The Language of Sycamores

4 cookies
The Language of Sycamores by Lisa Wingate. As I have said before, I love Lisa Wingate. This book is the 3rd in the Tending Roses series, and it was really good. I could read her all day.

Moon Called

4 cookies
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Based on the cover of this book you would think that it was full of bad words and sex. But no! It was clean, and I really liked it. The main charecter is Mercy, a car mechanic and shapeshifter. There is also werewolves, vampires and other "fae" creatures. It was a good fantasy book.

The Actor and the Housewife

5 cookies
The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale. I loved this book. It is about a mormon housewife from Utah who meets a famous actor, and their friendship. I loved the way all the relationships were written about, and the authors understanding of people really ARE. I laughed and cried reading this book. In fact, I cried several times. And that is VERY unusual for me. I highly recommend it.

Everything Matters!

3 cookies
Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr. This was an odd book about a guy who was programmed before birth to know when the end of the world is (in his lifetime) and his efforts to understand and live his life. It was a strange book, but I liked that in the end (literally) he knows everything really did matter.

The Shimmer

2 cookies
The Shimmer by David Morrell. This book started out pretty good, but ended up just dumb. The only good thing was the story line about the mysterious lights, which are a real thing, and I will be reading more about those, because it was so interesting. Everything else about the book was dumb. I gave it 2 cookies for the lights.

Blindman's Bluff

4 cookies
Blindman's Bluff by Faye Kellerman. I like Faye Kellerman, she is married to Jonathon Kellerman, who I love. I am not sure why this book is titled "Blindman's Bluff", it really has nothing to do with the story. I mean, there is a blind man in the book, but... I know it has been awhile since I posted a book. It is just that time of year, I am so busy. Anywho, I liked this book. It is a Lazarus and Decker novel, and I always like those. (Those characters.) There is some bad language, so consider yourself warned.

Dragonflight

3 1/2 cookies
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. I really liked the story part of this book. I didn't like the way it was written. It seemed convoluted and confusing to me. It was first written in 1968, so it is fairly old, and maybe that was part of the problem. But the story was good. Typical dragon/rider relationship. I liked it enough that I will read the next books in the series.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

3 cookies plus 1 more for humor
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle. This book was full of nasty words and bad things. However, it was funny. I gave it 3 cookies first, because it wasn't a nice book, but then gave a separate cookie for being funny.

A Thousand Voices

4 cookies
A Thousand Voices by Lisa Wingate. Again, I really like her books. This one was about a girl who is adopted, and her search for who she is takes her to the Choctaw Nation. Lisa Wingate is very good with emotion and how people relate to each other. Great book!

Word Gets Around

4 cookies
Word Gets Around by Lisa Wingate. Like the last book, just a cute little book with wonderful charecters that you want to read more about.

Talk of the Town

4 cookies
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate. I really like Lisa Wingate. This book is very light and cute, and clean. This is kind of a "mom" romance book, but really clean. Just cute.

Book of a Thousand Days

4 cookies
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I really like Shannon Hale's books. She has a really different way of writing. Book of a Thousand Days is a Young Adult book, and is a really quick read. It reminded me of another of her books, Goose Girl. Very good.

Revenge of the Spellmans

5 cookies
Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. Funny funny funny! Laugh out loud, giggle to yourself, and then read it again!

Curse of the Spellmans

5 cookies
Curse of the Spellmans continues the story of Izzy Spellman, PI. She is a totally likable character. Love these books! There is an occasional bad word (she only one, but it is the BAD one), but that is about it. Read these!
By Lisa Lutz

The Spellman Files

5 cookies

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Somehow I missed writing about this one. I read it several weeks ago, and just finished the next one in the series, and I couldn't figure out where this one was! So, I missed it. I loved this book. SO, SO funny! Lisa Lutz's writing reminds me of Janet Evanovich's, clever and witty. This book made me laugh out loud, and you know how I love that! The book is about Izzy Spellman and her crazy family of Private Investigators. I just love the family dynamic, funny funny funny!

Dreamquake

3 cookies
Dreamquake is the second book in the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox. I thought this book was OK when I finished it, and the more I think about it the more I hate it. It was very interesting, and it certainly make me think. But, I hated the way she left one of the characters, and there were a lot of unanswered questions at the end. But it was certainly interesting.

