Valdemar series

by Mercedes Lackey. I was introduced to this series by my daughter and every couple of years I re-read it. This time, I started with Arrows of the Queen which is really in the middle.

Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight & Arrow's Fall all deal with Queen Selenay and her daughter. The problem is that the main character is NOT Selenay or her daughter, it is Herald Thalia. In order to read about Selanay before she became Queen, you need to read Exile's Honor & Exile's Valor. Which is about Alberich! Confused? Let me see if I can walk you through it....

In the beginning, Baron Valdemar choose exile rather than face the wrath of a selfish and cruel monarch. Many of his people went with him. The monarchs of Valdemar welcomed fugitives and fellow exiles along with the customs and habits of its people. The one rule which all monarch's ruled over their people was that "there is no one true way".

Baron, now King, Valdemar, knew himself to be a good and righteous and that his son was also but what of those that followed. What can he do now to protect his people when he is gone. The King went into the forest at night and prayed to every god he knew for help. His son went with him, and his best friend, the Kingdom Herald. Then three "horses" appeared before them. There was a mental bond between Companion (not a horse at all) and rider. There can only be one King, and only one Heir but there can be many Heralds.

So the Heralds came to be. The heir shall not truly be the Heir until chosen by a Companion who only chose those who were patient, unselfish, responsible and capable of heroic devotion to duty; plus had at least a trace of psychic ability. In this way the country will always be ruled by a patient & unselfish King.

It is possible to enjoy, even understand, a grouping of books without reading the whole thing but things that happen in the last group, are because of things that happened in the first group!

If you were to tell me that you didn't want to read all of them, only three, I'd say the Arrows trilogy. However, if you're willing to read more, start with Exile's Honor and then down the list. For a truly unique world, start at the beginning and enjoy.

Chronological Order
The Black Gryphon
The White Gryphon
The Silver Gryphon

Magic's Pawn
Magic's Promise
Magic's Price

Brightly Burning

The Oathbound
Oathbreakers
Oathblood

Exile's Honor
Exile's Valor
Take a Thief

Arrows of the Queen
Arrow's Flight
Arrow's Fall

By the Sword

Winds of Fate
Winds of Change
(there is a main happening in between books two and three but I can't find the book it's in and it helps so much in book three that it should be read here!)
Winds of Fury

Storm Warning
Storm Rising
Storm Breaking

Owlflight
Owlsight
Owlknight

I've read the Arrow's trilogy and Exile's Honor this month and will be starting Exile's Valor later this week. I hope to re-read AND review the whole series this year.

Remembering to review is hard

I've read 12 print books so far this year, plus eight ebook shorts/novels. If you check out my blog, you'll find that I've only review three & a partial books. So, no more starting another book until I get a couple more reviews up!

This should last until Dragon Heir gets here :)

Pages Read

This is great and we should do this one along with all our other challenges. It's being hosted at It's all about books. Basically, pick a number of pages you want to read this year and keep track. Check it out and sign-up. If you're already doing a challenge, it shouldn't be too much more to keep track of your pages.

If you read ebooks, check amazon or Barnes & Noble for print pages and use that number. Some of my ebooks are not available as print so I'll need to figure out another way. I added up the pages I already read of my print books then multiplied by 12 to get just over 40,000. I don't think my ebook pages will be 10g but I do want to stretch myself some but not too much (there is a daughter's wedding, a vacation & family reunion to take into consideration). I'm going to choose 50,000 pages to be read this year. I should make it, will all the challenge books I need to read :)

Now, there is an important quote from the rules "...and other stuff you read..." so textbooks? Newspapers? Magazines? I don't know and didn't look so I'm going to go by books for now.

Okay, apparently I had posted questions about ebooks and she counted the words on a page of a paperback :o Her count is 300 words so that's what I'm going to use.


3-1: There is no way you'll be able to make sense of this list if all I do is list my books so I'm moving them. Just to let you know that some of my titles will be short stories or even very short stories but they are purchased as a separate title and not part of a collection. Also, I read everything so some of these may be a children's books :-)

8-4: Goal changed to 80,000


January: 7,463 pages read. For more info go here.

February: 11,863 pages read. For more info go here.

March: 7,066 pages read. For more info go here

April: 8,450 pages read. For more info go here.

May: 3,349 pages read. For more info go here

June: 5,327 pages read. For more info go here

July: 10,651 pages read. For more info go here

Goal Met with July's books - 54,169!
increased goal to 80,000

August: pages read. For more info go
September: pages read. For more info go
October: pages read. For more info go
November: pages read. For more info go
December: pages read. For more info go

New to You Authors

I really debated joining this challenge because it's 50 new to you authors but then I read that I can choose another number and I've already read several so, yes. I join.

This one is hosted at Literary Escapism, don't forget to read the rules.


1. Geraldine Brooks: People of the Book
2. David Morrell: The Spy Who Came for Christmas
3. Cinda Williams Chima: The Warrior Heir & The Wizard Heir
4. Cammie McGovern: Eye Contact
5. Stephen Chbosky: The Perks of being a Wallflower
6. Matthew Skilton: Endymion Spring
7. Jennifer Bryan: The Different Dragon
8. Debbie Viguie: The Summer of Cotton Candy & three others
9. Jane Green: Bookends
10. Kate Jacobs: The Friday Night Knitting Club
11. Leslie Caine: Killed by Clutter
12. Michele Page Holmes: Counting Stars
13. Marie Bostwick: A Single Thread
14. Jodi Thomas: Rewriting Monday
15. Sally Goldenbaum: Death by Cashmere
16. Andrew Clements: The Last Holiday Concert
17. Brad Meltzer: The Book of Lies
18. Nalini Singh: Stroke of Enticement (anth: The Magical Christmas Cat)
19. Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife
20. E.D. Baker: Wings
21. Janette Rallison: Just One Wish
22. Jerry Spinelli: The Library Card
23. Rowan Coleman: The Accidental Mother
24. Madelyn Alt: The Trouble with Magic
25. Yasmine Galenorn: Murder Under a Mystic Moon
26. Ilona Andrews: Magic Strikes
27. Donita K. Paul: Dragonspell
28. Chris Crutcher: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
29. Sang Pak: Wait Until Twilight
30. Christine Lynxwiler: Forever Christmas
31. Beth Pattillo: The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
32. Alyson Noel: Evermore
33. Kelley Armstrong: The Summoning & The Awakening
34. Emma Holly: Fairyville
35. Deborah LeBlanc: Water Witch
36. Robyn Carr: Never Too Late, Paradise Valley...
37.
38.
39.
40.


plus Eye Contact, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Driving with Dead Peopel - nonfiction. I should do 25, but I think I'll pick 20.

