Challenge: 50 Books discussion

I am ready to start my new list of books for 2014! I read 118 books in 2013, so my goal for the new year is 120. Let's see how it goes. Happy reading everyone!

1. A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen

I admit it, I'm a sucker for a good cat story and I did enjoy this book. The author rescued an injured cat and it changes his life for the better. I have to say, Bob is one extraordinary cat! 4 stars.

Started: December 30
Finished: January 1

120 books for 2014 is a lofty goal. Completing 118 is amazing. Good luck in 2014.

Maureen wrote: "120 books for 2014 is a lofty goal. Completing 118 is amazing. Good luck in 2014."

Thanks, Maureen. Good luck to you as well.

2. Thaw by Bryan Dunn

Arctic bush pilot Harry McNills is hired to fly biologist Amy Tyler and her boss, the lecherous Hayden Lockwood, to explore for freeze-tolerant organisms. They make an amazing discovery, an ancient being frozen in an iceberg. Things go horribly wrong, death and mayhem ensue. Sure it was a bit far-fetched, but it is a work of "fiction" and I found it to be an enjoyable read. 3 stars.

Started: January 1
Finished: January 3

3. Technomancer by B.V. Larson

Quentin Draith wakes up in an insane asylum, badly injured and with no memory of who he is or what happened. This was an okay urban fantasy, but I didn't like it enough to continue with the series. 2 stars.

Started: January 3
Finished: January 6

4. The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh

As a young boy, Jimmy Kalmaku was trained by his uncle to become the next Shaman of his Tlingit village, in Alaska. He's now an old man spending his golden years in a Seattle retirement home. A young archaeologist unwittingly frees an ancient evil, and Jimmy is the only hope of saving the world from annihilation. I thought this was a really good horror novel and give it 4 stars.

Started: January 7
Finished: January 9

5. Haunted House by Jack Kilborn

Eight survivors of previous horrific experiences are invited to participate in a study on fear and be paid a million dollars each, if they spend one day in Butler House, which is supposed to be haunted. Another good horror novel from Kilborn and I liked how he used characters from previous books, but it's not necessary to have read the previous novels before this one. 4 stars.

Started: January 9
Finished: January 10

Wow! Impressive.

6. Samurai Zombie Hunter by Cristian YoungMiller

A book I've had on my kindle for awhile. When I first started reading it, I thought, "ugh, this is terrible" and that I wouldn't be able to finish the book. It did get a little better and kept me interested enough to keep going. The main character, Van, was completely unlikable in the beginning, but about half way through he completely changed, for the better. 2 stars.

Started: January 12
Finished: January 13

7. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Another good book in the Dresden Files series. Harry takes on a case as a favor to his vampire friend, Thomas. There are some things Harry learns about the past and one jaw dropping revelation. Looking forward to reading the next one. 4 stars.

Started: January 11
Finished: January 18

8. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

I read the second book in this series quite some time ago, so it took me a bit to remember what went on before and all the characters. I did enjoy this one soooo much and thought it was the best so far. I can't let so much time go by before reading the next book. 5 stars!

Started: January 13
Finished: January 23

9. Shaken by J.A. Konrath

Jacqueline Daniels wakes up in a storage locker, bound and gagged with no memory of how she got there. This book went back and forth from the early days of Jack's career, a few years back while she was trying to capture the notorious serial killer Mr. K, and the present. It was interesting reading about the early days with her partner Harry McGlade and when she first met Detective Herb Benedict, but for some reason, I didn't find this book to be as good as previous ones. 3 stars.

Started: January 23
Finished: January 24

10. Harvest by Michele Gwynn

A quick read written by an author that is from around my neck of the woods, so I decided to give this one a try. Dave Forrester wakes up to find everyone in his small town has disappeared without a trace. Unfortunately, I just didn't care for the writing. I feel the story should have been longer to give the characters more development. This could have been a good book in a more capable writer's hands. 1 star.

Started: January 24
Finished: January 25

11. Things We Set On Fire by Deborah Reed

Vivvie's husband was shot an killed 30 years ago and now she is estranged from her two daughters. A tragedy brings her grandchildren into her custody and family secrets are brought to light during the course of the book. I thought it was an okay read. 2 stars.

Started: January 26
Finished: January 27

12. The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston

Morgana is a witch and lives in a small Welsh town. She has not spoken a word since she was a child and for Morgana's protection, her mother arranges a marriage to widower, Cai Bevan, a man she does not know. At seeing Cai's farm and the surrounding land, she falls in love with it, but she senses a dark force within the area. This book started off a bit slow for me, but it didn't take long to become engrossed in the story. A fantastic read. 4 stars.

