false 45 619 298 true 5623640 read 2 true 732376 currently-reading 317 true 732375 to-read 2 true 5396035 on-hold 0 true 4116167 currently-listening 86 false 732384 mystery 72 false 741855 childrens 44 false 740161 paranormal 43 false 2099794 bc-rg 42 false 741783 romance 29 false 4992215 own 28 false 732385 non-fiction 24 false 741782 generalfiction 18 false 779971 historical 18 false 2099792 cozyfirstmysteries 17 false 1304613 classics 17 false 3448799 amateur-sleuth 17 false 2099793 chillingreads 17 false 1790594 read-with-a 15 false 3196186 fantasy 14 false 2937377 urban-fantasy 13 false 3448831 favorites 12 false 5344169 for-review 12 false 2511809 author-signed 11 false 3877588 christmas 10 false 1143463 young-adult 10 false 740116 spirituality 9 false 5227002 blog-tour 9 false 2557651 vampires 8 false 2332733 magic 8 false 2306418 advance-copy 7 false 1143456 sci-fi 6 false 2881935 thriller 6 false 2307773 holmes-doyle 5 false 1504274 biography-autobiography 5 false 3136944 wes 5 false 4116098 memoir 5 false 931119 history 4 false 2201886 christian-fiction 3 false 4535041 graphic-novel 3 false 2495147 anthology 3 false 2511544 wumc 2 false 3495522 professional-sleuth 2 false 3260565 horror 2 false 8374231 art 2 false 6735158 arthurian 2 false 4542675 audio-book 2 false 1790154 nutrition-exercise 1 false 5604286 christianity 1 false 5395992 short-stories 1 false 6735163 dragons 1 false 4881107 romantic-suspense 1 false 4589336 erotica 1 false 3242397 poetry 1 false 5084091 appalachia 1 false 5121016 financial 1 false 5507946 zombies 0 false 3481238 weres http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78961045 to: Bear Portraits (Hardcover) by Jill Greenberg
bookshelves: art, for-review, own
For me, the bears lose some of their awesomeness by being taken out of nature, but that’s just me. They’re a little too clean here, too perfect. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77500627 to: Chosen by Desire (The Guardians of Destiny) by Kate Perry
bookshelves: for-review, paranormal, romance
I’m a sucker for a fun hot romance, especially one with a touch of the paranormal, so this was right up my alley. I loved it. By the way, this is the second of the Guardians of Destiny, after Marked by Passion, but I didn’t feel like I missed much by not reading the first.

In a typical romance set-up, Max has been betrayed before and doesn’t at first believe that Carrie is as innocent as she seems. He is still drawn to her, though, and can’t resist. Carrie, of course, has her own issues. They’re a good couple. He’s brooding, bossy and over-protective. She’s her own person, not willing to just go along with whatever he says, but of course they both need each other. There’s a lot of action along the way, with others looking for the scroll and threatening Carrie’s life.

The paranormal is really a side light to the story. Max has some powers, but they only come in to play occasionally, which I like. I was glad the the romance was the center of the story. And of course, it has a happy ending, a necessity for me. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/51256797 Some Danger Involved: A Novel (Paperback) by Will Thomas
bookshelves: currently-reading, mystery
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77976942 to: Fables: Legends in Exile (Volume 1) by Bill Willingham
bookshelves: fantasy, graphic-novel
I don’t read many comics or graphic novels, but this one was a blast. It takes place after “happily ever after.” The famous folks of legends and fairy tales are living in exile in New York after being forced from their lands by and evil creature, the Adversary. The characters who can disguise themselves as normal mundane humans live in an exclusive apartment building; the ones who can’t live on a farm in upstate. The trouble starts when Jack, of beanstalk fame, reports a crime. Rose Red is missing and probably dead, judging from the blood in her apartment. Snow White, the deputy mayor, and Bigby Wolf, the detective formerly known as the Big Bad Wolf, need to get to the bottom of the mystery.

This was a fun read. We meet lots of familiar characters, but each is now dealing with real-world problems. The dialogue is funny and full of one-liners, the art is well-done, with a few little details that add to the enjoyment.

The mystery isn’t that suspenseful. The conclusion is fairly obvious. The story is about the characters, the setting, the dialogue, not necessarily the plot itself. I will definitely be reading more volumes of Fables. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77657653 to: One Hundred Butterflies (Hardcover) by Harold Feinstein
bookshelves: art, for-review
Feinstein has captured the beauty and brilliance of these ornate insects and reproduced it in a oversized format, allowing us to appreciate the details. The photos of butterflies from around the world are mesmerizing, the vivid colors shown off to perfection by the black background. The intense blues of the African Blue Salamis and the luminous oranges of the Monarch took my breath away. Butterfly lovers would treasure this book, as would art lovers. After all, butterfly wings are as magnificent as any painting or stained-glass window. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44508681 to: The Graveyard Book (Hardcover) by Neil Gaiman
bookshelves: bc-rg, childrens, fantasy
I enjoyed this a lot, more than I expected. I liked meeting all the people and reading about Bod's adventures both in the graveyard and in the real world. I don't read many coming of age stories, but this was magical, a treat to read. There were situations where I was scared for Bod and times when he made me smile. And moments that made me cry. I guess I was more emotionally involved in the story than I thought, but Bod leaving his home and his family, even if they were ghosts in a graveyard, was sad. Of course, he didn't see it entirely that way. Life, to Bod, was and would be an adventure, with new experiences always just around the bend.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77331242 to: X Marks the Spot: Mapping the World (Raintree Fusion: Social Studies) by Margaret Hall
bookshelves: childrens, non-fiction
This book traces the history of cartography, map-making, from thousands of years ago with a photo of a clay map, to modern times, discussing GPS units. Maps have been and still are important to travelers, traders and explorers. Navigation tools, like compasses, sextants, chronometers were also described.

It was really interesting and I actually learned a lot. For example, I didn’t know that Ptolemy was a.) a cartographer or b.) the first to put north at the top of the map. I didn’t realize that the first aerial photographs used by mapmakers were taken from hot air balloons, even though it makes sense. The history is told simply with important words in bold and defined in a glossary. The photos of maps through the ages are fascinating. I also like the list at the back of books to read to learn more. This is a great book for middle grade kids who enjoy non-fiction. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76694652 On the Edge (The Edge, #1) by Ilona Andrews
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76692830 Secrets of a Christmas Box (Hardcover) by Steven Hornby
bookshelves: childrens, currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76038115 to: The Guns of Avalon (Amber Chronicles, #2) by Roger Zelazny
bookshelves: fantasy
It was a perfect choice for my mood- quick, fairly short, and lots of adventure.

The Guns of Avalon picks up where Nine Princes in Amber left off. Corwin is determined to fight for the throne of Amber. He has some supplies he needs to collect which takes him to Avalon. While there, he must help fight the creatures of the Circle of Evil, a part of the Dark Road to Chaos that he unleashed on the world, both Amber and Shadow, by his curse.

Once again, Corwin doesn’t know who to trust and how far to trust them. I enjoy the action in these. they’re just fun. Traveling through Shadow plays a big part in this one, with some really interesting descriptions of the terrain changing around them. It’s an easy read. This time around, Corwin knows who he is, what he’s fighting for, so we can get straight to it. We don’t need any explanation of the importance of Amber and that the royal family can travel through Shadow. Reading the first is necessary though, otherwise you’d be lost.

During this adventure, he also meets Dara, who claims to be the granddaughter of one of his brothers. Needless to say, she isn’t. I’m not quite sure what she is though, which is the cliff-hanger ending in this episode. Corwin gets the crown, but now he has to defend it. ]]>