Reading in Texas

#WWReadathon: Challenge #2

2012-02-03T17:44:00.001-06:00

Melissa @ Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf is hosting the second challenge of the Read-a-thon—“Wintry Sentences”. She says, “Using at least 3 of the titles of the books below...make up the most interesting, funny, romantic, mysterious, or simply ridiculous sentence that you can!” She then provides a list of nine books with wintry titles.

Here's my sentence:

After the Snow , my sweetheart worked his Cold Magic and raised a Frozen Shiver when he dropped a Cold Kiss on my neck as we walked through the Winter Garden .

Not a spectacular sentence, but I did work in the titles of six of the books.

Wicked Winter Read-a-thon

2012-02-03T06:20:00.001-06:00

Today is the first day of the Wicked Winter Read-a-thon hosted by: Rebecca @ Kindle Fever and April @ My Shelf Confessions. If you're up for a weekend focused on reading, please join us.

Unfortunately, I have to work today, so I'll only be able to read during lunch until the end of the work day. But once I'm free, I'm planning on being a reading demon.

Starting Position

Currently Reading: Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Starting page:18

Free! Yes, lots of free books.

2011-12-26T16:15:00.000-06:00

If you have an electronic reader—Kindle, Nook, etc.—or one of the reader apps for your PC, Mac, smart phone, or tablet, then there are a ton of free books out there. Enough books that no matter how fast you read, you couldn't read all of them in a single lifetime.

I hope that by now you know about the availability of all the “classics” from Project Gutenberg, The Internet Archive, and Google Books. These sites offer “bare bones” versions of the books. Project Gutenberg focuses on plain text versions with very little formatting, while the other two sites primarily offer scanned PDF versions with OCR conversion to text. While these sites now offer one or more versions designed for electronic readers, the disadvantage is that the files have been produced by automation directly from the OCR conversions.

A much better source for classic texts is MobileRead, an “online community where e-book newbies and industry veterans alike interact and share their experience with e-books and e-book technologies.” There, the E-Book Library contains versions that have been carefully created by volunteers. For the most part, the editing and formatting are exquisite. Most of the books found at MobileRead are more finely crafted than those that come from any Publisher.

But what if you want to read more than just the classics? What if you want to read books that are not yet in the public domain? What if you want to read recently published books? Yes! You can get some of those for free, too.

If you read science fiction and fantasy, check out the free books in Baen's Free Library. Most of the books found here are the first one in a series. What a great way to find out if you like the author or the series! And, of course, they sell electronic books via their WebScription Ebooks site.

A number of authors now give away some of their books. These range from new authors just wanting to get a book &ldqou;out there”, independent authors, and even established authors like Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross. These authors have several outlets—their own web sites, Smashwords, and Feedbooks—to name a few.

And publishers have realized that offering the occasional free book can spur further sales. I've become a regular follower of Books on the Knob, a blog that lists free and deeply discounted eBooks from all the major sources. There are other places online to find out about free books; a Google search turned up over 36 million hits!

So, if someone gave you one of these electronic readers for Christmas, get out there and fill it up with lots of books to read!

Bout of Books: The last day

2011-10-31T19:15:00.000-05:00

'Twas a grand week of reading, blogging about reading, and tweeting about the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon. I'm so glad that my friend Shaunesay talked me into participating. All-in-all, I read 997 pages, finishing two books and getting more than 1/2 way through the third during the 7-day-long event. I think the number of pages and books was about average for me on any given week, but even more important is the fact that (as I said in yesterday's post) I have posted regular blog entries all week long. More than the reading, my goal for this week was to post and post and tweet.

As the day started, I was on page 117 of The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies. I read during the usual down times—over breakfast and dinner, and whenever I got bored with the Internet. By bedtime, I had only read 84 pages, taking me to page 201. I had plans to read more, but got involved with the Brit-Coms on the local PBS station and suddenly midnight had come and gone.

Bout of Books :: Day 7 summary

Books read today: 1
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 84
Total books finished: 2
Total pages read: 997

Bout of Books: Days 5 and 6

2011-10-30T12:33:00.001-05:00

Bout of Books Day 5 :: 28 October 2011

Friday was another normal work day. That meant that I had to squeeze in some reading during my meal breaks. Hubby took me to the local Chinese buffet for lunch and I read in the car all the way over there and back—as well as reading while I was eating. By the time we got home from lunch, I had finished reading the second book of the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon, Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement. That meant it was time to start another book. I selected The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies. This is a young-adult fantasy set during the time of Richard the Lion-Hearted which I owe to appaloosatb over at BookObsessed.

This particular Friday evening was the meeting of my local Mixed Media art group. I live very far from where they meet, so I left home at 4 pm, listening to Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson as I drove. I stopped at a nearby restaurant to grab a quick supper. Of course I was busy reading The Telling Pool while I ate. The final game of the World Series was on TV when I got home and I settled in to watch Saint Louis defeat Dallas (darn!) and didn't get much more reading done by the time I went to bed.

Bout of Books :: Day 5 summary

Books read today: 3
Books finished today: 1
Pages read today: 230
Total books finished: 2
Total pages read: 829

Bout of Books Day 6 :: 29 October 2011

You'd think that with a Saturday off from work and no major projects scheduled, I'd get a lot of reading done. The truth is that I really didn't read many pages. I spent a lot of time on the Internet and watching college football instead of reading. So, at the end of the day, I was at page 117 in The Telling Pool, having read only 84 pages during the entire day. Oh well—I think I may easily finish this book by Sunday midnight and that will take me over 1100 pages for the week-long Read-a-Thon. That's pretty close to the number of pages I read in an average week. What's special is that I have made 6 postings to Reading in Texas during this week. I will *not* be able to keep up with this pace, but I do plan to try and keep the blog more current.

Bout of Books :: Day 6 summary

Books read today: 1
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 84
Total books finished: 2
Total pages read: 913

Bout of Books: An update

2011-10-28T14:58:00.000-05:00

Bout of Books Day 3 :: 26 October 2011

The best part about Wednesday was that I had another airline trip which means uninterrupted reading time. My flight was to leave Jacksonville at 7:15, and I got to the airport, turned in my car, checked in, progressed through security, and was seated at the departure area by 5:45. What's a girl to do? Read, of course. Which I did.

I started the day on page 231 in Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier, and finished the book shortly before we landed at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. It was a magnificent book and I have the second one in the series in hand and I can hardly wait until I start reading it. Unfortunately, I must finish up a couple of books which I owe to book swappers at BookObsessed before I can return to the world of the Griffin Mages.

So, as soon as I reclaimed my luggage and settled into the car for the trip home, I pulled out a copy of Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement. This cozy mystery was won by SailorArby, a fellow book swapper, and I knew that it should be a quick read. By the time we got back to my house, I was already on page 50! I really was beginning to resent the fact that I had to work all afternoon. I would have much preferred to be reading. But, after work was completed, I settled in for some reading during supper, watching a little bit of TV, and reading myself to sleep. I ended the day at page 118.

Bout of Books :: Day 3 summary

Books read today: 2
Books finished today: 1
Pages read today: 254
Total books finished: 1
Total pages read: 536

Bout of Books Day 4 :: 27 October 2011

Thursday was a normal work day. Since I wasn't traveling, I actually got to sleep until 8am, and from that time on, I was busy with e-mail, instant messaging, research, documentation, and experimentation. I did take a decent lunch break—reading most of the time—which took me up to page 151 in Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter. I cooked bratwurst for supper and my daughter stopped by to eat with us and visit a little while. I fully intended to get down to some serious reading after she left, but the World Series was on TV and I got all caught up in the excitement. Eventually, I settled down with my book and was on page 181 when it fell out of my hand for the last time and I set it aside and turned out the light.

Bout of Books :: Day 4 summary

Books read today: 1
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 63
Total books finished: 1
Total pages read: 599

BTT: Hard

2011-10-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday and Deb has posted another Booking Through Thursday prompt. This week, bloggers are asked:

What’s the hardest/most challenging book you’ve ever read? Was it worth the effort? Did you read it by choice or was it an assignment/obligation?

I'm having a really hard time coming up with an answer to this question. I guess the "hardest" book I've read recently was The Warden by Anthony Trollope. And it wasn't really *hard*. It's more that the style of writing was so different from the recreational reading that I am more used to. If I had approached this book back when I was in school, it wouldn't have been any problem at all as I was accustomed to reading the classics.

I'd have to say that reading this book was definitely worth it. I set myself the challenge of reading several classics each year and chose Trollope as the author I'd focus on for a while. After researching the author and his bibliography, I decided I'd start with his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. Since this series of 6 novels starts with The Warden, that's where I started. It took me a long time because other books were beckoning, but I did finish it in March of this year.

WWW...Wednesday: 26 October 2011

2011-10-26T16:40:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted anything for MizB's WWW ... WEDNESDAY meme. She's been running it for a coon's age from her Should be Reading blog, but I haven't participated since March. It's about time, isn't it? Each week, MizB asks three simple questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?
and bloggers all over the world post their answers and link back to her blog.

Here are my answers:

1: This morning, I started reading Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement. I'm also in the middle of several other books: I'm listening to Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson. My current position is Disk 4, Track 8. I have two books going on my Kindle. The first is Stormlord's Exile by Glenda Larke, the third book in her Stormlord trilogy. Current position is location 1239 of 10204, somewhere in the middle of Chapter 6. The second is Crown of Slaves by David Weber and Eric Flint. The story line occurs concurrently with the story in War of Honor, the 10th book in the Honor Harrington series. My present position is location 1775 of 9336, near the beginning of Chapter 9.

2: Recently completed books are The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson and Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier. I started reading The Nestorian Alliance during Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon. Unfortunately, I was just so sleepy that I couldn't stay awake, so I finished it later in the day on Sunday, 23 October. Lord of the Changing Winds has been the first book I finished reading during this week's Bout of Books Read-a-Thon.

3: Next up are two books that I need to read and get mailed to book swappers from BookObsessed. I'll be reading The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies for appaloosatb and Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding for wss4. And, since I'm focusing on reading as much as possible during the week-long Bout of Books, I have high hopes of finishing both of these before next week's WWW...Wednesday.

Books mentioned in this post:

Bout of Books: Day 2 update

2011-10-25T21:25:00.001-05:00

Bout of Books Day 2 :: 25 October 2011

I didn't get much reading done today. From 9am until 3pm, I was in a seminar with customers, so I only sneaked in a couple of pages during our breaks. Then after the seminar, I drove from Gainesville to Jacksonville, which gave me time to listen to just about a whole disk of Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson. I'm now somewhere in the middle of disk 4. Using the "Look Inside" feature at Amazon.com, I find that I stopped listening on page 120. That means I listened to the equivalent of 37 pages during my drive today.

On the text-reading front, I took Lord of the Changing Winds with me to supper and the book was great company during my solo meal. I'm now at page 217 (of 367) and based on my update at Goodreads last night, I had gotten to page 177 just before midnight. So together, that means that I've read 77 pages today—not as many as I had hoped, but I've got about another hour to read before midnight and it rolls over to Day 3 of Bout of Books Read-a-Thon. And, I have a flight tomorrow morning during which I plan to get quite a bit more reading done.

Update on 26 October: reading in bed after updating the blog, I stopped at page 231 before I turned the lights off at 23:15. So that increases the pages read for Day 2 by 14 to 91.

Bout of Books :: Today's summary

Books read today: 2
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 77 91
Total pages read: ~~268~~ 282

Bout of Books: Goals and first day's update

2011-10-24T22:10:00.000-05:00

Bout of Books :: Goals

Goals. Oh yes, goals. In this morning's post, I listed the books which I have started reading and not yet completed. So, my goals are: (1) to finish as many of these books as possible. (2) to post daily to this blog And (3) just to spend all my spare time reading! (Yeah, well ... #3 isn't really that much of a stretch since I usually read in any spare time that I have.)

Bout of Books Day 1 :: 24 October 2011

I got a good start on #1 and #3 today as I left my house at 8am, heading to the airport. It was hubby's job to get me safely to the American Airlines terminal at DFW, in spite of a very thick fog. My job was to stick my nose in a book and avoid shrieking wildly at close encounters and sudden appearances from the fog. I did very well—reading pages 11-45 in Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier. After I consigned my suitcase to the airline and cleared security, I had no waiting at all before boarding my flight after the airline rerouted me due to fog-induced delays which would have made it impossible for me to make a tight connection in Miami. I settled into my seat, opened my book, and read pages 45-110 before I fell asleep and took a well-deserved nap.

After reclaiming my suitcase and loading all my stuff into the rental car, I popped in disk 2 of Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson and listened to a couple of tracks until I found a nearby Wendy's and stopped to get a lunch. Of course, I was reading as I ate, getting all the way up to page 125 in Lord of the Changing Winds before I had to hop back in the car and get back out onto the road. I continued to listen to the author herself read the rest of disk 2 and most of disk 3.

After a quick supper with a colleague, I retired to my hotel room and settled in for the evening. I thought I was going to spend it just reading, but I got distracted by The Sing Off. Darn! Those guys can really sing! So, as I write my wrap-up post for the day, I'm now at page 165 (of 367) in Lord of the Changing Winds, and will read a bit more before I turn out the lights and go to sleep. I'm at track 7 of disk 3 in Backseat Saints. I'll be listening to this book again tomorrow night when I drive back to Jacksonville.

Bout of Books :: Today's summary

Books read today: 1
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 191

Bout of Books: Starting Position

2011-10-24T06:30:00.003-05:00

For the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon, readers are lining up the books that they will be reading throughout the week-long event. Some participants have chosen to create a single post which they will update throughout the week. I, however, will be posting daily. After all, my main goal during the Read-a-Thon is not really about the reading, but the posting.

To be honest, I don't need any motivation to read. I carry multiple books with me wherever I go. If you were to look into my backpack, you'd find at least one paperback book and usually my Kindle along with the laptop and its accessories. And today, I installed the Kindle app on my Blackberry Torch and downloaded one book to the Blackberry.

My initial postion for this week includes four books which I have already started reading:

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson. I'm listening to this book on unabridged audio CDs. My current position is Disk 2, Track 5.
Stomrlord's Exile by Glenda Larke. This is the third book in a trilogy and I bought it for the Kindle the very day that I finished reading the second book. Current position is location 1239 of 10204, somewhere in the middle of Chapter 6.
Crown of Slaves by David Weber and Eric Flint. The story line occurs concurrently with the story in War of Honor, the 10th book in the Honor Harrington series. This book is also on my Kindle, and my present position is location 1775 of 9336, near the beginning of Chapter 9.
Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier, first in her Griffin Mage trilogy. I read the first 12 pages during Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon. I need to finish it as quickly as possible so I can mail it to Xeyra in Portugal who selected it from the SFF Virtual Book Box at BookObsessed

As I finish these books, I have more queued up behind them. Given that I have 3 flights scheduled this week—DFW to MIA to JAX and JAX to DFW—I should have plenty of time to make some progress on the print and electronic books. And, I'll be listening to Backseat Saints in the car as I drive from Jacksonville to Gainesville and return. All-in-all, this is shaping up to be an excellent week for a Read-a-Thon.

ANOTHER Read-a-Thon?

2011-10-23T20:00:00.002-05:00

Amanda, who blogs at On a Book Bender, is sponsoring a week-long Read-a-thon called Bout of Books. I blame my reading pal Shaunesay for talking me into signing up. (Of course, she didn't have to twist my arm too much. We're both coming down off the high from Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon, so we were ripe pickings for another event.)

My first question was "What is Bout of Books?". Taken directly from the sign-up page, I found the following:

Bout of Books will run from 12:01am 10/24 through 11:59 pm 10/30 (your time zone)
Read as much as you can whenever you can.
Bout of Books should be about networking with fellow bloggers in addition to reading. You were going to read that week anyway, right? Bout of Books gives you the opportunity to share your reading experience with other readers.
Use #boutofbooks on Twitter to update people on your progress and what you are reading.

Given that I'd have to give a rousing positive response to "You were going to read that week anyway, right?" (errmm... is there *any* week where I'm not reading?) I couldn't see any down-side to signing up. It's going to encourage me to post more to my Reading in Texas blog, and that's definitely something that I need to be encouraged to do. So, I'm in. I've signed up. I'm going to think about some goals—and they certainly won't include hourly blog posts! And, I'm going to pull together a starting postion post for tomorrow morning.

