ann Rule does a good job with true crime. This book was more on the average side, but the details of the crime may have been part of that.


#13 Digital Vertigo by Andrew Keen

Interesting commentary on the potential effects of the social Web 3.0. He does a nice job using lots of historical examples to back his points.

Joan

18. To the Nines, by Janet Evanovich

Entertaining, though I think this is the book where it became less about Stephanie's growth as a character and more about the weird cases she solves (in comic book time, because no one ever seems to age and the hamster has lived way beyond his natural lifespan).

Good-Bye, Boise...Hello, Alaska by Cora Holmes
The true story of a family's move to a remote island ranch.

This biography starts two years after the move. What was the transition like? How did their new lifestyle change from Boise to Alaska? How did her job in Alaska progress to her romance and marriage to the ranch owner?

These questions aren't answered. There is a very short flashback that gives her reason for the move but that is all. This is her story and she told it her way but I was left with more questions than answers.

The Black Prism - Brent Weeks

I bought this on the strength of having enjoyed the author's first trilogy but somehow I couldn't connect with this one in the same way. Not sure why. It was certainly well written enough. The world was intriguing. The characters interesting and well-drawn. The plot full of twists and turns. Perhaps a second reading at some point might prove better. But, certainly, currently, I've no great desire to find out what happens next.

LabRat

#14 The Final Descent by Rick Yancey

Fourth and final book in the Monstrumologist series. It was both riveting and disturbing to learn about how the young assistant Will Henry turned out upon growing up.

Joan

13) A Rising Thunder by David Weber. . The latest Honor Harrington novel. Great as usual.

I decided to read the books the kids have been assigned so I could answer their questions, if they had any. I'd read some of these before, while others were new to me.

19. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

A group of English schoolboys survive a plane crash on a deserted island. They try to form a civilized society, but it soon deteriorates into savagery. Like a lot of classic novels of the mid-20th century, it's pretty bleak.

20. 1984, by George Orwell

A futuristic dystopian novel about a society in which everyone is watched all the time by "Big Brother." There is no hope, there is no freedom, and everything you think you know and remember is suspect because every bit of history is being constantly rewritten to suit the politics of the moment. It's a satire of Stalinism turned up to 11, but some of the ideas put forth are still relevant -- like every bit of your data being available to look at by authorities (it's notable that sales of this book suddenly went up last summer after Edward Snowden publicized some information about the NSA). I'd read this one before, and I still maintain my opinion that this is one of the most unpleasant books I've read (and I'm pretty sure that's the point).

21. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I read this one in high school, but had long since forgotten most of the details. Next to the other books the students are reading, this one is downright lighthearted. A con artist of sorts, Jay Gatsby, goes to great lengths to win the heart of the woman he loves. She responds, or seems to, though it's doubtful she cares about him as much as he cares about her, and he idealizes her so much that if he did win her heart he'd be in for a rude awakening, since nobody's that perfect.

22. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

Another dystopian novel, though not nearly so unpleasant as 1984. Babies are made in labs and each person is designed to do a certain task and occupy a certain social stratum (natural reproduction is forbidden, and words like 'father' and 'mother' are obscenities). Everyone takes a drug called soma to make them content. Persons who don't fit in are cast out.

With these literary selections, it seems like it's a depress-the-kids semester. Fortunately, for every depressing novel, there are a hundred thousand funny YouTube videos for the kids to watch on their Chromebooks.

7. How to Train Your Dragon by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as translated from the Old Norse by Cressida Cowell - Hiccup and the other pre-teen boys of the Hooligan tribe need to obtain a young dragon and train it in order to be initiated into the tribe. Hiccup, despite being the son of the Chief, is sure he will fail. This is the story of how Hiccup became a hero, instead.

While Dreamworks made a film based on this book (or perhaps this book series), we have yet to see many similarities between the book and the film other than setting and (some) characters. This story is very entertaining, if a tad violent, brash, and... well, full of humor entertaining to boys. Needless to say, my son LOVED it. My daughter thought the ending was a bit gross. I tended to side with my son in thinking that this was a nice change of pace from the princess stories we've been reading along side it. We've already checked out the next book in the series "How to be a Pirate" for our next selection.

Just out of curiosity, Annie, how often are the kids assigned to read classics written by women? These were all written by men. Where are the "Frankstein", "To Kill a Mockingbird", or the "Pride and Prejudice" (without Zombies) novels? I remember many stories being assigned to me in school ("1984", "Lord of the Flies", and "Great Gatsby", included, as well as the writings of Charles Dickens), but I cannot remember being assigned anything by a classic female author outside of the poetry lesson (and that horrible "Jane Eyre" book, ugh). Most of the great classic female writers I read were on my own *after* graduation. I hope this has changed in the :rolleyes: 25 years since I graduated high school.

For a few years, no novels were taught at all, since the textbooks had little snippets of literature that were supposed to make the kids enthusiastic about literature (I call it Literature: Twitter Style). When this turned out not to work in spite of the opinions of experts who hadn't been in a classroom in years, they started using actual novels again. (Good thing we librarians in the district had just put them away instead of getting rid of them like we were told to -- we knew they'd be needed in the future.) Last year the kids read Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Raisin in the Sun (all written by women). This year the theme seems to be dystopia (other than The Great Gatsby), so they're reading all the depressing books. One teacher showed up with her first period class today to check out a dystopiate novel written by a woman -- The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. This would have been fine, except the teacher and the AP neglected one important detail -- telling me, the librarian, to get the book. As such, the teacher wanted 120 copies, while I have a grand total of 2. (Given a couple of weeks' notice, I could probably scrounge up a class set -- not 120, but enough for the kids to use in the classroom.) Given no notice, I couldn't give them much of anything. In keeping with the dystopian theme, however, the teacher checked out a class set of Fahrenheit 451.

I'd had enough of heavy literature for a while, so I read a couple of humorous novels.

23. Ten Big Ones, by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum accidentally identifies a convenience store robber called the Red Devil, which gets her targeted by his fellow gang members, the Slayers. Funny in parts, and I do like the character of Sally Sweet, the cross-dressing musician and bus driver.

24. Big Trouble, by Dave Barry

This book is hilarious. Teenagers, parents, cops, weapons smugglers, and other assorted weirdoes collide in Miami. This one had me giggling out loud.

LOL - off-topic, I know, but it seems some things are the same the world over.

Ah, "experts". It's good you proved them wrong. Literature via cribnotes doesn't work, either, I've heard. This librarian must wear glasses because she's really a superhero in disguise. As such, the teacher wanted 120 copies, while I have a grand total of 2. (Given a couple of weeks' notice, I could probably scrounge up a class set -- not 120, but enough for the kids to use in the classroom.) Given no notice, I couldn't give them much of anything. In keeping with the dystopian theme, however, the teacher checked out a class set of Fahrenheit 451. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's a good book. I read it when it was book of year in L.A. about 10 years back (I was told that L.A. chooses a book every year, which it encourages and promotes for it's citizenry to read, so they can have impromptu book club conversations with strangers while waiting for their Starbucks. Strangely enough, F451 was the only book I heard of which got this honor, and I lived in L.A. -- and worked at a bookstore -- for almost 2.5 years.) Thanks for answering my question. I'm surprised that they would pick anything so recent (Hunger Games) to read in the classroom.

I once worked in an office, where someone had a sign up in their cubical which read: "Just because you waited until the last minute, doesn't mean I'm in a hurry." In that vein, You deserve the "Just because you're unprepared, doesn't make it my fault" award.