Dreamhunter

4 cookies
Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox. I thought that I might LOVE this book, Stephenie Meyer recommended it on her website, and I have really liked the other books she recommended. But no, I didn't LOVE it, but I did like it. It took me awhile to get into it, but it sucked me in eventually. It also has a very specific language, you have to figure out the lingo. Dreamhunter is a Young Adult fiction, and is really clean.

Good Hope Road

5 cookies
Good Hope Road by Lisa Wingate. Love her! She is a fantastic writer, and clean as a whistle. You never have to worry that there might be something "unsavory" in there. This book centers on a small town in the aftermath of a terrible tornado. Lisa Wingate is all about the people and how they relate and come together. Highly recommend this one.

Smash Cut

4 cookies
Smash Cut by Sandra Brown. I almost didn't own up to this one. Sandra Browns books are full of things that don't need to be there, but I love her stories. This one had an ending I didn't see coming in a million years.

A Girl Named Zippy

5 cookies
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. This is a memoir, and I love it! I have read it several times, and it never gets old. Funny and engaging. Oh, for that kind of upbringing!

Drawn In Blood

3 1/2 cookies
Drawn In Blood by Andrea Kane. Pretty good. I liked the twists in the story, and the way the plot kept me pulled in. I don't remember any swear words, but there is a "intimate" scene - why do they do that? It was totally not needed.

Graceling

4 cookies
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I really liked this book. It is of the fantasy genre. It is about a girl named Katsa, who is part of a group of people who have what is known as a "grace". A grace is a special gift, like the gift of cooking or swimming, or predicting the weather, or reading minds. Katsa's grace is Killing, and the king makes her do terrible things. You have a grace if your eyes are two different colors. Interesting reading.

The Summer Kitchen

4 cookies
The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate. I really like the way Lisa Wingate writes. She has really great characters, with real problems that I can relate to. The Summer Kitchen is her latest novel. I also really like that she is a very clean writer. I wish that more writers got that you can write cleanly and still have a really great book.

A Princess of Landover

4 cookies
A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks. Some of you have probably read the "Landover" series by Terry Brooks, this is the latest in that series. There has not been a new "Landover" book in 10 years, so you might not have known this was out. I like the "Landover" series, but I have to say I did not like Mistaya, the princess. Her attitude was killing me. But the story was good!

The Everafter War

4 cookies
The Sisters Grimm - The Everafter War. (Book Seven) These are books for kids and Young Adults, at the library it is filed under "Juvenile". BUT, they are really great. Funny and entertaining. I was under the impression that this was the last book in the series, but it definitely is not. These are fun quick reads - I started this one at lunch time, and just wrapped it up - 4 hours later. Cute!

The Lost Symbol

5 cookies
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Books by Dan Brown fascinate me. They are so full of twists and turns, and packed full of interesting facts and amazing history. The Lost Symbol takes place in Washington D.C., and all within about a 12 hour span. It is so interesting to learn about D.C., and our founding fathers. This book also has a ton about Freemasons. I really don't know how he writes this stuff, and keeps it all straight so the reader can understand it. The Lost Symbol was also full of things about "spirituality", which was so interesting from my LDS prospective. About how it has been scientifically proven that we have a separate "soul" and that it is made of matter. About how our "thoughts" (i.e. faith) can change the world around us. And the more people are thinking the same "thoughts", the bigger the difference in the world. One really interesting thing was that there are things in the scientific world called Random Events generators, and after September 11th 4 scientists discovered that the outputs of 37 different Random Event Generators became significantly LESS random. As all the world focused on this one event it affected the randomizing function of the machines, and organized and brought order to the output. Brought order from chaos. Isn't that fascinating? Another one was a type of adult scale, made like a coffin that was airtight and measured down to the minuscule. A man within minutes of passing away was placed in the box, and as he died it showed how his body got lighter, just seconds after his passing. Thus, it showed the weight of his spirit leaving the airtight, totally contained box. Amazing huh? Dan Brown books are chock full of this kind of information. All the science, art, organizations and monuments in his books are real, and somehow he spins them altogether into a fascinating book. Loved it!

The Undaunted

5 cookies
The Undaunted by Gerald Lund. You have to know going in that this book will be really great, and I was not disappointed. The Undaunted is the story of the "Hole in the Rock" pioneers, done in Gerald Lund style, weaving fictional characters into the lives of the real people who left comfortable homes and lives to follow the Prophet's voice. It is really amazing what these people did, and someday I want to go see the actual places that are in this book. It is always good to be reminded of our amazing ancestors, and see their incredible faith, and have a better understanding of what they went through.

