May Reads

Not much happened in the world of reading over the month of May. 

 I did too much catching up on TV and crafting to do reading.  

The only things I read were the graphic novels: Walking dead book 5  and book 6

This is going to have to change over the summer or my brain will congeal.

April Reads

Sensing a theme here? Book about Vampire Jane Austen and then books about Zombies.  Guess I"m in a rut.

 Jane Vows Vengeance by Michael Thomas Ford
This is the next book in the series about Jane Austen as a vampire. This book read more like a mystery than a romance/drama like the others.  I liked it, but they tied everything up at the end that I think it would ruin things if they made a fourth book.

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Walking Dead: Book 1 and Walking Dead: Book 2  and Walking Dead: Book 3 by Robert Kirkman
I started reading these graphic novels to see how different they were from the show by the same name.  So far there are some of the same elements, but the story is quite different.  I thought that the storyline was almost like reading a soap opera.  Lots and lots of drama.  I find this highly amusing because I have a friend who won't watch the TV show because he thinks it's too dramatic compared to the graphic novels.  Heh.  To each their own! 

March Reads

Ah March... I've got a severe case of spring fever. 

That means I transition from Dystopian literature to Jane Austen! 

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Because It's My Blood by Gabrielle Zavin

This is the sequel to All These Things I've Done, a book I read last month.  In this futuristic book, Anya, the main character becomes more involved in her family's Chocolate mob business.  I'm eagerly awaiting the release of  In the Days of Death and Chocolate that comes out this fall to see how successful Anya will be at running her version of the illicit chocolate business.

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Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

This is an ingenious telling of an alternate regency period world where "glamour," or the magical enhancement of the appearance of the visual world, is a skill expected of refined ladies.  This reads like a Jane Austen novel.  It is exactly what I would expect from her if she lived in a world that contained magic.  When I began reading this book I was expecting something along the lines of the book Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, another Regency Period novel set in an alternate "magical" world.  While I really enjoyed Sorcery and Cecelia, and the two subsequent sequels, Shades of Milk and Honey was so much better.  Sorcery and Cecelia has a lot of modern feminist undertones to it, but Shades of Milk and Honey is written in the voice of someone who is living in the era, so much so that the author did her best to exclude words not in existence at the time, and used older spellings of words.  It really added to the feeling that you were reading an Austen Contemporary from this magical world.  I also like that the author didn't overdo the magic.  There arent any fantastical beasts, or over the top magic.  The magic is subtle as it would be if it were a part of someones every day life.  Sure there is frustration at not having the skill for "glamour" but I liken that to jealousy and frustration of not being able do some similar skill like painting or embroidery that was expected of "accomplished women" of the time.  This was one of those books I didn't want to end.  I wanted to keep living in the world the author had created.

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The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Pattillo

This book is by the author of Jane Austen Ruined My Life and Mr.Darcy Broke My Heart. The three books are loosely part of a series of books where the main character's lives mirror those from one of Jane Austen's Novels, only set in Modern times.  There are also secret lost documents belonging to Jane Austen in each story as well.  This story,( if you are familiar with Austen, you'll know from the title), has the main character's lives similar to Elinore and Marianne from Sense and Sensibility.  The main characters travel to England to spread their deceased mother's ashes, and take a Jane Austen tour as directed by their mother in her will.  Amidst this, they realize that they are in the possession of Cassandra, Jane's sister's private unknown diary.  I loved how the romances developed, even though, being familiar with the story, I knew what was eventually going to happen.  This was a lovely modern retelling of a great classic novel.

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Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal

This was the sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey.  I found this book to be far less enjoyable than the first in this series.  What originally drew me to this series was how the first book, "Milk and Honey" was written in a very similar voice to Jane Austen.  This second one, much less so.  I think this was mostly due to the subject matter.  First, Austen novels are romance based, where the main characters are searching for love, with all the twists and turns and misunderstandings that accompany it.  The main characters in this story have already found love and are married.  Second, Austen novels, although many are set during war times, and frequently mention officers and other men of military rank, never mentions war.  Glamour in Glass was all about the war with Napoleon and spying and all that jazz.  Third, Austen novels tend to end happily for the main characters, at least the good ones.  This was not the case either in "Glamour."  The ending was quite melancholy.  Although I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as the first book, I will read the third book in the series(whenever my local library decides to get it) because I want to see where the author is going to go with the main characters at this point.



Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

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Say what?  Jane Austen is a Vampire?  And living in the US?  And about to publish the first novel she is going to actually see residuals from?  OMG.  I LOVED this book.  I don't know what to say that won't give away what happens in the book other than I like Bronte even less now.  Go Austen.  Oh.  This is the first book in the series.  I loved this one so much that I immediately went out and checked out the second book which I am in the process of reading, but didn't have enough time to finish this month.  I highly recommend this book if you like light romances - Austen style, Jane Austen, Hate Bronte, or have a sense of humor about "serious" literature. Oh, and if you arent big on vampire books...no problem.  I didn't think it was another one of those dumb vampire books that everyone seems to adore these days.  This one was actually good. 

Feb Reads

 Warning:  This contains spoilers for the below mentioned books.




 Storybound by Marissa Burt
This is one of those books that had me drawn in right away.  One of those, just one more chapter, and you wind up reading five and your family complains because they are starving and you forgot to make dinner.  The main character is an orphan who literally gets sucked into a book, into the land of stories.  I was absolutely riveted...until 2/3 the way into the book.  I did not like the plot twist where the girl discovers she was born into the land of stories, and placed into our real world.  I liked the fact that she was an outsider, figuring things out and saving the day.  It just left a bad taste in my mouth.  I won't be reading the next book in this series.




Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by  Jonathan Auxier
This was another one of those books I didn't want to put down.  This orphaned blind boy has special thieving skills.  One day he happens upon a box with three sets of magical eyes.  They take him to a place where he and a cursed knight must save a kingdom.  I was really enjoying the ride when BAM!  You discover he is a long lost prince of this lost kingdom he is trying to save. WHAT? How did I get two books in a row with this same plot device.  GRRRR!  I was really pissed off because the writing in this book was even better than the previous book I read.  It was sort of a combination of Lemony Snicket and Roal Dahl humor, but just slightly more lighthearted.  I think if I had read this book before I read Storybound, I would have enjoyed it more.



Pure by Julianna Baggot
The next book I read, I thought I'd change things up from Fantasy to Dystopian post apocalyptic fiction.  In this book it is after a bomb has been dropped.  Some of the people were "saved" by living in this dome, while others who were exposed to the bomb were fused to objects around them.  The main character, Pressia happens to have a doll's head for a hand.  Those inside the dome are referred to by those outside the dome as "Pure". When a person on the outside turns 17 they are forced to join a sort of army or become target practice for the army.  A boy from the dome, Partridge, manages to escape and happens to joins up with Pressia.  He is on a mission to find his mother who was not allowed in the dome.  Then, can you believe it?  Pressia and the boy from the dome discover they are siblings.  WHAT?  Again?  are you kidding me?  Then amazingly they find their mother and their brother who was believed to be dead, but the brother turns out to have been tampered with genetically and has a bomb inside his head and blows himself and their mother up.  How is it possible that I checked out three books from the library in a row that were completely different, but have that same plot device that the main character is a long lost sibling.  Ugh.  I guess there are no new stories.  I am NOT going to read the next books in this series.



All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Ugh, finally, a story that's not about long lost siblings.  This one is based of a dystopian society set in the not too distant future (80 or 90 yrs).  At this point, chocolate and caffeine are illegal, water is rationed, and it costs postage to send an email.  What I liked about this story was that the negative situations of the time do not overwhelm the character.  Sometimes these futuristic stories are so bogged down about how horrible things are that the story almost gets lost.  This is just a way of life for the characters, much like a story set in the 80's would not have lamentations about how horrible it is to not have 3G networks.  People don't know what they are missing because their life is normal to them.  Anyhow, the main character Anya comes from a crime family that dealt in black market chocolate.  Her ex gets poisoned by chocolate, he finagled from her, and she has to try to prove her innocence.  The fact that she is dating the DA's son helps with that.  Only the DA thinks she is bad press for him.  In the end Anya learns where she fits within her family and that she has to make some big sacrifices in order to ensure the safety of those she loves, including her boyfriend.

Switched by Amanda Hocking

This story is about a changeling who discovers that she is not human.  She is what her people refer to as Trylle or trolls.  This is not the traditional sense of what stories describe as trolls, I'd say they were more like Fae.  Her human mother tries to kill her when she is 6 because she realizes she is an impostor.  When she is reunited with her biological family, she discovers she is the daughter of the queen.  Of course.  Why couldn't anyone be a normal average citizen.  Everyone has to be special class or royalty.  But if they did that, there couldnt be forbidden love.  Although the concept of the story was fairly original, the plot turned out to be pretty cookie cutter for this genre.  All things considered I enjoyed this book, probably because it was a quick read that I finished in one sitting.  I plan to check out the sequel to see where the story heads from here.