Yes, the whole Hunger Games series is good. (I enjoyed it so much that I decided to write an LnC/Hunger Games crossover called Panem.) There are also numerous books written about the Hunger Games, some of which are better than others, and the series inspired the current young adult dystopia craze (some of those books are good; others are somewhat less dystopiate than real life).

The Hunger Games is more recent than most books taught in school, but nevertheless the teachers are using it (and showing the movie). A couple of the other high schools in the district have large sets of the book, but I couldn't borrow them because the classes at those schools are using them.

The receptionist at the first school I worked for, who was also the copy clerk, had a sign on her office wall that said: "Your failure to plan ahead does not constitute an emergency on my part." I should get one of those for the library.


Female Hawk: Yes, there are "experts" the world over who have plenty of education, but lack practical experience. Putting them in charge is like teaching driver's ed. out of the book, then putting the person behind the wheel and expecting them to drive safely. The knowledge is necessary, but without the experience to go with it, it's just theory.

14) Doctor With a Sandwich Practice by C. Stewart Richie III . A man going to medical school when his father can no longer pay his tuition. He decides to start a Sandwich Stand in the Stanford Medical School Courtyard to pay for his tuition. He was selling over $100.000 in sandwiches by the time he graduated. The founder of Guckenheimer Sandwiches based in Redwood Shores , California. He graduated medical school and did his residency but never practiced medicine.

Creepers - David Morrell

A charity shop pickup, from the blurb I expected a middling horror novel. A poor man's The Shining. Actually, although it started slow, it turned into a surprisingly taut thriiler.

Heaven's Needle - Liane Mercial

This one caused a bit of a ruckus apparently among fans of the first book, who objected to its abrupt shift from fantasy to horror. As a fan of both genres, I didn't expect it would be an issue for me. I did greatly enjoy the first half, but as the book progressed, the unremitting gore, despair and pages of boring exposition began to wear on me. It was a long, wearisome slog to the end.

LabRat

#15 Wool the Omnibus edition by Hugh Howey

I'd only read the first of the five sections of this book. Great mystery about the silo civilization. I've already picked up the next installment.

Joan

15) Things That Matter by Charles Krauthammer. 88 essays.

16) 1001 Reasons to Love Chocolate by Barbara Albright and Mary Tiergreen

17) Modoc by Ralph Helfer-The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived. Wonderful story!

18) Live Free or Die by John Ringo
19) Citadel by John Ringo


Books 1 & 2 of the series I started with #3. Good plot and story. His characterization is a little weak in this series. It's hard to get into the characters.

20) Ice Bears by Steven Kazlowski ---mostly beautiful photos.

21) The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witten . Excellent history of the group of people who saved many of the art works during WW2. It's amazing they managed to save as many as they did.

22) Never Go Back by Lee Child . A Jack Reacher novel. One of the better ones.

#16 "The Unwanteds: Island of Fire" by Lisa McMann

My son is excited about this series, so I'm reading along. This is the third book. It's an inventive plot with magic and intrigue but it reads more like a YA book.

Joan

*Finally* got through The First Confessor, by Terry Goodkind. I enjoyed it, as I have all/most of the Sword of Truth books.

23) Walls of Jericho by Jon Land

8. Unlocking the Spell - by E.D. Baker - Sequel to "Wide-Awake Princess". - Now that Annie has found her sister's true love, so that the inhabitants of Treecrest's castle are awake once more, Annie and Liam set out on a quest with Gwendolyn's true love to find the person who cast the evil spell on him and have it reversed. Gwendolyn follows them to join the quest, making it more difficult as she's the fairest princess in a the known world. Meanwhile, Annie and Liam's relationship seems not so happily-ever-after as Annie thought it would be.

They meet a lot of interesting fairy tale characters through-out the story and my daughter delighted in guessing which ones they were. Baker does a good job of showing those well-known stories in a completely new light, or perspective.

Katherine, The Virgin Widow - Jean Plaidy

I went through a phase of reading Plaidy's historical novels back when I was a teen, so there was a nostalgia element here. I enjoyed it. It focused on the years before Katherine married Henry VIII, so it was a little fresher than I'd expected. Plaidy's style skims along the surface a little, but it seems to work for her.

Three Kings of Cologne (Roger the Chapman Mysteries) - Kate Sedley

I do love a good medieval whodunnit from time to time. This was an author new to me, but with an engaging narrator in Roger and a nice sense of time and place, I did enjoy this one.

LabRat

24) Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. Piper goes to prison for 15 months for a 10 year old drug offense. Her story of prison life.

25) The Key is Love by Marie Osmond Part autobiography, part tribute to her mother. Interesting.

26) Enemy of Mine by Brad Taylor Good story but he used a lot of cutesy nicknames for his characters that didn't match the dialogue or story. This eased up later in the book but was very annoying in the beginning.

27) Pirate Alley by Stephen Coonts
Good thriller.

#17 Table for Seven by Whitney Gaskell

Entertaining story about the relationships between couples who are all in the same dinner club.

28) Don’t Look Behind You by Ann Rule True crime stories.

25. Eleven on Top, by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum tries to quit being a bounty hunter, without much success.

29) Let The Reason Be Love by Merrill Osmond

Shift -Hugh Howey

Well, I've just finished this and my mind is still reeling. Absolutely superb.

Although the second book in the series, it's actually a prequel set over several centuries, beginning 50 years in our future, filling in the backstory of how the world of the silo came to be and bringing us full circle to dovetail neatly with the end of Wool.

Full of instantly sympathetic characters, it had me hooked from the first few pages.

LabRat

I just finished that book too! I'm impressed that the writer is able to carry the plot line when the characters change over the course of the book. It was a fascinating peek as to what caused such a drastic change. I'm looking for "Dust" now.

#18 Shift by Hugh Howey

#19 Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Second in the Divergent series. Not the best dystopian book I've read but still entertaining.

26. Goldie Blox and the Spinning Machine

My niece got this set for her 5th birthday and promptly picked out the book and asked me to read it to her. A cute story that gives simple engineering lessons that appeal to girls.

30) Lost Girls by Caitlin Rother. True story of John Gardner who murdered local high school girls Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

31) Destiny’s Road by Larry Niven. Not one of his best. I had a hard time finishing it.

32) (Classic #3) A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. I really enjoyed this one. It definitely deserves a place on the classics list! An Englishwoman in Malaya and an Australian soldier (both captured by the Japanese in WW2) meet, lose one another and come together in the end.

Dust - Hugh Howey

An absolutely brilliant end to this trilogy. I was on the edge of my seat with every page, until the final line left me with a lump in my throat. Also delighted to read that Wool has been picked up as a movie option with Ridley Scott tagged to possibly direct. I'll look forward to that and to whatever next adventure Mr. Howey takes us on.

LabRat

I'm glad to hear he keeps the momentum going. I'm waiting to get my copy from the library. Wow - a movie? That could be very exciting!

Joan

Cradle of Saturn - James P. Hogan
Unheeded warnings from the colony on Saturn leave Earth unprepared when a giant comet erupts from Jupiter and goes careening around the solar system. In addition to novel physical phenomena in play that upends a lot of planetary theory, history hints that Earth had close calls 5000 years before with what has become the planet Venus. Even with evidence showing that catastrophism fits the facts, the prophets of gradualism still deny reality. Then the comet's orbit changes...

