Thursday, December 23, 2010

The September Society by: Charles Finch

I highly recommend this author. His first book, A Beautiful Death was nominated for the Agatha Award and when I started reading it I found it very hard to put down. I enjoy reading all kinds of historial fiction and Mr. Finch has not disappointed  me. He is spot on in his depiction of the times and his character Charles Lenox is just quirky enough to make these mysteries a very good read.
Be sure to start with the first book so that you won't miss out on the development of Charles Lenox's character.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Toast Mortem by: Claudia Bishop

This is the latest installment of the Hemlock Falls series. Sisters, Quill and Meg are still running their bed and breakfast inn and of course, still finding dead bodies and solving the crimes. We've been following this series for a few years now and I have to say Claudia Bishop has really given these ladies an interesting life.
Even if you don't start from the beginning of the series you will find this to be a good mystery read.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

The Enchanted Forest by: Patricia C. Wrede

This is an  interesting kind of a fairy tale. The heroine Cimorene is a princess, but doesn't want to become a wife and have to do all the things that are expected of a wife and Queen. She longs for some adventure, so she runs away and becomes friends with a dragon and her adventures begin. As she settles into her life with the dragons she discovers that most of the dragons have princesses that want to be rescued by princes and so she becomes a matchmaker for awhile.
If you're up for a little bit of fantasy this book will fill the bill. A very different take on being a Princess.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Guardians of Ga'Hoole by: Kathryn Lasky

I have read the first 3 books of this series and enjoyed them very much. I'm still a kid at heart, I like books where the animals talk. The movie is a our Video On Demand channel, but I'm going to try to read Book 4 before we watch it.
This series is a good story of family, friendship, and adventure, a never fail combination.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Oolong Dead by: Laura Childs

We do seem to love to read these series. You get attached to characters, should I liken it to soap operas on TV, no, but maybe, no. In the mysteries we read we go to a lot more interesting places and we learn about some interesting jobs, some history, so I like to think we're actually learning about some things we might not have known about before.
Oolong Dead is a Tea Shop Mystery. Our heroine is Theodosia, she owns her own tea shop, has a wonderful chef for her kitchen, a magnificent tea master to help her plan lots of tea parties.
Oh, and yes, she just does have to do some sleuthing on the side. In this book the old boyfriend returns because it's his sister that Theodosia finds dead. That means she has to juggle the new boyfriend and the old and find the clues to solve the sisters murder, whom by the way, she didn't like very much, and of all things a dream cottage comes on the market to tempt her to try and figure out how she might be able to afford to live there.
You can't go wrong with a good Laura Childs book and my goodness with 3 different series going on you will find something you like, I'm sure.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Murder Past Due by: Miranda James

Murder Past Due is the first in a new series. It was nice to have gentleman for the main character for a change. For the last few years we've had a lot of very plucky female main characters in the fore front. Ms. James has chosen Charlie Harris and his rescued cat Diesel for the heroes of her new series.
Charlie is an ex-librarian and part time archivist at the local college, lives in the house he inherited from his Aunt and like her he rents out rooms to college students.
Working through his grief of the deaths of his wife and aunt, Charlie and Diesel are settling in to a new school year with a new tenant and one who's off on sabbatical. It just so happens that he knew the mother of his new tenant in his youth and when a famous writer turns up at the college who just so happens was a not so pleasant acquaintance from that time. Charlie gets caught up in events that he hadn't bargained for. Even his housekeeper asks him to help her daughter who is on the police force and happens to catch the murder case.
Yes, this is a murder mystery. I thought I was following the clues pretty good, but as I neared the end I was surprised. I'm looking forward to the next in this series, it was a good read.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Black Ship by: Carola Dunn

If you're not familiar with the Daisy Dalrymple Mystery series you have missed a fun series. We've been following Daisy from the beginning as a young lady with a title all the way to wife of a police detective and mother of twins.
In this story they have inherited a house from her husband's side of the family and as Daisy is deciding whether to take advantage of the inheritance a new adventure begins. This adventure is full of interesting neighbors, friends, servants and people from across the pond, as they say in England. You may be like me and have to read to the very end to deduce the whole mystery, quite a page turner.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Windup Girl by: Paolo Bacigalupi