5-20: I should double check what the rules say about non-fiction, I've got five on my "read this year" shelf plus three already listed as "New".

5-30: "no restriction on choosing your novels" dang, I had to remove four nonfiction titles.

A to Z Reading Challenge

Sooner or later, I've got to stop adding challenges! Maybe after I find one about re-reading.


A- Arrows of the Queen
B- Bookends
C- Counting Stars
D- Dewey The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World
E- Eye Contact
F- The Friday Night Knitting Club
G- Dogs and Goddesses
H- Heartmate
I- Mistaken Identity
J- Just One Wish
K- Key of Light (Knowledge & Valor too)
L- Lost for Christmas
M- Married in Seattle
N- There's No Such Thing as a Dragon
O- The Outstretched Shadow
P- The Perks of being a Wallflower
Q- The Quickening
R- Storm Rising
S- The Spy Who Came for Christmas
T- A Single Thread
U- Under Her Skin
V- Familiar Vows
W- The Warrior Heir
*X- Exile's Honor
Y- You, by Anonymous
Z- Zero Tolerance

edited 3-24: All are titles read, changed out some, some are children's books or short stories and some use creative letters (like Wizard for Z). I can hardly believe I did it!

*edited to replace some creative use of letters. Will continue to replace creative use as I read.... never did find one about re-reading....

and Tango makes Three

And Tango makes Three
by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
April 26, 2005
32 pages

reading level: ages 4 - 8

Two male penguins in New York City Central Park Zoo hatch an egg. Yes, two males. The book is cute but simplistic. It is a "picture book" geared for kindergarten and I can see why some parent's are in an uproar. I also don't see what the big deal is. Male and female Chintrap penguins look the same so if you see a couple, there is no way to tell it is male/male. The two boys did all the mating rituals that the other couples did, there is no way the zookeeper could have been mistaken.

You can only assume that the pair stayed together through more than one breeding season, otherwise why would they try to hatch a rock. Only after seeing the boys try this, did the zookeeper help. He gave the pair an unhatched egg from another couple that did not do well when taking care of two eggs. He DID NOT take another couple's egg from them, but instead relieved them of having to care for two eggs and possibly losing both.

Full color, short & simplistic, looks to be a bit bigger then legal size paper. I don't know what kind of media happened during/after the hatching, but really, no matter what your view on this is, the penguins are together, the zookeeper did a good thing and baby Tango survived when maybe she would not have. We should not throw away our children (the egg) when there is another option for them.

edited to add picture & publish info, "Wow, a comment already!", and... This book is for my banned/challenged category of the 999 challenge. I picked it because it was a children's book and I just love children's books. The librarian my children had in elementary school would not have taken this out of the school library but she may have placed it with "penguin" instead of the picture books. Usually the kindergarten kids stayed with the picture books. This is what she did with a Holocaust picture book.

Too cute to pass up

more animals

Lost for Christmas

Lost for Christmas
Ted & Shirlene Hindmarch

Cedar Fort/Horizon Publishers
2007
54 Pages

This is similar to Home Alone in that a family traveling in a motorhome miscounts after a stop and leaves one of the kids behind.


Duncan, 8 years old, is the youngest child in a family of seven. Dad works and Mom takes care of the family & home. One Christmas the family decides to drive to an Aunt's home for the holiday and the Dad's boss offers them the use of his motorhome.

At the first stop for gas and a treat of store-bought goodies, Duncan decides he has to "go real bad". He truly does but gets distracted by the paper towel dispenser and when he walks out to the gas pumps he finds the motorhome driving away.

Now, you ask, how could they have missed him? Duncan sleeps with a very large bear and took the back bed so when the child who counted saw a pile on the bed and the bear's ear, she counted him as there!

There is some comical situations, some prayer but not preaching, a miracle in a relationship and a happy ending.

Cute, quick read, small enough to fit in some of the larger card envelopes and get mailed with your Christmas cards.

My book is 5x7.

The Warrior Heir

The Warrior Heir
Cinda Williams Chima

Hyperion Paperbacks
February 2007
ages 9 - 12
448 pages (trade size)

Jack had heart surgery when he was a baby and must take medicine everyday for the rest of his life or he will die. So he & his mother were told by the London Specialist flown to Ohio just for him. Except, one day when Jack is 16, he forgets. And he's never felt better! Stronger, fiercer and more confident than ever before. Then he loses control and almost kills another player during soccer try-outs, never mind that the kid is a bully.

One forgetful moment leads him into a world of waring wizards intend on capturing him to use in a tournament. A tournament to the death to decide the next ruler of the Council.

Jack is one of the last warriors left and the two strongest fractions are looking for him, dead or alive.


This book throws some history at you but it is a delightful read. A classic good vs evil but sometimes you can't tell who is on which team!

Glad a read it? YES, will I read the next? Already ordered.

The Wizard Heir & The Dragon Heir follow

Book Signing

I've been cleaning up blogs, trying to get organized and found this on a blog I no longer use. It may be old but this is the perfect blog for it.


Todd McCaffrey book signing
originally posted to another blog: Sunday, February 06, 2005


A new PERN book was released on January 25. I was one of the lucky ones, the bookstore put it out early so I got it on the 19th!

Todd was at Barnes & Noble on Friday (2-4). There were only about 40 people there so the question/answer period was very personal. He read chapter 17 (?) to us. Some there hadn't read the book yet and some were still on the orignal Dragonriders trilogy.

I didn't read his whole website before the signing, he wrote part of Dragonlover's Guide to Pern. I have the book but didn't get it signed this time because I didn't know! dang, dang, dang.

It was very cool and I promised him I would keep my whining for the next book to a minimum!

Dragonholder: signed by Todd and Anne ~ written by Todd about Anne
Dragon's Kin: signed by Todd and Anne ~ co-authors
Dragonsblood: Signed by Todd ~ Todd did this one by himself

Keeping track of what you own/read

Have you ever bought a new book and started reading it only to find out not only is it a reprint, you've already read it. Or worse, bought it, read it, gave it away!

How do you keep track of your books? Owned or borrowed?

I remember not being able to sleep one night (3 a.m.) and standing in front of a set of bookshelves wanting a specific book. It had been that long since I had read it and I was sure it was there but no luck. I ended up reading something else when I remembered the book I wanted was a library book. (One reason I don't usually borrow books, I re-read.)

so about six months or so later, I find the book I want at the library's bookstore and take it home. Guess where I put it? On the shelf, right next to the one I couldn't find! Not only had I borrowed it, I bought it and then bought it again!

