James Patterson Reading Challenge II

I have signed up for this challenge, which is being hosted by Yvonne at Socrates Book Review Blog.

You get to choose how many books you want to read.

Level 1 - Read 2 books...just trying them out
Level 2 - Read 5 books...a loyal fan
Level 3 - Read 10+ books...obsessed with James Patterson

Here are the guidelines...

1. Choose one of the levels above. You do not need to make a list of what you will read now or, if you want, you can. However, nothing is written in stone and the books you list can be changed at any time. Overlapping books with other challenges is allowed.

2. Although you can change books throughout the year, you cannot change your level of participation. So, choose one level and that's what you must stick with for the year.

3. As long as it's written by James Patterson, you can use the book in this challenge. Even if you are part of my upcoming Alex Cross challenge, you can overlap books and count them as part of this challenge.

3. All books need to be read between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011. Books read prior to September 1st don't count for this challenge.

4. If you want to participate, just post about it on your blog with a link back to here.

3. Audio and Ebooks are acceptable.

4. Please use Mr. Linky below to sign up. Use the link to your post about this challenge, not your main blog address. Links that don't go directly to your challenge post will be deleted.

5. Once you complete the challenge, please post the link to your wrap-up blog post with Mr. Linky (I will put up a Mr. Linky for completed lists.)

6. There will also be a Mr. Linky for reviews, although posting your reviews are not a requirement.

If you want to join the challenge, click HERE.

UPDATE: CHALLENGE COMPLETE!

Since the challenge is nearly over, I will sign up for Level 1 which is to read 1-2 books. I am keeping track of my progress below:

1. 1st to Die by James Patterson (Book #1 of the Women's Murder Club Series)
2. 2nd Chance by James Patterson (Book #2 of the Women's Murder Club Series)

Paranormal Romance Challenge 2011

I have signed up for this challenge, which is being hosted by Bitten By Paranormal Romance.

This is a challenge to read 20 paranormal romance book between Jan 1st through Dec 31st.

You can pick any *adult paranormal romance book as you go, new release or old release it doesn't matter. But remember this is only for paranormal romance.

*It doesn't matter if the book is vampire, witch, any shape-shifting, Greek gods, zombies or faeries just as long as it adult paranormal romance. Most book will tell you on the side cover if its paranormal romance, that's what you want to get to read.

If you would like to sign-up for the challenge, click HERE.

I am keeping track of my progress below:

1. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (Book #1 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
2. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (Book #2 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
3. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (Book #3 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
4. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (Book #4 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
5. Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward (Book #5 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
6. Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter (Book #1 of the Royal House of Shadows Series)
7. Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward (Book #6 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
8. The Last Rising by Rachel Firasek (Book #1 of the Curse of the Phoenix Series)  
9. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (Book #7 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
10. Blood's Voice by Áine P. Massie (Book #1 of the House Millar Series)
11. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (Book #8 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
12. Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward (Book #9 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
    
13. Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe (Book #2 of the Royal House of Shadows Series)
14. Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen (Book #3 of the Royal House of Shadows Series)
15. Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story by J.R. Ward (Book #6.5 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
16. Halfway to the Grave by Jeanine Frost (Book #1 of the Night Huntress Series)
17. One Foot in the Grave by Jeanine Frost (Book #2 of the Night Huntress Series)
18. At Grave's End by Jeanine Frost (Book #3 of the Night Huntress Series)
19. Destined by an Early Grave by Jeanine Frost (Book #4 of the Night Huntress Series)
20. This Side of the Grave by Jeanine Frost (Book #5 of the Night Huntress Series)
21. One Grave at a Time by Jeanine Frost (Book #6 of the Night Huntress Series)
22. Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Book #0.5 Prequel of the Dark-Hunter Series)
23. Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Book #1 of the Dark-Hunter Series)
24. Dragonswan by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Book #1.5 of the Dark-Hunter Series)
25. Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Book #2 of the Dark-Hunter Series)

What's in a Name 4

I have signed up for this neat challenge, which is being hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
3. A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
5. A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
6. A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know

• Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
• Books may overlap other challenges.
• Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
  
• You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
• You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

If you would like to sign-up for the challenge, please click HERE.

I will be keeping track of my progress below:

1. 1st to Die by James Patterson (Book #1 of the Women's Murder Club Series)
2. The Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
3. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
4. Velocity by Dean Koontz
5. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (Book #1 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
   
6. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer

**CHALLENGE COMPLETED!

Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2011

I have signed up for this challenge, which is being hosted by Yvonne at Socrates Book Review Blog.

I have never heard of a "cozy mystery" before, but I happen to have some of these authors on my To Be Read pile, so I thought I would sign-up!