The Windup Girl has won and been nominated for several awards. The author has come up with a good premise for a futuristic story. Some of the things he writes about are starting to happen today. Food manipulation, robots to take the place of workers, world political corruption.
It was a pretty good read, a little slow in the middle, but a rousing end. He left the ending open just enough that he can write a sequel.
For me it was a one time read, but every once in awhile it's fun to see what another persons view of the future is.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Mute Witness by: Charles O'Brien

Mute Witness is Charles O'Brien's first historical mystery and well worth the read. Set in 1785-86 France, he has come up with viable characters and very believable situations and scenery. We have another strong heroine with strong supporting friends to help her discover the ends and outs of  the strange death of her father.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I have discovered that there are about 8 or 9 all together.
Mr. O'Brien won a couple of awards for this first novel, so if he can continue to write the next ones at the same good pace and continuity of the story we will all be able to escape to France for some interesting adventures.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Monday, October 4, 2010

A Poisoned Season by: Tasha Alexander

I've found another heroine that I'm going to add to my favorites list. Lady Emily Ashton. The setting for this book is Victorian England just in time for the Season. Anybody who was Anybody came into London and attended parties, races, balls, luncheons, and looked for husbands for their daughters. My, my what a time in history. Proper etiquette to be followed, while behind the scenes marriages were being brokered that would make or break history.
This Season would be no different. Lady Ashton has to scramble to save her reputation, plus try to solve the mystery of some murders that she feels she caused. By the end of the story Lady Ashton and her friends have put everything to rights and you find yourself wishing you could pick up the next book and carry on with the story.
I hope I can find the rest of the books in this series and continue on. Tasha Alexander is a excellent period author, you feel as if you are there.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Ghost a' la Mode by: Sue Ann Jaffarian

This is a series debut. Our heroine Emma finds herself newly divorced and also that she has some hidden talents she wasn't aware of. She meets and helps her great-great-great-grandmother solve a 100 year old mystery. She also, finds some new confidence in herself and even a little bit of a budding romance.
If you like a good cozy mystery, you'll find this new series a pleasing addition to your reading list. I'm looking forward to the next book, which I think is coming out in early 2011.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

The Necromancer by: Michael Scott

I have been reading the series The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. This is the fourth book in the series.
If you are a fan of old time fairy tales you'll love this series. It is filled with adventure, magic, mythology, and just good old good versus evil.
Josh and Sophie are the children that Nicholas and his wife Perenelle have been searching for through the ages. The story unfolds as they try to teach Josh and Sophie there places in time and how to make the right choices.
Michael Scott has written a fun series with some lessons we could all learn about making right choices between good and evil.
His descriptions of the monsters he has chosen for these stories takes me back to reading with a flashlight under the covers and scaring myself silly when I was much younger.
Pick these up for a good fantasy read.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

The Physician's Tale by: Ann Benson

A friend loaned me this book because she's knows I like some science fiction and futuristic books. I liked this book as much for the story as for the way Ms. Benson handled the juggling of two stories simultaneously. After I read this book and discussed it with my friend, she said some people did not like jumping back and forth between the past and the future. As an avid history buff, I am familiar with stories about the plague during the age of the Black Death when a good portion of the population was wiped out. This story brings 2 physicians from past and future together in an intriguing scenario that in this age of technology you could see where something like this could almost be possible.
I found this to be an interesting and intriguing read and even though there are three books ahead of this one it was a good stand alone read if you haven't read the other ones first.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Diana Spaulding Mystery Series by: Kathy Lynn Emerson

I've got a few reviews to make today, before I get back to card making. I'm going to have to find a new routine to get my book posts made more regular. I read every night, so I guess as soon as I finish a book I need to jump on the computer and post, but for some reason I like to savor my reads for awhile before I post a review. I'll get a routine worked out somewhere along the way.
Today I'm starting with the Diana Spaulding Mystery Series as you can see by the title of the post. I first came to know Kathy Lynn Emerson as the author of a series that each title starts with Face Down. It's set in the 1600's, and sly Kathy has hinted in the Diana Spaulding stories about a connection between the heroines.
There are four books in this series:
Deadlier than the Pen
Fatal as a Fallen Woman
No Mortal Reason
Lethal Legend
Unfortunately, the publisher Pemberley Press did not choose to publish any more after these four. However, don't let this deter you from reading this series. Diana Spaulding is another plucky herione.
If you like period fiction you'll like these books. The setting is 1888 New York and surrounding areas. Diana is a widow supporting herself, estranged from her family, working as a reporter for a newspaper, kind of like the gossip papers of today. Right off in the first few pages of the book, she has to interview a mysterious man who does horror readings. I was hooked. The two are attracted to one another and the books go on to take you through their evolving relationship, Diana's penchant for getting herself embroiled in mysteries and the way their two families play into the stories is priceless.
Four good books to immerse yourself  in the 1880's of adventure, murder, mayhem, and a little love.

