JerrilynnL's Books Blog

Books Read in 2012

2012-01-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

1. Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore (Jan)

Where's Alice Bliss

2011-10-23T09:51:00.001-06:00

A couple of months ago I signed up to be part of the Where's Alice Bliss project.

I recently finished the book: a current coming-of-age novel with a family dealing with deployment to Iraq. Alice Bliss is a normal teen facing normal transitions and changes but also must deal with her father's deployment to Iraq. It's a novel everyone can relate to - facing the absence of someone important in your life and how your outlook on the world around you changes.

I have given it a Bookcrossing number and will send it on.

Following Polly review

2011-10-03T14:32:00.000-06:00

Following Polly by Karen Bergreen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I was a little uncomfortable with her following (stalking!) at first. After awhile I found it funny and that I could even relate with her. Alice Teakle is a "Stephanie Plum" character - funny, witty, and a bit bumbling but always comes out ahead. The story was entertaining, not predictable, and believable.

View all my reviews

Review of "A Modern Witch"

2011-08-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

A Modern Witch
by Debora Geary

I was lucky to win a copy from LibraryThing.

I wouldn't say I've read a lot of books with witches as a subject but this one was a fresh approach. I enjoyed the unexpected story line with slight twists and turns. I enjoyed the unique approach to combining spells with software coding (with just enough geekspeak to explain what needs to be explained without being too geeky). It is lighthearted and easy to read -- perfect for summer reading or the beach. I am looking forward to reading more by author Debora Geary.

Books Read in 2011

2011-03-26T11:23:00.020-06:00

Books read in 2011

1. The Secret History - Donna Tartt (Jan)
2. New York Dead - Stuart Woods (Jan)
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Two: The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan (Jan)
4. Serving Crazy with Curry - Amulya Malladi (Jan)
5. Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich (Feb)
6. Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky (Feb)
7. A Little Magic - Nora Roberts (Feb)
8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Three: The Titan’s Curse - Rick Riordan (Mar)
9. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke (Mar)
10. Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-be - Rebecca Eckler (Apr)
11. The Summer of Naked Swim Parties - Jessica Anya Blau (Apr)
13. Friday Mornings at Nine - Marilyn Brant (May)
14. A Modern Witch - Debora Geary (May)
15. Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult (May)
16. Finger Lickin' Fifteen - Janet Evanovich (May)
17. Dirty Little Angels - Chris Tusa (June)
18. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova (July)
19. My Horizontal Life - Chelsea Handler (July)
20. Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs - Heather Lende (Aug)
21. Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich (Aug)
22. Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman - Lisa Scottoline (Sept)
23. Following Polly - Karen Bergreen (Sept)
24. Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach (Sept)
25. Alice Bliss - Laura Harrington (Oct)
26. Look Again - Lisa Scottoline (Oct)
27. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (Oct)
28. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Four: The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan (Nov)
29. Sleeping Arrangements - Madeleine Wickham (Nov)
30. Heaven, Texas - Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Nov)
31. Smokin' Seventeen - Janet Evanovich (Dec)
32. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris (Dec)
33. The Truth about Santa: Wormholes, Robots, and What Really Happens on Christmas Eve - Gregory Mone (Dec)
34. The Starter Wife - Gigi Levangie Grazer (Dec)

Hannah Swenson Mysteries read

2011-03-26T11:17:00.003-06:00

Hannah Swensen Mysteries (Joanne Fluke)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - March 2011

Book contest for Evenfall

2011-02-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Novelist Joshilyn Jackson has a contest posted on her blog for fellow novelist Liz Michalski's new novel, Evenfall. She also has three questions posted that include some great stories about Liz's real-life dog, Harley.

And if you email Liz Michalski a picture of yourself with Evenfall (or go to a signing) — she’s giving away little mini bookmarks with codes on them. The codes let you access secret pages on her web site to find out more about the story behind Evenfall.

