Read 100+ Books in 2014 discussion

Wow! Here we are finally in summer in the northern hemisphere. Hope you are all doing well. So on to July's books:

1. Read a book that with a title that has an S.
2. Read a book whose author's name starts with an S.
3. With so many countries patriotic holidays this month, read a book about freedom.
4. With so much of the U.S. having either had too much rain or not enough rain, read about rain.
5. Read a book about insects.
6. Read a horror book.
7. With the World Cup and Wimbleton happening, read a sports book.
8. Read a book someone gave you.
9. Your choice.

Here are mine for July:

6/9, 18 books

1. Read a book that with a title that has an S--Wrapped in Shadows by Lisa Eugene--finished 7/17/14.
2. Read a book whose author's name starts with an S--Tears of Deceit by Regis Schilken--finished 7/23/14.
3. With so many countries patriotic holidays this month, read a book about freedom--The Haunted Plantation by E.G. Foley--finished 7/13/14.
4. With so much of the U.S. having either had too much rain or not enough rain, read about rain.
5. Read a book about insects.
6. Read a horror book--Franken Dom by Robin L. Rotham--finished 7/6/14.
7. With the World Cup and Wimbleton happening, read a sports book.
8. Read a book someone gave you--Juniper Crescent by Tony Graff--finished 7/11/14.
9. Your choice--Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb--finished 7/3/14.

Bonus books:
The Accidental Duchess by Madeline Hunter--finished 7/9/14
The Heist by Adriana Kraft--finished 7/6/14
Bringing Home Bigfoot by E. G. Foley--finished 7/14/14
Leader of the Pack by E. G. Foley--finished 7/15/14
Vengeance in Death by J. D. Robb--finished 7/19/14
Playtime with Sera by Dee Dawning--finished 7/20/14
In the Bag by Kate Klise--finished 7/24/14
The Divorce Party by T. Lee Alexis--finished 7/23/14
New Mexico Madman by Jon Sharpe--finished 7/27/14
The Passion Flower Hotel by Rosalind Erskine--finished 7/29/14
Naked Research by Dee Dawning--finished 7/29/14
Jekel loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey--finished 7/31/14

Glass Houses 7-2-14
The Dead Girls' Dance 7-3-14
Midnight Alley 7-3-14
Feast of Fools 7-4-14
Lord of Misrule 7-5-14
Carpe Corpus 7-5-14
Fade Out 7-6-14
Kiss of Death 7-6-14
Ghost Town 7-7-14
I can understand why this is a bestselling series. The novels are well written and suspenseful with both action and romance. The characters are well drawn and are interesting. In every novel, there is at least one completely different type of crisis, which doesn't even always involve vampires. I really enjoy this series.

Rachel wrote: "Glass Houses 7-2-14
The Dead Girls' Dance 7-3-14
Midnight Alley 7-3-14
Feast of Fools 7-4-14
Lord of Misrule 7-5-14
[book:Carp..."

Thanks for the recommendation.

I just finished Juniper Crescent by Tony Graff today. I didn't think I'd like it but it was good. It's a YA book about genetic engineering. It did need editing and proofing but the story held my interest.

I finished Opal by Laurie Snelling. It was a good historical fiction. I liked that the characters were open with their faith in real life. Good story.
Moving on now to The Source of my Strength by Charles Stanley. Time for some non-fiction in my life.

Pretty busy month so far - Camping, cleaning, working on the outside of the house, and of course, reading.

1. Read a book that with a title that has an S.
2. Read a book whose author's name starts with an S.
"Unseen" by Slaughter, Karin
3. With so many countries patriotic holidays this month, read a book about freedom.
4. With so much of the U.S. having either had too much rain or not enough rain, read about rain.
5. Read a book about insects.
6. Read a horror book.
"The Gods of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs
7. With the World Cup and Wimbleton happening, read a sports book.
8. Read a book someone gave you.
"All I Did was Ask" by Terry Gross (Host of NPR's Fresh Air)
9. Your choice.
"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick

Now I'm busy just reading!

1. Read a book that with a title that has an S.
2. Read a book whose author's name starts with an S.
"Unseen" by Slaughter, Karin
3. With so many countries patriotic holidays this month, read a book about freedom.
4. With so much of the U.S. having either had too much rain or not enough rain, read about rain.
5. Read a book about insects.
"Cockroaches" by Jo Nesbo
6. Read a horror book.
"The Gods of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs
7. With the World Cup and Wimbleton happening, read a sports book.
8. Read a book someone gave you.
"All I Did was Ask" by Terry Gross (Host of NPR's Fresh Air)
9. Your choice.
"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick

Finished reading "Unseen" by Karin Slaughter, Book 7 of the "Will Trent" series - 5/5 stars!

Now reading "Cockroaches" by Jo Nesbo, Book 2 of the "Inspector Harry Hole" series.

"But once he arrives Harry discovers that this case is about much more than one random murder. There is something else, something more pervasive, scrabbling around behind the scenes. Or, put another way, for every cockroach you see in your hotel room, there are hundreds behind the walls. Surrounded by round-the-clock traffic noise, Harry wanders the streets of Bangkok lined with go-go bars, temples, opium dens, and tourist traps, trying to piece together the story of the ambassador’s death even though no one asked him to, and no one wants him to—not even Harry himself."