In My Mailbox: 23 October 2011

2011-10-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

There have been only a few new books to arrive at our house this week. LoriPed sent a package with two books from swaps and VBBs at BookObsessed and two wishlist books. In the package were: Cat's Claw by Amber Benson—a wishlist book which Lori sent for the 6 Around the World Exchange; Caleb by Sarah McCarty—which I won in September's PUF Swap; Don't Hex with Texas by Shanna Swendson—which I selected from the 2006 and Later VBB; and The Boy's Tale by Margaret Frazer—a wishlist book which Lori sent "just because".

In addition to those paper books, I also have a new Kindle book. During Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon, I saw an offer by Candy for a gifted copy of The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson in return for a promise to read during the Read-a-Thon and post a review on Amazon.com. I took her up on it and if I hadn't fallen asleep near 1:00, I'd have finished it in just an hour or two. I've read the first 12 chapters and should finish it later today.

Read-a-Thon End-of-Event Meme

2011-10-23T08:23:00.000-05:00

It's over. It's time to tie everything up and return to everyday life. Fortunately, the Read-a-Thon comes around again in April.

Which hour was most daunting for you?
I just couldn't stay awake after about 1am. I woke up several times and tried to read, but just kept falling back asleep.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Not really. For me, a cozy mystery or light-hearted PUF book is going to be easy to read and will keep me engaged. I need to avoid any type of "serious" book.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I still wish the start time would be shifted so that the tough hours between midnight and 5am occur at the beginning of the 24-hour period and not at the end.
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Oh, just about everything.
How many books did you read?
I finished 2 books and read parts of 4 in total.
What were the names of the books you read?
The two books I finished were Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman and Corpse Pose by Diana Killian. Two books that I read part of but did not finish were The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson and Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier.
Which book did you enjoy most?
Corpse Pose was just exactly the right book for a Read-a-Thon. The plot was engaging, the action was quick, the characters were interesting, and the execution was very well done.
Which did you enjoy least?
I took a chance on a self-published book by an independent author. The plot was excellent, but the execution was not very polished. And, because I was tired due to the time of day, that less-than-excellent execution interfered with my enjoyment. Don't get me wrong...I'd still recommend it to others, it was just the least enjoyable of all the books I read yesterday.
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I've never been a cheerleader—other than the informal cheering and encouragement that I left on the blogs of other participants. The cheerleaders are a really important part of the program because it's no fun participating in the Read-a-Thon if you think no one is paying attention.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Oh, I'm going to join in as a reader in April.

The end of another Read-a-Thon

2011-10-23T08:18:00.003-05:00

Final Update

~~Reading~~ Sleeping Location: On my couch

Currently Reading: The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson and Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier

Total Pages read so far: 607

Total Time spent reading so far: ??? minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.
dancing-dog lives in Tennessee and swaps book with us over at BookObsessed
Zeteticat, whose name I picked from the list of readers because it was the penultimate one.
CandyTX, a fellow Texan, BookCrosser, and BookObssessor.

Mini-challenges completed: Introduction, Mid-event survey, and Feed Me, Seymour

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman
Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Comments: Although I woke several times and took a look at my clock, I just could not get up and start reading again. I finally awoke at 7:02 and got myself moving. The Read-a-Thon was over and all that remained was to update the blog and bring everything to a close. I will be posting my answers to the end-of-event survey and I'll share my timeline and then that will be it for yet another year. I need to finish reading The Nestorian Alliance and post a review on the Amazon site.

Only 4 more hours

2011-10-23T03:21:00.002-05:00

Hour 20 Update

Reading Location: On my couch

Currently Reading: The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson

Total Pages read so far: 607

Total Time spent reading so far: ??? minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.
dancing-dog lives in Tennessee and swaps book with us over at BookObsessed
Zeteticat, whose name I picked from the list of readers because it was the penultimate one.
CandyTX, a fellow Texan, BookCrosser, and BookObssessor.

Mini-challenges completed: Introduction, Mid-event survey, and Feed Me, Seymour

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman
Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Comments: Yes—I have fallen asleep a couple of times in the past 3 hours. Have only read 21 pages since then, and I've no idea how many minutes I was reading and how many I was sleeping. I've read 6 chapters in The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson. My Kindle tells me that's 27% of the book. I need to apply myself if I'm going to finish it, write a review, and get it posted to Amazon by 5am Central Time. Obviously I need to fill my glass with something to drink and hope I can stay awake.

It's midnight!

2011-10-23T00:07:00.002-05:00

Hour 17 Update

Reading Location: On my couch; but I need to find a new place to sit, I'm trying to doze off

Currently Reading: The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson

Total Pages read so far: 586

Total Time spent reading so far: 621 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.
dancing-dog lives in Tennessee and swaps book with us over at BookObsessed
Zeteticat, whose name I picked from the list of readers because it was the penultimate one.
CandyTX, a fellow Texan, BookCrosser, and BookObssessor.

Mini-challenges completed: Introduction, Mid-event survey, and Feed Me, Seymour

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman
Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Comments: In the past 37 minutes, I read ~ 10 pages. (I'm using 16 locations/page to compute the page equivalents in The Nestorian Alliance.) I'm trying to doze off, which I'm sure is due to the fact that I'm so cozily comfortable sitting here on the couch. OK! Got to find a new place to sit or some other way not to fall asleep.

16 Hours and continuing ...

2011-10-22T23:03:00.000-05:00

Hour 16 Update

Reading Location: On my couch in my home in North Texas

Currently Reading: The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson

Total Pages read so far: 575

Total Time spent reading so far: 584 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.
dancing-dog lives in Tennessee and swaps book with us over at BookObsessed
Zeteticat, whose name I picked from the list of readers because it was the penultimate one.
CandyTX, a fellow Texan, BookCrosser, and BookObssessor.

Mini-challenges completed: Introduction, Mid-event survey, and Feed Me, Seymour

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman
Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Comments: Just finished the second book of the day—Corpse Pose by Diana Killian. Like Bring It On, the book is registered at BookCrossing. It will be mailed to Lemonitsa in Canada in the next week. I took the time to submit an entry in the Feed Me, Seymour mini-challenge. My comment says, "Since I'm trying to not overeat today, I've been drinking water, unsweetened iced tea, and diet sodas and trying not to give into the temptation to snack. I did, however, help myself to a left-over scone at mid-afternoon. I'll probably have another one around midnight. My meals, however, have been special. Hubby treated me to meals at my favorite local restaurants and I've eaten very well today. Since the Read-a-Thon ends at 7am in my time zone, he's agreed to take me out for a celebration breakfast & then I'll nap for a couple of hours."

I've been reading for 14 hours

2011-10-22T21:31:00.000-05:00

Hour 14 Update

Reading Location:Back on the couch; since last update, in the car and at Rudy's Bar-be-cue

Currently Reading: Corpse Pose by Diana Killian and The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson

Total Pages read so far: 480

Total Time spent reading so far: 513 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.
dancing-dog lives in Tennessee and swaps book with us over at BookObsessed
Zeteticat, whose name I picked from the list of readers because it was the penultimate one.
CandyTX, a fellow Texan, BookCrosser, and BookObssessor.

Mini-challenges completed: Introduction and Mid-event survey

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Comments: Great supper at Rudy's down in Denton. Hubby got to watch the World Series and I read. Just before we left to drive down to Rudy's, I visited Candy's blog and discovered that she was giving away a free Kindle book by an independent author—Michael Watson's The Nestorian Alliance. The "catch" was that you had to promise to read it tonight during the Read-a-Thon and post a review at Amazon before 6am Easter time Sunday morning. Well, I can do that, so I asked for the free copy. Downloaded it to my Kindle and started reading it in the car while hubby drove us down to Rudy's. (I do adore the built in reading light in my Kindle case. Makes it so easy to read in the car at night without flashing the light up into the driver's eyes.)

Read-a-Thon Mid-Event Survey

2011-10-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

It's time for the Mid-Event Survey:

What are you reading right now?
I'm reading Corpse Pose by Diana Killian
How many books have you read so far?
I've finished one book and the current book is my second
What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Well, I was thinking I'd pick up another cozy mystery, but if Candy gifts me a copy of The Nestorian Alliance by Michael Watson, then I'll definitely read it right away
Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Not very special ... I just announced to everyone that my day was fully booked.
Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
The only interruptions were ones that I took—like brushing my teeth!
What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
Well, this is the first time that I've been getting notifications from Facebook and Twitter on my phone. It's a bit surprising how quickly the "ping" from my phone will get my attention.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I'd love to see the start time shuffled up. For two years, it has started at 7am in my time zone which means that the end of Read-a-Thon takes place in the wee hours of the morning. I think if it started at midnight my time, I'd have less problem with falling asleep near the end.
What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I think I've got the role of Reader down pat! I can't think of any significant changes I'd make.
Are you getting tired yet?
Not yet. Heading out to supper soon and then will make sure I have some snacks to help me stay awake after the hubby goes to bed.
Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
I don't think I have any tips that haven't been made before. I built a template for my blog posts which has meant that I could make frequent updates without taking too much time away from reading.

Do we get a Half-Time Show?

2011-10-22T19:09:00.000-05:00

Hour 12 Update

Reading Location:On the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Total Pages read so far: 439

Total Time spent reading so far: 460 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.
dancing-dog lives in Tennessee and swaps book with us over at BookObsessed
Zeteticat, whose name I picked from the list of readers because it was the penultimate one.

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Comments: We've now reached the half-way mark in the Read-a-Thon. I'm well into Corpse Pose; having read 16 of 25 chapters. Should be no problem to finish it and move on to another book. I'm not sure which one is next, but I won't have to make that decision for a while. Unfortunately, Auburn lost the game to LSU. Alabama and Tennessee are tied at 3-3. As a die-hard Auburn fan, I cheer for Auburn and whoever happens to be 'Bama's opponent! And, in two minutes, the first pitch of the 3rd game of the World Series will be thrown down in the stadium in Arlington. My parents-in-law are avid baseball fans—they really don't care who's playing, they just enjoy the game. My mother-in-law is particularly fond of the College World Series! I know that both of them will be in front of the TV tonight, and I'm sure the hubby will be employing the jump button on the remote control bouncing from NCAA football to the World Series. I'm fortunate that I can easily ignore the sports and concentrate on reading. For now, however, it's time to go find some supper. Hubby wants a baked potato with *meat* on it, so I'm not sure exactly where he's taking us. Wherever it is, I'll be reading. It takes a lot of skill to focus on the book and not let food fall off the fork onto your shirt!

Nearing the 1/2-way mark

2011-10-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

Hour 10 Update

Reading Location:On the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Total Pages read so far: 352

Total Time spent reading so far: 389 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Comments: While things aren't improving—and are actually getting much worse—over at the Auburn-LSU game, I'm just charging along with the reading. In the pase 34 minutes, I read 40 pages in Corpse Pose by Diana Killian. Like most cozy mysteries, it's an easy book to read with an engaging plot and appealing characters, so I'm simply gobbling up the pages. Sure wish that Auburn was making a better showing against LSU. While it's no shame to be beat by the Number 1 team in the nation, I'm not happy that the scores are so far apart—3/4 of the way through the 3rd quarter and the score is 42-3. It's not been a good day for my alma mater. But it's been a very good day for the Read-a-Thon. As we move into the 11th hour of the Read-a-Thon, I'm hanging in there really strong.

Nine hours down -- Fifteen more to go

2011-10-22T16:23:00.003-05:00

Hour 9 Update

Reading Location:On the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Total Pages read so far: 312

Total Time spent reading so far: 355 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.
Ann, who used to swap books with us at BookCrossing and BookObsessed, but now reads mostly eBooks.
Kanaye, also a BC/BO friend who signed up for this Read-a-Thon but who hasn't posted anything yet.

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books: none so far

Comments:A full tummy sure does make it difficult to stay awake! This is a lazy Saturday afternoon. Hubby has the football game[s] on the TV—we're not very happy with the score in the Auburn game. Just minutes before half-time and LSU is leading, 14 to 3. He keeps hitting the jump buttons on the remote control to look at what's going on with a couple of other games, but I'm not paying attention to any of them. No. I'm reading. Since my last update, I've read the first four chapters of Corpse Pose by Diana Killian. I'm awfully comfortable and tempted to doze off. Maybe I should do something a bit more active during this break—or maybe the next one—and see if that helps me stay focused. It's good to see that friends who are also participating in the Read-a-Thon are making good progress in their TBR book stack.

Finished the first book of the Read-a-Thon

2011-10-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Hour 8 Update

Reading Location:Back on the couch in my living room; just returned from Miguelito's Mexican restaurant where I read all through lunch (and of course read in the car to and fro).

Currently Reading: Just about to start reading Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Total Pages read so far: 269

Total Time spent reading so far: 312 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books:

Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Comments:At last! I finished a book. Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman is registered at BookCrossing and will be sent to Xeyra in Portugal. The next book I'm going to read is Corpse Pose by Diana Killian. It's a cozy mystery; the first in a new series called “Mantra for Murder Mysteries”. Should be much faster—and lightweight—reading for the next few intervals.

At the One Quarter mark

2011-10-22T13:19:00.002-05:00

Hour 6 Update

Reading Location:On the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Total Pages read so far: 180

Total Time spent reading so far: 247 minutes

Other Readers I have visited:

Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon
VeganMedusa, another BC/BO friend who lives in New Zealand. She hasn't posted anything to her blog yet; wonder if she's still asleep.

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books: none so far

Comments:My reading rate is moving back toward normal; thanks to no longer dozing or zoning out thinking of something else. According to the front page at the Read-a-Thon home web site, there are 442 registered readers. When I first looked this morning, there were 419. Don't know if that means that the organizers were slow in getting the lists pulled together or whether there were a number of late registrants. Still haven't taken time to play along in any of the challenges. Need to go visit a few more readers and then will finish my first book in this next reading segment.

Noon -- 5 hours have passed ...

2011-10-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

Hour 5 Update

Reading Location:On the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Total Pages read so far: 137

Total Time spent reading so far: 198 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami
Shaunesay, another BC/BO friend who lives in Kansas
Nikki, someone new I'm meeting through the Read-a-Thon

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books: none so far

Comments:Just a very quick update for now and I'm not going to spend any time on the Internet to see what everyone else is doing. Hubby is back home. TV is tuned to NCAA football—SEC preferred, but not mandatory. Actually, he's watching the Arkansas-Ole Miss game and occasionally switching over to the North Carolina-Clemson game. (The man just can't *stand* to sit through a commercial!) Me, I'm still reading Bring It On by Laura Ann Gilman. In this last hour, I read for 37 minutes and read 34 pages—now that's more like it! We've decided to go get Mexican for lunch, but since I'm still feeling stuffed from breakfast, it's likely to be 2pm or so before we venture out for something more to eat. I also want to stop by the grocery store sometime and pick up some healthy snacks for the middle of the night. Hummus sounds good, doesn't it?

After 4 hours ...

2011-10-22T11:18:00.001-05:00

Hour 4 Update

Reading Location:On the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Total Pages read so far: 103

Total Time spent reading so far: 161 minutes

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books: none so far

Comments:I'm getting too cozy again. Hubby ran off to the bank and other errands, so there's no noise in the house. Caught myself dozing a few minutes ago. I mean, it must be because I'm so comfortable—couldn't have a *thing* to do with the full tummy I have from breakfast. I ate a huge bowl of oatmeal with chopped tomatoes, pepper-jack cheese, and a freshly fried egg on top. Won't be interested in lunch until 1:30 or later! I'm going to head off to check on some other readers, walk around a bit to wake myself up, and then get back to reading. I can't believe how few pages I've read in the first 4 hours. But I just looked back at last April's status and at about this time I had only read 157 pages in 198 minutes (.8 pages per minute), and this time I've read 103 pages in 161 minutes which comes to .64 pages per minute. So, yes, I'm reading more slowly—or more likely loosing more time dozing—but I'm just going to keep on keeping on and enjoy my whole day dedicated to reading, blogging about reading, and reading about reading!