I really like Hogan's stories. He has a good mix of hard science and character interplay that make him enjoyable to read. The germ of this story is from a theory proposed by Immanuel Velikovsky in the 1950's that successfully predicted Venus's hydrocarbon atmosphere and hellish surface temperature when the mainstream believed the surface of Venus would be a water rich jungle. Based on historical evidence that he interpreted as close encounters between the comet Venus and Earth he also successfully predicted the locations of a number of undiscovered oil fields. I read Velikovsky's main book, Worlds in Collision about 30 years ago and was interested to see Hogan's take on the theory.

The book was interesting and worth reading but I have recently read Exit Earth by Martin Caidin. I also kept seeing scenes from the movies 2012 and Armageddon. There are enough similarities in plot and scope that I'm having a hard time evaluating this book on its own. Not a keeper for me. At least I wasn't asking "If they have that... then why wouldn't they..." repeatedly like I did with the other stories.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson.
Very readable and entertaining tale of the summer of 1927, starting with the rush to fly the Atlantic (Charles Lindbergh was the first to fly nonstop solo from NY to Paris) and going through the events of the year.

Bryson discusses the characters and events in cheerful detail, and also tells what happened to them in later years. For example, Herbert Hoover was Calvin Coolidge's Secretary of Commerce, and was quite busy arranging relief for the people made homeless by the devastating Mississippi floods of that year (which no one remembers now because the newspapers were focused on Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees going for the home run record.)

Calvin Coolidge hated Washington, DC, so he was spending the summer in South Dakota. He had press conferences in a high school auditorium there. Strangely enough, the government ran just fine.

The author tells us not only what was happening then, but also what happened to the people later on, and the significance of the events as seen through the lens of ninety years of history. For example, the Mississippi floods accelerated the great migration of American blacks to northern cities. Herbert Hoover lived to be ninety. Charles Lindbergh made a tour of America that really sparked R&D into aviation, helping prepare America for WWII. Etc, etc, etc. A very fun read.

33) Sign of Life by Hilary Williams. Hank Williams, Jr. daughter's recovery following an auto accident that almost killed her. A lot of family history included.

27. Twelve Sharp, by Janet Evanovich

Someone tries to take over Ranger's life and identity, including acquiring Stephanie Plum.

28. Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth

The book upon which the PBS series is based. Funny in parts, sad or touching in others, and very informative, both about childbirth and about social conditions in London's East End in the 1950s.

Beginnings by Gordon R. Dickson

An anthology of stories abour exceptional ... humans, situations, aliens ... things. Usually told with humor or a twist.

This is one of the first Gordon R. Dickson books I ever read. I still have a copy 20 and more years on. 'nuff said.

#20 All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

Childhood friends reunite to help each other with problem.s

#21 Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

This writer does a good job of creating very detailed characters but you don't always like them. A woman's brother comes to stay with her family for two months. She barely recognizes him since he's gained over two hundred pounds. She ignores the problem until she learns that he has nowhere to go. Then she initiates a drastic plan to help him lose weight.

This book brings up interesting questions such as to what lengths are we willing to go to in order to help a loved one. And what lengths should we go to.

Joan

Blood On The Strand - Susanna Gregory

I enjoyed this historical whodunnit, despite it being set in Restoration England - a period I'm not that interested in. It was well written enough to get me past that.

LabRat

Oh, I love this book. There was a movie made (in the 50s?) which I've never seen, but the 1980s mini-series with Bryan Brown and Helen Morse was brilliant. The mini-series followed the book so closely that some lines are copied exactly.

Corrina.

I didn't know there were movies made of this book. I'm going to have to try and find them. Bryan Brown also did a movie of On The Beach by Nevil Shute that was excellent.

10. - "The Frog Princess" - By E.D. Baker - Emeralda is a princess. Her mother wants her to marry a man she doesn't love. So, while avoiding her mother by walking by the swamp behind her castle, Emeralda (Emma) comes upon a talking frog who says that he used to be Prince Eadric. He asks for a kiss and she grants his request with unforeseen consequences.

I had heard rumors (i.e. the back of the book) that this story was the one the Disney movie was based on. If so, it only borrowed one plot point from it. That the "princess" turns into a frog.


11. - "How to Train Your Dragon: Book 2: How to be A Pirate" - by Cressida Cowell - Hiccup and the Horrible Haddocks are back, only this time they've discovered the coffin of famous dead pirate. What they find inside this coffin (yes, they open it, looking for treasure), sends them on a wild adventure.

While my son *loved* the first book in the series, he found this one too slow with very little action (for the first half of the book). He complained that all they were doing was talking and not doing anything. Plus, I believe the concept of opening a casket was gruesome to him. I have to admit that this story is not for the queasy stomached as the characters and what they come up against are quite disgusting at times. My daughter and I enjoyed it, though, because Toothless is hilarious and the antics of the Viking clan funny.

29. Legend, by Marie Lu

A young adult dystopian novel, set mostly in a future Los Angeles. One of my students told me I just had to read it, so I did. It's a pretty good book -- a little slow at times, but still a good read, and this dystopian future is definitely an unpleasant one.

#22 Dust by Hugh Howey

Last of the Wool trilogy. Enjoyable but I do have some continuity nitpicks.

Joan

To Kill Or Cure: The Thirteenth Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew - Susanna Gregory

This was more my area - medieval England - and I greatly enjoyed the rich array of interesting characters. Although I was much more interested in how they would deal with the sly conman pretending to be a doctor (rather satisfyingly as it happened) than the central whodunnit.

LabRat

34) Killing Willis by Todd Bridges
35) Real Girl Next Door by Denise Richards
36) The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry
37) The Devil’s Gold by Steve Berry (short story)


34 & 35) Autobiographies. Todd Bridges story shows the devastating effects of child abuse. Denise Richards shows the terrible effects of drug abuse.

36 & 37) Both good thrillers.

The Ghost of Blackwood Lane - Greg Enslen

When he was 15 years old, Chris was hypnotised to make him forget his highschool sweetheart in order to save him and his father from a mobster. Years later, Chris is haunted by dreams of a woman he does not know. A woman in deadly danger from her abusive husband...

The first of my Kindle free books, this was actually a pretty decent thriller, although the characters were somewhat simplistic and stereotypical.

A Legacy of Light: The Dragon War Part I - Daniel Arenson

There was little that was original in this fantasy tale of siblings at war, evil tyrants, brave rebels, et al, but I greatly enjoyed it nonetheless. Interesting characters who were able to change into dragons at will got me past the often clunky dialogue and scenery-chewing.

LabRat

Thrice Upon a Time - James P. Hogan

Murdoch's grandfather called...he's built a time machine in his basement. Crazy? Yes. For real? Yes, when your grandfather is Sir Charles Patrick Ross, inventor, nuclear physicist, Nobel Laureate. The machine can send messages forward or backward in time one day. What good is a time machine that can only send information and only has a range of one day? Sure, it can change a life, but can it save the world? And who gets the girl?

This book has been a favorite for some time. Having read a several of Hogan's stories recently, I was very surprised when I checked the copyright date of this book. This book flowed so well that I was sure it was one of his later novels and found that it was written early in his career. Good mix of A and B plots. Highly recommended for FoLCs.

Favorite quote: "Goes together like gravy and ice cream."

Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman.
Good biography of the Chicago Bears NFL football player, from his birth and upbringing in rural Mississippi (still segregated into the 1970's) to his death from bile duct cancer in 1999. He lived only 46 years, but many have fond memories of a good man.

Enchantment's Reach: The Orb Undreamed - Martin Ash

When the author was actually telling the story this was actually a pretty decent fantasy novel. There were some pacing issues early on but once it settled down it certainly engaged me and I'd quite like to find out what happens next.