Reading My Name

Kathleen is hosting this one over here. The rules seem pretty straight forward. Author shares your name or a variation of your name or your name is in the title. Now, my blog name is bookdragon so I could read “A Book Dragon” by Donn Kushner. Fun, huh? Read one or two titles. Don't forget to read the complete rules when you sign-up. For example, this challenge doesn't start Feb 1!

This can get pretty personal so I'm not going to tell you which book is for which part of my name but my list (subject to change) is:

1. Silks by Dick Francis
2. Hide by Lisa Gardner (completed 3-27)
3. A Book Dragon by Donn Kushner (completed early June)

Dashing Through the Snow

just a quick note before a better review.....Another holiday book from Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark.


Another lottery winner with a twist. I haven't finished reading this but had to but it down, I was anxious and couldn't settle. How is Duncan going to face his co-workers? What's going to happen to the financial teachers? How is Duncan going to explain where he was all night & why he looks a mess?

I'll finish it this month for positive, now that I'm prepared for my feelings...



240 pages, gift-book sized (basically 5x7)



I liked the way things ended but it seems a little quick to me. It was almost a we-have-?-pages-left-wrap-it-up feeling. Still, when November comes around and there is another holiday book available, I'll be purchasing it!

Challenge is up, now what?

I've set up the Prey challenge now I need to find my books. I'm sure I have at least six of them. I know I read Rules & maybe Eyes but it was many years ago. I'm going to start as soon as I find the box they're stored in.


1. Rules of Prey (1st book)
2. Shadow Prey
3. Eyes of Prey
4. Silent Prey
5. Winter Prey
6. Night Prey
7. Mind Prey
8. Sudden Prey
9. Secret Prey
10. Certain Prey
11. Easy Prey
12. Chosen Prey
13. Mortal Prey
14. Naked Prey
15. Hidden Prey
16. Broken Prey
17. Invisible Prey
18. Phantom Prey
19. Wicked Prey

In Their Shoes

Kari at Another Book on the Stack is hosting a challenge called In Their Shoes. Read 4 memoirs during 2009. She's part of the Yahoo!Group On the Porch Swing where I was introduced to the concept of reading challenge. {I don't know if this info is correct!}


1. Dewey the Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World (Jan)
2. Mistaken Identity (Feb)
3. After Etan (May)
4. Soft Spots (Sep)


3? I'm Still Me

4? Look Up for Yes

9-20: I just realized that Mistaken Identity and After Etan may not count!

both of these are more like Dewey and Soft Spots:

A Snowflake in My Hand
The Dog Who Rescues Cats

Help donate books

Help Harlequin donate books to The National Center for Family Literacy.

Every book you read, Harlequin donates a book. Just go to their site and post what you've read. We blog about them, let's take a couple extra minutes to help! You do need to register & sign-in to post your books but I still think it's worth it.

NaJuReMoNoMo

???? Actually, it's National Just Read More Novels Month!


Novels only and no re-reads! Go here for rules and stuff.... I'm after the Gold Award for reading 10 novels in January but I think I'll be very happy with Silver.

I've already got Blue for reading one novel this month and am way behind some of the others.


1. Married in Seattle
2. The Spy Who Came for Christmas
Arrows of the Queen re-read
Dewey non-fiction
Falling re-read
Arrow's Flight re-read
3. Dashing Through the Snow
WOO HOO I've got another winner badge for reading three books.
4. The Warrior Heir
Arrow's Fall re-read
5. The Wizard Heir

Hey, I made silver!
6. People of the Book
Lost for Christmas re-read
and Tango makes Three picture book - but it was challenged/banned so I read it
7. Corporate Passion
8. Gone Surfin'
9. Eye Contact
10. The Perks of being a Wallflower
Woo Hoo, I've got GOLD!
11. Endymion Spring
12. Beautiful Disaster
13. The Elf and Shoemaker (Logan Shoemaker not a shoemaker)
14. Familiar Vows
Exile's Honor re-read
Exile's Valor re-read
Take a Thief re-read
By the Sword re-read

Prey Challenge

I've read the first couple of John Sandford's Prey books but seem to pick up something else instead for my next book. So I'm going to challenge myself to finish the series up to waiting for the newest release. Now, the next is being released May 5, 2009 and I'm sure I won't be ready so this will be a perpetual challenge - also because the series is still going! edited to add: WooHoo, I received permission to use the author's picture from his website! I modified it a bit and yea!

Rules

Nope, no rules, just read the series. It would be nice if you posted about them and then came back and told us about it.

List of Books

1. Rules of Prey
2. Shadow Prey
3. Eyes of Prey
4. Silent Prey
5. Winter Prey
6. Night Prey
7. Mind Prey
8. Sudden Prey
9. Secret Prey
10. Certain Prey
11. Easy Prey
12. Chosen Prey
13. Mortal Prey
14. Naked Prey
15. Hidden Prey
16. Broken Prey
17. Invisible Prey
18. Phantom Prey
19. Wicked Prey
20. Storm Prey
21. Buried Prey
22. Stolen Prey
23. Silken Prey

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

sigh, another challenge

When will I learn to say no????

As I've gone over my book shelves for my challenges, I've noticed books that have been there for what seems like years - who knows, maybe some have. I've got to clean up and clear out so when I saw a post for the Rescue Challenge, I had to check it out.

"Help rescue those unloved books from the obscurity of the bottom of the tbr pile.

There would be two parts to the challenge, the first would be to get rid of any books you know deep down you will never read, so whether you bookmooch, bookcross, give them away to a charity shop these books will take up less of your space and have the opportunity to be read.

The second part of the challenge, will be to set up a pool of those unloved books and read between 3-6 of them between Nov 1st 2008 - Dec 31st 2009.

Books can definitely count for other challenges as well, in fact this will probably urge you to read them, and you set yourself the amount of books you'd like to read. The prize, is simply space on your shelves and freeing yourself of guilt when you once again sweep past that copy to reach for a shiny new book."

When we repainted downstairs & redid the flooring, all the bookcases were moved to the patio. One bookshelf worth of books landed on the stairs but all the others were put back on the shelves on the patio (covered but not enclosed). Strange thing is that when we moved everything back inside, I've still got books on the stairs because they don't fit anywhere. What's with that?

Maybe I can send enough on to another place that I won't need to double stack my shelves and can actually see all of the books.


I found the Warriors series while browsing in the YA section. They sounded so good that I found the first set in the series and bought all six. I read the first one. And that was it. It was too late to return the other five and I didn't care to read them! Was it my mood? Too many other books? I don't know. I just know that all six sat on the shelf taking up space. Staring at me. I finally gave them to a friend who's daughter teaches fifth grade.