1/8th of the way along

2011-10-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hour 3 Update

Reading Location:Now on the couch in my living room; but have also read in the car and at the table at the Old West Cafe

Currently Reading: Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Total Pages read so far: 70

Total Time spent reading so far: 120 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: Azuki, a BookCrossing and BookObssessed pal who lives in Miami

Mini-challenges completed: Just the Introduction

Finished Books: none so far

Comments:It took me almost 1/2 hour at the beginning of Hour 2 to update my blog and take care of the "stuff" I needed to do to get back to reading. (Ummm... get dressed for the day, etc.) At 8:30, hubby and I headed out to the Old West Cafe for breakfast. I managed to spend *most* of the time reading, though I did take time to be pleasant with Kelsey when she took my order and brought my food. Back home at 9:30, I found a fresh Diet Coke to sip on, then checked in at the Read-a-Thon home page to see what new mini-challenges had been posted. After fighting a little bit with the new interface at Blogger, I finally asked it to revert to the old interface and then spent a few minutes explaining to the kids at Google why the new interface was not attractive/useful to me.

Read-a-Thon: my introduction

2011-10-22T08:20:00.001-05:00

As is traditional, participants introduce themselves at the beginning of the event. Readers are encouraged to answer the following questions:

1)Where are you reading from today?
2)Three random facts about me…
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Where am I reading from? Today I'm at home in Texas. Most of the time, I'll be sitting (or reclining) on my couch in the living room. I have a very cooperative husband who will take me out for all our meals today, so I'll be reading in the car to and from as well as reading at the table.
Three random facts:
1. I have a Kindle, a Sony Reader, and a BeBook Reader. I mostly use the Kindle, but enjoy the other two as well.
2. I am a unrepentant packrat. Fortunately it hasn't reached "hoarder" status, but that hasn't kept my kids from threatening an intervention
3. I have red hair—and the temper that goes with it.
How many books in the TBR pile: Well, the total number of TBR books in the house is over 700. But for today, I made a list of 5 books that I'd like to read. I think I might complete 3 or 4 of them if I can stay focused.
What are my goals? The only goal I have is to stay awake—and participating—for the entire 24 hours. The last 3 Read-a-Thons, I've fallen asleep in the wee hours.
My advice: Don't get too comfortable. It's too easy to fall asleep if you're cozy. The only other advice is to remember that this is supposed to be fun. Don't get too wound up or let yourself get too competitive.

1 hour completed - 23 to go

2011-10-22T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hour 1 Update

Reading Location: The couch in my living room

Currently Reading: Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

Total Pages read so far: 24

Total Time spent reading so far: 60 minutes

Finished Books: none so far

Comments: In the first hour of the Read-a-Thon, I read pages 129-154 in Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman. Roughly one page every 2 minutes—which is very slow for me—though I know I got distracted from time to time thinking about the process of recording my participation in the Read-a-Thon. I might have also zoned out a couple of times since I wasn't sitting up. Will need to put more effort into this in the next hour.

Now I'm off to check the website, Twitter, Facebook, and the blog of at least one other participant to leave a comment. After that, I'll be back to reading.

2011-10-22T06:51:00.000-05:00

Oh! Oh! It's almost time for the Read-aThon to begin. I'm busy lining everything up. The list of readers has been posted and I've quickly scanned to see who has signed up.

See, there I am on the list! Of the 419 registered participants, I know about 10 through other bookish activities. I plan to "meet" a couple more today as I follow their blogs.

Took a quick look at Twitter to see what others are saying about the Read-a-Thon. Followed a tweet to Kai's blog post which is talking about preparing one's self for the Read-a-Thon. It made me feel good to know that from past experience I already was following all of her tips.

Well, I only have 15 minutes to get myself something to drink and then I'm going to plunge right into Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman. I'm starting the Read-a-Thon on page 129 (of 398). Of the other books which I have lined up, there are a couple which I'm also resuming in the middle. I always have more than one book going at a time!

Read-a-thon starts tomorrow morning

2011-10-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a reader! Again. This will be my 5th time to participate in Dewey's Read-a-Thon. And the past 3 times I've not made it through the full 24 hours—instead sleeping for a couple of hours in the "wee hours" of the morning.

Yesterday, on the flight home to Texas, I started pulling together some Read-a-Thon strategy. I need to have some totally engaging books queued up. Nothing boring or I'll be sure to fall asleep. I also have a post template all put together. I should be able to fill in a couple of blanks, copy/paste it into the blog edit form , and then get back to reading as soon as possible.

What I really need, however, is to go on to bed now so I can wake up and be as fresh as possible at 7am.

So ... good night.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon and Honor Harrington

2011-10-15T13:34:00.000-05:00

'Tis that time of year again. Seems like the only times I update this blog lately are to chart my progress through the semi-annual Read-a-thon. And it's coming up again—starting at 7am (Texas time) on 22 October. I'm clearing my calendar and lining up the books that I want to read.

Speaking of the books that I want to read, most of August and September I was reading through the books in David Weber's Honor Harrington series rather than reading books that I had promised to send to my BookObsessed friends. I practically sailed through 5 novels—and then started in on the various short stories which fill in the gaps in the story line. (Wish I had started reading the short stories a long time ago and had kept up with the chronology.)

So, during August, I read four of the Honor Harrington novels: In Enemy Hands, Echoes of Honor, Ashes of Victory, and War of Honor. During the first weeks of September, I then read At All Costs. That's when I turned from the novels to the short stories and novellas to fill in the gaps. Those stories were published in five different collections and I decided to read them in order that they occurred in the story line rather than in the order they were written or published. Accordingly, due to the way that I keep my statistics, I don't get to count the pages until I finish the last story in a given book. And, fortunately, I finished reading Worlds of Honor in mid-September. I'm still reading the Honor Harrington short stories, so I completed Changer of Worlds this week and I'm well on my way to finishing The Service of the Sword.

Books mentioned in this post:

New Read-a-Thon

2011-07-09T18:04:00.000-05:00

One of my reading friends posted online that she was going to participate in a “new” read-a-thon—one other than the Dewey's Read-a-Thon that we've participated in twice a year for a while. I hopped over to check it out and found that Lori, Angela and Candace are sponsoring a 3-day read-a-thon where participants are encouraged to “read, read, and read some more” from 12:01 am on July 11th to 11:59 pm on July 13th.

I can't possibly pull all-nighters for the entire time of the read-a-thon, and I do have to work next week, so my one way I'm going to participate will be to decrease the amount of my non-work time that I spend online and dedicate that to reading. And, in addition to spending more time reading, I'm using the read-a-thon to motivate me to post more to this blog.

So—now that I'm here making a post in this blog, I suppose I should say something about the books I have been reading. I lay abed this morning until I had finished reading Tall, Dark, and Wolfish by Lydia Dare. It's the second of four Regency romances with a werewolf theme. I immediately logged this book—the 81st one I read this year—and then started reading the next one in the series, The Wolf Next Door. I also stopped by the Public Library to pick up a copy of Dead and Gone, the seventh Sookie Stackhouse book by Charlaine Harris.

And, while I'm hanging around Blogger, I guess I ought to post some updates on the various reading challenges. After all, the year is ½ over and I should be at least half-way along in these challenges. Right? And if I haven't completed half of the challenges, I need to put some plans in place to catch up before it's too late to complete them.

Books mentioned in this post:

Time flies ...

2011-05-27T05:43:00.000-05:00

You know as well as I the old adage: “Time flies when you're having fun.” That's true, but I can also tell you that as you get older, time flies even when you aren't having fun! Time always flies.

Here it is nearly Memorial Day and I'm wondering where the month has gone. Yesterday evening, I finished reading Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart, the 8th book I read this month. It looks like the number of books -- and the number of pages -- read in May will be nowhere near as many as in other months this year.

Obviously, I've spent less time reading, why is that? First of all, I traveled less this month. I fit in a lot of reading while I'm in transit. If we're traveling in the car, Steven drives and I read. I read on the airplane. And, if I'm forced to drive, I have a book on CD to listen to. Secondly, I've been making some scrapbook pages in the evenings and on weekends—cutting into my reading time.

I was beginning to be worried about the drop off in books/pages per month until I checked my YTD (year-to-date) status, comparing this year to the two previous years. And I see at this point last year, I had read just about the same number of books and pages. So far, in 2011, I have read 60 books and 20,532 pages, and on 26 May in 2010, I finished reading Vanished by Karen Robards, the 61st book of the year for a total of 19,370 pages. And, on 26 May in 2009, I had read many fewer books at this time of year; I had just finished reading the 51st book of the year, Swapping Lives by Jane Green, with only 17,044 cumulative pages.

A nice round number

2011-04-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

Today, on the way to the airport, I completed book number 46 for the year. And, as I was updating the statistics, I noticed that the number of pages read so far this year totals up to 16,000. Wow! That's just strange that it would come up to a nice round number like that.

But that number is simply the number of pages in the books that I have finished reading. It's inaccurate as a total of the number of pages which I have read. After all, there are the 3 other books which I am actively reading. My Kindle tells me that I'm 80% of the way through The Baritone Wore Chiffon, which computes to about 183 pages. I'm half-way through the 8 CDs of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, which computes to about 168 pages. And, I've barely started reading In Enemy Hands, so I'd say I'm only about 30 pages into that book. Then, there are the two books that I abandoned part-way through. I stopped at page 218 in The Know-It-All because I needed to mail the book off to Lauren in Canada. And, I set aside The Night Shifters about 1/3 of the way into it. I plan to finish both of these books sometime, but I have others queued up to read first.

Read-a-Thon: End of Event Survey

2011-04-10T07:47:00.000-05:00

The Read-a-Thon is over and it's time to post my responses to the end of event summary. My responses are amazingly similar to those I posted for the past couple of events. I really look forward to the Read-a-Thon and try to clear my calendar so that there are no distractions. This time, I focused solely on the reading and post, so the end of event summary is the only mini challenge that I've participated in.

Which hour was most daunting for you?
The wee hours from about 1am are the hardest for me. This year I wound up falling asleep and napping for a couple of hours.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I'm not sure I have any recommendations to make. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer—so much so that I called my friend Beth and recommended that she pick it up for her Kindle.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
All-in-all, I think the Read-a-thon runs very well. I'd still like to see the start time changed so that in my time zone the wee hours aren't at the end of the 24-hour period.
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
This year, I didn't participate in any of the mini-challenges. I just did my own thing, reading and posting and visiting the blogs of my BookObsessed friends.
How many books did you read?
I read in 3 different books, finishing two of them.
What were the names of the books you read?
The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer, Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy, and The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney
Which book did you enjoy most?
I have to say that The Alto Wore Tweed was the most delightful. It was zany and even a bit campy.
Which did you enjoy least?
I didn't pick a book that I couldn't enjoy. The Alphabet Sisters had the most serious theme and therefore reading it went more slowly, but that wasn't because I didn't enjoy it.
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
N/A. I didn't sign up to be a cheerleader, but I did stop by friends' blogs and leave comments to cheer them on.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Oh yeah! I'll be back in October as a reader.

Read-a-Thon: Ended

2011-04-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

Hour 24 Update

Reading Location: my couch

Currently Reading: The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Total Pages read so far: 671 pags

Total Time spent reading so far: 740 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: None recently

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: Just the two already noted: The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer and Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Comments: Well, another Read-a-Thon has come and gone. I've enjoyed participating again and look forward to next October. I'm going to hop over to the Read-a-Thon web site and see what I missed in terms of mini-challenges.

Read-a-Thon: Almost over

2011-04-10T05:25:00.000-05:00

Hour 22 Update

Reading Location: on the couch

Currently Reading: The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Total Pages read so far: 622 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 646 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: None recently

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: 2. The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer and Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Comments: I had every intention to stay up and to keep reading through the night, but I just couldn't stay awake. I've slept for almost 4 hours and have awakened ready to read for the next hour and a half.

Read-a-Thon: Midnight

2011-04-10T00:05:00.000-05:00

Hour 17 Update

Reading Location: Sitting at the dinner table

Currently Reading: The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Total Pages read so far: 582

Total Time spent reading so far: 585

Other Readers I have visited: None recently

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: 2. The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer and Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Comments: Drinking a Diet Coke and sitting at the dining table; I think it's helping to fight the drowsiness. Found out that LiveJournal is unavailable again due to DOS attack. I'll have to make up my A-Z Blogging Challenge update when they return. I'm glad that I'm posting my Read-a-Thon updates here instead of there.

Read-a-Thon: 8 more hours

2011-04-09T22:57:00.000-05:00

Hour 16 Update

Reading Location: on the couch

Currently Reading: Just finished reading Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy; will pick back up The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney.

Total Pages read so far: 555 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 561 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: No one new

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: 2. The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer and Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Comments: Oh my. I know I was dozing in the last hour. It took me almost 30 minutes to read the last 10 pages of Bit the Jackpot. I need to get up and walk around, find something cold to drink and maybe even relocate to the dinig room to try and stay awake.

Read-a-Thon: 14 down, 10 to go!

2011-04-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

Hour 14 Update

Reading Location: During the last hour or so, I was in the car and at Braum's; now back at home

Currently Reading: Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy. I'm now on page 218.

Total Pages read so far: 478 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 465 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: During this break, I stopped by to check up on Shaunesay, dancing-dog, azuki, and Noumena12. Left messages on their most recent blog posts.

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: 1. The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Comments: Shortly before 20:00 (an hour ago), we headed out to Braum's for ice cream. Round trip plus time to eat our ice cream in the store, we were gone for almost exactly an hour. I read the entire time—except for the 2 minutes that it took me to study the menu and place my order. Now I'm well fortified for some serious reading. I'm getting close to the end of Bit the Jackpot and then I'll move back to The Alphabet Sisters. Don't know what will be up after that. I'll just play it by ear.

Read-a-Thon: the half-way point

2011-04-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

Hour 12 Update

Reading Location: mostly on the couch

Currently Reading: Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Total Pages read so far: 378 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 392 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: During my last break, I hopped over to visit Sanddanz and Noumena12 and leave some encouragement on their blogs.

Mini-challenges completed: None. In fact, I haven't looked at the Read-a-Thon site since early this morning.

Finished Books: 1. The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Comments: I'm reading much faster in Bit the Jackpot. I took a couple of short breaks to put together Chicken Chili with Barley. It's simmering on the stove and smelling really good. I plan on sending the hubby out to buy some ice cream so I'll have a wonderful snack later tonight.

Read-a-Thon: Another update

2011-04-09T17:38:00.000-05:00

Hour 11.5 Update

Reading Location: still on the couch

Currently Reading: Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy

Total Pages read so far: 328 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 362 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: I dropped in on Kanaye and left a comment.

Mini-challenges completed: None.

Finished Books: 1. The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Comments: OK. To stave off the drowsiness, I decided to start reading another book, from a completely different genre. I'm now 72 pages into Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy, the 2nd book in her Vegas Vampires series. I owe this book to BooknBeer since she won it in a PUF Swap over at BookObsessed.

Read-a-Thon: It's been running for 9 hours and it's 16:00 here in Texas

2011-04-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

Hour 9 Update

Reading Location: On the couch. But it's too cozy and easy to doze off. I think I'll find another place to read for a while.

Currently Reading:The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Total Pages read so far: 256 pages

Total Time spent reading so far: 302 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: I didn't visit any blogs since my last update.

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: 1: The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Comments: Hubby is watching TV and I'm finding myself much too cozy and comfortable. I may move to the dinner table for the next hour and see if sitting there will help me stay more focused on the Read-a-Thon. I'm also going to start another book—one totally different from The Alphabet Sisters and maybe the change in subject will be stimulating, too.

Read-a-Thon: Nearly 1/4 of the Way

2011-04-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

Hour 8 Update

Reading Location: Finally home and on the couch again

Currently Reading: The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Total Pages read so far: 213 pages. 153 page equivalents in The Alto Wore Tweed and 60 pages (so far) in The Alphabet Sisters

Total Time spent reading so far: 247 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: Before we left for lunch, I stopped by to check on Shaunesay and Sanddanz. Will visit a couple of others before I resume reading.

Mini-challenges completed: None. Now that my distractions are over, I'll check in at the main Read-a-Thon site and see if there are any interesting mini-challenges.

Finished Books: 1. At 13:00, I finished reading The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer.

Comments: Took son and his family to El Guapo down in Denton for lunch. I read in the car all the way down there and all the way back home, sneaking in about 20 minutes reading time each way. I enjoyed our short visit and lunch, but I sure wish we could schedule these things for any day other than Read-a-Thon Saturday!

Read-a-Thon: at the 4.5 hour mark

2011-04-09T11:31:00.003-05:00

Hour 4.5 Update

Reading Location: sitting on my couch in Sanger

Currently Reading: The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Total Pages read so far: 129 in The Alto Wore Tweed and 28 pages in The Alphabet Sisters, which comes to 157 pages. Yes, I did the calculations and it appears that 16.5 locations is roughly equivalent to one page in The Alto Wore Tweed.

