Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

This is the second book in the Storm Front series by Jim Butcher. I've gotta say that it's just as good as the first book. Basically in this story Harry is up against some killer werewolves. But there aren't just werewolves; there are hexenwolves, loup-garoes (sp?), and other shape-shifting beings. Fool Moon is just as action-packed as the first story in the series. I loved seeing Bob again in this book (he's the spirit that lives in a skull). There is always a bit of mystery within these books which keeps me guessing until the end. Harry does tend to get himself into some unbelievable situations but really it's an urban fantasy book. What else would I expect? :) And my favorite thing about Harry is his "moral" code that he seems to use with the decisions he makes. He is of some very old school beliefs which get him into trouble sometimes. Now I'm excited to read the next book in this series!! I would recommend starting off with the first book which I believe is Storm Front....but you might want to double check that and make sure I'm right. LOL!
Challenges: Casual Reading Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("F" Title)
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Shoot! I did want to add that my only negative with this book was that it was quite gruesome at a couple of points. Some readers might not like all of that detail. I skimmed a few parts but didn't think too much about it. ;)

Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich

This is the second in the famous Stephanie Plum series. I say famous because it seems live EVERYONE is reading this series. Guess I gotta join in, huh? I always enjoy a good laugh and these books do it for me. The situations that Stephanie gets herself into have me laughing so hard that I"m practically in tears. I love these books so far!

In this one, Stephanie is on the hunt for Kenny Mancuso. It should be an easy case for Stephanie but things are more complicated than she realized at first. With some help from Grandma Mazur and Lulu (back from the 1st story), Stephanie is working hard to catch Kenny before he puts her and her family in danger. This story was just as fun as the first in my opinion! Can't wait to get started on the third book!

Challenges: Numbers Challenge, Casual Reading Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("E" Author)

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Last Known Victim by Erica Spindler

This is Spindler's latest thriller that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. I just love a good mystery and this was a good mystery!! Set in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, this story revolves around a killer known as the "handyman" because he takes his victim's right hands. Captain Patty O'Shay discovers links that suggest that the handyman also killed her husband who was previously thought to have been killed by looters during the hurricane. Can she catch the killer before he strikes again?

Wow! I didn't figure this one out until the very end and I was guessing at the killer's identity left and right...lots of twists and turns. Every time I thought that I had it figured out the author showed me how wrong I was. I definitely recommend this book and this author, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Challenges: Casual Reading Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("L" Title)

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

This is the second book that I have read by Dean Koontz and the second in the Odd Thomas series. I enjoyed reading this book just as much as I enjoyed reading the first novel. Odd Thomas has the ability to see the dead plus he has a strong conscience that causes him to try and right wrongs. In this story, he comes across a purely evil woman who he knows will try and kill him. The ending of this book caught me by surprise and left me contemplating...but you're going to have to read the book and let me know what you think. I am most definitely going to read the next book that follows this one. I've also decided to give some of Dean Koontz's other books a try. I really did like this book and would recommend this series!
Challenge: Casual Reading Challenge
My Rating: 4 out of 5

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Wow! This was an interesting book for me. The main character is a blood splatter analyst who is also a serial killer. This book was different from any other "mystery/suspense" book that I have ever read. It took me a little bit to get into the book but I'm glad that I gave it a chance. It turned out to be a good read! I think that for me it took awhile to warm up to the main character...but he's a serial killer so I'm not sure what I expected. LOL! I'm going to continue on with this series because I'm curious as to what is going to happen to Dexter! Good story overall.

Challenge: Casual Reading Challenge

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell

Postmortem is the first book in the Kay Scarpetta series. I've gotta say that it rocked. This book had a good storyline, likable characters, and kept me guessing...which is very important in my opinion. There was a lot of description so I read this slower than I usually do with mystery novels. I liked the way that this story ended and now I'm anxious to continue on with this series.
I can see why it is so popular with so many people! Since it just keeps on snowing where I live I've decided to forgo challenge books and start reading another Christmas-themed mystery. After baking all day yesterday..and the snow...the only thing I need to complete the mood is to watch A Christmas Story nonstop. :) I love that movie!!! Now if I could only finish my shopping....

See No Evil by Allison Brennan

This was the first book that I have read by this author. It was a thriller with some romance intertwined. This book drew me in right away and kept its hold on me. I liked this book but it wasn't great. I think I will try another book by this author before deciding if I really like her or not. It was a fast read even though it was a little over 400 pages long. It helped that I'm cooped up in the house because of the huge icestorm that has hit the Midwest...it makes for good reading. Here's to keeping my fingers crossed that the power stays on!

Challenge: Casual Reading Challenge
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I just finished my second book for the Casual Reading challenge. I've been wanting to start reading Agatha Christie mysteries and this gave me the chance. What a great 1st book to choose! I loved this book. I was kept guessing until the very end and there were so many twists and turns that by the end of the book I was shocked and very surprised.
Now I'm anxious to read another of her books! All in all, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 and definitely recommend it!!!

The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

Well folks, I did it...I finished my first book for my first challenge ever! Woohoo!! I read this book for the casual reading challenge. This is the second book in the Anita Blake vampire series. I have to admit that I liked the first one much better. This one was just okay for me and makes me a little hesitant on continuing with the series. I didn't care for the ending of this story...but of course that is just my opinion. I did like the first one enough that I will end up trying at least one more from this series. I really like that the author has such a strong female for the main character. It's fun to see how she will get herself out of dangerous situations. Well...now I'm off to read a book for a different challenge.

Casual Reading Challenge

This is a casual challenge (ha ha). Anyways, basically you make a list of books and read from it. The list can change and you don't have to finish all of the books on the list. Easy, right? I thought so. The books that I chose go along with the casual reading theme. Nothing too heavy. I chose twenty books so we will see how much I accomplish with the goal being the entire list. Let's get started!

My list includes:

• Last Known Victim by Erica Spindler
• See No Evil by Allison Brennan
• Creation In Death by J.D. Robb
• Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
• The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
• Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale
• Something Wicked Comes This Way by Ray Bradbury
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
• Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
• Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
• Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
• Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich
• The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
• Why Moms Are Weird by Pamela Ribon
• The Rainmaker by John Grisham
• Waiting To Exhale by Terry McMillan