75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2009 Completed)
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Jackie's 75 Book Challenge and Counting
38. Lover Unbound by J.R. WardFinished: 7/1/09
The fifth in the series of the Black Dagger Brotherhood this one tells the story of Vishous. In the previous books all we knew about V was that he is highly intelligent, he has one heck of a glowing hand, he’s into BDSM, he maybe in love with Butch and he has a whole heck of a lot of issues. Definitely an interesting character. Needless to say I was looking forward to this one.
I wasn’t disappointed with this one. Although I didn’t particularly fall in love with Jane she did grow on me after awhile. Her attitude and spunkiness made me like her. I loved that she didn’t take shit from neither V or the Brothers. It’s not an easy thing being a human among big badass vamps but she held her ground. I also loved that we learned more about the history of the vampire world and more about the brothers. This one has way less about the Lessor world. As a matter of fact they were barely mentioned and I didn’t miss them one bit.
39. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. RowlingFinished: 7/5/09
When I originally read this book I didn’t really like it that much. However, now that I’ve pretty much read the whole series I can appreciate it more and enjoyed it the second time around. I did the audio the second time around with Jim Dale as the narrator. I think his voice made the story extra special for me.
40. Empire of the Sun by James Graham BallardFinished: 7/12/09
Jim is suddenly separated from his parents during WWII in China. Young Jim is then forced to survive the horrors of war on his own. Without any adults willing to help him and because of his European descent Jim is sent off to a Japanese concentration camp until the end of the war.
This book was a bit hard for me to read because it is written through the eyes of a young child experiencing some really difficult situations. He gets taken advantage of many times due to his innocence but it is his innocence that really helps him get through such tough situations. Although I admittedly did not enjoy every aspect of the book it left me with some great images and really got me thinking about the repercussions of war especially on the psyche of young children.
41. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. RowlingFinished: 7/21/09
Re-read and audiobook. This one is my favorite in the series. I love getting to see the other wizarding schools. I also love how this one is the pivotal point in the series where things start to become dark.
42. Seven Up by Janet EvanovichFinished: 8/6/09
By this time Evanovich has really fallen into a formula and after reading seven of these books they all start to mesh after awhile. I keep reading them because generally they are funny and light. A great distraction and quick read. However, although this one had its moments I didn’t find this one as funny as the others. I don’t know if the formula is getting stale for me or I was just hoping for something a little different, like possibly some progress in Stephanie’s relationship with Morelli. Either way this one didn’t really do it for me.
43. The Fiery Cross by Diana GabaldonFinished: 8/12/09
I must say that I really must love DG in order to have read this one after everyone telling me how horrible it was going to be. After reading it I must declare myself a hardcore Outlander Series fan. *yay me!*
All the books in the Outlander series are pretty much bricks, however even though they’re extremely long they’re so good that you don’t even notice the pages flying by. There’s action, adventure, mystery, etc. With this one I don’t want to say it was all boring because it wasn’t but it was 979 pages of nothing. I really don’t think anything happened that was critical to the story line. The plot lines that were left off in Drums of Autumn were not resolved in this one. If anything I was left with even more questions. However, there were moments in this book that were very exciting but it just took 400 pages to get there. DG definitely could have used an editor in this one.
What was great about this book was the development of the character relationships. The readers really got to see how Jaime and Claire’s relationship have developed into this loving no-need to talk relationship, while Bree and Roger have overcome the humps in their relationship and have grown closer. I even found the secondary character relationships and interactions interesting. The last couple of chapters were very exciting and left me wanting more.
44. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. RowlingFinished: 8/14/09
Re-read and audio book. I really enjoyed listening to this one. It was so intense at times! I keep saying it with every review but really Jim Dale is amazing as a narrator. He transported me right into the Ministry of Magic with Harry Potter and the D.A.
Mod
Andrea wrote: "Jacki, I love the Janet Evanovich series with Stephanie Plum. "
It's such a fun series. I left off at 8. It's getting a bit formulaic for me so I'm taking a break from it.