Total Time spent reading so far: 198 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: In addition to Noumena12, I stopped by Shaunesay's blog and Meshe's. It looks like Meshe isn't participating in the Read-a-Thon this time, but since she had left me an encouraging message, I definitely wanted to see what she is up to.

Mini-challenges completed: None

Finished Books: None, but I'm close to the end of The Alto Wore Tweed.

Comments: My son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter just got here. I'm taking a break to be sociable. Since I'm keeping a timeline for the entire Read-a-Thon, I know that I'll need to start reading at location 3292 when I return to The Alto Wore Tweed.

Read-a-Thon: 1/8th over

2011-04-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hour 3 Update

Reading Location: back on the couch in my living room

Currently Reading: The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer and The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney

Total Pages read so far: 231 locations plus 28 pages; yes, I need to do the computations to convert locations to page-equivalents

Total Time spent reading so far: 145 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: no new sites, but I'm heading out right now to check up on some of my BookObsessed friends.

Mini-challenges completed: none

Finished Books: none so far

Comments: After the last blog update, I resumed reading in The Alto Wore Tweed, but 5 minutes in, the Kindle decided to reboot itself. I put it onto the charger just to make sure that it had plenty of power to complete the reboot, picked up The Alphabet Sister and started reading at page 117. A half-hour later, and having dozed off a time or two, I set the book aside and returned to the Kindle.

Read-a-Thon: 2 down, 22 to go!

2011-04-09T09:10:00.001-05:00

Hour 2 Update

Reading Location: Old West Cafe, and the car

Currently Reading: The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Total Pages read so far: 1104 locations in the Kindle; still need to do the conversion to page-equivalents

Total Time spent reading so far: 105 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: still only Noumena12

Mini-challenges completed: none so far

Finished Books: none so far

Comments: This book is hysterically funny. At only $0.99, I would advise all my Kindle-reading friends to get a copy. In fact, I took 3 minutes off from reading during this hour to call Beth and tell her to run out and buy it!

Read-a-Thon: First Hour completed

2011-04-09T08:06:00.001-05:00

Hour 1 Update

Reading Location: the right end of my couch; Sanger, TX

Currently Reading: The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer

Total Pages read so far: 490 “locations” in my Kindle. I'll compute that to page-equivalents later.

Total Time spent reading so far: 60 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: Noumena12. I checked in on her just before the Read-a-Thon began.

Mini-challenges completed: none. There were none posted when I checked the main site at 6:15. I'll check over there in a little while.

Finished Books: none so far.

Comments: I'm just a bit sleepy, so during this 2nd hour of the Read-a-Thon, I'll be reading and eating breakfast.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: My 4th Experience

2011-04-09T06:29:00.001-05:00

In less than an hour, I'll be joining hundreds of readers around the world in the 24 hours of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. This is the 4th time that I've participated. The last two times, I've had to give in to the demands of the body and slept for several hours early on Sunday morning. I hope to stay up—and stay reading—for the entire 24 hour period this time, but we'll see.

I'm going to begin the Read-a-Thon with two books: The Alphabet Sisters by Monica McInerney and The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer. The Alphabet Sisters is a trade paperback that is registered at BookCrossing and which I will be mailing to Lori in Oregon when I finish it. The Alto Wore Tweed is a very funny mystery by an independent author, and I picked it up for a pittance ($ 0.99) for my Kindle. I also got the next three in the series for the same price. I'll tell you more about both books as the Read-a-Thon progresses.

In addition to reading and blogging, I'm also going to be participating in a Cozy Mystery Swap at BookObsessed. So, for the next 24.5 hours, I'm going to be totally focused on books and reading.

Let's BEGIN!!

WWW...Wednesday: 30 March 2011

2011-03-30T23:56:00.004-05:00

I've been so busy over the past couple of weeks that I haven't kept up with MizB's WWW ... WEDNESDAY meme from her Should be Reading blog. Each week, she asks three simple questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?
and bloggers all over the world post their answers and link back to her blog. Here are my answers for the last Wednesday in March.

1: I am almost half-way through The Know-It-All by A J Jacobs. In 2003, Jacobs set himself the task of reading through the entire 2002 edition of Encyclopedia Brittanica. With a subtitle of “One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World”, you might think that this is a dull book, but it's anything but. It's charming, it's profound, it's humorous, it's poignant, and above all it's fun.

I'm still listening to Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn. I've almost reached the end of disk 10 (of 15) and I'm confident I'll be finishing it next week since I have to commute to the office every day—a distance of 50 miles which can sometimes take 1 and ½ hours if I get caught up in traffic.

2: After returning from vacation, the pace of reading slowed down a bit. I have taken two business trips which allowed me to spend a couple of hours—uninterrupted—reading. I definitely don't need any other entertainment on the airplane. Just give me a good book or two.

So, what have I read in the past two weeks? On the last day of our trip, I started reading Death at Gallows Green by Robin Paige, the second book in a cozy historical mystery series set in Victorian times. In addition to the characters introduced in the first book, Beatrix Potter plays a role in solving the mystery of who murdered a local constable. On the plane to Costa Mesa, I buckled down and read the last half of The Warden by Anthony Trollope. I can't remember when I started reading it, but since it was supposed to be the first of two Trollope novels that I had challenged myself to read in 2010, I'm sure I must have started it early in the year. So, I'm finally finished with it and can queue up the next book in his Barsetshire Chronicles.

The next two books were very long books which took 4-5 days each to read: Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher and Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon. Both were excellent books and I'm glad that there are additional books in both series that I can look forward to reading.

3: Next up will be a couple of books which I owe to fellow book swappers at BookObsessed. I'm thinking the very next book will be another of the Vegas Vampires: Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy. It is shorter, totally frivolous, and likely to be a very fast read. Other books I plan to read fairly soon are Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice, and South of Broad by Pat Conroy.

Until next time, I'll be Reading in Texas.

Belated Update

2011-03-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

It was such a busy week that I didn't find time to post much, not even the memes that I like to participate in. I even started writing my contribution to the weekend's Book Blogger Hop, but just could not find the time to finish it and get it posted. And, I had every intention of repeating last week's Sunday Summary, but again I just could not make the time to type it up and then post it.

What was getting in the way? I was traveling from California to Texas by car. Most of our time was spent on the highway, but we didn't take the most direct route home. Instead, we visited with friends who live near Frazier Park, California; darted over to the Pacific coast to see Morro Bay; and even took a tour of a random winery near Paso Robles. Then we got down to some serious cross-country driving.

The advantage of spending several days with only limited Internet access (dare I say “incommunicado”?) was that I got in a lot of reading. Between the time my vacation began on 4 March until I returned home on 12 March, I read 8 books—7 full-length novels and one novella.

Most of these counted in one way or another toward the various reading challenges that I have taken on for 2011, and the majority of the books are registered at BookCrossing and will be sent along to other readers through swaps and virtual book boxes (VBBs) at BookObsessed

Here are a couple more photos from the trip:

WWW...Wednesday: 9 March 2011

2011-03-09T15:01:00.000-06:00

It's time for another response to MizB's WWW ... WEDNESDAY meme from her Should be Reading blog. She asks three simple questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

1: Since I'm in Las Vegas, I thought it would be fun to read one of the “Vegas Vampires” books by Erin McCarthy. The first book in the series is High Stakes and I'm about 3/4 of the way through it. All the books in the series are identified as Paranormal Romances—and the plot also has a bit of mystery to it, so I'm finding this book very enjoyable. I have the 3rd book in the series, Bled Dry, with me, but the 2nd book was on order when I headed out on my trip and it's waiting for me back home in Texas.

Since I didn't bring my audio CDs with me, I haven't “read” any further in Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn.

2: In the past week, I've only completed two books: Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler and Honor Among Enemies by David Weber. And, I finished reading both of them on Monday. Through most of the weekend, I was reading along in Honor Among Enemies, but after posting my weekly roundup on Sunday, I began to feel a bit guilty that I kept setting aside Full Dark House while I read other books, so as we were driving from Lancaster to Las Vegas, I pulled out Full Dark House and lost myself in London during the time of the Blitz in WWII. With my conscience all assuaged, I then fell back into Honor Among Enemies and finished it shortly after supper. Hooray!

3: I don't know what's next up. I'm still thinking about it. I did load up the next Honor Harrington book, In Enemy Hands, into my BeBook reader, so I'm sure I'll be reading it over the next week or two. I also have Interlude in Death—a novella in J. D. Robb's series starring Eve Dallas—sitting on my Kindle reader and ready for me to read. Also, when shopping at Bucket of Books, I picked up the final (or should I say “most recent”) book in Shirley Damsgaard's Ophelia and Abby series. The Seventh Witch is definitely going to be a great book to read and probably a very quick book, so I'm seriously thinking that it might be one of the next books up. Check in next week to see what I actually wound up reading.

Sunday Summary

2011-03-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

It's all about a week of books and reading.

When the week began, I was in Anaheim, California, attending a conference. Sunday was the kick off for the conference and I was committed to meetings most of the day. The "book in progress" was Memory in Death by J D Robb, the 22nd in her futuristic mystery series starring detective Eve Dallas. Back in 2007, I read the two books which follow Memory in Death. I can't figure out why or how I managed to read those two out of sequence, but I finally got around to filling in the gap with this copy that I had picked up for my Kindle in March of 2010. I was able to squeeze in some reading time and finally finished it on Tuesday, 1 March.

On Tuesday, I posted a quick blurb on the blog for Teaser Tuesday. There, I posted a short quote from another book in progress, Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler. I started reading Full Dark House on 24 February, but I had set it aside to read the J D Robb book. (Besides, I was missing my Kindle and needed to give it a little bit of loving!) I'm still reading Full Dark House and it might be yet another week before I finish it. This is one of those books that is too good to abandon, but for some reason doesn't grab my attention and demand that I keep reading. So, I set it aside when another book catches my fantasy. I freely admit to being somewhat ADD and distractable. I deal with it.

Wednesday, I returned to the blog to post my contribution to the WWW...Wednesday meme. I again decided to set Full Dark House aside for a while and pulled out Honor Among Enemies by David Weber. This is the book that I keep on my Blackberry so that I can sneak in a couple of minutes of reading wherever I happen to be. But, I was getting interested in it and no longer wanted to put my Blackberry away after reading a couple of screens. Since I had also loaded the book onto my BeBook reader, I picked it up and carried it with me the rest of the week rather than toting the trade paperback of the Fowler book.

Thursday's post to the blog was my response to another of Deb's Booking Through Thursday prompts. She challenged readers to think of the various literary villains we encounter. Also on Thursday, a couple of books arrived in the mail. (No, they didn't catch up with me in California. My daughter picked up our mail at home in Texas and sent me an e-mail to tell me what I had received.) In the mail were two books which I had ordered from Green Earth Books—an Amazon Marketplace reseller—Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy and The Merchant of Death by D J MacHale. I also received two packages from book swappers who play over at BookObsessed. LoriPed sent me Whack 'n' Roll by Gail Oust, and AM10000 sent me Perfume by Patrick Suskind.

By Friday, the conference was winding down and I was looking forward to a week's vacation as we drove home to Texas. Hubby drives and I read. It's a wonderful partnership. I worked very late on Thursday night and during one of the early morning breaks, I prepared and uploaded my Book Blogger Hop post for the weekend. This was a good thing because between the final meetings of the conference, checking out of the hotel and taking off up I-5, I didn't have much chance to get online the rest of the day. I did, however, get to spend a couple of hours in dedicated reading time as hubby navigated the Los Angeles traffic.

Saturday was a very lucrative day when it comes to acquiring books! First, there were the books which arrived in the mail. My fellow BookCrosser, Fotini, sent me three books. First was The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber, a book which I had selected from the Paranormal VBB at BookObsessed. The second was a book that I have had listed as a wishlist book for quite a while, Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair. And the third was the sequel to Gabriel's Ghost, Shades of Dark. Fotini said, "because you can't stop reading after #1 in the series." Then, around mid-afternoon, I dropped in at Bucket of Books, a used book store in Atascadero which I had read about at Lisa's blog earlier in the week. I really tried to be good, but wound up buying seven books: The Seventh Witch by Shirley Damsgaard, Triple Witch and Wreck the Halls by Sarah Graves, Obernewtyn and The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody, Quaker Testimony by Irene Allen, and Real Murders by Charlaine Harris.

Web Visits This Week

From the Teaser Tuesday site, I visited a couple of the participants whose comments were next to mine in the sign-ups for Teaser Tuesday. The comment/link immediately above mine was from Lisa at Lisa Is A Bookworm. Lisa's teaser came from Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake, a western romance novel which she was reading on her Kindle. I left a comment saying, "Hi Lisa. I made the comment immediately under yours at MizB's site, so of course it is appropriate for me to hop over here to see what you are reading. I think my mother would have really enjoyed this book. It's not really my style, but it does look like a good one. And, I should really compliment you on reading on your Kindle. I just finished reading a mystery novel on my Kindle." And, the comment immediately below mine was by Lisa-Marie at this little life of mine. Her teaser came from Funerals for Horses by Catherine Ryan Hyde. In her blog post, she mentioned a favorite used book store—Bucket of Books in Atascadero. Since we were nearby, I stopped in there on Saturday afternoon. After getting back to my hotel, I left a comment on her blog saying "So -- I popped in here to read your post on Tuesday and noticed your mention of Bucket of Books in Atascadero. Well, I knew I was going to be near there this weekend, so I stopped in this afternoon. Wow! The woman who runs the shop is amazing. Wish I lived nearby so I could shop there often. I picked up 6 or 7 books and had to restrain myself from buying a lot more. Thanks for cluing me in about it."

I got very busy on Wednesday and Thursday—even though I took a few minutes to write my own WWW...Wednesday and Booking Through Thursday posts, I didn't have much time to visit any other sites. And, since Book Blogger Hop goes on through tomorrow, I'm going to be visiting a couple of places today and tomorrow and may loop back to check on a couple of other bloggers who participated in the other two events.

Book Blooger Hop: 4-8 March 2011

2011-03-04T01:41:00.000-06:00

As the weekend approaches, it's time for another Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books. This week's question comes from Mia who blogs at Girl About Books: “Who's your all-time favorite book villain?”

Hmmmm... I'm not sure about a “favorite” villain. By definition, a villain isn't someone you're likely to favor—he (or she) is the bad guy. I can't think of a villain that I can claim as a favorite at all.

Jennifer, however, mentioned Gretchen Lowell from Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. While I cannot claim Gretchen as a favorite villain, she is likely to be the most memorable villain of any that I have encountered in my reading. So much so that I don't think I can face the prospect of reading any more books in the series. Heartsick was the most disturbing book I have ever read. (And no, I haven't read Silence of the Lambs and I don't intend to!)

So, even though I couldn't come up with an answer to the question as it was posed, it was definitely one that made me think.

BTT: Cheating

2011-03-03T13:55:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday and Deb has posted another Booking Through Thursday prompt. This week, bloggers are asked:

Do you cheat and peek at the ends of books? (Come on, be honest.)

Before I sat down to write my answer, I read the first 6 or so responses to today's question. Interestingly, a couple of people seemed to react the same way that I did to the question. To answer the question as asked, I have to admit that I rarely jump to the back of the book. I have done so once or twice, but it is very rare that I will look ahead.

But my reaction to the question is to bristle a bit at the negative implication that peeking at the end of a book would constitute “cheating”. Unless you're reading a book for a course and your instructor has forbidden you to read ahead of the rest of the students so that everyone will have exactly the same knowledge of the story so far when it comes to assignments or class discussions, then what would it matter if you read the last couple of the pages of the book out of order? Would the poser of the question consider it “cheating” if you read a review of the book? What about reading reviews (or even the book jackets) of subsequent books in a series?

I agree with the other bloggers who have commented that reading isn't a competitive sport where the playing field has to be absolutely even. Nope. Reading is entertainment. I feel free to pick up the remote control and fast-forward through a movie and I feel the same freedom to skim passages, or skip ahead in a book that I'm reading. I'm not accountable to anyone but myself for how I read and I don't have a rule that says I must read every word in the order they appear in the book.