Bite Club 7-9-14
Last Breath 7-9-14
Black Dawn 7-13-14
Bitter Blood 7-14-14
Fall of Night 7-15-14
Daylighters 7-16-14
I can understand why this is a bestselling series. The novels are well written and suspenseful with both action and romance. The characters are well drawn and are interesting. In every novel, there is at least one completely different type of crisis, which doesn't even always involve vampires. I really enjoy this series.

1. Read a book that with a title that has an S.
2. Read a book whose author's name starts with an S.
"Unseen" by Slaughter, Karin
3. With so many countries patriotic holidays this month, read a book about freedom.
4. With so much of the U.S. having either had too much rain or not enough rain, read about rain.
5. Read a book about insects.
"Cockroaches" by Jo Nesbo
6. Read a horror book.
"The Gods of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs
7. With the World Cup and Wimbleton happening, read a sports book.
8. Read a book someone gave you.
"All I Did was Ask" by Terry Gross (Host of NPR's Fresh Air)
9. Your choice.
"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick
"L.A. Outlaws" by T. Jefferson Parker

Finished Book 2 of the Inspector Harry Hole series "Cockroaches" yesterday afternoon.

Now reading "L.A. Outlaws" by T. Jefferson Parker, Book 1 of the Detective Charlie Hood series.

"Los Angeles is gripped by the exploding celebrity of Allison Murietta, her real identity unknown, a modern-day Jesse James with the compulsion to steal beautiful things, the vanity to invite the media along, and the conscience to donate much of her bounty to charity. Nobody ever gets hurt - until a job ends with ten gangsters lying dead and a half-million dollars worth of glittering diamonds missing.

Rookie Deputy Charlie Hood discovers the bodies, and he prevents an eyewitness - a schoolteacher named Suzanne Jones - from leaving the scene in her Corvette. Drawn to a mysterious charisma that has him off-balance from the beginning, Hood begins an intense affair with Suzanne. As the media frenzy surrounding Allison’s exploits swells to a fever pitch and the Southland’s most notorious killer sets out after her, a glimmer of recognition blooms in Hood, forcing him to choose between a deeply held sense of honor and a passion that threatens to consume him completely. With a stone-cold killer locked in relentless pursuit, Suzanne and Hood continue their desperate dance around the secrets that brought them together, unsure whether each new dawn may signal the day their lies catch up with them."

-Amitav Ghosh 7-22-14
This was a well-written interesting historical fiction novel taking place in Burma and India covering the period of time from when the British took over Burma until the Japanese invaded it during World War 2. I found the characters to be really interesting, and I always like reading about the pros and cons surrounding colonization.

-Jennie Bentley 7-23-14
I found this cozy mystery to be entertaining, well-written, and full of interesting, well drawn characters. I look forward to reading more of the series.

-Sara Shepard 7-24-14
This was a silly and creepy story mainly about teenage stupidity. I liked the character development, but that was all.

-Jude Deveraux 7-28-14
This was a really sweet and highly entertaining romance. It's well written, and the characters are well drawn. I really loved it.

-Rick Warren 7-30-14
This was interesting and helpful.

-Veronica Roth 7-30-14
This was a brilliant novel. I loved the characters, and the plot was exciting and went in unexpected directions.

July's books:

1. Read a book that with a title that has an S. N/A
2. Read a book whose author's name starts with an S. N/A
3. With so many countries patriotic holidays this month, read a book about freedom. N/A
4. With so much of the U.S. having either had too much rain or not enough rain, read about rain. N/A
5. Read a book about insects. N/A
6. Read a horror book. Pretty Little Liars-Sara Shepard 7-24-14 (this is as close to horror as I'm willing to go)
7. With the World Cup and Wimbleton happening, read a sports book. N/A
8. Read a book someone gave you. Divergent-Veronica Roth 7-30-14
9. Your choice. Glass Houses-Rachel Caine 7-2-14
The Dead Girls' Dance-Rachel Caine 7-3-14
Midnight Alley-Rachel Caine 7-3-14
Feast of Fools-Rachel Caine 7-4-14
Lord of Misrule-Rachel Caine 7-5-14
Carpe Corpus-Rachel Caine 7-5-14
Fade Out-Rachel Caine 7-6-14
Kiss of Death-Rachel Caine 7-6-14
Ghost Town-Rachel Caine 7-7-14
Bite Club-Rachel Caine 7-9-14
Last Breath-Rachel Caine 7-9-14
Black Dawn-Rachel Caine 7-13-14
Bitter Blood-Rachel Caine 7-14-14
Fall of Night-Rachel Caine 7-15-14
Daylighters-Rachel Caine 7-16-14
The Glass Palace-Amitav Ghosh 7-22-14
Spackled and Spooked-Jennie Bentley 7-23-14
Legend-Jude Deveraux 7-28-14
The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life-Rick Warren 7-30-14