Jolerie's Book Hoarding 5

Photograph by James Larkin

I'm super excited to be back for the second year and hopefully this time will also be able to achieve that magical number of 75!! I love reading books in pretty much all genres. If it has a good story, good characters, you will find my nose in it. I have a 16 month old 2 year old toddler as well, so reading times are precious and is guarded with a passion.
Looking forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new ones! :)

Thread 1 - Books: 1-46 (no reviews), Books 47 - 50 (with reviews)
Thread 2 - Books: 51-59
Thread 3 - Books: 60-67
Thread 4 - Books: 68-73

Currently Reading:

The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

RATING SYSTEM:
5 Stars: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE??
4 Stars: As satisfying as scratching that itch that is just right out of my reach...
3 Stars: Purr...I'm content...almost...
2 Stars: Anxiously eyeing the next book in my pile...
1 Star: Fire fodder...BURN BABY BURN!!




October's Selection
OTS:
The Long Walk by Stephen King
House by Ted Dekker & Frank Peretti
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Library:
Switched by Amanda Hocking
Genesis by Bernard Beckett
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Abandon by Meg Cabot
The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Matched by Ally Condie
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
The Inferior by Peadar O Guilin
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn

Last years ALL STAR BOARD for BEST READS of 2011!

FICTION:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See/A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
SCIENCE FICTION:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
HISTORICAL FICTION:

Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George
YA:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner/The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
CLASSICS:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins/1984 by George Orwell
FANTASY:

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

Some notables not to be forgotten:
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Anne of Green Gables Collection by L. M. Montgomery

YA=Young Adult
F=Fantasy
FN=Fiction
SF=Science Fiction
CH=Childrens
H=Historical
GN=Graphic Novel
C=Crime/Mystery
**All lists are subject to changes and updates.

Ongoing Series
Alan Bradley – (YA) Flavia de Luce Mysteries (1/6) Next: The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag
Alastair Reynolds - (SF) Revelation Space (1/7) Next: Chasm City
Amanda Hocking - (YA) Trylle Trilogy (1/3) Next: Torn
Anna Carey – (YA) Eve (1/2) Next: Once
Anne Bishop – (F) The Black Jewels Series (3/6) Next: The Invisible Ring
Anne Rice – (F) Vampire Chronicles (3/10) Next: The Tale of the Body Thief
Arthur C. Clarke – Space Odyssey (3/4) Next: 3001: The Final Odyssey
Beth Revis – (YA) Across the Universe (1/3) Next: A Million Suns
David Whitley – (YA) Agora Trilogy (2/3) Next: TBA
Diana Gabaldon – (FN) Outlander (6/7) Next: An Echo in the Bone
Douglas Adams – (SF) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (5/7) Next: The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time
Jack Whyte – (H) Camulod Chronicles (6/9) Next: Uther
Jacqueline Carey – Kushiel’s Legacy (3/9) Next: Kushiel’s Scion
James Dashner – (YA) The Maze Runner (1/3) Next: The Scorch Trials
Jessica Day George – (YA) Princess of the Midnight Ball (1/3) Next: Princess of the Midnight Ball
Josephine Angelini - YA) Starcrossed (1/3) Next: Dreamless
Jules Watson – (H) The Dalriada Trilogy (1/3) Next: The Dawn Stag
Kady Cross - (YA) The Steampunk Chronicles (1/?) Next: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Kaoru Mori – (GN) Emma (2/10) Next: Emma Vol. 3
Kate Mosse – (H) Languedoc Trilogy (2/3) Next: The Winter Ghosts
Kiera Cass – (YA) Selection Trilogy (1/3) Next: TBA
Kristi Cook – (YA) Winterhaven (1/2) Next: Mirage
Kristin Cashore – (YA) Seven Kingdoms Trilogy (2/3) Next: Bitterblue
Lauren DeStefano – (YA) The Chemical Garden Trilogy (1/3) Next: Fever
Libba Bray – (YA) Gemma Doyle (2/3) Next: The Sweet Far Thing
Lisa See - (FN) Shanghai Girls (1/2) Next: Dreams of Joy
Lois Lowry – (CH) The Giver Quartet (1/4) Next: Gathering Blue
Maggie Stiefvater - (YA) Books of Faerie (1/2) Ballad
Marion Zimmer Bradley – (F) Avalon Published Order (1/7) Next: The Forest House
Meg Cabot - (YA) Abandon (1/3) Next: Underworld
Orson Scott Card – (SF) Ender’s Universe (6/10) Next: Shadow Puppets
Patricia C. Wrede – (YA) Frontier Magic (1/3) Next: Across the Great Barrier
Pearl S. Buck – (H) The House of Earth Trilogy (1/3) Next: Sons
Philippa Gregory – (H) The Tudor Court Novels (4/6) Next: The Virgin’s Lover
Pittacus Lore – (YA) The Lorien Legacies (1/3) Next: The Power of Six
Sara Shepard – (YA) The Lying Game (1/3) Next: Never Have I Ever
Scott Westerfeld – (YA) Leviathan (2/3) Next: Goliath
Shannon Hale - (YA) Princess Academy (1/2) Next: Palace of Stone
Stephen Hunt – (F) Jackelian (1/6) Next: The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
Stieg Larsson – (C) The Millennium Trilogy (2/3) Next: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Ted Dekker – (YA) The Lost Books (4/6) Next: Lunatic
Terry Brooks – (F) Shannara Heritage Tetralogy (1/4) Next: The Druid of Shannara
Terry Brooks – (F) The Magic Kingdom of Landover (3/6) Next: The Tangle Box
Timothee de Fombelle - (YA) Toby Alone (1/2) Next: Toby and the Secrets of the Tree
Tricia Rayburn – (YA) Siren (1/3) Next: Undercurrent

Series Owned (Partial/Complete) but Unread
Alexandra Adornetto – (YA) Halo (0/3)
Amitav Ghosh – (H) The Ibis Trilogy (0/3)
Ariana Franklin – (H) Mistress of the Art of Death (0/4)
Becca Fitzpatrick – (YA) Hush, Hush Saga (0/4)
Brandon Sanderson – (F) Mistborn (0/4)
Carlos Ruiz Zafon – (H) The Cemetery of Forgotten Books (0/3)
Carol Berg – (F) Bridge of D’Arnath (0/4)
Cassandra Clare – (F) The Mortal Instruments (0/6)
Catherine Banner – (YA) The Last Descendants Trilogy (0/3)
Christopher Paolini – (YA) The Inheritance Cycle (0/4)
Connie Willis – (F) Oxford Time Travel (0/4)
Deborah Harkness (F) All Souls Trilogy (0/3)
Eoin Colfer – (YA) Artemis Fowl (0/8)
George R. R. Martin – (F) A Song of Fire and Ice (0/7)
Guillermo Del Toro (F) The Strain Trilogy (0/3)
Hilary Mantel – (H) Wolf Hall Trilogy (0/3)
Indu Sundaresan – (H) Taj Trilogy (0/3)
James Barclay – (F) Legends of the Raven (0/4)
Jeanne DuPrau – (YA) Books of Ember (0/4)
Juliet Marillier – (F) The Sevenwaters Series (0/6)
Justin Cronin - (SF) The Passage (0/3)
Ken Follet – (FN) Kingsbridge (0/2)
Kim Stanley Robinson – (SF) Mars Trilogy (0/3)
Lauren Kate – (YA) Fallen Series (0/4)
Lev Grossman – (F) The Magicians (0/2)
Louise Penny – (C) Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (0/8)
Margaret Atwood – (SF) Oryx and Crake (0/2)
Mary Norton – (CH) The Borrowers (0/5)
Michael Scott – (F) The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (0/6)
N.K. Jemisin – (F) Inheritance Trilogy (0/3)
Orson Scott Card – (SF) Homecoming Saga (0/5)
Orson Scott Card – (SF) Pastwatch (0/3)
Orson Scott Card - (F) Mither Mages (0/2)
Peter V. Brett – (F) The Demon Cycle (0/3)
Philippa Gregory – (H) The Cousin’s War Series (0/4)
Robert Jordon – (F) The Wheel of Time (0/14)
Sara Poole - (H) Poisoner Series (0/3)
Stephen Baxter - (SF) Flood (0/2)
Steve Augarde – (YA) Touchstone Trilogy (0/3)
Susan Beth Pfeffer – (YA) The Last Survivors (0/3)
Terry Brooks - (F) Genesis of Shannara (0/3)
Terry Brooks - (F) High Druid of Shannara (0/3)
Wendy Alec – (FN) The Chronicles of Brothers (0/3)