Diane Mott Davidson books read

2011-01-29T10:19:00.004-07:00

Diane Mott Davidson books read:

The Main Corpse - May 2007
Double Shot - March 2007

Bookrays/Bookrings completed 2011-2012

2011-01-29T09:57:00.007-07:00

Bookrays/Bookrings completed 2011-
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Two: Sea of Monsters - arrived 1/4/11, sent 1/20/11
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Three: The Titan’s Curse - arrived 2/19/11, sent 3/14/11
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Four: The Battle of the Labyrinth - rec'd 10/26/11, sent 1/21/12
Suite Francaise - - arrived 7/7/10, sent 2/17/11
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman - Lisa Scottoline – arrived 8/17/11, end of ray

Stuart Woods books read

2010-03-31T16:45:00.003-06:00

Stuart Woods Books Read:

Holly Barker series:
Orchid Beach (Oct 2009)
Orchid Blues (Dec 2009)
Blood Orchid (Jan 2010)
Iron Orchid (Feb 2010)
Hothouse Orchid (May 2010)

Stone Barrington series:
New York Dead (Jan 2011)
Dark Harbor - Stuart Woods (Mar 2010)

Books Read in 2010

2010-03-31T16:28:00.008-06:00

Books read in 2010

1. Blood Orchid - Stuart Woods (Jan)
2. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (Jan)
3. Dog On It - Spencer Quinn (Jan)
4. Iron Orchid - Stuart Woods (Feb)
5. Fool - Christopher Moore (Feb)
6. Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich (Feb)
7. Plum Lovin’ - Janet Evanovich (Feb)
8. The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister (Mar)
9. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown (Mar)
10. Dark Harbor - Stuart Woods (Mar)
11. Saving the World - Jula Alverez (Apr)
12. Children of the Waters - Carleen Brice (Apr)
13. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski (May)
14. Hothouse Orchid - Stuart Woods (May)
15. Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (June)
16. Bite Me - Christopher Moore (June)
17. The Help - Kathryn Stockett (June)
18. Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella (June)
19. Dog Bless America: Tails From the Road - Jeff Selis (June)
20. Ella Minnow Pea - Mark Dunn (June)
21. Beat the Reaper - Josh Bazell (July)
22. The Lost Continent - Bill Bryson (July)
23. Pure Drivel - Steve Martin (Aug)
24. The Heretic’s Daughter - Kathleen Kent (Aug)
25. Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich (Aug)
26. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum (Sept)
27. The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (Oct)
28. The Tomb - F. Paul Wilson (Nov)
29. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson (Nov)
30. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson (Dec)
31. Ford County: Stories - John Grisham (Dec)

Boochmooch Buddy's YA Book Contest

2009-04-23T09:38:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine from Boochmooch is turning 20 and moving on from young adult (YA) books. She's having a contest to give some away, as well as an MP3 player for the grand prize. See more details on her blog. (But don't win the book I want). :-)

Bookrings/bookrays completed 2009-2010

2009-01-01T13:18:00.014-07:00

Bookrays/Bookrings completed 2009-2010
The Appeal - received 2/24/09, sent 3/27/09
The Audacity of Hope - received 9/21/09, (end of ray)
Beat the Reaper - arrived 6/17/2010, sent 7/8/10
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) - received 6/19/09, sent 8/11/09
Coyote Blue - received 12/16/08, sent 1/5/09
Dog Bless America - arrived 2/22/2010, sent 6/26/2010
Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) - received 3/16/09, sent 4/2/09
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters - arrived 6/11/10, sent 7/1/10
Ford County: Stories - arrived 12/5/10, sent 12/31/10
The Lake of Dead Languages - arrived 6/13/10 (end of ray)
The Lost Continent - arrived 6/30/10, sent 8/2/10
The Lost Symbol - received 2/17/2010, sent 3/31/2010
New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) - received 12/5/08, sent 1/3/09
Snow - received 5/21/09, sent 9/29/09
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - arrived 3/25/2010, sent 5/8/2010
Suite Francaise - arrived 7/6/10 (end of ring)
There's No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled: The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure - received 1/7/09, sent 2/4/09

