Paging All Bookworms! discussion
PAGE COUNT TRACKING 2016
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Lee's 2016 Page Count
Takedown by Brad Thor4 ★
441 pages
July 4th, a holiday weekend where thousands of New Yorkers are headed out of the city to celebrate. Suddenly multiple terrorist attacks take out every bridge and tunnel in and out of the city. The destruction is used as a diversion while elite foreign soldiers search the city for a kidnapped member of their organization. Dozens of ultra secret sites hidden in the city are attacked and destroyed along with all employees, military and civilian are murdered. Scot Harvath enters the city to find this team before they accomplish their goal.
January total: 3,248 pages
YTD total: 3,248 pages
From Baghdad, With Love by Lieutenant Colonel Jay KopelmanFebruary Animal Challenge
3 ★
191 pages
Lt. Colonel Jay Kopelman is a Marine serving in Iraq. The surroundings are dangerous with terrorists behind some of the most innocent of places and the men must constantly be attuned to their fellow marines and their surroundings. There are stray animals everywhere, many traveling in dangerous packs, and the dogs are put down on the spot. It is against all regulations to keep a pet in their quarters. Then a puppy is discovered by Marine Kopelman who finds it impossible to leave the little animal to die. Along with his fellow servicemen, "Lava" is hidden in their tents and barracks while Jay attempts to find a way to smuggle the little guy out of the country.
February total: 191 pages
YTD total: 3,439 pages
The First Commandment by Brad Thor4 ★
458 pages
The president of the United States has been blackmailed. Under the threat of terrorists capturing school buses all over the country and murdering all the children aboard, 5 prisoners have been released from Guantanamo Bay. One of these is a terrorist who has stalked Scot Harvath for years and now picks up where he left off this time attacking the people closest to Harvath. And he's using the 10 plagues of Egypt as a template. The president has ordered Harveth to stay away from the investigations but being so closely involved, Scot heads out on his own and discovers revelations that make him question the men, organizations and nations he has dedicated his life to serving.
February Total: 649 pages
YTD total: 3,897 pages
Outlander by Diana GabaldonMy February Book Festival Challenge
5 ★
627 pages
Claire Randall and her husband Frank are getting reacquainted after WWII by taking a second honeymoon in the Highlands of Scotland. Frank is particularly interested in genealogy and has an ancestor, one John Wolverton Randall, who lived in the area in the 18th century. Claire's interests run more to botany and each has found locals to help them with their hobbies. Claire is shown a henge, Craig na Dun, and while visiting with Frank discovers a plant she wants to go back and try to identify. Unbeknownst to her, she also has a quirk that allows her to travel in time from hot spots of which Craig na Dun is one. After hearing something like a swarm of bees, she checks one of the huge stones and is sent whirling through time to none other than that of Frank's infamous ancestor, John Randall. This is the first of seven, soon to be eight volumes in the Outlander series. You'll find adventure, mystery, romance and wonderfully researched historic background.
February total: 1,276 pages
YTD total: 4,524 pages
Nowhere to Be Found by Emily ThomasMy February "Thomas" Challenge
3 ★
276 pages
Anne Gibson and her two children Ben and Liddie have moved back Blue Hill, the town in which she grew up. Her great-aunt Edie had left her Victorian home in Blue Hill to Anne and by the provisions of the will it was to be turned into a library. Anne found it comforting to be back home among friends she'd know for years and they gave her great support in the undertaking. While looking through the house Anne found a hidden room with a picture of Aunt Edie, a wedding picture. There had never been any talk of Aunt Edie being married, ever, and Anne sets off to find out who the mysterious groom is.
March total: 276 pages
YTD total: 4,800 pages
New York by Edward RutherfurdMarch Historic Fiction Challenge
4 ★
862 pages
The sweeping saga of the history of New York City from the earliest days of the Dutch New Amsterdam settlers through the fall of the twin towers of the World Trade Centers.
March total: 1,138 pages
YTD total: 5,662 pages
The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, a Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life Beyond This World by Kevin and Alex MalarkeyMy February Miracle Whip Challenge
2 ★
224 pages
An account by a father and son, Kevin and Alex Malarkey, who were in a horrific car crash in 2005. Alex, 6 years old, was barely alive with his spine completely severed from his head. In a neck brace he is transported to Children's Hospital to face months in a coma followed by recovery and rehabilitation. As time passes Alex recounts his visit to heaven and conversations with God, Jesus and angels.
