75 Books...More or Less! discussion

1. The Bride by Julie Garwood Finished 1/5/14 *****

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this book when it was first recommended to me. I some times get tired annoyed by the romance genre's (historical has a habit of doing this, but at least in their case it historically accurate) emphasis on the virginity of the heroine. And I'll admit there were times I was annoyed by that theme in this book, but overall it was a very enjoyable read. I read most of it in one day. So I guess that means I'll give it 5 stars.

2. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde Finished 1/10/14 ****

Although it is not on the same level as the books in the Thursday Next series, this was a very enjoyable read. It didn't have all the literary references that I've come to expect from Fforde, probably because it was set in the world of nursery rhymes. The nursery rhyme references were fun and added a bit of welcome predictability to the story. The mystrey was complex enough to keep me guessing. All in all, an entertaining read.

3. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen Finished 1/10/14 *****

This is the third of Allen's books that I've read and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She puts magical realism to perfect use in all of her stories. In my mind, no one does that better. This was a sweet story of friendship and love. I highly recommend reading this.

4. Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning Finished 1/13/14 **

A plot line that's both weak and hard to believe. This book seems to be the type of erotica that's main goal is to jam as many sex scenes as possible into a limited number of pages. Really "the book" just loosely tied together sex scenes. The dialogue is eye-rollingly bad and the female lead is unlikeable. She's a human sexuality professor who thinks she's a whore for behaving in a sexually uninhibited way. The first half of the book is highly repetitive. The second half is a downhill spiral.

5. No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole Finished 1/18/14***

I know that there are a lot of people who really love this series, but I am not one of them. For me it's just okay. I did like this one better than the previous two. So, I will probably read the next book at some point, but it's not a top priority. Having a male lead who was a virgin was a nice change of pace. It's interesting to see how differently it is handled. Unlike many stories where the female lead is a virgin, the hero's worth and honor are never mentioned in connection to his virginity. He's a virgin because constant war & slight social ineptitude destroyed his chances of forming relationships with women. The female lead is also a virgin, because of a curse.

6. XVI by Julia Karr Finished 1/20/14 **

(the more I think about this book, the more my inner feminist gets enrages, and the more stars I deduct).

If I could remove some of the more disturbing elements of the story this might have been an entertaining read. As a dystopian novel set in an oversexualized society, this novel had potential. Unfortunately, the potential goes unfulfilled. The social commentary was as offensive as it was heavy handed. There are several things that detract from the entertainment value of the novel. One of which was the constant use of the term "sex-teen" rather than sixteen. I guess this was supposed to be a clever play on words. Fail. Not only was it distracting and annoying, but also is was symptomatic of the larger issues: the Madonna - whore dichotomy of female sexuality. The female characters in the book were either virtuous virgins or brainwashed sexpots. I often felt bad for Sandy, who was constantly slut shamed by her "friends" because she dressed provocatively and liked to flirt with boys. Her virginity was questioned on multiple occasions because of it. Way to go promoting the idea that you can judge someone's "virtue" by looking at how they dress. As if all the sex-teeming wasn't bad enough, the heroine of the story was a girl who was terrified of her one sexuality because her step father made her watch porn at some point. On multiple occasions we get to hear Nina discuss her anxiety and fear surrounding the idea of having sex. Alone, this would have been okay. I'm sure many teens are anxious and scared, but coupled with the other sexual themes... It's almost like the author is trying to scare girls out of having sex. I think it's interesting that the author strongly condemns the media & culture for brainwashing girls into being hypersexual, when she, herself, is trying brainwash girls into the cult of virginity. The message a teen will get from reading this novel is that the only good woman is a virgin woman. And I think that repressive crap is just as harmful to girls as its opposite is.

Amy J, it is great to see you here for the 2014 challenge. I am quite interested by your review and recommendation of The Sugar Queen . . .

7. The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter Finished 1/26/14 ***

I waited too long to write this review. I'm getting elements of this book confused with No Rest for the Wicked. The female here is cursed and therefore a virgin. I guess it's a different curse, but it that the too books are running together says something about the lack of a unique plot. It was okay, but apparently interchangeable with many in the genre.

Seems like your books have been a mixed bag so far... but you're well on your way to hitting 75!

8. Downpour by Kat Richardson Finished 2/8/14****

I really enjoy this series and this book was no exception. The event that the heroine was trying to unravel was very interesting and complex enough to keep me reading. A hard book to put down, but there were times when it seemed a little slow.

9. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs Finished 2/12/14 ****

I love Mercy & Adam. I love how strong Mercy is. Even though she's with Adam she's still an independent woman.

10. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs Finished 2/20/14 ***

I don't love this series nearly as much as I love the Mercy series. The whole Omega thing sometimes grates on my nerves. I get it; Anna is special.

11. Sugar Rush by Rachel Astor Finished 2/22/14 **

I have to say I was not impressed at all. The story was overly saccharine and utterly predictable. Nothing was surprising. It was just cliched and boring.

12. To the Nines by Janet Evanovich Finished 3/9/14 ***

A silly, fluff read. I read this at the same time as I read Camus's The plague. A nice change of pace when I didn't want anything heavy and serious. Ms. Plum is 2s2l at times. But you always know what type of read to expect with this series.

13. The Plague by Albert Camus Finished 3/12/14 ***

I had to be in the right mood to enjoy this novel. There were times when I found it too depressing to read. The writing was brilliant. There was substance to the story. There were times where I had to stop and think about what I was reading. There are philosophical themes throughout the book. Great book. Definitely, a classic. But I didn't always enjoy reading it. The star system I''m using is based on my enjoyment not academic merit.

14. M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman Finished 3/13/14 ****

Although short stories are not my favorite thing to read, I did find several of the stories very enjoyable. None were bad. With all short stories, I find myself wishing for more substance and development.

15. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead Finished 3/16/14****

16. Beauty's Punishment by A. Roquelaure Finished 3/21/14 ***

It's a hard book for me to rate. First off, it's BDSM erotica. I enjoy erotica including certain elements of BDSM. This book is heavy in to humiliation and degradation, which are not aspects of BDSM that I enjoy. There were parts of this book that made me very uncomfortable and just weirded me out.

17. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman in progress.

Amy J. wrote: "16. Beauty's Punishment by A. Roquelaure Finished 3/21/14 ***

It's a hard book for me to rate. First off, it's BDSM erotica. I enjoy erotica including certain elem..."

The Beauty books are extremist BDSM definitely.