2010 100+ Reading Challenge

J. Kaye's book blog will once again be hosting the 100+ Reading Challenge and I am definitely joining in.  Here are the rules.  Head over to J. Kaye's Book Blog to sign up.

My goal for this year is 225 books.  I made 208 in 2009 so I'm going to try and make a few more this year.

I will list my books with links to reviews as I finish them.

January

1. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
2. Sydney's D.C. Discovery by Jean Fischer
3. Good Ghoul's Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner
4. The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth by Shelly Adina
5. L is for Loser by Lisi Harrison
6. It's Not Easy Being Mean by Lisi Harrison
7. Sealed with a Diss by Lisi Harrison
8. Private by Kate Brian
9. Don't You Forget About Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
10. Shadow by Jenny Moss
11. Becoming Lucy by Martha Rogers
12. Conflicts with Interest by Michael Ruddy
13. Deadly Codes by J.P. O'Donnell
14. Nailed by Jennifer Laurens
15. Screen  Play by Chris Coppernoll
16. Poseur by Rachel Maude
17. Smash Cut by Sandra Brown
18. The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher
19. Let Them Eat Fruitcake by Melody Carlson
20. A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine
21. Invitation Only by Kate Brian
22. Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda
23. Jenna's Cowboy by Sharon Gillenwater
24. Freaksville by Kitty Keswick
25. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
26. Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr

February

27. Spring Breakdown by Melody Carlson
    
28. Katy's New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer
29. Dear Big V by Ellen W. Leroe
30. Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
31. Dreams that Won't Let Go by Stacy Hawkins Adams
32. Portrait in Death by J. D. Robb
33. Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen
34. The Mark by Jen Nadol
35. Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
36. Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner
37. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
38. Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson
39. The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhondy Hayter
40. The Cougar Club by Susan McBride
41. Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook
42. Out with the In Crowd by Stephanie Morrill
43. Never Blame the Umpire by Gene Fehler

March

44. Magic Hands by Jennifer Laurens 
45. Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham
46. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
47. Absolute Power by David Baldacci
48. A Golden Web by Barbara Quick
49. The Exile of Gigi Lane by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
50. When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
51. ttyl by Lauren Myracle
52. Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcup

April

53. Asking For Trouble by Sandra Byrd
54. Sworn to Protect by DiAnn Mills
55. A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgiss
56. White Cat by Holly Black
57. Double Love by Francine Pascal
58. Forget Me Not by Vicky Hinze
59. Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason
60. True Blue by David Baldacci
61. Hush by Kate White
62. Love Will Keep Us Together by Ann Dayton and May Vanderbilt
63. Flaherty's Crossing by Kayla McFerrin
64. Secrets of the Playboy's Bride by Leanne Banks
65. Caught by Harlan Coben
66. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

May

67. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
68. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
69. Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
70. When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot
71. Scream by Mike Dellosso
72. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
73. Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline
74. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
75. Never Let You Go by Erin Healy
76. Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas
77. The Ark by Boyd Morrison

June

78. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
79. Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase 
80. Don't Look Twice by Andrew Gross
81. Wayfarer by R.J. Anderson
82. Sins of the Mother by Victoria Christopher Murray
83. Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
84. Theodore Boone kid lawyer by John Grisham
85. The Last Track by Sam Hilliard
86. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
87. Untouchable by Kate Brian
88. Confessions by Kate Brian
89. The Macgregor's Daughter by Dee Julian
90. The 9th Judgment by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
91. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
92. Unspeakable by Laura Griffin
93. Shattered by Karen Robards
94. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

July

95. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - read 7/1/10
96. Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah - read 7/1/10
97. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa - read 7/4/10
98. Worst Case by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge - read 7/5/10
99. Princess of Glass by Jessica George Day - read 7/6/10 
100. Plan B by Steven Verrier - read 7/7/10 
101. The Everafter by Amy Huntley - read 7/8/10
102. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel - read 7/10/10
103. The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride - read 7/11/10
104. Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti - read 7/13/10
105. This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee - read 7/13/10
106. The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz - read 7/14/10 
107. Past Tense by Samantha Hunter - read 7/16/10 
108. Losing Faith by Denise Jarden - read 7/16/10
109. Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill - read 7/17/10
110. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs - read 7/19/10 
111. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - read 7/20/10
112. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken - read 7/22/10
113. Wings by Aprilynne Pike - read 7/23/10
114. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - read 7/24/10
115. The Summer of Skinny-Dipping by Amanda Howells - read 7/25/10
116. Virals by Kathy Reichs - read 7/26/10
117. A Change of Heart by Shari Mauer - read 7/27/10
118. Katy's Debate by Kim Vogle Sawyer- read 7/28/10
119. Final Touch by Brandilynn and Amberly Collins - read 7/29/10
120. Monster High by Lisi Harrison - read 7/29/10
121. Premiere by Melody Carlson - read 7/30/10