To find out exactly what a cozy mystery is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. This site is dedicated to cozy mysteries and does a great job of defining them as well as giving a list of cozy mysteries. This challenge is NOT restricted to what is on their list, it's just to be used as a guideline in case you need some hints on what to read.

So, here are the rules...

1. Choose the level you wish to participate:

Level 1 - Snoop - Read 1-6 books
Level 2 - Investigator - Reading 7-12 books
Level 3 - Super Sleuth - Read 13 or more books

2. The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 and ends December 31, 2011.

3. You don't have to choose your books in advance. If you do, you can change your list at any time during the year. Books can overlap with other challenges.

4. Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebooks...it all counts!

5. You don't have to post a review, but I'm sure others would love to know about the books you are reading and may even want to add it to their reading lists.

NOTE: If you don't have a blog and want to participate, that's fine. You don't have to have a blog, just post in the comments section as you finish books.

6. Take the button above, put it on your blog and post about the challenge. Then add your name to Mr. Linky below...Please use the link of challenge post, not the link to your home page.

Have fun!

If you want to join the challenge, click HERE.

I am signing up for the "Snoop" Level 1, and I am keeping track of my progress below:

1. "A" Is For Alibi by Sue Grafton (Book #1 of the Alphabet Mystery, aka Kinsey Millhone, Series)
2. "B" Is For Burglar by Sue Grafton (Book #2 of the Alphabet Mystery, aka Kinsey Millhone, Series)
3. Beneath the Dune by Walter Ramsay
   

What an Animal Reading Challenge IV

I just joined this challenge, which is being hosted by Yvonne on Socrates' Book Review Blog.

The new challenge will begin on March 1, 2011 and end on February 29, 2012. The rules are really simple...

1. Read at least 6 books that have any of the following requirements:


a. there is an animal in the title of the book

b. there is an animal on the cover of the book

c. an animal plays a major role in the book

d. a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like).

2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragon, mermaid, centaur, vampire, werewolf...you get the idea...


3. Challenge runs from March 1, 2011 to February 28, 2012. That’s a full year to read at least 6 books (you can read more if you’d like). You can still sign up after March 1st as long as you can get 6 books read by February 29, 2012).


4. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.


5. You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.


6. Book titles may be swapped out at anytime (assuming you made a list to begin with).


7. Crossovers with other challenges are permitted and encouraged.


8. You don't have to have a blog or write a review, but you can if you want to.
 If you don't have a blog, just post in the comment section that you'd like to join. You can post your books in there.

9. Books can be in any format of your choice (print, audio, ebooks).

If you would like to join the challenge, click HERE.

I will be keeping track of my progress below:

1. White Stallion of Lipizza by Marguerite Henry
2. Breathless by Dean Koontz
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Book #1 of The Twilight Saga)
4. A Bear Named Trouble by Marion Dane Bauer
5. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
6. The Littles by John Peterson
7. Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
8. Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
9. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Book #2 of The Twilight Saga)
10. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (Book #3 of The Twilight Saga)
11. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer (Book #4 of The Twilight Saga)
12. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer (Book #3.5 of The Twilight Saga)
13. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (Book #1 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
14. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (Book #2 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
15. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (Book #3 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
16. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary (Book #3 of the Ramona Quimby Series)
17. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (Book #4 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
18. Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward (Book #5 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
19. Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter (Book #1 of the Royal House of Shadows Series)
20. Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward (Book #6 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
21. One Pelican at a Time - A Story of the Gulf Oil Spill by Nancy Stewart
22. The Last Rising by Rachel Firasek (Book #1 of the Curse of the Phoenix Series)
23. Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite
24. A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla 
25. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (Book #7 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
26. Blood's Voice by Áine P. Massie (Book #1 of the House Millar Series)
27. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (Book #8 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
28. Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward (Book #9 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)
29. Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen (Book #3 of the Royal House of Shadows Series)
30. Vostaas: White Buffalo's Story of Plains Indian Life by William White Buffalo

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge 2011

I have signed up for this challenge, which is being hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Review blog.

I love True Blood, and I planned to read the series this year, so this challenge is perfect for me!

If you'd like to join me, here are the guidelines:

1) Grab the button on top and put it on your blog and link to this challenge.

2) Sign up with the link below. Please make sure the url you use goes directly to your blog post about this challenge.

3) If you don't have a blog, that's okay. Just comment below that you want to join. Then come back to let us know which books you've read. For those with a blog and posting reviews, I will have a link for completed reviews.

4) Make a list of which books in the series you still have to read. Whether you are just beginning or up to #2, 3, 4, etc...that's how many books you have to read.