Completed Series
Alison Goodman – (YA) Dragoneye (2/2)
Brenda Rickman Vantrease – (H) The Illuminator (2/2)
Cornelia Funke – (YA) Inkheart Trilogy (3/3)
D. M. Cornish – (YA) Monster Blood Tattoo (3/3)
Donita K. Paul - (YA) Valley of the Dragons (3/3)
Francine Rivers – (H) The Mark of the Lion (3/3)
Guy Gavriel Kay – (F) The Fionavar Tapestries (3/3)
Guy Gavriel Kay – (F) The Sarantine Mosaic (2/2)
Jacqueline Carey – (F) The Sundering (2/2)
J. K. Rowling – (YA) Harry Potter (7/7)
J. R. R. Tolkien – (F) The Lord of the Rings (3/3)
Madeleine L’Engle – (YA) The Time Quintet (5/5)
Philip Pullman – (YA) His Dark Materials (3/3)
Philippa Gregory – (H) The Wideacre Trilogy (3/3)
Robyn Miller/David Wingrove – (F) Myst (3/3)
Rick Riordan – (F) Percy Jackson and the Olympians (5/5)
Robert Scott & Jay Gordon – (F) The Eldarn Sequence (3/3)
Stephanie Meyer – (YA) Twilight Saga (4/4)
Susan Cooper – (YA) The Dark is Rising Sequence (5/5)
Suzanne Collins – (YA) The Hunger Games (3/3)
Ted Dekker – (F) Circle Series (3/3)
Terry Brooks – (F) Original Shannara Trilogy (3/3)
Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins – (FN) Left Behind (13/13)

Books Read in 2012:
**Books are OTS unless otherwise indicated
(L) for Public Library Loans
(ER) books received from LT Early Reviewer
January
1. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 3.5*
2. (L) Anahita's Woven Riddle by Meghan Nuttall Sayres 3.75*
3. (L) A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 4*
Favourite Read:
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
February
4. The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie 3.5*
5. (L) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 4*
6. (ER) Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas 4*
7. The Rosetta Codex by Richard Paul Russo 3.75*
8. (L) Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George 3.5*
9. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie 4*
10. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J. M. Barrie 3.5*
11. (L) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 5*
12. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards 5*
13. (L) Across the Universe by Beth Revis 4*
Favourite Reads:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards/The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
March
14. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson 3.75*
15. (L) I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 3.5*
16. (L) Jane by April Linder 2.5*
Favourite Read:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

April
17. A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell 3.75*
18. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 3.75*
19. (L) Chalice by Robin McKinley 4*
20. (ER) The Last Song by Eva Wiseman 3.75*
21. The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks 4.5*
22. (L) Factotum by D.M. Cornish 3.75*
23. Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden 5*
24. The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald 3.5*
25. (L) Eve by Anna Carey 4.5*
26. The Princess and Curdie by George Macdonald 3*
27. (L) Emma Vol. 2 by Kaoru Mori 3.5*
28. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 4*
29. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter 4*
30. (L) Un Lun Dun by China Mieville 4*
31. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See 5*
Favourite Read:
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
May
32. (L) The Children of the Lost by David Whitley 4*
33. Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum 4.75*
34. (L) The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding 3.5*
35. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman 4*
36. (L) Rebel Angels by Libba Bray 3*
Favourite Reads:
Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum/The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
June
37. The White Mare by Jules Watson 3.75*
38. Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card 3*
39. (L) I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 2.5*
40. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 4*
41. (L) When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 3.75*
42. (ER) The Serpent's Bite by Warren Adler 2.5*
43. (L) Stealing Athena by Karen Essex 4*
44. (L) The Selection by Kiera Cass 3*
45. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger 3.75*
46. (L) Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini 4*
Favourite Read:
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

July
47. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll 3.75*
48. (L) Eona by Alison Goodman 4*
49. The Giver by Lois Lowry 5*
50. (L) Chime by Franny Billingsley 2.75*
51. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 4.75*
52. (L) Once was Lost by Sara Zarr 3.75*
53. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 4*
54. (L) Wither by Lauren DeStefano 3.5*
55. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff 4.5*
56. (ER) Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff 3.75*
57 (L) Haven by Kristi Cook 3*
Favourite Reads:
The Giver by Lois Lowry/The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
August
58. (L) Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool 4*
59. East of Eden by John Steinbeck 3.25*
60. (L) The Lying Game by Sara Shepard 4*
61. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 2.75*
62. (L) Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus 4*
63. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 4.5*
64. (L) Siren by Tricia Rayburn 3.5*
65. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 4*
66. (L) Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 4*
67. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 3.5*
Favorite Read:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
September
68. (L) Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld 4*
69. 2061: Odyseey Three by Arthur C. Clarke 3*
70. (L) Lament by Maggie Stiefvater 3.5*
71. Sepulchre by Kate Mosse 4*
72. (L) Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce 3*
73. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson 3*
74. (L) Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle 4.25*
75. (ER) Breed by Chase Novak 3.75*
Favourite Read:
Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle
October
76. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami 4*
77. (L) Switched by Amanda Hocking 3.75*
78. (L) Genesis by Bernard Beckett 4.5*
79. (L) The Strange Case of Finley Jayne/The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross 4*
80. House by Frank Peretti/Ted Dekker 3.5*
81. (L) Abandon by Meg Cabot 3.75*

Hello! Now that's some listing you've got there Valerie! wow
Happy new thread!

ETA I just love the signs of love your husband showed you with regards to the new shelves and book reorganisation. And your recognition of it is so sweet!

Hi Megan! A big part of why I made that series list was so I had an idea of what books I needed to read so that I would COMPLETE some of my outstanding series, and yet for some reason, that darn list keeps getting LONGER! I give up. :)
My husband. The most amazing part? That's not just a once in a blue moon thing. He has always been like that. Caleb and I are always first in his priority list. Love of my life. :)

Wow Valerie what a photgraph!
What lovely words about your husband; husbands are truly blessed when they have the love of a good woman and are man enough to show it to be reciprocated. I love my own bundle of joy immesely but don't often show it as well as your fellow does; I got a blast by her very heavy handbag this morning as she was unimpressed by my efforts in flipping over the master-bed mattress! Well I'll start again and she did have a good laugh about it a matter of minutes later (after the wind had returned to my lungs!).

Gorgeous picture, Valerie! What a big list series books! I think I have maybe 82 series books -but I have not looked into to carefully!

What's that I see - just one more book til 75!!!! I'll have to keep a close eye on your thread!

Beautiful photo Valerie; impressive lists and that husband of yours is definitely a keeper.

Hope you are having a fun weekend re-shelving all those books:)

Morning Valerie- What a striking opening photo! Cool. And congrats on #5, you hoarder you. Hope the weekend is going well.

That pic at the top stpped me in my tracks! Gorgeous!

Hey, Valerie. Could you put the title next to or under the pictures of your favorite reads? My poor old eyes can't read the titles on the covers!

Hi, Valerie. My husband's a lot like yours; he's allocated 3 floor to ceiling shelves for my books (which are rapidly filling); but with the proviso that I don't migrate onto 'his' shelves. I'm sure I can get round him, or do some Paul-style sneaking, in time. Mind you, he probably rolls his eyes at me, behind my back. Much more supportive than my parents or sis; they've been know to distract me or even physically restrain me if we get too near a bookshop (never mind going in).

Always good to know that book-lovers have their support crew.

LOVE the picture at the top of your thread! Congrats on your latest thread, by the way!

Great photograph at the top--very dramatic! And a nice new thread, and I already commented on your lovely hubby in the last thread.

Hi Valerie, Luvely new thread with a stunning pic.