WWW...Wednesday: 2 March 2011

2011-03-02T12:23:00.001-06:00

So, two weeks in a row I am posting a response to MizB's WWW ... WEDNESDAY meme from her Should be Reading blog. She asks three simple questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

1: As predicted in last week's WWW...Wednesday post, I'm now reading Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler. I actually started reading Full Dark House last Thursday. About 150 pages in, I set it aside to gobble up one of J D Robb's “...in Death” mysteries, but now I'm actively reading Full Dark House again. I uploaded a short introduction to the book in yesterday's Teaser Tuesday post, so check it out if you're interested.

And yes, I'm still listening to Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn and reading Honor Among Enemies by David Weber.

2: I finished reading Michele Richmond's No One You Know on Thursday, 24 February. I'll be sending that book to a fellow BookCrossing member. Although I had already started reading Full Dark House, I decided to give myself a treat and pulled out Memory in Death by J D Robb. (Robb is a pseudonym used by prolific author Nora Roberts, by the way.) This is #22—of 34—in her “...in Death” mystery series starring NYC police detective Eve Dallas. They are set in the near future of the 2050s, so she throws in the occasional reference to off-planet settlements, but everything still feels normal and not science-fictionish at all.

3: I'm about to change my mind as to which book will be the next one up. I'd really love to start reading High Stakes by Erin McCarthy, but I don't have the second book in the series available and I'm thinking I'd prefer to read the first three books in that series back-to-back. So now I'm leaning toward reading Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. My mother-in-law recently returned it to me and she was raving about what a good book it was—and she's sometimes difficult to please—so that's a great recommendation for me. And, if I change my mind again, you can see what I did decide if you'll check back here next Wednesday.

Please join us with your own WWW...Wednesday post. Tell us what you're reading, what you've recently read and what you plan to read next and then hop over to MizB's site and link your blog post up with all the others.

Teaser Tuesday: 1 March 2011

2011-03-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

Another Tuesday, another Teaser. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. This week, I'd like to share a teaser from Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler.

Although he had barely met her, it was the idea of bad luck befalling someone in the theatre that disturbed him. Acts of betrayal and revenge unfolded nightly beneath the proscenium arch, but something like this, with police and doctors spiriting away a covered body, felt like an ill omen.

Full Dark House is the first of a series of mystery novels detailing the cases solved by the Peculiar Crimes Unit in London. Since I'm less than half-way through the book, I still haven't figured out what spin is going to be placed on “Peculiar”. In one sense, PCU takes on cases which may be too difficult or intense or complicated for the regular police—sort of a British version of “Special Victims Unit”. But there are hints of the paranormal floating around, so maybe “Peculiar” has an entirely different meaning. I'm sure that all will be revealed by the end of the book, and then I have at least seven more cases to review and the ninth volume in the series will be released in September.

Anyone can play along on Teaser Tuesday! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

K3 - and a green cover

2011-02-26T23:31:00.000-06:00

Did I mention that I upgraded from the Kindle 1 to a Kindle 3? During the two and a half years that I used my first generation Kindle, 93 of the 351 books that I read during that time were read on the Kindle. I was totally happy with the K1 and was not even tempted when Amazon brought out the 2nd generation. But then came the announcement of the third generation reader which had WiFi connectivity and I knew I wanted it. I only thought about it for a very short while before making up my mind. On 1 August 2010, I placed my order for one of the new 3G + WiFi Kindles—in black!

To top it off, I bought one of the lighted covers in green. It's wonderful. The light pulls out of the top corner of the cover, and it draws its power from the Kindle itself. So when I fall asleep while reading and the Kindle puts itself into stand-by mode, the light turns off too. Now that's convenient for reading in bed.

The first book I read on my new device was The Outsider by Ann H Gabhart. This was a freebie offered in July 2010 by the publisher, Revell. This book was very well written—a good plot, believable characters, and a great setting—unlike many of the free books that I have picked up along the way. Here's how the book is described at Amazon:

For as long as she can remember, Gabrielle Hope has had the gift of knowing—visions that warn of things to come. When she and her mother joined the Pleasant Hill Shaker community in 1807, the community embraced her gift. But Gabrielle fears this gift, for the visions are often ones of sorrow and tragedy. When one of these visions comes to pass, a local doctor must be brought in to save the life of a young man, setting into motion a chain of events that will challenge Gabrielle's loyalty to the Shakers. As she falls deeper into a forbidden love for this man of the world, Gabrielle must make a choice. Can she experience true happiness in this simple and chaste community? Or will she abandon her brothers and sisters for a life of the unknown? Soulful and filled with romance, The Outsider lets readers live within a bygone time among a unique and peculiar people. This tender and thought-provoking story will leave readers wanting more from this writer.

The reviewer made an excellent observation. When I finished reading it, I knew that I would be getting additional books by Ms. Gabhart at some time in the future.

Since finishing The Outsider in September 2010, I have read 10 other books on the new Kindle. The most recently finished book was Flag in Exile by David Weber. This is the fifth book in his Honor Harrington series, all of which can be purchased without DRM from WebScription.net

As Flag in Exile begins, Honor has been forced into indefinite leave from the Royal Manticoran Navy and has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds. But the People's Republic of Haven is threatening Grayson, and the Grayson Navy desperately needs her experience.

There's this little problem however, that Grayson is a culture totally dominated by men. The population has been having enough trouble accepting that for the first time in history, a woman has been appointed Steadholder. Now, they're being asked to adjust to the fact that a woman will be going to war and will be leading the defense of Grayson.

A totally enjoyable addition to the Honorverse, and I've already started reading the sequel, Honor Among Enemies.

Book Blooger Hop: 25-28 February 2011

2011-02-25T08:27:00.000-06:00

It's definitely time that I returned to participation in the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books. Her question of the week comes from Jen B. who blogs at I Read Banned Books

Jen's question asks, “Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?”

I have to say that I'm very happy with the title I finally settled on. “Reading in Texas” is definitely appropriate. Of course, should I ever move, it would no longer apply and I'd have to think about changing the title. Fortunately, the URLs which lead to my blog do not contain the word “Texas” so it would be pretty easy to change the title at the top of the page!

It appears to me that most of the hoppers share my answer—they like the title of their blogs. Now that I've posted about the Hop, it's time to go bound around the blogosphere and see what other reader-bloggers have been reading.

BTT: Something Old, Something New

2011-02-24T15:02:00.001-06:00

It's Thursday, so that means it's time for another Booking Through Thursday prompt. This week, bloggers are asked:

All other things being equal–do you prefer used books? Or new books? (The physical speciman, that is, not the title.) Does your preference differentiate between a standard kind of used book, and a pristine, leather-bound copy?

I'm basically cheap. I prefer used books—second-hand, half-price, BookMooched, and swapped. Most books I'm only going to read one time, so if I read a used book, it has cost me quite a bit less. And, because I actively swap books, I pass along my books (after reading) to someone else.

When searching for the right link to use to Amazon's used book Marketplace, Google took me to a lot of sites—including Amazon—with information on selling and buying used textbooks. Which started me thinking about my textbooks back when I was a student. I always bought a new book if it was available, and I tried to sell my books back to the bookstore, griping about how little they were willing to pay me for my book. When it came to textbooks, I really didn't want any else's notes, highlighting, or underlining taking my attention from the text itself. And, I rarely marked in my books, so whomever was lucky enough to buy one of my second-hand ones got a good deal indeed.

I have a couple of books that I have tagged as “Permanent Collection“, but I haven't purposely bought brand-new books just because I plan on keeping them. The basic consideration is the condition of the book. And, I'm counting on being able to find another copy if I ever need to replace one of those books.

As I commented when I posted this link over at Booking Through Thursday, “For me, it’s all about the story, not the package that the story is in. I buy used in preference to new, and electronic if that’s cheaper than used.”

WWW...Wednesday: 23 February 2011

2011-02-23T07:30:00.001-06:00

It's been a month since I last posted a response to MizB's WWW ... WEDNESDAY meme from her Should be Reading blog. She asks three simple questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

1: Yesterday morning, I started reading No One You Know by Michelle Richmond. When I headed to bed last night, I was just starting Chapter 10. Note that these are short chapters, and there are 40 of them in 306 pages. I expect I'll finish this book on Thursday or Friday. On my Blackberry, I'm now reading Honor Among Enemies by David Weber, the sixth novel in his Honor Harrington series of military SF. I sporadically read on my Blackberry, so I can't predict whether it will take me months and months to finish this book or whether I'll get so wrapped up in it that I finish it off quickly. And, in audio, I'm still listening to Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn. I'm now ready to start listening to disk 8 the next time I must drive myself around.

2: There's no point in listing all the books which I have finished reading since my last WWW...Wednesday post. I keep the list of books read in 2011 up-to-date, serving as a reminder to me as well as anyone who follows this blog. These are the four books which I most recently read: Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley; The Second Wife by Elizabeth Buchan; Cruel Intent by J A Jance; and Trial By Fire by J A Jance. The first two are books which I have promised to book swappers at BookObsessed, and the other two are books #4 and #5 in Jance's mystery series starring Ali Reynolds. I'm sure I'll wind up sending them to a BookObsessor or BookCrosser, but it was quite fun to read a book just because I wanted to and not because it was owed to someone.

3: Next up most likely will be Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler or High Stakes by Erin McCarthy. Both are the first book of a series and I do have at least one other book in each series so if I'm totally entranced I can keep reading about the same characters. I'm sort of leaning toward High Stakes because I think it's going to be a lot more light-hearted and I may really need some cheering up after I finish reading No One You Know

Teaser Tuesday: 22 February 2011

2011-02-22T16:55:00.000-06:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. My teaser today comes from page 30 in No One You Know by Michelle Richmond. I'm not far enough into the book to even describe it—other than repeating the blurb from the back cover. I can tell you, however, that while it is a novel about a murder, it isn't a typical mystery novel at all.

My mother was always supportive, and nothing would have pleased her more than to have many fronts on which to praise me. But while Lila's intellectual gifts made her a magnet for spontaneous and genuine praise, I knew our mother had to work a little harder with me.

From the back cover:

All her life Ellie Enderlin had been known as Lila’s sister—until the day Lila, a top math student at Stanford, was murdered, and the shape of their family changed forever. Twenty years later, Ellie is a professional coffee buyer who has never put down roots. When, in a chance meeting, she comes into possession of the notebook that Lila carried everywhere, Ellie returns home to finally discover the truth about her sister’s death—a search that will lead her to Lila’s secret lover, to the motives and fate of a man who profited from their family’s grief, and ultimately to the deepest secrets even sisters keep from each other. From the bestselling author of The Year of Fog (“Highly recommended [for fans of] authors like Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard.”—Library Journal, starred review), this is a riveting family drama about loss, love, and the way hope redefines our lives—a novel at once heartbreaking, provocative, and impossible to put down.

Anyone can play along on Teaser Tuesday! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Reviews: The Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

2011-02-20T15:40:00.002-06:00

The Gideon Trilogy tells the story of two young teens, Peter Schock and Kate Dyer, who are catapulted back to the 18th century due to a chance encounter with an anti-gravity machine. The first book, The Time Travelers, is set both the present and 1763. Fortunately, upon arrival in the past the teens are befriended by Gideon Seymour, a reformed cutpurse now in service to the Byng family of Derbyshire. As The Time Travelers ends, Kate's father has located the kids and attempts to bring them home—unfortunately, Peter is left behind.

Book two, The Time Thief, begins as Kate and her father return to the present, but instead of Peter being with them, they brought back the Tar Man, a criminal from 1763. While the Tar Man quickly adjusts to modern-day London and embarks on a crime-spree, Kate and Peter's father attempt to return to 1763 to rescue Peter. But, a flaw in the time machine deposits them in 1792, in which they encounter a grown-up Peter.

The final book, The Time Quake, ties up the lost ends. Not only is Peter rescued from 1793 and returned to his own time and family, but we learn that due to splintering of the time line, another version of Peter remains behind to grow into the young man who encounters Kate and his father in 1792.

I don't remember when I picked up a copy of The Time Travelers, but in June, I offered it in the Teen VBB (Virtual Book Box) at BookObsessed and in August, it was selected by Melissa in Kansas. Although the rules of the VBB allowed me until 28 February to get it into the mail to her, I decided to deliver it in person in December. That did, however, mean that I hadn't finished reading it before I turned it over to her. So, I asked my library to locate a copy—which they very quickly did—allowing me to finish reading it before the end of the year. Having such success with the library, I had them order in the other two books in the trilogy, and I was able to finish the series by the end of January.

The two books which I read in January are counting toward the TwentyEleven Challenge as well as the 42 Challenge.

Book Beginnings, 18 Feb 2011

2011-02-18T18:18:00.003-06:00

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme sponsored by Katy at A Few More Pages. Here's what you do: share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section . Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and if you liked or did not like that sentence. Link-up each week at Katy's place.

I'm currently reading The Second Wife by Elizabeth Buchan. It begins:

On my Wedding day, I got dressed in a red silk full skirt, to hide my ten-weeks pregnant figure, and a black jacket. For a considerable time I hovered in front of the mirror in the cramped bedroom of my flat, fiddling with the lie of the skirt, adjusting my makeup and wishing I could wear high heels, but pregnancy made my feet hurt.

In January, 2004, I read Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Buchan. It's the story of Rose, a 40-ish woman whose husband leaves her just as she is fired from her job. Turns out her assistant Minty gets both the job and the husband. The "revenge" in the title referred to Rose's transformation from depression to a competent and confidently independent woman.

Now, in The Second Wife, Buchan continues the story of the fractured family, but from the point of view of the other woman, Minty.

It must have been a real challenge to write Minty as deserving of sympathy and admiration when she was so clearly the villain in the earlier book—self-centered and calculating. But Buchan carries it off deftly. Don't just read one of these books—read them both.

2011 Challenges: the first update

2011-02-13T16:31:00.000-06:00

So, six weeks into this new year, how much progress have I been making on the challenges that I accepted? While I don't post enough items to the blog itself, I am doing a pretty good job in keeping the challenges status page up to date.

Starting with the first challenge that I accepted—TwentyEleven Challenge—you can see that I have completed two categories completely, meaning that I've read four of the twenty required books.

For the 42 Challenge, while I have completed 6 of 42 items, I have written reviews of only one. I need to buckle down and get those reviews written and posted either here or elsewhere so that I can cross them off my “to do” list.

The same situation exists with the Mystery and Suspense Challenge. Knowing that I would read many more than the target of 12 books, I extended the challenge a bit by charging myself to read and report on 12 books that fall into separate sub-genres. So, while I've read a total of 6 mysteries this year, only 4 of them will be counted toward this particular challenge. And yes, I need to get all the reviews posted.

Now where I'm making the most progress is in the Book Bucket Reading Challenge—where I'm attempting to work my way through books that were in my possession long before the year began. So far, I've completed 8 of the 50 books that I listed in late December. All-in-all, I'd say I'm making progress toward this goal and I definitely expect to complete the challenge well before the end of the year.

That leaves me with a couple of challenges that I haven't made much progress toward. The one that I think is going to give me the most trouble is the Take A Chance Challenge. Not only have I not read any books for this challenge, I've not even begun to make plans for adding any books into my reading schedule which would count toward this goal. Oh well, the year is young. I have a road trip coming up at the beginning of March, and I know I'll get a lot of reading done then. I'll just need to find one or two books which will help me meet this challenge and put them into my traveling library.

Mysteries!

2011-01-23T21:01:00.000-06:00

With January 2/3 of the way over, I've read 5 mysteries and 4 books in other genres. This is about normal for me, as about 50% of all the books I read are mysteries of one kind or another.

Having signed up for the Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge 2011, I'm challenged to not only read mysteries, but post reviews of what I'm reading. And, with the large number of mysteries that I will have read by the end of the year, my personal challenge is to read 12 mysteries from 12 different sub-genres. There are lots of ways to subdivide mysteries into sub-genres, so I'm going to use the list posted by Book City Chick.

The first book which I counted toward this challenge was Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell, which I reviewed on 7 January. I have two others to claim toward completion of the challenge, so let's get on with the reviews: Read more »

WWW...Wednesday: 12 January 2011

2011-01-12T19:33:00.001-06:00

I'm pleased to post my response to MizB's WWW ... WEDNESDAY meme from her Should be Reading blog. She asks three simple questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

1: Yesterday, I started a new cozy mystery, Killer Hair by Ellen Byerrum, which I featured in yesterday's Teaser Tuesday post. I'm now solidly in the middle of chapter 4 and enjoying it very much. On my Blackberry, I'm reading Field of Dishonor by David Weber, the fourth novel in his Honor Harrington series of military SF. Since I infrequently read on my Blackberry, it's likely to be several months before I finish this book. And, in audio, I'm listening to Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn, a prequel to her Tales of the Otori trilogy. Like with books on the Blackberry, it will take me several months to finish reading this book—I only listen to audio books when I'm driving and alone in the car.

