A move mid-summer...

WOW... It's been a while since I've posted. I'm missing about 20 books -- June and July. Got too busy with summer vacations and a fairly sudden move resulting in the books being delivered to Half Price Book Store before I had recorded them.

Ah well... such is the life of a reader. And I'm LOVING my new home and finally feeling a bit settled so I'm going to credit myself the 20 and start posting again.

I've read some WONDERFUL books. I've reached a place in my life where I don't really spend my time reading books that aren't wonderful. (Yes, I remember a day when just because I started a book I felt compelled to finish it. Thank god those days are gone! LOL) I've also been surprised to realize that some people playing in this 100+ Reading Challenge count books-on-tape. To me, that's hardly related to reading a book and it never occurred to me that people would count those. Explains the HUGE number of books some people are saying they've completed... I figured most of these participants were either spooky FAST readers or simply were fed by IV and had catheters in and did nothing BUT read... (after all there are only so many hours in a day ;-))

So... what follows is the continuation of my books read list...
ya know, the one's I'm R E A D I N G :

60. Pompeii - Robert Harris (8-1-09)
61. Black Notice - Patricia Cornwell (8-6-09)
62. The Burnt House - Faye Kellerman (8-12-09)
63. Alone - Lisa Gardner (8-19-09)
64. Abduction - Robin Cook (8-22-09)
65. Salvation in Death - J. D. Robb (8-26-09)
66. Day of Atonement - Faye Kellerman (9-1-09)
67. Critical Judgment - Michael Palmer (09-05-09)
68. Lords of Light - Deepak Chopra (09-09-09)
69. Solar Eclipse - John Farris (09-14-09)

70. The Pilgrimage - Paulo Coelho (o9-21-09)
71. State of Fear - Michael Crichton (09-28-09)
72. Lost Souls - Lisa Jackson
73. 42 Rules for Effective Connections - Bonnie Ross-Parker and Cindy Elsberry (10-02-09)
74. Beach Money - Jordan Adler (10-04-09)
75. Growing the Distance - Jim Clemmer (10-10-09)
76. With No One As Witness - Elizabeth George (10-29-09)
77. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown (11-06-09)
78. The Shape Shifter - Tony Hillerman (11-08-09)
79. Last Known Victim - Erica Spindler

80. Alone - Lisa Gardner (11-18-09)
81. Final Target - Iris Johansen (11-21-09)
82. Double Tap - Steve Martini (11-24-09)
83. Book of The Dead - Patricia Cornwell (11-30-09)
84. Tips and Tidbits - Janet Gonzalez-Mena (12-02-09)
85. The Death List - Paul Johnston (12-07-09)
86. Santa's God - Neale Donald Walsch (12-12-09)
87. The Darkest Kiss - Keri Arthur (12-13-09)
88. Copycat Marketing - Burke Hedges (12-14-09)
89. Nightshade - John Saul (12-15-09)

90. A Thin Dar Line - Tami Hoag (12-26-09)
91. The One Minute Manager - Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson (12.17.09)
92. Ninth Key - Meg Cabot (12.19.09)
93. Reunion - Meg Cabot (12.21.09)
94. The Seven Lost Secrets of Success - Joe Vitale (12.22.09)
95. Black Ice - Matt Dickinson (12-28-09)
96. I Could Tell You Stories - Patricia Hampl (
97. The Vortex - Esther and Jerry Hicks
98. Devil's Labyrinth - John Saul (12.30.09)
99. Mona the Brilliant - Sonia Holleyman (12.31.09)
100. Salvation in Death - J. D. Robb (12.31.09)

+ the countless children's books I've read over the year to my brilliant grandchildren!!!!

