Day 402 - 2010 Reading Challenge: YA Reading Challenge

To learn more or sign up visit J. Kaye's Book Blog here.
I'm seriously going to try to read more of the books that I own so keep in mind that this list is subject to change since my book buying addiction is still very much active... For this challenge I chose the 50 book level (Stepping it Up Level), so that should help get my pile down =)

Note: Green = Read/Reviewed

1. Fade :: Lisa McMann
2. Hunger Games :: Suzanne Collins
3. Catching Fire :: Suzanne Collins
4. Shiver :: Maggie Stiefvater
5. Sisters of Misery :: Megan Kelley Hall
6. Firespell :: Chloe Neill
7. The Secret Circle: The Initiation :: L.J. Smith
8. The Secret Circle: The Captive, Part 1 :: L.J. Smith
9. The Secret Circle: The Captive, Part 2 :: L.J. Smith
10. The Secret Circle: The Power :: L.J. Smith
11. A Great and Terrible Beauty :: Libba Bray
12. Rebel Angels :: Libba Bray
13. The Sweet Far Thing :: Libba Bray
14. The Pack :: LM Preston
15. Immortal: Love Stories With Bite :: P.C. Cast
16. Daughter of the Flames :: Zoe Marriott
17. Graceling :: Kristin Cashore
18. Fire :: Kristin Cashore
19. Boy Toy :: Barry Lyga
20. The Dead Boys :: Royce Buckingham
21. Willow :: Julia Hoban
22. Perfect Chemistry :: Simone Elkeles
23. Furnace: Solitary :: Alexander Gordon Smith
24. Furnace: Lockdown :: Alexander Gordon Smith
25. Glass Houses :: Rachel Caine
26. The Angel Experiment :: James Patterson
27. School's Out - Forever :: James Patterson
28. Saving the World: And Other Extreme Sports :: James Patterson
29. The Final Warning :: James Patterson
30. Max :: James Patterson
31. Someone Like You :: Sarah Dessen
32. Cirque Du Freak :: Darren Shan
33. The Vampire's Assistant :: Darren Shan
34. Tunnels of Blood :: Darren Shan
35. Artemis Fowl :: Eoin Colfer
36. The Golden Compass :: Phillip Pullman
37. The Subtle Knife :: Phillip Pullman
38. Viola in Reel Life :: Adriana Trigiani
39. Suite Scarlett :: Maureen Johnson
40. Vampire Academy :: Richelle Mead
41. Starfinder :: John Marco
42. Alanna: The First Adventure :: Tamora Pierce
43. Wicked Lovely :: Melissa Marr
44. Ink Exchange :: Melissa Marr
45. City of Bones :: Cassandra Clare
46. The Summoning :: Kelley Armstrong
47. Evermore :: Alyson Noel
48. Enchanted Ivy :: Sarah Beth Durst
49. Gone :: Lisa McMann
50. The Iron King :: Julie Kagawa

Day 402 - 2010 Reading Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge

Wishful thinking? Maybe =) We'll see if I can hit 100 this time...

To learn more or sign up visit J. Kaye's Blog here.

1. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters :: Jane Austen & Ben H. Winters (January 7th)
2. Fade :: Lisa McMann (January 7th)
3. Dhampir :: Barb and J.C. Hendee (January 11th)
4. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart :: Beth Patillo (January 17th)
5. Thief of Lives :: Barb and J.C. Hendee (January 25th)
6. Dino Vicelli: Private Eye :: Laura Weiner (January 28th)
7. Sister of the Dead :: Barb and J.C. Hendee (February 4th)
8. Burn :: Ted Dekker & Erin Healy (February 16th)
9. and Falling, Fly :: Skyler White (February 23rd)
10. The Hunger Games :: Suzanne Collins (February 26th)
11. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls :: Steve Hockensmith (March 2nd)
12. The Stolen Moon of Londor :: A.P. Stephens (March 9th)
13. Catching Fire :: Suzanne Collins (March 11th)
14. The Lumby Lines :: Gail Fraser (March 12th)
15. Drawn Into Darkness :: Annette McCleave (March 17th)
16. Gone :: Lisa McMann (March 19th)
17. The Clouds Roll Away :: Sibella Giorello (March 23rd)
18. Traitor to the Blood :: Barb and J.C. Hendee (April 1st)
19. Between Two Kingdoms :: Joe Boyd (April 3rd)
20. Two for the Dough :: Janet Evanovich (April 8th)
21. Mark of the Demon :: Diana Rowland (April 16th)
22. The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker :: Leanna Renee Hieber (April 23rd)
23. Eight Days in Darkness :: Angela Roegner and Anita Wooldridge (April 26th)
24. Someone Like You :: Sarah Dessen (April 30th)
25. Blood of the Demon :: Diana Rowland (May 4th)
26. Sam the Night Person :: Lisa Ruszcyk (May 5th)
27. Three to Get Deadly :: Janet Evanovich (May 11th)
28. The Viscount Who Loved Me :: Julia Quinn (May 17th)
29. Firespell :: Chloe Neill (May 20th)
30. Never Let You Go :: Erin Healy (May 24th)
31. Dirty Sexy Knitting :: Christie Ridgway (May 27th)
32. Viola in Reel Life :: Adriana Trigiani (May 31st)
33. Finding Marco :: Kenneth C. Cancellara (June 12th)
34. Spirit :: Andrew Feder (June 17th)
35. The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno :: Ellen Bryson (June 21st)
36. An Offer from a Gentleman :: Julia Quinn (June 23rd)
37. The Pack :: LM Preston (June 28th)
38. Eve of Darkness :: S.J. Day (June 29th)
39. Lumby on the Air :: Gail Fraser (July 10th)
40. Romancing Mister Bridgerton :: Julia Quinn (August 3rd)
41. The Reapers Are the Angels :: Alden Bell (August 5th)
42. Starfinder :: John Marco (August 12th)
43. Houston, We Have a Problema :: Gwendolyn Zepeda (August 24th)
44. Too Rich & Too Thin: Not an Autobiography :: Barbara DeShong (September 11th)
45. The Human Bobby :: Gabe Rotter (September 13th)
46. Red Hot Fury :: Kasey Mackenzie (September 21st)
47. Just One Taste :: Louisa Edwards (September 24th)
48. Saving Max :: Antoinette van Heugten (September 30th)
49. Enchanted Ivy :: Sarah Beth Durst (October 5th)
50. Synarchy Book 2: The Ascension :: DCS (October 14th)
51. Dismissed with Prejudice :: Fletcher Cockrell (October 21st)
52. The Dead Boys :: Royce Buckingham (October 22nd)
53. Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery :: Dr. Barbara Sinor (October 26th)
54. In Dreams Begin :: Skyler White (November 8th)
55. Glass Houses :: Rachel Caine (November 12th)
56. French Letters: Engaged in War :: Jack Woodville London (November 29th)
57. A Hellion in Her Bed :: Sabrina Jeffries (December 9th)
58. Shameless Wonders :: A.P. Stephens (December 23rd)
59. How to Woo a Reluctant Lady :: Sabrina Jeffries (December 30th)

Day 402 - The Shimmer

The Shimmer

David Morrell

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: July 2009

Publisher: Vanguard Press

Pages: 352

Author Site: http://www.davidmorrell.net/

My Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Copy provided by publisher

Synopsis [from fantasticfiction.co.uk]:

When a high-speed chase goes terribly wrong, Santa Fe police officer Dan Page watches in horror as a car and gas tanker explode into flames. Torn with guilt that he may be responsible, Page returns home to discover that his wife, Tori, has disappeared.

Frantic, Page follows her trail to Rostov, a remote town in Texas famous for a massive astronomical observatory, a long-abandoned military base, and unexplained nighttime phenomena that drew onlookers from every corner of the globe. Many of these gawkers - Tori among them - are compelled to visit this tiny community to witness the mysterious Rostov Lights.

Without warning, a gunman begins firing on the lights, screaming 'Go back to hell where you came from,' the turns his rifle on the bystanders. A bloodbath ensues, and events quickly spiral out of control, setting the stage for even greater violence and death.

Page must solve the mystery of the Rostov Lights to save his wife. In the process, he learns that the decaying military base may not be abandoned at all, and that the government may have known about the lights for decades. Could these phenomena be more dangerous than anyone could have possibly imagined?

Review:

This is my first novel by David Morrell and I have to say I didn't really know what to expect going into THE SHIMMER. I knew the synopsis intrigued me and I was basically just hoping for a good read...which is exactly what I found! The fast-paced story is filled with mystery, action, and suspense and I had a good time reading it.

The book opens up to police officer Dan Page flying his Cessna like he does on most of his days off. But he ends up becoming part of a police chase as he watches over the perpetrator from the sky. The car chase goes horribly wrong and Page goes back home to his wife upset and filled with guilt. However, he finds that his wife, Tori, isn't home. She's left him without any explanation as to why.