Started: January 27
Finished: January 29

13. Dead Center by Joanna Higgins

Dr. Benjamin Weber is charged with murdering his friend twenty years before, which at the time had been ruled as an accident. He married his friend's widow and adopted his two daughters. This book was boring! I was hoping it would get better, but it never did and of course, with my sick compulsion to finish a book no matter what, I trudged through this snoozefest to the bitter end. 1 star.

Started: January 29
Finished January 30

14. Damaged: The Heartbreaking True Story of a Forgotten Child by Cathy Glass

Cathy Glass is a foster parent living in the UK and she agrees to take in eight year old Jodie who is violent, aggressive and has been through numerous foster parents. What this poor child went through at the hands of her natural parents was appalling. The book was hard to read at times and I couldn't help getting angry at what happened to her and the ineptitude of Social Services in her case. 4 stars.

Started & Finished on January 31

January Round-Up

This was an all time high of books read in a month since I've been keeping track and 4 books ahead in my goal of reaching 120.

Books read: 14
Favorite: A Storm Of Swords
Least Favorite: Dead Center

Wow, Deborah, you're impressive! When do you find time to eat and sleep with all that reading? LOL. But what better way to spend your time than immersed in a book?

Linda wrote: "Wow, Deborah, you're impressive! When do you find time to eat and sleep with all that reading? LOL. But what better way to spend your time than immersed in a book?"

I admit, I do read while eating, but not when I'm asleep. ;-) Luckily, I also work at home, which affords me quite a bit of reading time.

Well you go for it, girl! Happy reading! :-)

15. The Storm Glass by Fred Limberg

Jim Wilson and his girlfriend, Iris are cruising down the Mississippi on his boat the Thief of Hearts. They meet an elderly couple, Hans and Millie, who are heading home to Hannibal, Missouri and they become fast friends. Iris and Millie happen to be in the wrong place and the wrong time, a bank robbery. Jim and Hans, who happens to be an ex-CIA agent, decide to do their own investigation. The book started off a bit slow, but then the story took off. It was an Ocean's Eleven type caper with a touch of the supernatural. 3 stars.

Started: February 1
Finished: February 3

16. The Fall by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

I read that the Strain trilogy is going to be a series on FX this summer, so I thought I better get it finished. "The Fall" is book two and it was a bit dull until about the halfway point, then it got interesting. I don't want to give anything away, so all I'll say is that it wasn't quite as good as the first book, but there were some great fight scenes. 3 stars.

Started: February 4
Finished: February 6

17. The Cursed Man by Keith Rommel

Alister Kunkle believes Death is in love with him and kills everyone who talks to him. He commits himself to a mental institution with strict instructions that no one ever talk to him. Many years later a psychologist arrives at the institution to offer him care. He declines knowing that she will be dead within 24 hours, but when she returns the next day, he questions if his curse has finally disappeared or if he is actually insane. I thought this was a good premise for a book, but it ended up just confusing me at times and I felt lost. 1 1/2 stars.

Started: February 6
Finished: February 7

18. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Vincent Plum has been kidnapped and it's up to Stephanie and the gang to rescue him. It's pretty much the same old stuff: Lula and another failed attempt at dieting; Stephanie with her on-again, off-again relationship with Morelli; her attraction to Ranger, and the inept attempts at catching bail jumpers. I didn't get so much as a chuckle out of this one, but there was more of Connie, which was interesting and Hobbit-Con! A light, fluffy read. 3 stars, because Connie was badass!

Started: February 7
Finished: February 10

19. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

Jean Paget is a young Englishwoman living in Maylaya and captured by the invading Japanese during World War II. She, along with other women and children, are forced on a brutal death march that lasts for several months. During that time, an Australian prisoner helps Jean and her band of survivors with horrific consequences. A few years later, back in England, Jean comes into an unexpected inheritance and it changes her life. The book did drag in a couple of places, but I still found it to be quite a good read. 3 1/2 stars.

Started: February 10
Finished: February 12

20. The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

The conclusion to The Strain Trilogy. I thought this was definitely the best book in the series. The ending was not quite what I expected, but it seemed fitting. I'm looking forward to the series on FX this summer. I'm curious to see how closely they will follow the books. 4 stars.