45. Tim by Colleen McCulloughFinished: 8/16/09
I loved the writing in this book. This is my first McCullough book and I just know I will be reading more of her. This book is about the beautiful but mentally challenged Tim who meets the lonely spinster Mary Horton. Although they’re an unlikely pair, from their very first meeting they have a beautiful connection together. I did not think that the relationship would exactly work but with they fit together perfectly. There was an innocence and vulnerability about their interaction that really touched me.
46. A Northern Light by Jennifer DonnellyFinished: 8/20/09
I absolutely adored this book! It’s the story of Mattie Gokey, a 16 year old girl living in the Adirondack Mountains. After her mother’s death Mattie is expected to be the women of the house and help raise her younger siblings. However, Mattie is a very intelligent young woman with too many dreams to let go.
There were many surprises with this book. For one there is the story within the story. Through Mattie’s eyes we experience the tragic account of Grace Brown’s murder. Grace’s letters were incorporated into the story weaving a true tale of her demise. I found that refreshing because I learned something new and I liked the mix of fiction and true life. The second surprise was the poignant moments that had me near tears. I didn’t expect this book to be so deep, but these characters were able to jump off the page and grab my heartstrings. There were some really beautiful moments, as well as some ugly ones. Themes of racism, feminism, marital infidelity and parental expectations are just some of the topics that Donnelly writes about. But it’s done in such a way that it never feels too heavy. Mattie’s story is about perseverance, passion and enlightenment.
This is my first Donnelly book, but I can’t wait to read more of her. :-)
47. Lover Enshrined by J.R. WardFinished: 8/29/09
Lover Enshrined is the story of the mysterious virgin brother Phury. I admit that while reading the previous books in the series I had no interest in Phury. He just came off as too uptight and whiney (I guess that’s what being a virgin for so long does to you). However, I picked this up because I had to continue with the series. I’m glad I did. Although this was Phury’s book there were many subplots that were presented in this book that kept my up my interest.
Some negatives:
Phury and Cormia’s relationship was predictable in its development. I won’t get into it with this review because I don’t want to spoil it but even from reading the previous book in the series I already knew what the characters needed to do if the relationship was going to be a happy one. Ward’s couples always end in happy endings, so to me this was just a given. I also didn’t particularly care for either one of them.
There is still too much jargon used. For some reason Ward has the need to name rappers, use teeny bopper “ghetto” language and words like “shit kickers” to get her message across that these are some badass vampire brothers. After 6 books I get the message already. I know they can kick ass. I know “they’re down with the in crowd” (does anyone still use that phrase?). I do give her credit though for not using “shit kickers” as much in this one.
Some positives:
The Lesser world gets more interesting. The Omega has a new secret weapon that kicks ass. I was not expecting this plot line and I’m interested to see where it leads us.
We learn more about John Matthew. I just adore John. I don’t get his fascination with Xhex…I don’t even condone it being that she looks so manly but whatever. As the saying goes “different strokes for different folks.”
We find out where Thor ran off too. *sigh* His loss just broke my heart. I’m really glad he is going to be back in the picture.
We learn some interesting facts about sympaths. I still don’t get exactly what a sympath is but they just sounds nasty. lol.
Mod
I heard many good things about that series. I want to read it but I have so many on my TBR right now I can't seem to fit them in. I think I will be reading them next year though.
48. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. RowlingFinished: 9/1/09
I just love Harry Potter and his world. I can’t get enough of it. This series is so much more than magic, wizard and goblins. It’s not a mere children’s story. The characters are complex and deeper than most people give Rowling credit for. I think this one in the series really shows that emotional complexity that wasn’t as apparent in the other books.
Again, I did the audio version for this one with Jim Dale’s fantastic voice. If anyone needs an audio book please pick one with Jim Dale as narrator. He will not disappoint.
49. Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold by Terry BrooksFinished: 9/7/09
I’m not usually into fantasy, but I really enjoyed this one. Ben Holiday is an attorney still learning to deal with life after his wife passed away two years ago. He sees an ad in the paper advertising a magical kingdom for sale. Thinking that the offer was too good to be true Ben Holiday decides to take a risk and buy Landover. What journey that ensues as a result of that spontaneous choice!
I admit that I found some parts boring. I thought Ben analyzed a little too much, but I guess that’s a good thing considering he was in a strange world and his life was being threatened. However, overall I found the story engaging and interesting. I found myself sympathizing with Ben. Who hasn't experienced the need to get away especially after such a tragedy? There are days when I sure wish I had my own Landover to go too.
50. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. RowlingFinished: 9/9/09
What a fantastic end to a wonderful series! This is my first time reading this. Yes, it took me this long but I wanted to do a proper re-read before getting to the last one. I started audioing this one like the others, but I had to stop. My heart just couldn’t take it. There’s too much suspense and death. I needed to flip ahead a bit just too make sure my favorite characters made it out okay. Of course Rowling didn’t spare some of them. I won’t get into that or some of the questions I felt still needed answering, but I admire her for writing this under such a tremendous amount of pressure and for giving her readers an excellent and bittersweet ending.
Jackie, thanks for all the updates - I really enjoy seeing your thoughts.
Jackie wrote: "50. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. RowlingI started audioing this one like the others, but I had to stop. My heart just couldn’t take it. "
Actually, this is the only book of the series I don't listen to on audio. Well, often anyway ;p Jim Dale had very distinct voices for all the characters, and he kept them consistent throughout the entire series... except for the last one. I don't know if it was because there was a longer span of time between this one and the others or what, but the change in character voices drives me nuts. It's not as bad if you don't listen to them back to back (which is, of course, my preferred method of reading the series!) I guess, but I've listened to the others enough to be really distracted by the changes.
Kay wrote: "Jackie, thanks for all the updates - I really enjoy seeing your thoughts."Thanks! And a big thank you for making this group! :D
51. The Book Thief by Markus ZusakFinished: 9/15/09
I seriously believe that all teens and adults should be required to read this book. It’s more than a book about the Holocaust. It’s about the power of love and the power of words.
After some serious book pushing from fellow GoodReaders I finally placed this one at the top of my TBR. I admit for the first ¼ of the book I was wondering what the big deal was about. Yes, the narrator was unique but the story certainly wasn’t captivating enough for me to claim 5 star book love. But, then I reached the Parisian chapter and well that’s when the waterworks started and everything changed. I can’t go into what the chapter is about since I don’t want to spoil it, but the subject matter was handled superbly. After this chapter I was very engaged by Zusak’s writing and creativity. Of course any story on the Holocaust is bound to draw some tears, however, Zusak’s story was different for me in that his message was powerful and inspirational. It really struck a chord with me and at times has haunted me even though a couple of month has passed since I read it.
I’ve since read this book and I Am Messenger. Zusak is a very talented and creative writer. I hope he keeps writing creative and inspiring stories as we need more of them in this world.
52. The Luxe by Anna GodbersenFinished: 9/22/09
I was very surprised I ended up liking this as much as I did. It’s part Mean Girls, part mystery, part romance and everything delicious. The story takes place in late 19th century New York and follows the lives of two top socialites. Of course there is your typical back-stabbing and plotting, but it’s actually a very intricately woven story. Godbersen does an excellent job of transporting her readers back into 19th century. Fortunately, this is a trilogy so I get to go back for more. I can’t wait. I recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a bit of addictive mind candy.
53. Plum Lovin' by Janet EvanovichFinished: 9/20/09
This one is second in the Stephanie Plum In-Between-The-Numbers Series. I don’t really get the In-Between-The-Number series, but it seems that they are relatively short stories just to whet the fan’s appetite. I audio this one and it was only 3 CDs.
In this one Stephanie plays part detective and part relationship expert along with the mysterious and handsome Diesel in order to solve the case. Some of the old gang make appearances, like Lula and Stephanie’s crazy family, but Morelli and Ranger were seriously lacking. Overall, I thought the story was okay. There were some pretty funny parts, but the story lacked a little something for me. I give this one 2.5 stars.