The plot could definitely be apart of the "X-Files" because of the Rostov Lights which are mysterious and eerie balls of light that only seem to appear for a select few. The lights draw people from all over the country to the small town of Rostov, Texas and it seems they can have more than just a soothing and euphoric presence. After Page finally tracks down his wife near the lights, a man starts shooting at the lights and ends up killing a lot of people all the while screaming frantically about the lights and the onlookers being evil.

The author has many different story arcs going on that didn't really become too complicated or confusing for me to get through. It seems the public isn't the only ones interested in the Rostov Lights because the military has it's own agenda. There's also a reporter that is hell-bent on riding his story all the way to a major network airing. And you still have Page's struggle to save his wife and ultimately his marriage. David Morrell does a really good job weaving the different arcs together with fast-paced action into a very climactic ending that doesn't really disappoint.

Overall, I enjoyed THE SHIMMER. I can definitely imagine it being made into a movie that many would like. And even though the Rostov Lights were still as mysterious at the end of the novel, I think it was a smart choice of Morrell to keep the mystery going...

Day 400- It's Monday

It's Monday! What are you reading this week?, hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog, is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.



Books Gobbled Last Week:
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters :: Jane Austen & Ben H. Winters (2/5 stars)
Fade :: Lisa McMann (5/5 stars)


Gobbling Down This Week:
Dhampir :: Barb and J.C. Hendee

Day 399 - Book Arrivals

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From Contests/Giveaways & Misc.:

Post Secret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God :: Frank Warren

(Received for Christmas, thanks Mel)

The PostSecret phenomenon lives on! Frank Warren, “the most trusted stranger in America,” offers the fifth book in his New York Times bestselling series. PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God—born from Warren’s collaboration with the American Visionary Art Museum’s “All Faiths Beautiful” exhibition—is another provocative collection of never-before seen, artistically created postcards from around the world revealing the shocking, soulful or laugh-out-loud funny thoughts and feelings we all share about life’s most profound questions. The original PostSecret was selected by the Los Angeles Times as a Favorite Book of the Year. The postsecret.com website has won numerous Weblog “Bloggie” Awards—including Weblog of the Year and Best American Weblog—a Webby and a People’s Voice Award and receives more than six million visitors a month, proof positive that we live in a PostSecret world!

Immortal: Love Stories With Bite :: P.C. Cast

(Thanks Abigail from All Things Urban Fantasy)

In Immortal: Love Stories With Bite, edited by New York Times bestselling author of the House of Night series P.C. Cast, seven of today’s most popular YA vampire and contemporary fantasy authors offer new short stories that prove when you’re immortal, true love really is forever.

The Calling :: David Mack

(Thanks Cinnamon)

HEAR THE CALLING. No one would guess by looking at Tom Nash that he's extraordinary, and that's just fine with him. A tall, broad-shouldered jack-of-all-trades from Sawyer, Pennsylvania, Tom has a knack for fixing things. He also hides a secret talent: he hears people's prayers. Stranger still, he answers them. Maybe it's because he's a handyman, but Tom feels compelled to fix people's problems. Which is all well and good — until the soul-shattering plea of a terrified girl sends him on the darkest journey of his life…

SEEK THE TRUTH. Heeding the call and leaving his home for New York City, Tom discovers a secret world beyond the range of mortal perception — a world of angels and demons and those who serve them. With the guidance of a knowing stranger named Erin, Tom learns that he himself is one of The Called, born with a divine purpose and a daunting task: to help the powers of Heaven in the war against the agents of Hell, an army of fallen angels known as the Scorned. Thrust into an epic battle of the sacred and the profane, Tom Nash must find the girl who prayed for his help — because her fate will determine whether humanity deserves to be saved, or damned for all eternity…

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart :: Beth Patillo

(Received for review)

Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austenloving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil, a niceif a bit negligentsports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudicein which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn't logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places.

Dino Vicelli: Private Eye :: Lori Wiener

(Received for review)

This story transports the reader to an alternate-reality version of New York City, in which talking dogs interact regularly with humans. The hero, Dino Vicelli, is a private investigator who just happens to be a sharply dressed Italian greyhound with a great fondness for cigars. He takes on what initially appears to be a routine missing person case but soon finds himself in the midst of a sinister plot that involves kidnapping, murder, and bizarre scientific experiments aimed at controlling the world. As he investigates this strange case, Dino repeatedly encounters mortal danger, while also finding romance with a beautiful blonde Afghan dog.
With its unusual twists on the traditional detective story genre, this book blends elements of humor, suspense, and fantasy into a truly unique and entertaining tale.