Started: February 12
Finished: February 17

21. Suicide Serial by Matthew Boyd

Detectives Jake Harris and Stacey King discover that a string of recent suicides are actually murders committed by a serial killer. This was a quick read and I enjoyed it, but it would have been beneficial for character development, if it had been longer. 3 stars.

Started & finished: February 17

22. Afloat by Erin Healy

When I purchased this book on my kindle, I did not realize it was Christian fiction; not that I have anything against this type of book. I have read some that I've quite enjoyed. What I don't like is when they are the type that hit you over the head with it, which this one had a tendency to do. With that being said, I did like the premise of the book. Architect, Vance Nolan has designed and built a floating community. With construction almost complete, a mysterious accident happens. Vance, a shady politician, and the residents are trapped on the floating community in a Noah type flood. Unfortunately, I can only give this one 2 stars.

Started: February 17
Finished: February 19

23. The White Angel Murder by Victor Methos

Former San Diego homicide detective, Jon Stanton is convinced to come back to the force and joins the cold cases team. His first assignment consists of a young woman who was torn apart in her bedroom several years ago and which happened to be originally assigned to his former partner, Eli Sherman, before he was discovered to be a serial killer. I really liked this one, it was fast-paced and kept me guessing. 4 stars.

Started: February 19
Finished: February 20

25. Shadowland by C.M. Gray

This is a historical fantasy set in Britain during the Dark Ages. On the night of midwinter's eve, everyone gathers around to listen to the master storyteller's yearly tale and he is encouraged by an old friend to tell the story of their youth. The crowd become enraptured at first, but then some skepticism creeps in by some of the listeners. A good tale of friendship and loyalty during Pre-Arthurian times. 3 stars.

Started: February 20
Finished: February 21

25. Hostage in Havana by Noel Hynd

The first book in The Cuban Trilogy and again featuring U.S. Treasury Agent Alexandra LaDuca. Because of her job, she is the target of an assassin and decides to go undercover to Cuba with Paul Guarneri, a shady Cuban-exile, thinking she will be safe from the man who has been hired to kill her. I was disappointed in this one. Big chunks of this book read like a political history of Cuba, which I found to be boring. I'm not sure I want to continue with this series or not, but I do remember thinking the first book in The Russian Trilogy was not all that great, but enjoyed the other two. I'll have to ponder on it some more. 2 stars.

Started: February 25
Finished: February 26

26. Overboard!: A True Blue-water Odyssey of Disaster and Survival by Michael J. Tougias

In May 2005, the 45-foot-long sailboat, the Almeisan, which included the captain, Tom Tighe and first mate, Loch Reidy, along with new crew members, Kathy Gilchrist, Ron Burd, and Chris Ferrer embark on a five-day voyage from Connecticut to Bermuda. During the voyage a massive storm struck and the sailors are in a fight for their lives. I have read a couple of other tales of survival from this author and he is very good at making you feel that you are there. I'm always intrigued by how a person can have such a strong will to live against all odds. 4 stars.

Started: February 27
Finished: February 28

Whew, I'm finished updating my books and I promised myself this year I would stay on top of it. That didn't last long.

February Round-Up

Books read: 12
Favorite: The Night Eternal
Least Favorite: The Cursed Man

27. Stirred by Blake Crouch & J.A. Konrath

The last in the Lt. Jacqueline Daniels series. Serial killer Luther Kite has big plans for Jack, who he considers a worthy adversary. Of course, the plot is absolutely ludicrous, but somehow, still enjoyable. I bid a fond farewell to Jack and company. 4 stars.

Started: February 28
Finished: March 3

28. The Line by J.D. Horn

Mercy Taylor is the youngest member in a family of witches, but she was not born with the gift of magic. This book started out a bit slow and I thought it was going to be a dud, but it picked up and I got absorbed in the story. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 3 stars.

Started: March 4
Finished: March 5

29. Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb

Ugh, this book was a big disappointment. I couldn't believe how utterly boring it was. It took me forever to get through it, since I was only able to read a couple of chapters at a time. I've always enjoyed the "In Death" series, but this one was a snoozefest. 1 star.

Started: February 24
Finished: March 7

30. So Cold the River by Michael Koryta

Eric Shaw is approached by Alyssa Bradford to make a documentary about her father-in-law, billionaire Campbell Bradford. She gives Eric an antique water bottle which he finds himself drawn to and can't help but take a sip. He begins having vivid visions soon after arriving in Bradford's hometown. I did enjoy this supernatural tale. 3 stars.

