Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

This was also a one day read - I really liked the idea of the book...a teenaged girl leaves a diary in a used bookstore and dares a male reader to go on a little scavenger hunt. They go back and forth with the diary until they finally meet...I'm a nerd and that would totally have appealed to me as teenager. Heck, even as an adult it would appeal...I love the choas and disaster that happens. And when the book ended, I kind of wanted to know what happened next...

Princess of the Midnight Ball

Princess of the Midnight Ball is The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I wasn't sure how the fairy tale would be extended to novel length, but I really like how Jessica Day George did it. I don't have a whole lot to say about this book, but I am planning to read the others - I'm looking forward to the Cinderella adaptation - Princess of Glass.

Goodnight Mister Tom

I read Goodnight Mister Tom in just a few hours. (WWII obsession...check) I loved this book even though there are some painfully sad parts. I love that grumpy Mister Tom softens and that scared Will becomes comfortable and happy and I love that something so wonderful could happen in the middle of such a horrible place in history. I haven't read a book recently where I wanted the book to keep going and not stop - I have been reading a bunch of series and I know there is more to come, so even though I feel like those stories are not complete, I know there is more coming...it's different - I really wanted to read page more about Will and Mister Tom.

The Sorceress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

First of all, I need to remember to take these pictures with my camera, not my pathetic phone. What a hideous picture!

Secondly, I need to post these soon after I read the book...especially when I am reading a ton of books, close together.

Third, I'm kind of looking forward to this series being done. But that might be because I have read four whole books and two partial books since I read The Sorceress, so my memory might be fuzzy. I am still convinced I need a good, basic course in world mythology, so I'll work on that. In any case, I liked this book well enough - it takes place simultaneously in San Francisco and London...there's time travelling...there's magic and twins and twin magic. I have The Necromancer sitting on the table waiting for me to finish another book and then I'll be back in the thick of the Nicholas Flamel world...

The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Whew. I finished this at the physio yesterday. I've figured it out, the physio is part of the reason I've been devouring book...I spend an hour 2-3 times a week lying on her table with the acupuncture needles or vibrating cup things or heat on my leg and that gives me a nice quite hour to read. No kid. No phone. No husband. No chores. No distractions. I also spend about 30 minutes each session on the bike and elliptical, so there's that too...

Anyway.

The Magician mostly takes place in Paris and introduces some new characters like Machiavelli and Joan of Arc. Seriously. It also provides more information on Nicholas Flamel's background and I'm beginning to wonder about him...

I've mentioned my obsession with London and how I always feel homesick when I read a book about it over there, but I also have this thing for Paris. I always wanted to go to Paris and for a while I thought I wanted to live there. And then I visited Paris and I didn't like it. And then I visited it again and I figured it would be fabulous the second time, but I didn't like it. But you know what, I visited it again and I still didn't like it.

But I still want to go back...especially after reading books about Paris (like this one) so I'm now in "Let's visit Paris" mode.

I'm still enjoying this series - I love all of the characters - the traditional mythology ones and the quirky others (Hi there Joan)...I am planning to do some background reading once my library book pile is substantially reduced.

Clockwork Prince

Ahhh...I've been waiting for this book for ages...and it came out last fall, but the waiting list was huge! I had to get it back right away too as there are something like 200+ people waiting for it after me!

Where do I start?

I really should have reread, or at least skimmed, Clockwork Angel before I started Clockwork Prince. I read it so long ago that I had trouble recalling some of the basics of the plot...I feel like this is a series (along with the Mortal Instruments) that will one day find it has a home on my bookshelves...

Will and Jem. Tessa. Jessamine and Sophie. The Fairchilds. The Herondales. Mortmain. Vampires. Shadowhunters. Downworlders. The Clave. The Institute. The Silent Brothers. I don't even know where to start.

I think I might actually like the Infernal Devices more than the Mortal Instruments, but that may just be my London obsession showing...

I like Tessa and she reminds me of Clarry - both in her innocence of a world she is part of but didn't grow up in and her overall being. I still haven't figured out WHAT she is (but that's probably the point!) or why she was in the City of Glass...

This booked was fast paced and not without some interesting twists and turns. I finished it much faster than I thought I would, which might be why I feel like I need to reread parts of it.

I'm torn between Will and Jem and I'm not sure if Tessa made the right decision...And I'm still mad about the last few pages of City of Fallen Angels. I'm itching for the next Cassandra Clare book - City Of Lost Souls is out in May.

Has anyone read any Cassandra Clare? What do you think about Will and Jem? And (totally about a different book) what do you think of the last scene in City of Fallen Angels?

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

I have had this book waiting in the wings for so long...and I had to finish it last night because the library wants it back today. I can't wait to start the second book, but before I do that I have another book that the library wants back on Tuesday that I have to finish first. Because I know I won't be able to renew it because there were something like 200 people on the waitlist after me. But more about that book in a few days.

The Alchemyst was book number nine in February. I got off to a slow start to the month - only two books in the first seventeen days, but I made up for it with seven books in the last twelve days. I don't think that's a sustainable number for me, but whatever, this month it happened. I happened to have a four day holiday that involved a plane ride and two sick days in the last part of the month, so that likely helped me out.

I had seen the various books in this series floating around the library for a few months and finally was able to grab the first three a few weeks ago. And then, after I had them, the series was highly recommended by a couple of friends, so I figured I had chosen some winners.

This book was great - I love how modern times and mythologies of multiple cultures are interwoven. I love the characters. I do not love how these books have made me acutely aware that I have little knowledge of most mythology...but I can easily remedy that! I keep looking characters up on the internet, just like Josh.