Happy reading,
Beverly G ♥

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Bone-Pedlar by: Sylvian Hamilton

The Bone-Pedlar, published in 2000, by Sylvian Hamilton came to my attention this week. The cover and the author's short bio in the front of the book peaked my interest. This story is set in 1209, after the crusades, and a time in history when all things possible are still in peoples minds. Religion, magic, politics, and people are even beginning to dabble in science.
I wouldn't have wanted to live back then, but I do like to visit that period in books, for some reason it is fascinating to me. In this day and age of all things convenient people complain about being to hot, to cold, not having enough to eat, but back in those days those things were really true. I am also, continually fascinated by how the human race, no matter what the circumstances, are continually on the move, either from necessity or pleasure.
The collection and possession of relics at that time was of all importance to the church. The hero of our book makes his living in this trade. Ms. Hamilton has crafted an excellent story around the life and times of this period in history.
A little bit of adventure, a little bit of magic(if you believe), and a good story to boot.
Once, you get past the first few pages, you have to remember people were a lot more gruesome back then, you won't be able to put this one down.
It turns out there are two more books in the series, so she has just whetted our imaginations for some more adventure to come.
Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Guardians of Ga'Hoole by: Kathryn Lasky

I saw a preview at the movies a few months ago that really sparked my interest. It seems it has sparked the interest of a lot of other people also. The books are very hard to find. Fortunately, a friend of mine found the first 3 on Paper Back Swap . The series is the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. The first 3 titles are: The Capture, The Journey, and The Rescue.
I found these books not only to be entertaining, but also filled with some wonderful life lessons. Friendship, loyalty, courage, love. I don't know that adventure is a life lesson, but oh my, life is so much more fun when we have some adventure included.
I think these books are rated for the 9 to 12 year old group of readers, but as I am still a kid at heart I do like to refresh myself from time to time with these most important things that we learn as we are growing up.
Since, these books have been hard to find at the book store it is wonderful to think that a movie preview would spark interest in reading and that parents would help their children to seek these books out to read.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Patriot Hearts by: Barbara Hambly

 I've been very neglectful of my book blog these last 2 months. I couldn't believe that the last time I had posted was July 1st. I have been reading and have added the books to my 100+ Reading Challenge list(June 6th post).
One of the stand outs that I have read is Patriot Hearts by: Barbara Hambly. She has chosen the topic of the first 3 First Ladies and Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's paramour, their interactions, and relationships with each other and their husbands. If you are anything like me I never quite put together that these ladies knew each other. I realize that Ms. Hambly's book is fiction, but as we studied about the Presidents in school it was never really touched on about their relationships with their families. What I knew about the first ladies has come from my own later reading and that was kind of sketchy. Reading this book has given me a much broader sense of who these ladies were at a very crucial time in our history. Ms. Hambly brings these ladies to life for us and as usual she is able to paint a vivid picture in words of the sounds, smells, and deep feelings of the characters in this book. It seems so funny to think of these people as young and saying how handsome and how much in love they were because I have always thought of our Presidents as old men. Past all that mushy stuff  I guess.
If you would like to get a new perspective on some strong women this would be an excellent book to read.We as women of today would have benefited from just a thimble full of these women's spunk and general living knowledge.
I became familiar with Ms. Hambly through her Benjamin January series. Again, she gave me a whole new perspective on a situation in history that is still a relevant part of our life and times today. She is an excellent author and you would definitely not be disappointed with any of her books.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Fever Dream by: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