March total: 1,362 pages
YTD pages: 5,886 pages
The Last Patriot by Brad ThorLee's February "France" Challenge
4 ★
480 pages
From the back cover:
June 632 AD The prophet Mohamed shares a final and startling revelation. Within days he is assassinated.
September 1789: Thomas Jefferson uncovers a conspiracy that could change the face of Islam
Present day: Men still kill to keep the secret hidden.
When a car bomb explodes outside a Parisian cafe, counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is thrust back into the life he has tried desperately to leave behind. In a race to uncover an ancient secret with the power to stop militant Islam, Harvath will risk everything to reclaim Mohammed's final revelation and defeat one of the deadliest evils the world has ever know.
March total: 1,842 pages
YTD total: 6,366 pages
Shadows of the Past by Emily Thomas3 ★
271 pages
In cataloging library books to be shelved Anne finds an old map that is possibly one of the original Lewis and Clark expedition maps. Searching for clarification about where the map came from and if it is indeed an original Anne stirs up a hornets nest of accusations and ill feeling. The now defunct Blue Hills Historical Society had such a map. Could this be it?
March total: 2,113 pages
YTD total: 6,637 pages
Volunteers by Douglas ReemanLee's March "Volunteer" Challenge
4 ★
280 pages
The Royal Navy had Special Operations units during the World War II. The units were made up of volunteers and some of their deadly operations are chronicled here.
March total: 2,393 pages
YTD total: 6,917 pages
Katherine by Anya SetonMy March Soup Party Challenge
4 ★
500 pages
Historic fiction along the lines of Phillipa Gregory and Jean Plaidy. The story follows the love affair and eventual marriage of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford. John is one of the Plantagenets and the couple are ancestors of much of the British royalty. Wars, plague, peasants struggling to survive, the peoples' revolt and much more are covered in this sweeping history of England from 1366 to 1403.
April total: 500 pages
YTD total: 7,417 pages
The Apostle by Brad Thor3 ★
516 pages
Robert Alden is the new president in the United States. Stephanie Gallo, a wealthy multimedia mogul was one of his chief fundraisers during the campaign. Her daughter, Dr. Julia Gallo is working in remote areas of Afghanistan to reach out to women who are oppressed by the men in their lives. Mullah Massoud Akhund an Islamic terrorist puts an end to her efforts by kidnapping her and holding her for ransom. Her mother wants her back at all costs and will pay whatever it takes to bring her back safely. Enlisting the president's help, she pulls the strings to get Agent Scot Horvath to do the job.
April total: 1.016 pages
YTD total: 7,933 pages
Unlocking the Truth by Emily Thomas3 ★
283 pages
When Anne Gibson goes downstairs to open the library for the day, she finds a copy of a newspaper clipping with a picture of the Homecoming Dance her senior year in high school. It is accompanied by an accusation that Anne along with a number of her classmates are responsible for a crime that night and a threat to send the information to the local paper. Anne begins her investigation into the accusation and who was responsible for the threat.
April Total: 1,299 pages
YTD total: 8,116 pges
The Other Side of Silence by Philip Kerr3 ★
400 pages
Bernie Gunther under the name of Walter Wolf is working as a concierge at the Grand Hotel. He passes his free time bored and unhappy. He plays bridge twice a week with a couple, the Roses and Antimo Spignoli. One evening Spignoli was too drunk to play and the Roses took him home while Bernie stayed on to finish his cigarette. As he was about to leave a stranger stopped and mentioned he'd often seen Bernie playing bridge. Introducing himself as the nephew of W. Somerset Maughm, Robin invited Bernie to join him at his uncle's house to fill in as a fourth for a couple rubbers. With nothing to lose, Bernie goes along and finds himself involved in a convoluted case of blackmail and murder.