LabRat

38) The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. Classic #4

I enjoyed this book.

30. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
31. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
32. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

I've read all of these before, but I felt like reading them again, so I carried them backstage with me and read between scenes. The Hunger Games is an excellent dystopian series, and I liked it as well as the last couple of times I read it.

33. Prodigy: A Legend Novel, by Marie Lu

This one was better than the first book in the Legend series. I'm a bit surprised this is considered YA (not that there were any particularly "adult" scenes in it -- kissing was as far as it went). The political concepts were complex, though, more like what one would find in a novel written for adults instead of teens. I think the reason it's YA is that the two protagonists are teenagers.

Cain's Blood - Geoffrey Girard

I love to read and when I entered the local bookstore and saw the book mentioned above, I just fell for it. "Cain's Blood" is a Thriller, which the moment you start reading won't let you go until the very last page. Only for people with iron stomachs and please don't read it in bed before going to sleep, if you're not used to Thrillers with loads of blood and guts in it!

I love Thrillers, Fantasy and (don't laugh!!!) romantic novels. Here are a couple of others I read in the last 1,5 months:

The Impaler - Sam Markham
The Sculptor - Sam Markham
Deeper Than the Dead - Tami Hoag
The Sword of Truth - Terry Goodkind (whole series)
The Loop - Nicholas Evans
Night of Wolves - David Daldlish
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
The Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks (only have a couple of chapters left in the last book of the trilogy)

#23 Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story by Shanna Hogan

Typical true crime. Not much mystery as to what happened.

#24 Feed by Mira Grant

I originally downloaded this YA tittle thinking my kids might like it. Zombies don't do much for me and this book is all about a post apocalyptic Zombie world. I was completely surprised by this book. The details the author used, creating the world, letting us understand exactly how these developments came about. The characters, aspiring journalists 16 year old brother and sister Shaun and Georgia, were well developed, as well as the plot to determine who was targeting the presidential candidate. I was really impressed. And there's a sequel!

Joan

Ooooh, Lara. A woman after my own heart. Thrillers/Fantasy are my first choices, too.

I've posted on quite a number of both genres in this and previous Book Challenge threads if you're looking for inspiration/new authors! Looking forward to seeing what's been on your list, too!

LabRat

@LabRat: Sounds fantastic! I love books...and I'm a really fast reader
I have to see what else I've read since the beginning of 2014, but I'm sure there's gonna be one or the other you might enjoy as well ^^

34. Lean Mean Thirteen, by Janet Evanovich

After her ex-husband disappears, Stephanie Plum has to clear her name.

The God King: Heirs of the Fallen I - James A. West

An enjoyable fantasy. Interesting characters although the plot was none too original and I did get tired of major characters dying only to be miraculously resurrected instants later. As this first book ended as a complete story with no cliffhanger, I'm in no rush to read what happens next. But if I get the chance at some point, I wouldn't mind visiting with Kian and his companions again.

Daughter Of The Sea - Mira Zamin

This fantasy set in Rome and Atlantis skimmed along the surface somewhat and never really dipped beneath, still I enjoyed it and it was just the light-reading ticket for a sunny afternoon.

Tribes - John Wilson

America is bankrupt. As society crumbles and inferstructures fail, Tom and his neighbours in a small, gated community struggle to survive an increasingly hostile world. Inevitably, this reminded me of Jericho or Under The Dome. It was an interesting idea but, sadly, never made it past the superficial.

LabRat

Coming of the Horseclans - Robert Adams

The Horseclans have been nomads of the post-apocalyptic North Americal plains since their founding 600 years prior. No one knew what caused the failed crops, the plagues, the earthquakes or whether they were related or coincidental. But they and the limited nuclear skirmishes took a massive toll on humanity. Milo the "undying", a human with a mutation giving him an exceptional healing capacity, saved two dozen refugees from Los Angeles by teaching them how to live as nomads on the Great Plains. After a fruitless 200 year quest to find a population of similar mutants, Milo is returning to the Clans to guide them through Mercenaries, "Dirtmen" (i.e. farmers), and the descendants of Greek invaders to their fabled home by the sea, Elhai.

Adams has created an interesting world for the Horseclans to live within. He never says what starts the catastrophes in the 1980's-1990's but he says that the nuclear exchanges are as a result of them, not the cause. The Eastern seaboard was devastated by tidal waves, permanently changing the coastline. Florida is essentially a swamp. Prariecats inhabit the plains, descendants of genetically recreated sabertooth tigers that escaped captivity after the disasters. In addition to Milo's "undying" mutation, significant numbers of the Clans can "mindspeak" and can communicate directly with each other, their horses and the prariecats.

I last read this book/series about 20 years ago. I was looking to read an adventure story and pulled it down again. (What can I say, I'm cheap and have more SF books by more authors than any three libraries near me combined.) While I like the Horseclans universe and enjoyed the overall story, there is a significant amount of graphic material (mainly violence) that I hadn't remembered. Adams's day-job was as a porn writer and he apparently had axes to grind when we wrote this series. There are some truly great characters in the series but Adams died before finishing the story.

This would definitely receive my recommendation for a Mature rating.

35. Champion: A Legend Novel, by Marie Lu

The third and final novel in the Legend trilogy. The Colonies invade, with the help of one of the two world superpowers, Africa, seeking to impose their worldview on the Republic. Meanwhile, the Republic seeks the help of the other superpower, Antarctica, which is reluctant to help without certain concessions.

This is a very complex series, not unlike some good classic political fiction (notably, the author was inspired in part by Les Miserables). The Republic is based in part on North Korea, while the Colonies are the worst aspects of capitalism taken up to 11. The superpowers, Africa and Antarctica, remind me a bit of the United States and the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, no one is absolutely right, no one is absolutely wrong, and the dystopian countries, the Republic and the Colonies, have positive aspects in spite of themselves. Some parts of the trilogy are tearjerkers, but the ending is hopeful.

36. Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel, by C.J. Cherryh

This novel is based on the LnC TV show, though it strays somewhat from show canon. A disaster happens in Metropolis while Clark is half a world away, and Lois winds up being the hero. It's not bad, though I think I've been spoiled by reading so much good fanfic here. I might have appreciated the novel more if I'd given in to my impulse to buy and read it in the mid-90's, but I decided not to do so because I liked comic books better.

I read this one a few years ago and was disappointed as well. It just didn't compare well to the fanfic that I had read.

Cherryh's book was pretty much universally hailed as an abomination when it came out. I was doubly disappointed because Cherryh's Chronicles of Morgaine is one of my favourite fantasy series. But it was as though she'd never even watched the show. What most LNC fans didn't want in a novel was Lois and Clark on separate sides of the world for most of it!

And then there were the weird details which were totally contradicted in LNC. Been a long time since I read it but I think one of those was Clark bemoaning that his Kryptonian body chemistry meant he couldn't wear a watch because they stopped working after only a few hours.

It had a couple of really nice moments - when Clark and Lois finally made it to the same room, but for the most part it singularly failed to capture any of the show's romance or wit. Would have made a good Superman novel, perhaps, but it had little to do with LNC apart from Teri and Dean on the cover.

LabRat

The Basement - Stephen Leather

An entertaining little thriller in very much two halves. I enjoyed the scenes with Marvin and his cat and mouse game with the police. I found the alternating scenes with the killer as he abused his victim somewhat disturbing and uncomfortable reading - but then I imagine I was supposed to and these scenes were thankfully light on gory details, more suggestive than graphic. And I never saw the ending coming at all. Very well done.