5) Books can be in any format (print, ebook, audio) and you can crossover to other challenges.

6) The challenge goes from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

To sign up for the challenge, click HERE.

I will be keeping track of my progress below:

BOOK REVIEW: Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime

TITLE: Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime
SERIES: Christian Heroes: Then & Now
AUTHOR: Janet & Geoff Benge
PUBLISHER: YWAM Publishing
DATE OF PUBLICATION: May 1, 1998
FORMAT: Paperback, 205 pages
GENRE: Biography, Christian
ISBN: 1576580199

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

This is the powerful story of Gladys Aylward, missionary to China. Her amazing adventure of faith and determination is one of the truly great missionary story of our era (1902-1970).

MY REVIEW:

I read this book aloud to my daughters. This is the second book that we have read in this series. Last year, we read George Müller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans.

Gladys is an inspiring woman. She felt called to go to China to spread the word of God, even though she had no formal education in ministry or the means to get there. Although she continually experienced road-blocks during her journey to China, and even once she arrived there, her determination never wavered and she persevered.

We really enjoy this series! The stories are so interesting, and they read more like works of fiction than biographies. My elder daughter loves them, and she wants to read more of them.

MY RATING: 4 stars!

This book qualifies as:
#33 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge
#6 for my 2nds Challenge 2011

BOOK REVIEW: The Cobweb Confession by George E. Stanley

TITLE: The Cobweb Confession

SERIES: Book #4 of the Third-Grade Detectives Series

AUTHOR: George E. Stanley

PUBLISHER: Aladdin

DATE OF PUBLICATION: July 1, 2001

FORMAT: Paperback, 80 pages

GENRE: Juvenile Fiction, Chapter Books

ISBN: 978-0689821974 

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

CREEPY, CRAWLY

CRITTERS — YUCK! 

Poor Todd. First he has to give up his room for an old friend of his father's who's visiting. Then his valuable baseball card collection is stolen. Now Mr. Merlin says the class is going to be studying spiders. Todd hates spiders. 

But then Mr. Merlin tells the Third-Grade Detectives that a spider's web may help catch the thief. Maybe spiders aren't so bad after all.

MY REVIEW:

I read this book with my daughters.

This is another book in The Third-Grade Detectives Series. For those that are not familiar with the series, the teacher of the third grade class is a former spy, and he gives the students code clues to help them solve mysteries.

My elder daughter and I always stop and work on the clues or codes and try to figure them out before the answer is revealed.

The series is cute and fun, and we like the idea of being amateur sleuths! We enjoy the series and plan to read more! 

MY RATING: 3.5 stars!

This book qualifies as:

#72 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Still Missing

TITLE: Still Missing
AUTHOR: Chevy Stevens
NARRATOR: Angela Dawe
PUBLISHER: Brilliance Audio
DATE OF PUBLICATION: June 24, 2010
FORMAT: Unabridged WMA Audiobook (9 hours, 6 minutes)
GENRE: Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
ISBN: 978-1441843234

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all. 

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor. 

Still Missing is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel. 

MY REVIEW:

This is the debut novel by this author.

Wow, what a page-turner!! It has been nominated for the International Thriller of the Year Award in the Best First Novel Category, and the winner will be announced in July. In Canada, it has been nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award in the Best First Novel Category and the winner will be announced on June 2^nd.

Stevens was a realtor on Vancouver Island and, during open houses, imagined the worst things that could happen to her and this was the inspiration for her book.

The book is about a 32-year old realtor, Annie O’Sullivan, who gets abducted by a psychopath and is held captive. The story is told in Annie’s sessions with the psychiatrist as she recounts her ordeal.

I was expecting that the story would not be as effective retold as a narrative, but it was gripping from the first chapter, filled with non-stop suspense. I was also thinking to myself, “Oh, great. Now I know that she managed to get away, so how exciting is this book going to be?” I was wrong again. Stevens threw in a couple of twists that I did not see coming.

I hope Stevens is not a one-hit wonder, and I am eagerly awaiting her second novel entitled Never Knowing to be released on July 5, 2011.

The narrator for the audiobook, Angela Dawe, was fantastic!

MY RATING: 5 stars!!