Day 397 - Friday Finds [21]

**Hosted by MizB, click here to see more Friday Finds

I usually add a lot of books on my TBR list throughout the week. This is just a small glimpse into the ones that were added on recently.

Please let me know your thoughts on a book you've read from the list. Or tell me about a good book you've found this week.




My Finds this week:

Butterfly Tattoo :: Deidre Knight

The Undrowned Child :: Michelle Louric

Blue Plate Special :: Michelle D. Kwasney

The Last Unicorn :: Peter S. Beagle

Spinning Tropics :: Aska Mochizuki

Body Double :: Vicki Hinze

Glimmerglass :: Jenna Black

Horns :: Joe Hill

Lonely Werewolf Girl :: Martin Millar

After :: Kristin Harmel

Day 395 - Waiting on Wednesday [41]

from fantasticfiction.co.uk:

Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one - not even Julia's boyfriend - knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can't mourn Julia openly, and he's tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia's journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he's desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?


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Reason: I really love the sound of this book. It sounds heartbreaking and I'm very curious as to what happens to Colt and reading about Julie and his relationship.

Cover Discussion: I'm not that crazy about the cover.

The Secret Year will be released January 7th!

What are you waiting on this week?

To see more books that are being waited for click here.

Day 390 - Friday Finds [20]

**Hosted by MizB, click here to see more Friday Finds

I usually add a lot of books on my TBR list throughout the week. This is just a small glimpse into the ones that were added on recently.Please let me know your thoughts on a book you've read from the list. Or tell me about a good book you've found this week.




My Finds:

Whitechapel Gods :: S.M. Peters

The Snowball Effect :: Holly Nicole Hoxter

Sea :: Heidi R. Kling

Isle of Woman :: Piers Anthony

Blonde Bombshell :: Tom Holt

Green :: Laura Peyton Roberts



The Drowning City :: Amanda Downum

Sebastian :: Anne Bishop

The Book Heroes :: Miyuki Miyabe

Annie on My Mind :: Nancy Garden

Day 390 - 2009 Reads

So I didn't hit 100 books. I did however double the number of books I read in 2008 so I'm not too upset with that. Hopefully I'll have better luck in 2010 and have the chance to read a lot more =)

January
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Vol. 1 :: Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures Vol. 2 :: Laurell K. Hamilton
Mercy :: Jodi Picoult
Stolen :: Kelley Armstrong
Dime Store Magic :: Kelley Armstrong
Dark Curse :: Christine Feehan
Marked :: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

February
Betrayed :: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
The Year of Disappearances :: Susan Hubbard
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide :: J.R. Ward
One Silent Night :: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dark Nights, Dark Dreams :: Savannah Russe
The Host :: Stephenie Meyer
Bad Blood :: L.A. Banks
Bite the Bullet :: L.A. Banks

March
Chosen :: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Untamed :: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Eragon :: Christopher Paolini
Eldest :: Christopher Paolini
Close Encounters :: Katherine Allred

April
Ariel's Journey :: Doug Kane and Christy Wood
French Bred :: Frederic Guarino
Finding Grace :: Donna VanLiere
House Rules :: Heather Lewis
Girl, Interrupted :: Susanna Kaysen
The Duke and I :: Julia Quinn
One for the Money :: Janet Evanovich
1st to Die :: James Patterson
Hunted :: P.C. & Kristin Cast

May
Step Into Darkness :: Naomi Bellis
Waiting :: Ha Jin
Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story :: Carolyn Turgeon
I Am Legend :: Richard Matheson
Synarchy Book 1: The Awakening :: DCS
Burned :: Ellen Hopkins
20 Boy Summer :: Sarah Ockler
Remember the Sweet Things :: Ellen Greene
The Five People You Meet in Heaven :: Mitch Albom
The Laughing Corpse :: Laurell K. Hamilton

June
Gauntlet :: Richard Aaron
April & Oliver :: Tess Callahan
Strange Angels :: Lili St. Crow
Circus of the Damned :: Laurell K. Hamilton
The Chris Farley Show :: Tom Farley & Tanner Colby
A Worthy Legacy :: Tomi Akinyanmi
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening :: L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle :: L.J. Smith