Once I'm done this series I think I need a break from the YA Fantasy genre...Ancient mythologies might be a good choice...we'll see...

Little Blog on the Prairie

Okay, let's be honest. I picked this book up from the children's section of our library while I waited for J to choose her books a few weeks ago. I didn't expect much of it and I only picked it because, well, I'm most certainly, without a doubt, a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. No question about that one! When I was in grade three, I went through a phase where I would only wear a dress because Laura and Mary wore dresses and did farm work, so I could wear dresses and be in grade three. Oh and did I mention that I was a tom boy? My mom tells me I'm the only person she knows who could grass stain the knees of a dress.

So this book, Little Blog on the Prairie, well, Gen's mom decides that a great, bonding family vacation would be to head to the farm for six (or so?) weeks as a family and live in 1890 in a one room cabin. Except that they don't usually spend time together. And her dad is connected to a Blackberry all the time. And none of them have ever done anything remarkably farm related.

So they go, they give up their modern conveniences and everyone is miserable. At first. But then Gen develops a crush and starts sending text messages (on a cell phone she's smuggled in) to her best friends who turn them into a blog.

And then everything goes nuts. There's a television crew and a disaster and a few heated arguments.

It was cute. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and would certainly recommend it to the 11-14 year old crowd. I'm not sure that J will appreciate it when she's that age though...the technology will have all changed by then!

Oh, and if you'd like to read Gen's blog, it's here and it looks just like she described it in the book!

Under A War-Torn Sky

As I've mentioned before, I inherited a bizarre love of World War II from my mom - not just novels, but history too - so this story about Will, an American pilot, and his journey through occupied France after being shot down by a German plane grabbed my attention and held on. And I've just discovered there is a second book - A Troubled Peace - that I'm trying to track down in the library system.

The story of Will's journey through France and all of the people who helped (and some who hindered) his quest for freedom reminded me of how lucky we are to live in a time of relative peace. At least in North America.

The book also reminded me of a book I read when I was a kid - it was a banned book I think because it told a sympathetic story of a family on the wrong side of the war. I'm trying to track it down, but I can't remember many of the details...

Anyway, Will relies on the generosity and discretion of the people he encounters in the French countryside to find his way back to Allied troops so that he can go home - he meets a variety of resistance workers - the farming family who's young boy is Will's caretaker, Claudette, a feisty young girl who wants to be more involved than her boyfriend will allow and various groups of maquis of assorted political persuasions, but all with the common goal of liberating France from the Germans and the puppet Vichy government.

I'm on a hunt for good non-fiction about the French resistance now, so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

A Red Herring Without Mustard

I LOVE Flavia de Luce. I love these books and I can't wait to read the fourth one (my pile of library books in getting smaller and I'm now tackling them by due date...which means I have to wait a bit to read it). This time Flavia gets herself mixed up in a bloody murder, a brutal beating and a counterfeit antique business...and of course she solves most of the crimes. In this book more than in the first two, I really felt bad for Flavia - she is very isolated at Buckshaw and her only friends seem to be Dogger and Mrs. Mullet. Her sisters torment her, as older sisters do, and because she doesn't go to school, she doesn't seem to interact with the other children in the Bishop's Lacey.

I love Flavia's obsession with chemistry and I love even more that she has her own lab. I would have loved to have a my very own lab when I was 11...

I've wondered from the very beginning about the fate of Flavia's mother, Harriet and it looked like maybe this book had some clues that confirmed some of my suspicions, but no, it was just a trick Ophelia and Daphne played on Flavia that Bradley played on his readers. Hello actual red herring.

I'm so glad I discovered Flavia de Luce!

The Shadow in the North

I didn't enjoy The Shadow in the North as much as I enjoyed The Ruby in the Smoke, but it was still quite good. I found it harder to follow because Sally and Fred weren't exactly working together but were working on the same case. There was a big gap between books and I missed Rosa. Pullman did a good of explaining the changes to the business and in the characters' lives during the gap.

I loved how independent Sally was, but I wonder how realistic it would have been. The University of London was the first university in England to admit women and grant them degrees in 1878, so I guess it's possible...

I hope I like The Tiger in the Well more than this one!

The Ruby in the Smoke

I'm not sure why I picked this book up. Actually, I picked the first three of four up. I really liked The Golden Compass and have meant to read the other two books in the series His Dark Materials, but I have never gotten around to doing it. I also had a stack of about ten other library books to read when I decided to take these three books home.

Well, I'm glad I did. Sally Lockhart is a great, independent character. She had a very unconventional upbringing by a single father after her mother was killed in a mutiny in India. After her father dies, she is sent to live with a distant relative, Aunt Caroline. She gets mixed up in a big mess involving stolen books, opium, a cruel woman living in Wapping, a photographer and his sister, Trembler their employee, a young boy named Jim and a few other assorted characters. And with the help of Jim, Trembler and Frederick and Rosa Garland, she gets to the bottom of the mystery and finds out a few pieces of her own story that are a great surprise to her.

So, it's on to The Shadow in the North. I have a lot of reading to do before the library demands all of their books back!

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

This is the second Flavia de Luce book and I just got an email from the library that the third and fourth ones are waiting for me to pick up! I am really enjoying this young British sleuth!

In this book, a travelling puppeteer shows up in Bishop's Lacey with a broken down van and a very unhappy assistant. Two shows are arranged for the church hall and during the second one, the puppeteer is killed. Flavia noses around and collects clues and discovers a surprising connection between the pupeteer's death and a death five or six years earlier.