54. I Am the Messenger by Markus ZusakFinished: 9/26/09
This one is another winner by Zusak that everyone should read, old and young and everyone in between. I am the Messenger is a message in itself. It’s a message for humanity and a higher calling that is creatively done in Zusak’s trademark style.
55. The Awakening by L.J. SmithFinished: 9/27/09
I started reading this series because I enjoyed the show so much I just had to read the books. What a disappointment. I know these were written pre-Twilight, but while reading this I felt like I was reading Twilight. It’s basically the same story, but the characters are not as likeable. Clearly Meyer ripped this one off but somehow she made the story more interesting, for me at least.
The main problem I had with this story was that Elena was a hard character for me to like. She came off very bratty and selfish. Stephan never became a crush for me. He was way too aloof. The romance scene where both characters decide they like each other was not well developed. All of a sudden they went from avoiding each other to “I’ll die for you”…bleh! I just couldn’t help rolling my eyes as I got to the end of the story. Thankfully, the show made some changes to make the characters more likeable.
56. The Struggle by L.J. SmithFinished: 9/30/09
I continued the series because a friend convinced me to give it a chance. lol. The second part of the series certainly picks up and is more interesting than the first. I felt that although there was little character development the story between Damon and Stefan was interesting enough for me to continue on. Damon certainly was a breath of fresh air to the story. He provided a creepy and mysterious story line that made me want to keep reading. Unfortunately, I still don’t like Elena and Damon.
57. Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie MoningFinished; 10/6/09
I got this one off The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Ultimate Reading list. If no one has heard of this listing they should check it out. There are some really good books on it. But back to my review…lol.
Although I thought this one was a cheesy romance, it still had some substance to the story line. Hawk is your typical alpha-male who gets his way with the ladies but has never given away his heart. Adrienne, is a headstrong heroine who has sworn off men (particularly beautiful men), bought to the past by a vengeful fairy seeking to get revenge on Hawk. Sparks do not fly right away as Adrienne gets a bearing on her surroundings and fights against Hawk’s romantic moves. Hawk is determined to have Adrienne as his wife, but she’s having none of it. The interactions between these two and their battle of wills are entertaining and funny. Hawk finds himself jealous of the beautiful and mysterious blacksmith, Adam Black, who Adrienne was caught checking out. Jealousy is a feeling he has never felt before.
The secondary characters are also funny and entertaining. I love Hawk’s mother Lydia! She makes a great mother in law. Overall, this was an entertaining read and I hope to continue on with the series.
58. The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsFinished: 10/11/09
I love this book! I can’t say it enough. It’s original, entertaining and addicting.
I always love a good story with a kickass heroine and Collin’s Katniss did not disappoint. The story takes place in the district of Panem. The district is one of 12 ruled by the Capitol. As a show of its power The Capitol requires that all the districts send in two tributes, one male and one female, to compete in The Hunger Games. The games are a brutal televised show in which contestants are put through the wringer until one of them is left standing. It not only requires physical strength, but mental strength as well.
Katniss suddenly finds herself volunteering for the games when her little sister’s name is drawn. This is just a small example of the lengths this awesome heroine goes through to protect her family. What I love about Katniss is that she’s a well rounded character. You feel her fear, her vulnerability, her confusion as well as her strength and intelligence. I think every girl should read this, but because of the nature of the book boys would be interested in the story as well. I will note there are some violent scenes, but they are fitting with the story.
59. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AviFinished: 10/16/09
Other people have given this book a higher score, but for me this is was just meh. There was some mystery and some action, but it never really struck a chord with me. I think it was because I didn’t feel Charlotte was a likeable character and I didn’t believe in her quick transformation.
Charlotte is this wealthy, snobby Victorian girl on her father’s ship on her way home. Through a series of events she gets accused of murder and suddenly her personality changes. As a way to pay off her dues she ends up becoming part of the crew. The crew at first is skeptical of her but slowly they begin to accept Charlotte as she proves herself.