The Tinkerer's Daughter - James Sedgwick

I enjoyed this charming YA fantasy. Breeze made for a delightful heroine. There were few surprises and the Mary Sue element did tend to take over somewhat once the action got going but a good read all the same.


LabRat

37. Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum provides security for an aging music star while trying to figure out what happened to the nine million dollars stolen by the brother of one of her skips ten years ago.

#25 Deadline by Mira Grant Second book in the Newsflesh Trilogy

We learn more about the evolution of the Kellis-Amberlee virus and about how the government has been handling/mishandling the situation. Lots of action. Really ends with a bang - though I've got to pick up the final book to see if this development really makes sense.

Birthdays of a Princess - Helga Zeiner

I couldn't put this one down. After a shocking act of violence, a diligent psychiatrist and an increasingly sympathetic cop try to discover why a teenager would attack a stranger so viciously, hampered by the attacker being unable to remember either attack or motivation. But as the pieces of her memory are recovered what dread secrets will be revealed?

I don't think I've ever hated a character so much (Gracie) or wanted to slap one so hard (Melissa). I definitely need to check out more from this author.

LabRat

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie.
Miss Marple saves the day when poison-pen letters lead to a murder.

Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie.
The first Agatha Christie I ever read. I was blown away by the way she plotted herself out of a seemingly airtight murder. Hercule Poirot reveals the defendant to be innocent and another person (someone you would never think of!) to be the murderer.

38. The Trial of Mary Lou, by Ron Carter

A short, humorous novella, set in 1931, about a 17-year-old Idaho girl put on trial for attempted murder after she shoots the boat of a local ne'er-do-well full of holes and causes it to sink. The jury has only six members (one of whom brings five of her fifteen children with her, and nurses the youngest during the trial), because the guy appointed as judge (who has no idea what he's doing) can't find any more people who aren't busy. The prosecutor is an uptight, young, Harvard-educated lawyer who finds himself falling in love with the defendant, so they spend much of the trial making eyes at each other. Volume 1 of the Settlement trilogy. I'll read the others if I ever find them (this one came from a used bookstore; I paid $1.08 for it and don't feel like spending more for the others).

Dust - Arthur Slade

I was captivated by this horror novella, reminiscent of the best of Stephen King's early work. Like King, Slade deftly weaves an atmosphere of brooding, almost stifling menace creeping over a sleepy, rural community in Depression-era America and our young hero, Robert, valiently resisting the evil seducing the adults in his town, is a wonderful character we can root for. My only complaint? Too short! But definitely a keeper and I really need to read more from this author.

LabRat

#26 Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

I wasn't sure how a sequel to a book written in the 70s would hold up. It follows Danny Torance as an adult. I enjoyed it.


Joan

39) Supervolcano: Eruption by Harry Turtledove
40) Supervolcano: All Fall Down by Harry Turtledove

These were the first books I've read by Harry Turtledove and I enjoyed them. The volcano is very much a very deep background item after the initial eruption. These are people oriented novels. My only complaint is that they should have been tightened up and made into one novel. I'll be looking for more of his novels.

39. Finger-Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum has to track down the people who murdered a famous chef while helping Ranger figure out who is burglarizing people with Rangeman accounts. Note: This book should not be read when you're hungry -- not with so many barbecue descriptions, however weird they turn out.

40. Bad Monkey, by Carl Hiaasen

A former police officer demoted to restaurant inspector after very publically attacking his girlfriend's obnoxious husband investigates a gruesome murder in an effort to get his job back. There's a bizarre twist on the murder that I didn't see coming. Oh, and the eponymous bad monkey winds up being one of the heroes.

Dune - Frank Herbert

By imperial decree Duke Leto Atreides has been given governorship of the desert planet Arrakis, the sole source of the geriatric spice melange. The move has the potential for fantastic riches since the spice is also addictive so regardless of anything else "the spice must flow" and they know there is an traitor in their midst. As a result Paul Atreides, his son, is thrown into commercial, political, religious, cultural, environmental and genetic intrigue. Not to mention the sworn blood feud with Baron Harkonnen and his clan.

Dune was the first non-Asimov SF novel I ever read. I was 13 and by page 30 I was completely hooked. Dune could qualify as a "coming of age" but I think the main draw that first time was how quickly the action progressed in the book. Rereading, I am surprised at how much depth Herbert was able to give the political, cultural, technological and ecological themes in the book while keeping the plot interesting and engaging. (I've heard that Dune compares well to the Lord of the Rings but I've never been able to fight my way through LOTR's introduction so I can't venture an opinion.)

#27 Black Out by Mira Grant

Last in the Newsflesh trilogy. Book 2 ended with a shocker that I didn't think the author could explain. I was pleased to find she addressed that issue. Some of the plot didn't hold together as well but it was enjoyable to read.

Joan

The Best Science Fiction Novellas of the Year #2 - Edited by Terry Carr

Enemy Mine by Barry Longyear. Yes, there was a movie that was pretty true to the story but the printed story is more satisfying.

The Moon Goddess and the Son by Donald Kingsbury. Diana is 6 when she learns that she is named for the moon goddess, Diana. She's 13 when she runs away from her abusive father to pursue a life on the moon. Now, how to get there?

Palely Loitering by Christopher Priest. Mykle lives in a post-technological rural society. Technology still exists, but life is simpler in a life circa 1880. One byproduct of the interstellar space program that he enjoys is Flux Channel Park, where the yesterday, today and tomorrow bridges cross the time flux fluid originally used to launch the spacecraft. He disobeys and finds himself 32 years out of his time and despite his discomfort at being lost he spies the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.

Songhouse by Orson Scott Card. Esste charges herself with finding the Emperor a songbird, a rare individual trained to vocal musical perfection. She believes Ansset has the ability but unless he can overcome his past he will never succeed.

Ker-Plop by Fred Reynolds. Cotter Orren is a "checker", responsible for inspecting incoming ships at Randar 13. The inspection process ensures that records, both ship and historical, are updated when each ship arrives. This process has not changed since before civilization almost broke down in the 'Tween Times 60 millennia ago. Most importantly, it neutralizes ship's power until the government determines if the ship or its occupants present a threat. The isolation of space travel is notorious for unleashing latent mental instabilities so Cotter's position is a delicate balance of technical skill, hazard avoidance and diplomacy. Cotter is the unfortunate soul on duty when a gigantic Anarchate ship completes its 300,000 year round trip to the Lesser Magellanic Cloud.


This book is proof of Asimov's statement that the best science fiction is about people. The science and technology plays a role but the characters take the lead in each one of these stories. I read this book the first time in August 1983 while taking part in a field exercise at the Army's National Training Center (i.e. Death Valley). What a miserable trip--one week of expected daytime temps of 130°F and nights of 60°F and then three weeks of rain and 50°F. Let me put it this way, I had popcorn in my duffel bag with plans to pop it in my mess kit but I never got the chance because it had sprouted. I can't really remember anything else I read in the Army but this book was a breath of fresh air at the time. Highly recommended if you spot a copy.

What She Saw - Sheila Lowe

This was an entertaining little thriller lite/mystery. It suffered a little from being utterly implausible at times, but when you have interesting characters and an intriguing plot you can forgive that in a thriller.

LabRat

#28 Masterminds & Wingmen by Rosalind Wiseman

This author got a lot of attention for her books on girls. I've read a few of those types of books so I thought it would be interesting to read about the guy's POV. Most of what she wrote seemed pretty obvious. And her scripted "conversations" to have with your child were really stiff.