This is the latest in the series of books by Preston & Child. These gentlemen have included in this series of stories a little bit of everything: mystery, creepy, things that go bump in the night, psychological, I don't want to put off the faint of heart, but in some of the stories there is some gore as it pertains to the story.
They give us a fascinating hero-Special Agent Pendergast and a cast of characters that so interesting that as you read the books you feel you get to know them personally. You know you've hit upon a good author when you become invested in the characters of the tales they are spinning. I don't want to start talking about the story lines to much or that would give away your fun in discovering these very interesting authors and their books.
Preston & Child have written other books each on their own. I first became acquainted with Douglas Preston when I read Tyrannosaur Canyon. An excellent fast paced read with lots of adventure. You may have guessed by now my favorite reads are mystery, adventure, and historical. Oops, maybe I'm not as eclectic as I thought.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

The Lightning Thief/The Sea of Monsters by: Rick Riordan

I've included 2 books on this review. They are the first 2 books in the series Percy Jackson & The Olympians.
It is interesting to note that there is a movie coming out soon by this same title. It was interesting to discover that Mr. Riordan lives here in Texas also.
This is another series involving the Greek myths. Unlike the book I just read recently on the same subject you don't have to have as deep a knowledge of the myths in this series. Maybe it's just the fact that the story starts out with a bang on the first page and is exciting to the last page. Mr. Riordan has a fresh style of telling an adventure story that leads you from page to page and leaves you wanting more. So, be prepared if the movie makers do as good a job on the movie you will probably be wanting a sequel.
I have every intention of reading the rest of the series. As I can acquire each book in order they will go to top of my TBR Pile.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Rotten to the Core by: Sheila Connolly

This is the second in this series. The first one is One Bad Apple. I read it last year some time before I started all this blogging.
A well written story about a young woman starting in a new direction in her life and of course, she finds dead bodies on her property. I'm sure we would all want to helpful to the police to get a crime solved if it happened on our property. Since she has inherited an apple orchard and is trying to revitalize it there is all sorts of neat information about apples and orchards.
That's one of the neat things I like about being an eclectic reader I'm amassing all kinds of interesting information  in the old brain cavity.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Shadow Thieves by: Anne Ursu

This is Book One of The Cronus Chronicles. This book is rated for Ages 8-12. I told you when I started this blog I was an eclectic reader.
Ms. Ursu used up the first third almost half of the book getting the story set up, then the story began to pick up and had an exciting ending. I understand there are quite a few books in this series. I'm a little concerned that the age group this series is geared to might not be able to follow the story that well until they did some research on Greek myths. My children have been out of school for many years now and I know for a fact that they did not learn that much about Greek mythology in public school. I hope that the parents and mentors of the people reading these books will make sure that they get some background so they can enjoy this series. I know that at a later time I will probably seek out the rest of the series, but at this time I have books already on the pile to be read.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

A Death at the Rose Paperworks (Libby Seale) by: M. J. Zellnik

This is the second book about Libby Seale, unfortunately. As I stated in the review of the first book Midnight Ink Books has declined to publish any more of these books. It's a shame because this brother, sister team had a good series going and they left us with an excellent cliff hanger at the end of this book to make you want to pick up the next one as soon as possible.
I hope they are looking for another publisher and will have success in the future. This was a good 2 book read.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Monday, June 14, 2010

Murder at the Portland Variety (A Libby Seale Mystery) by: M.J. Zellnik

I have just finished reading another historical mystery. This one is set in Portland, Oregon at the turn of the century. Since, I am unable to travel at this time this is a good way to visit places that I would like to see in person. There is a second book in this series which I am going to start reading tonight, so that review will be up next, but in doing a little bit of research to find out if there were other books coming out I discovered that Midnight Ink Books has not opted to publish the 3rd book. I also discovered that M. J. Zellnik is a brother, sister team, Miriam and Joe. It's a real shame that Midnight Ink Books has chosen to pass on the 3rd book because this is a wonderfully written story.
The cast of characters all have very interesting personalities and Libby Seale is what I like to call a "plucky" heroine. You get an interesting take on the workings of a vaudeville theater of the time. They also included in the story about the early use of the telephone, which I found very interesting because today the telephone is something that is so taken for granted and is practically permanently attached to people's heads.
Libby with the help of her new friend Peter solve the mystery with lots of interesting twists and turns and the Zellnik team end to story with you wanting very much to follow Libby into the next phase of her life.
I don't know that much about the publishing world, but I think I'm going to do a little more research and try to find out if the Zellnik team have been able to find another publisher.
If you like "plucky" heroines and some wonderful Oregon flavor at the turn of the century, this is a 2 book read for sure.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Sword in the Grotto (Araminta Spookie) by: Angie Sage