Alan Bradley does such a good job of weaving his mystery that I wasn't sure who did want and who was innocent and who wasn't innocent, but had no hand in either death...I love Flavia and her potions and chemistry! I'm looking forward to A Red Herring without Mustard.

Septimus Heap: Darke

Darke is so far my favourite of the Septimus Heap books. And it was dark! I did have to keep reminding myself that this is a kid's book, because there was a whole lot of "happily ever after" that happened, but it was good. Some of the key characters from the other books were noticeably absent (the Wendron Witches, the four Heap brothers who live in the forest, and Aunt Zelda and Wolf Boy conveniently arrive at the end of the book) and I missed them.

Compared the number of pages dedicated to the rest of the book, I thought the time that Septimus spent in the Darke Halls was short and not as detailed as I would have liked.

I'm also a bit frustrated that six books in, I don't really have a picture in my head of what any of them look like, except maybe Merrin (ugh). The sketches in the book don't show the characters the way I think they should be, but I'm not sure what the way I think they should be is. Confused?

With Harry Potter, I pictured this scrawny kid with messy dark hair, glasses and a lightening bolt scar. With Septimus Heap, I see green eyes, a tall teenaged boy and messy straw-coloured hair, but I see all those things independently of one another. Maybe it's because there is a picture of Harry on the front of the first book or maybe it's because J. K. Rowling is better with description, but I feel like I'm missing out on something because I can't picture the characters.

I'm looking forward to book 7...apparently it's still being written, so maybe it will be 2013 before I read it?

Septimus Heap: Syren

Oh, I enjoyed Syren so much more than Queste! I'm so glad!

I took this book with me to Guide Camp, but of course I only read a few pages. This week has been a bit ridiculous, so I was thrilled last night when J put herself to bed 45 minutes earlier than usual and I had a bit of time to do some reading.

This book had an adventure and introduced some new characters and new kinds of characters, but I felt like it also could have been the last book in the series if it wanted to be. The loose ends all seemed to be tied up at the end and there's a two year jump between Syren and Darke.

I love that the book developed Milo, Jenna's father, a bit more, but I wish there was more of Silas and Sarah Heap. The strong family relationship is often mentioned, but they don't get a lot of print themselves.

I'm curious about Syrah and what happens to her and I'm hoping that Darke will have more about her in it (the signs are good so far!)

And I've decided that this is a series that I'd like to read with J when she's older...which means I must like it!

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Quick housekeeping:

Today is the last day of January and I'm on pace to read 60 books this year. Looking back to the last two years where I kept very close track of my reading and the three or so years prior to that where I kept loose track, I am confident that I won't read 60 books (there are months when reading drops off...December, May), but I'm still aiming for 52 books. I didn't read finish any non-fiction this month, but I'm not going to force myself to do that (see the RULES)...but if you have any good non-fiction suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Okay, so do you know why I picked this book up? Because of the cover. And the fact that it was the only non-fantasy/vampire/wizard/weird futuristic novel in the turning bookcase right beside the picture books. I know: don't judge books by their covers, but the stamp drew me in. Good thing I missed the scary dead bird. But I really did enjoy this book. I also need to get out of the kids' side of the library...or not. I have a pile of non-kidlit beside my bed to read.

Anyway.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. That's what I'm supposed to be talking about.

It was really good. So good that when I discovered, by turning  the last page, that there are at least two more novels featuring detective Flavia de Luce, I knew I'd try to track them down.

Just another momentary aside. It drives me bananas that paperbacks aren't catalogued by title and author at our library. So if I find something I want that either the library only bought in soft cover or was only printed in soft cover, I just have to keep searching the (unalphabetized) turning shelves for the titles I want and hope that maybe someone got the book at another branch but returned it to one of the two we visit.

Back to the book. Flavia is an eleven year old English girl, living in a crumbling manor house in the English countryside in 1950. She has no mother (although maybe her deceased mother isn't actually dead?), an eccentric father and two horrid older sisters (aren't all older sisters horrid from an eleven year old's perspective?). She is also a chemistry prodigy and has a wild imagination. She's smart and she's nosy curious, which makes for a good detective.

I quite liked this book. It had enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes and was very well written (and is a Canadian novel...I wrongly assumed it had a British author). I was particularly impressed that a retired man could capture the essence of an eleven year old girl so well!

I just discovered there are six Falvia de Luce books, four released with the fifth to come in 2013...guess what will be gracing my bedside table next! (oh wait, one more update. An additional four have been added...that make ten [ahem, yay math skills])

Oh, and bonus points. Alan Bradley lives(d) in Kelowna.

If you hadn't already figured it out, I highly recommend this book. And I'm a geek.

Septimus Heap: Queste

Book four. Not my favourite. This book took so long to get to the actual Queste and then I felt like the Queste was rushed and, quite frankly, a little bit too easy. The House of Foryx confused me. And maybe it was supposed to confuse me because the House of Foryx was confusing.

Ugh.

I don't know. I'm into book five now and I'm already enjoying it more than Queste, so it's all good...

PS The horrible picture is a cell phone shot...sorry. I really should know by now that my real camera takes far better pictures!

Septimus Heap: Physik

I'm on track for 52 books this year...so far...but January was one of my better months last year too!

Physik is the third Septimus Heap book and so far I think it was my favourite. It introduced new characters like Snorri, the Northern Trader and Marcellus, the Alchemist and there was time travel (hmmm...there was time travel in the Prisoner of Azkaban too).