2: Yesterday morning, I finished reading Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase. This Paranormal Romance had a very interesting set of characters and I enjoyed most of the book except for the sex scenes. I know that there's a very large audience for the more explicit romance novels, but I'm not too fond of them. But, since this book actually had a good plot going and enjoyable charcters, I decided to go ahead and finish reading it. I don't know if I'm going to read the others in the series, though.

3: Next up is The Time Thief by Linda Buckley-Archer. I checked it out from my local library on Saturday, so I need to read it quickly and return it.

Teaser Tuesday: 11 January 2011

2011-01-11T14:03:00.000-06:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. My teaser comes from Killer Hair by Ellen Byerrum, first in her Crimes of Fashion mystery series. The opening paragraph of this book was so hysterically funny that I chose to share it instead of a random quote.

Lacey Smithsonian looked down at the unfortunate woman in the coffin and thought, Oh my God, that is the worst haircut I've ever seen.

What makes this quote so funny is that the deceased young woman was herself a hairdresser—or should I say "stylist"? When the police found Angie Woods dead with a drastic haircut and a razor in her hand, they assumed that she had committed suicide over the disastrous result. But, this wouldn't be a proper mystery if that were all there were to the story. Of course Angie was murdered, and it falls to fashion columnist Lacey Smithsonian to track down who did it and why.

Pick up a copy of Killer Hair if you want a riotously funny read. And, researching the book online, I found that it was made into a movie by Lifetime. On the web page for the movie, they indicate that it's not on the schedule for the next 6 weeks, but I'm hoping to catch it if they show it again.

Now, anyone can play along on Teaser Tuesday! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Review: Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

2011-01-07T21:25:00.002-06:00

Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell
Andy Brazil Series #1

Pages: 438
Started: 1 Jan 2011
Finished: 4 Jan 2011
First Published: 1996
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Mystery, police procedural
My Rating: 3/5

Acquired: Received from Lori at BookCrossing.

Disposition: Will be sent to Ramson who selected from a Virtual Book Box at BookObsessed.com.

First paragraph:

That morning, summer sulked and gathered darkly over Charlotte, and heat shimmered on pavement. Traffic teemed, people pushing forward to promise as they drove through new construction, and the past was bulldozed away. The USBank Corporate Center soared sixty stories above downtown, topped by a crown that looked like organ pipes playing a hymn to the god of money. This was a city of ambition and change. It had grown so fast, it could not always find its own streets. Like a boy in puberty, it was rapidly unfolding and clumsy at times, and a little too full of what its original settlers had called pride.

In a drastic departure from her acclaimed Kay Scarpetta series, Cornwell introduces a new cast of characters. This time, the setting is Charlotte, North Carolina.

A serial murderer is preying on out-of-town businessmen, and the pressure is on Police Chief Judy Hammer and her deputy chief, Virginia West, to solve the crimes and put an end to the killings before adverse publicity begins to affect the economy of the area. Andy Brazil, son of a murdered policeman, aspires to write award-winning news stories and has trained as a police volunteer in order to get assigned to the crime beat. Hammer and West are not happy when the editor of The Charlotte Observer newspaper requests that Brazil be allowed to ride along with the police on their regular patrols.

My thoughts:
This was an entertaining, but awkwardly written, story. The lead characters were all flawed and while this could have made them more realistic, too much time is spent inside each character's head as they examine their own motives throughout the book. Brazil suffers from a serious inferiority complex and seems particularly vulnerable and childish; Hammer is a high achiever, but distressed by the state of her marriage as her obese husband spirals ever deeper into depression; and West is simply tempermental and annoying. As if this weren't enough, Cornwell tells part of the story from the point of view of West's cat! The characters had lots of promise, the plot was decent, but the execution was just not well done at all.

I read to the end, and I'm willing to read the next book in the series, so I'm giving this a 3 out of 5 rating. I've read worse.

This book is counting toward the Book Bucket and Mystery/Suspense challenges.

42 Challenge #1 - EscapePod Episode 272

2011-01-03T17:02:00.004-06:00

Episode 272: Christmas Wedding written by Vylar Kaftan and read by Mur Lafferty.

In a time immediately following the catastrophic explosion at Yellowstone, a small group of people have banded together for protection and community, attempting to create a new "normal" in a world where everything has gone wrong. And what's more normal than a wedding?

This was a sweet short story in which the post-apocalyptic setting is merely incidental. It was a pleasant way to spend an hour—well, 57 minutes and 2 seconds to be exact. The reader's voice was easy to listen to and she deftly handled the transitions to and from the flashbacks in the story.

I've been downloading the weekly podcasts from EscapePod for quite some time, but haven't taken the time to listen to many of them. So, to kick off my participation in the 42 Challenge, I decided to listen to this episode posted on 23 December.

This short story first appeared in Warrior Wisewoman, an anthology of science fiction published by Norilana Books in June 2008. Book cover below links to the book at Amazon.

2010: A Reading Retrospective

2011-01-01T23:10:00.000-06:00

It's time to summarize another year's reading. I have all the details dutifully recorded in a text file on my laptop. Periodically, I have posted that same list in a more web-friendly format at The Books of 2010. The simple facts: I read 160 books with a total of 51,296 pages. (Or page-equivalents. For electronic books or audio books, I use the page count from the mass-market paperback.) This is just a bit more than in 2009 when I read 138 books and 46,515 pages.

Now, what else do I know? Well, statistics say that this is an average of 13 books per month, 4275 pages per month, and 320 pages per book. My records tell me that I read the most books in December, with 18 books completed and the fewest in June with 8 books. Page-wise, I read 5906 pages in December and only 2034 in June. The shortest book I read was Five Have a Mystery to Solve by Enid Blyton, a young adult mystery with only 141 pages, while the longest book was a science fiction novel, Regenesis by C J Cherryh, which weighed in at 682 pages.

I read 126 books printed on paper, 26 in electronic format, and 7 unabridged audio books. By genre, there were 48 mysteries, 44 paranormal and urban fantasy (PUF), 19 science fiction, 14 classic fantasy, 12 romance and chick lit, 9 historical fiction, 4 mainstream novels, 2 Christian fiction, and 4 non-fiction books.

What's surprising is the drastic increase in PUF books. For a lady who barely read fantasy at all 4 years ago, this is an amazing change.

Challenge Accepted: Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2011

2011-01-01T14:06:00.001-06:00

Carolyn at Book Chick City is again sponsoring her Mystery Suspense Challenge. When my reading pal, Shaunesay, over at BookObsessed posted that she had signed up, I figured I'd go look and see what the challenge was all about. I had thought I was finished selecting challenges and now just needed to start reading. But this one was tempting because Carolyn is offering prizes to the participants.

That's right—read a minimum of 12 mystery or suspense novels in 2011 and win prizes! Now, how hard could that be? Particularly since I've read more than 40 mysteries every year that I've kept track. Now I tend not to sign up for challenges where the outcome is a slam-dunk, but this challenge has Prizes!

Here are the specifics on how this challenge works:

* Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011
* Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)
* You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
* You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

And the prizes? To start with, signing up for the challenge gets you an Advanced Readers Copy of The Survivor, a debut novel by Sean Slater, due to be published in March 2011. And then, Carolyn promised further prizes, courtesy of Simon & Schuster, throughout the year. Now I ask you—how could I possibly pass up this challenge?

If you want to join me in this challenge, just click the icon at the top of this post or over in my sidebar. I'll be looking to see what you're reading this year. You can follow my progress on my 2011 Challenge progress page.

Update @ 20:00: I've decided that since I read more than 40 mysteries for the past 6 years or more, I'm going to use Carolyn's sub-genre categories and each of the 12 books I'll count toward this challenge will come from a different sub-genre.

Challenge Accepted: Show Me the Free Challenge

2010-12-30T23:33:00.001-06:00

Now this challenge is really something different. Missie at The Unread Reader asks two questions: "Do you have an e-Reader?" and "Do you download lots of free books?" And then she goes on to challenge us to not just collect the free books but to actually read them. Thus she is sponsoring Show Me the Free Challenge. Taken directly from her site, this is the description of the challenge.

Here is how it works:

Should you choose to participate in this challenge, your goal is to read at least twelve (12) legally obtained e-books which you got for FREE for your e-reading device. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit.
Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.
Any E-Reader will work for this challenge, including: iPad, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, enTourage. Please Note: If you don't have an e-reading device, you can still join in with Amazon's Free Kindle Reading Apps which you can download for your iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Blackberry and more.
The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. You can join at anytime.
e-books in ANY genre count for this challenge as long as it was FREE at the time that you downloaded it.
Every month in 2011, I will make a post for the Show Me The Free Reading Challenge so you can link your reviews.
Those that link their reviews will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a different prize each month, such as an Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card, a bookmark, or a GelaSkins for your E-Reader. Winners will be announced at the end of each month.

Challenge Guidelines:

If you blog, create a post announcing your participation in the challenge. Please include a link back to this post.
Non blogger must publish reviews on some type of public domain such as Goodreads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble to enter the monthly giveaway.
When you post your book review, you MUST say how you obtained the free read. Please make your source clear.
You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them.
Crossovers to other reading challenges is acceptable, but galley e-books DO NOT count. Again, this is a Reading Challenge to read as many of the FREE e-books legally offered for your e-reader. To get started, check out the Top 100 Free books on Amazon, or the Free e-books on Barnes & Noble.
Any linked reviews that do not meet the guidelines will not be entered into the monthly drawing for the prize of the month.

Levels:

Coupon Clipper: 12 Books
Penny Pincher: 24 Books
Super Saver: 30+ Books

Once again, I'll invite any of you to join me in this challenge. Sign up and then leave me a comment if you've discovered this challenge through my blog. I look forward to reading your reviews.

Challenge Accepted: Take a Chance Challenge

2010-12-30T22:39:00.001-06:00

Yeah, I'm signing up for yet another challenge in 2011. This one is just so intriguing that I couldn't pass it up.

Jenners at Life ...with Books is challenging readers to step outside of their usual comfort area and take a chance on finding a good book through unusual or random ways. Here's her explanation of the challenge:

Basic Information

The concept of the challenge is to take chances with your reading by finding books to read in unusual or random ways. I’ve listed 10 different ways to find books below. Feel free to complete at many as you want. However, anyone completing all 10 challenges by December 31, 2011 will be entered in a prize drawing to win a book of their choice from Amazon.
The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 until December 31, 2011.
Crossover books from other challenges is fine. You can read books in any format.
On January 1, 2011, I will post pages for each of the 10 challenges so you can link up your completed posts.

The 2011 Challenges

Staff Member’s Choice: Go to a bookstore or library that has a “Staff Picks” section. Read one of the picks from that section.
Loved One’s Choice: Ask a loved one to pick a book for you to read. (If you can convince them to buy it for you, that is even better!)
Blogger’s Choice: Find a “Best Books Read” post from a favorite blogger. Read a book from their list.
Critic’s Choice: Find a “Best of the Year” list from a magazine, newspaper or professional critic. Read a book from their Top 10 list.
Blurb Book: Find a book that has a blurb on it from another author. Read a book by the author that wrote the blurb.
Book Seer Pick: Go to The Book Seer and follow the instructions there. Read a book from the list it generates for you.
What Should I Read Next Pick: Go to What Should I Read Next and follow the instructions there. Read a book from the list it generates for you.
Which Book Pick: Go to Which Book and use the software to generate a list of books. Read a book from that list.
LibraryThing Pick: Go to LibraryThing’s Zeitgeist page. Look at the lists for 25 Most Reviewed Books or Top Books and pick a book you’ve never read. Read the book. (Yes … you can click on MORE if you have to.)
Pick A Method: Pick a method for finding a book from the choices listed below (used in previous versions of the challenge).
- Random Book Selection. Go to the library. Position yourself in a section such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Children (whatever section you want). Then write down random directions for yourself (for example, third row, second shelf, fifth book from right). Follow your directions and see what book you find. Check that book out of the library, read it and then write about it. (If you prefer, you can do the same at a bookstore and buy the book!)
- Public Spying. Find someone who is reading a book in public. Find out what book they are reading and then read the same book. Write about it.
- Random Bestseller. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2010 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it.

Sign-ups can take place at any time over at It's Back: Take a Chance Challenge 3. Feel free to join me!

As with the other challenges that I'm taking on for 2011, I'm going to track my progress at 2011 Challenges.

Reading Charlaine Harris

2010-12-30T20:55:00.000-06:00

And now for something a little bit different…

I just finished reading From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris. As I added it to my list of books read in 2010, I realized that the last four books I read were all by Charlaine Harris. First off, I read the final two books in her Harper Connolly series. (Well, I assume that they're the final two as the last book tied up all the loose ends.) Then I read numbers 7 & 8 in her Sookie Stackhouse series.

A quick review of these books:

An Ice Cold Grave, Harper Connolly #3.

Harper and her step-brother Tolliver Lang are asked to travel to a small town in North Carolina and attempt to locate the bodies of young men once thought to be runaways, but now suspected to be victims of a serial killer. (Since she was struck by lightning when she was 15, Harper has been able to locate bodies and know the cause of death.) Sure enough, she quickly locates the property on which eight bodies are buried, but things just get worse. Forbidden to leave the area until the police are satisfied that they have all the information they need, Harper is attacked and injured, further delaying their departure. Which means she and Tolliver are dragged into the investigation to discover the killer.

Grave Secret, Harper Connolly #4.

By the time I finished reading An Ice Cold Grave, I was a little bit weirded out. I found that book to be quite distressing and I almost didn't continue on with the fourth book. But I'm really glad that I did. In this fourth book—which appears to be a conclusion to the series—Harper and Tolliver have traveled back to Texas to visit their younger half-sisters. On the way there, they stop off near their hometown of Texarkana for a quick job with a very wealthy family who asks for confirmation that the family patriarch really died of natural causes. And thus the stage is set to tie up a number of loose ends which have been dangling through the entire series.

I have to say that this was a very good series and I'm sad to see that it might be ending. In a field cluttered with any number of paranormal novels, Harper's talent was unique. Not only that, but Harris explored more thoroughly the implications and repercussions of such a talent on Harper and her manager/step-brother Tolliver. I would be delighted if Harris chooses to reprise this heroine.

On to Sookie.

All Together Dead, Sookie Stackhouse #7.

In this seventh book starring the telepathic barmaid from Bon Temps, Louisiana, Sookie travels to Rhodes (on the shore of Lake Michigan) to assist Sophie-Anne Leclerq (Vampire Queen of Louisiana) at a regional summit of the vampire leadership. Not only is there plotting and positioning (and murder and mayhem) among the vampire attendees, but the Fellowship of the Sun is protesting the presence of the vampires. Sookie has her own problems, too. She detests Bill, is wary of Eric, and is falling for Quinn—and all three are vying for her attention there in Rhodes. As a full-on battle ensues, Sookie is right in the middle.

Looking back through my reading records, I see that I read the previous book, Definitely Dead, in October 2009. One reason I hadn't read any further in the series was that I didn't have a copy of All Together Dead until June of this year. But that's not a very good excuse, since I could have gotten a copy any time I wanted. I think the real reason that I wasn't pushing too hard to read any more about Sookie is that I was simply annoyed with her and her whining. But once I started reading this book, I realized that she wasn't whiney at all—at least not in the books. It's the characterization in True Blood on HBO that I'm so annoyed with. And it's a shame that I let the video production interfere with my enjoyment of the books. I'm so over that now.

From Dead to Worse, Sookie Stackhouse #8.

And thus on to Sookie's eighth adventure. After the bombing, fires, and deaths at the end of All Together Dead, all the major characters are simply trying to get everything back to normal. Sophie-Anne is recuperating from injuries received in Rhodes and her now-expanded territory is being managed by the sherriffs of Louisiana and Arkansas. Sookie last saw Quinn, her weretiger boyfriend, in the hospital in Rhodes and she hasn't been able to contact him. And then, she's invited to supper in Shreveport where she meets her great-grandfather, a fairy prince. As Sookie is learning more about her family and its history, powerful vampires in other parts of the country are moving in on Louisiana, wresting the area from Sophie-Anne. Not to be undone, there's a major coup among the weres. And, as is to be expected, Sookie is squarely in the middle of all this trouble.