Glad to hear that all the males in the Choi family are so caring and loving towards their wifes. :)

Checking in on the new thread, Valerie. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

Paul, I'm sure you have your own special way of showing love and appreciation to your lovely wife. Otherwise, I'm sure she has plenty of ways of letting you know, subtly and not, that you are dropping the ball in that area. You are lucky to get away with just the wind knocked out of your lungs! ;)

Hi, Deb! I know that list is pretty outrageous, but it's my motivation to keep moving forward. Hopefully the list of completed books will be longer that the list of half finished series, but I'm not holding my breath for that day to come. :)

Thanks, Calm! Operation book overhaul is now completed. So happy to have that out of the way. Now onto hanging up pictures in our house. It's been 5 years so if you look up the word procrastination in the dictionary, you will undoubtably see my lovely mug shot. ;)

Thanks, Mark! Who would have thunk that I'd make it to 5 threads!?! I hope you are having a great weekend as well.

Yay! I'm glad it caught your eye, Kath!

Your wish is my command, Morphy! I hope that helps. :)

Floor to ceiling shelves sounds pretty awesome, Nina! Are they custom built units? My dream is have those ladder things one day, but then I would need a bigger house with bigger bookshelves and well now I'm just getting ahead of myself. I'll just sit back, enjoy and stare at my recent organizational efforts. My husband knows it's a lost cause by now because sure you can try to restrain, but I'll just go home and buy online. You can't stop me forever.... ;)

Thanks, Mamie! The last couple of months since coming back to LT has been great fun!

Hi Roni! I was trying to find something a bit ominous for October, but not something that would scare the crap out of me whenever I open my own thread...haha!

Thanks, Bianca! Now, I just have to figure out some way to instil the same values in my little guy. :)

Hey, Micky! I have very solid plans to sit and do nothing the rest of the day. It's lovely. Is your friend's wedding coming up soon or has it happened already??

***********************************************************

Yes!! Books have all finally found their new homes on the shelves. They are happily meeting and greeting their new neighbours and scoping out their surroundings. I can't believe after reorganizing, I end up with pretty much one full shelf that is empty!! And well, you know an empty shelf is a lonely shelf, just screaming and begging to be filled....I will happily oblige. :D

Hi Valerie! I hope you're having a lovely weekend. There was no hope in getting caught up with your last thread, so I'll start here. Beautiful photo up at top!

#74 Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA
Format: TPB
Published: Original 2006, Translation 2008
Setting: The Tree, Land of Onessa
Pages: 384
Rating: ★★★★¼
Notes: small people, adventures, family, environmental issues, illustrations, first in series
Books noted: None


Illustrations by Francois Place

"Every brain has its key," his father always used to say. "Mine is my bed. Yours is your plate. Eat before you think, or you'll think badly."

Standing a full one and half millimetres tall, Toby Lolness may not be much to look at, but what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in his larger than life curiosity and appetite. The son of a brilliant scientist and the only daughter of the wealthiest family around, Toby and his family live in The Tree. Their lives are turned upside down when a discovery made by Professor Lolness could potentially save The Tree if used responsibly, but if abused in the wrong hands, may spell the disaster for the only home Toby has ever known. Running for his life with enemies hunting him on every branch, where friend has become foe, exiled and alone, Toby will have search deep within himself to find the courage and strength to be the hero he never imagined existed.

Toby Alone is pure gold. The story, the characters, the place, brought me back to a time where everything was magical. A tree was not just a tree, but the home for thousands of little people and all manners of creatures and critters. Where the grass was not just grass, but the border that separated two different worlds, as far apart and strange as two differing planets. A story that not only opens the door of imagination for children and adults alike, Toby Alone is wonderfully reminiscent of a combination of The Borrowers meets Roald Dahl. The book brilliantly weaves in social commentary on environmental responsibilities and respecting the differences in one another, but is never heavy handed or overly blatant in its message. Highly recommended for the child in all of us!

Well, first I'll join the wows for the picture up top, Valerie! That's a showstopper. And I love storms.

And what an inspiring review of Toby Alone. Never heard of it before, but it's on the tbr now.

I don't want to sound like a "me-too-er," but that photo is magnificent! I LOVE it.

Oh, and looks like you've done a lot of good reading this year!

Karen O.

Kerri, it's so great to see you here! I know how busy you are with RL so it's extra special to have you drop by. Don't worry about catching up. My thread has a no obligation to catch up with anything clause. Just come whenever you can! :)

Hi Joe! I love storms as well. There is something just so calming and beautiful about them!
I hope you have a chance to read Toby Alone at some point. I absolutely adored this book and it brought back so many wonderful memories of growing up and all the make believe games I played. :)

Karen, so lovely to see you! Yes, this year has been filled with its fair share of excellent reads. I don't think I can recall a total bomb thus far so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of the year. Let's hope the streak continues!

Nice new thread! I really love the top photo -- it's stunning! And congrats on the massive book re-orginization!

ETA to add I just went back to the end of your previous thread and read what you wrote about your husband. He's definitely a keeper.

Hi Valerie, great new thead. I notice your current read is Breed, I'll be interested in your reaction to it. Is it going to be book #75?

I am on to another book.... not sure what it will be.. You are reading Breed? Waiting for your thoughts :)

* wave*

Hi Valerie
(still impressed by your husbands deeds, btw)
Beautiful illustration from your last book, and lovely quote too. Gosh, 1.5 millimetres is pretty small, I wonder how he'd get on in the world at that height? Better read the book to find out I guess!

Thanks, Terri! It definitely feels nice to get everything sorted, like a bigger and more satisfying version of getting my series all in order. :)

Hi, Judy! I'm about half way through the book. I was quite nervous reading it because I typically don't do well with the genre, which makes me wonder why I requested it in the first place?? So far so good!

Kath, are you typically interested in that whole genre??

*Big Waves* to you Jenn!

Megan, it's a book I would want to read to my kids one day or else have them read it for themselves. At that height, I'm sure the world is a scary place filled with everything that can eat you or carry you off into the abyss! Nothing short of delightful. :)

Oh, yes. Now I can tell what excellent taste you have! :D

I envy you your book re-organizing! That was the absolute best part of our move last November - I got to reshelve all my books! Now, pictures, please...?

Checking in on the new thread, Valerie!

What a lovely review of Toby Alone! I had not heard of that before, but it sounds charming - adding it to the WL. Thanks, Valerie - hope you Monday is off to a good start.

Haha, thanks, Morphy! That's always nice to hear instead of what kind of crap are you reading??? ;)

Hi, Amber! I love the fact that I suddenly have an extra bookcase that is empty and begging to be filled, but the side effect of reorganizing that I hadn't foreseen is the fact that I actually don't want to buy any new books right now because everything is sooooo organized! I'll be sad the day my books revert back to their haphazard ways.
I plan to hang up a couple of pictures in my main living room area and then you bet there will be some pics after all my hard work! :)

Thanks, Stasia. I hope you have a lovely week without too much stress from your studies!

Mamie, I do hope you enjoy the book when you get a chance to read it! I am definitely going to keep my eyes open for the sequel next time I'm at the library. :)

An extra bookcase. Lucky you! My husband is an enabler in my love of books. I think when he retires, he'll be doing more reading. When we were first married, we didn't have TV (yes, it was that long ago!) and went to the library together so we could spend our evenings reading...at least until the first baby came along!

I love the vibrant blues and greens in your opening photo, Valerie. The lightning strike adds the perfect focal point. I love storms as long as they don't cause damage.

Hi Valerie! Love the photo, love the sweet story of your husband and your new bookshelves, and love your review of Toby Alone! Hope you have a great week.

#37

You must have done something else in the evening besides reading, for the first baby to come along ;)

Sci fi? Horror? Suspense? love it!
Hard to find good ones

Hi Donna! I believe it is a common theme among us LT folks and our enabling spouses. ;)
I actually never used the library until the little guy came along and regret not taking advantage of it earlier. Now it has become one of my favourite places to go with Caleb. The library is less than 5 minutes drive from our place so it's become a great place to just hang out in the mornings reading his favourite choo-choo books. :)

Thanks, Anne! I hope you have a great week as well!

Jenny, get your head out of the gutter, you naughty girl. ;)

Hi Kath! Sci-Fi, I love. Suspense, I also love. Horror, I struggle with. I want to enjoy it more, but I find it gets into my head and then I get all nervous and jittery. Breed is the closest thing to horror that I've read in a long, long, time, and it wasn't too bad, but definitely nothing I'd ever be able to watch on TV....

#39 made me snort water through my nose with that one, Jenny ... good one.

Valerie - so .... inquisitive me wants to know what books you're planning to place on your nice new bookshelf?