Score: 1 read 6 gone

My Own Reading Challenge

I guess it would be a good idea if I joined my own challenge. These are the books 'm thinking of reading....

Fall/Autumn
1. The Fall of Candy Corn by (Sweet Seasons) Debbie Viguie
2. It Happened One Autumn (The Wallflowers, Book 2) by Lisa Kleypas (Jun)
Autumn in Scotland by Karen Ranney


Winter
1. The Winter of Candy Canes (Sweet Seasons) by Debbie Viguie
2 The Devil in Winter (The Wallflowers, Book 3) by Lisa Kleypas
Brian's Winter
Winter's Gift by Lauren Brooke


Summer
1. The Summer of Cotton Candy (Sweet Seasons) by Debbie Viguie (Feb)
2. Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (Jun)
3. Secrets of a Summer Night (The Wallflowers, Book 1) by Lisa Kleypas (?)
A Summer to Remember by Mary Balough
A Summer to Remember by Lauren Brooke
Remember Summer by Elizabeth Lowell


Spring
1. The Spring of Candy Apples (Sweet Seasons) by Debbie Viguie
2. Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton (Jan)
3. Scandal in Spring (The Wallflowers, Book 4) by Lisa Kleypas (?)
Silent Spring

I'm going to stop here unless something I read for another challenge fits. Also, I'll run it again next year but only four books, sixteen was insane.

edit 7-23: Scandal in Spring and Secrets of a Summer Night both came in from the library

Reading through the Seasons

I haven't been able to find a reading challenge for this so I'm going to try running my own. There are two levels. Both levels require a season to be part of the title (Autumn in Scotland)

Level 1: read four books, one for each season.

Level 2: read 16 books, four for each season.

Bonus: a complete series with all four seasons

This challenge runs Jan 1 (oops) to Dec 31, 2009

Overlap with other challenges is perfectly acceptable

Holidays do not count unless a season is also included (Winter Dreams, Christmas Love)

You do not need a fixed list & can change it around

Children's books are allowed on level 2 but only for half the title


That's it. Add your name to Mr. Linky and comment on what level you'll be doing. Please link to the page where you have your challenge books instead of to your blog. It makes it easier for others to follow your progress and see your book choices.

Two more challenges

I joined two more challenges but now I'm tired and haven't the energy to post about them. The text for the sidebar links would NOT work!

Book Buddy (blog recommended) is reading books based on a blog review
In Their Shoes is memoirs and since I have a non-fiction category on another challenge, planning on several memoirs/biographies, I thought I'd give it a try.

I'll edit later or add another post. I also want to as a ticker for each challenge.


....I wish I had looked around at other blogs before signing up and committing myself to this design/place....

In Their Shoes has a dedicated post but Book Blog Buddy does not and I don't know where they are....off to search....


Blog Recommended:

Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
Yvone at Socrates' Book Reviews and others

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani
Erin at A Book Every Day

Another Challenge!

edited 11-18: abandoned




It didn't take long but I found another challenge! It fits right in with what I'm trying to do so....




This challenge has TWO due dates, the first: to finish reading your self-improvement-type book. The second: to apply one or more principles from the book and apply it/them to your life.

The challenge is being hosted by MizB who has several challenges going this year. To find all of them (5) go here and to read the rules and sign-up for the Be Inspired challenge, go here.

Now, one of my non-reading goals is weight/fitness related so I will be reading a lot on the subject. How wonderful to find a challenge that allows me to count my reading, encourages my applying the principles AND being able to say that I completed a challenge!

To Challenge!

No one was around so I signed up for reading challenges for 2009. Twelve so far. Yep, so far. There are a couple I'm not sure about or haven't seen, I'm not locking the door to this.

TBR Challenge
Books into Movies
eBook Reading Challenge
20 Books in 2009
Romance Reading Challenge
Ride the Reading Wave (Young Adult)
What's in a Name?
Published in 2009
Support Your Local Library
Erotica Reading Challenge
100+ Reading Challenge
999 Challenge

TBR: list fixed at 12 with an alternate list of 12
Books into Movies: 2
eBooks: 10
20 Books in 2009: 20
Romance: 5
Young Adult: 12
Name: 6
2009 Pub: 9
Library: 12 (or 25 or 50!)
Erotica: 10
100+: 100
999: 81

Now, IF there was no overlap, I have to read 279 books this year. You, know, I think I could do it if I didn't have a couple of outside life things interfering with my reading time :-)

Banned/Challenged Books

I've never seen the reason for banning/challenging a book. If you don't like it, don't read it. If you don't want your child to read it, fine but don't tell me that mine can't!

I've decided that one of my 999 categories will be banned/challenged books. This is what the American Library Association has to say:

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 420 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.

The 10 most challenged books of 2007 reflect a range of themes, and are:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language

4. The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Reasons: Racism

6. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7. TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Reasons: Sexually Explicit

9. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

And since I don't own all of these, I'll be able to use them for the Support Your Local Library challenge too!

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Alyce at At Home With Books is having a book giveaway. A publicist has put together a GREAT prize bundle, especially if you like young adult.

You have until the 12th to enter so jump over for a bit and take care of that bit of business then come over and leave a comment!

from At Home With Books:

Summary:

Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he’ll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon’s power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon’s affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon’s desperate lie comes to light, readers won’t be able to stop turning the pages...

See? Sounds great! This one is going to be added to my virtual TBR list.

What kind of reader are you?

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader   You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I was wrong

I'm sure that I'll need to check out something from the library this year! Sign-up here. I'm only going to to commit to 12 this year.

9-8: I was #181 to sign-up for the challenge and #25 to say I finished. I wonder what number I would have been if I hadn't waited so long. I only challenged myself to 12 books and have more than doubled that. I still have several checked or on hold but for now, this is my completed list....

1. and Tango makes Three reviewed
2. The Perks of being a Wallflower reviewed
3. Death by Cashmere reviewed
4. After Etan reviewed
5. The Magical Christmas Cat reviewed
6. Summer on Blossom Street reviewed
7. Thai Die
8. Dropped Dead Stitch
9. Devil in Winter reviewed as series
10. A Magical Christmas
11. Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate (two in one)
12. The Summoning reviewed
13. It Happened One Autumn
14. Scandal in Spring
15. Secrets of a Summer Night
16. Slave to Sensation reviewed
17. Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. reviewed
18. Just One Wish reviewed
19. DragonSpell
20. DragonQuest
21. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes reviewed
22. Island of the Blue Dolphins reviewed
23. DragonKnight
24. DragonFire
25. The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
26. Bridge to Terabithia
27. Temptation and Surrender
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
28. Casting Spells
29. Magic's Child
30. Magic Lessons
31. Magic or Madness
32. Laced with Magic
33. The House on Tradd Street
34. Wake
35. Fade
36. Vampire Academy
37. The Midnight Twins
38. The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love
39. Dragonling, vol. 2
40.

and one last challenge!

not doing this one but I can't delete the post or the next one will make no sense

Oh, why not!