Jan Reads

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Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan. 

This was book 3 in the Heroes of Olympus series.  I got so into this book that by the time I got to the end I forgot that this was not the last book in the series.  I was upset that there was more to the story that I'd have to wait to discover until the next book comes out! 

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Cold Days by Jim Butcher. 

This is the latest book in the Dresden Files.  I've always enjoyed the Dresden Files books, although some of the books in the series are more enjoyable than others.  I thought this one was my favorite, next to the first book of course.  All I can say without giving too much away about the plot is that Santa is one bad mamma jamma.

Dec Reads

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 One poor sad lonely book read for the whole month of December.  You'd think I was busy or something.



 Anyhow Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards was a neat variation on Arabian Nights. Scheherazade/Zardi is the main character.  Instead of telling stories to the Sultan, she goes on a quest of sorts to save her sister.  In doing so, she runs into characters from the traditional telling of Arabian Nights.  A fun twist on a classic tale.  The end of the story is set up for a sequel. The book is geared toward tweens and early middle schoolers. 

Oct Reads

Not a lot of books this month.  I've been too busy cross stitching I guess.

1. Tiger's Destiny by Coleen Hauck.
This is the fourth and final book in the Tiger Quest series.  Guess what?  It ends with a time loop.  What is up with these books lately?  Strangely, I was more ok with this time loop ending than previous storylines I've read.  Maybe I've been in a better mood lately.  I was not so jazzed about books 2 and 3 in this series, but I liked the finale as much as the first book.  I was please with the resolution of the curse, and the subsequent resulting love triangle between Ren, Kishan and Kelsey.  After having read this book, and seeing how the series ends, I feel I can recommend this teen romance to teens and grown ups alike.  (The Romance is neither smarmy or smutty.)

2. Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran.
I started reading this book to put me in the mood for making Blockette's Halloween costume.  I really enjoyed the storyline as I had no knowledge of  Cleopatra's daughter, Selene's, life.  I did find myself picturing some of the characters as their counterparts on HBO's series Rome, which made me laugh for some reason.  There was another series about Selene that I had planed to read, but it was more fantastical.  I enjoyed the style of this story so much that I decided not to read that one.  Instead I plan on reading more books by this author.

August Reads

This was not a big reading month for me. We were really into watching the Olympics earlier this month. Then my Uncle passed on 4 seasons of Mad Men, so no reading for me!

I did manage to sneak in this odd little juvenile fiction called Star Shard by Frederic S Durbin.

 It takes place on this traveling market place that is actually a wagon as big as a small city.  I thought that concept was fascinating.

The main character, Cimbril, is a slave who works on the wagon as a singer.  Then a fae boy named Loric, is taken on as a slave, but he can't use his magic to escape because of the magic attached to the wagon.  Through the Loric, Cimbril discovers her true ancestory.  

I particularly liked Cimbril's cat Miwa and the race of creatures known as Strongarms.

 It's a great work of fantasy fiction for middle grade schoolers.

July Reads

1. The Enchantress by Michael Scott.
Good grief. What a colossal waste of my time.  This was the last book of a really good series (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel), but this book, What The Frell!  I felt like it was LOST all over again.  I kept saying, your going to end it like THAT? (This is the point where I ruin everything, so avert your eyes if you don't want to know. )  I mean, REALLY?  a Time loop?  And They aren't even twins and one of them is a Neanderthal?  WHAT?  Neanderthals don't even have the same skulls as us.  Because, HELLO! they are Neanderthals.  Ok.  I'm done now.  My husband read this series as well, and he had no problems with the ending, so maybe it's just me who had issues. 

2. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
This is another finale of a good series. (Kane Chronicles) This one I had no issues with the ending.  I mean it was a little sad, but it didn't make me want to shout and throw the book across the book like the previously mentioned book did.  I kept getting this book and the book mentioned above confused, because it deals with Egyptian Gods and siblings.  

3. A Hero for WondLa by Tony Diterlizzi
This was the second book in the series. I enjoyed this book.  It had this sort of Avatar (the movie with the blue aliens) feel to it at the end, but not in a bad cheesy way.  Eva Nine finds her way into "civilization" and discovers it isn't what she expects or wants.  Futuristic books aren't usually my thing, but for some reason I enjoy this story.  Probably because the characters are so well written.This was a very quick read with all the action, and illustrations.  I loved the illustrations.  I look forward to the finale of this trilogy. 