>20 jolerie: Wedding is coming up this Sunday. Starting to get really excited. :D

Thumbed your review of Toby Alone. Sounds like a true delight.

Hi Valerie! Catching up at last on previous thread and this new one. What a lovely tribute to a loving husband and his bookshelf cooperation! And having only just read about the nasty virus he had earlier this month, I'm glad he recovered soon from that.

That illustration from Toby Alone is beautiful; it sounds like a great book!

I couldn't do a steady diet of Horror, but a good horror writer can draw me in. I like it less in a movie or TV. SciFi was my first book love when I reached young adulthood, and for years after.. I will give most anything a try, depending on if the description, reviews, cover ... lol draws me in. Never say Never I say!

I love suspense, and I don't care what genre it comes wrapped up in. Like Kath, I will give almost anything a try.

Just passing by and *lurking* :) *wave* at Valerie.

Stunning picture to start your new thread, Valerie. Must scadoodle now, so much catching up to do.

I see in your list that Breed is #75, and you've posted a rating for it in your list . . . so I assume it's done. And the ticker sits at 75. . .

Congratulations on Book #75!

ETA to add I just took a close look at your rating system. I absolutely love it! (May want to steal it . . .)

Congrats on reaching 75!! Hope you have a great Thursday.

75?! Yay!!!!!

Congratulations on 75 Valerie. Hope you and the monkey are having a great day.

hey! 75 :) Well done, you!

Congrats!

WOOHOO
well done Valerie, that's an achievement to celebrate. Ill meet you at Joe's Cafe for a beer :)

Congratulations on hitting the 75 book mark!!

Thanks everyone for the congrats! A big wave to Micky, Caro, Genny, Kath, Mamie, Nina, Lynda, Terri, Rachel, Calm, Jim, Megan, and Roni! Who would have thunk that I'd be able to reach 75 this year with an active monkey running around the house, but this group has been an amazing and motivating tool! :)
I wil post the review of my 75th book some time soon. Right now I've been a bit preoccupied with trying to finish up a sweater that I've been working on for some time for Caleb. I didn't realize that knitting involved so much math and I feel like I'm learning a whole new language when reading the instructions! As well, still making my way through, 1Q84. What a strange, but fascinating book.

Caro, I'm happy to leave the shelves empty right now and just ponder the possibilities of what books I will buy one day to fill them. :)

Yay, so exciting, Micky! I hope you have a blast at the wedding!

Mamie, I've slowly learned to broaden my reading horizons as well, especially since joining this group!

Genny, I do hope you feel better soon! It seems like a virus is making it's way through the threads. Maybe we do spend too much time with each other since we seem capable of spreading wonderful virtual germs. ;)

Kath, Sci-fi and fantasy were my first love as well. Horror and crime are a bit neglected in my reading regiment, but I blame that on the fact that I'm paranoid enough without the help of books that keep up all the live long night....

Terri, feel free to take the idea and adjust as needed. I figured having a rating system at least will let people know the crazy reasons behind my stars!

Hi Nina!

Thanks for dropping by Lynda. Yes, catching up. I will have to do that at some point. *Looks nervously at all the unread messages....*

Thanks, Calm! I spent a large portion of my day with my eyebrows furrowed starting at knitting instructions that aren't making a whole lot of sense.....

Megan, we better call ahead and make reservations because we both know how busy Joe's cafe is at all hours of the day! :)

Thanks, Rachel, Jim, and Roni!

hehe, true Valerie. Although Im pretty sure he'd squeeze us in! It's my shout btw :)
I am hoping like anything that I make time to read 75 this year. I think Ill make it, but I would just once in my life love to reach a goal that I set for myself! (joke, i sometimes reach goals, I just dont make them very often).

With 2 monkeys in the house, Megan, it's impressive that you are able to read anything at all! It's true though, with so much of my day "up in the air" and not really being sure what is going to happen next, having goals that are reachable definitely is encouraging. I didn't think the last year, I would be able to make it, but surprise surprise, I actually did and so going into this year, I knew I could potentially do it, depending on how many distractions I allowed myself (like korean dramas..haha!).

#75 Breed by Chase Novak
Source: ER
Genre: Fiction
Format: HB
Published: 2012
Setting: New York
Pages: 310
Rating: ★★★¾
Notes: horror, science experiments, infertility
Books noted: Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown), Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens), The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom)

That moment of blindness. How she wishes it could have lasted longer. Not just a moment - an hour. Not just an hour - an eternity. For what she sees now is by far the most gruesome sight she has ever beheld, or even imagined. What she sees now makes death preferable to having to live with the memory of what is right before her eyes. Page. 211

Alex and Leslie seem to have it all. A perfect life filled with fulfilling careers, passionate love, and money to buy anything else they deem lacking. The only missing thing, and the one thing that all the money in the world can't seem to buy for them - a biological child to call their own. Just when they had given up all hope, an unknown doctor in Slovenia offers them an opportunity to take part in a new experimental injection that may very well be the birth of everything they have desired. The side effects? None, except that the cost for their own little slice of a miracle is one tenth savings, and nine tenths, humanity.

If you are thinking, dreaming, fantasizing, desiring, or anything along the lines of remotely wanting children, this book is probably not for you. Now, if you are looking for a cost effective, alternate form of birth control, Breed could be exactly what the doctor prescribes. A creepy, horrifying blend of science gone wrong, and coveting something at the expense of everything else, Novak spins a chilling tale of an unorthodox family, to say the least. There were definitely moments of palpitating, being hunted, suspense interspersed with those familiar, you know you are going to regret opening those doors, moments. A recommended read for those looking for a little terror, and just in time for our yearly, horror-fest, Halloween.

Hi Valerie- Good review of Breed. Sounds nice and creepy. Glad you are enjoying 1Q84. How far along are you? I won't be starting it for a few more days.

Hi Valerie, congratulations on reaching 75!

Great review of Breed, Valerie.

Hi Valerie congrats on your 75 - *jump in air and clap* -

and a great review on Breed - noted that on my list for interesting books.

Congrats on the 75 Valerie! You make me want to read Breed. It will have to wait though.

Nice review of Breed, Valerie - like you, I added it to my WL after reading about it on Judy's thread. Now I will definitely have to hunt down a copy!

Valerie - congrats on your 75 and beating me to it! Have a lovely weekend.

Congrats on reaching 75, Valerie!

#60 bah! Sounds scary
*runs for the hills*

Breed looks good :)

Congrats!

Hi Valerie -- congrats on reaching 75 books! That's quite a feat with a little one afoot!

That's a great review of Breed and it's tempting me to add this to my obese wish list.

Have you moved on to a slightly less chilling read, Valerie? Or are you keeping to the theme of dark, sinister reads for the month of October?

Yay for reaching the 75!! I can't imagine how any of you mums do it - you're better people than me :)

Ohh! I'm late to congratulate you on reaching 75 books! Great going, Valerie! Hmmm - with the idea of 2nd monkey in the air , are you sure that you should have read Breed :) Sounds very creepy! Actually the book I'm reading is helping a couple get a child - by unconventional means - but not sci- fi - merely a baby washing up in an abandoned boat at the lighthouse that they occupy , back in the 1920's . One can get a child by by hook or crook, I guess! :)

Valerie, congrats on reaching the magical number of 75!!
And that photo at the top of your thread is spectacular!

Can't believe you've read 75, and now are tackling 1Q84, among the monkeys, Valerie. Way to go!

Oops, I'm late to say, congratulations on reaching the 75 book mark, Valerie!!

Waiting for pictures of the Monkey's sweater...
Congrats on 75!

Congrats on hitting 75!! Good job :)

Thanks for the congrats and lovely messages, Mark, Bonnie, Judy, Bianca, Roberta, Mamie, Paul, Katie, Megan, Kath, Jim, Anne, Caro, Jenny, Deb, Ellen, Joe, Roni, Amber, and Chelle!

The last week has been busy with appointments, meetings, and me trying to finish up a baby blanket for a baby shower that is coming up in 2 weeks. I am slowly making my way through 1Q84 and am more than halfway through the book. So far, I am loving it and so begins my love affair with Murakami! :)

So in keeping with October's Spooky theme, the books OTS will probably more or less keep me up all night....