It's not like I'm not going to be reading this many anyways! All books count but audio and ebooks wasn't on the list. There was an etc but.....

Sign-up here.

Some of these may be short but they are ALL single titles. NOT in reading order. I'm listing ebook & print titles on different lists. I won't do that next year!

5-10: Yes, I read fast, but some of them are very short stories, even if they are single titles. I've taken out ebooks under 100 pages. Print books under 100 have been left on the list.


1. Married in Seattle (oops, two titles, single binding)
2. The Spy Who Came for Christmas
3. Dewey The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
4. Arrows of the Queen
5. Arrow's Flight
6. Arrow's Fall
7. Beautiful Disaster
8. Falling
9. Dashing Through the Snow
10. The Warrior Heir
11. The Wizard Heir
12. Lost for Christmas
13. People of the Book
14. Corporate Passion
15. Gone Surfin'
16. and Tango makes Three
17. Eye Contact
18. The Perks of being a Wallflower
19. Endymion Spring
20. The Elf and Shoemaker
21. Familiar Vows
22. Exile's Honor
23. Exile's Valor
24. The Different Dragon
25. Take a Thief
26. By the Sword
27. Winds of Fate
28. Winds of Change
29. Winds of Fury
30. Magic's Pawn
31. Magic's Promise
32. Magic's Price
33. Storm Warning
34. Storm Rising
35. Storm Breaking
36. The Summer of Cotton Candy
37. Mistaken Identity
38. Bookends
39. Wild Magic
40. Sandry's Book
41. Tris's Book
42. Daja's Book
43. Briar's Book
44. Alanna
45. In the Hand of the Goddess
46. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
47. Lioness Rampant
48. First Test
49. Page
50. Squire
51. Lady Knight
52. Magic Steps
53. Street Magic
54. Cold Fire
55. Shatterglass
56. A Hidden Beauty
57. High Line
58. Father of Dragons
59. Harvest Heat
60. Key of Light
61. Key of Knowledge
62. The Friday Night Knitting Club
63. Key of Valor
64. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
65. There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon
66. A Single Thread
67. Counting Stars
68. Heartmate
69. The Dragonling
70. A Dragon in the Family
71. Killed By Clutter
72. The Matchmakers
73. Dogs and Goddesses
74. The Duke & I
75. Brighter than the Sun
76. Hide
77. The Viscount Who Loved Me
78. An Offer From a Gentleman
79. The Fit Factor (not including recipe pages)
80. The One That Got Away
81. A Helping Hand
82. Polar Reaction
83. A Promise Kept
84. Drawn Together
85. A Note in the Margin
86. Perfect Formation
87. Broken Boundaries
88. By Degrees
89. Romancing Mister Bridgerton
90. The Masterharper of Pern
91. Evidence
92. When He Was Wicked
93. Further Observations of Lady Whistledown
94. Beyond Lies the Wub
95. The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever
96. The Quickening
97. Flirting with Pete
98. The Outstretched Shadow
100. To Light a Candle
101. When Darkness Falls
102. The Fall of Candy Corn
103. The Winter of Candy Canes
104. The Spring of Candy Apples
105. Broken Boundaries
106. Snow Angel
107. Love Me Still
108. A Soldier’s Choice
109. Subic Surrender-Michael’s story
110. Drawing Closer
111. Gemini
112. Sunshine, Sex & Sunflowers
113. The Last Bouquet
114. A Soldier’s Choice (yes, again)
115. Allergies
116. The One That Got Away (TC Blue)
117. Rewriting Monday
118. Death by Cashmere
119. After Etan
120. A Kid to the Rescue
121. Ethan’s Choice
122. A Fostered Love
123. It’s In His Kiss
124. Twenty Wishes
125. Texas Hold ‘Em
126. Thirty Days
127. Family Affair
128. Three of a Kind
129. The Last Holiday Concert
130. The Magical Christmas Cat
131. The Book Dragon
132. The Book of Lies
133. Home for the Holidays
134. A Magical Christmas
135. A Historical Christmas Present
136. The Time Traveler's Wife
137. Merry Christmas, Baby!
138. The Cat Who Went into the Closet
139. A Wallflower Christmas - Wallflower series reviewed together
140. Faeries Gone Wild
141. Firefly Lane
142. Straight from the Hip
143. Green Rider
144. The Cat Who Loved Christmas
145. Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret
146. A Horse named Dragon (Boxcar Children)
147. A Circle of Souls
148. James and the Giant Peach
149. Slave to Sensation
150. Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate (one binding)
151. Dropped Dead Stitch
152. Lip Service
153. It happened One Autumn - Wallflower series reviewed together
154. Under Her Skin
155. Summer on Blossom Street
156. Thai Die
157. Bond of the Maleri'
158. Never Too Late
159. Deep in the Valley
160. Adopted Son
161. Eye of the Beholder
162. Private Dicks
163. Cultivating Love
164. Bases Loaded
165. Str8te Boys
166. Wings (by E.D. Baker)
167. Devil in Winter - Wallflower series reviewed together
168. Visions of Heat
169. Scandal in Spring - Wallflower series reviewed together
170. Secrets of a Summer Night - Wallflower series reviewed together
171. Just One Wish reviewed
172. Caressed by Ice
173. Mine to Possess
174. The Man from Nowhere
175. The Library Card
176. Hostage to Pleasure
177. Mastered by Love
178. Branded by Fire
179. Nowhere Diner: Finding Love
180. Deviations: Domination
181. The Accidental Mother
182. Wes & Toren
183. The Trouble with Magic
184. Soldier
185. The Judge Who Stole Christmas
186. You, by Anonymous
187. Zero Tolerance
188. Murder Under a Mystic Moon
189. True North
190. Call Me Sir
191. Magic Strikes
192. DragonSpell
193. DragonQuest
194. Discipline
195. Bondage
196. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
197. Wait until Twilight
198. Tempting the Beast
199. Island of the Blue Dolphins
200. Bedside Manner
201. Forever Christmas
202. Ship's Cat shorts (4 of them)
203. Cat Deck the Halls
204. Hot Cargo
205. Room at the Inn
206. DragonKnight
207. DragonFire
208. DragonLight
209. Pocket Pair
210. The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society
211. Fit or Fat
212. Dancing With Ana
213. A Soldier's Choice
214. On a Wild Night
215. Fearless
216. Evermore
217. The Awakening
218. Bridge to Terabithia
219. Str8te Boys
220. Nick of Time
221. Familiar Showdown
222. Temptation and Surrender
223. Wearing Death
224. Year of the Cat
225. Fairyville
226. Water Witch
227. Baseball Cat
228. Slap and Tickle
229. Soft Spots
230. The Wedding Planner
231. Casting Spells
232. Broken
233. The Dog Who Rescues Cats
234. Bent Not Broken
235. Laced with Magic
236. Bitter Creek's Redemption
237. The House on Tradd Street
238. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
239. Wake
240. Vampire Academy
241. Fade
242. Discovering Dani
243. Benny & Shrimp
244. Causing Havoc
245. Simon Says
246. Unrequited
247. Hard to Handle
248. Two In, Two Out
249. Tigers and Devils
250. The Noticer
251. Saving Noah
252. Right Next Door (2 by Debie Macomber)
253. The Midnight Twins
254. The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love
255. The Cat Who Lived High
256. The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare
257. The Cat Who Played Post Office
258. Ghouls Don't Scoop Ice Cream
259. Dragolin
260. Dragonling, vol 2
261. Magic Lessons
262. Magic or Madness
263. Thanksgiving at the Inn
264. Magic's Child
265. Red in the Flower Bed
266. Uneven
267. The Cat Who Tailed a Thief
268. The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
269. The Cat Who Sniffed Glue
270. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
271. Cinderella
272. The Cat Who went Underground
273. A Sportscasters Guide to Watching Football
274. The Cat Who Came for Breakfast
275. The Cat Who Saw Stars
276. The Dragon in the Sock Drawer
277. Different Suits
278. Brier's Bargain
279. The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever
280. A snowflake in My Hand
281. The Cat Who Played Brahms
282. The Black Stallion and the Shape-shifter
283. The Cat Who Blew the Whistle
284. The Cat Who Said Cheese
285. The Cat Who Sang for the Birds
286. The Tallest of the Smalls
287. The Cat Who knew a Cardinal
288. The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts
289. Fanuilh
290. Wizard's Heir
291. Begger's Banquet
292. The Christmas List
293. A Highlander Christmas
294. The Vanishing Sculptor
295. Falling into the Sun reviewed
296. That Holiday Feeling
297. A Magical Christmas Present
298. Blaze of Memory
300. Moonstone
301. Santa Clawed
302.
303.
304.
305.