August

122. The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer - read 8/1/10
123. Freefall by Mindi Scott - read 8/2/10
124. Matched by Ally Condie - read 8/3/10 
125. Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs - read 8/4/10 
126. Chill of the Night by James Hayman - read 8/5/10
127. Evermore by Alyson Noel - read 8/7/10
128. Spells by Aprilynne Pike - read 8/8/10
129. Catwalk by Melody Carlson - read 8/8/10 
130. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner - read 8/11/10 
131. Firelight by Sophie Jordan - read 8/13/10
132. The Candidates by Inara Scott - read 8/15/10
133. Inner Circle by Kate Brian - read 8/16/10 
134. The Phantom Diaries by Kailin Gow - read 8/17/10
135. Legacy by Kate Brian - read 8/18/10
136. What I Learned From Being a Cheerleader by Adrianne Ambrose - read 8/20/10
137. Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs - read 8/20/10 
138. Elffolk and the Crystal Caves of Atlantis  - read 8/24/10 
139. Chasing Brooklyn - read 8/25/10 
140. Ashes to Water by Irene Ziegler - read 8/26/10
141. The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay - read 8/27/10
142. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford - read 8/29/10
143. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - read 8/29/10 
144. Manifest by Artist Arthur - read 8/31/10  

September

145. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler - finished 9/1/10 
146. Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers - finished 9/2/10 
147. The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff - finished 9/3/10
148. God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein - finished 9/4/10
149. Candor by Pam Bachorz - finished 9/7/10
150. Last to Die by Kate Brady - finished  9/10/10 
151. Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie - finished 9/11/10
152. The Strain by Guillermo Del Tor & Chuck Hogan - finished 9/13/10
153. Tough Customer by Sandra Brown - finished 9/14/10
154. Finny by Justin Kramon - finished 9/14/10 
155. Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales - finished 9/15/10 
156. Terminal Care by Christopher Stookey - finished 9/17/10 
157. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - finished 9/18/10
158. Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck - finished 9/18/10 
159. Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin - finished 9/20/10

2010 Pub Challenge

It's time for another 2010 challenge to join.  This one is the Pub Challenge hosted by Michelle at 1 More Chapter.  Go here to see all the rules, to sign up and see the others that are signed up.

The main rules for this challenge is to read at least 10 books that are published for the first time in your country in 2010.  Young Adult and Children's books don't qualify and at least 5 must be fiction.  I love reading new books so this one will be fun for me. I think I will set my personal goal at 30 books.

I'll list books and link reviews as I finish them on this post.

1. Becoming Lucy by Martha Rogers
2. Conflicts with Interest by Michael Ruddy
3. Screen Play by Chris Coppernoll
4. The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher
5. A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine
6. Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda
7. Jenna's Cowboy by Sharon Gillenwater
8. Dreams That Won't Let Go by Stacy Hawkins Adams
9. Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner
10. The Cougar Club by Susan McBride
11. Sworn to Protect by DiAnn Mills
12. Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze
13. Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason
14. Hush by Kate White 
15. Flaherty's Crossing by Kayla McFerrin
16. Secrets of the Playboy's Bride by Leanne Banks
17. Caught by Harlan Coben
18. Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline
19. Never Let You Go by Erin Healy
20. Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas
21. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
22. Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase
23. Sins of the Mother by Victoria Christopher Murray
24.  Last Track by Sam Hilliard
25. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffen
26. The 9th Judgement by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
27. Unspeakable by Laura Griffin
28. Shattered by Karen Robards
29. Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
30. Worst Case by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
31. Past Tense by Samantha Hunter
32. The Chill of the Night by James Hayman
33. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner
34. Ashes to Water by Irene Ziegler
35. Last to Die by Kate Brady
36. Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
37. Finny by Justin Kramon
38. Terminal Care by Christopher Stookey

2009 Summary

What an interesting year.  I started blogging regularly and kept it up.  I've made new friends in other book bloggers, authors and people who comment on my blog.  In my personal life I have had two brain surgeries and I am hopefully on the road to recovery finally after 2 years of not knowing exactly what was wrong with me.


Thanks so much to all of you who have stopped by my blog, commented on my blog or to you authors and publicists who have sent me books to review.  I love reading and reviewing and I am looking forward to another great year.