October's Selection
OTS:
The Long Walk by Stephen King
House by Ted Dekker & Frank Peretti
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Library:
Switched by Amanda Hocking
Genesis by Bernard Beckett
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Matched by Ally Condie
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
The Inferior by Peadar O Guilin
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn

Hi Valerie- I'm so glad you are loving 1Q84. I just started. I like your October list too. I loved Revolution and The graveyard Book. I hope you feel the same on both.

Hi Valerie, I am planning on reading Dracula this month as well. Like Mark, I have read Revolution and The Graveyard Book as well as Beauty Queens. Loved them all, especially The Graveyard Book.

Hi Valerie,
great to hear that you love 1Q84 and your love with Murakami begins. LOL For me it began with Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

Are you knitting a baby blanket for the baby shower?

Switched is one I looked at and looked at.. but I dont think I ever gave into.. I have to check my ..nook?
Not sure where I was looking :P

I love creepy reads!

Hi Mark! I've heard nothing but good things about The Graveyard Book so definitely excited to finally reading it, hopefully! :)

Hi Judy! It will be fun and interesting to see our reactions to Dracula. I typically don't do as well well it comes to the classics, but we will see how this one plays out.

Bianca, I have no idea how I would categorize Murakami. His concept for the book is both at once strange and fascinating. Whenever I read a book that has been translated, my very first thought is how it would compare to the original language. If only I could read Japanese!

Kath, you are much braver than I am. I saw a trailer for this scary movie that is coming out this month, Sinister, and I had a hard time falling asleep. I don't know how anyone can actually watch stuff like that! Reading, I can tolerate a bit more, but it always comes at the expense of me being all jittery and paranoid.

I was going through some of our pictures and trying to create some semblance of order, but of course I got sidetracked and was spending more time reminiscing then actually organizing anything.
I came across this one picture and fondly remember it was a day when we had gone shopping with the monkey before our trip to Asia. We were trying to find him a bucket hat, but ended up having so much fun just trying on a variety of different styles and getting him to pose for us. I think the sales people thought we were strange, but we had a blast. In the end, the bucket hat won, but the berate was darn cute!


My two favourite men! And a picture where he finally wasn't "grimacing" at the camera. :)

Aw, what a great photo!

I'm way behind so I'm just skimming, but I love the dramatic opening photo and the layout of all your lists. I'll be reading along in 1Q84 this month too.

Very cute monkey face!

What lovely pics of you and your family. And what a lovely monkey. :)

Thanks, Anne. Yup, skimming is probably what I do a lot now whenever I'm a few days behind on LT. :) Glad to have you hear and looking forward to seeing you over at the 1Q84 thread.

Haha, Jenny! I assume you are talking about the little monkey and not the big one. ;)

Thanks, Bianca! We are 100% biased in that we think he is pretty lovely as well. :)

Finally checking in to your hefty thread after our holiday.

Congratulations on your 75!

Oh, Valerie, you have such a beautiful family (and that includes you too, of course)!

I love when kids grimace for the camera. It really is a fun stage and you will remember this time fondly. The photos will bring on many a chuckle in the future. :)

Great photos, Valerie! What a good-looking family.

Glad you're enjoying 1Q84. After my affair with Murakami began (oh no, what will the scandal-mongering book media do with that one?) I read all of his translated novels, and this is one of his best IMHO. Kafka on the Shore remains my fave, with The Wind-up Bird Chronicle and this one close behind.

My affair with him actually began with a stage production of After the Quake, which entranced me and caused me to read that short story collection. After that I went on a Murakami binge for several weeks. Needless to say, my mind was thoroughly boggled after that. Some (like my wife) would say it still is.

A boggled brain is the only type to have with any pride. Otherwise, what's the point?

Just skimming through, Valerie, trying to catch up with everyone...

Lovely photo at the top!

Even better to see the pics of your family. What a sweet boy; and I like the grimace! :D

Love the photos!

I'm getting ready to start Chapter 5 in 1Q84.

A lovely family, Valerie!
And a belated hurray! for reaching #75 so quickly.

Welcome back, Nina! I hope you had a restful vacation and now the catching up games begin. :)

You are too sweet, Amber!

Hi, Roberta! Yes, I will look back on these early years with fond memories of not enough sleep, but also filled with lots of laughter and fun. His grandma would prefer that his eyes are open for the camera, but hey, I'm just happy his head is facing the right direction. :)

Thanks Joe! No confusion on my part since I'm well aware that you are a happily married man. ;) I have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on my shelf and have heard some interesting conversations regarding Kafka on the Shore. I wonder if it's the same people who translate all his books or are they different with each one?

Thanks, Jenny! I'm very grateful for my boggled brain since it's been my constant companion since being pregnant. I still blame my lack of cell action on preggo brain, and this is 2 years after giving birth. ;)

Thanks, Kathy! I'm fond of the grimace as well and think it's pretty darn cute, but I'm still hoping that he doesn't end up as a grown man with the same facial expression for pictures. That might be a tad scary...haha!

Hey Roni! It's so much fun knowing that other people are reading alongside me. How are you enjoying it so far?

It's so great to see you around Gail! Thanks for the congrats as well. I will have to swing by your neck of the threads in my attempts to catch up with everyone to see what books you've been reading lately!

September Round-up:



Total books read: 8
Total pages read: 3532
Average rating: 3.56

Fiction: 2
Crime/Thriller/Mystery: 1
YA: 4
Science Fiction: 1

Series: 7
Standalone: 1

Female authors: 3
Male authors: 5
New to me authors: 4

Library: 4
OTS: 3
ER: 1

Favourite Read:

Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle
A wonderfully imaginative story with the perfect blend of Roald Dahl meets The Borrowers. Highly Recommended.

What wonderful photos!!! Congratulations on reaching the 75 goal!

How I envy your new book cases. Alas, my books are scattered in every room of the house.

Love the photo - looks like a fun time:)

I love the photos of your 2 favorite men! And the grimacing Monkey. At least you got him to smile in the 2nd one.

LOVE the family pics :) What a good looking group you are!

I love creepy reads, books and tv shows. I am mostly immune to that sort of fear for some reason.. maybe because I've lived in haunted houses and dealt with stuff that scares me more than creepy creatures?

That list of boks is looking very pretty, too!

Great pictures of you and your two favorite guys. I like both the monkey face and the handsome little boy face. What a sweetie your Caleb is.

Adding my congrats ones on reaching 75 books. I envy you reading Murakami. I just can't handle a long quirky book right now but I will read it at some point. Enjoy the upcoming week end!

Hi Linda! My books are in every room of the house as well, but I'm glad I've been able to put them into their "homes". It's actually been a very positive deterrent to me wanting to buy new books because everything is organized, but the minute I buy a new book, the whole books everywhere syndrome will start up again!

Thanks Calm! It's always nice when the simplest things provide the greatest entertainment. :)

Hi Mark! Yes, those smile shots are a fluke at best so I treasure the handful that we actually have.

Kath, you've lived in a haunted house before?? I don't think I can handle that. NO, I KNOW I can't handle stuff like that. I'm am okay with creature and stuff that doesn't actually exist, but the whole paranormal world really, really, scares the crap out of me.

Thanks, Donna! Fall is the perfect time for me to read those clunky books and even better yet that I'm doing it AFTER I reached the 75 mark because now there is no guilt if I spend more time on just one book. I hope you enjoy it when the time is right for you to read it. :)

>101 jolerie: As far as I know, the main translator of Murakami's books into English is Jay Rubin, Valerie. The other I know of is Philip Gabriel. They split 1Q84, with Rubin taking the first two books and Gabriel the third. I believe Murakami is pretty fluent in English, but he apparently doesn't like to translate his own work.

That's interesting, Joe! Whenever I enjoy a translated book, I always wonder am I enjoying it because the author wrote a good book or did the translator do a good job with the translating? When you have 2 different translators working on a single book, you would think that it would disrupt the flow of the book, but I didn't really notice a difference in 1Q84 or at least it wasn't glaring where I was like, oh yeah, definitely somebody else wrote this part.
I wouldn't be surprised that Murakami is pretty fluent in English since a lot of his references in the book are quite un-Japanese or at least it shows how knowledgeable he is in terms of pop culture or Westernized/European entertainment.

It's nice.. always have company, and always something interesting going on. It never bothered me, and in fact.. I sort of prefer it. Company.....

>110 jolerie: I know, I didn't notice any difference in 1Q84 either. It's intriguing.