I quite liked the way the book ended with a bit of a surprise, especially from Marcellus. My favourite part of this book? Even though there is an evil Wizard that Septimus probably needs to focus on, he didn't really feature in this book. He was there and acknowledged, but the excitement and action and danger came from some else, just as evil. As much as I love Harry Potter and I understand why battles with Voldemort (or because of Voldemort) are so important to the story, it's too bad every year for seven years was focused on escaping one villain. I haven't quite figured out the time line of the first three books...I think maybe it's about two years (can anyone help me out?) but I know that the third simultaneously covered just a few days of present time and a few months of other time, so that might have something to do with it too.

I already started Queste and I'm having trouble keeping the two books apart in my brain, so that's all for now!

Septimus Heap: Flyte

After leaving this at work two nights in a row, I finally brought it home with me last night. And finished it. I enjoyed it, but, as with the first book, the foreshadowing was a little too obvious for me (I'm still chalking it up to being a grown up reading a books written for 9-12 year olds)...

I have started the third book, Physik, and I'm already enjoying it. I'm looking forward to when J is old enough to read these books with me. Chapter books are fun!

Septimus Heap: Magyk

A few years ago we gave Magyk and possibly Flyte to our nephew. I wanted to read them then, but I never got around to it. Last winter, J took gymnastics at the Community Centre and the gym happens to be right next to the library. So we would go to the library after gymnastics and this library is a lot bigger than our library. I kept finding Flyte and Physik, but I could never find Magyk. Well, I lucked in last weekend. I found the first five hanging out in the racks and I scooped them up. Fiona was over tonight and told me it was a good thing I read quickly - I think they all have over 500 pages in them...

Anyway.

I finished Magyk tonight and have already started on Flyte. I really liked it. I had figured out some of the twists pretty early on, but it is classified as ages 9 and up, so that is probably more to do with me being an adult than the plot devices being too obvious.

The book started with Silas Heap's seventh son, Septimus, dying not long after birth. Silas and his wife raise a baby girl born the same day who turns out to be the princess. On her tenth birthday, the Supreme Custodian tries to take her from her family, but the ExtraOrdinary Wizard saves her. And then everyone is on the run. And there are ghosts. And yucky Magogs and Brownies. And Boggarts. Although these boggarts are different from Harry Potter's boggarts. Somehow in my multiple readings of Harry Potter, I never looked up boggart. Apparently I should have!

I'm ready for book two...two chapters in and there are already twists and turns. Probably a good choice for my first book of the year!

Fifty-two books in 2012?

What was I thinking...I must be INSANE. Fifty-two books in 2012 is a book a week and it's 18 more books than I read in 2011.

I think it's possible. Look over there to left at my stats. I came flying out of the gate in 2011 - I read twelve books in the first three months of 2011. That was half of my 2011 goal and if I had managed to maintain that pace, I would have devoured 48 books last year. That's just 4 short of my goal. I guess I better get moving and finish my first book for 2012 before I go back to work on Tuesday.

There are no restrictions on where I get my books this year (the book diet ended in the summer). I have to read at least 26 NEW books. I can read more, but at least 26 should be new reads. That's to get me to move away from my old favourites (hello Harry Potter series). And I'm going to try to read more non-fiction. I don't know what that will look like, but I'm going to try.

I'm hoping to make it through the six shelves of books in my bedroom that are either new, borrowed or I read so long ago I can't remember if I want to keep them or not...

As always, I'd love your recommendations. Heck, I need your recommendations. See number 56 of my 101 in 1001 challenge. I need 5 recommendations and no matter what they are, I will read them.

What are your reading goals for 2012?

Wrapping up 2011's reads

How many books read in 2011? 34 + 2 that I gave up on

Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio? 28:6

Male/Female authors? 5 male, 18 female, 1 unknown

Favourite book read? Room

Least favourite? Crazy Love (didn't finish it)/Goddess For Hire (did finish it)

Oldest book read? The Courilof Affair (even though the translation wasn't published until 2008, the original was written before 1942)

Newest book read? When We Were Strangers

Longest book title? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Shortest book title? 29

How many re-reads? 12

Books in translation? 1

Most books read by one author this year? 7

How many books were borrowed from the library? 13 (+ 1 reject)

Name a book you've read this year which was recommended by a blogger? Clutter Rehab

So 2011 was a success for me in terms of my reading habits. I made my goals. I read a few more non-fiction books than I thought I would, although I seemed to stay within my comfort zone of memoirs. I read a few horrible books. I skipped a couple of hideous books (those aren't included in my totals, but they were a victory for me since I tend to have trouble putting a book down even when I hate it). I found some new authors.

What fun!

The Woman's Book of Simple Delights

Santa left this in my stocking. It's one of those miniature books. I'm going to stick it in my bag because it has some great suggestions. I love that each page has two sort of related suggestions:

Spend an afternoon at an art gallery

OR

Go to a small neighborhood branch library and browse all afternoon (don't you love that old book smell?)

I guess Santa is trying to tell me to slow down and smell the flowers a bit...probably something I need to be reminded of a little more often.

And with that, step two of my challenge is complete. I'll recap in the morning. Or on Monday. We'll see.

Happy New Year!

Memoirs Are Made Of This

Okay, I enjoyed this. It was kind of fluffy and light, but it was what my brain needed before bed this month (Yay, I'm into December and even though it's now barely January, I'm still in December). I liked Venus. I liked the story. It reminded me of a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries. It reminded me of my life when I worked for the downtown corporate office. I had just come back to Vancouver and was figuring out my life - my job, my friends, what exactly it was I was doing...

It hasn't been donated yet, so if you're in Vancouver and you want it, I'll give it to you. Or if you're heading this way sometime in the next few months, I'll keep it. It's hard cover, I'm not mailing it. I hate how expensive postage is.