The plot was interesting, but at times it was a drag for me to read. I found Charlotte’s personality grating on my nerves many times. Unfortunately, because she is the narrator of the story I couldn’t get away from her. Lol. The other crew members also were not very believable in their actions. I just don’t think someone who betrayed them and murdered one of their own could have really been accepted by such tough guys.
60. Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsFinished: 10/18/09
My library didn’t have this, but I couldn’t wait so I went and bought it. Yes, this series is that good!
Collins’ delivers another great story. She manages to keep up the pace of The Hunger Games and deliver another action pack, sit on the edge of your seat story. Unbelievable! As the sequel we know that both Katniss and Peeta survive the first book, but now they must deal with the consequences. No one thwarts or outwits the government and gets away from it. As a result, Katniss and Peeta finds themselves back in The Hunger Games arena. Although the second book brings back element of the games, it doesn’t come off as a stale plot line because of all the events happening outside of the games. The characters and their world become much more developed and the reader gets a good picture of the world they exist in.
Unfortunately, this one ends in one heck of a cliff hanger and the third installment is not out yet. Grrr! You can guarantee though that as soon as it comes out I will be among the throng of readers trying to get my hands on a copy.
61. Honor Bound by Moira RogersFinished: 10/19/09
This was a quick short story in ebook format. I was bored at work and so decided to sneak in a read. I'm still new to the paranomal romance genre, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one especially since it was labeled erotica. Probably something I shouldn't read at work, but I needed to stay awake so oh well. Even though it had typos and it was a rough draft I didn't think it was too bad. The characters were professing love of course at the end of the 42 pages, but considering they got into bed after 7 pages I wasn't that bothered by it. lol. Overall, it was hot, hot, hot and not something you should get caught out reading by your boss. ;)
62. Moonshine by Moira RogersFinished: 10/19/09
Another erotica short story available in ebook format. In this one Claire is a female wolf-shape shifter looking to let the wolf inside her out. Lars, is the bad-ass alpha male willing to give Claire what she wants. Because this is a short story there isn’t much in the way of character development or relationship building so the hot sex happens rather quickly. It was okay for what it was even though this is unedited version.
63. The Fury by L.J. SmithFinished: 10/21/09
Because the second book in the series was better I decided to read the third book. I have to admit the story line has gotten better and more interesting. This one had more action which made the story fast past. Elena was also more likeable in this one…way less snobby. However, I’m still not sold on the idea of her and Stefan’s love. The plus side for me was learning more about Damon. I think for me he is the more crushworthy one of the brothers because of his mysterious and dangerous background.
65. Poison Study by Maria V. SnyderFinished: 10/24/09
I was having some serious book loving while reading this one. It has everything a book should have: magic, mystery, a strong female character and even a little romance.
I loved how the story flowed. It was quite believable and it made Yelena, the heroine, even more endearing. I loved seeing Yelena’s growth from being in a dirty dungeon cell preparing herself for her execution to becoming the king’s best food taster. We even see how she learns to fight and use weapons becoming a fierce fighter. Yelena has magical abilities that have started to develop but she has no control over. It was interesting to see how she struggled with her ability. I loved that this heroine didn’t start off strong in the beginning of the story, but developed into a tough young woman by the end of it.
I even loved the secondary characters that helped Yelena in her transformation. I would love to have Ari and Janco teach me to fight. These two were hilarious in their interactions.
Overall, it’s a captivating story and I can’t wait to read the second book, Magic Study.
66. Mine Till Midnight by Lisa KleypasFinished: 10/25/09
This is the first in the series of the Hathaway Family. The Hathaway’s are a lively, unconventional family.
This one is the story of Amelia, the oldest girl in the family of 5. After the tragic demise of their parents Amelia is left shouldering the responsibility of being head of the family. This includes trying to save her older brother, Leo, from himself. In her quest to help Leo, Amelia finds love
with Cam Rohan, a sexy gypsy.
