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Fall Into Reading 2011

Wow, it's that time of year again, my favorite time of year, Fall and that means it's time for the 

Fall into Reading 2011 Challenge

I love this challenge because it's low-stress and easy.  It's hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days and here's the specifics straight from her blog:

Here’s a brief recap of how to be a part of Fall Into Reading 2011:

• Make a list of books you want to read (or finish reading) this fall. Your list can be as long or as short as you’d like.

• Write a blog post containing your list and submit it to this post using the Mr. Linky below.

• Get reading! The challenge goes from today, September 23rd, through December 21st.

• Check out other participants’ lists and add to your own to-read-someday pile, if you wish!

• Write a post about your challenge experience in December, telling us all about whether you reached your goals and how Fall Into Reading went for you. But remember: this is a low-pressure challenge that should be fun. As long as you do some reading this fall (and enjoy it!), that’s good enough for me.

Final step is to link up at The Fall Into Reading Challenge page at Callapidder Days.

So what am I reading for the challenge?  I'll come back and put things in bold when I finish them and I'll add the date and link up a review when I finish that.  I'll probably be adding more books, but this is a start :)  Happy reading - if you've read any of these let me know in the comments.

1. The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn - finished 9/30/11
2. Radiant Desire by Inara Scott - finished 10/1/11
3. The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell - finished 10/2/11
4. Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon
5. The Last Blind Date by Linda Yellin
6. Wicked Good by Joanne Lewis and Amy Lewis Faircloth
7. Heartstrings and Diamond Rings by Jane Graves
8. If I Tell by Janet Gurtler
9. Lucky Girl by Cait London
10. Diary of a Teenage Girl by Melody Carlson
11. The Vision by Jen Nadol
12. The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
13. Ashfall by Mike Mullin
14. Comforts of Home by Jodi Thomas
15. Unwelcome by Michael Griffo
16. A Necessary Deception by Laura Alice Eakes
17. The Concert Killer by R.J. McDonnell
18. Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren
19. Change of Heart by Jackie Chanel
20. Just Your Average Princess by Kristina Springer
21. This Brave Balance by Rusalka Reh
22. The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson
23. Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson
24. Dead of Winter by Brian Moreland
25. Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield
26. The Pilgrim by Hugh Nissenson
27. Too Wicked to Wed by Cara Elliot
28. Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger

Book Review: Nightshade by Maryrose Wood & The Duchess of Northumberland (Poison Diaries #2)

Nightshade by Maryrose Wood & The Duchess of Northumberland (Poison Diaries #2)

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publish Date: October 25, 2011

Hardcover, 288 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical
 ISBN: 978-0061802423
Poison Diaries #2

My Review:
My thoughts:  I did not read the first book in the series, but felt like the author did a good job catching me up on the basics through the book so I never felt lost.  Yes I would have had more back story, but you can pick up this series and easily start at book 2.

With that said, let's move on to what I thought of book two.  I sped through this book, I could not get enough of it.  It was truly an enthralling new world, but it is an enthralling new world meant for older young adults.  I would say 14+ because of the drug use and sexual situations that while they are off camera so-to-speak, they are still there.  They aren't gratuitious, they serve a point in the book so I didn't throw the book out as a YA book because of it.  I saw the point, I'm just saying this isn't a book for a 10 year old, nor do I think the author intended it for that age.

Okay moving on again.  The plot is truly interesting.  Jessamine is in love with Weed, she fell in love with him in the first book but she became deathly ill and he left because her father made him.  Now all Jessamine wants is Weed back and it appears she will stop at nothing to get away from her father and find him.  Jessamine becomes more under Oleander's spell in this one because she is desperate to find Weed and she believes following Oleander is the only way she will be able to.  She loses a lot of her innocence through this and begins her trek across Europe.  At the same time, Weed is beginning his studies so he can help Jessamine in any way possible.

As the book keeps going the pieces begin to fall together and you see the climax coming and what a climax it is.  Ms. Wood has written a very interesting book with fascinating characters.  Though I must warn you if you are looking for a happy book, this is not it.  This is a dark fantasy book, but that is one of the things I liked about it, the darkness made it different.  And now I cannot wait until the third book which I am guessing will come out next year.  I can't wait to see what is in store for Jessamine, Weed and Oleander next.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:
Sixteen-year-old Jessamine Luxton is heartbroken. Her true love, Weed, the strange but intriguing young man who came into her life so suddenly, has disappeared. How could he have left her with no farewell, and no word since?

Jessamine may not know why Weed vanished, but she does suspect that her own father, Thomas, may have had something to do with it. Thomas, who was so obsessed with Weed’s secret knowledge of dangerous plants that he would do anything to learn it. This suspicion—and her experiences with poisons—has changed her. She is no longer innocent, and now she has her own intimate knowledge of the power of the plants.

So when Jessamine learns that Weed is alive, she will do whatever it takes to be reunited with him.
She is, after all, her father’s daughter. . . .

About the Author: 
Maryrose Wood began writing fiction after many years performing, directing, and writing for the theater. Her novels for teen readers include The Poison Diaries, Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, and My Life: The Musical. She is also the author of a series for younger readers, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.

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FTC Information: I received this book through Once Upon a Twilight tours for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.