Book 11 of 2012

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Kate Daniels series and I definitely enjoyed it. I have several more of these on my Kindle and will be reading them soon. Love the setting in Atlanta, GA. Since I live just south of Atlanta and go there frequently it was fun to read about the sites around town.

I really loved that this series treats the monsters like they are monsters. And boy were there some scary monsters in this book. No pretty, sparkly drop dead gorgeous vamps and weres in Hotlanta!

I hope we get a little more back story in the next installment. I'd love to learn more about Kate's dad and what drives her. I'm anxious to delve into the Guild, the People, the Pack, and the Order. I hope there's much more in subsequent books.



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Book 59 of 2011 Quicksand by Iris Johansen

Quicksand by Iris Johansen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eve Duncan is still looking for her daughter Bonnie. Bonnie disappeared when she was 7 and has never been found. Eve and Joe are on the trail of a child killer who may be the one who took Bonnie. They got his name from Montalvo as a part of his promise to Eve when she helped him to identify his wife's body. Now Montalvo has joined the hunt.

Kistle the killer who is pure evil leads Joe, Eve, Montalvo (and his side kick Miguel) to the Okefenokee Swamp and an island that has been his burial ground. He does this by kidnapping a little girl and telling Eve that he'll lead her to Bonnie's grave.

A new character (from a stand alone book Pandora's Daughter) is called in to assist. She's a 'listener' and hears the voices of the children who have been killed.

This books is all about the search for Bonnie's killer. There really isn't much else in it and that's okay. If you like sick killers and suspense, then this one is for you.


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A to Z Reading Challenge

Read a book for each letter of the alphabet.  I decided to go back and enter all the books I've read in my alphabet list. Still have some letters to complete and they are not looking real easy. 

A       
The Art of Keeping Secrets  by  Patti Callahan Henry
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie
B       
Beastly  by Alex Flinn
A Bend in the Road  by Nicholas Sparks
C       
The Cracker Queen  by Lauretta Hannon
Crooked Letter Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
D       
Devil Bones  by Kathy Reichs
Duma Key  by Stephen King
Death Masks by Jim Butcher
E       
The Edge of Sleep  by David Wiltse
Envy the Night   by Michael Koryta
F      
Flesh and Bone  by Jefferson Bass
Fallen  by Karin Slaughter
Fallen  by Lauren Kate
G        
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Steig Larsson
The Girl  Who Played withFire  by Steig Larsson
The Girl  Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest  by Steig Larsson
Grave Surprise  by Charlaine Harris
Grave Peril   by Jim Butcher
Georgia Bottoms  by Mark Childress
The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke
H       
The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins
Hush Hush  by Becca Fitzpatrick
House Rules  by Jodi Picoult
I    
I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
J
K
Killing Fear  by Allison Brennan
L        
Lucia, Lucia  by Adrianna Trigiana
Looking for Alaska  by John Green
Lisey's Story  by Stephen King
The Land of Painted Caves  by Jean Auel
M       
Murder List  by Julie Garwood
Mockingjay  by Suzanne Collins
Middlesex  by Jeffrey Eugenides
Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani
N        
The Ninth Judgement  by James Patterson (Maxine Pareto)
O
One Grave Too Many  by Beverly Connor
P         
Pretties  by Scott Westerfeld
Q
R        
Room  by Emma Donoghue
S         
The Straw Men  by Michael Marshall 
The Silent Girl  by Tess Gerritsen
Summer Knight by Jim Butche
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
Specials by Scott Westerfield
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
T         
Total Recall   by Sara Paretsky
Torment  by Lauren Kate
Thirteen Reasons Why  by  Jay Asher
U        
Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld
V
A Visit from the Good Squad  by Jennifer Egan
W        
Wild Fire  by Nelson DeMille
Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
X
Y
The Year of Fog  by Michelle Redmond
Z

book 46 of 2011 A Visit from the Good Squad

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Worst book I've read this year! I can't believe this drivel won the Pulitzer Prize. What was the committee thinking? Did nothing else get nominated?

This might have been a decent book it the author had bothered to write a book instead of throwing a bunch of crappy stories together and calling it a novel. The book confused me. Each chapter was a totally different story about different people (who sometimes sort of related back to another character in a different story). The time line jumped around and confused me further. Don't waste your time. Can you give a book zero stars? That's what I'd like to give this one.


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A to Z Reading Challenge

Read a book for each letter of the alphabet.  I decided to go back and enter all the books I've read in my alphabet list. Still have some letters to complete and they are not looking real easy. 