The Four Corners of the Sky

4 cookies
The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone. I really liked the characters in this book. It was funny and involving. There is much use of a very bad word though. Definitely an adult book.

The Ruby in the Smoke

3 1/2 cookies
The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. This is the same author who wrote The Golden Compass. It was pretty good, but I didn't love it. I liked it enough that I will go on and read the other 2 books in the series. It is a Young Adult book, and it was very clean.

Warbreaker

5 cookies
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. I LOVE Brandon Sanderson's books! He has a way of writing that sucks me in from the first page, and I am glued to the book clear to the end. I love the characters and the strange worlds that he creates. Warbreaker follows two princesses, and their efforts to prevent war. They are surrounded by wonderful characters, good and bad. If you like Sci-fi books, even a little, you need to read these.

Lady Killer

4 cookies
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. I liked this book a lot. I am going to have to read more of Lisa S's stuff. I always try to catch "the book lady" on channel 9, and she is always talking about how much she loves Lisa Scottoline. The other day I went through and watched a whole bunch of clips from "the book lady" (her name is Antoinette Kurtz) and wrote down probably 50 new books for me to try! I love it when I have a list of books to read next. Some of the books looked REALLY good. I, of course, will put them on here and let you know what I thought! Anyway, Lady Killer. It was pretty clean, which is always nice. The way she wrote kind of reminded me of Lisa Gardner, but Lisa Gardner is really graphic, and Lisa S. is not. At least not in this book. It is a mystery/thriller, about a lady lawyer who tries to help an enemy from high school. I like the characters a lot.

Catching Fire

5 cookies
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Love love LOVE these books! Catching Fire is the second in the series, Hunger Games was the first. I got this book from the library yesterday afternoon, and I finished it late last night. I am depressed that Catching Fire was just published, and now I have to wait for the next one. I hate that. I would much rather find a series after it is finished, so I have instant gratification. I highly recommend these books. There is no bad language, although it is intense and, in certain scenes, quite graphic. But, no swearing. Go read it now!

City of Thieves

4 cookies
City of Thieves by David Benioff. I'm not sure where this book came from, if I got the title from the T.V. lady (she comes on channel 9 on Saturdays) or out of a magazine or what, but I liked it! It was based in Leningrad when it was under siege from the Germans. Really really likable characters, and a story that kept moving. Like most war stories, it doesn't have a very good ending, but I still liked the book - unlike most books I read with not-so-nice endings. Language ALERT! This book was FULL of bad language, and it got worse the more I read. Obviously that doesn't bother me too much.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen

5 cookies
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. I have said in past posts that I LOVE Janet Evanovich, but she is so full of the bad language! But I always laugh out loud - hard! Mom - you will love this one! My favorite scene - when Lula goes out the car window to shoot at the bad guys and gets stuck - page 162! I was practically crying I was laughing so hard!

The Amber Spyglass

4 cookies
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I liked this series a lot. There were some disturbing things in them, and I wouldn't recommend them for younger kids. The story was really good though. I was also unhappy with the ending - although it fit the story.

Wow - 5 whole days!

The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman
4 cookies
I can't believe 5 days have gone by since my last book post. I have been busy! I did finally get to the library, and got another book read. I am really liking this series - "His Dark Materials", the first being The Golden Compass. The Subtle Knife was good, actually easier to read than The Golden Compass. It made more sense, whether that was because I had already read the first book, I am not sure. Starting #3!

Bright Shiny Morning

3 cookies
Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey. This book was hard to read - the way it is written is difficult to understand. Everything is run together there is hardly any punctuation and all the thoughts just run together all together run together. Like that. There was LOTS of profanity as well, and although I liked the idea of it, I hated the way it ended. So there you have it.

The Golden Compass

4 cookies
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I have known about this book since before the movie came out, but after the uproar about the movie I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it. Well, I am glad I did. It is a little bit difficult to understand, especially at the beginning, the author just jumps in and you just have to keep reading to figure out the things you don't understand. But I did like it. There was not anything in here that I thought was bad - although I can see why the Catholic church wouldn't like it.

The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs

4 cookies
This is a juvenile fiction book, and it was cute. I read it an about an hour and half. Simple cute book. The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs is by Betty G. Birney. This book is on a book club list from my friend Hilary, I thought it is an interesting choice for a book club read.