Joan

#29 Toxic Parents by Susan Forward

I have a great relationship with my parents so I was reading this more for someone else who is close to me. I thought this writer was dead on and had some very helpful suggestions.

Joan

One Shot by Lee Child
"Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me.

And sure enough, ex–military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. He knows this shooter—a trained military sniper who never should have missed a shot. Reacher is certain something is not right—and soon the slam-dunk case explodes.

Now Reacher is teamed with a beautiful young defense lawyer, moving closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. Reacher knows that no two opponents are created equal. This one has come to the heartland from his own kind of hell. And Reacher knows that the only way to take him down is to match his ruthlessness and cunning—and then beat him shot for shot."

Excellent thriller. Lee Child is reliable as ever.

The Hard Way by Lee Child
"Jack Reacher was alone, the way he liked it, soaking up the hot, electric New York City night, watching a man cross the street to a parked Mercedes and drive it away. The car contained one million dollars in ransom money because Edward Lane, the man who paid it, would do anything to get his family back.

Lane runs a highly illegal soldiers-for-hire operation. He will use any tool to find his beautiful wife and child. And Jack Reacher is the best manhunter in the world.

On the trail of vicious kidnappers, Reacher learns the chilling secrets of his employer’s past . . . and of a horrific drama in the heart of a nasty little war. He knows that Edward Lane is hiding something. Something dirty. Something big. But Reacher also knows this: He’s already in way too deep to stop now. And if he has to do it the hard way, he will."

It's never the villain you thought it was! Lee Child throws in plot twists and turns galore and comes to a satisfying ending.

41. Circle of Light, by Nancy Cane

I was looking for brain candy, so I picked up this sci-fi romance novel. Unfortunately, it was more like brain mush than brain candy -- the plot was dumb, the heroine unbelievable, the hero obnoxious, and the non-sci-fi bits poorly researched.

#30 Trans/Human by Ben Bova

Ben Bova usually does a great job with speculative science fiction and this is another example of it. He takes our understanding of telomers and aging and builds from there. A scientist cures his granddaughter's brain cancer and also manages to prolong aging in himself. My only objection is that the pace of these discoveries, along with any difficulties, isn't represented realistically. Though I guess that makes a more entertaining story.

Joan

41) Tom Clancy's Op-Center Out of the Ashes by Dick Couch and George Galdorisi

Good novel. Not great. The authors have the characters from Clancy's novels but the characterization when compared to Tom Clancy is weak. The story had much less detail than Tom Clancy's. And in the last few pages the authors throw in a ricin bomb that looks like a lead-in to another novel. I really dislike when authors do this. Each novel should be a complete story and should not leave you hanging. Compared to Tom Clancy's novels, this was not a strong novel. Compared to other novels of this type, it was OK.

Identity Crisis(Sam McCrae Mysteries) - Debbi Mack

Quite enjoyed this middling mystery - the first in the series I've read. Our heroine's inner voice was an easy read but I did find the ending to be somewhat implausible and convenient.

LabRat

42. Top Secret Twenty-One, by Janet Evanovich

This is one of the shorter Stephanie Plum novels, but there actually seems to be some character development and it isn't a rehash of earlier plots (cars still get blown up, though).

43. A Fine and Pleasant Misery, by Patrick F. McManus

A collection of Pat McManus's columns from Field & Stream. These are hilarious, and definitely true to life (one column talks about national parks and mentions the sight of a territorial display between two adult male Homo sapiens over a parking space; having been to Yosemite recently, I can verify that this sort of behavior is real).

Best Destiny by Diane Carey
This book starts with Jimmy Kirk as a 16 year old gang leader. How did he even become interested in Starfleet? This question is bookended with the retiring flight of the Enterprise NCC-1701A. It's the captain's prerogative until an emergency signal is received.

I have really enjoyed a number of Diane Carey's Star Trek novels. She strikes the teenaged angst dead on in this book. Good characterization and an interesting plot.

#31 Exposed: The Secret Life of Jodi Arias by Jane Velez-Mitchell

Frankly I'd already read one of these books but Uncle Jack insisted this version had a different spin. Other than more trial details, it was pretty obvious that she did it.

Joan

Mouse - Daniel M. Mitchell

Just loved this psychological thriller/murder mystery. A host of richly drawn, conniving characters, buried secrets, dasterdly deeds and lots of twists and turns. Fantastic.

LabRat

#32 Depression 101 A practical guide to... by John D. Preston

Useful advice.

Joan

Spiderstalk - D. Nathan Hilliard

This was the best horror novel I've read in a very long time. Great characters, some genuinely spinechilling moments, fast-paced and with a strand of wry humour here and there...I'll definitely be looking for more from this author.

LabRat

#33 The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

A woman realizes she isn't happy in her marriage and does something about it.


Joan

A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast For Crows
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin.

Good one.

Invisible - Caroline Poulson

This was a cracking little romantic thriller in the style of Lisa Gardner. Was on the edge of my seat every minute, rooting for the good guys.

LabRat

#34 Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton

The Casey Anthony story from the POV of the prosecutor. An interesting contrast to the book written by defense attorney.

Joan

#35 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Not your typical cancer victim book.


Joan

The Wayward Pines Trilogy - Blake Crouch:

I Pines
II Wayward
III The Last Town

I was absolutely blown away by this horror trilogy from a true master of the genre. Crouch has just rocketed his way to the top of my favourite horror authors list with this amazing series.

I'd read his first couple of books a time back and really loved them, so I was excited when Pines turned up on my free Kindle books list.

And...wow. I was hooked right from the first few pages and launched on a rollarcoaster ride, racing through every shock, surprise, twist and slam with desperately held breath until the wonderful ending which had me both laughing and simultaneously calling the author a cruel, twisted SOB.

What could be better than this? Well, a/ learning that the Pines Trilogy is now 'a major TV event', scheduled to premiere in 2015. If they do it right it's going to be a blast. and b/ that in the interim between the last books I read and these ones, Crouch has written a ton of horror novels to delight me.

I can't wait!

LabRat

#36 The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

YA post apocalyptic saga about a girl selected for University admission and the unusual testing they undergo.


Joan

44. Dave Barry is Not Making This Up, by Dave Barry

A collection of Dave Barry's columns from the Miami Herald. They're pretty funny (and frequently juvenile). It's easy to see why Barry won a Pulitzer Prize for social commentary.

45. Real Ponies Don't Go Oink, by Patrick F. McManus
45.The Good Samaritan Strikes Again, by Patrick F. McManus
47. Never Sniff a Gift Fish, by Patrick F. McManus

I love reading these books, and they've renewed my interest in the great outdoors.

48. Tricky Business, by Dave Barry

A bunch of people with names suspiciously like those of the crew of the Titanic board a Florida gambling boat in a hurricane for a drug drop. Things go hilariously wrong.

49. The Bar Code Tattoo, by Suzanne Weyn

A dystopian novel set in the near future, in which every person is required to have a barcode tattoo with all their information in it. Unfortunately, the corporate-owned government misuses that information and ruins people's lives.

50. Jennifer Government, by Max Barry

A dystopian novel in which corporations run the world and government power is extremely limited.

51. Hayduke Lives!, by Edward Abbey

The sequel to the novel 'The Monkey Wrench Gang', in which the members of the ecoterrorist group, led by George Washington Hayduke, who was presumed dead at the end of the last novel, continue to wreak havoc on the corporate interests destroying the American West.

52. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond

This book details the rise and fall of various societies throughout history, emphasizing the complex causes of their eventual collapses and comparing them with the world today and the debate over whether our modern global society will succeed or fail.

After the last four books, all heavy reading, I think I'll take a break and read some fanfic instead.

#37 You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

A therapist is about to publish her first book about how we should pay more attention to our intuition when it comes to romantic relationships. That in many bad relationships, the warning signs were there from the very beginning. Then something tragic happens and she learns shocking things about her husband of 18 years.

Joan

OK, so I have a long commute and I'm going to include the unabridged audiobooks too.

Harry Potter, books 1-7

Good way to spend a bunch of commute time.

The Millionaire Next Door

Needed a little reinspiration. Went through this book about 5 years ago. The content is really interesting and worthwhile.

#38 Champion by Marie Lu

Last book in futuristic trilogy.

Joan

#39 City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments series"by Cassandra Clare

My daughter loves these books and has been bugging me to read them for over a year. The first installment was pretty good, though different from the movie. I'll probably try the next one in the series.

Joan

#40 America by Dinesh D'Souza

I saw the movie and enjoyed it. The book is just as good.

Joan

53. Everybody's Daughter, by Marsha Qualey

17-year-old Beamer Flynn, who was raised in a commune, realizes how her life was shaped by her early experiences.

54. The Bar Code Rebellion, by Suzanne Weyn

The sequel to 'The Bar Code Tattoo'. As people continue to rebel against the corporate/government mandate that everyone get the bar code tattoo, more is revealed about the information it really contains and the danger it poses to humanity.

55. Deadly Kingdom, by Gordon Grice

A book about dangerous animals, both wildlife and pets (and the most dangerous of all, humans).

56. Pandora's Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization, by Spencer Wells

This book details how the rise of agriculture and civilization about 10,000 years ago changed both the planet and the humans themselves.

57. Christine, by Stephen King

The classic novel about a possessed car. Not as scary as some of King's books, but still unsettling.

#41 Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Second book in the trilogy. In a post-apocalypic world, Cia has been chosen to attend University. Yet she must undergo many tests during her studies to make sure she is worthy.

I enjoy these types of stories but there's a logic issue that detracts from this series. I'll probably read the third book anyway.

Joan

#42 The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

I like this author. I enjoyed her first two books, "The Secret Life of Bees" and "The Mermaid Chair". The subject of a wealthy southern woman limited by virtue of her sex, and a slave oppressed by slavery was a good one. Yet I found it hard to remain engaged in the story. I put it down several times before finishing it.

Joan

Stop Acting Rich (And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire) by Thomas J. Stanley

Wealth is not income and there are three kinds of wealthy people. The "glittering" rich, the millionaires next door and "aspirationals". The glittering rich usually have very high incomes, have their money and display it but still live within their means because of their large net worth. The millionaires next door probably have modest incomes but are very frugal and usually go unnoticed, also living within their means. The aspirationals, regardless of their income, spend above their means acting as if they were rich. The bottom line is that by spending less, saving more and not keeping up with the Joneses it is much more easy to accumulate wealth.

Having read Stanley's other Millionaire books I found there was a lot of repetitive examples in this book. I was hoping for guidelines and strategies but this book is more of a wake up call to the uninformed. I would recommend this book but I would highly recommend The Millionaire Next Door and The Millionaire Mind.

Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters from the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima by James Mahaffey.

Interesting and well-written book about what it says in the title. It starts with "Radi-Thor", the patent medicine (radium in distilled water) of which the Wall Street Journal headline was "The Radium Water Worked Fine Till His Jaw Came Off" and moves on through the history of atomic research and the inevitable accidents.

Bad things happen; we learn more, and change procedures to prevent them from happening again; then bad things happen again in a different way.

The author really knows his stuff and writes about nuclear science in an engaging, educational, and sometimes humorous way. Example: One chapter is reassuringly titled, "The Military Almost Never Lost An Atomic Weapon."

An interesting thing about the Fukushima debacle - the engineers made provision against every credible situation. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami were deemed "not credible".

Of interest to readers of this forum - Mahaffey quotes an episode from the George Reeves "Adventures of Superman" show where Superman stops an atomic pile from melting down. Those who have seen the show - can you tell me what episode it was?

An earthquake and tsunami were deemed "not credible" in Japan? Whiskey tango foxtrot?

I believe they thought a tsunami of the height it was - 14 meters or 46 feet - was not a credible scenario. Alas for all of us, it was all too credible.

According to Wikipedia:

#43 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

A friend recommended this YA title. A plane filled with teen aged beauty queens crashes onto a deserted island. As they learn to cope, they discover they are more than what society (and other forces) wants them to be. I like the idea of female empowerment - that women aren't defined by their looks. My friend thought the book was very funny. It was a little too over the top for me.

Joan

#44 Come Hell or High Water by Joy Castro

A mystery set in New Orleans. Lots of great descriptive detail and wonderful insight into the main character.

Joan

#45 Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Last book in the YA Divergent series. Entertaining but some of the premise was a little weak.

Joan

#46 The Circle by Dave Eggers

A job at the The Circle corporation seems like a dream come true for Mae. The Circle is the forefront in developing technologies such as consolidating user information, tracking children and information. Their ultimate goal - complete transparency. All information available to everyone.

It's a interesting concept worth exploring. We see Mae getting sucked into that world. Trying not to spoil the ending, I wasn't pleased by it.

Joan

With my Kindle chockful of freebies these days, I've been spending the last months reading half books. Ones that appeared interesting but lost my interest halfway through.

Greatshadow - James Maxey

This was the first complete book I've read in an age. I bought it last Christmas on the back of having loved his Bitterwood trilogy. Sadly, this wasn't a match for it. I had a hard time feeling any connection or empathy with the main characters.

The Key (True Reign Series I) - Jennifer Anne Davis

But I loved this. Part romance, part fantasy novel, it was the ideal way to while away a Saturday afternoon. Eager to see where Rema and Darmik go from here.

LabRat

#47 The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

While searching in the attic for something, a woman finds a sealed letter from her husband, labeled, "To be opened in the event of my death". What she learns will change her life forever.

Joan

Partials by Dan Wells
"Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war's origin that she never knew to ask."

Takeover - Lisa Black
Evidence Of Murder - Lisa Black

I enjoyed these two thrillers. Our heroine was an engaging character and the plots were entertaining. Not keepers, but would definitely read more in the series if they crossed my path and not feel I'd wasted my time.

LabRat

Titan by Ron Chernow The life of John D. Rockefeller, good read when in the airport. There are many similarities today with Google, Microsoft and Apple.

#48 New Frontiers by Ben Bova

Short sci-fi/fantasy stories involving such themes as time travelers influencing Albert Einstein and the Catholic Church playing a role in the affairs of people frozen until cures were determined.

Joan

#49 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

True story about Olympic athlete and WWII POW Louie Zamperini. His experiences in Japanese POW camps were horrifying.


Joan

#50 Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

Touching story about Jane, a new social worker in North Carolina in the 60s. The story is also told from the POV of Ivy, a young girl on a tobacco farm. Jane is torn, not knowing how to best help Ivy and her family.

Joan

The Hythrun Chronicles - Jennifer Fallon:

I Wolfblade
II Warlord
III Warrior

I thoroughly enjoyed this second encounter with this author and this trilogy had me as enthralled as her Tide Lords series. Great characters, twists and turns - have bought the second trilogy as a Christmas treat.

LabRat

#51 Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink by Katrina Alcorn

I'm always interested in the topic of Moms balancing their work and home life. This was a refreshingly honest account. Though I don't necessarily agree with all her suggestions for improvements for all women.