   Last year I read the Septimus Heap series by: Angie Sage and enjoyed it very much. At that time I also found she had started a new series of stories about Araminta Spookie. Like the Septimus Heap series these books are on the shelves in the young peoples section of the store or library. However, at 60 years old, and having cut my reading teeth on fairy tales and fun stories I do sometimes like to read books written for our younger generation. I also like to watch "kid" movies. You have to remember you never get to old to have some fun and keep a fresh perspective on life.
That's one reason I like Araminta, she's always thinking of new things to get into. She lives in a very interesting house with her Aunt and Uncle, a couple of nice resident ghosts, and now the Wizzard's have come to live with them. Araminta always has a Plan, another reason I like her, I do like my lists and Plans, keeps life semi-orderly.
Start with the first book--The Haunted House and then this one for a fun quick read. You might even have some kids or grand kids who might like to read along with you.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Murder on Bank Street by: Victoria Thompson

  This was another good story in the ongoing Gaslight series. We started reading this series in 1999 with the first book Murder on Astor Place. Ms. Thompson started with a delightful group of characters and has developed them masterfully over the years. 
Sarah Brandt is a plucky heroine, and Detective Sgt. Frank Malloy is intrigued by this independent, smart woman. Sarah's husband was killed and in those times the police force was just being formed, without too much of a spoiler, Frank's perseverance has finally payed off and he has solved the mystery of who killed Sarah's husband. Now with two more books in the series already published we will see how Ms. Thompson carries on with the interesting lives of Sarah and her companions. 

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥ 

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by: Alan Bradley



After being so immersed in the Outlander series this book was a nice light read. One reason I enjoyed this book was because a conversation with the author was included. I have to say when I start a new book I usually turn to the back of the book and read about the author, but if you can believe it I don't read the last page of the book. I like to kind of get a sense of the person who is writing. Alan Bradley has had a successful career and should be an inspiration to all, not just for his successes but because he is 70 years old and has found a fresh young character to bring to life for our enjoyment.
I came away from this book feeling like I had read about a budding Miss Marple. Mr. Bradley draws you into the life of Flavia de Luce and her family and fortunately for us there are more books about this delightful girl to come.

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

100+ Reading Challenge

I only made it to 90 books this year. I am reading 2 now, but will not finish either before the end of the month. I have enjoyed participating in this challenge and look forward to starting my new list in January. I have new goals set for the new year and have become a more proficient blogger, so I have high hopes for 2011. Happy Reading--Beverly G ♥
1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.

What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.

3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Books started before the 1st do not count.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

I still feel I'm very new to blogging and so I'm kind of proud of myself today because I figured out how to get the challenge logo and rules over here to my post without blowing any thing up or seriously damaging my blog. After I finis this post I will see if I can get the logo as a clickable link on my side bar so all you visitors who might be interested in joining won't have to find this post in the archives.
When I found this challenge I looked back at my reading list for last year and I had read a total of 109 books and at this time last year I had read 51. However, last year I had not read any Chunkster books either.  Even though half of the year is gone I'm going to sign up and see if I can make it to 100 and hopefully surpass that number.  Without futher ado here is my--
List of Books Read in 2010 

1. A Veiled Deception---Annette Blair                   
2. The Cat, the Quilt, and the Corpse---LeAnn Sweeney
3. Finished Off---Rebecca Kent
4. The Diva Takes the Cake---Krista Davis
5. Death Loves A Messy Desk---Mary Jane Maffini
6. Scoop---Hannah Dennison
7. Homicide in Hardcover---Kate Carlisle
8. The Matters at Mansfield---Carrie Bebris
9. The Treacherous Teddy---John J. Lamb
10. The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion---Alice Kimberly
11. Stuck on Murder---Lucy Lawrence
12. Eggs Benedict Arnold---Laura Childs
13. A Death in Gascony---Sarah D'Almeida
14. Days of the Dead---Barbara Hambly
15. Booked to Die---John Dunning
16. Spackled & Spooked---Jennie Bentley
17. Outlander---Diana Gabaldon--850 pgs.
18. Dragonfly in Amber---Diana Gabaldon--947 pgs. 
19. Voyager---Diana Gabaldon--1059 pgs.
20. Drums of Autumn---Diana Gabaldon--1070 pgs.
21. The Fiery Cross---Diana Gabaldon--1443 pgs. 
22. A Breath of Snow and Ashes---Diana Gabaldon--979 pgs. 
23. An Echo in the Bone---Diana Gabaldon--820 pgs.
24. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade---Diana Gabaldon
25. Lord John and the Hand of Devils---Diana Gabaldon
26. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie---Alan Bradley--370 pgs.
27. Murder on Bank Street---Victoria Thompson--324 pgs. 
28. The Sword in the Grotto (Araminta Spookie)---Angie Sage--
        146 pgs.