April total: 2,699 pages
YTD total: 8,516 pages
Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain3 ★
276 pages
It is assumed that power is controlled by extroverts with introverts hovering in the background, the listeners overpowered by the speakers. At least one third of the population are introverts and have contributed mightily to our lives. From Van Gogh to Dale Carnegie to Tony Robbins, introverts are often unappreciated. The author uses extensive research to show how much we lose when the introverts are overlooked.
April total: 2,975 pages
YTD total: 8,792 pages
Foreign Influence by Brad Thor3 ★
532 pages
From the back cover: When a bombing in Rome kills a group of American college students the evidence points to a dangerous colleague from Harvath's past. Tasked with leveraging this relationship to lure the man out of hiding, Harvath must destroy him. But what if he's the wrong man?
April Total: 3,507 pages
YTD total: 9,324 pages
Clemente by David Maraniss3 ★
357 pages
Roberto Clemente was one of the earliest Latinos to play major league baseball. Possessor of many silver slugger and golden glove awards, he spent the majority of his professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He died in a plane crash while trying to deliver emergency supplies to Nicaragua which had been devastated by an earthquake. He is only the second player ever to have entered the Baseball Hall of Fame without waiting the 5 years after retirement requirement, at least under the original rules.
April total: 3,864 pages
YTD total: 9,681 pages
by Clive CusslerApril Boat Challenge
3 ★
535 pages
There is a dead zone off the Alaska coast. Some kind of poison in contaminating anything it touches. Dirk Pitt is sent to find the source. The chemicals are only a part of what he finds, a complex international intrigue that involves bribery, murder, piracy and finally the kidnapping of the President, Vice President and the leaders of the house and senate in the United States..
April total: 4,399 pages
YTD total: 10,216 pages
Dangerous Women 2 edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois2 ★
403 pages
There are seven stories in this anthology. I enjoyed two of them. In all stories the main character was a woman who could be considered dangerous. The stories included fantasy, science fiction and historic fiction. The fantasy and science fiction were difficult to follow and most of the time they were so quirky I didn't know what was going on. The two I enjoyed were historic fiction, one taking place in Germany and Sicily in the middle ages. The second took place in 18th century France.
April total: 4,802 pages
YTD total: 10,619 pages
The Christmas Key by Emily Thomas3 ★
258 pages
Christmas is coming to Blue Hill. When librarian Anne Gibson unpacks the decorations she discovers a unique key with the number seven embossed on it packed along side. The next Sunday at church, the pastor pulls out the church's Advent Cabinet and there are 24 matching keys, one for each day except the seventh which is missing. Bringing the key in, a beautiful ring is discovered inside the number seven cubbie. Everyone is puzzled by the ring in the cabinet as well as how the key ended up packed with the holiday decorations. Anne takes on the task of finding out who owns the ring and how the key ended up among her decorations.
April total: 5,060 pages
YTD total: 10,877 pages
Lights Out by Ted Koppel4 ★
249 pages
America's greatest vulnerability is the design of its electricity grid. Hacking into banks, government offices, retailers and other entities happen on a daily basis. If someone were to sabotage critical junctures of the electric grid, more damage could be done to our society and way of life than war or terrorism, and virtually nothing is being done to protect us from this type of devastation. It's no longer a matter of "if" but "when".
April total: 5,509 pages
YTD total: 11,126 pages
Full Black by Brad Thor4 ★
462
In agencies such as the CIA and Secret Service there are assignments so sensitive and known about by so few they are called black operations. Scot Harvath has gone out on just such a mission that turns into a complete disaster, losing a whole team of covert operatives. Then the bombings begin, the first round in movie theaters around the country and days later at various airports. Harvath and a very small team of operatives are working as fast as possible to locate the cells that are responsible and shut down any further attacks.
April total: 5,971 pages
YTD total: 11,588 pages
Cyclops by Clive Cussler4 ★
473 pages
A group of ultra rich Americans call themselves the inner core. They have developed a settlement on the moon unknown to the world including their own country. Meanwhile the president is in secret communication with Cuba looking for a peace treaty. His messenger? One of the inner core. Furthermore, unbeknownst to Cuba, the Russians' authorized base on a small Cuban island is going to attempt a coup by assassinating Fidel Castro and setting off mega-explosions in Havana harbor. And all the intrigues find they are at cross-purposes with each other.