Our Iceberg Is Melting

Um. Yeah. This is a bathtub book that my boss gave us all to read. It's a fable about change and the obstacles and personalities that a group faces when moving forward (or not) with change. I need to read it again because I've already forgotten most of it, but I know that when I read it, I was struck by how well the author illustrated change and our reactions to it.

Mafiaboy

My grandma gave Mafiaboy to Alex for his birthday, but I ended up reading it first. I really enjoyed it - the technical aspects of how and why mafiaboy hacked a bunch of big name companies like Yahoo! and eBay in 2000 where easy enough for my non-computer brain to understand. There was a human element to it - we'll never know what was actually going on in Michael Calce's head the day he launched the attacks, but I'm happy to believe he was a teenaged computer geek who just went a little too far. I know a bunch of people who hack for fun...one particular group of people claims to do it for fun but leave messages in the systems they hack so that the security people at the hacked website/computer system can improve security...

I vaguely remember the mafiaboy attacks...I was living in a Swiss-Italian bubble at the time of the attacks and had very little access to the internet (and when I did have access, I used it primarily to check hotmail). What I likely remember is the arrest and ensuing fall out and probably only because Calce is Canadian...who knows...

Anyway, I liked it.

My Great Book Challenge resolution for 2012: post books right after reading them so I don't forget what I want to say...

UGH.

You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs

Um, You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs? It was a frog. But not a magic frog. I tortured myself and finished it, because I kept hoping it would get better. Somehow. But it didn't. It's gone. I can't believe I spent $4 on it. Ugh. Maybe I'm too far removed from it...I don't know...because it got some good reviews on Amazon. But I didn't like it. It was just not me.

It Sucked and Then I Cried

October...almost there...

I have followed Heather B. Armstrong's blog, dooce.com for a long time. I wanted to get the book when it first came out and didn't and then I forgot about it.

And then I found it in the bargain section of the bookstore.

Even though it's a pretty serious subject, I found myself laughing a lot. I recognized the early days of having a kid. I loved the voice. I'm trying to convince Alex to read this...actually, if you have kids or might have kids one day, this is a great book that honestly addresses postpartum depression.

And this is why I should post these as soon as I read the book...I can't remember anything else!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

SPOILER ALERT (but I think most of you have already read these books)

This is September's second book. I devoured it after I read the Half-Blood Prince. And then I was done with Harry Potter for a long time I thought. It's December and I'm already thinking it's time to reread these. I've read the Deathly Hallows three or four times now and every time I discover a whole bunch of things I didn't notice before (or at least that I'd forgotten). There is so much packed into those pages that I feel like I have to read it a few more times before I grasp all of it...

And now, as an aside, I need to talk about the movies. And how the last three really piss me off. I feel like they left out a bunch of details that were important. Like the horcruxes and Dumbledore's pensieve. And where was Harry's Mokeskin pouch? And why didn't he repair his wand at the end of the movie? I hated the final battle scene. And the lack of evacuation of Slytherin and subsequent return of Slughorn and the humanity that takes over the Malfoys and the way they kill Voldemort and I could go on and on and on. I know that there is so much in the books that there was no way it could all be in the movies, but I really feel like there were some key things missing...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

SPOILER ALERT (but I think most of you have already read these books)

Okay, so we're finally into September and with September comes the end of the Harry Potter series.

I reread the first four books of the series so many times that I could recite the plot lines in my sleep. I can tell you what happened in the Order of the Phoenix but not in as much detail as the other books. When I get to the Half-Blood Prince, I find myself thinking, oh, I didn't know that or gee, I forgot that.

Half-Blood Prince is so dark and there is so much information packed into it. I know it annoys some Harry Potter fans that the concept of the Horcruxes isn't introduced until this book, but like so many of the other devices J. K. Rowlings uses, they're well placed.

I liked how the relationship between Harry Potter and Dumbledore grows in this book and I like how Dumbledore is real. He made some big mistakes where Harry is concerned and he acknowledges them. The relationship between a teacher and a student is always tricky, especially if there is a potential for (real or perceived) favouritism.

I still cry every time I get to the end. I hate that Dumbledore dies. I hate that Snape kills him. I hate that Snape kills him even though I've read all of the books and I know what really happens. I hate that Dumbledore didn't tell Harry the curse was killing him. And I hate the funeral. It feels real and raw and it makes me cry again. I can't read the end of this book when J is around because it worries her (yes, I found that out the hard way. I thought I could control my tears, but apparently I can't). 

I feel like I should go back and reread the series, but I think I need to go back and just read books six and seven a few times so that they can catch up with the rest of the books in my brain!

Bonus Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

SPOILER ALERT (but I think most of you have already read these books)

This book, along with the Goblet of Fire, is my least favourite of the Harry Potter books. I still like it, but it's not one of the best. I feel like J. K. Rowling padded this one up too. My copy is starting to fall apart because it's so heavy the spine can't handle all the pages!

I remember when this book came out - I had just moved into my own place and my birthday was a few days away. I used my birthday money to buy the book and spent the weekend inhaling it. I was SOOOOOOOO sad when Sirius died. In fact, I cry every time I read that part.

Harry annoyed me to no end - he was so cranky. I get that it was a combination of hormones, not knowing what was going on and the whispers at school and Voldemort, but hey, he didn't have to be that cranky.

I ended August with Harry Potter, just as I started August...phew. Five sevenths of the way into the series...after writing these, I feel like I need to read the books again. I'm going to try to wait until the new year though!

Bonus Book: Sarah's Key

It's time for me to get moving...it's now less than a week before the end of October and I still have part of August, all of September and now all of October's books to post.