Published in 2009 Challenge

Read 9 books first published in 2009 (in your country). MMP/Trade don't count if there was a hardcover/trade published before. We want "first time in print" books. Five titles must be fiction and YA/children books are not allowed.

Sign-up here.



1. Familiar Vows (Caroline Burnes)
~fiction~
Harlequin Intrigue 1-13-09

2. Dogs and Goddesses (Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart & Lani Diane Rich)
~fiction~
St. Martin's Paperbacks (single novel, not anthology) ~ January

3. Rewriting Mondays (Jodi Thomas)
~fiction~
Berkley ~ April

4. After Etan (Lisa R. Cohen)
~nonfiction~
Grand Central Publishing ~ May

5. Summer on Blossom Street (Debbie Macomber)
~fiction~
Mira ~ May

6. Magic Strikes (Ilona Andrews)
~fiction~
Ace ~ April

7. A Circle of Souls (Preetham Grandhi)
~fiction~
Cedar Fort ~ August - ARC

8. Straight from the Hip (Susan Mallery)
~fiction~
Harlequin ~ June

9. Evermore (Alyson Noel)
~fiction~
St. Martin's - 9-2-09

10. The Awakening (Kelley Armstrong)
~fiction~
HarperCollins ~ 9-3-09

11. Familiar Showdown (Caroline Burnes)
~fiction~
Harlequin Intrigue 9-6-09

12. Temptation and Surrender (Stephanie Laurens)
~fiction~
William Morrow (imprint of HarperCollins) 9-6-09


Faeries Gone Wild



Lillian Jackson Braun?
Dick Francis? - Even Money
Piers Anthony?
Marie Bostwick's Single Thread sequel?
Elizabeth Lowell?

What's in a name?

This challenge has several rules but only six books for the year. Each book must have the following in it's title (example).

1. Medical condition (Coma)
2. Time of Day (The 5 O'Clock Bar)
3. Profession (The book Thief)
4. Body Part (Heart of Darkness)
5. Relative (Father of Dragons)
6. Building (The Tower)


Sign-up here. There are also places to put links to your reviews or just review them in the comments. This will be hard for me, I don't usually review!



1. Medical Condition: Drop Dead Stitch (completed ??)
2. Time of Day: Wait Until Twilight (completed 8-17)
3. Profession: The Spy Who Came for Christmas (completed 1-4)
4. Body Part: Eye Contact (completed 1-23)
5. Relative: The Accidental Mother (completed 8-2)
6. Building:
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (completed 1-9)

Riding the Reading Wave

I love reading YA books!

Sign-up here!


1. The Warrior Heir, Heir bk 1 (Cinda Williams Chima-new author)
2. The Wizard Heir, Heir bk 2
3. Endymion Spring (Matthew Skelton-new author)
4. The Perks of being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky-new author)
The Sweet Seasons series (Debbie Viguie-new author)
5. The Summer of Cotton Candy
6. The Fall of Candy Corn
7. The Winter of Candy Canes
8. The Spring of Candy Apples
9. Wings (E.D. Baker-new author)
10. Just One Wish (Janette Rallison-new author)
11. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (Chris Crutcher-new author)
12. Wait Until Twilight (Sang Pak-new author)


Wild Magic (Tamora Pierce) reread
Circle of Magic, quartet (Tamora Pierce) reread
Song of the Lioness, quartet (Tamora Pierce) reread
Protector of the Small, quartet (Tamora Pierce) reread
The Circle Opens, quartet (Tamora Pierce) reread




edit 5-23: If I count re-reads, not only am I finished, I'm way past finished. If I'm only going to count new reads.... I've got some reading left to do.

Romance Challenge

Only 5? In 12 months? Yes, I can do this!

Rules/blog here



1. Married in Seattle by Debbie Macomber

2. Familiar Vows by Caroline Burnes (Romantic Suspense)

3. Counting Stars by Michele Paige Homes (Christian Fiction)

4. Matchmakers by Debbie Macomber

5. Dogs and Goddesses by three authors but not an anthology! (Paranormal)
~Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart & Lani Diane Rich~

20 Books in 2009

I'll be reading 81 for another challenge - this should be a piece of cake.