29. Murder at the Portland Variety---M. J. Zellnik--317 pgs. 
30. A Death at the Rose Paperworks---M. J. Zellnik--299 pgs.
31. The Shadow Thieves: Book One-The Cronus Chronicles---Anne Ursu--420 pgs. 
32. Rotten to the Core---Sheila Connolly--289 pgs.
33. The Lightning Thief---Rick Riordan--375 pgs.
34. The Sea of Monsters---Rick Riordan--279 pgs.
35. Fever Dream---Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child--405 pgs.
36. A Corpse for Yew---Joyce & Jim Lavene--277 pgs.
37. Death in the Truffle Wood---Pierre Magnan--201 pgs.
38. The Tale of Briar Bank---Susan Wittig Albert--294 pgs.
39. Patriot Hearts---Barbara hambly--399 pgs.
40. Bookplate Special---Lorna Barrett--301 pgs.
41. Some Danger Involved---Will Thomas--290 pgs.
42. To Kingdom Come---Will Thomas--276 pgs.
43. The Limehouse Text---Will Thomas--337 pgs. 
44. The Hellfire Conspiracy---Will Thomas--311 pgs.
45. The Black Hand---Will Thomas--289 pgs. 
46. With A Single Spell---Lawrence Watt-Evans--288 pgs. 
47. Riptide---Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child--465 pgs. 
48. The Sign of the Book---John Dunning--513 pgs. 
49. Death of a Witch---M. C. Beaton--227 pgs.
50. In The Nick of Time(Mrs. Jeffries)---Emily Brightwell--260 pgs.
51. Ringing In Murder---Kate Kingsbury--247 pgs. 
52. Harp, Pipe, & Symphony---Paul DiFilippo--288 pgs.
53. Wicked(The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)---Gregory Maguire--409 pgs. 
54. The Capture---Kathryn Lasky--226 pgs.
55. The Journey---Kathryn Lasky--244 pgs.
56. The Rescue---Kathryn Lasky--197 pgs.
57. The Bone-Pedlar---Sylvian Hamilton--264 pgs.
58. Deadlier Than The Pen---Kathy Lynn Emerson--265 pgs.
59. Fatal As A Fallen Woman---Kathy Lynn Emerson--274 pgs.
60. No Mortal Reason---Kathy Lynn Emerson--273 pgs.
61. Lethal Legend---Kathy Lynn Emerson--237 pgs.
62. The Physician's Tale---Ann Benson--655 pgs.
63. The Necromancer---Michael Scott--389 pgs.
64. Ghost a' la Mode---Sue Ann Jaffarian--286 pgs.
65. If Books Could Kill---Kate Carlisle--280 pgs.
66. Street of the Five Moons---Elizabeth Peters--338 pgs.
67. A Poisoned Season---Tasha Alexander--306 pgs.
68. Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon---Nancy Atherton--278 pgs.
69. Mute Winess---Charles O'Brien--323 pgs.
70. The Windup Girl---Paolo Bacigalupi--359 pgs.
71. Black Ship---Carola Dunn--294 pgs.
72. Murder Past Due---Miranda James--294 pgs.
73. Oolong Dead---Laura Childs--307 pgs. 
74. The Capture---Kathryn Lasky--226 pgs.
75. The Journey---Kathryn Lasky--242 pgs.
76. The Rescue---Kathryn Lasky--194 pgs.
77. The September Society---Charles Finch--310 pgs.
78. The Enchanted Forest---Patricia C. Wrede--617 pgs.
79. Toast Mortem---Claudia Bishop--211pgs.
80. The Water Room---Christopher Fowler--356 pgs.
81. Seventy-Seven Clocks---Christopher Fowler--496 pgs.
82. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent---Galen Beckett--498 pgs.
83. The House on Durrow Street---Galen Beckett--685 pgs.
84. In a Gilded Cage---Rhys Bowen--274 pgs.
85. Legend of the Jade Dragon---Yasmine Galenorn--278 pgs.
86. Fire in the Mist---Holly Lisle--282 pgs.
87. The Court of the Air---Stephen Hunt--599 pgs. 
88. White Corridor---Christopher Fowler--
89. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag---Alan Bradley--
90. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz---L. Frank Baum--





I have included number of pages in my most recent reads and will continue to do so from here on out, did not keep up with that before I found this challenge. 