May total: 473 pages
YTD total: 12,051 pages
Day of Infamy by Walter Lord3 ★
My April Boat Challenge
225 pages
A well researched account of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.
May total: 898 pages
YTD total: 12,276 pages
Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James4 ★
532 pages
May total: 1,430 pages
YTD total: 12,808 pages
Off the Shelf by Emily Thomas3 ★
259 pages
Anne Gibson is the librarian of Blue Hills. She set up the library in an old house that her Aunt Edie had left to her. In the time since she returned to Blue Hill from New York City, the library has become a great place to gather for meetings of all kinds. Currently on the agenda is a meeting of the mayor of Blue Hills to discuss a levy that will benefit not only the library but the whole town. As Anne and her volunteers clean up after the meeting they discover four books missing from the children's room, four popular classics. As Anne seeks to find the missing books, the mayoral race heats up and rumors as to conspiracies abound.
May total: 1,688 pages
YTD total: 13,066 pages
The Widow of the South by Robert HicksMay Stand Alone Challenge
4 ★
418 pages
Carrie McGavock lives on the plantation Carnton near the town of Franklin, Tennessee. On. November 30, 1864 there is a Civil War battle fought with thousands killed and injured. Carton is turned into a hospital. This is an historic fiction account of the battle and its aftermath including the beginning of a cemetery that Mrs. McGavock enlarged several months later and maintained until her death in 1905. Today the cemetery is known as the McGavock Confederate Cemetery.
May total: 2,102 pages
YTD total: 13,484 pages
Avenue of Spies by Alex Kershaw4 ★
230 pages
Sumner, Toquette and Philip Jackson lived on Avenue Foch in Paris when the threat of Nazi Germany arose. It was a well-to-do neighborhood and many chose to flee before Paris was occupied. After the Nazis arrived, Avenue Foch proved to be so comfortable, the Gestapo and SS took over the abandoned mansions where many prisoners were tortured and murdered. Sumner Jackson worked in the American Hospital in Paris and chose to stay. Through his work at the hospital he was able to hide many downed pilots until they were able to escape through the resistance underground. Shortly after, Toquette also joined in hiding refugees until papers became available for them to escape, all right under the noses of one of the most brutal regimes in history.
May total: 2,332 pages
YTD total: 13,714 pages
Black List by Brad Thor4 ★
447 pages
Deep under cover of covert operations there is a list, the black list. Everyone on the list is a danger to the survival of the United States. As such each and every person on that list is to be killed as quickly as possible and without public knowledge. After escaping from three teams of assassins, Scot Harvath has discovered he is on that list.
May total: 2,779 pages
YTD total: 14,161 pages
Cold Mountain by Chales FrazierMay Weather Challenge
3 ★
356 pages
May total: 3,135 pages
YTD total: 14,517 pages
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie BarrowsMy May Potato Challenge
4 ★
277 pages
Initially slow starting, but then picked up rather quickly. The book is comprised of letters written between a writer, Juliet Ashton, her publisher and friend, Sidney Stark, and residents of the island of Guernsey off the French coast but English territory. The letters are written just after World War II but cover much of what happened to the Guernsey residents during wartime and their occupation by the Germans. Juliet has just finished writing as series of newspaper columns and is in search of a topic for a book. Islander Dawsey Adams finds a used book by Charles Lamb and Juliet's name is on the flyleaf. In search of further writings by Lamb or any information concerning him, he writes to Juliet for help. Juliet's curiosity is piqued and thus follows her correspondence with Dawsey and other members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
May total: 3,312 pages
YTD total: 14,794 pages
Thunderstruck by Erik LarsonMy May Massachusetts Challenge
2 ★
399 pages
From the back cover: Eric Larson tells the stories of two men--Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication--whose lives intersect during on og the greatest criminal chases of all time. Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, "the kindest of men" nearly commits the perfect murder.