Blog is here, rules are here. I'm NOT going to include books that I'm re-reading.


1. Married in Seattle
by Debbie Macomber
finished Jan. 2

2. The Spy Who Came for Christmas
by David Morrell
finished Jan. 4

3. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
finished Jan. 9


4. Dashing Through the Snow
by Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark
finished Jan. 13


5. The Warrior Heir
by Cinda Williams Chima
finished Jan 15

6. The Wizard Heir
by Cinda Williams Chima
finished Jan 20

7. People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
finished Jan 20

8. and Tango makes Three
by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
Children's picture book
finished Jan 22

9. Eye Contact
by Cammie McGovern
finished Jan 23

10. The Perks of being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
finished Jan 25

11. Endymion Spring
by Matthew Skelton
finished Jan 26

12. Familiar Vows
by Caroline Burnes
finished Jan 27

13. The Different Dragon
by Jennifer Bryan
Children's picture book
finished Jan ??

14. The Summer of Cotton Candy
by Debbie Viguie
finished Feb 11

15. Mistaken Identity
by Don & Susie Van Ryn
Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerek
with Matt Tabb
finished Feb 12

16. Bookends
by Jane Green
finished Feb 17

17. The Friday Night Knitting Club
by Kate Jacobs
Finished Feb 27

18. A Single Thread
by Marie Bostwick
finished Mar. 3

19. Counting Stars
by Michele Paige Holmes
finished Mar 5

20. Killed by Clutter
by Leslie Caine
finished Mar 20






Challenge Rules

* You must have a website since you have to keep an online progress page. You can get free ones from wordpress.com or blogspot.com if you need to.
done

* You must create a progress page, which will be updated each time you complete one of your 20 books. For more information about progress pages and an example of how you can do them, click here. If you do not have a progress page and would like to post your books as regular blog updates one at a time as you finish, please create a tag or category specific to the challenge that I can look at.
done

* You can read as many books as you want by an author or in the same series.
n/a

* If the book is a re-read, it must be from a year ago.
didn't include re-reads

* If you begin the book in 2008 and finish it in 2009, it does count for this challenge.
nope, all were started in 2009

* The following do not count: comics, catalogs, manga, journals, audiobooks.
oops, children's books? I may need to change out some titles

* The following does count: paperbacks, hardbacks, advanced copies, ebooks. You can read fiction or nonfiction, the choice is up to you.
yea, ebooks!

* You must link back to this challenge with the button provided or one that you make for your own personal use, or even a text link.
done

* If you intend to participate, leave a comment on the main entry stating so. You will then be added to the participants list.
another oops, comment left late!

* Everyone who successfully completes the 20 in 2009 challenge will win a small award graphic to display on their website
Woo Hoo

999 Challenge

I'm an idiot! I know I read a lot but why, WHY would I commit myself to this?

9 Categories
9 books from each category
Finished in 2009

That's 81 books! Not just 81 books, but from specific categories! Luckily, 9 books can overlap another category and I do have other challenges where the books will fit.

sigh, Sign-ups are here and the blog is here.

I still need to narrow down my categories:

1-8: I've chosen my categories:

Thought about but decided against.
Paranormal, book challenge books, travel, Bestsellers, other, miscellaneous

7-5: This is a LibraryThing challenge and I forgot the "For an added challenge, try completing your books by 9/9/09!" Good thing it is just an additional challenge!


Romance
1. Married in Seattle
2. It's In His Kiss
3. To Sir Philip, With Love
4. An Offer from a Gentleman
5. When He Was Wicked
6. The Matchmakers
7. The Duke & I
8. The Viscount Who Loved Me
9. Romancing Mister Bridgerton



Fantasy/Sci-fi
1. Arrows of the Queen
2. Arrow's Flight
3. Arrow's Fall
4. Exile's Honor
5. Exile's Valor
6. Take a Thief
7. By the Sword
8. Winds of Fate
9. Winds of Change



Mystery/Thriller/Suspense type
1. The Spy Who Came for Christmas
2. Dashing Through the Snow
3. Eye Contact
4. Familiar Vows
5. Hide
6. Death by Cashmere reviewed
7. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
8. Killed by Clutter
9. The Book of Lies reviewed



eBooks
1. Key of Light
2. Key of Knowledge
3. Key of Valor
4. Hide
5. Brighter than the Sun
6. Masterharper of Pern
7. The Outstretched Shadow
8. The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever
9. When Darkness Falls



non-fiction
1. Dewey: the Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World
2. and Tango makes Three (banned overlap)
3. Mistaken Identity
4. The Fit Factor (health overlap)
5. After Etan
6. Fit or Fat
7. Soft Spots
8. The Dog Who Rescues Cats
9. The Man Who Loves Books Too Much



Bond. James Bond
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.



Health/Fitness
1. The Fit Factor
2. Fit or Fat
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.



Young Adult
1. The Warrior Heir
2. The Wizard Heir
3. Endymion Spring
4. The Perks of being a Wallflower (banned overlap)
5. The Summer of Cotton Candy
6. The Fall of Candy Corn
7. The Winter of Candy Canes
8. The Spring of Candy Apples
9. The Summoning
(these are all NEW reads!)



ALA Banned/Challenged
1. and Tango makes Three
2. The Perks of being a Wallflower
3. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
4. James and the Giant Peach
5. Bridge to Terabithia
6.
7.
8.
9.







and just for fun:

2009 eBook Reading Challenge

Those of you who know me, realize I carry a library in my pocket/purse. So when I saw that someone had a challenge on their blog for ebooks I knew I had to add it to my list. Guidelines are on the blog but basically, I need to read 10 eBooks this year. Yep, year.

Arrows of the Queen - started as a ebook, finished as print (completed 1-8) reread

Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
1. Key of Light
2-24, reread
2. Key of Knowledge
2-26, reread
3. Key of Valor
3-1, reread


4. Brighter than the Sun
by Julia Quinn
completed 3-26, reread

5. Hide
by Lisa Gardner
completed 3-27, new read

6. The Masterharper of Pern
by Anne McCaffrey
completed 4-3, reread

7. The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown
anthology
completed 4-9, reread

8. The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever
by Julia Quinn
completed 4-11, new read

9. Beyond Lies the Wub
by Philip K. Dick
completed 4-13, new read/short story

10. The Quickening
by Antonia Tiranth
completed 4-20, new read

11. The Outstretched Shadow
by Mercedes Lackey
completed 4-24, new read

12. When Darkness Falls
by Mercedes Lackey
completed 4-28, new read





I'm currently reading on an iPod Touch or Mac and while the Touch isn't the same as my old Palm, I like it a whole lot better then the Kindle.