The Host

5 cookies
I LOVE The Host by Stephenie Meyer! I liked The Host better than both the middle Twilight books. I have read The Host before, and I just reread it for our book club, and I liked it just as much - or better! - than the first time. It is a little strange, and hard to get into, but I love it.

Lone Star Cafe

3 cookies
Lone Star Cafe by Lisa Wingate. This is a prequel to the Lizard Diner book I read a few weeks ago. It was cute, and I like the way she writes, especially how women think.

River Secrets

4 cookies
So, this sequel to Enna Burning and Goose Girl wasn't hard to get into. It was a sweet story, with the same characters as the other books. River Secrets didn't seem to be as long as the other two. Shannon Hale is a writer that is easy to like.

Enna Burning

3 1/2 cookies
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. I could NOT get into this book at first. I really wanted to like it, because it is a companion book to Goose Girl, and I love the characters. I did however, like the last 3rd of the book. Thus, an extra 1/2 star.

The Dragon Heir

4 cookies
Again, not much to say about this. I really liked the whole series, it had good characters and pulled you into the story. I loved that it was totally free of profanity and bad language. I am on the hunt for more books from Cinda Williams Chima.

The Wizard Heir

4 cookies
The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. What can I say new? Nothing. I am really liking this series.

The Warrior Heir

4 cookies
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. I wasn't sure when I started this if I was going to like it. She jumps right in with terms and expressions exclusive to this series, and it is a bit hard to understand what is going on. But, as you keep reading you start to understand what everything is about, and I ended up really liking it. There are two more books in the series, and I have them here at the house to read next. These are young adult fantasy books. They are also refreshingly clean and free of bad language and innuendo. I am excited to read the next two.

The Devil Wears Prada

4 cookies
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. I haven't seen the whole movie that they made out of this movie, just parts of it, but the parts I did see I can't say I loved. However, I did really like this book. It was funny and entertaining. It sucked me in and kept me interested. It did, however, have quite a bit of bad language. So watch out for that.

Artemis Fowl

4 cookies
Artemis Fowl - The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
OK, I admit it, I gave this book 4 cookies, but it didn't really deserve them until the last part. It started out 3 cookies, and progressed to 4. I have really liked this series, but this one was a little confusing, and I couldn't really get into it. As you can see by how long it has been since I finished City of Glass. I usually get through books faster than I did this one. But, I still like the Artemis Fowl books.

City of Glass

5 cookies!
I love these books! City of Glass, last in the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. Fabulous books! These had a "Twilight" kind of flavor to them. I guess what I mean is that I got totally pulled into the characters, and I couldn't wait to see what happened to them. Another reason I loved this series is that I didn't stumble on to the series until all three books were written. I did have to wait for them from the library, but that is very different than waiting for them to be written! I could read the whole series right away. These books (City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass), for me, are the kind of books that I read super fast because I can't be patient and need to know what happens, but the whole time I am reading I am thinking "Oh no, look how fast I am reading, it will be over before I know it!" and I don't want it to end because I love it so much. Anyone else ever feel like that reading a book? I am sure that I will read these again soon, to catch all the foreshadowing and love them all over again!

A Request

I have had a request to write down a list of some of the books that I was reading before I started this blog. One direct request, and several indirect suggestions. These are books I have read since the beginning of the year, and I will go off several lists that I have kept. I won't list anything that I didn't like at all, although as time goes on I tend to only remember the parts I did like. I will put a * by anything that had strong language and/or intense or inappropriate scenes. (If I can remember.) Basically it is 3 cookies - OK, 4 cookies - liked it a lot, 5 cookies - Loved it! So, here goes!

1. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 4 cookies
2. The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther 4 cookies
3. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 5 cookies
4. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 5 cookies
5. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas 5 cookies
6. Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody 3 cookies
7. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 4 cookies
8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult 4 cookies
9. The Gate House by Nelson DeMille 4 cookies *
10. Expecting Adam by Martha Beck 5 cookies
11. Ten Thousand Charms by Allison Pittman 3 cookies
12. Disquiet by Julia Leigh 3 cookies
13. A Train to Potevka by Mike Ramsdell 4 cookies
14. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 5 cookies plus a glass of milk!
15. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 3 cookies *
16. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 4 cookies *
17. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman 5 cookies
18. The Prestige by Christopher Priest 3 cookies
19. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver 4 cookies
20. Devil in the White City: Murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America by Erik Larson 4 cookies
21. Life of Pi by Yann Martel 4 cookies
22. The Queen's Fool by Phillippa Gregory 4 cookies
23. Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah 4 cookies
24. Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley 4 cookies
25. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris 3 cookies
26. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane 3 cookies *
27. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier 3 cookies
28. Alive: the story of the Andes survivors by Piers Paul Read 3 cookies *
29. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 5 cookies
30. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 4 cookies *
31. The Sisters Grimm book 1 by Michael Buckley 4 cookies (all of these are great)
32. The Princess Bride by William Goldman 4 cookies
33. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 5 cookies *
34. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 5 cookies
35. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin 4 cookies
36. Seventh Son series by Orson Scott Card 5 cookies
37. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger 4 cookies
38. Cold Sassy Tree & Leaving Cold Sassy by Oliva Burns 4 cookies
39. Enchantment by Orson Scott Card 4 cookies
40. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown 4 cookies
41. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown 4 cookies
42. Deception Point by Dan Brown 5 cookies
43. Eragon Series by Christopher Paolini 5 cookies
44. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry 5 cookies
45. Peter and the Shadowthieves by Dave Barry 5 cookies
46. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry 5 cookies
47. Angry Housewives Eating BonBons by Lorna Landvik 3 cookies

Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner

4 cookies
Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner by Lisa Wingate. This is the author of Tending Roses, which I loved. This was a great little book. Just a sweet little story about love and fear and trust - you know, relationships. I really like the way she writes, it's funny and endearing. I bought this book at DI solely because I liked Tending Roses so much, and it was definitely worth the 2 bucks. Apparently she followed up Tending Roses with 2 more books, making a trilogy. I am going to work on getting those from the library.

The Goose Girl

5 cookies
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. So, I have been hearing good things about The Goose Girl for months, at Book Club, from my sister-in-law, misc. other places and people. I finally got to it from my list of "what to read" and I loved it! It was really great. I am finding that I really like Shannon Hale. Everything that I have read of hers I have really liked. Apparently it is based on a Grimm Fairy Tale, but this was the first time I have heard this story. It is about a princess who must become a goose girl before she can become queen. It was really good!

Letters for Emily

4 cookies
Letters for Emily by Camron Wright. I really liked this book. It is a sweet and sensitive book about love and regret. I am guessing that Camron Wright is LDS, as he lives in SLC and went to BYU. He was inspired to write the book by his grandfather's poems, and a few of the poems are written at the back of the book. I'm not big on poetry, but every once in a while I come across one that I really like - I was surprised to find that I really liked almost all of Harry Wright's poems. Both the author's grandfather and the grandfather character in the book suffered from Alzheimer's, so did my grandfather. It was both humbling and endearing to read about. Although my grandpa didn't write poems, he was one of the kindest, most gentle men I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and to be his granddaughter was a blessing indeed. It was nice to have a reminder of him.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

3 cookies
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. This is the first of a trilogy. It is a Young Adult novel, and there wasn't any bad language in it. This book was pretty good. It is set in 1895 London (mostly) and it is about a girl who discovers she has supernatural powers. It is different than that sounds. Not too bad.

Ironside

3 cookies
Ironside is the the sequel to Tithe - by Holly Black. This book, like the first, was OK. I didn't LOVE it, but I didn't hate it either. It picks up right where the last one left off, although the either one can stand alone. You don't have to read the first to understand the second and vice-versa. This one, like the first, has bad language in it.

Tithe

3 1/2 cookies
Tithe - a Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black. I didn't like this first half of this book, but the 2nd half was better - thus - 3 and 1/2 cookies - 1/2 a cookie for a better last half. This is a Young Adult fiction book. The first half was quite confusing, and there were quite a few bad words. I hate that some YA books have such terrible language, it makes me mad. The last half was good, and I liked the ending. This book was OK, OK enough that I will read the sequel next.

Alcatraz the 2nd

4 cookies
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson. Another great book by Brandon Sanderson. Book II in this series was good - very witty and clever. How does he come up with this stuff?

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians

4 cookies
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. This is a juvenile fiction book, I read it because Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors right now. It was certainly creative, and fun to read. Alcatraz, a boy in foster care, finds out that the world is actually controlled by evil librarians - thus - the books are controlled - thus - the information is controlled - so - nothing is quite what he thought. I certainly couldn't write a book like this, I don't have a big enough imagination.