4. Humming Room by Ellen Potter
This was another little quick read. Basically, this book is a modern retelling of The Secret Garden.  As long as you go into this book knowing that little tidbit, you will enjoy the ride. 

5 The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
Hooray!  I read one grown-up book this month.   This was a historical fiction written as the autobiography of Lavinia Warren, the wife of the real life Tom Thumb, aka Charles Sherwood Stratton.  It tells the story of her life and how she came to be a part of  P.T. Barnum's show.  I'm not really sure how I felt about this story.  It was ok.  I neither loved, nor hated it.  Maybe because the main character was not a very sympathetic person?  I can't quite put my finger on it.  I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it, but it didn't make me want to go out and find more books by the same author either.  If you are a big historical fiction buff, particularly around the time of the civil war, I'd say you should give it a read.

6. The Second Spy by Jaqueline West
This is the third book in the Elsewhere series, target audience: middle school.  I've really enjoyed this series, and it keeps getting better with each installment.  The evil witch is still on the loose and working to release her father, or a version of him from one of the paintings in our main character's house.  There is a double cross that I thought was unexpected, hence the title, "The Second Spy."  I love the character development in this book, and also the deepening of the relationships.  Hopefully the author will continue on this trend for book four.

June Reads

1. Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith.
This was a story based on the Three Wise Men and their encounters with Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  The book was written by the same author who wrote Pride, and Prejudice and Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer, so I thought there was going to be quite a bit of irreverence.  Surprisingly, this was not the case.  All I know about the Three Wise Men is the stuff that is written in the New Testament, which isn't a lot, so I have no idea if the story is remotely accurate.  I do know that it was a thoroughly enjoyable and, at least to me, believable read.  The only part I didn't like was at the end when the only remaining "wise man," after all he had seen with his own two eyes, still didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  Other than that, a great read.

2. Timeless by Gail Carriger
This book, not so much of a great read.  I actually had to put this book down and walk away from it for a while, and I read Unholy Night as a break from the storyline.  Timeless, is the 5th and final book in the Parasol Protectorate series.  And to that I say good riddance to bad rubbish.  With each book in the series, I liked the storyline less and less.  I don't get it, Romance, vampires, werewolves, Victorian Steampunk England...what's there not to love.  Apparently the writing and the storyline.  They both just dragged on and on.  Like wading through thick mud, the book was heavy and laborious and a total relief when I was finished.  I really wanted to like this series, but now that it is over, I would definately NOT recommend it.  If for some reason there was a book 6 I wouldn't waste my time.  Somebody else please write a better supernatural Victorian Steampunk series!

3. Janitors by Tyler Whitesides
What a surprise this book was.  The story is geared toward kids in about the 6th grade, but don't let that deter you from what is a pretty original storyline.  Granted, there was a tiny bit of Spiderwick  in the story, but not enough to be annoying.  The main character discovers that there are monster like creatures in the school and the janitors know about it, but which side are the janitors on?  Well, I thought it was pretty easy to figure that one out as it is a kids book, but the fun was seeing how the main characters found out the truth.  I look forward to the sequel, Secrets of the New Forest Academy, slated to come out this Fall.

4.The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica and Julian Fellows
This was a quick read with wonderful photographs from the TV Show.  The pictures almost made me wish I had High Def TV! The book had little snippets of background information on the characters and a few interesting quotes from the actors.  A fun read for fans of the show.

5.Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler.  This was an interesting twist on the Arthurian Legend.  In this version, it's not Guinivere who has the affair with Lancelot, but Morgan le Fay. The offspring, and all subsequent female descendents, of that union was "gifted" with the ability to predict when a loved one is going to die.  This story is set in modern California which was another interesting twist to the story.  This book was written for a target audience of teenagers, and was set up for a sequel.  The book was well written and the characters engaging enough for me to want to read a follow up book.

6. Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood.  This was a quick little juvenile read about a family of magical bakers.  The parents have to leave town and the children are left to run the bakery.  They are duped by an estranged distant relative who steals the magical cookbook.  This book is also set up for a sequel, which I would gladly read.