June total: 399 pages
YTD total: 15,193 pages
Treasure by Clive Cussler4 ★
547 pages
From the back cover:
Charts of lost gold...breathtaking art and rare volumes...maps of hidden oil and mineral deposits that could change the world's balance of power. Now Dirk Pitt discovers the secret trail of the treasures of Alexandria--a trail that plunges him into a brutal conspiracy for total domination of the globe. Zealots threaten to unseat the governments of Egypt and Mexico, exposing America to invasion and economic collapse. Suddenly, from East to West, anarchists reach their deadly tentacles into the heart of the United States. And Dirk Pitt is up against the most feared assassin know to man. An international band of terrorists is making its play for world power on the high seas--and Pitt is the only man alive who can stop them!
June total: 946 pages
YTD total: 15,730 pages
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon5 ★
743 pages
The audio cd of Dragonfly in Amber adds another dimension to this book. The reading by Davina Porter is especially well done. Her inflection, variety of voices for different characters and accents are brilliantly done. The second book in the Outlander series has the widowed Claire Randall returning to Scotland with her now grown daughter, Brianna. Claire is in search of what happened to the men of Lallybroch following the Scots' defeat at Culloden and an appropriate opportunity to tell Brianna of Claire's travel back in time and the truth of who her biological father really is.
June total: 1,689 pages
YTD total: 14,477 pages
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Lucy MonroeJune Challenge #2 SATISFACTION: A good book gives me satisfaction.
3 ★
294 pages
Beth Whitney has left her job as an investment adviser to work for her father's business, The Goddard Project, a business which specializes in undercover work. Beth has been providing administrative assistance to the agents, though she herself has been through the first phase of agent training. She made the move to help recover from the humiliation of being left at the altar by her ex-fiance Alan Hyatt. It's been two years and the move seems to have helped as she finds herself attracted to Agent Ethan Crane, even though she has made it a rule not to become involved with the agents. To make matters worse, her father is sending her out in the field with Agent Crane to give her some experience. As they are about to depart, her father hires a new agent, none other than Alan Hyatt.
June total: 1,983 pages
YTD total: 14,770 pages
Voyager by Diana GabaldonJune Original Publication Date Challenge
5 ★
932 pages
Book 3 in the Outlander series continues the story of Jamie and Claire. After Frank Randall, her 20th century husband dies, Claire seeks to find out more of what happened in Scotland after Culloden. With the help of Roger, Rev. Wakefield's adopted son, she introduces her daughter Brianna to the history of that time...and the reality of her true father.
June total: 2,915 pages
YTD total: 15,702 pages
Scarpetta by Patricia CornwellJune Patricia Challenge
3 ★
500 pages
Kay Scarpetta leaves her private forensic company in South Carolina to take a job in NYC where the NYPD had hired her to examine an injured patient in Bellevue's Psychiatric Prison Ward. Now Kay is in a stuck in a patient/client relationship and cannot respond to any questions about what the patient, Oscar Bane, has told her about a murder which he claims he did not commit even though his injuries would indicate otherwise. In the days that follow, Kay's husband Benton, a forensic psychologist and her niece Lucy who owns a forensic computer investigation firm in NYC chase through cyberspace and the New York City Streets in search of the murderer. Is it Oscar or someone else?
June total: 3,415 pages
YTD total: 16,292 pages
Gone in a Flash by Emily Thomas3 ★
258 pages
When Anne Gibson finds an undeveloped roll of film in an old camera of her great-aunt Edie, she has it processed and finds one of the photos is of Carl, a cousin of her father. Carl was killed in Vietnam in 1970. This picture was taken at a bicentennial celebration in Washington D.C.--in 1976. With her parents who are visiting from Florida, Anne searches through old albums, boxes of pictures, and scrapbooks stored in the attic of Aunt Edie's old house, now turned into the Blue Hills Library and home to Anne and her two children. Anne and her parents decided a fun way to solve this mystery would be to hold a family reunion and see if anyone else in the family has an answer to this mystery.
July total: 258 pages
YTD total: 17,550 pages
Dancing Under a Red Star by Karl TobienMy June Dancing Challenge
4 ★
368 pages
In the 1930's Henry Ford sent 450 Detroit employees and their families to live in Gorky, Russia to help with the start-up operation of a new manufacturing plant. Carl and Elisabeth Werner and their 10-year-old daughter Margaret were among them. During this time Joseph Stalin took power and they lived in terror under his brutal dictatorship. As World War II began to involve Russia, Carl was arrested on false charges of treason. Elisabeth and Margaret never saw him again and existed in poverty, starving and fearful. When Margaret refused allegiance to Russia because of her American citizenship she was arrested and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in Stalin's Gulag in Siberia. This is Margaret's story.