Joan

#52 The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

A woman inherits a house on a small island and learns about the mystery of Baby Enigma, whose parents disappeared. I like this author, though this was not one of her better books.

Joan

Armeggedon Heights - D M Mitchell

My second outing from this author and every bit as enjoyable as the first. Not the most original plot but done with flair and using great characters. Kept me guessing most of the way.

LabRat

#53 The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

A light house keeper and his wife, who live on an isolated island discover a rowboat with a dead man and a live baby. Rather than reporting the incident, they decide to keep the baby and raise it as their own. A few years later, they learn there are consequences for their actions.


Joan

#54 Little Mercies by Heather Gundenkauf

I couldn't put this one down. A story about a mom who mistakenly leaves her young child in a hot car, and of a young girl trying to find her mother.


Joan

Chasing The Dead - Tim Weaver

I picked up a batch of this series at the doctor's surgery and by luck it seems I have the entire series. This was the first, introducing the character of Raker. I enjoyed it a lot - enough that I'm looking forward to the rest. I could have done with less focus on torture though - there were several passages that weren't for the faint-hearted.

LabRat

Revival - Stephen King

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. More like the classic King of old. A great main character with a strong voice, some wry wit and genuinely creepy and poignant - especially in the final chapters.

LabRat

Rushed - Brian Harmon


I was hooked by the end of page one, intrigued by the mystery of why and where. But that was answered very early on and from that point I found this one did sag in the middle, becoming quite repetitive. I did enjoy it, but found myself relatively unmoved by the end, with no great desire to read the rest of the series.

LabRat

Silent - D M Mitchell

Although it had it's flaws - much of the Slovakian section had me struggling not to evoke Young Frankenstein and the ending was rushed imo - I did enjoy this psychological thriller, which had me page-turning into the small hours.

LabRat

The Breakers Series by Edward W Robertson:

I Breakers
II Meltdown
III Knifepoint

Quite simply the best PA series I've read in ages. I liked the way each book concentrated on just two or three main characters, switching back and forth between them every few chapters or so. And the way characters - both major and minor - transferred over from one book to another. The PA world was well evoked.

There are about five more books in the series. I'm rushing over to Amazon to get book four right now.

LabRat

Breakers 4: Reapers

I think this one was my favourite of the series, so far. Mainly because I really liked the main characters in this one.

Max - D M Mitchell

Another superb psychological thriller by Mitchell. Kept me guessing all the way to the end, pulling the rug out from under me at several points, just when I thought I had it figured out, with some clever plotting and all leading to a truly audacious ending.

LabRat

#55 The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

My daughter liked these books so I thought I'd try them. I've never read anything like this. It's a regency romance but with fantasy elements (steampunk - steam powered robots, etc). It was entertaining but not highly engaging.

Joan

Flinder's Field - D M Mitchell

George returns to his home village for the funeral of a father he despised and finds himself piecing together the events of an old mystery. Is his family involved in a conspiracy to conceal terrible crimes? Or is he slowly going mad? Another great thriller.

LabRat

#56 Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

An incident occurs the first day of kindergarten, polarizing the adults and culminating in a murder at the school trivia night. The writer does a nice job with creating characters and introducing thought provoking situations.

Joan

Latimer's Demon - D M Mitchell

This was one of Mitchell's early efforts. Still an enjoyable paranormal mystery, but his inexperience showed in a rushed ending. Still, it had enjoyable characters and a couple of intriguing mysteries to solve.

LabRat

#57 Still Alice by Lisa Genova

A bright Harvard professor has early onset Alzheimers and her world drastically changes.

Joan

The Dead Tracks - Tim Weaver

I enjoyed this second outing for missing persons investigator David Raker even more than the first. An entertaining thriller and Raker is becoming a firm favourite. Looking forward to book 3.

LabRat

Vanished - Tim Weaver

Whoa. I started this last night, intending just to read a few chapters before bed and couldn't put it down until I was done. And thanks to a last minute twist, I don't think I've ever been do relieved to have the next book in a series waiting to be read! Bad author - scaring me like that. Bad!

LabRat

Never Coming Back - Tim Weaver

And again - couldn't put this down until it was done. I'm sorry to have caught up with Weaver's current back catalogue. Like Lee Child, John Connolly and others, Weaver is now on my list of authors whose books need to snapped up ASAP. can't wait till Raker's new outing.

LabRat

Fall From Grace - Tim Weaver

Turned out I hadn't exhausted all of Tim's books after all. This one didn't disappoint. I swear, each book gets better than the last. And as this one ended with Raker being asked to take on the case I've been wanting a resolution to since the very first book, I can't wait for the next in the series.

LabRat

I had a nonfiction and a few fiction books going concurrently so these are in the order that I started them.

The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley
Most millionaires don't fit the stereotypical image of a wealthy person. Most are first-generation wealthy and
did not receive any type of inheritance or jump start in their wealth building. This book examines how they became wealthy.

Recommended. Reread this one and recently purchased a copy to share.


Home Run: Learn God's Game Plan for Life and Leadership by Kevin Myers and John C. Maxwell
We all want to have personal success, connect with our community and have the kind of character we can be proud
of. God wants this for us too. Using a baseball analogy, God is at home plate, our character is first, our
community is second and our personal success is third. Unfortunately, we often run the bases in the wrong order
and for the wrong reasons.

While I found the format/organization used for the book a little annoying I would highly recommend it.


Star Trek DS9: The 34th Rule by Armin Shimmerman and David R. George III
The Grand Nagus has a Bajoran Orb and has decided to auction it off to the highest bidder. The Bajorans are
outraged, but join the negotiations. Things really go south when they get kicked out of the auction. Quark has
just made the deal of his life when Ferengis are barred from Bajor and their assets siezed.


Robot Visions by Isaac Asimov
Robot Visions is a compilation of short stories and essays about robots. The stories are good (honestly, I can't think of any "bad" Asimov stories) and the essays are almost as ejoyable and thought provoking.

I got thinking about one of the stories in particular and ended up rereading the entire book.


Rockets, Redheads & Revolution by James P. Hogan
Also a mixture of short stories and essays. In most cases there is an essay and then a story based on that
essay. Of note, Boom and Slump in Space is a (unfortunately) eerily accurate analysis of the American
space program and of predictable the effects of government intervention in general.

James P. Hogan has joined Herbert, Heinlein, Niven with a place on the shelf in my library. Whether or not you
are interested in getting this book then please read Boom and Slump in Space .


The Multiplex Man by James P Hogan
Robert Jarrow wakes up in an Atlanta hotel room with a cryptic note as his only clue to explain how he got there. He looks in a mirror and finds a strange face looking back at him. He travels home to Minneapolis and to his further confusion he finds that he died 8 months earlier.

The book was an interesting take on a SF mystery but the plot required a significant number of flashbacks. I enjoyed the story but found it a little hard to follow.

Run - Blake Crouch

A middling PA novel by Crouch. I would have liked it better if I'd found the family who were at the heart of it more interesting and, at times, less irksome. It - and they - got better as we progressed but although I don't feel my time was wasted, this isn't Crouch at his best imo.

LabRat

#58 City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Second in the Mortal Instrument series. My daughter loves this series and keeps insisting that I read it. It's an interesting premise with young Shadow Hunters with Angel blood, warewolves, vampires, and other magical creatures, set in current day New York City. This installment deals with the stealing of the second mortal instrument.

(You can tell I haven't taught a class all year!)

Joan