May Reads

1. Spellbound: The Books of Elsewhere Volume 2 by Jacqueline West.  This is the second book in this series about Olive, a girl who moves into a house that used to be inhabited by a evil witch who can travel and trap people in the paintings in the house.  In book one Olive thinks she has stopped the witch from returning, but of course she has found another way into the world through the paintings. Olive makes friends with the neighbor next door and her grandson and discovers that not all magic is evil.  The story was set up for a third book in the series!

2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  This was probably the best adaptation of Cinderella that I have ever read.  It is set very far into the future.  People have colonized the moon and have been living there long enough to have evolved to have developed certain mind controlling powers.  Cinder, the main character is a cyborg who lives roughly in what is probably the current country of China, with her step mother and two step sisters. Cyborgs are considered sub-human, so when Cinder's step sister succumbs to the deadly plague, Cinder is sent off to be experimented on in attempts to discover a cure for the plague.  It is here where she begins to discover her true identity.  This was such a great book.  You could tell that it was geared toward teenage girls, but was written so well that even Mrblocko enjoyed it.  Apparently, it is the first in a series of 4.  I anxiously await the further installments of the story!

3. Mr Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo.  This was a sequel of sorts to the novel, "Jane Austen Ruined My Life."  There are a different set of main characters, but the features the same organization, "The Formidables," who's goal is to protect the image that the world has of Jane Austen.  The main character travels to England to deliver a paper written by her sister who is too pregnant to travel.  She stumbles on an original manuscript for "Pride and Prejudice."  She also seeminly stumbles into a very Darcy-esque love. Amid all this drama, the main character discovers she's been so focused on doing for others that it became a crutch and she lost the essence of who she really was.  Through this painful discovery, she finally comes to terms with her behavior and opens herself up to true love.  A great read even if you aren't particularly fond of Ms. Austen.

4.The Real Life Downton Abbey by Jacky Hyams.  This was an informative book about the lives of people in the Edwardian period, discussing both upper and lower classes.  Most of it I was able to figure out by just watching Downton Abbey, or by listening to commentaries from other movies in similar time periods.  The book was a bit dry at times, and that is saying something as I enjoy reading these sort of fact-y types of non-fiction works.  Glad I just checked out from the library for free.  It had an extraordinarily long wait list, but that was probably just due to the fact that it had "Downton Abbey" in the title

5. Heartless by Gail Carriger.  This was the fourth book in the Parasol Protectorate series.  It took me a full week to get into this story.  I've really enjoyed this series, set in a steampunky supernatural Victorian England, but it took until mid way through the book for the story to gain speed.   The previous books have been a bit of a bodice ripper, but as the main character was in the late third trimester of her pregnancy, there was none of that going on in this book.  To me, this book seemed like more of a set up for the next book which will deal with exactly what the child of a soulless and a werewolf, who gets adopted by a vampire, so the vampires won't kill it, will actually be.  Even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first 2 in the series, I'm looking forward to reading book 5, which I just put on hold at the library today!

April Reads

A short list of reads again this month. I've been having such a hard time making time to read. I've been in a cross stitching and tv watching mode at night I guess.

1. Writing Jane Austen by Elizabeth Aston. A the first chapter of a manuscript was found that was believed to be written by Jane Austen. This author, for her sophomore novel, was bullied into completing it. The kicker is, that although she writes historical fiction, this novel is not in her area of expertise, particularly because she has never read or seen a single piece of Jane Austen's work. Slowly as her deadline approaches, after much internal struggle, she becomes entranced with the Austen world. I was surprised but pleased with the ending. I was afraid that the book would end quaint and contrived. The ending is happy, but it left me cheering instead of rolling my eyes. I think this is a great book for those just slightly interested in Austen to the diehard fan. Incidentally, the author of this book has written several novels that were a type of sequel to Jane Austen's stories. I don't really have any desire to read them as I feel Austen's stories can stand alone and I can leave the rest to my imagination.

2. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book 3 The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood.  This is, as the title suggests the third book in the series.  An amusing side story: My husband likes to read the jackets of the books I bring home from the library.  Oh, it's not cause he is wanting to make sure I'm reading quality books.  He just wants to find out if it's something he'd like to read.  You see, occasionally, our literary tastes overlap.  So he says to me, "That sounds like an interesting book, but did you know it is the third book in the series?"  I said, "Yes, that's why I checked it out.  Did you want to read the first one?"  And then he said, "No.  I meant it sounded interesting for you."  Well la de da captain obvious.  Isn't it grand to know that I am able to check books out for myself that I might find interesting.  What a nut!  Anyhow, back to the Unseen Guest.  The main character, Penelope, the nanny of 3 children raised by wolves, has come no closer to realizing that her employer might just be a werewolf.  She does however get to meet the wolves that cared for her charges, but this raises more questions than answers.  I'm still convinced that Penelope is somehow related to the children, and now am speculating that the family of the writer she has taken a fancy to is somehow entwined with the family she works for.  I can't wait for book four!