Happy Reading,
Beverly G ♥

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Start To Finish

I begin my post tonight with a sigh. I have accomplished a reading journey of epic proportions. I have read seven books of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.
  • 850 pgs.--Paperback--Outlander--1991
  • 947 pgs.--Paperback--Dragonfly In Amber--1992
  • 1059 pgs.--Paperback--Voyager--1994
  • 1070 pgs.--Paperback--Drums of Autumn--1997
  • 1443 pgs.--The Fiery Cross--2001
  • 979 pgs.--Hardcover--A Breath of Snow and Ashes--2005
  • 820 pgs.--Hardcover--An Echo in the Bone--2009
I am entering the Chunkster Challenge in the Mor-bookly Obese category. This was to read Adult fiction or Non-fiction 450 pgs.or large type 525(mine wasn't large type), 6 or more books.
I had already read the Lord John Grey series by Ms. Gabaldon and enjoyed it. My friend who is a huge fan of the Outlander series suggested that I might read the books and take part in the Chunkster Challenge because they certainly do qualify. The Lord John books are about half what the Outlander books are. I wasn't quite sure, but after hinting that Lord John Grey was in the Outlander books and I would be surprised at his part in them, I agreed.
I was going to read each book, make a post here and on Chunkster then read the next in line. These were loaned to me from my friend's permanent library. Little did I know that when I got started reading it's very hard to find a place to put the book down. Needless to say I could see why so many people are huge fans of this series.
For all out there who have not read these books, I recommend them highly. Ms. Gabaldon  herself says it's hard to categorize just what genre these belong in. I won't even try to name genres here, but if you enjoy getting caught up in an all encompassing story  about people you feel like you come to know personally and follow them through their lives, this is a series for you. There is happiness, sadness, adventure, oh my, even after being finished with the last one for over a week I'm still savoring the whole experience.
I don't want to say much more here because the whole time I was reading these books my friend never once hinted at what was coming next except on a couple of occasions she would say,"Get ready for a roller coaster ride, or get out your box of tissues."  For all you who have read them you will know exactly what I mean and for all of you who haven't, please take some time for this series, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for visiting,
Beverly G ♥

Sunday, April 4, 2010

A New Blog Is Born

Today is a day of new beginnings, so, Wah Lah, a new blog is born. I won't bore you with a number count of books in the book pile.
A bit of history first.
My Mom has been an avid reader since a very young age, consequently, she made sure that my sister and I would grow up with the same love of books and reading as she did. I've tried to pass that love onto my sons, that is still up for debate.
She always told us that as we learned to read and discovered the world of books we would never be bored, and she was so right. If you are truly an avid reader you can lose yourself in a good book and many hours have passed before you even realize it.
We are a very eclectic bunch of readers, so one of my goals with this blog will be to share what books we might be reading and maybe give our personal reviews of those books.
I have a good friend who is writing her first novel. She even thinks it might turn into a trilogy. It's been very exciting to see her pick up something that she had started many years ago and make a new commitment to really pursue a dream. We share many reading interests also and she has promised in her spare time to help me find some interesting reading sites that I might be able to pass along . Stay tuned,you might see a new best selling author emerge right before your eyes because I'm already her biggest fan so I'll be sharing her progress on the road to becoming published, with her permission, of course.
I will be putting some links on the side bar in the coming days and weeks as I grow this blog. I will be starting out with baby steps and I hope that this blog turns into something special like my card making blog has for me. Like that blog, this blog is for fun, and  passing along a little bit of enjoyable information.
Your comments and observations will be welcome, so don't be shy, keep checking back, you might read about something new to you. It never hurts to add to your knowledge.

Thanks for visiting,
Beverly G ♥