I absolutely love this family. Their interactions and comedic timing lead to a light and fun read. I actually read the second one, Seduce Me at Sunrise, before reading the first. The second one remains my favorite, but I love the setting up of the story that occurs in the first.
67. Michal A Novel by Jill Eileen SmithFinished: 10/25/09
I had to end my misery so I didn’t finish this book. I really tried because I won it in a GoodReads Giveaway I felt compelled to continue on, but alas I had to put it down.
My main problem was the writing and the lack of attachment to the characters. I found the writing pretty dry and some of the dialogue was a bit awkward for me. I’ve read other biblical fiction with beautiful prose, which is what I expected with this one especially since it has such a gorgeous cover. However, because of the writing style I never felt much emotion from the characters which lead to my lack of attachment. I especially didn’t care for David. At first he was somewhat likeable, but then he turned into a complete ass IMO, especially when it came to his relationship with Michal. I must admit I’m not familiar with the story of King David and maybe if I was I wouldn’t have picked this one up.
Jackie, thanks again for these updates. I find your comments astute and very fascinating.
68. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee StewartFinished 10/25/09
I tried doing the audio for this book, but it was pure misery. I got halfway into the story before I finally pulled the plug. The narrator was an older gentleman, he sounded like a grandfather type. You would think that would be endearing, but no. His voice was gravely and even broke at times. I wanted to give the guy a lozenge. As if that wasn’t distracting enough the story itself wasn’t very good. There was an air of mystery to it that made me keep going but after awhile the story just rambled on. Nothing really exciting happened and it didn’t captivate my interest enough to keep trudging on.
69. Magic Study by Maria V. SnyderFinished: 10/30/09
I give this one 4.5 stars. I found the story captivating, but a few things annoyed me in this one that weren’t present in the first book. Yelena is still a kickass heroine but now that she has some control over her magical abilities and has become a great fighter her attitude has become much cockier. I understand having confidence in her abilities, as she should have but going off on her own because she’s thinks she’s the only one that can defeat the enemy is just stupid, especially when she is surrounded by powerful magicians who have been around much longer than her. At times I felt that Yelena needed a huge slice of humble pie to go along with her stubbornness.
Another thing that annoyed me was Valek or rather his speech. I loved him in the first book as well, but in this book he’s developed a highly annoying habit of saying “love” all the time when speaking to Yelena. “Yes, love?” “Do you need me, love?” “Take anything you need, love” Keep in mind he’s a trained assassin, who has killed hundreds on command. All of a sudden he’s mush because he’s in love? It just didn’t come off as realistic to me. I liked how their relationship was more developed in this book though. But, I would have liked a little more background on Valek. I’m hoping we learn more about him in the third book.
Some things that I did enjoy: I loved Yelena’s family! They’re so cool. I won’t say more on them because I don’t want to spoil. I also loved getting to know Sitia and the different cultures. I thought the world was pretty well developed. I also love some of the secondary characters, like the Blue Man and Kiki the horse. And best of all Ari and Janco make an appearance. I love those two!
70. Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa KleypasFinished: 11/1/09
This is actually the second time I read this book this year because I wanted to read the series straight through. This is a record for me since I normally never re-read, but this one has turned into a comfort read for me. I love the interactions between Merripen and Win, plus the witty dialogue amonst the Hathaway family always cracks me up. It’s the typical cheesy romance where the tortured hero in need of the his heroine, but man is it romping good fun. ;-)
71. Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa KleypasFinished: 11/1/09
This is the third book in the Hathaway series. Like the other two I really enjoyed this one. This one focuses on Poppy, the third sister. I loved getting to know Poppy better. She’s intelligent, witty, and charming. It’s not hard to see why Harry would be so attracted to her.
Again, the Hathaways provide some wonderfully funny interactions and I found myself chuckling out loud on certain parts. I especially enjoy the dialogue between Leo and Marks or Catherine, which is her real name. I can’t wait to read more on their romance. I’m dying to read the next one because this one ends on a slight cliffhanger.