Ten Big Ones

4 cookies
Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich - 10th Stephanie Plum Novel. Again, not the best words in these books - but - SO SO funny! These books are about a bounty hunter named Stephanie Plum, who attracts weirdness and trouble like a magnet. I'll give you a taste -

"I had time to kill before I met Lula for our movie date and capture, so I headed for the mall. When in doubt... shop. I parked at the Macy's entrance and meandered through the shoe department. My credit card was pretty much maxed out, and I didn't see anything worth going to debtors' prison over, so I wandered out of Macy's and hit the Godiva Store. I collected all the loose change in the bottom of my bag, and I got two pieces of chocolate. If you buy chocolate with loose change the calories don't count. And anyway, one of the pieces was a raspberry truffle, so it was fruit. And fruit is healthy, right?" (Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich, page 138)

It is written from Stephanie's perspective, and it is hilarious. But again, I don't recommend them. (Hahaha)

Fearless Fourteen

4 cookies
OK, I'm not sure I should be admitting to reading this particular series. Fearless Fourteen is number - wait for it - 14 in the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. These are the funniest books I have ever read. I laugh out loud over and over while reading these books. I rarely laugh out loud when I am reading. As long as I am outing myself about reading these, I am going to drag my mom into it as well! My mom loves these books as well, and she read one out loud to my dad on their last road trip, apparently they were both in tears from laughing. Now, you ask why would I not want to admit to reading these? Well, they are full of words and descriptions that I would never say. But, that is part of what makes them SO FUNNY! My favorite character in the books is Grandma Mazur. Everything about her makes me laugh. I am not recommending these books - but if you want to laugh they should do it for you!

A book

I read a book, wasn't very good, and I am not posting the title!

Elantris

5 cookies
Boy am I a lucky girl - two 5 cookie books in a row! If you look to the right on my "all time favorites" list, you will see the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, Elantris was his first book. I'm thinking I might have to add Elantris to that list. I love Brandon Sanderson's books, they are complex, well-written and very interesting. I was a little confused at the beginning of this one, lots of different names and things to keep straight, but it all fell into place as I kept going. These are fantasy books. If you don't like fantasy books, you won't like Brandon Sanderson books, but if you do, his are some of the best I have ever read.

City of Ashes

5 cookies
When I read the first book in this series - City of Bones - I loved it! Well, I loved City of Ashes too! I love the characters in these books, and I can't wait to read the last one in the series! Please please please come (into the library) soon! I'm not sure how to explain these books, so you will just have to read them, but I love them!

half read

I started a book called Handle with Care by Jodi Piccoult. I didn't finish it. I just couldn't. For some reason, I couldn't stand the thought of what was coming in the book, so I didn't finish! There is a character in the book - the mother - and she was going to sue her best friend for something that wasn't the best friends fault, and it was going to hurt her own daughter in the process, and I couldn't take it! I'm kind of a loser - I know - but I couldn't keep reading knowing she was going to do that!

The Associate

3 cookies
The Associate by John Grisham was pretty good. I have always liked John Grisham, and I felt like this is one of the best books he has written lately. This one made me think of The Firm, which is one of my favorites. Pretty much, it is a typical John Grisham book.

Double Exposure

3 cookies
Another Blaine and Brenton Yorgason book. Double Exposure is a novel, a story of a couple who have lost their love for each other, our ancestors, pioneer life, and how love can change us. And, believe it or not, time travel. A interesting premise, but it is a good read. I like reading about the trappers of pioneer times, how they talked and lived.

The Greatest Quest

4cookies
Some of the books I got at DI were Blaine and Brenton Yorgason books, I also was given a bunch by my Aunt Diane - Thanks Diane! Blaine Yorgason is a friend of my folks, and saved my life when I was 5, but that is not a story to tell here. Thus, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Yorgason's, and have always liked their books. The Greatest Quest is good. This is a LDS book, a fictionalized account of 5 friends search for God's church, and the points of truth that that church would have. It is very interesting from the point of view of what the bible says Christ's church will be like, and how that relates to the LDS faith and other faiths.

Marley & Me

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While I was in Utah we went to two different DI's looking for books, this was one of my finds. Most people know about Marley & Me, since they made a movie from the book. I haven't seen the movie, but I really liked this book. It is by John Grogan. It made me laugh, and it made me cry. When this book first came out I wanted to read it, but never quite made it. I is just a story about a family and their dog, but I could really relate to it, and I think most people could. It was a very sweet little book.