This book qualifies as:
#32 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge
#21 for my 2011 Audio Book Challenge
#21 for my 2011 "Whisper Stories in My Ear" Challenge

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: "B" Is For Burglar

TITLE: "B" Is For Burglar
SERIES: Book #2 of the Alphabet Mystery, aka Kinsey Millhone, Series
AUTHOR: Sue Grafton
NARRATOR: Mary Peiffer
PUBLISHER: Random House Audio
DATE OF PUBLICATION: October 18, 2005
FORMAT: Unabridged WMA Audiobook (7 hours, 42 minutes)
GENRE: Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
ISBN: 978-1415930120

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Finding wealthy Elaine Boldt seems like a quickie case to Kinsey Millhone. The flashy widow was last seen wearing a $12,000 lynx coat, leaving her condo in Santa Teresa for her condo in Boca Raton. But somewhere in between, she vanished. Kinsey's case goes from puzzling to sinister when a house is torched, an apartment is burgled of worthless papers, the lynx coat comes back without Elaine, and her bridge partner is found dead. Soon Kinsey's clues begin to form a capital M -- not for missing, but for murder: and plenty of it.

Winner of the 1985 Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award and the 1985 Anthony Award for Best Novel.

MY REVIEW:

This is the second book in the Kinsey Millhone, aka Alphabet Mystery, series.

Kinsey Millhone, Private Investigator, is hired by a woman to find her sister, who appears to have gone missing, in order to settle a relative’s estate.

When I started this book, I forgot it was written back in 1985 when parachute pants and Mohawks were in style and people didn’t email and use the internet or cell phones! How archaic to have to use the typewriter instead of the computer ;) I have forgotten how different everything was back then!

Kinsey is a very likeable protagonist: she’s a bit of a loner, quirky, self-reliant, and tough.

Grafton’s books are a fast read for me, and I enjoy them.

I also like Mary Peiffer's narration of these books. She did the first one as well.

MY RATING: 3.5 stars!

This book qualifies as:
#30 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge
#20 for my 2011 Audio Book Challenge
#20 for my 2011 "Whisper Stories in My Ear" Challenge
#5 for my 2nds Challenge 2011
#2 for my Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: 2nd Chance

TITLE: 2nd Chance
SERIES: Book #2 of the Women's Murder Club Series
AUTHOR: James Patterson with Andrew Gross
NARRATORS: Melissa Leo and Jeremy Piven
PUBLISHER: Hachette Audio
DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 1, 2005
FORMAT: Unabridged WMA Audiobook (8 hours, 35 minutes)
GENRE: Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
ISBN: 978-1594833847

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

None of the chilling suspense or bizarre plot twists of Patterson's supremely popular Alex Cross novels is lost in this second offering in the author's Women's Murder Club series, featuring a four-woman team of friends who tend to work outside the system. The female protagonists offer a different perspective on heinous crimes and provide more of an emotional subtext.

After a young girl is murdered outside a San Francisco church, the newly promoted Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer sets out to discover why the killer -- who is soon known as Chimera -- ineffectually tried to make the scene look like a casual drive-by shooting. The case bears a resemblance to another murder thinly camouflaged as a suicide. Baffled by Chimera's motives, Lindsay decides to call another meeting of the Women's Murder Club: Her best friend, medical examiner Claire Washburn; Chronicle crime reporter Cindy Thomas; and Assistant District Attorney Jill Bernhardt. Eventually, Lindsay learns that her own father, an ex-cop, is somehow entangled in the killer's past, and soon she and Chimera are caught up in a battle of wits as the women of the Club become his prime targets.

Short chapters keep the action going by at whizz-bang speed. As the viewpoints shift from Lindsay's introspection to the killer's own brutal mind, we learn more and more about how similar they are in some respects, making this an eventual cat-and-mouse tease of investigation as hunter becomes hunted. 2nd Chance powerfully realizes both its heroes and villains, and fans of Patterson's bestselling Cross novels will be equally delighted with this series.

MY REVIEW:

This is the second book in the Women’s Murder Club series and is co-authored by Andrew Gross (someone whose work that I am unfamiliar with).

Four women (a police lieutenant, medical examiner, assistant DA, and a crime reporter) join forces to solve crimes. A serial killer is murdering people from every walk of life. At first, it does not appear that the deaths are related but “the girls” find the connection.

I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as its predecessor, 1st To Die, but it was still a fast read and enjoyable.

The one thing that bugs me about the series is that the way the women are portrayed and relate to each other is not at all realistic. These “professional” women relate to each other in an immature way that is reminiscent of adolescence!

Another pet peeve is redundancy of vocabulary…I lost track of how many times the author used “clapboard.”

I enjoyed the plot twist, and I still plan to continue with the series.

MY RATING: 3.5 stars!

This book qualifies as:
#29 for my 2011 100+ Reading Challenge
#19 for my 2011 Audio Book Challenge
#19 for my 2011 "Whisper Stories in My Ear" Challenge
#4 for my 2nds Challenge 2011
#2 for my James Patterson Reading Challenge II