Yes, he's much more Western than is (was?) common in Japan, and my understanding is he got a lot of criticism for it early on from traditionalists like Kenzaburō Ōe.

Hi Valerie: Great photos. Congratulations on reaching 75. You have quite an ambitious October planned. I loved The Graveyard Book; it was my first, not not last, Neil Gaiman.

Hi Valerie- How you coming with 1Q84. I'm getting ready to start chapter 12!

Lovely Sept round-up. Displaying all the book covers together makes them look so enticing!
Wilbur just turned 4 and is still in the grimacing for photos phase....although he came to it late so there could be hope for your family album yet! :)

Okay, Kath, my inner chicken is probably self evident in that your statement alone is enough to give me the chills.... :/ If I ever end up in a haunted house, I want to be standing right next to you!

Joe, I can definitely see the criticism part as Japan is so proud of their own history and traditions. Now I'm all curious about his biography. Half of the sticky notes in my book are book references he makes, which goes to show me what a well read man he is!

Thanks, Beth! I think all my months are ambitious in that I never have any hopes of ever finishing the books I lay aside for the month, but I like have options and choices. I'm definitely excited for The Graveyard Book since all I've heard is good things about that one. :)

Wow, look at you go, Mark! I have about 300 pages left? I'm hoping to finish the book this weekend. I might be a bit sad to part ways with the characters just do the sheer amount of time that I've invested with them this past week.

Megan, the display of covers has the same appeal to me as looking at a bookcase filled with books!
Haha, I don't mind the grimace at all, but if it was the hubsters making the same face, I might have some issues with that..haha!

*************************************************************
It's the Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and my most favourite thing about it -- LONG WEEKEND!! Whooohooo! :D


As per the limited, but wise words of my son, Happy GOBBLE GOBBLE Day, to all the Canadian Lters this weekend! :)

My husband's favorite Thanksgiving joke is to ask someone, "What are you doing for Thanksgiving, (pause), turkey?" (said with a big grin on his face)

That pause is very important to the meaning of the question.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Karen O.

>106 mckait:, >111 mckait: I am impressed and would love to hear about this one day! I've seen things in the two hospitals I've worked in and it didn't scare me because I think in a hospital it would be expected. I always pray for closure.

Valerie I don't like overly creepy, scary books and movies, but I do think in RL it is usually something left unfinished and not malevolent. Most folks probably don't notice and if they do think they must be imagining a noise or something in their peripheral vision.

Oh my what an absolute cutie patio tie your little guy is! And your big guy is easy on the eyes too. You have a lovely family Valerie. We're right on the Canadian border and what we notice is all the shoppers who come across on the holiday. Must be shop first...turkey later. We have quite a few Canadian relatives, mostly in Toronto and they confess to preferring shopping over just about everything else.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

That's too funny, Karen! And the funniest part, is that it is something I can totally see my husband say...ha ha ha. :)

Roberta, I can imagine that working in a hospital, you are probably more prone to seeing "stuff" since both life and death occur in that environment. Whether, benign or malevolent, I don't think I could handle anything of that nature so the stories in books and movies are often more than enough to get the hairs on the back of my neck to rise.

Thanks, Bonnie! Haha, it so so funny that we Canadians flock to the other side of the border to do our shopping whenever we get the chance and people usually can tell. Everytime we are there at the Ross or Target, they somehow can pick out the Canadians, but I'm guessing the carts and carts of goods we buy are a dead giveaway. I remember one time we were down in Montana and it was the 4th of July and the Safeway there had a deal for pop that was RIDICULOUS. And of course, you guys have so many flavours that are unavailable in Canada so it was funny to see a herd of Chinese people with carts loaded with nothing but pop....hahaha!

Hi Valerie! Congrats on reaching 75! I love the photos - adorable!

I saw that you read an Arthur C. Clarke. I tried reading Rendezvous with Rama a few weeks ago and couldn't get into it. There was no character development at all, which is sort of what you are saying with this one, I believe. I'd like to try something else by him though at some point. Maybe Childhood's End? Have you read that one?

#121

Just saw your comment on Arthur C. Clarke and wanted to chime in.

I don't think character development or emotion is something that he goes in for. I read Childhood's End and while the story and plot was interesting, the whole thing felt very sterile and disconnected from the people within. Like they were acting the parts but we weren't seeing beneath the surface.

Just my opinion anyway :)

#122 - Thanks for the info on Childhood's End. I think it might just be that Arthur C. Clarke is not for me. I like a bit of warmth and character focus with my sci-fi. Although, I do love Asimov and he doesn't go in for a ton of character development. It's just that his world-building is so amazing that maybe I can overlook it.

The love the family pictures! Too cute!

Happy Gobble Gobble to you too!! :)

What wonderful pictures - LOVE those! ANd I adore those cheesy grins that all kids do at that age - so funny!!

Thanksgiving, huh? That is my very favorite holiday, so a very happy Thanksgiving to you!

Great list of possible reads up there for October. I was thinking about The Graveyard Book also - we have the audiobook of that with Gaiman reading it, and I have heard good things.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving, Valerie!

Hi Valerie. Happy day-after-Thanksgiving!
I like that you made two lists for October -- one of books OTS and one of books from the library. I might be borrowing this listmaking madness.....
I enjoyed The Graveyard Book last year, although I have not read anything else by him.

Ahh missed your thanksgiving? sorry.. but hope you had a good day.. and that now you have leftovers!
If you ever find yourself in a haunted house, call me, and I will be right there!

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! :)

Thanks Kerri! I think Jenny pretty much summed it up for you. Clarke definitely is NOT known for his depth of characters. It's almost as if they are just a background addition to his science. What I do like about him is that he makes the science part of his stories fascinating and completely readable. After I accepted the fact that he didn't care much for the actual people in his stories, I was able to enjoy his books immensely.
Childhood's End is not one that I've read yet. I am working my way through his Odyssey series and find them quite enjoyable, in a detached, that's cool, kind of way. :)

I totally agree with your analysis of Clarke, Jenny!

Thanks, Chelle! I'm sure you enjoying your Thanksgiving with your hands full with a hubby and a new furkid to watch over as well. ;)

Hey, Mamie! I LOVE the grimace as well and it's funny because it doesn't take much for him to make that face. Whip out the camera, point it in his direction and you are pretty much guaranteed to have the above reaction.

I hope your having a lovely weekend as well, Stasia

Thanks. Ellen! Go ahead and borrow anything you want from this thread. I claim no proprietary rights. ;)

Kath, you didn't miss anything since I'm spending the WHOLE weekend enjoying this holiday. A long weekend is celebratory worthy occasion at our home. I'm going to have your number of speed dial just in case, especially with Halloween coming closer. :)

Thanks, Rachel! I hope you have a great weekend as well.

***********************************************************

Wow, I am finally done 1Q84. I think this is the longest time I spent on one single book and that is with reading it continuously. Now, do I count it as 1 monster of a book or 3 separate books? Since I've already reached 75, no temptation to pad my stats, so I'll just count it as one, fantastically, strange, book. :)
Off to church for me the family. :) Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

Glad you know how to celebrate the right way :)
You will have to pop over to my thread soon and see what my plans are for next weekend. I admit that I thought of you for a second or two when I was reserving my spot, as I suspect that there will be a spirit or two around that day..

Hi Valerie, hope you having a lovely long weekend. I am enjoying lots of reading time, lots of lazing around and lots of eating! What could be better than that.

Congrats on finishing 1Q84, Valerie! It's a whopper, all right. Looking forward to hearing your reactions.

Ahh, you got me all curious now, Kath. Will be popping by your thread soon to see what you are talking about, but I do have a hunch!

Thanks, Judy! I hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving well. Your plan for the weekend sounds just about perfect. :)

I definitely feel like I finished a marathon of some sort, Joe! I'm glad I actually got the 75 books out of the way before I read 1Q84 so then I wouldn't feel like it needed to "rush" through it. I'm giving myself a day or two to mull the book over. So much stuff in that book, I feel you could spend a semester in school just talking it over!

Hope you had a great weekend, Valerie!

What adorable pictures of your little monkey! Love his appropriate monkey shirt as well.
Belated congratulations on achieving 75! Don't know how you find the time, young lady, but I want hints!
AND belated Thanksgiving greetings. Hope it was a lovely day!!!