I saw Sarah's Key ages ago, but the book diet was still being enforced (common theme or what?) I needed a book to keep me entertained when we went to Manning Park for my cousin Amy's wedding and I thought this would be the perfect book to take. Except one evening I picked it up and started reading. And that was the end of that plan. It only took me a couple of nights to devour this book.

I inherited my love of reading from both of my parents, but my strange love of all books World War I and World War II and Holocaust and Russian Revolution I'm going to attribute solely to my mom (my dad introduced me to the Hardy Boys and spy and detective novels and Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell and books of that genre). So this book was definitely on my radar for a while before the book diet ended.

I loved how the first part of the book alternated between the stories of Sarah and Julia and then Julia picked up the whole story and became Sarah's voice. Sarah is a young Jewish girl who locker her young brother in a secret cupboard when the rest of the family is arrested in the Vel d'Hiv. She struggles to survive and return to Paris to save her brother. Julia is an American journalist married to a Parisian who is assigned to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vel d'Hiv, a piece of French World War II history that is seems many know little about.

Julia's investigation into the Vel d'Hiv leads her to Sarah's story and in turn a story of her own.

I really liked this book. I flew through it and I think I will go back and reread (parts) of it. I have this bad habit of reading really quickly and enjoying what I read, but then I can't remember what the story was, or I mix two or three stories together.

Definitely a book I recommend - has anyone else read it?

The Help

EDITED TO ADD: SPOILER ALERT IN THE COMMENTS

Oh look, a break from Harry Potter!

I saw The Help a long time ago in the bookstore and read the back and thought, hmmm, I might want to read that. But I was still on the book diet, so I put it down and figured that I'd ask for it for my birthday or borrow it from someone or visit the library. And because there are eighty million books out there to choose from, I promptly forgot about it (that's how excited I was to read it).

Then Alex and I went to a movie. In the movie theatre. And it had trailers. And because we went out like regular grownups, we watched the trailers. And one was for The Help. And I thought, hmmm, I might want to read that.

And then it was my birthday. And then it was summer. And then I was in the bookstore after going out for dinner with Alex the day after being sent home from the emergency room for the second time and we stopped at the bookstore on our way home, as we often do. Weird? Maybe. Maybe not.

And I saw The Help sitting there. And the book diet had been lifted. And I was feeling miserable and pathetic and sorry for myself, so I decided to engage in a little retail therapy. Okay, maybe a lot of retail therapy. And then I came home and a couple of days later all the internets could talk about was The Help (I think maybe because of the movie...but seriously, it felt like two out of every three blogs was talking about The Help)

I enjoyed it. I didn't really get the Gone With the Wind or To Kill A Mockingbird comparisons, but did enjoy the book. I felt like the relationship with Stuart was somewhat underdeveloped and I wanted more about it (not more relationship, just more about his previous relationship and his motivations...)

The end felt a little too contrived for me. It was as if she didn't want to go with a happily ever after ending, so she threw if off a bit, but it didn't feel right...anyone else feel that way?

I would recommend The Help for sure. I will be reading it again, when I get it back from my mom!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

If Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is possibly my favourite Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is one of my least favourite of the series. This is the book that created all the hype that eventually led to me finally and reluctantly to read the first three books.

But it's too long. There's too much description (I can't believe I just wrote that). I like the plot. I wish there was more Sirius in it, but I understand why there isn't. The descriptions of the tasks are great. But it's too long. I know. I said that already. And it's heavy. I have the hardcover and it's hard to read in bed. And because of the weight, the binding is starting to loosen.

(Yay! I made it to August. I should be caught up by Christmas at this rate!)

Bonus Book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Last July book...This was the last book out when I read the Harry Potter books for the first time. I liked it best of the three. I think I might still like it best...although, except for the last few pages, I liked the Half Blood Prince too.

Once I got back into the Harry Potter books, I just couldn't stop. There were many nights this past summer of going to bed at 10:00 but not turning the lights off until after midnight because I was reading Harry Potter. And I've read the series so many times...

Bonus Book: Still Alice

Still Alice is the story of Alice, a woman in her late 50s who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. It was well written and easy to read, but so difficult to read too. Lisa Genova did a great a job of making me feel like I was in Alice's head with her...This is another July book that I happened to read this right after The Disappeared and right in the middle of my brain having a temper tantrum. So I had strange dreams about strokes and Alzheimer's and blood clots and ambulances. I did enjoy the book and I felt like it was probably something anyone who knows someone with Alzheimer's should read - I feel like my Alzheimer's empathy quotient has gone up dramatically.

My recommendation? Read this with a box of tissues and be prepared to laugh and cry and feel uncomfortable...sometimes all on the same page...and if your brain is having a temper tantrum? Well, wait until it's calmed down a bit. Just so you don't go nuts (although, I felt like even though my brain and Alzheimer's are two totally different things, the book did give me a little insight into what might be going on in Alex's brain).

The Disappeared

Oh, July book number two, The Disappeared by Kim Echlin, you were tough on me. I read the first half very quickly and then it languished beside my bed. I'd read a couple of pages a night and give up. I'm not sure what it was. I think it started when Anne went to Cambodia and found Serey. You can sense the foreboding from the beginning, but it becomes overwhelming once Anne gets to Cambodia and starts to (she thinks) settle in.

I don't know about this book. I loaned to my sister, so we'll see what she thinks...I finished it during the week that started all the crazy health stuff, so it may have just been the wrong time to be reading this book...

Has anyone else read it?