July total: 626 pages
YTD total: 17,918 pages
X by Sue Grafton3 ★
403 pages
I really like the alphabet series by Sue Grafton. Book after book she comes up with a new and different story line every time. Kinsey Millhone is a private investigator. A client asks her to track down the current address for a recently released convict. The meeting takes place in a plush home in the hills of Santa Teresa. At the same time, new neighbors have moved in next to the house where Kinsey has her apartment and they appear to be very needy and demanding. While Kinsey's landlord Henry seems happy to oblige and help with their many requests, Kinsey is uneasy and not so quick to do so herself. As time goes by, Kinsey finds that none of these people are what they appear to be on the surface.
July total: 1,029 pages
YTD total: 18,321 pages
X by Sue Grafton3 ★
403 pages
I really like the alphabet series by Sue Grafton. Book after book she comes up with a new and different story line every time. Kinsey Millhone is a private investigator. A client asks her to track down the current address for a recently released convict. The meeting takes place in a plush home in the hills of Santa Teresa. At the same time, new neighbors have moved in next to the house where Kinsey has her apartment and they appear to be very needy and demanding. While Kinsey's landlord Henry seems happy to oblige and help with their many requests, Kinsey is uneasy and not so quick to do so herself. As time goes by, Kinsey finds that none of these people are what they appear to be on the surface.
July total: 1,029 pages
YTD total: 18,321 pages
Hidden Order by Brad Thor3 ★
456 pages
The head of the Federal Reserve has died. There is a secret short list of 5 possible candidates to take over. Over night all 5 are kidnapped and one by one they are murdered and left at key historic sites in Boston.
July total: 1,485 pages
YTD total: 18,777 pages
A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris3 ★
192 pages
A group of six short stories that add some depth to the series stories.
July total: 1,677 pages
YTD total: 18,969 pages
Fifty Shades of Freed by E. L. James4 ★
548 pages
Ana and Christian have it all, love, passion, intimacy and wealth. Yet there are challenges for each of them. Ana must learn to live with Christian's wealth and he in turn must allow her her own identity despite his need to control.
July total: 2,225 pages
YTD total: 19,417 pages
Dragon by Clive Cussler4 ★
602 pages
Dirk Pitt is working on a deep sea secret project in the Pacific when a nuclear explosion severs all connections with his supporting ship.
July total: 2,827 pages
YTD total: 20,019 pages
Deal With This by Lucy Monroe4 ★
320 pages
Agent Alan Hyatt began work for The Goddard Project despite the fact that his ex-fiance had recently married another agent at the firm. The company rents him a room at a Vancouver boarding house run by Jillian Carlyle. Hyatt's investigation involves the Vancouver film industry and Jillian also happens to be an actress. Security is tight at Frost Productions where Jillian works. Under his cover as a reporter, she opens many important doors to him which would otherwise have been closed.
July total: 3,147 pages
YTD total: 20,339 pages
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon5 ★
1010 pages
The Outlander series continues with Jamie and Claire settled in North Carolina, developing a settlement on Fraser's Ridge on grant land provided by the Governor of North Carolina. Roger and Brianna research the era of Claire's return to Jamie to try to verify Claire's safe return to that time.
July total: 4,157 pages
YTD total: 21,349 pages
The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell3 ★
572 pages
From the book: It is the week before Christmas. A tanking economy has prompted Dr. Kay Scarpetta--despite her busy schedule and her continuing work as the senior forensic analyst for CNN--to offer her services pro bono to New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In no time at all, her increased visibility seems to precipitate a string of unexpected and unsettling events, culminating in an ominous package--possibly a bomb--showing up at the front desk of the apartment building where she and her husband, Benton, live. Soon the apparent threat on Scarpetta's life finds her embroiled in a surreal plot that includes a famous actor accused of an unthinkable sex crime and the disappearance of a beautiful millionaire with whom her niece, Lucy, seems to have shared a secret past.
