Banned Book Challenge

I'm starting to think that I'm as addicted to joining challenges as I am to reading. :) I can't help but laugh at myself for joining ANOTHER challenge! (not to mention that I recently joined two yahoo groups that are hosting challenges that I am involved in. But how can I resist this one?? I LOVE the idea of reading banned books...plus I've already got some of these books chosen for other challenges. Here is what I have chosen to read:

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
• Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Holiday In Death by J.D. Robb

I'm going to start off saying again that I love this series! In this book, Eve is up against a rapist/serial killer whose victims have little in common. With the holidays just around the corner Eve is in a race to find this killer. This was another good and suspenseful book in this series.
I'm anxious to read the next book. These books are most definitely "brain candy" for me...I can read them any time and they continually draw me in. One day I would like to own all of these books...
My Rating: 4 out of 5

Heart Of A Child Challenge

I just joined another challenge that I am excited about. This challenge requires readers to reread books from their childhood. Just the other day I was thinking that I would LOVE to reread some of the Nancy Drew series as this was a series that I read constantly in my youth. I loved these books and they were a big part of why I was drawn to reading. So I'm glad that I have the chance to read them again! I'm not going to post a list...it will just be the first six books in this series. But I would really like to read the entire series again. I'll just have to wait and see.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

I didn't care for this book at the beginning...the main character didn't seem to have any spine. But it got better. And Kitty began to grow a backbone. Yay! I ended up liking the book and will continue on with the series. A summary in a nutshell is that Kitty is a talk show host/werewolf that is caught up in the middle of some gruesome murders. The catch being that it looks like the killings are being done by a werewolf.

Now for my final thoughts: it was good but could have been better! I am going to read the next book in the series because I want to know what happens to Kitty! And because I have heard such good things about this series that I want to continue on.

Challenges: A-Z Challenge, "V" title

My Rating: 3.75 out of 5

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Forde

I really liked this book and am glad that I finally read it. Let's get to my favorite part first: the names of the characters. When I came across the character Jack Schitt...well, I thought I was reading the last name incorrectly. (I wasn't :0) Then I came to Braxton Hicks and I laughed out loud. It was the play on words that was my favorite part!

This book introduces the character of Thursday Next who is a literary specops agent. She is set up against the evil Archeron Hades and the book is about her journey in trying to catch Hades. I thought that it was lots of fun to read and definitely something that is different from the norm. This book made me want to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte which is on my TBR list..I just haven't gotten to it yet. I think that I will bump it up and read it sooner rather than later. It was a fun read and I will definitely continue on with this series.

Challenges: First In a Series challenge, A-Z challenge ("E" title)
My Rating: 4 out of 5

Heart Sick by Chelsea Caine

Hmm....what an interesting premise for a book. In this story Archie, a former detective, is asked to head the task force for a serial killer who is killing young girls that all look alike. Archie is at rock bottom as he is addicted to pain pills, divorced, and in continual pain from an encounter with Gretchen Lowell. Gretchen is a serial killer that kidnapped Archie and tortured him for 10 days before turning herself into authorities. Now Archie is on the hunt for a new serial killer while trying to hold himself together. Plus, he has a weird obsession with Gretchen and goes to see her in jail once a week.

This was a good book but not great. I found the mystery part of the book a bit lacking. While I say that keep in mind that it still had me turning the pages as fast as I could. I enjoyed the ending and am now wondering if the author will write another book with these characters. Hmm... :)

Challenges: A-Z Challenge (Title "H")

My Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Vengeance In Death by J.D. Robb

Before I even start you should know that this is my all-time favorite series-so I may be a bit biased. ;) That being said this was another great read by this author. I love Roarke and Eve and I love how they are growing as a couple. I enjoy seeing how all of the characters in this series grow and/or stay connected.
In this story, Eve is contacted by a killer who gives her riddles to solve in order to find the victims. Eve is forced to try and keep up with a religious-crazed killer while trying to figure out the clues that he gives her. Plus, more of Roarke's past comes out. I was engrossed with this story and loved the suspense. A great read and I recommend this series BUT you should definitely start at the beginning.

Challenges: Romance Reading Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("V" Title)
Rating: 4 out of 5

P.S.- I start back to school tomorrow so sorry if it takes me longer to do reviews or if I'm not around so much!

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling

What a way to start off the new year!! I LOVED this book! There was so much hoopla (is that even a word?) surrounding these books that I was hesitant to give them a try. Plus I don't usually read fantasty type books...hmmm...maybe it would be more truthfull to say that I tend to shy away from this genre and I'm not sure why. It looks like I need to try more books out like this. Anyways-back to Harry Potter.

I loved the way Rowling described Hogwarts and everything in the book for that matter. I could picture it in my mind and I fell in love with the world that she created. The entire book was memorable and I will be coming back for more. My favorite part of the book was reading about quidditch-what fun! I definitely recommend this book-if you haven't read this series then give it a try. Someday, when my son is older, I will read this book again with him I hope..but for now I think I'll move on to the second book.

Challenges: 1st in a series, Young adult challenge, A-Z Challenge (Author-R)

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Chunkster Challenge

I told you that I wanted to join this one if it came around again AND it did!! Yay! Since I'm already signed up for a ton of challenges it was easy for me to find books to fit in with this one. I did add The Historian into this just because I wanted an excuse to read it. So here is my list for this challenge:

• I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (also for TBR and Whitcoulls challenges)


• Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Man Booker challenge)


• The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins (TBR alternate)
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Extra:

• The Stand by Stephen King (if I get ambitious)

2008 Is Here!

Finally!!! I've been dying to begin reading books off my challenge lists and for that matter I've been dying to start reading Harry Potter. I've just begun and can barely put it down! In other news, I've joined a couple new book groups which is always fun. Plus, I'll get the added joy of adding even more books to my TBR list.
I recently joined the A-Z author and title challenge(I'll make a seperate post for this later). I just can't seem to stop joining challenges. There is also talk about the chunkster challenge coming around again...and the nonfiction five is going to go on as well. I know that I will join both of these as well when the time comes. And I've been rolling around joining The Pub challenge but we'll see...
Good luck to all of my fellow challenge fiends..and here is to a new year of reading!