I did purchase a Kindle. Used it for a couple of weeks. I liked the feel, the selection, the fonts/sizes, the screen look, the extra memory card slot. However, every time the page turned (too slowly!) the whole thing would black out before the next page showed up. It was giving me a headache so I returned it. They fix that and I'll consider it again.

Books into Movies Challenge

The rules are pretty simple and can be found here.

Since I've already got one book to movie book on my list for another challenge, I figured why not.

So my 2nd challenge for 2009 is to read 2+ books that have been or will be made into movies.

1. Marley and Me
2. Dune
3. and of my Bond books
4. Seabiscuit

edit 9-4: sure it sounds easy but I've finally read a book that was made into a movie - Bridge to Terabithia!

To challenge or not to challenge

I thought it would be nice to visit the blogs of those who have signed up for the TBR Challenge. I was going to write down books from their list that I thought were interesting. I'm thinking it was a mistake. One of the bloggers has a whole list challenges she belongs to. Overlap is possible between challenges but still... 22 challenges? Someone needs to slap me because I'm considering adding reading challenges to my already overwhelmed outside life.

electronic or print?

So which side of the fence are you on concerning ebooks vs. print?

I have both. Some of my favorite books are available as ebooks so I've purchased them again. It is comforting for me to know that I can "pick one up" when I'm far from home just because it is in my purse.

On the other hand. I like to look at my shelves, take a book down and remember what it was about. Maybe flip through it and read a bit. I like to curl up on the couch and feel the book I'm reading.

Then again, there are titles I'd buy as ebooks that I wouldn't purchase as print.

I don't know if I'll ever give up all my print books for electronic but dang, I love carrying my library with me in a space lighter than my cell phone!

Notice that I didn't say what device I used or where I did my ebook reading. Let's just say that the couch works no matter what and leave the device debate for later.

dragon treasure

Have you ever thought about what a dragon's cave looks like? Do you imagine piles of jewels and coin ready to roll around in? My dragon's cave is actually a large library, yes, it does have a cave-like nook for napping. There are lots of bookcases, good lighting, comfortable chairs with tables for the next book to be read, lots of pillows, blankets and a great rug. Windows would be higher up to keep direct sun off the books. And, sad to say, the shelves are not made of wood. They're metal.

Yikes, you say? Wood is wonderful. Wood is warm. Wood is beautiful. Yes, I agree, it all those things. However, it is also food for things that would destroy the books. I'll stick to metal, thanks, and hope.

I'd love a fireplace but really, fire in a room full of paper?

Sounds dreamy doesn't it. Sigh, well, it is. A dream I mean. My current library is spread though out the house/garage and is disorganized or in out of the way spots to the point of not knowing for positive if I have a book and if I do, where it is! So, yes, I dream of libraries like some people dream of chocolate.

Okay, I'm not that bad, but it's close!

so many challenges, so little time....

Not all my challenges are books, ah, ahem, never mind (whew, I almost blew it already!)

Books read in 2009

with reviews later - links go to amazon

1. Married In Seattle

2. The Spy Who Came For Christmas

3. Enchanted


4. Beautiful Disaster by M.L. Rhodes

5. Falling by J.M. Snyder

6. Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey

7. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

8.
9.

TBR Challenge

The challenge is to read 12 books this year from my TBR pile. Once my list is complete I can not change it. I am allowed 12 alternates. See the blog for official rules.

I'm getting a late start & still need to go through my "pile" but here goes:

1. The Time Traveler's Wife (completed 8-2)
2. Seabiscuit
3. In the Event of My Death
4. Ender in Exile
5. Two to the Fifth
6. Killed by Clutter (completed 3-20)
7. Dark Curse
8. Silks
9. Mistaken Identity (completed 2-12)
10. Acheron
11. True Evil
12. Change

alternate list
1. Upon a Midnight Clear dang, already read
2. Dashing Through the Snow (completed 1-12)
3. Gone for Good
4. Where Hearts Prosper
5. One Silent Night
6. Dewey (completed 1-8)
7. Start Living, Start Losing
8. A Wallflower Christmas (completed 7-?)
9. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
10. Lady, Beware
11. Marley and Me
12. The Last Lecture


wow - I thought it would take me days to decide!

books, books, books

One of my Yahoo!Groups is On the Porch Swing. I'm not active but I did go today and found a post about challenges. The blog had more then one so when one of the links had a "Mr. Linky" I knew I needed a dedicated blog just for books.

I've got other blogs that I have a hard time keeping up with so I really shouldn't add another one but the others are so varied or personal that I didn't want anything to distract. Plus, there is no sense embarrassing or offending anyone! And really, unless you know, know me, do you really want hear that I'm pulling my hair out over wedding plans?

This blog will be everything books. No health, life, writing, family or school. No religion or politics. Just books. {HA we'll see how long before off topic subjects creep in}

Home Sweet Home

Come in, come in, pull up a chair
There are refreshments to the right
Let me take your coat and stay awhile

*no, it's not one of my personal rooms but I love it and wish it was-with a few minor changes.

Lists and More Lists

I would love to have a post connected to the bar under my title with buttons for: Home, Challenges, Contests, Book Lists; to start


Start with links to "Prey Books" - just open a new window over at the library blog.

Christine Feehan's home page
Books I own by Christine Feehan

author's home page (website or blog)
Books I own by author


what to do about authors who don't have a website/blog? Just a "Books I own by author?


Books I own by:

Lilian Jackson Braun

Christine Feehan
Christine Feehan's home page

Dick Francis

Anne McCaffrey (Todd too)

Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber's home page








John Sandford's Prey series

* Rules of Prey (1st book)
* Shadow Prey
* Eyes of Prey
* Silent Prey
* Winter Prey
* Night Prey
* Mind Prey
* Sudden Prey
* Secret Prey
* Certain Prey
* Easy Prey
* Chosen Prey
* Mortal Prey
* Naked Prey
* Hidden Prey
* Broken Prey
* Invisible Prey
* Phantom Prey
* Wicked Prey

some of the Authors I read

* Sherrilyn Kenyon
* Dick Francis
* Carly Phillips
* Jo Beverley
* Elizabeth Lowell
* Stephanie Laurens
* Robin D. Owens
* Christine Feehan

Christine Feehan's GhostWalker series

* Shadow Game
* Mind Game
* Night Game
* Conspiracy Game
* Deadly Game
* Predatory Game
* Murder Game