Amanda (RockStarGirl): Oh wow! I totally forgot this bulletin board feature existed. That's crazy. Well, here's what I've been reading the last couple of years.
Books Read in 2013
1) The Next Always by Nora Roberts (January)
2) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (January)
3) Unbreakable Bond by Gemma Halliday (February)
4) Creepy 1: A Collection of Scary Stories by Jeff Bennington (e-book, February)
5) Gather the Bones by Allison Stuart (March)
6) Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children (March)
7) Lineage: A Supernatural Thriller by Joe Hart (e-book, March)
8) The Twenty Dollar Bill by Elmore Hammes (e-book, March)
9) Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw (e-book, April)
10) Starting Now (Blossom Street) by Debbie Macomber (April)
11) Summer Falls (Doctor Who) by Amelia Williams (April)
12) Blood Vines by Erica Spindler (April)
13)The Last Victim by Karen Robards (May)
14) Wal-Mart Book of Ethics by R.A. Wilson (e-book, May)
15) Is This Tomorrow by Catherine Leavitt (June)
16) The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty (July)
17) Fringe: The Zodiac Paradox by Christina Faust (July)
18) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (December)
Books Read in 2014
1) Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
2) Petals on the Wind by V. C. Andrews
3) The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
4) If There Be Thorns by V.C. Andrews
5) Seeds of Yesterday by V.C. Andrews
6) The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris
7) Dont Look Away by Leslie A. Smith
8) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
9) Return to Tradd Street by Karen White
10) Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
11) To Scotland with Love by Patience Griffin
12) The Haunting by Lois Lowery Nixon
13) The Mighty Quinns: Rogan (Kate Hoffmann)
14) Little Mercies (Heather Gudenkauf)
15) Where Theres Smoke: A Short Story (Jodi Picoult)
16) Summer by the Sea (Susan Wiggs)
17) Nory Ryans Song (Patricia Reilly Giff)
18) Maggies Door (Patricia Reilly Giff)
19) Remote Consequences (Kerri Nelson)
20) Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
21) Falsify (Kerri Nelson)
I read Victoria Thompson's Murder On Bank Street (A Gaslight Mystery). It was great, as they always are in this series. We finally find out who murdered Sarah's husband and why.
Next I read the new Evanovich, Plum Spooky. It took me a long time to get through this, and it was mainly because I found it boring. Evanovich can always make me laugh, and Plum Spooky is no exception, but there was a whole lot of nothing going on in this series addition.
Lastly, I read Victim by Gayle Wilson. It's a romantic suspense, much heavier on suspense than romance, and I really enjoyed it. Solid writing, solid plot, had me nervous several times....I would read this author again.
I just started a new book by Martha Powers called Conspiracy of Silence. So far, it's been really interesting. It's a drama/mystery. At this point it could go in several directions, so I'll just have to wait and see. ;)
I finished Christmas Cookie Murder by Leslie Meier, and that was really good. It had been a while since I had read a Lucy Stone. Now I'm going to read the latest Gaslight Mystery (yes, the cozy kick continues), Murder on Bank Street. Of course, I just had to have this as soon as it came out and I ordered it online back in June/July (and it's a hardcover, no less). Here it is December and I'm just now getting around to it. At least I had the presence of mind to put the next one on my WL. This will probably be the last book I get in before the end of the year. When I get the time, I'll have to tally up my books and see how many of each genre I read (I can already tell mystery will win, but still). :)
There are snails reading faster than me these days, honestly.
I did finish another book though....Valerie Wolzien's 'Tis the Season to Be Murdered. I really liked it, and I'm glad. Her first couple of books were annoying, as I found the character of Susan Henshaw to be way to mindless and obedient. While she's still a little bit of an elitist character, the series has improved over time. I can't complain too much...I'm still reading it!
On a side note, I have 100% similar reading tastes with myself according to PBS. LOL.
Still not reading very much...I just don't have the free time.
I did read A Good Year For A Corpse by Valerie Wolzien and thought it was really good.
After that, it was Death Of A Trickster by Kate Borden. Very cute series.
I'm now reading Tis The Season to Be Murdered by Valerie Wolzien, and so far, so good.
After that, I haven't decided. I'm still trying to work my way through the Susan Henshaws so I can send them to my PBS buddy, who probably reads a lot more than I do these days!
It's been a while since I've done an update, so let me see. I have read:
*More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss-It was just so-so. The premise was good, but the execution was poor. The book focused too much on race.
*Death of a Tart by Kate Borden-This was cute, short, and sweet. It was fairly predictable and a fast read, but that's exactly why I liked it so much. My brain needed the break!
*Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner-Did I mention that I listened to this on CD? It was just so-so. Too many plot twists to make it believable.