72. Plum Spooky by Janet EvanovichFinished: 11/6/09
I listened to this one on audio. Plum Spooky is the 4th in the In-Between-the-Numbers Series. I have to say out of the two I’ve listened to this one was the better one. It could have passed as a regular Stephanie Plum novel, but it lacked the sex scenes.
All the regular characters make an appearance, even Morelli and Ranger. Plus Diesel (yummy) returns to complicate things even further. I thought the plot was more developed and it was actually funnier than some of the other Plum novels I’ve read.
73. Graceling by Kristin CashoreFinished 11/13/09
I would have given this one 5 stars but I feel it deserves 4.5 instead, because of the heroine and some plot elements that I seem to have a problem with.
*******SPOILERS********
As everyone knows by now I love a strong female hero and Katsa does not disappoint in this respect. . At times Katsa did show great vulnerability and I thought she was a well rounded character but sometimes she came off as too stubborn in her ways and her actions seemed uncalled for. One example of this is in her opinion of marriage, which I found flawed. She doesn’t want to marry Prince Po because of her fear of losing her new found freedom even after Po proves to her and reassures her that he would never try to confine her. I didn’t quite get this opinion of Katsa’s simply because she was already bound to Po when she gave herself over to him in body, mind and heart. I really didn’t see her being able to deal with Po marrying someone else or straying when she displayed such strong feelings for him
Prince Po, on the other hand, could do no wrong in my eyes. What a hottie of a character! Cashore did a really good job of fleshing out this character out by displaying his strength and vulnerability. It was great to see both Katsa and Po grow comfortable with their Graces and learn from each other. I loved their interactions, which made the love story very believable between these two.
One thing I do wish Cashore would have done was flesh out the villian a bit more. His Grace was displayed but because it was a Grace of the mind it was done more subltely, which I think Cashore did a good job of. However, the villian only physically appears about twice in the story. His potential threats and history, which readers were told about are what made him so evil. I didn’t so much have a problem with this. My problem was more of his demise. It happened so quickly that if you blinked you missed it. All this build up and in an instant the problem was resolved. I thought that this could have been handled a little better. I felt like I was reading Dracula all over again. However, unlike Dracula this story was action packed and really left me wanting more.
74. Lover Avenged by J.R. WardFinished 11/27/09
This is book 7 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series and it left me wishing book 8 was out already. I think this one is my second favorite in the series. My first favorite being Zadist’s story.
This one is about the story of Rhevenge or Rhev and Ehlena. However, it doesn’t really focus so much on their love story, but the events going on around them. I have to to agree with some of the other reviewers here on GoodReads that this one had a lot of plot lines. It tended to jump around from one event to another, which made it seem choppy at times. All of a sudden I was learning more about Ehlena and Rhev and the next I was with Lash dealing with Lesser issues. This annoyed me at times because I wanted more of Ehlena and Rhev’s story. However, I do think that Ward does a good job of setting up the story for the changes that are about to come in the next book. It’s obvious that the story has shifted from the individual Brothers to the events that are happening in their world and how they are dealing with it, so I think some of the plot lines were necessary to move things along. I just wish it was done in a tidier fashion.
75. Maya by Jostein GaarderFinished: 11/28/09
This is my first Gaarder book, as well as my first “philosophy” book. Admittedly, during the first portion of the book I had a hard time getting into it. There is quite a bit of mystery built up and much talk of evolution as the main character is a biologist. The dialogue is designed to make the reader question their own beliefs and purpose in life, which I thought was very interesting. However, the evolutionary discussions at times became too heavy and tiresome to read. It seemed like Frank, the main character, would constantly digress into an evolutionary speech whenever given a chance and at times he came off as very whiney as he went on and on. However, once I stopped focusing on these digressions I started to enjoy the story itself, which come to find out is in fact a love story despite all the evolutionary discussions.