Goodbye 2009... WELCOME 2010

100+ Reading Challenge Continues

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I'm very excited to have discovered J. Kaye, who is hosting another (sheesh... this has been going on without my knowing?!?!! Amazing!) fantastic challenge - the 100+ Reading Challenge. I found myself imagining that this will be an easy challenge for me to meet because I'm reading all the time... then it dawned on me that while I AM reading most of the time, I only actually read approximately one book a week. Since a year only has 52 weeks this could actually be considered quite an accomplishment. I'm up for it. ;-)

The challenge is - read 100 books in the year 2009 (no starting early). The challenge runs from 1/1/09 to 12/31/09. Any books are acceptable.

There is also a Yahoo Group that you can join to talk about your books.

So head on over to J. Kaye's and sign up with Mr. Linky.

My books will be listed below. If you come play let me know... I might be looking for book recommendations ;-) Though I must confess... I'm hardly the most discriminating reader... if there are words, I read.

I presume that starting right at midnight is fair so I have my first book lined up... with completion date noted.

1. HIDE by Lisa Gardner (01-03-09)
2. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (01-04-09)
3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (01-11-09)
4. retribution by Jilliane Hoffman (01-17-09)
5. Wisdom, Inc. by Seth Godin (01-22-09)
6. Light Before Day by Christopher Rice (01-23-09)
7. Twice Kissed by Lisa Jackson (01-27-09)
8. Tunnel Vision by Sara Paretsky (02-01-09)
9. The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag (02-04-09)
10. Killing Fear by Allison Brennan (02-07-09)

11. The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (02-12-09)
12. Tempting Evil by Allison Brennan (02-18-09)
13. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (02-21-09)
14. Rage by Jonathan Kellerman (02-27-09)
15. The Constant Gardener by John LeCarre (03-05-09)
16. The DaVinci Legacy by Lewis Perdue (03-10-09)
17. The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner (03-13-09)
18. The Kills by Linda Fairstein (03-17-09)
19. Trick of Light by David Hunt (03-21-09)
20. Hidden Prey by John Sandford (03-23-09)

21. Power Plays - Politika by Tom Clancy (03-29-09)
22. Billy Straight - Jonathan Kellerman (04-05-09)
23. The Ruins - Scott Smith (04-11-09)
24. Stalemate - Iris Johansen (04-12-09)
25. the mediator Shadowland - Meg Cabot (04-14-09)
26. The Ultimate Gift - Jim Stovall
27. The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz (04-20-09)
28. A Necessary Evil - Alex Kava (04-23-09)
29. the mediator Shadowland - Meg Cabot (04-25-09)
30. One Last Scream - Kevin O'Brien (04-30-09)

31. One False Move - Alex Kava (05-04-09)
32. Bone Thief - Thomas O'Callaghan (05-09-09)
33. You've Been Warned - James Patterson (05-13-09)
34. The Cobra Event - Richard Preston (05-17-09)
35. Cross - James Patterson (05-22-09)
36. Incriminating Evidence - Sheldon Siegel (05-27-09)
37. Moment of Truth - Lisa Scottoline (06-01-09)
38. Scent of Roses - Kat Martin (sometime in May)
39 Dead of the Day - Karen E. Olson (also sometime in May)

An Gift to Fellow Book Lovers...

Neil Gaiman wins Newbery Award!

Image via WikipediaToday it was announced that Gaiman received the coveted John Newbery Medal for Children's Literature with his book Graveyard. Congratulations! And the most interesting thing about all of this is that Gaiman doesn't write for children. Even he admits to being, "wonderfully befuddled".

Admittedly, I haven't read Graveyard. As you'll notice on my list for the 2009 100+ Reading Challenge... I did read Gaiman's American Gods. It's the first of his work that I've read... and I loved it. So even without reading the 'winning' novel, I certainly have a good feel for it's appeal. The story he spins in American Gods, follows a man with the single name, Shadow, and is rich with description and artfully weaves in questions about the state... and place... of new and ancient gods in today's America while telling a story that feels just as real as it is fanciful.

I HIGHLY recommend you explore this man's tale telling talent by giving American Gods a read!