Books read in 2009

2009-01-01T13:16:00.024-07:00

Books read in 2009

1. Coyote Blue - Christopher Moore (Jan)
2. To The Nines - Janet Evanovich (Jan)
3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See (Jan)
4. There's No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled: The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure (Jan)
5. Breakfast With Buddha - Roland Merullo (Feb)
6. A Year in the Merde - Stephan Clarke (Feb)
7. Plum Spooky (A Between-the-Numbers Novel)< – Janet Evanovich (Mar)8. The Appeal - John Grisham (Mar)
9. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) - Stephanie Meyer (Mar)
10. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Philipps (Apr)
11. Belong to Me: A Novel – Marisa de los Santos (Apr)
12. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
13. Eleven On Top - Janet Evanovich (May)
14. Twelve Sharp - Janet Evanovich (May)
15. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (June)
16. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (June)
17. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer (July)
18. The Friendship Test - Elizabeth Noble (Aug)
19. Between the Bridge and the River - Craig Ferguson (Aug)
20. After Hours at the Almost Home - Tara Yellen (Aug)
21. Snow - Orhan Pamuk (Sept)
22. Love Overboard - Janet Evanovich (Oct)
23. Orchid Beach - Stuart Woods (Oct)
24. The Good Guy - Dean Koontz (Oct)
25. The Weight of the Water - Anita Shreve (Oct)
26. Swimsuit - James Patterson (Nov)
27. Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters - Jean Shepherd (Nov)
28. The Queen’s Fool - Phillipa Gregory (Dec)
29. Hot Blooded - Lisa Jackson (Dec)
30. Orchid Blues - Stuart Woods (Dec)

Fifty books in 2008!

2008-12-06T08:44:00.004-07:00

Yeah, my goal this year was to read one book a month and I went way past. I've now read 51 books this year. This would explain the piles of unread magazines around my house. I also didn't count any of the baby books as one of those 51, so I've read a couple more.

Books read in 2008

2008-11-28T12:34:00.004-07:00

Books read in 2008

1. Turtle Moon - Alice Hoffman (Jan)
2. Magic Hour - Kristin Hannah (Jan)
3. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Jan)
4. Belly Laughs - Jenny McCarthy (Feb)
5. Lucky You - Carl Hiaasen (Feb)
6. Double Whammy - Carl Hiaasen (Mar)
7. Hot Stuff - Janet Evanovich & Leanne Banks (Mar)
8. Island of the Sequined Love Nun - Christopher Moore (Mar)
9. One For the Money - Janet Evanovich (Mar)
10. Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
11. Three to Get Deadly - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
12. Four to Score - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
13. High Five - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
14. Hot Six - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
15. Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? - Jen Lancaster (May)
16. Way of Peaceful Warrior - Dan Millman (May)
17. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore (June)
18. Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need - Dave Barry (June)
19. Two Little Girls in Blue - Mary Higgins Clark (June)
20. The Dive From Claussen's Pier - Ann Packer (June)
21. H is for Homicide - Sue Grafton (June)
22. Veil of Roses - Laura Fitzgerald (June)
23. Lost & Found - Jacqueline Sheehan (June)
24. How to Be Lost – Amanda Eyre Ward (July)
25. The Murder Book – Jonathan Kellerman (July)
26. Water For Elephants – Sara Gruen (July)
27. Native Tongue - Carl Hiaasen (July)
28. L Is for Lawless - Sue Grafton (July)
29. Little Birds – Anais Nin (July)
30. Honeymoon – James Patterson & Howard Roughan(July)
31. A Cold Heart – Jonathan Kellerman (Aug)
32. P Is For Peril - Sue Grafton (Aug)
33. Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult (Aug)
34. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich (Aug)
35. Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass LookBig, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer - Jen Lancaster (Aug)
36. The Copper Beech - Maeve Binchy (Aug)
37. Bad Dogs Have More Fun - John Grogan (Sept)
38. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Sept)
39. E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton (Sept)
40. Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan (Sept)
41. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore (Sept)
42. You Suck - Christopher Moore (Sept)
43. 1st to Die - James Patterson (Oct)
44. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - Stephen King (Oct)
45. A is for Alibi - Sue Grafton (Oct)
46. B is for Burglar - Sue Grafton (Oct)
47. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (Oct)
48. 2nd Chance (The Women's Murder Club) - James Patterson (Nov)
49. Someone Not Really Her Mother - Harriet Scott Chessman (Nov)
50. The Clock Winder - Anne Tyler (Nov)
51. Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich (Nov)
52. Visions of Sugar Plums - Janet Evanovich (Dec)
53. The Stupidest Angel - Christopher Moore (Dec)
54. A Christmas Story - Jean Shepherd (Dec)
55. New Moon - Stephanie Meyer (Dec)

Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum Series Read

2008-11-17T22:02:00.014-07:00

Janet Evanovich Books Read:

One For the Money - Mar 2008
Two for the Dough - Apr 2008
Three to Get Deadly - Apr 2008
Four to Score - Apr 2008
High Five - Apr 2008
Hot Six - Apr 2008
Seven Up - Aug 2008
Hard Eight - Nov 2008
Visions of Sugar Plums - Dec 2008
To The Nines - Jan 2009
Ten Big Ones - Apr 2009
Eleven on Top - July 2006, and May 2009
Twelve Sharp - May 2009
Plum Lovin’ - Feb 2010
Lean Mean Thirteen - Feb 2010
Plum Lucky - Aug 2010
Fearless Fourteen - Feb 2011
Plum Spooky (A Between-the-Numbers Novel) – Mar 2009
Finger Lickin' Fifteen - May 2011
Sizzling Sixteen - Aug 2011
Smokin' Seventeen - Dec 2011

James Patterson Number Series - Books Read

2008-11-08T22:14:00.002-07:00

Another mini-list:

1st to Die - James Patterson (Oct 2008)
2nd Chance (The Women's Murder Club) - James Patterson (Nov 2008)

Sue Grafton Alphabet Mysteries - Books Read

2008-11-01T11:34:00.006-06:00

Sue Grafton Books read:
(a fun list to keep, but also to help me keep track since I've been reading out of order)

A is for Alibi - Sue Grafton (Oct 2008)
B is for Burglar - Sue Grafton (Oct 2008)
E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton (Sept 2008)
H is for Homicide - Sue Grafton (June 2008)
L Is for Lawless - Sue Grafton (July 2008)
M is for Malice - Sue Grafton (January 2007)
P Is For Peril - Sue Grafton (Aug 2008)

Bookrings completed 2007-2008

2008-06-22T18:28:00.008-06:00

Bookrays/Bookrings I've patricipated in (2007-2008):
The Accidental Office Lady - received 9/7/07, sent 1/3/08 (unread)
Accordian Crimes - received 8/4/07 sent 11/16/07
The Adultery Club - received 7/5/07 sent 9/1/07
A Morbid Taste for Bones - received 7/12/07 sent 11/16/07
Apocalipstick - received 5/11/07 sent 6/29/07
Autobiography of a Fat Bride - received 7/15/07, sent 9/24/07
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water - received 8/13/07 sent 11/16/07
The Bad Twin - received 6/21/07, sent 9/1/07
The Book Thief - received 8/21/08, sent 9/9/08
Bloodsucking Fiends - went to lost book island Feb 2008
Bright Lights, Big Ass - received 4/8/08, sent 5/5/08
Cider With Rosie - received 4/25/07, Sent 5/12/2007
City of Beasts - Isabel Allende bookspiral - received 5/23/07 Sent 7/7/07
The Clock Winder - received 11/6/2008, sent 11/24/08
Come Together - received 10/6/07, sent 1/3/08 (unread)
The Dante Club - received 12/18/07, sent 6/4/08
The Dirty Girls Social Club - received 7/11/07, sent 9/24/07
Dive From Claussen's Pier - received 5/15/08, sent 6/27/08
Eden Close - received 10/13/07, sent 1/3/08 (unread)
Everyone Worth Knowing - Received 3/19/2007 Sent 3/26/2007
Fashionistas - Received 5/7/07 Sent 5/29/07
Forest of Pygmies - Isabel Allende bookspiral - received 6/25/07, sent 8/6/07
Fortune's Rocks - received 9/8/07 Sent 1/30/08
Hard Eight - skipped
The History of Love - received 5/2/07 Sent 5/18/07
The Impressionist - skipped due to my own backlog
Island of the Sequined Love Nun - received 3/24/08, sent 3/29/08
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon - Isabel Allende bookspiral - received 6/25/07, sent 8/6/07
Lunar Park - received 5/11/07, sent 8/6/07
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove - received 4/17/08, sent 5/7/08
The Main Corpse - received 5/9/07 Sent 5/29/07
Missing - received 8/28/07 ent 1/30/08
My Antonia - received 7/31/07 Sent 10/5/07
New Moon - received 12/6/08, sent 1/2/09
Nora Roberts Circle Trilogy Ring (3 books) - Received 4/4/07 Sent 5/2/07
The Pact - Received 5/30/07, sent 8/9/07
Running for the Hills - received 8/28/07, sent 1/3/08 (unread)
She Went All the Way - received 6/28/07, sent 9/24/07
Shopaholic Abroad - Received 4/26/07 sent 9/1/07
Shopaholic & Baby - Received 5/30/07 sent 9/1/07
Small Island - received 10/4/07, sent 1/3/08 (unread)
So Many Books, So Little Time - received 9/15/07, sent 1/3/08
Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer - received 8/13/08, sent 8/29/08
Turtle Moon - received 11/1/07, sent 1/10/08
Twilight - received 10/6/08, sent 10/16/08
Two Little Girls in Blue - received 5/2/08, sent 6/23/08
The Undomestic Goddess - received 6/15/07, sent 9/1/07
Veil of Roses - received 6/9/08, sent 6/28/08