What I found most surprising was that I didn’t like any of the characters, but despite this I loved the message and thought the concept of the book was awesome. Weird, as I never had this experience before with a book that at times I felt like I had to push myself to get through. I’m not sure if I would pick up another Gaarder book anytime soon since it seems like I would have to be in the frame of mind to read another philosophy book like this but I definitely would not discount him in the future.
76. Three Bags Full by Leonie SwannFinished: 11/28/09
I listened to this on audio. This is a charming and very witty murder mystery in which the detectives are sheep and a couple of rams out to find the murderer of their beloved shepherd, George. I was pleasantly surprised with how the story progressed because I was under the impression that this would be a cute animal murder mystery, however, it turned out to be much more than that.
There are about 15 or more individual characters (animals and human) and each one was nicely fleshed out, even the members of the flock. The investigation team is lead by Miss Marple (the smartest sheep in Glennkill), Othello (the black ram), Mopple the Whale (the sheep with the best memory and eater of the group), Zora (the climber who loves to dream about the Abyss), and Cloud (the softest sheep in the flock). Together this A-team sets out on the difficult quest of not only finding the murderer but bringing justice to George.
I thought the author did a very good job of writing the story from the flock’s perspective. Even though some of the sheep had to display some human behavior to interact with the human characters in the story, their personalities, behavior and even viewpoints still remained very animal like. It was very interesting viewing the world and human characters from the eyes of the sheep in the flock. It lent a unique quality to the story, however, I think because I was audioing this and I wasn’t listening to the chapters in one sitting, it was sometimes confusing to figure out what happened exactly when it was from the perspective of one of the sheep. I believe that if I was reading the book it would have been easier to follow.
77. The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet EvanovichFinished: 12/2/09
I listened to this on audio. This is just plain brain candy….much like the Plum novels but without their full potential. It was cute and you could see many of the ideas Evanovich uses for her popular Plum series, like a dog named Bob and a gun-toting granny. However, I found both protagonists, Daisy Adams and Steve Crow, more annoying at times than endearing. Daisy also known as the Dog Lady is a graduate student balancing one too many jobs when she offers to take on yet another role as traffic reporter. Steve is Daisy’s boss who suddenly takes notice in Daisy and ends up falling in love with her after a couple of pages into the book. The quick romance is not what bothered me so much. It was more the unrealistic dialogue and character interaction between the two. I didn’t really feel any sparks. There were some comedic moments, but they were a little too contrived for me so I found them more corny than funny. Overall, it’s a story to enjoy on a lazy summer day or a rainy day when you need something quick and light to read.
Jackie,Hey there - congrats on reaching and exceeding the "75" challenge for this year!
75 Books...More or Less!
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Devil in Winter (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anna Godbersen (other topics)Dodie Smith (other topics)
Khaled Hosseini (other topics)
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Elizabeth Peters (other topics)
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Finished: 6/24/09
This is the fourth book in Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This one tells the story of Butch O’Neal and Marissa. Butch joined the vampire group by default in Dark Lover. As a friend of Beth’s Butch kind of fell into the world and as a result of him knowing too much he couldn’t get out. Butch in the past few books has basically played a kept pretty boy who helps out in detective work whenever the brothers need him. Other than that he mooches and chills with the brothers. After mooching for the past couple of books Butch feels like he should be earning his keep but his humanness is keeping him back…go figure. In the meantime we have Marissa who is like a caged bird thanks to her overbearing brother. Her relationship with Butch went sour until something significant happens in this book that brings them together.
Honestly, they both pretty much got on my nerves. Him with his whiny “I’m tired of being kept, I want a purpose, I want to belong” and her with “I’m going to be a virgin forever…no man wants me.” Ugh! What kept me going on this one were the secondary characters. Butch’s borderline homosexual relationship with Vishous and the previous characters, like Wrath, Beth, Zadist and Bella making an appearance are what interested me the most. It was nice getting to know V better. He’s been this mysterious intelligent being in the background so it was good to see him developed and I hope to know more about him in the next book. I also enjoyed seeing the previous couples to know what they’ve been up too.