A       
The Art of Keeping Secrets  by  Patti Callahan Henry
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie
B       
Beastly  by Alex Flinn
A Bend in the Road  by Nicholas Sparks
C       
The Cracker Queen  by Lauretta Hannon
Crooked Letter Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
D       
Devil Bones  by Kathy Reichs
Duma Key  by Stephen King
E       
The Edge of Sleep  by David Wiltse
Envy the Night   by Michael Koryta
F      
Flesh and Bone  by Jefferson Bass
Fallen  by Karin Slaughter
Fallen  by Lauren Kate
G        
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Steig Larsson
The Girl  Who Played withFire  by Steig Larsson
The Girl  Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest  by Steig Larsson
Grave Surprise  by Charlaine Harris
Grave Peril   by Jim Butcher
Georgia Bottoms  by Mark Childress
H       
The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins
Hush Hush  by Becca Fitzpatrick
House Rules  by Jodi Picoult
I      
I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
J
K
L        
Lucia, Lucia  by Adrianna Trigiana
Looking for Alaska  by John Green
Lisey's Story  by Stephen King
The Land of Painted Caves  by Jean Auel
M       
Murder List  by Julie Garwood
Mockingjay  by Suzanne Collins
Middlesex  by Jeffrey Eugenides
N        
The Ninth Judgement  by James Patterson (Maxine Pareto)
O
P         
Pretties  by Scott Westerfeld
Q
R        
Room  by Emma Donoghue
S         
The Straw Men  by Michael Marshall 
The Silent Girl  by Tess Gerritsen
Summer Knight by Jim Butche
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
Specials by Scott Westerfield
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
T         
Total Recall   by Sara Paretsky
Torment  by Lauren Kate
Thirteen Reasons Why  by  Jay Asher
U        
Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld
V
W        
Wild Fire  by Nelson DeMille
X
Y
Z

Update...A to Z Reading Challenge

Read a book for each letter of the alphabet. Should be pretty easy. Titles that begin with articles (A, an, the) won't count, I'll skip to the next word in the title. It should be interesting and fun.

A        The Art of Keeping Secrets  by  Patti Callahan Henry
B        Beastly  by Alex Flinn
C        The Cracker Queen  by Lauretta Hannon

D        Devil Bones  by Kathy Reichs

E         The Edge of Sleep  by David Wiltse

F         Flesh and Bone  by Jefferson Bass

G        The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Steig Larsson

H        The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins

I          I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

J

K

L        Lucia, Lucia  by Adrianna Trigiana

M      Murder List  by Julie Garwood

N       The Ninth Judgement  by James Patterson (Maxine Pareto)

O

P        Pretties  by Scott Westerfeld

Q

R         Room  by Emma Donoghue

S         The Straw Men  by Michael Marshall 

T         Total Recall   by Sara Paretsky

U         Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld

V

W        Wild Fire  by Nelson DeMille

X

Y

Z

Book 33 of 2011 The Edge of Sleep by David Wiltse

Edge of Sleep by David Wiltse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think this book is in the middle of a series featuring John Becker. In this one Becker is on an extended medical leave from the FBI but is pulled into a serial kidnapper/killer case by his former protege Karen Crist. Becker does a profile, but gets it all wrong. I would like more background on the kidnappers/killers. And having Crist's child become a victim was just a little too much. Other than those two things it was altogether a good example of one of my favorite genres...sick shit.  I'll probably read more of this series if the library has copies.


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Book 28 of 2011 Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Tally is back in the City and the operation is complete, she is finally Pretty. She's becoming a member of the Crims gang, she has the perfect boyfriend and everyone wants to be like her. But, she isn't as happy as she thought she would be. She has a sense that something is not right. Then at a party a message from her Ugly/Smoke past arrives with a note that she wrote to herself. She and Zane her perfectly beautiful boyfriend embark on a quest to find the 'New Smoke' and regain their memories of the past.


Two stars equals an okay book. While it didn't blow me away, it wasn't terrible either. The story seemed to get a little tired. It was basically just a rehash of Pretties with a new boy. I expected more and that's probably not fair. This is after all, a YA book and should not be judged on the same basis as a book written for adults. I'll still finish the trilogy with Specials on my hold list at the library, but I'm certainly not excited about this one.


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Book 27 of 2011 Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

just about finished with this one. I think I like it and will definitely have to read Pretties.Finished in the middle of the night when i couldn't sleep. It was interesting enough and will be putting the next on my hold list at the library


Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.


View all my reviews

A to Z Reading Challenge

Read a book for each letter of the alphabet. Should be pretty easy. Titles that begin with articles (A, an, the) won't count, I'll skip to the next word in the title. It should be interesting and fun.

A        The Art of Keeping Secrets  by  Patti Callahan Henry
B        Beastly  by Alex Flinn
C        The Cracker Queen  by Lauretta Hannon
D        Devil Bones  by Kathy Reichs
E         The Edge of Sleep  by David Wiltse
F         Flesh and Bone  by Jefferson Bass
G        The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Steig Larsson
H        The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins
I          I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
J
K
L        Lucia, Lucia  by Adrianna Trigiana
M      Murder List  by Julie Garwood
N       The Ninth Judgement  by James Patterson (Maxine Pareto)
O
P        Pretties  by Scott Westerfeld
Q
R         Room  by Emma Donoghue
S         The Straw Men  by Michael Marshall 
T         Total Recall   by Sara Paretsky
U         Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld
V
W        Wild Fire  by Nelson DeMille
X
Y
Z