I'm currently reading a Susan Henshaw mystery, and I have so many books I want to read! I will be glad when the election is over, because I spend so much time focused on that. My books are reproducing at night when I'm not around to read them!
All my reading time has evaporated. It seems like all I do is 1)ChaCha work, 2)think or discuss politics, or 3)watch Monarch of the Glen with my hubbie. My books look at me and say, have you forgotten us? It's really sad. I haven't forgotten how to order them though...yikes!
This month I have read When the Ghost Screams by Leslie Rule. It was okay. It was really a collection of information of supposedly haunted locations in the US. There were some interesting facts in there, but since I don't really believe in ghosts (which begs the question as to why I chose to read this), I didn't get as much out of it as a potential believer would. Lots of photos and history, good stuff for the easily spooked.
I'm currently reading The Audicty of Hope by Barack Obama and it's quite interesting. I find Obama to be a very open-minded, empathetic person. While it's fair to say that a conservative would probably not be interested in reading this book, one of the coolest things about it is seeing how things work in the Senate through they eyes of a person in it. There are lots of behind the scene things that I never really knew about. I'm getting a little history lesson as well.
I think I forgot how to read in August. The only book I have read this month is Stitches in Time by Barbara Michaels. To top that off, I didn't even like it! Bah.
I finshed Odd Thomas last week, and it made me cry. I haven't read anything that good by Dean Koontz in over a decade!
Last night I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns. This was a wonderful book. It really broke my heart. I don't know that I would have the inner strength to live as the women in this novel did. If I had to compare the two, I think I did like the Kite Runner better, but both novels are much better than anything I've read in the last several years.
I haven't quite decided what my first read of August is going to be....
Well, I read the first Harlequin Blaze Historical over the weekend. It is written by Hope Tarr, and titled Bound to Please. Hmmm. First of all, I should know what to expect when I read a Harlequin Blaze book. For the most part, I do. But this one was just......I can't even describe it. Hope Tarr usually writes better than this, which is why I ordered the book to start with. It goes without saying that there was a whole lot of nookie in this book. The plot was pretty out there. And the level of moisture in this book....this must be one well hydrated woman, that's all I'm gonna say. I really can't complain, because by reading the book, I was asking for it. Still.....
Switching gears, I am finally starting Odd Thomas. I'm only on the second chapter, but it's awfully wordy. Dean Koontz isn't usually so detailed. I'm wondering what that's about. I've heard wonderful things about this series though, and I have enjoyed most of his books (although I tend to prefer his older work). The premise is really interesting, and there are three sequels, so I have high hopes for it. So far, July has been a good month for me as far as reading goes. Maybe I can get two more in this month!
I started (and finished) "Doctor Who: The Stone Rose" yesterday. That was so much fun! I love watching Doctor Who, and had a blast letting the episode play out in my mind. I am torn today about what to read. Should I read something that is wishlisted or something that has been sitting here forever? I hate it when I get like this. I really envy people with tiny TBR piles sometimes because on days like this I just feel overwhelmed with choices. I remember when I HAD a tiny TBR pile. I say tiny, when in reality it was like a hundred books. Still, it did not spread past one room of my house. Sigh. Then I met PBS, and the rest is history. If PBS ever went away, I seriously think I would need therapy. If this site is not an addiction, I don't know what else to call it.
Finished Fearless Fourteen in no time, and while it was good, it wasn't as light-hearted as most of the other Plums. Still, you can't beat an Evanovich novel!
After having it on my wish list for what seems like an eternity, I finally got The Slow Moon by Elizabeth Cox. I'm about halfway through it right now, and it's really good. I find it incredibily hard to put down....every time I go to do it, I tell myself "just one more chapter". I hope to have it finished before I leave for my sister's wedding this week. I'm not sure what I want to take to read in my downtime while I'm gone. If only I could read in the car and not get carsick! Books on CD are great, unless you have kids in the car.
Finished A Dance Through Time (so-so), and Grave Justice (really good) by Glen Ebisch. Now I'm reading Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich. I love my Stephanie Plum novels!
I finished Trust Me by Brenda Novak, and it was very good. I'm about halfway through Lynn Kurland's A Dance Through Time right now. A lot of my wishlist books are coming in, so I need to choose a WL book to read next. Hmmmm.......
I finished Steve and Me by Terri Irwin today. I didn't time it this way, but it was a perfect read for Father's Day. Steve was an incredible person, and while naturally I didn't know him personally, I felt like I did by the time I finished this book. He was definitely a one-of-a-kind guy, and it's so sad that he's gone. The book is a wonderful and educational tribute to him.
After reading something so emotional, I definitely need a change of pace, so I am starting Trust Me by Brenda Novak. It's the first in the Last Stand trilogy. I have never read a Brenda Novak book I didn't love. After that, who knows?