I have enjoyed the Murakami books I have read, but until I am out of school or on an extended break, I do not think I will be reading 1Q84 any time soon. Congratulations on finishing it, Valerie!

Valerie- Congrats on finishing 1Q84. I'm also curious to hear your final thoughts. I just started Book 2, so I have a long way to go.
"I feel you could spend a semester in school just talking it over"-
Actually, Kim (Berly) did take a course on 1Q84. Maybe we can get her to stop by the thread.

Thanks Amber ! I'm sad to see the long weekend coming to an end, but at least it will be a short week. :)

Thanks Lynda! Yes, I guess he is truly a monkey from head to toe. ;)
I don't know how I manage it either when I think about it. I guess it all boils down to my incessant shameless excuses to read every spare moment I have during the day. Having a helpful husband I guess helps a bit. :)

That is probably a good idea Stasia! It definitely is not a "quick-read" by any stretch.

Hey Mark. Will be posting my review of the book tonight hopefully....
Oh that is so interesting. I think the book is perfect in a classroom setting with the meticulous details and themes that Murakami weaves into his story. It feels like he was leaving little "easter egg's" throughout the book, but without any explanations!

Wow! Finished with IQ84 already - impressive! I am hoping to finish it before the month is out!! Congrats on that. Hope your week is off to a great start and that you had a lovely holiday weekend.

#76 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Source: OTS
Genre: Fiction
Format: HB
Published: 2009/10, Translation 2011
Setting: Tokyo, Japan
Pages: 952
Rating: ★★★★
Notes: parallel worlds, religion, identity, truth
Books noted: The Tale of the Heike, Nicomachean Ethics (Aristotle), Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens), Tales of Time Now Past, Sansho the Bailiff (Ogai Mori), 1984 (George Orwell), Sakhalin Island (Anton Chekhov), Martin Chuzzlewit (Charles Dickens), Sword of Doom (Kaizan Nakazato), The Golden Bough (Sir James George Frazer), The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky), Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), In Search of Lost Time/Swann's Way (Marcel Proust), Out of Africa (Isak Dinesen), Macbeth/Henry IV/Richard III (William Shakespeare), Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)

Right. And after you do something like that, the everyday look of things might seem to change a little. Things may look different to you than they did before. I've had that experience myself. But don't let appearances fool you. There's always only one reality. Page 9

To avoid an inconvenient traffic jam on the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Number 3, Aomame, on the advice of the taxi driver, decides to take a detour down a set of emergency stairs, and that's when things got a bit strange. The world is subtly changed, so minute are the differences that at first she doesn't notice anything different until she looked up. Two moons.
Tengo, a brilliant math prodigy discovers that his passion extends beyond formulas and equations to the realm of fiction. He has the talent, the technical skills, but lacking the platform to convey his creativity until a orchestrated encounter with teenage girl from a commune shares her fantastical story. Two moons.
Two moons in both worlds will connect Aomame and Tengo in unfathomable ways. Two moons will serve as the bridge between what can, what is, and what will be. It is up to these two seemly fated people to make that connection, to discover themselves through that journey, and possibly in the end, find one another.

Aomame summed it up best when she said, "It feels like I'm experiencing someone else's dream." From the moment, Aomame made the decision to take a different path, I feel like I fell down the rabbit hole that is Murakami's Wonderland. Certain things are just a bit off, a bit strange. And then some things are just down right wacky. 1Q84 is not a book that can be rushed, or speedily read through. Murakami's brilliance resides in his meticulous world building, his poetic phrasings, and his detailed characterizations. His book reads like well laid out chess game where there is a purpose and function to every aspect of his story, from the thematic "see through" book cover, to the alternating page numbers. He provides no easy answers, but pushes us, the readers to look beyond the surface, to dig deeper, and hopefully through that process, like Aomame and Tengo, we realize that it is only by losing ourselves that we are truly found.

Good morning Valerie,

great to see that you made your way through 1Q84 and I love your review. This is one of my favourite books this year and I agree with you that he doesn't provide any easy answers but pushes us to look beyond and that we use our imagination. I hope you decide to read some of his other books as well, I am still planning to read my way through his novels.

Have a lovely day!

Valerie- Perfect review of 1Q84. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and hopefully it has made you a instant Murakami fan. I'm only at the halfway point.

I'm way behind Valerie but congratulations on a great review of Toby Alone and reading 75 books this year!

#88 I love the hat shopping pictures :-)

#141 Intriguing review of 1Q84 Valerie. I read Norwegian Wood in 2010 and loved it but haven't gone on to read anything else by Murakami for some reason despite having Kafka on the Shore sitting on my bookshelves and making me feel guilty...

Thumbed that wonderful review :)

Mamie, you are amazing to be reading that book during this crazy busy time of moving and hauling your life to another city! :)

Thanks, Bianca! I'm glad I can finally say I've read a Murakami book and a monster one at that! I have The Wind-up Bird Chronicle waiting on my shelves so hopefully I will get to it sooner than later since most people seem to consider that as one of their top picks for a Murakami book other than Kafka on the Shore.

Thanks Mark! Sending energy your way as you plug away at the beast of a book!

Great to see you, Heather! After reading 1Q84, I'd definitely say you have to be in the right place and mood to enjoy his books. They aren't fluff so it's not a book that you would read just for the heck of it. Happy October readings to you!

Your thumb is appreciated, Kath! I hope you're having a great day so far. :)

Not looking at the review for the moment - but well done for finishing:)

Interesting thoughts on 1Q84. I really wish I'd had time to join this group read this month, but it's such a large book and I just finished a Murakami novel....

I liked that review of 1Q84, Valerie! Thumb from me.

Haha, totally understand, Calm, especially since you just got your copy of the book from the library! Enjoy it. :)

It was quite a thought provoking book, Rachel. So many themes and metaphors and such that I'm sure a second read through would probably reveal a whole different side of things. But, of course, being that it is such a monster of a book, I think the second read through will be something to consider in the distant future. My interest is definitely perked for his other books.

Thanks, Joe! I feel like a completed a very fulfilling and satisfying book marathon. :)

952 pages!

EEEEEK

Im not sure that will the first of his that I try.

Megan, if it makes you feel any less intimidated, it didn't FEEL like 952 pages..haha! Although, I probably would have chosen to start off with one of his other books on my shelf, but since there was a group read I decided to bite the bullet and I'm glad I did! :)

ETA: And I had a heyday with post-it notes as you can see how many books the guy mentioned!

Great review of 1Q84 Valerie. I've been in a weird headspace and started listening to the audio version and quit very early on, when Aomame is reminiscing about experimental sex with a girl friend. Just turned me off completely. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Like I said, weird headspace. But I've read other novels of his and loved them, so I'll pick it up again eventually.

Valerie- If it makes you feel any better, my 3-volume set clocks in at nearly 1,100 pages. I'm closing in on about 600 pages.
And you were right, I read the section on the "Town of Cats" today.

Terrific review of 1Q84 Valerie. I need to bump up the two Murakami books I already own so that I can see if I want to tackle his big book.

You finished IQ84 and wrote a terrific review. Congratulations!
I own both Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle but have yet to take the deep breath and plunge into one of them.

Hi Ilana! I can totally understand what you mean. I think you have to be in the right mood to tackle a Murakami book. Hopefully the next time you decide to pick it up, you will be in the exact right place to really enjoy the otherworldliness of his creation.

That's just nuts Mark! Either way, we will both end up with sore wrist. You, from flipping over 1000 pages, and me from holding a book that weighs about 1000 pounds. ;)

Thanks, Bonnie! It seems the common theme I've been seeing - everyone owning at least one of his books, but for some reason they just sit on the shelves..haha! I hope you enjoy him when you get the chance to read them.

I'm feeling very good with myself for finishing the book and getting the review done as well, Ellen. I was nervous at first because how in the world do you write a review for a book of that size that deals with every subject possible without it being an essay and without spoilers.... Now that it's over and done with, the massive book can now return back to it's home on my shelves.
I heard good things about both of those books so hopefully you will enjoy it when the time comes. :)

I'm so impressed at your finishing 1Q84, Valerie! I'm only 14% through it, starting chapter 11.