Bookrays/Bookrings I've started (PM me to join):
Singletini - Amanda Trimble – May 2007

Bookboxes (2007):
Sunshinedreem's Spring Cleaning Book Box - Received 7/11/07 Sent out 7/18/07

My 2007 A-Z challenge

2007-12-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I almost made it. If I hadn't gotten so involved in bookrings, I would have all the letters (actually have books in my TBR pile for the missing letters here).

2007 A-Z Challenge (read one book during the year that starts with each letter of the alphabet)
A Alphabet Weekends - Elizabeth Noble (Mar)
B Breakwater - Carla Neggers (Feb)
C Coastliners - Joanne Harris(Jan)
D Double Shot - Diane Mott Davidson(Mar)
E Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger (Mar)
F Fashionistas - Lynn Messina (May)
G Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
H The History of Love - Nicole Krauss (May)
I The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman (May)
J
K Kingdom of the Golden Dragon - Isabel Allende (July)
L Lunar Park - Bret Easton Ellis (July)
M Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
N Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen (Mar)
O One Thousand White Women - Jim Fergus (July)
P The Pact -Jodi Picoult (Aug)
Q
R The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble (Apr)
S Singletini - Amanda Trimble (Feb)
T
U The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella (Aug)
V Valley of Silence - Nora Roberts (Apr)
W
X The Xenophobe's Guide to the English - Antony Miall (Dec)
Y
Z

Books read in 2007

2007-12-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Books read in 2007 (originally started this list in May but moved the journal entry to the end of the year)

1. Coastliners - Joanne Harris (Jan)
2. Murder at the Brown Palace: A True Story of Seduction & Betrayal - Dick Kreck (Jan)
3. Breakwater - Carla Neggers (Feb)
4. Singletini - Amanda Trimble (Feb)
5. Alphabet Weekends - Elizabeth Noble (Mar)
6. Double Shot - Diane Mott Davidson(Mar)
7. Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger (Mar)
8. Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen (Mar)
9. Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich (Apr)
10. The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble (Apr)
11. Morrigan's Cross - Nora Roberts (Apr)
12. Dance of the Gods - Nora Roberts (Apr)
13. Valley of Silence - Nora Roberts (Apr)
14. Cider With Rosie - Laurie Lee (May)
15. The History of Love - Nicole Krauss (May)
16. Fashionistas - Lynn Messina (May)
17. The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman (May)
18. The Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson (May)
19. Son of A Witch - Gregory Maguire (June)
20. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (June)
21. Apocalipstick - Sue Margolis (June)
22. City of Beasts - Isabel Allende (July)
23. One Thousand White Women - Jim Fergus (July)
24. Lunar Park - Bret Easton Ellis (July)
25. Kingdom of the Golden Dragon - Isabel Allende (July)
26. Forest of Pygmies - Isabel Allende bookspiral - Isabel Allende (July)
27. The Pact -Jodi Picoult (Aug)
28. Shopaholic Abroad - Sophie Kinsella (Aug)
29. Shopaholic & Baby - Sophie Kinsella (Aug)
30. Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos (Aug)
31. The Bad Twin - Gary Troup (Aug)
32. The Adultery Club - Tess Stimson (Aug)
33. She Went All the Way - Meggin Cabot (Aug)
34. The Dirty Girls Social Club - Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez (Sept)
35. Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult (Sept)
36. Baby Proof - Emily Griffin (Sept)
37. My Antonia - Willa Cather (Sept)
38. Walking in Circles Before Lying Down - Merrill Markoe (Oct)
39. Accordian Crimes - Annie Proulx (Oct)
40. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water - Michael Dorris (Nov)
41. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (Nov)
42. The Autobiography of Santa Claus - Jeff Guinn (Dec)
43. So Many Books, So Little Time - Sara Nelson (Dec)
44. The Xenophobe's Guide to the English - Antony Miall (Dec)