I really enjoyed both of these books and I'm eager to get my hands on Dead and Gone so I can see what happens next.

Challenge Accepted: Book Bucket Reading Challenge

2010-12-30T07:41:00.002-06:00

In an attempt to whittle down the massive TBR stacks in my house, I'm joining the 2011 Book Bucket Reading Challenge hosted by Bookworm_Lisa. She says, "I have decided that for 2011, I will read 50 of the books that have been sitting on my 'to read' shelf for too long, some for three years or more," and she invites other readers to join her with their own commitments, whether 10, 50, or some other number.

So I've gone through a small portion of my TBR stacks—both paper and electronic—and put together a list of 50 books that will be the ones I read to complete this challenge in 2011. They are:

Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell
A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris
Killer Hair by Ellen Byerrum
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
No One You Know by Michelle Richmond
Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict by Emily Brightwell
Death's Daughter by Amber Benson
The Know-It-All by A J Jacobs
Ghost of a Chance by Simon R Green
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
The Second Wife by Elizabeth Buchan
Inhuman Resources by Jes Battis
The Second Silence by Eileen Goudge
The Myth of You & Me by Leah Stewart
Urban Shaman by C E Murphy
Spellbent by Lucy A Snyder
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
A Wolverine is Eating My Leg by Tim Cahill
The Morning Show Murders by Al Roker
The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik
Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn
A Bicycle Built for Murder by Kate Kingsbury
Something from the Nightside by Simon R Green
The Long-Lost Map by Ulysses Moore
The Door to Time by Ulysses Moore
Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn
Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander
Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur
The Sporting Club by Sinclair Browning
Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
Dead Guilty by Beverly Connor
The Alpine Decoy by Mary Daheim
Running from the Deity by Alan Dean Foster
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton
The Mutant Prime by Karen Haber
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Deadly Gamble by Connie Shelton
The Children Star by Joan Slonczewski
Brain Plague by Joan Slonczewski
Flag in Exile by David Weber
The Tale of Holly How by Susan Wittig Albert
I'm the Vampire, That's Why by Michele Bardsley

I will strike through each book as I read them, but I'm not making any promises to write reviews of any of these—unless they also fulfill the SF or Fantasy Challenges where a review is required.

If you're like me and have a large backlog of books that you need to read, then this is a challenge for you. Join me by signing up at Lisa's 2011 Book Bucket Challenge.

Challenge Accepted: 2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge

2010-12-29T17:34:00.002-06:00

To partner with the previous post— Challenge Accepted: 42 Challenge —I am signing up for the 2011 Fantasy Challenge sponsored by Darlyn of Darlyn & Books. And, I'm going to be a glutton for punishment by electing the Obsessed Level and committing to read and review 20 Fantasy novels in 2011.

I'm new to reading Fantasy—well, "new" as compared to reading Science Fiction. In 2010, I read 14 traditional Fantasy novels and 43 Paranormal and Urban Fiction novels, so I'm thinking that the goal of reading 20 Fantasy novels won't be too much of a stretch. What will be a challenge will be to post reviews of 20 books. I'm planning on posting more reviews here at Reading in Texas as well as at the official 2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge Review page.

Do you like Fantasy? Any particular sub-genres? If so, join me in this challenge. There are four levels: Curious (3 novels); Fascinated (6 novels), Addicted (12 novels) and Obsessed (20 novels). You can click the icon at the top of this post to sign-up for the challenge. Or use this shortcut.

... and leave me a comment if you decide to participate.

Challenge Accepted: 42 Challenge

2010-12-29T16:52:00.001-06:00

In obvious homage to Douglas Adams' "Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything", the 42 Challenge for 2011 starts 1 January 2011 and ends 3 December 2011. Along with other participants in the challenge, I have been assigned the mission to read, watch, listen, and review 42 items related to science fiction.

As I stated when I signed up for the challenge, "In 2009, I read 18 SF novels and in 2010, 19 novels. I haven't kept up with SF in other media, but given TV episodes, I'm sure I've exceeded 42 items each year."

Interestingly, although I have been a life-long fan of science fiction and have read almost all of the "Top 100 Sci-Fi Books", no matter whose list they are, I have only recently begun to read fantasy. I'm now enjoying catching up with the best fantasy novels. (Would you believe that I have never read Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time?) I'm also a big fan of the new Paranormal and Urban Fantasy fiction, though I prefer the character-driven and plot-driven offerings rather than the romance spin-offs. Yes, I know that this challenge is for SF and not Fantasy, but I offer this as an explanation for why I have read fewer than 20 SF novels each year.

I will be posting reviews here at Reading in Texas and also at the main site: 42 Challenge. Feel free to join me. The sign-up can be found at Want to 42 Again? Again?.

Challenge Accepted: TwentyEleven Challenge

2010-12-28T20:34:00.005-06:00

The first challenge I'm committing to in 2011 is the TwentyEleven Challenge hosted by Bart over at Bart's BookShelf

After the raves and cheers for Bart's TwentyTen Challenge, participants clamored for another challenge and he's stepped up to it.

I must note that I did not complete the TwentyTen Challenge this year, so I'm going to have to stay focused if I'm going to be successful in this new challenge.

In 2011, participants are challenged to read 20 books from 11 categories—a minimum of 1 book and a maximum of 2 books per category. Though he's retained a few categories from the TwentyTen Challenge, he's picked some new categories to toss among those carried forward. Here's the list:

To YA or not YA…
Okay, this one works like this… Tend to read more Young Adult than Adult Fiction books then read one or two adult fiction titles, vice-versa if you don’t tend to read much Young Adult.
…With a Twist.
This one focuses on sub-genres, read a lot of chick-lit, then try a paranormal romance! Fantasy? Why not give some Steampunk a go, like a bit of Space-Opera in your Sci-Fi then pick up a military Sci-fi book. Like your Contemporary Literature, give a Young Adult Contemporary a chance. Well hopefully you get the idea!
Hot off the Presses.
Read a book published (in your country) in 2011? Then it counts for this category.
It Wasn’t Me! (aka Bad Bloggers*)
Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book ago).
Show it Who is Boss!
Tackle that overflowing T.B.R. pile! Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1 December 2010.
Bablefish.
Read books that are translated from a language that is not your own.
Will-Power? What Will-Power? (aka: The Henry Ward Beecher Memorial.)
You know that quote Bart has in his blog-header… “Where is human nature so weak as in a bookstore?” Recognize yourself in it? Then this is the one for you! Bought a book NEW during 2011? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count.
Mind the Gap.
Need just one more book to compete that duology/trilogy/series then read it for this one! (Obviously as this is for that final book you need to complete it, then you can’t read two books from the same series! And it clearly can’t be your first or penultimate read!) Because not everyone reads a series in order, this is for the last book you need to read, not necessarily the last book in the series…
Back in the Day.
Re-read an old favorite or two for this category.
Way Back When.
Read books that were published before you were born for this one, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!
Slim-Pickings
Got a novella you want to read? Then this one is the one for you! Any books between 90-150 pages count.

I'm going to take a more serious run at challenges in 2011. So, I'm creating a special page to keep track of which challenges I decide to accept and how well (or poorly) I'm making progress toward their completion. Be sure to check periodically to see how I'm doing.

*Bad Bloggers is hosted by Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made On.

Twenty-10 Challenge Results

2010-12-27T18:58:00.003-06:00

At the end of the year, it's time to report on my progress toward the goals I set for Bart's Twenty-ten Challenge. Earlier posts with reviews and status can be found on May 8th's post and September 19th's post. Since September, these are the additional books which I'm counting toward this challenge:

In October, I read Defending Angels by Mary Stanton, which I'm counting in the Who Are You Again? category. I discovered this author and her series of books when I picked this book from a virtual book box based solely on the first page. The owner sent not only this book, but the next two in the series and I read them back-to-back in a reading frenzy known as Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon

After taking over her uncle’s law practice in Savannah, Georgia, Brianna Winston-Beaufort (Bree for short) is looking forward to her first case. She's barely moved into her office when she finds a message from a businessman asking for her help. But when she returns his call, she discovers that he was already dead—murdered—at the time that the call was placed. Bree is soon to learn that in addition to solving his murder she's been appointed his advocate in the Celestial Court where her client's afterlife will be determined

This was a fascinating start to an excellent series, and when I went to the author's web site tonight, I discovered that the fourth in the series will be released in February 2011. You can bet that it will be very high on my To Be Purchased list.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen, was the first of two memoirs which I read for the Up to You! category. I picked the book up on a whim while browsing at Barnes & Noble. The blurb on the back cover looked interesting—“A hilarious and moving memoir in the spirit of Anne Lamott and Nora Ephron about a woman who returns home to her close-knit Mennonite family after a personal crisis.”—and I was on the lookout for a memoir to read for this challenge and to share in a Non-Fiction swap at BookObsessed.

Unfortunately, it was not as good as had been promised. Halfway through this book I wondered if I was reading a memoir or the author's stand-up comedy routine. She may have intended to use humor to tell a painful story, but at times it came across as mean-spirited and poking fun at others—in this case her parents' Mennonite community and her mother in particular.

I discovered Not Now, Voyager when browsing online back in May, which I detailed in my Friday Finds post on May 14. The publisher describes the book saying, “Not Now, Voyager takes us on a voyage of self-discovery as the author traces how travel has shaped her sensibilities from childhood through adulthood.”

Reading the book, I decided that it was definitely more of a memoir than a travelogue. (Which is a shame since I was offering it in an Armchair Travel Swap at BookObsessed.) Schwartz introduces herself stating that she hates to travel and then proceeds to illustrate that with scenes from various trips. It was an interesting read, but not quite what I expected for a book about travel. I guess you'd say this was a book about not traveling. So, I've included Not Now, Voyager by Lynne Sharon Schwartz as my second book in the Up to You! category.

And here's my final status: 12 out of 20 books; 6 out of 10 categories.

The Categories

Young Adult
1. What was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn
2. The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley
Category completed. See May 8th's post for short reviews of these two books.
T.B.R.
1. She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren
2. Mystery Loves Company by Kate Morgan
Category completed, and I posted a quick description of each of these books on May 8th.
Shiny & New
1. Swimming Without a Net by MaryJanice Davidson
2. Vampire Sunrise by Carole Nelson Douglas
Another category completed and some information about the books posted in the May 8th post.
Bad Bloggers***
This category was to include books that I had read about on another Blogger's site and was so motivated to read that I just had to go out and get the book. But, I was so busy trying to keep up with my book swapping at BookObsessed that I didn't find time to pursue this category.
Charity
I bought a lot of books at local used book stores—Half-Priced Books and Records (several locations in the DFW Metroplex) and Recycled Books, Records, and CDs in Denton. But, I didn't buy any books at charity shops. I did browse through the books at Goodwill in Denton, but they had very few books, unlike the charity shops I have previously visited in England and Ireland. So, I bought and read no books from charity shops in 2010.
New in 2010
1. The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells
2. Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre
This category is now completed. I reviewed The Mage in Black in May 8th's post and my review of Hell Fire is on September 19th's.
Older Than You
Oh my! I started this challenge with every intention of reading several classics—most of which were published before I was born—and I didn't read a single one.
Win! Win!
I had intended to read two novels by Anthony Trollope to meet this category since I had signed up for the Trollope challenge. Unfortunately, I did not finish reading these books. In fact, I'm only 1/4 of the way into The Warden, first in Trollope's Barsetshire Chronicles.
Who Are You Again?
1. Enchanted, Inc. Shanna Swendson
2. Defending Angels by Mary Stanton
See my review of Enchanted, Inc. in the September 19th entry and a quick review of Defending Angels at the top of this post.
Up to You!
1. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
2. Not Now, Voyager by Lynne Sharon Schwartz
This category—in which I chose to read two memoirs— is completed. See reviews of both books at the top of this post.

Read-a-Thon: Time's Up!

2010-10-10T07:04:00.000-05:00

All done!

Reading Location: at home on my couch

Currently reading: Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 649

Total Time spent reading so far: 552 minutes (9 hours 12 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: None recently.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge, Shake Those Pom Poms, Attempting Audiobooks and the Mid-event meme.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton and The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner.

Comments: I enjoyed my participation and wish I could have stayed awake for the full 24 hours. Summary post to follow later.

Read-a-Thon: the home stretch

2010-10-10T06:14:00.002-05:00

One more hour

Reading Location: at home on my couch

Currently reading: Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 627

Total Time spent reading so far: 512 minutes (8 hours 32 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: None recently.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge, Shake Those Pom Poms, Attempting Audiobooks and the Mid-event meme.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton and The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner.

Comments: Yeah, I fell asleep! While I feel really rested now, I wish I had been able to stay awake and keep reading instead of sleeping for 6 hours.

Read-a-Thon: 8 more hours

2010-10-09T23:08:00.002-05:00

It's getting late

Reading Location: at home on my couch, but I'm still sitting up

Currently reading: Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 616

Total Time spent reading so far: 497 minutes (8 hours 17 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: None in the last hour or so.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge, Shake Those Pom Poms, Attempting Audiobooks and the Mid-event meme.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton and The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner.

Comments: I'm slowing down. My eyes feel tired and I think I'm going to need to pick up a different book for a while to build my energy back up. The house is also hot, so I'm either going to have to change into a short-sleeved shirt or adjust the thermostat. Getting too warm is a guaranteed way to fall asleep when I don't intend to.

Bad Bad Blogger.com

2010-10-09T21:17:00.002-05:00

I just discovered that Blogger.com assigns a timestamp to the post at the time you click on the "New Post" link and not at the time you click "Publish Post". So, in those cases where it takes me 10-20 minutes (or more) to compose my post, they wind up with a timestamp that's not quite accurate. Normally that wouldn't matter, but today while I'm participating in Dewey's Read-a-Thon and posting every hour or two, that difference can really make the posts look all awkward.

Read-a-Thon: 14 down, 10 to go!

2010-10-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

Beginning the home stretch

Reading Location:still at home on my couch

Currently reading: Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 580

Total Time spent reading so far: 440 minutes (7 hours 20 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: Azuki and Kanaye44.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge, Shake Those Pom Poms, Attempting Audiobooks and the Mid-event meme.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton and The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner.

Comments:It's been over an hour since I read anything in my book. I visited the blogs of a couple more participants in the Read-a-Thon, and I took the time to update my position in several Virtual Book Boxes at BookObsessed. I really like playing in swaps and virtual book boxes at BookObsessed. There are a great group of people who hand out there and by tracking the books we swap at BookCrossing.com, it's a lot of fun to see who has read a given book before I received it.

Read-a-Thon: Mid-Event Survey

2010-10-09T19:05:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of the 12th hour, someone over at the official Dewey's Read-a-Thon site posted that we were at the half-way mark. Unfortunately, she jumped the gun. The half-way mark occurs at the end of 12 hours—which is the beginning of the 13th hour. In other words, right now.

But, the half-way mark brings the Mid-Event Survey. It's fun to jump around the blogosphere and see what others have to say about their day so far.

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
2. How many books have you read so far?
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
9. Are you getting tired yet?
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

My Answers:

Right now—well when I go back to reading after posting—I'm reading Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton. It's the third in her Beaufort & Company mystery series and when I finish it, I will have read all three of these books this week.
I've completed two books. I was only 9 pages into the first book when the Read-a-Thon began, so I pretty much consider that I read the whole book during this event.
I'm eager to finish reading Avenging Angels, and then I'm going to turn to a book which I have loaded onto my Kindle. I'm reading Field of Dishonor by David Weber, which I purchased from Baen's Webscription eBook site.
I told everyone that I was busy all day and not to plan anything. That almost worked.
My husband's parents planned lunch today at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Hubby was helpful and I read in the car all the way there and back so there was just a little bit over an hour during which I couldn't read.
This is my third Read-a-Thon, and I think I'm much more prepared this time. The only surprises that I'm finding are the wonderful posts on some of the blogs I've been visiting.
I'd love to see the beginning time shift some next year. For three years, the Read-a-Thon has begun at 7am my local time. If the time could be shifted so that next year it would begin here at some other time like 1am—and likewise shifted around the world—and shifted again next October, then over time every part of the world would have had the opportunity to begin at a really good time or a really crummy time.
Next year I hope to have more of my posts pre-written so it won't take me away from my reading so long to post updates. I do think I'm doing pretty good, though, as I read almost 7 hours in the first half of the event.
Tired? Me? No, not yet. It's barely past supper time here. I'm afraid the hard time for me is going to be the wee hours of the morning when I'm the only one awake in the house.
My best tip is to find a cozy spot and surround yourself with all the supporting stuff you need. I've got a large stash of Diet Cokes in the nearby fridge and that will keep me going throughout the night.