So before I step into that new year - let's see what this past year held for me reading-wise:


Books Read: 208
Books from home (includes review books and my bookshelf): 101
Books from the library: 73
Books from Booksfree.com: 34


Print books read: 169
Audio books read: 37


Total Pages read: 60,373

New-to-me Authors:  101


and here is some breakdown of genres:


Suspense/Thriller/Mystery:  38
Romance:20
Romantic Suspense:  12
Historical Romance: 4
Young Adult: 60
General Fiction: 13
Historical Fiction: 4
Horror: 4
Christian Fiction: 7
Christian Suspense: 9
Christian Historical Romance: 2
Christian Romantic Suspense: 1
Children's Chapter Books: 20
Christian Romantic Suspense:
Non-fiction:

Publish dates:
Before 2000: 25
2001: 4
2002: 4
2003: 12
2004: 7
2005: 4
2006: 9
2007: 14
2008: 39
2009: 85
2010: 2


My favorites from the year:

I'm not going to pick specifics from each genre - I'm just going to go with my most memorable books of the year, in no particular order.  Click on the book for my review if it's available.

The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox
Fatal Gamble by J.P. O'Donnell
The Cutting by James Hayman
Terror by Night by Terry Caffey with James H. Pence
The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate
The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Love's First Light by  Jamie Carie
Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
Fragment by Warren Fahy
The Actor and The Housewife by Shannon Hale
Deadfall by Robert Liparulo
Isolation by Travis Thrasher

It was a great reading and blogging year and I'm looking forward to another one this year!

Review: Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer


My rating: 4.5/5.0


My review: 

I have never read Georgette Heyer before even though I have seen her books around for a long time. I am glad I finally got a chance to read one of her famous Regency romances through Sourcebooks who kindly sent me this book.

I loved Devil's Cub. It is beautifully written, I truly enjoyed working my way through each page of Ms. Heyer's writing. I also loved the witty conversations and the humor she imparts. I loved the subtleties of it. It reminded me very much of Jane Austen's works with the witty conversations and observations.

The plot also moves along well and has action and romance. The characters of Vidal (Dominic) and Mary are very well done and intriguing characters. I loved watching them materialize and grow in front of me. The romance between the two is also marvelous to watch.

This is a sequel, come to find out, but it reads fine on it's own. I will be finding the first novel, These Old Shades, which is about Vidal's father, The Duke of Avon, for more of the backstory and also for more of Ms. Heyer's magnificent Regency romance.

About the Book: 

Devil's Cub is another of readers', booksellers', and librarians' favorite Georgette Heyers.

In this acclaimed followup to These Old Shades, Dominic Alastair, fiery son of the Duke of Avon, is forced to flee England after a duel. He intends to take and set up as his mistress the young lady whose attentions he's been courting, but her virtuous sister Mary gets in his way and finds herself carried off to France instead.
Discovering that he has met his match when she shoots him in the arm to protect her virtue, Dominic tries to persuade Mary to marry him, but she'll have none of it. A chase ensues that in the end embroils the Duke of Avon himself and his passionate and impetuous wife, Leonie, who is forced to admit that Mary might just be the best thing in the world for her beloved son.

I received my copy of this book from the publisher, Sourcebooks for review.


 

Winners

Here are my latest giveaway winners:

Stacie wins A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott.

plb8156 wins A Highlander Christmas by Janet Chapman

Thanks to all that entered.  More giveaways coming in the next few weeks.

Book Review: Terror By Night by Terry Caffey

Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder that Destroyed a Family,  by Terry Caffey



My rating: 5.0/5.0

Terror By Night is an amazing story of how one man lived through a viscious attack on his family and not only survived but slowly learned to love and live again and serve God in the process.

After what happens on that horrible March night, Terry Caffey has every right to be bitter and he is, but the real story in this book is how he comes to terms with his life and his loss.  The brutality of his family's murders is horrible and the only part of the book I had trouble with, though it is not discussed in detail.  I just felt so much for this man and the loss he endured.  But the book turns uplifting as Terry struggles to find his place.  While he never loses his belief in God, he does question God, which would be natural in this circumstance.  But the turn-around in his life due to a chance encounter with a page from a novel given to his wife by author James H. Pence, is nothing short of miraculous.

The book is with Terry every step of the way from the weeks leading up to the murder through the year following and his growth and journey.

It's thought-provoking, awe-inspiring and just plain inspirational to read.  I am very sorry for all that Terry has been through, I can't even imagine losing my family.  But I am glad he lived and got a chance to share his amazing journey.  I wish him well in all he does.

I also read co-author James H. Pence's book Blind Sight a few weeks ago which was the book from which Terry found the page from. It is a wonderful book too and it was really interesting knowing how this book affected Terry Caffey's life.

I highly recommend both books.  They are both honest and very readable.  They aren't preachy, just straight-forward.  Both books involve men trying to make sense of their lives, one fictional and one non-fiction.  I am glad I got a chance to read both.

I received a copy of this book for review from Kathy Carlton-Willis Communications.

Teaser Tuesday - December 29

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I had been shot multiple times.  How could anyone live through that?  Someone told me I was a lucky man.

From Terror By Night by Terry Caffey with James H. Pence

This book is really amazing and I am enjoying reading it.