31 Dream Street

Oh look, we're into July! This is the book that ended the book diet and all challenge rules pertaining to said book diet. I picked it up for a whole $2 at the big box bookstore one evening. And I read it all the next night.

Lisa Jewell's 31 Dream Street is a typical British chick-lit book. It's set in London and, predictably, it made me homesick. Of course it did. I don't learn! It wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't the best chick-lit I've read recently. I felt like the lives the people in this book were living were more normal and less high-drama than a lot of books. I had trouble keeping the characters in the house straight for the first ten pages or so and then it sorted itself out. It was predictable, but how it got there wasn't. But in the end, the puzzle pieces all fell together.

I liked the use of the letters to set the scene and I liked the quirky characters. There were some I didn't like much and some I really wanted to meet...

It was a good, quick, easy read. Perfect for the beach. Or the couch. I still have it and it's going to get donated unless someone (local) wants it. I think it would be perfect for a wet, rainy, Vancouver Saturday or Sunday. With a cup of hot tea and a little plate of chocolate covered McVities digestives. Yum.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Okay, so let us go back in time a bit. To June. I finished this book very late at night on June 30 and just barely squeezed in my two books. Harry Potter is my go-to set of books when I get in a reading funk but it took a while to kick in this time...As always, I enjoyed this book. Nothing new or surprising popped out at me, but there is something comforting about a familiar friend!

PS Excuse the horrible photo...

Goodbye Book Diet rule

I've changed the rules. It's my challenge. I can do that. Besides, the rule I changed was the book diet rule.

Rule 8 is gone. I'm mostly going to read "free" books, but as we've weeded out our books and I'm getting much better at giving away books I don't care to ever read again, well, the book diet rule is done.

So. Stay tuned. June, July and August books will be posted soon.

Yes. I'm behind. But that's just the way it is.

When We Were Strangers

I picked up When We Were Strangers because it was the book Laurie's book club over at Crazy Aunt Purl was reading in, oh, February.

Because of the parameters I set for myself in this challenge and the book diet, I requested the book from the library. I was the first one to get it, but it didn't make it into circulation until May. And it's taken me a few weeks to read it. At one point I put it down and thought I wouldn't be able to finish it. But I'm glad I kept going because I did quite enjoy it in the end! My only frustration with the story was that although the author did a good job of describing her characters, I still had a hard time picturing them. I'm not sure why ... maybe because I mostly read before bedtime and my brain was shutting down? I don't know...

Opi, Irma's village, is in the same region that my maternal grandmother's family was from - it is a very beautiful part of Italy...we spent part of our honeymoon there (although we were pretty much on the opposite side of the region)

I enjoyed the book...I like how Irma learned from what happened around her and in most instances made positives out of very negative situations...and I love how she adapted her sewing skills into a completely different career. I liked that the ending wasn't all happily ever after except that it was...that like doesn't make sense but if you read it, you'll understand what I mean.

The discussion over at Crazy Aunt Purl in March is here and there is also a Q&A with Patricia Schoenewaldt over there too.

The Courilof Affair

I have really enjoyed everything else I’ve read by Irène Némirovsky, but this one not so much. I didn’t not enjoy it, but I loved Suite Française and quite enjoyed Fire in the Blood. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a completely different book – it is most certainly not set in the French countryside.

Interestingly, because it was set in Russia, pre-revolution, my brain kept turning back to The Kitchen Boy (which I also enjoyed immensely and has absolutely nothing to do with this book or this author.

Because I read this a month ago, I don’t think I have anything else to say about it…I’d like to read it again, maybe not when I’m tired and it’s late at night…

City of Fallen Angels

Hi. Do you remember me, blog? I’m your writer and reader. I fell off the face of the earth for a while. I wish I could say it was because I was reading, but I can’t. But I’m back now.

I read my two books in May, I just never got around to posting them. Actually, I read both before the first week of the month was up. I thought I was going to have a very productive month, book-wise, but no. May kicked my butt. And not in a good way.

Anyway, City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. I got sucked in by the first book and now I’m addicted. I got to read a very nice new copy of the book though – I was probably the first or second person to borrow my copy from the library.

So, what did I think? Well…it was good. Until the last chapter. Something is up because there’s no way the characters would have allowed what happened to happen. I was talking to a friend who has also read all four and she felt the same way. The characters are too smart and would have been too cautious in a situation like that to do what they did. I don’t want to give it away because, well, there would be little point in reading the whole book if I told you the last chapter.

The only thing that has my hopes up is that at the end of the first book a devastating secret was revealed, but through a series of twists and surprises by the end of the third book (I don’t think it’s the second) it turns out the secret wasn’t quite accurate…

But it’s a good book. Read the first three first and if you can, read the first Infernal Devices book, Clockwork Angel. It’s not essential, but it explains some things quite well…

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

It was time…I hadn’t read any Harry Potter for a very long time and this week I became engrossed in the first book…which means the next six will likely follow quickly!

I picked up some interesting things – like the part where Harry offhandedly mentions that it feels like Snape can read minds…There’s a lot of foreshadow that I had never noticed before – some of it might be coincidental, some of it isn’t. This is why I love Harry Potter – every time I read one of the books, whether it is book one which I’ve read countless times or book six or seven which I’ve only read a handful of times, I find something new!

Goddess for Hire

Okay, before I start, I owe the Fred Factor a few more words...I think I hit post and I wasn't finished or I saved it to finish later, but I hit post by accident (I can't remember...it was too long ago) because I told you nothing other than read it!