July
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury :: L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion :: L.J. Smith
Running With Scissors :: Augusten Burroughs
Wake :: Lisa McMann
Undone :: Karin Slaughter
Eye of the Whale :: Douglas Carlton Abrams

August
Benny & Shrimp :: Katarina Mazetti
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker :: Leanna Renee Heiber
Water Witch :: Deborah LeBlanc
Wings :: Aprilynne Pike
Falling into the Sun :: Charrie Hazard
Wait Until Twilight :: Sang Pak
Along for the Ride :: Sarah Dessen
Once Upon a Nightmare :: Lee Moylan

September
Dancing With Ana :: Nicole Barker
The Lovely Bones :: Alice Sebold
Royal Blood :: Rona Sharon
The Sari Shop Widow :: Shobhan Bantwal
Everything Sucks :: Hannah Friedman

October
The Tear Collector :: Patrick Jones
The Blue Pen :: Lisa Rusczyk
Testimony :: Anita Shreve
Magic Bites :: Ilona Andrews
Legacy :: Cayla Kluver
The Bargain :: Mary Jo Putney
Cleopatra's Daughter :: Michelle Moran
Hush, Hush :: Becca Fitzpatrick

November
Kissing Games of the World :: Sandi Khan Shelton
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time :: Mark Haddon
Playing House :: Fredrica Wagman
The Recipe Club :: Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel
The Sugarless Plum :: Zippora Karz

December
The Better Part of Darkness :: Kelly Gay
Rising Shadow :: Jacquelyn Wheeler
The Christmas Secret :: Donna VanLiere
The Shimmer :: David Morrell

Total: 83
5 star books: 10

• The Christmas Secret :: Donna VanLiere
• Cleopatra's Daughter :: Michelle Moran
• Everything Sucks :: Hannah Friedman
• Undone :: Karin Slaughter
• Wake :: Lisa McMann
• Circus of the Damned :: Laurell K. Hamilton
• The Laughing Corpse :: Laurell K. Hamilton
• 1st to Die :: James Patterson
• The Host :: Stephenie Meyer
• Mercy :: Jodi Picoult

How did you do this year? =)

Day 390 - The Christmas Secret

The Christmas Secret
Donna VanLiere

Series or Stand Alone: Book five in the Christmas Hope series

Release Date: October 2009

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 304

Author Site: http://donnavanliere.com/

My Rating: 5/5

Source: Copy provided by publisher

Synopsis: [from donnavanliere.com]

When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love. Christine Eisley is the mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband provides little, if any, child support and makes life difficult for Christine by using the children as pawns. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, but her job is in jeopardy because she’s often late to work due to the unreliable teenaged sitters she’s forced to use. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson’s department store, the owner of Wilson’s wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing another job once again. He sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious “Christy.” Jason, an accountant by trade who has lost his job to downsizing, thinks he is “above” working at Wilson’s. Soon, he discovers that this new task gives him more than he bargains for. The Christmas Secret is a novel for anyone who wants to see how love is a gift that keeps giving back; that hope is a treasure that never runs dry, and that faith is a miracle that is reborn with each new day.

Review:

Earlier this year I read and reviewed a non-fiction book titled Finding Grace that Donna VanLiere wrote. I enjoyed Donna's "voice" and the style in which she wrote but I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed her fiction writing as well. I suppose you could classify her books as Christian/Inspirational reads. I myself have never really gravitated toward the genre. However, reading THE CHRISTMAS SECRET was honestly just a lot of fun and it gave me a nice and, yes even warm feeling when I finished the last page. I was totally immersed in the characters and their lives and I'm definitely going to be catching up on this Christmas Hope series.

Another genre I don't really read is Holiday books and there's no real reason why. I've just never been that interested in being uplifted and such with a book or even movies during the Holiday season. Call me Scrooge =) So THE CHRISTMAS SECRET surprised me again when it never once bothered me that the story was based around the Christmas season and even had an uplifting message at the end.

The story is about Christine Eisley, a young single mother of two small children just trying to get by each day. She works as a waitress doing the best she can to provide for Zach and Haley while trying to avoid any confrontation with her ex-husband. A real gem, he seems to have nothing better to do than harrass Christine and use their children as pawns to make their lives difficult. Add in the fact that he never pays child support and you've got yourself an ex-husband that was born to make life miserable.

After an elderly woman has a heart-attack in front of Christine's house, Christine gets fired from her job for once again being late to work. To make matters worse, her landlord decides that now is a good time to tell her that she will have to move out soon since she is so behind in her rent. What more could go wrong right before Christmas??