March Reads

1. The Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine.  I really enjoyed this story.  I'd say it was geared toward late elementary and middle school.  The main character goes to the city of Two Castles for an acting apprenticeship only to discover that the laws have been changed and she does not have the finances to apprentice.  Stuck, penniless, in a strange city this young girl finds herself a friendship among an ogre and a dragon, and a mystery to solve.  I loved that the main character was naive, but not stupid.  Gail Carson Levine always portrays young girls so realistically. I hope there is a sequel.

Source: Republic of Pemberly

2. Jane Austen for Dummies by Joan Elizabeth Klingel Ray PhD. It seems like every spring I get on this Jane Austen jag.  This book provides a bit of historical and cultural background to the setting of the Jane Austen books.  It was a bit dry in some parts, but that was just because I wasn't interested in all the topics covered in the books.  A good read if you are a fan of the books or the movies.

3. Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by  Serena Valentino.  I bought this book last spring for my best friend when we went to Disney World.  I had heard nothing about the book, but thought that she would like it as she is a fan of the villains (or as Blockette used to say, "The Mean.")  The story tells the back story of how Snow White's stepmother turned evil.  It was a fun little quick read, but it seemed to have a few holes in the plot.  Like who were the 3 cousins? How did they come to own the Queen's mother's soul?  Why were they evil?  If they already owned the Queen's soul, why did they waste time turning her into a crone?  I'm sure I'm missing some other things.  While the bones of the story was great, it would have been better if the best and most interesting parts had been fleshed out a bit more.

4.Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale.  This was a sequel of sorts to Austenland.  It's set in the same sort of Austen - based resort/LARP (live action role play).  This story was a bit different as it was set in more of a gothic mystery.  I was wondering how they were going to make this sequel different from the first book, and the mystery aspect makes the story not feel repetitive.  I must be in a good mood as of late, because I enjoyed and "alls well that ends well" sort of happy ending.  I hope Shannon Hale figures out how to work a third story into this setting.

5.Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell. This story was essentially Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice set in post Civil War Texas.  (Near, of all places Austen, TX of course.)  I'm not normally into Westerns, but I loved this book.  The storyline veered enough from Austen's original to make it interesting, but not so far that it was objectionable.   For example, in this story, I loved it that Charolotte married for love.  I always hated it that she got stuck with Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice.    Aside from the well written storyline, I learned something about the Civil War.  I always thought the Civil War started because of slavery.  That's what I was taught in school, and was never given any other explanation.  Turns out Lincoln didn't abolish slavery until 2 years into the war.  The war started, in a nutshell, because congress told the South they could only sell their goods to the Industrialized North, and not other countries.  Then Congress went and taxed those Northern goods so much that they were no longer affordable.  Basically the whole thing was taxation without representation.  I think it's crazy, but great, that this book has gotten me interested in the Civil War, and has this Yankee looking at a great many things in a completely different light.

Feb Reads

 Holy moley Rocky!  How in the what did it get to be March already. March second even.  Who makes up this crazy "it's too fast flying" time anyhow?  I read a total of 2 books this month. I just didn't have enough time to read more. Guess it's sort of funny that I'm complaining about time flying and the two books I read this month were from the river of time series.

1. Waterfall: Book 2 in the River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren. I enjoyed this book.  There was lots of romance (G rated) and fast paced action. I was all happy with how the story was going until the end of the book where they manage to go back to almost their present modern time from Medieval Italy, to save their dad from getting killed in a car accident.  I was like what?  I think it ruined the storyline for me. 

2. Torrent: Book 3 in River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren.  This last book in this trilogy was a big let down for me.  I thought the book was slow comparatively to the first 2 books.  Maybe this was because the main characters kept doing the exact same things in each all the stories.  Oh the girls from a different time are in a dangerous situation and manage to kick butt against men who are twice their size.  Yawn.  The story has a happy ending and the whole entire family decides to stay in medieval Italy, even though they know that the plague is coming in a few short years.  REALLY?  I know love is a powerful thing, but how come they didn't just go forward in time to live in the modern world?