The Fred Factor is a motivational book (I've decided) that bases its message on the story of Fred the Postman. Basically Fred provided exceptional customer service to the people on his route - held onto their mail while they were away, kept an eye on their property, was super friendly and very devoted to his job. The message is that we can all be a Fred in some way, every single day. I loved the book. I loved the message. I did not like the Christian Bible stuff that snuck into the last pages, but I'm willing to overlook it because I liked the rest of the book so much...and I've been asking myself almost every day since I read it "Was I a Fred today?"

On to Goddess for Hire. Which is a totally different kind of book. Try chick lit. Bad chick lit.



Basically unemployed, spoiled Maya who lives in LA is the incarnation of the goddess Kali. And she keeps it a secret while tries to harness her powers. At the same time her family (of doctors) is trying to set her up with an Indian husband. Who she hates. And he hates her. Do you get where this is going?

I don't recommend it. It's in the pile for the thrift store. I finished it over 10 days ago and kept forgetting about it. I didn't really like it...I didn't hate it, but it was too mindless for me...

Bonus Book 2: The Fred Factor

This is actually a March book...I just didn't post it before the month was over. My boss has been talking about The Fred Factor for ages - I finally had a chance to grab a copy off her bookshelf at lunch the other day. Seriously, I read it during my lunch break. It took less than an hour. And I think it's a great book - probably one I'd suggest everyone read. I think I might just have to go get a copy for Alex.

Teaser Tuesday: The End of Overeating

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This book isn't allowed to count towards my two books per month challenge (but it can be a bonus book) because I bought it. I couldn't resist it when I saw it - I found the title and cover intriguing.

When layer upon layer of complexity is built into food, the effect becomes more powerful. Sweetness alone does not account for the full impact of a soda-its temperature and tingle, which results from the stimulation of the trigeminal nerve by carbonation and acid, are essential contributors as well.

The End of Overeating, David A Kessler, page 49

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT at Should Be Reading with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Beautiful Books

Go check out this YouTube video. It's awesome.



(Sorry it's so big - I can't get it to shrink)

EDIT: Right after I posted this I clicked through Google Reader. My friend Anne appears to be doing this to her books too!

Bonus Book: Clockwork Angel

I finished the first half of the Mortal Instruments series last week and moved on to the Infernal Devices. Only the first of the trilogy has been published and I can't wait for the next two...I think number two comes out in September. I'm not sure what it is about these Cassandra Clare books, but I am definitely hooked. And sleep deprived. It's a good thing the next Mortal Instruments books doesn't come out for a few weeks...I've already put a hold on the book at the library...

Clutter Rehab

I discovered the Org Junkie website a few weeks ago and decided to do the 52 weeks of decluttering challenge. And then I discovered the writer had a book. I had to wait for a while to get this book - very popular at the library - and when I did get it, it only took a few hours to read it. It was good and I thought I'd actually go out and buy a copy (I couldn't do that before or it wouldn't count for the challenge!) but as often as I've picked it up in the last few days, I decided I didn't need to go buy it...not right now anyway. I'm trying to reduce my clutter, not add to it. And the website has pretty much all of it on it...I do like holding the little book in my hands though...we'll see, I might cave. But for now, I'm just going to try to keep renewing the book!

If you're trying to organize your life or your home or your office, I totally recommend your book. And if you're one of those well-organized people I aspire to be, I still recommend this book - she had some great tips and we can all use great tips!

Tired Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have been on a bit of a book tear the first half of this month (for me anyway). I finished my last book last night and I needed something to read today. I picked this up when I got home from work and I'm pretty well half way into it...

At first I thought I was in someone's bedroom, but then I saw a slight Indian man, dressed in a green windbreaker and jeans, rummaging through what was obviously a mini-bar.

That, along with the two double beds, tacky wallpaper, and a shoddy print of San Francisco Bay only a nearsighted person could appreciate, led me to the clever deduction that I was in a hotel room.

Goddess For Hire, Sonia Singh, page 15

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT at Should Be Reading with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

City of Glass

I had to wait for a couple of weeks to get this book, the third book in the Mortal Instruments series. I read it a lot slower than I read the other two - partly because I was too tired to read into the night and partly to make it last longer. Yeah right. It lasted four days.

Just before I go on, there are SPOILERS below the picture for the first two books in the series. If you don't want to know what happens, don't read any further. Actually, there are SPOILERS for all three books...so yeah. You've been warned.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!



I liked this one as much as I liked the first two...although I wish I had the first two nearby so that I could check things...it was fine. That doesn't mean that you need the first two for this one to work, but I certainly would have liked it. Because I read City of Ashes a few weeks ago and I read most of it long past my bedtime, I just needed a refresher on some of the stuff that was going on.

I was so glad to see the Clary/Jace romance problem resolved. I felt from the time it was revealed that they were sister and brother that they weren't. There seemed to be hints indicating otherwise and it just felt impossible. This series didn't feel like it was trying to be Flowers in the Attic, so I knew somehow, somewhere, it was going to be revealed that either Jace or Clary was not Jocelyn and Valentine's child. I'm so glad I was right about that.

Anyway, I recommend this series for sure. Now I have to wait until April 5 for the next book to come out and then I have to wait for it to be my turn on the list at the library. Although, I do have Clockwork Angel to read now - the first in a prequel trilogy.

Teaser Tuesday Goes to Rehab

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

As you might have noticed over there, I'm a bit wrapped up in trying to get our life organized and gain a little control over our stuff, so in keeping with that theme:

Just when you think you've got things all figured out at the top of the ride, the roller coaster of life dips down and spins you in another direction. However, with consistent practice and a good seat belt, you'll learn to expect those dips and turns and be ready for them.

Clutter Rehab, Laura Wittman, page 8

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT at Should Be Reading with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!