Started: March 5
Finished: March 9

31. Fever by Mary Beth Keane

A fictional account of Mary Mallon who is infamously known as Typhoid Mary. She was the first known asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever. Mary was an Irish immigrant working as a cook in Manhattan and unknowingly passed on the disease to some members of the families that employed her. She never thought she was guilty of this, since she had never been sick. Unfortunately, I thought the book was only so-so, but it did get me interested in founding out more about Mary. 2 stars.

Started: March 10
Finished: March 11

32. Girl Missing by Tess Gerritsen

Medical examiner Kate Novak works in the morgue of a Boston hospital. She catches a case of a Jane Doe, a matchbook with a phone number, clutched in her hand as the only clue that may help identify her. I enjoyed this pre-Rizzoli and Isles mystery. 4 stars.

Started: March 12
Finished: March 13

33. Reunion by Jeff Bennington

A disturbed teenager, David Ray, kills eight of his fellow students and wounds many more before killing himself. Twenty years later some of the survivors agree to a reunion hoping it will help them get past the tragedy once and for all. Once inside the school, it appears they are joined by the ghost of David, out to finish what he started. The book was just okay and I felt that some of the characters, especially ones who were not involved in the shooting, were too quick to believe that there was something supernatural going on and the ending was wrapped up neatly in a nice little bow. 2 stars.

Started: March 13
Finished: March 14

34. Her Dear and Loving Husband by Meredith Allard

Sarah Alexander has moved to Salem, Massachusetts after getting divorced. She meets college professor, James Wentworth and he's dumbfounded at how much Sarah resembles his dead wife, Elizabeth. I can't say too much more about this book without giving away the plot, but I did enjoy it. 3 stars.

Started: March 14
Finished: March 17

35. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

This book has been on my to-read list for a long time. I finally renewed my library card and this is the first book I borrowed for my kindle using Overdrive. I am so glad I did not pay money for this book. I really wanted to like it, but big chunks of it were so boring. One of the characters whined all the time and I felt like shouting, "put your big girl panties on and deal with it." 1 1/2 stars.

Started: March 17
Finished: March 19

36. Safely Buried by John Pesta

Newspaper reporter Phil Larrison picks up a hitchhiker, which leads to the discovery of some grisly murders. I enjoyed this book, with its twists and turns and give it 3 stars.

Started: March 19
Finished: March 24

37. The Belial Stone by R.D. Brady

Professor Delaney McPherson is attacked by a man with inhuman fighting skills soon after her best friend, archaeologist Drew Masters is murdered. She teams up with former Navy Seal, Jake Rogan, who happens to be looking for his missing brother, to try and stop mankind from being annihilated. I enjoyed this non-stop, action filled book. 3 stars.

Started: March 24
Finished: March 28

38. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

Puppeteer Rupert Porson is murdered during a performance of Jack & the Beanstalk in the small town of Bishop's Lacy. Precocious 11-year-old Flavia de Luce is more than happy to help solve the murder. An enjoyable mystery. 3 stars.

Started: March 26
Finished: March 28

39. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

In the tiny village of Three Pines, some villagers decide to have a séance at the Old Hadley House to rid the town of evil, but things go wrong and one of the participants dies of fright. Inspector Armand Gamache is sent to the small town to investigate and make sure the victim's death was not a result of foul play. This is the third book in a series, the first two I "read" the audiobooks. I wasn't sure I would enjoy this one as much without being able to hear the French pronunciations, but it turned out not to be an issue at all. I really enjoyed it and I would love to live in the fictional Three Pines, if it weren't for all the murders that keep happening there. ;-) 4 stars.

Started: March 28
Finished: March 31

Now that I'm caught up on my updates, my March roundup:

Books read: 13
Favorite: The Cruelest Month
Least Favorite: Calculated In Death

40. Bones Beneath Our Feet by Michael Schein

The author based this book on actual events and takes place from 1844-1858. Chief Leschi and the Nisqually tribe were friendly with the "Bostons" until the government wanted to remove them off their land and onto a reservation, a piece of land where they would not be able sustain themselves. Chief Leschi pleaded with Governor Isaac Stevens, a man with a Napoleon Complex, to let them have a small parcel of land near the river to make their home, but Stevens would not honor his plea. Even though Leschi wanted only peace, he decided to fight for what he believed they deserved. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's been a couple of days since I've finished it and I can't stop thinking about it. 4 stars.

Started: March 31
Finished: April 4