Meanwhile Jason Wilson is struggling to find a job in the accounting world and reluctantly accepts a sales job offered to him by his grandfather who owns a department store. Right back in his home town, Jason feels that his new job is beneath him and his grandfather sets out to fix Jason's attitude problem and teach him what life should really be about. Jason is given the task to find the mysterious "Christy" woman who saved his grandfather's bookeeper after she had a heart attack. This mission turns out to be much more than Jason could have imagined.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed seeing all the intricate and delightful twists and turns in the plot that Donna provided for her characters. I remember smiling quite a lot and even feeling my heart break for Christine and her troubles. But as I said before, all is not lost... Donna didn't let me down after making me fall in love with her characters. Warm and endearing, THE CHRISTMAS SECRET will stay with you for some time after you turn the last page.

Day 389 - Goodbye 2009

Be safe everyone. I hope 2010 is kind to you =)

Day 388 - Waiting on Wednesday [40]

from penguin.com:

Four of today's hottest urban fantasy writers together for the first time!

From today's most provocative authors come four tales of urban fantasy and paranormal romance exploring body art that is more than it seems-in a world of magic and mayhem that always leaves its mark. This captivating tattoo theme surrounds each author's popular characters and worlds: Karen Chance's war mage Lia de Croissets, Marjorie M. Liu's demon-hunter Maxine Kiss, Yasmine Galenorn's Otherworld Intelligence Agency operative Camille D'Artigo, and Eileen Wilk's Lupi world.

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Reason: Marjorie M. Liu is one of my favorite authors and the other 3 authors I have on my to-read shelf. I also really enjoy body art that is well done so it would be interesting to read stories surrounding the subject.

Cover Discussion: I think it's gorgeous. Very well done!




Inked will be released January 5th!




What are you waiting on this week?
To see more books that are being waited for click here.

Day 388 - Rising Shadow

Rising Shadow

Jacquelyn Wheeler

Series or Stand Alone: Book one in the Soterian series

Release Date: September 2009

Publisher: Jacquelyn Wheeler

Pages: 378

Author Site: http://www.soterians.com/Home.html

My Rating: 3.25/5

Source: Copy provided by author

Synopsis [from createspace.com]:

Ashlyn Woods just transferred to one of the most beautiful campuses on the west coast, where she can't wait to start her life over as a normal college student. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers that she is a Soterian: a person who develops amazing powers when the balance of good and evil shifts too far in evil's favor.

Soon she and the other Soterians are studying martial arts and learning to use their powers to prevent California from being plunged into chaos. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they anticipated.

And when Ashlyn meets Kai, a devastatingly gorgeous guitar player, she realizes she must sacrifice more than she ever imagined.

Review:

RISING SHADOW incorporates a fun and unique twist to its paranormal theme. Ashlyn and the characters she meet are all college-aged and have much more in common then just attended the same school or living in the same area. They are all part of a team called the Soterians. Ashlyn must find a way to make friends, pass all her classes, not be homesick, and save the world with newly discovered powers before the balance between good and evil tips too much in evil's favor.

I like the fact that in Ashlyn's world no one can ever truly defeat evil...however the balance can be returned to it's rightful place. The Soterians must discover who is behind the source and an interesting fact is that the villians are not paranormal "bad-guys" that need an obscene amount of magic skill or what-not to overcome.While the villians in this story are absolutely tough to beat they are surprisingly realisitc - i.e. politicians and terrorists. It was a nice and refreshing change to evil vampires or rogue hunters, etc.

I was also quite fascinated with the Soterian powers that Jacquelyn came up with. How the Soterian team works and what powers belong to which character. I freely admit it was one of the best and most fun parts about the book. One thing I wasn't quite feeling in the book was Ashlyn and Kai's relationship and how fast it seemed to develop. I'm all for falling in love quickly, I mean I of all people understand that you can't control your feelings or how fast they can develop. However, I would have liked to see their relationship actually develop and blossom. I think I would have appreciated their feelings a little bit more.

Overall I had a lot of fun reading RISING SHADOW, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the next installment into the Soterian world.

Day 386 - It's Monday

It's Monday! What are you reading this week?, hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog, is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.



Books Gobbled Last Week:
The Christmas Secret :: Donna VanLiere (5/5 stars)
The Shimmer :: David Morrell (3.5/5 stars)

Gobbling Down This Week:
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters :: Jane Austen & Ben H. Winters