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz...

2007-12-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Argh! My reading time has seriously decreased. Of course there is the usual work/holidays/projects/chores that get in the way. But the new thing is the ability to nod off in less than 10 pages. It makes it difficult for me to get through a book in my usual amount of time. In fact, I am way behind in my bookring books and was late finishing my November and December bookclub selections.

So my goal for 2008 is to read one book a month (likely my bookclub book). With the new addition pending in my life, I will have even less reading time (and the ability to stay awake). I also have a huge TBR (to be read) pile that I would love to read and pass on.

I plan to send on my current pile of bookring books shortly (mostly unread). I've had the oldest since July. Yikes! I am not that bad bookcrosser, am I??

Follow up on the smelly book

2007-11-01T18:11:00.000-06:00

After several weeks in a bin of cedar chips and cat litter, I hung it under the porch with the pages fluffed out for another couple of weeks. That seems to have done the trick!

Now I have to read it...

Smelly books

2007-09-07T15:58:00.000-06:00

I am on a lot of bookrings (through Bookcrossing). Occasionally I get a book that smells musty but recently got my first that was permeated with cigarette smoke. My sense of smell is heightened these days (along with nausea) so I'm desperately seeking out methods of ridding the book of the odor so I can read it.

I found a list of items here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000592.tip.html

I'm trying the cat litter method -- sealed in a plastic box with clay litter. If that doesn't work, I'll move on to newspaper. My dryer sheets are moist so I would probably need to get a different kind. Although the cedar method sounds interesting... I have some old cedar shavings from when I used to have gerbils a couple of years ago....

Anyway, I ramble. Will keep posted on how this works.

1,001 books you should read before you die

2007-05-23T12:46:00.001-06:00

An interesting list: http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm?content_id=22845

From this list, I have read:
19. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
49. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
93. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
187. Sexing the Cherry – Jeanette Winterson
209. The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul – Douglas Adams
237. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit – Jeanette Winterson
240. Less Than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis
242. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
252. The Lover – Marguerite Duras
276. The House of the Spirits – Isabel Allende
301. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
312. The Shining – Stephen King
367. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
399. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
456. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
459. Cider With Rosie – Laurie Lee
461. Naked Lunch – William Burroughs
529. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
547. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
564. Animal Farm – George Orwell
565. Cannery Row – John Steinbeck
574. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (in French and English)
592. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
619. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
640. Call it Sleep – Henry Roth
689. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
825. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
863. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
883. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
896. Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
897. The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
902. Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
904. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
918. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
970. Candide – Voltaire

There's a bunch that are on my to be read shelves, a bunch more I've seen the movie adaptation, and I'm sure a handful I've read before but forgot. :-)

My first RABCK received

2007-05-15T15:19:00.000-06:00

Surprise, surprise ... amongst the junk mail, bills and catalogs was Janet Evanovich's High Five from jenvince. It's a dedicated bookcrossing book - well decorated. It included some goodies inside -- a stay-put bookmark (cats won't take off with this one losing my place) and an artist trading card.

I'm getting ready to read the series from the beginning. So I'll do that, read this one and then pass it on in true bookcrossing fashion -- maybe as a RABCK (Random Act of Bookcrossing Kindness) to the next lucky soul.