January Reads

1.) Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren.  This is the first book in a trilogy.  The story is a sort of "G" rated teen romance.  The main character, Gabriella, is in Italy with her sister and mother who is an archeologist studying the Etruscans.  Gabriella and her sister enter the Etruscan tomb that is unearthed and fall backward into the 14th century where she falls in love with a noble who is already betrothed.  Apparently this is supposed to be Christian Teen romance fiction.  I was surprised to read that because the mention of God seemed pretty sparse.  Maybe the main character's relationship with God is further developed in the 2nd and third books of the series.

2.) Ogre of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson. A cute juvenile fiction book set in what seemed like an alternate post World War II England where ogres, hags and other sorts of magical creatures live and co-exist with regular folk.  This is one of those fairy tales where the princess only needs rescuing from those who are have ordered her to be rescuedt.  It had a nice ending that could have lent itself to a sequel, unfortunately, the author passed away in 2010.  Her writing style reminds me a bit of Roald Dahl.  I think I'll have to check out more by this author. 

From: Light and Shade

3.) Liesl and Po by Loren Oliver.  This was a really unusual work of juvenile fiction, especially considered it is for 3rd-7th graders.  A girl is locked away in the attic by her step mother after her father passes away.  She begins to be visited by Po, and his pet, spirits from the "other side".  Liesl's main goal is to take her father's ashes and bury them next to her mother's, but there is a mix up with some other magical ashes.  Now Liesl has more than just her stepmother searching for her. The story is quite dark and the concepts of loss might be a bit too deep for the younger set this book is target towards.  I found it helpful, and liked the book a lot more, when I read that the author had written this book as a way to cope with the loss of a close friend.  Definitely not a book to read when you are sad and gloomy.

4.)Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck.  This is the third book in the Tiger's curse series. The main character, Kelsey, is still torn between the two brothers, Kishan and Ren, who have been cursed to live as tigers.  In this book they complete another task, this one involving dragons.  I've enjoyed this G-rated teen romance series up until this point.  I find the writing style humorous, as it is similar to how I wrote as a young teenager, describing in great detail what everyone wore and ate.  I can see how this could eventually become too much of a distraction from the actual storyline.  What drove me nuts was Kelsey's indecision between the two brothers.  First she is in love with one, then no, wait, she is really in love with the other one.  No, is it a Tuesday? Then she is in love with the first one again.  Make up your mind already girlfriend.  I think there is one final book in the series. I'll read that one when it comes out (in the fall?) just to see who the main character winds up with.  Personally, if I were one of the brothers, once the curse was lifted, I'd pitch her for someone who didn't jerk me around.

December Reads

The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Kimberly Cutter. 

Man, I thought I was going to have a big goose egg for reading books in the month of December, then I found some time to read while I was visiting my mom over Christmas. 

This book was just ok.  I've read several books about Joan of Arc in the past 10 or so years.  Can I remember any of them?  No, of course not!  Wait, maybe it was Joan of Arc movies that I've seen a bunch of.  As I can't seem to recall any specific story or author. 

Anyhow, his book was enjoyable, but nothing special.  If you were reading about Joan of Arc for the first time, I'd probably suggest something else a little more factual, but then again that would be a dry read so never mind.

November Reads

Not a very big list of reads this month.  I've been more into watching weird shows like Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Fringe and American Horror Story. (Which, by the way, a bazillion times weirder than Twin Peaks.)

1. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim.  Man, the girl who played Nellie Oleson had a messed up life.  I always hated that character growing up, but now I have a new appreciation for her.  She's my new hero.

2. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. Book 2 in the Heroes of Olympus Series.  This book is the latest episode in the saga that is the life of the demi-god Percy Jackson.  I'm enjoying the Roman mythology more than I did the Greek that was in the first series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Maybe because I'm less familiar with Roman mythology.

3. The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley.  This was an enjoyable quick read aimed at a middle school aged audience.  The main character, Molly the scullery maid,  has visions which lead her on the path to discovering and breaking the curses laid upon the Royal family.  The end was left open for a sequel, which I hope gets written.

October Reads

Whew! I thought I was gonna have a big goose egg for books read in October. Luckily, this last weekend was a big reading one for me. Yay.