Read-a-Thon: Half-way there!

2010-10-09T19:03:00.001-05:00

The Half-way Mark

Reading Location: still at home on my couch (I think I'll be here all night long!)

Currently reading: Avenging Angels by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 550

Total Time spent reading so far: 414 minutes (6 hours 54 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: None since my last post.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge, Shake Those Pom Poms and Attempting Audiobooks.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton and The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner.

Comments: At 18:22, I finished my second book of the day, The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner. Since it was a YA book and since there was at least one blank page at the end of each chapter, the page count per hour went up quite a lot. I'm now reading the third book in the Beaufort & Company Mystery series by Mary Stanton: Avenging Angels. I need to look her up at Fantastic Fiction and see if there are any more books in the series. I'm really enjoying it and sometime next week I'll post a review of the first three books.

Read-a-Thon: At the eleventh hour

2010-10-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

Hour the 11th

Reading Location:at home on my couch

Currently reading: The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner

Total Pages read so far: 433

Total Time spent reading so far: 347 minutes (5 hours 47 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: The only place I visited during this break in reading was Devourer of Books, where the hour's challenge was posted. I got so wound up in answering Jen's question about audio books that I'm including my answer in this post.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge, Shake Those Pom Poms and Attempting Audiobooks.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton.

Comments: I have this curious relationship with audiobooks. If I happen to "read" the first book in a series in audio, I tend to need to read the rest of the series in audio instead of in text. I discovered this when, after listening to 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith, I tried to read Espresso Tales in print. I just couldn't enjoy it, so I ran out and bought the CDs and simply adored the story. So now, there's a new book in the series, The Importance of Being Seven, so I decided to listen to a sample of that book. Imagine my surprise when, unlike the 5 earlier books, this one was being read by David Rintoul and not by Robert Ian Mackenzie. Oh my! That's almost as bad as hiring a ghost writer! And, this new reader is going to take me some time to get used to.

Well, with that surprise, I decided to look at Corduroy Mansions, also by McCall Smith. Well, there are two editions available with two different readers—both unabridged! The first version is read by Andrew Sachs, and I think it is composed of all the podcast chapters which the The Telegraph broadcast as Corduroy Mansions was published in a serialized manner. The other version is read by Simon Prebble and I'm guessing it's a regular studio production. I listened to a short sample of each and I'm not sure I have a preference.

Lastly, I decided I'd see whether Davina Porter was reading the newest book in McCall Smith's Sunday Philosophy Club series: The Charming Quirks of Others. She's not! This book is being read by Hillary Neville. But, after listening to a sample, I'm feeling much better. I think she's not going to sound so terribly different from Ms. Porter.

So, while I'd much prefer to listen to Davina Porter—after all, she is Isabelle Dalhousie in my mind—I think I'll vote for Hillary Neville as my favorite reader/narrator of all the books I sampled.

Read-a-Thon: It's now the 10th hour

2010-10-09T16:14:00.002-05:00

Beginning the 10th hour

Reading Location:at home on my couch

Currently reading: The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner

Total Pages read so far: 346

Total Time spent reading so far: 312 minutes (5 hours 12 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: Darren at Bart's Bookshelf was the first one to sign the Mr. Linky at hour one and post his "3 questions about me" information, so I thought I'd check him out. After all, there are many more gals than guys participating in this thing. (Heck! There are many more gals blogging about books, too.) And, I was curious to know why Darren is blogging at Bart's Bookshelf. Check his site out. You'll find the answer to that question and some well-thought-out reviews.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge and Shake Those Pom Poms.

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton.

Comments: I'm glad to be back home with no distractions. Hubby is sharing the living room with me, but he's got the remote control in his hand and he's jumping from game to game to keep up with the football. I'm hungry! He's going to fix rice to go with chili and I'm ready for him to go ahead and put it on! Who would have thought that reading would use so many calories?

Read-a-Thon: Shake your Pom-Poms Challenge

2010-10-09T15:14:00.005-05:00

Well, I was not coordinated enough to be a cheerleader, but I was a very loud cheerer (let's be honest here—shouter). And I still remember several of the cheers from my high school days. This seems to be a pretty good adaptation:

Two books, four books, six books, a pile!
Keep on reading, can you see me smile?

Read-a-Thon: 8 hours down, 16 to go!

2010-10-09T15:09:00.000-05:00

First book finished

Reading Location:at home on my couch

Next book to read: The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner

Total Pages read so far: 282

Total Time spent reading so far: 277 minutes (4 hours 37 minutes)

Other Readers I have visited: Two more of my BookObsessed friends: Marlene and Shaunesay Next break, I'm going to go check out some of the folks I haven't met yet and see how their day is shaping up.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge

Finished Books: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton.

Comments: So now the Read-a-Thon is 1/3 over. Given the time zone I'm in, this is the easy stretch. I remember last April when I took an involuntary nap around 3am, so I'm going to try awfully hard to resist and keep reading through the wee hours. I'm pleased to have finished one book. It's the second of three and I have the third one sitting here ready for me to read. But for now, I'm going to take a break from celestial mysteries and read a Young Adult Paranormal book: The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner. It looks like it's going to be funny.

Read-a-Thon: 7 hours in!

2010-10-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

Update at the beginning of hour 8

Reading Location: back at home on my couch

Currently Reading: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 213

Total Time spent reading so far: 224 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: No new visits since my last post.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge

Finished Books: none so far, but I'm getting close

Comments: At the beginning of the 5th hour (11am local time), we left the house to meet my parents-in-law for lunch. Hubby was driving, so I kept reading for the 16 minutes it took to get to the Chinese restaurant down the road. Lunch took right at an hour and I immediately picked up my book as soon as we were back in the car. We had to stop at the art supply store to pick up some things I needed for my Art Journaling class and then I read all the way home. So, in the 2.5 hours we were out and about, I read for 69 minutes, covering 71 pages and bringing me to a very thrilling place in my book. I've checked in over at BookObsessed, opened my mail, taken a short bio break, and gathered another Diet Coke to keep me company through the next hour. I'm settling in for a serious hour of reading and then I'll see what's been going on over on the official Read-a-Thon site.

Read-a-Thon: A quick hour 4 update

2010-10-09T09:12:00.001-05:00

Update at the beginning of hour 4

Reading Location: still at home on my couch

Currently Reading: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 106

Total Time spent reading so far: 118 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: Two fellow BookObssessors: VeganMedusa in New Zealand and Dancing-dog in Tennessee.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge

Finished Books: none so far

Comments: In the 3rd hour, I got myself a small snack consisting of a Granny Smith apple and some raw almonds. I should be good until lunch. Also, Hubby is watching NCAA football pre-game stuff on ESPN and I got distracted by a short feature on the Missouri-Colorado game which had 5 downs instead of the normal 4—which mistake by the officials cost Missouri the win. OK, so it wasn't reading, but I am better informed than when I sat down at the top of the hour. Otherwis, I'm making good progress through Angel's Advocate; looks like I'm reading about one page per minute on average. I'm going to pass on the mini-challenges for hour 2 and hour 3. Although I'm a big fan of Indie publishing, I'm not currently reading one right now and that appears to be the criteria for participating in this challenge.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 3 Update

2010-10-09T09:09:00.000-05:00

Hour 3 Update

Reading Location: still at home on my couch

Currently Reading: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton

Total Pages read so far: 82

Total Time spent reading so far: 92 minutes

Other Readers I have visited: Life as List who was one of the featured participants during hour 2. I left a comment.

Mini-challenges completed Back-in-the-Day Children’s Book Challenge

Finished Books: none so far

Comments: I'm splitting my non-reading time between Read-a-Thon activities—such as visiting the blogs of fellow participants and entering a few of the mini-challenges—and BookObsessed—where I'm posting in a Read-a-Thon thread and playing in the Cozy Mystery Swap.

My Third Read-a-Thon

2010-10-09T06:52:00.002-05:00

Time again for Dewey's Read-a-Thon. This semi-annual event draws together hundreds of readers all over the world as they dedicate 24 hours for serious reading, blogging about reading, and reading blogs about reading. For those of us who adore books, it's positively intoxicating.

This will be the third time that I have participated in the Read-a-Thon, and I'm hoping I've gotten just a little bit smarter and more organized. I'm using the same posting template that I developed for last April. That will allow me to copy it rapidly into a new blog entry and spend the minimum amount of time updating my blog and the maximum amount of time reading. There are a couple of family obligations at mid-day which will distract me and will somewhat cut into my total dedication to the Read-a-Thon, but families are important, too. Right?

By my clock, we start in approximately 15 minutes, so I'm going to quickly fix myself some breakfast, pop open a Diet Coke, and have my finger in my book ready to start reading right on the dot of 7am.

We Begin!

Reading Location: My house; the couch in the living room

Currently Reading: Angel's Advocate by Mary Stanton

Comments: I'm starting on page 9 in Angel's Advocate. I figured I'd begin this 24-hour marathon with the second book of Mary Stanton's fascinating mystery series. I finished the first book, Defending Angels, last night so I'm all revved up and ready to go. I've pulled out several high-interest books to change things around during the day. It's going to be important to avoid getting tired or bored, and I'm never timid to switch things up. And, since I have several books in progress right now, I'm hoping to finish a couple of them before 7am tomorrow.

BTT: Series

2010-09-30T21:17:00.007-05:00

It's Thursday, so that means it's time for another Booking Through Thursday prompt. This week, bloggers are asked:

If you read series, do you ever find a series “jumping the shark?” How do you feel about that?

And, do you keep reading anyway?

I read series. I read lots of series. Right now, I can't think of a series where I've seen a definitive “jump the shark” episode. But if I run into one, I will not have a problem abandoning the series—particularly if I feel the stories are deteriorating, though it will probably take a couple of books for me to come to the decision that I'm not going to continue reading it.

I've said many times that I often decide what to read by what mood I'm in. This means that I will often step away from a series for quite some time before I return to it. Sometimes this is necessitated by the discrepancy between how fast I read and how slowly the publishers bring out books in a series. I read so many series that I have found it necessary to keep a master of list of the series I'm reading and my exact position in the on-going series so that I don't inadvertently buy a book that I've already read.

One other peculiarity is that I don't like to read series books out of order. Where this has become painful is with the free or deeply discounted eBooks that publishers have been giving away for the past year or so. I've got Persuader by Lee Child, the seventh in his Jack Reacher mystery series sitting on my Kindle, waiting until I can read books 2-6 and catch up to this point in the series and continue. Likewise, I picked up The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters, sixth in her Amelia Peabody series, and I still need to read 2-5. And I was happy to take advantage of a “buy one, get one free” offer for Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand and Kitty Raises Hell, numbers 5 and 6 in Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series. If I didn't already have so many books on hand which need to be read, I might just stock up on either Kindle editions or used paperbacks. But, I'm trying to be somewhat restrained in my book buying ...

Hopping around the Blogoverse

2010-09-27T20:05:00.001-05:00

After last Friday's post announcing that I was joining the Book Blogger Hop over the weekend, I needed to do my part to visit the blogs of several fellow participants. I love visiting other bloggers' sites. The downside of that is how much I love reading other people's blogs. I could spend hours and hours reading about reading!

The first site I visited was That Bookish Girl written by Sarah. There, I read several reviews for PUF (Paranormal and Urban Fiction) novels. BAD Sarah! Tempt me to buy even more books! And, Sarah also reviews Young Adult fiction.

At That Bookish Girl, I discovered that there will be a Halloween Read-a-Thon the weekend of 15-17 October. Much as I might enjoy participating, I think my son's wedding will have priority. Maybe next year.

Two paths led to Lesley's Young Adult Books Reviewed site. Not only was she participating in the Book Blogger Hop, she's also the organizer for the Halloween Read-a-Thon. As her site's title says, she reviews YA books. These are a special favorite—particularly since J. K. Rowling revised the genre. YA books are now longer and more complex, making them—for me—much more enjoyable.

The last site I visited this week was The Bookish Snob where Belinda carries on a love affair with romance and paranormal fiction.

One thing that was surprising to me was that all three of these girls are relative newbies on the blogging scene. Belinda's first post was in May 2010, while both Sarah and Lesley started blogging in July. Another thing that they have in common is that they are enthusiastic bloggers and reviewers. They bring a lot of energy to the community and I wish them well.

Return to Book Blogger Hop

2010-09-24T15:30:00.002-05:00

It's been three and a half months since I last participated in the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books. She's updated the process and now includes a question of the week similar to the Booking Through Thursday weekly meme.

This week's question comes from Elizabeth who blogs at Silver's Reviews.

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

I never write a review before I finish reading a book. Actually, I don't write many reviews. I think it's because I keep flashing back to book reports in the fifth grade and how they ruined the pleasure I had in reading a book with the addition of the chore to write a report. And yet, I really appreciate a well-written review—particularly one which doesn't just reiterate the plot of the book but which also draws you in and makes you really want to read the book. Maybe I should work on this?

An on-going aspect of the Book Blogger Hop is that participants are asked to "hop" over to other blogger's sites and check them out. I will visit at least three other blogs and then post on Monday who I visited and what I saw. Meanwhile, if you're reading my blog because of the Hop, welcome.

Reading in Texas

#WWReadathon: Challenge #2

Wicked Winter Read-a-thon

Free! Yes, lots of free books.

Bout of Books: The last day

Bout of Books: Days 5 and 6

Bout of Books: An update

BTT: Hard

WWW...Wednesday: 26 October 2011

Bout of Books: Day 2 update

Bout of Books: Goals and first day's update

Bout of Books: Starting Position

*ANOTHER* Read-a-Thon?

In My Mailbox: 23 October 2011

Read-a-Thon End-of-Event Meme

The end of another Read-a-Thon

Only 4 more hours

It's midnight!

16 Hours and continuing ...

I've been reading for 14 hours

Read-a-Thon Mid-Event Survey

Do we get a Half-Time Show?

Nearing the 1/2-way mark

Nine hours down -- Fifteen more to go

Finished the first book of the Read-a-Thon

At the One Quarter mark

Noon -- 5 hours have passed ...

After 4 hours ...

1/8th of the way along

Read-a-Thon: my introduction

1 hour completed - 23 to go

Read-a-thon starts tomorrow morning

Dewey's Read-a-Thon and Honor Harrington

New Read-a-Thon

Time flies ...

A nice round number

Read-a-Thon: End of Event Survey

Read-a-Thon: Ended

Read-a-Thon: Almost over

Read-a-Thon: Midnight

Read-a-Thon: 8 more hours

Read-a-Thon: 14 down, 10 to go!

Read-a-Thon: the half-way point

Read-a-Thon: Another update

Read-a-Thon: It's been running for 9 hours and it's 16:00 here in Texas

Read-a-Thon: Nearly 1/4 of the Way

Read-a-Thon: at the 4.5 hour mark

Read-a-Thon: 1/8th over

Read-a-Thon: 2 down, 22 to go!

Read-a-Thon: First Hour completed

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: My 4th Experience

WWW...Wednesday: 30 March 2011

Belated Update

WWW...Wednesday: 9 March 2011

Sunday Summary

Book Blooger Hop: 4-8 March 2011

BTT: Cheating

WWW...Wednesday: 2 March 2011

Teaser Tuesday: 1 March 2011

K3 - and a green cover

Book Blooger Hop: 25-28 February 2011

BTT: Something Old, Something New

WWW...Wednesday: 23 February 2011

Teaser Tuesday: 22 February 2011

Reviews: The Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer

Book Beginnings, 18 Feb 2011

2011 Challenges: the first update

Mysteries!

WWW...Wednesday: 12 January 2011

Teaser Tuesday: 11 January 2011

Review: Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

42 Challenge #1 - EscapePod Episode 272

2010: A Reading Retrospective

Challenge Accepted: Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2011

Challenge Accepted: Show Me the Free Challenge

Challenge Accepted: Take a Chance Challenge

Reading Charlaine Harris

Challenge Accepted: Book Bucket Reading Challenge

Challenge Accepted: 2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge

Challenge Accepted: 42 Challenge

ANOTHER Read-a-Thon?