Fablehaven Book 4

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Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull. I love the Fablehaven series. It was written basically for a younger audience, but they are really great for adults. I thought this was the best book so far, and is probably the best written. I thought the ending was a little off, it was so abrupt. It threw me off a little, but I am excited for the next (and last) book to come out - hopefully sometime in the Spring of 2010. Super series!

The Strain

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Basically, this book is about a virus that turns people into vampires. The Strain is by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It was OK as vampire books go. I did get freaked out reading it once late at night by myself, and I had to stop reading until the next morning.

The Last Olympian

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By Rick Riordan. This was a great series of books. This is the last one, and it really wrapped everything up well. At the end of the book, it sounded as though the writer was leaving things open to another, similar series. I hope he does, because I really enjoyed this one!

Long Title

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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane: A Novel by Katherine Howe. Kind of a weird book. I read about this book in People magazine, and the reviewer raved about how great and intense it was, but it wasn't. I kept waiting for it to get really great, and to really get interested in it, but I never really did. It is about a modern day woman who discovers she has a link to the Salem Witch Trials, and I did learn some interesting things about the Trials, but the story wasn't too gripping. Aw well.

Knock Out

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Today was a nice quiet day at home, and I found some time to read while the kids played "fort" with all the couch cushions. Knock Out is the latest in a series by Catherine Coulter. I think they are called the FBI Thrillers. Anyway, Knock Out is very much like the other books in this series, entertaining if not educational - interesting if not plausible. I like her characters.

Austenland

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Austenland by Shannon Hale. I am really liking Shannon Hale. This is a cute book about a single woman who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy and is gifted a vacation to Austenland, a place where everyone dresses, speaks and acts like they are in a Jane Austen novel. Cute little book.

Just Take My Heart

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So any of you who know books probably guessed this is by Mary Higgins Clark. It is fluff, but I like reading her stuff and seeing if I can figure out "who did it". Ms. Clark must be running out of ideas, because I knew the villain from the time he entered the book. Ah well. Just Take My Heart was typical MHC, she is always good for a quick read.

I am the Messenger

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By Markus Zusak. I am the Messenger was pretty good. A really interesting story, but for a young adult book there was quite a bit of bad language. I am fascinated with the way that Markus Zusak writes, he seems to come at everything from a totally different prospective than anything else I have read. The story is about a young man who is chosen to help others by an unknown source. Slightly confusing at times. This is same author as The Book Thief, which was one of my recent favorites.

The Battle of the Labyrinth

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Book 4 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is The Battle of the Labyrinth. Like the others, this is a great little book, and like I said before, these are quick reads and entertaining. One I thing I really like about these books is the way the author - Rick Riordan - takes the Greek myths and inserts them into today's world, very interesting.

The Titan's Curse

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The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan is book book 3 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. All the books so far in the series are funny, but this one made me laugh out loud! I think I said this before, but these books are quick reads from the Young Adult section, but I am really enjoying them.

Elisha's Bones

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I have a real problem, and that is that I can't not finish a book once I've started it. A couple of chapters into this book I knew that I wouldn't like it, but I went along with my sick compulsion to finish it. I can only think of 2 times in the last few years that I have started a book, and then not finished it. This book was Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel, and I don't recommend it. It was just dumb. Most everyone dies, and the whole premise is way too far-fetched. Silly.

City of Bones

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I am in love with the characters in this book! City of Bones is by Cassandra Clare, and heard about these books reading an interview (or something) with Stephenie Meyers. She was talking about how excited she was that the final book in this series was finally coming out, so I put it on my list of "what to read". Loved it. Not even sure how to give a description about this book, but it is a young adult novel, and it is Fantasy genre. About special people who kill demons. I don't remember any bad language or scenes. Can hardly wait for books 2 and 3 to become available from the library!

Sea of Monsters

A few weeks ago a read a book recommended by my friend Hilary called The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I really liked it a lot, and immediately requested the next books in the series from the library. Sea of Monsters is book 2, and I am really enjoying the series. It is about a boy who finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, and that monsters are trying to kill him. Sounds kind of dumb, but they are funny and a quick read. It is a young adult fantasy book. Hilary has asked that I start rating the books on here, so am stealing from Bean's Book Bag once again, and will rate from 1 - 5. I won't use beans though - how about cookies? I will give Sea of Monsters 4 cookies, as well as 4 cookies for The Lightning Thief. On to books 3 and 4!