August total: 572 pages
YTD total: 21,921 pages
Down the Rabbit Hole by J. D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Elaine Fox, Mary Kay McComas and R. C. Ryan3 ★
425 pages
Short stories by five bestselling authors. Each story has a tie-in to some aspect of the book Alice in Wonderland.
August total: 997 pages
YTD total: 22,346 pages
December's Meryl Streep Challenge
360 pages
3 ★
Andrea has landed her first writer's position working for Miranda Priestly editor of "Runway" magazine. Miranda is the devil of the title and is the boss from hell. This is the story of Andrea's year working as her assistant. If you are into verbal abuse, torture and humiliation, read on. If that bothers you, don't even start the book.
January total: 360 pages
YTD total: 360 pages
Four Perfect Pebbles by Marion Blumenthal Lazzan and Lila Perl
3 ★
128 pages
The story of the Blumenthal family's survival of the holocaust. Walter, Ruth, Marion and Albert were living a quiet life is Hoya, Germany when Adolf Hitler came into power. It didn't take long for their comfortable way of life to disappear. Escaping to Holland, with the promise of transport to America as soon as their visas were approved, their hopes were dashed with Germany's invasion of the Netherlands.
January total: 488 pages
YTD total: 488 pages
Americans The Beautiful People by Bernard Caley
January 5th Grade Teacher Challenge
1 ★
80 pages
A sadly written book of poetry with many errors in word use (threw/through), spelling, punctuation, etc. There cannot have been an editor. I presume the book was self published. Many of the poem contradict each other in content. It certainly doesn't live up to its full title (Americans: The Beautiful People). Many of the subjects were anything but beautiful.
January total: 568
YTD total: 568 pages
Blowback by Brad Thor
3 ★
575 pages
A ruthless senator with her sights set on the White House is about to out Scot Harvath. Sent overseas to avoid a subpoena, he finds himself at an archaeological dig where remnants of Hannibal's mercenaries are encased in a glacier with an ancient weapon that would have decimated the Roman Empire. Uncovered by terrorists, the weapon is about to be released on the world.
January total: 1,143 pages
YTD total: 1,143 pages
Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen
January Florida Challenge
3 ★
378 pages
As the tourists pour into Florida for the winter, one by one they start disappearing. Only one body has been discovered, strangled with a rubber alligator in his throat. The notes left at the scenes indicate this is a revolution in the making. Brian Keys, a former reporter and now private investigator discovers that the terrorists are a group of four men, a Seminole Indian, and ex-patriot Cuban, a former NFL football and a reporter he worked with on The Miami Sun.
January total: 1,521 pages
YTD total: 1,521 pages
Lord You Love to Say Yes by Ruth Harms Calkin
4 ★
148 pages
Poems of Living Lessons, Learning His Love, Family Treasures, Joy Follows Pain, A Little Child,Reasons to Sing, He Promises Spring, and Celebrating His World.
January total: 1,669 pages
YTD total: 1,669 pages
Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
January Mystery Challenge
3 ★
282 pages
The usual cast of wacky characters is back in the latest Stephanie Plum series. Most of the action takes place in the local Kiltman Cottage and the associated frat house Zeta. Lula, Grannie, Joe Morelli, Ranger, Vinnie, Connie are all back along with an assortment of people who have skipped bail.
January total: 1,951 pages
YTD total: 1,951 pages
Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler
January Sandwich Challenge
4 ★
435 pages
A new American defense weapon, a shield, has been developed by scientists but it's missing one part, an element so rare there is not enough mined in the world. Rumor has it that there is a large amount of this element mined 75 years ago. Dirk Pitt is on the team to follow the twisted trail to the prize.
January total: 2,386 pages
YTD total: 2,386 pages
The Lady From Zagreb by Philip Kerr
4 ★
421 pages
Hitler's confidant Heydrich may be dead but another of the dangerous Nazi hierarchy, Joseph Goebbels is now Bernie Gunthers's commander. He is sent on errands that take him to the murderous Ustase government in Croatia then to Switzerland where American operatives kidnap him looking for information on Swiss-German dealings.
January total: 2,807 pages
YTD total: 2,807 pages