1.  Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry by Lynne Jonell. This book for youngsters is the third in series about a girl who can talk to some very special rats.  One particular rat's bite shrinks you and then the second bite turns you into a rat.  A kiss from his sister reverses these peculiar effects.  In this story, the villains, who have been turned into rodents, are searching for a way to kidnap Sissy, the kissing rat.  They trick Emmy, the heroine, into visiting her 2 elderly great aunts.  A lot happens in this children's story but that's the gist without giving too much away.   The story was really good, like the 2 before it, but I had the hardest time sitting down to read it.  Probably due to too much tv and craft projects.

2. Troubletwisters by Garth Nix. This is the first book in a new youth series.  I devoured this book in a day and a half.  These twins discover that they are coming into their magical powers which causes lots of trouble until they fully come into their powers.  They accidentally blow their house up and they are forced to live with their paternal grandmother they never knew existed. Then they accidentally break a ward that was protecting the town from what is referred to as "The Evil."  The Evil wants them to join forces with it and is doing everything in its ever growing power to do so.    They manage to just barely save the day, but The Evil is still out there.  I look forward to reading book two this summer.

September Reads

1.The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure.  I'll admit it.  I thought the Little House on the Prairie books were 100% non-fiction books.  Turns out a lot of it was made up from bits and pieces of Laura's life, not exactly in the right order, town or with the same people.  This book is the journey the author went on as she visited all the historical places from Laura Ingalls Wilder's past.  It's an interesting read for fans of the time period, the books and maybe, dare I say, fans of the TV show.

2. The Mulligan by Nathan Jorgenson.  My mom gave me this book and told me it was hilarious.  Then my husband read it and agreed wholeheartedly.  I thought they were both nuts.  The story starts out fairly slow and I found myself getting really angry with the main character.  I mean he was SUCH an absolute doormat.  Mrblocko said that it started getting really funny at the Ranch, but I didn't start laughing out loud until the main character starts working as a guide.  The book itself is written very well, except the end kind of fizzles out. That was a bummer.  Over all it is a good book that I think appeals to a wide audience.  

3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  This book was awesome.  In the future most everything is done in this virtual reality called OASIS.  The guy who invented it put in his will that created this mega Easter egg.  Whoever finds it owns OASIS and becomes the wealthiest most powerful person on the planet.  Oh and did I mention that the guy was a teen in the '80's so the whole thing is filled with '80's references.  Yeah.  So if you're a computer geek, gamer, plugged in nerdy kinda person, or even the slightest bit of an '80's freak,  you will love this book.

4. Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker.  This was a fun fluffy zombie read.  At times I thought the author was trying too hard to be witty with all the pop culture references.  The narrator of the memoir was a hoity-toity college professor who thought he was all that.  I guess the fact that the witticisms got annoying after a while just emphasized that part of his personality.  Somehow it all works.  The book isn't going to win any literary awards, but it was a funny little story.

5. Bossypants by Tina Fey. This book reads just like watching Tina Fey on TV.  I mean I literally heard her voice in my head as I was reading it.  If you loved her on SNL or 30 Rock, you'll think this book is laugh out loud funny.

August Reads

1. The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan.  This is the sequel to the Forest of Hands and Teeth, that I read last month.  This book was not as good as the first, but I'm a sucker for sequels. There was an interesting concept of immunity to the zombie virus.  Why not.  Not everyone gets the flu, so why would everyone get zombified?  There is a third book in this series that I'm sort of interested to read, but they don't have it at my library.  I wasn't jazzed enough in the second book to request that they get the book, or attempt to get it on inter library loan.

2. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede.  This is the second book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.  This was another case of the sequel not being as good as the first.  I enjoyed this sequel better than I did the one from the series I mentioned above.  I liked that the main character in the first book was independent and in this one she falls in love.  It seems out of character, and now if she is married she isn't going to be living with dragons anymore.  I thought that was one of the best parts of the story.  This series has 2 other books which I may or may not read.  This book has not made me want to rush out to the library to read it as well.

3. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher,  What is up August reads? Why are you just so blah?  I love Jim Butcher, especially the Dresden Files series, but this book was soooo slow.  Even Mrblocko thought that it took a good halfway into the novel for the story to pick up.  Very much out of character for this author. Usually I'm 2 pages into the book and I just can't put it down.  I finished this book the day before it was due.  Which, if you know how I read is really saying something.  I wanted to renew the book, but as there were 9 holds on the book, I couldn't.  Do you have any idea how long it would have been for me to get this book again if there were 9 holds on it.  So I kicked the reading into turbo and finished just in time.  I know there is going to be another book in the Dresden Files series which seems like it will be better than this one.  Hopefully this series/author isn't running out of steam.