Lisa's Books

My friend Lisa gave me a couple of books to read. One was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. You have probably heard of this one, Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon who got pancreatic cancer, and gave a final lecture about childhood dreams and living your life to its fullest. This book was definitely a reminder about how fragile life is, and how we should really focus on the important things - like not fighting with your spouse and loving every minute of your kids. I recently read an article about Randy's wife Jai, and how she is coping with Randy's death. I guess she is handling it as well as she can. The other book that Lisa lent me is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. It is a huge book, and it took me a while to get through it, although not because it wasn't good. It was very well written, and had a very interesting cast of characters. I loved this book all the way up to the last couple of chapters, and when I finished the book I hated it. Now that it has been a few weeks, I don't hate it anymore, and I would probably read it again. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is not for people who like everything tied up with a ribbon at the end, but I did enjoy it.

Into Thin Air

I first read this book right after I got home from my mission. I really liked it then, and when I came across it at DI, I bought it and it has been sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to read it. It is by Jon Krakauer, and I like the way he writes. I haven't read anything else by him, although Into The Wild is now on my list of "what to read". Into Thin Air is a personal account of the Mt. Everest disaster in 1996. I didn't hear anything about it when it happened, but that is because I was on my mission. It is a very interesting book, and I am sure that I will read it again in a few years.

Dark Places

This book was written by one of my favorite new authors, Gillian Flynn. She has only written 2 books, and this one just came out, but I will certainly be looking for her next one! Her first book is Sharp Objects, and then of course Dark Places. She is an intense, dark writer, but she just sucks you in with her stories and characters. I read the whole things yesterday, I couldn't put it down. Obviously, we didn't go far from the house yesterday. A warning -she is graphic and intense, both with words and imagery. Still, a fabulously written book by a great storyteller.

The Book Thief

No, no one is stealing my books, that is the title of my most recent book. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I REALLY liked this book. It took me awhile to get into it, but I couldn't put it down the last couple of days. It is narrated by Death, and the style of writing is amazing. I loved the way he described things. It is set in Nazi Germany, which seems to be something I have read a lot of lately, but this was written in a way that was really unusual. I have never read anything quite like it before. It does some a little bad language. I will be checking the library today for other titles by Markus Zusak. I highly recommend this book!

Today's 2nd Book

Princess Academy
By Shannon Hale
I read this book today during Luke's nap. It was really cute, a nice little read. This is the first book that I have read by Shannon Hale, although I have been hearing a lot of good things about her, esp. her Goose Girl. I am looking forward to reading more of her books. One just came out about a housewife and an actor, it looks good. I understand that Shannon Hale is mormon. It is a Juvenile Fiction book, thus one reason I got through it so fast. Anyone out there who doesn't know, I read REALLY fast, practically a speed read. Thus, depending on how much time I have had, I might be posting often. Like, I posted this morning, and here I am posting again. Plus, Juvenile Fiction goes really fast. So, sometimes I might post every day, and other times maybe once a week. A couple of weeks ago I read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, and it took me at least a week, partly because the sucker was SO LONG, and partly because I didn't have a lot of time. I might as well tell you about it. I liked it OK, but I wouldn't recommend it as a must read. it was about Dracula, which I didn't expect at all. It was much too long. I don't mind long books, as long as they are worth the time, this book really wasn't. The story could have been told without all the meandering.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy

I really quite liked these books. I loved one of the main characters, said Bartimaeus. The other main character, Nathaniel, well, let's just say I did not like him, until we got closer to the end. These books were funny and I laughed out loud many times, which is not something that I normally do. The author is British, so there are some words that are not offense to Brits, but might be to Americans. These are of the "Fantasy" genre, also they are Young Adult fiction. Thanks for the recommendation Jake!

The Books are
The Amulet of Samarkand
The Golem's Eye
Ptolemy's Gate
They are written by Jonathan Stroud

I'm not sure still what kind of direction I want to go with my posts on these books, give me time and hopefully I will fall into a rhythm.

OK, I decided to go for it!

I am doing it! This will be a blog mostly for me, just to record what I have been reading, and how I liked the books. Thank you Nephew of mine for the great idea! Anyone is welcome to comment or suggest books! Even if no one else ever looks at this, I will have a great record!

I am currently reading the Bartimaeus Trilogy Book III - Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud. I am really liking this series that my cousin Jake suggested.