#77 Switched by Amanda Hocking
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA
Format: TPB
Published: 2010
Setting: Minnesota, United States
Pages: 292
Rating: ★★★¾
Notes: fantasy, changelings, trolls, first in series
Books noted: Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie)

A couple of things made that day stand out more than any other: it was my sixth birthday, and my mother was wielding a knife. Not a tiny steak knife, but some kind of massive butcher knife glinting in the light like a bad horror movie. She definitely wanted to kill me. Page. 1

Wendy never quite fit in anywhere, not at home, not at school, not anywhere. Her suspicions that something isn't quite right with her world are confirmed with the meeting of a mysterious boy at school, Finn, who simultaneously fascinates and sends shivers down her spine. The secret of her birth, the heritage of her family, and the reason why her mother wanted to murder her are all revealed the year she was supposed to graduate from high school. One thing for certain, fitting in, was never an option.

This is your typical YA fare that comes with your quintessential handsome new boy in town angle who meets the awkward, I'm oblivious, but seems glaringly obvious to everyone else that I'm drop dead gorgeous, type teenage girl. Apart from the cliche, Switched provides an interesting take on trolls, or in this case, Trylle, and Changelings folklore. The story is fast paced and the characters intriguing enough that I'll pursue the rest of the series at some point.

Roni, I think it helped that I can only read 1 book at a time so all my energy and attention was focused on finishing 1Q84. Everyone else seems to be juggling multiple books at one time, which I am in awe with. 1 week spent entirely on 1 book seems like a rather slow pace to me in comparison..haha!

So, your first Murakami was 1Q84 and you liked it. Welcome to the wonderful wacky world of Murakami, Valerie. All of his books are a little like falling down the rabbit hole - or a well - which is one of his motifs. I hope to find this one at the upcoming library sponsored book sale, though it may still be too new. A thumb for that excellent review!

Finally catching up with you, Valerie, so:

Yay for reaching 75!

Impressive reviews (of course).

Adorable family pictures, huzzah!

Thanks Donna! I definitely have a taste for Murakami now and will duly expect the same kind of strange, twisted, oddball thinking of his when I read his other book that I have on my shelf. There were moments while I was reading 1Q84 where I did wonder if he was high on something as he was writing the book because it was just so out there.... :)

It's great to see you, Micky after your bridesmaid duties and overcoming your bout with a cold! Did you guys get any snow today? I heard Edmonton had some snowfall and whatever you guys had is heading our ways and we expecting up to 4 cm of snow by tonight. Crazy stuff!

Hi valerie,
I admire your persistence reading the chunkster AND noting all the books mentioned as well~! I have taken up the suggestions and used post it notes in the back to note impt things down. I still have a box of old work post its that my boss gave me when I left, as she knew how much I loved stationery ;)

Just popping in. Love the photos!

Congratulations on 75!

I'll probably take a peek at Switched. Your reviews are so good, it's hard to pass things by...

#141 - Wonderful review, Valerie! Also wildly impressive that you read such a door-stopper in one week.

Hi Megan! I have boxes of post-it notes as well from my university days. Kept buying them because I thought I didn't have any every new school term and low and behold, by the time I graduated, I had them coming out of my ears. Never knew they would be so handy this many years later. :)

Thanks Jenn! Haha, I'll take that as a compliment and hopefully your peek into the book will be worthwhile!

Thanks Kerri! It wasn't too bad considering ALL my energy was focused on the one book. The good thing is that it looks like a big book and feels like a big book (heavy), but it didn't read like a big book so it didn't feel like I spent a whole week on it. :)

Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter??
Your eyes are not deceiving you. It is not dandruff on my back deck and the roof of all the houses. It's SNOW. :)

Oh no, say it ain't SNOW!

No! Not yet! There's not been enough Fall yet! Just keep that stuff up there for awhile yet, please.

Wow, you have got snow already? Yeah, winter is coming. Although, it is a bit early. I am so happy we still have some beautiful sunny autumn days here at the moment.

The worst we've got down here in Ohio is frost in the morning.

Snow?! Snow?! Down south here in the Midwest U.S. we're still up in the 50s and 60s, with 70s supposedly on the way.

It is so, Donna! But, the good thing is we are supposed to hit 16 by Friday so all of it will melt away. At least, I'm hoping so. :)

The crazy thing, Amber, is that this is NOT our first snowfall for the year. We had a little bit a couple of weeks ago, but like this one, nothing major and it won't be sticking around for any length of time. At least we are easing our way into winter instead of one massive snowstorm that strands the entire city for a week....

Hi Nina! Apparently this is very normal for Calgary. My husband, who grew up here, has fond memories of walking in snow on his way to the first day of school. So by that standard, this is considered quite late for the white stuff to start. :)

Rachel, we had frost for the last couple of weeks as well so it was just a matter time before the right system came our way, magically turning frost into snow.

Well, you know what that means, Joe. You will be seeing a lot of me over at the cafe as I slowly thaw and wait out this little bout of winter. ;)

No snow! No snow! No snow! Sorry, I can't help it.

I'm nearly finished with Book 2. Aomame just read the book. Creepy Little People abound.

>174 jolerie: If it means we see you more over at the cafe, then I'm all for it, Valerie! You can take your time thawing, and hot drinks and hot food abound. :-)

Sorry, Mark! I will *try* to keep that stuff on my thread and away from yours. ;)
I realize that I enjoy snow because I get to watch it from the comforts of my warm home with a cup of warm tea in my hands. Now, if I had to walk through it everyday....well, then my reaction would be the same if not more dramatic than yours. :)

You are the best host Joe! No wonder your cafe is such a hopping place! How you always manage to have an open table for all your guests is beyond me. ;)

Wow, you guys are way ahead of us in the season (I hope). The trees have mostly all turned here and we have plenty of fallen leaves, but hopefully the snowfalls with hold off for a while.

Congrats on the hot review Valerie, I've added my thumb too, well deserved of course!

Ilana, I'm really hoping this is just bit of a tease and that we will get a bit of autumn back before the full brunt of winter hits. I guess the running joke is quite true about Calgary. We really only have 2 seasons, Summer and Winter. One week of Spring and one week of Fall, that's about it!
Thanks for the thumb, my friend! I actually don't have the HOT reviews feature on my homepage anymore so wasn't even aware of that fact. :)

#78 Genesis by Bernard Beckett
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA
Format: TPB
Published: 2006
Setting: Aotearoa, group of islands at the bottom of the world
Pages: 185
Rating: ★★★★½
Notes: science fiction, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, AI, philosophy
Books noted: None

Is the soul more than the hum of its parts?
Douglas Hofstadter, The Mind's I

At some point in the future, The Academy that is responsible for the governing, monitoring, and the policing of the Republic, interviews a brilliant and promising student by the name of Anaximander. She is set apart from her classmates, tutored by the famous Pericles, Anaximander challenges the exam set forth from the Academy. Her area of focus and expertise centralizes around the subject of Adam Forde (2058 - 2077), a man who has been dead for hundreds of years, but what she doesn't prepare for are the moral, theological, and philosophical interrogations that leaves her questioning everything she has ever known.

Genesis may be a short book, coming in at less than two hundred pages, but boy does it pack a punch! It is hard to write a review for this book, without giving away the essence and what ultimately made it such a fantastic read. All I can say is that if you are interested in thought provoking philosophical debates, in banter that encourages you to probe deeper; if you ever wondered what makes us human, what makes us free, what makes us more than the sum of our parts, you absolutely have to read this gem. YA at its best. Highly recommended.

My local library actually has a copy of that one ... sounds good Valerie. What's one more on the to read list and I guess I could do with a short book:)

Couldn't give it a thumb - your review isn't on the work page:(

#168 Snow??

#180 Sounds intriguing :-)

You've intrigued me with that one, too, Valerie. Nice review.

I am so behind... sorry Valerie! Starting from here with apologies :P

Snow! cool.
We have had a lovely few days but are expecting rain all weekend :(
But no snow. Even if Wilbur does ask every second day if its going to snow. Maybe I should send him to your place for a visit! ;)

Aww, thanks Calm! *SMILES* I'm so random about stuff I end up putting on the works page. Sometimes I just end up forgetting! Thanks for the gesture though.
I hope you enjoy it when you read it. It is such a quickie that I figure most people could probably read it one sitting.

Yup, Heather! We have snow already, but most of it should melt away before the weekend..woohoo!

Thanks Joe! That one got me thinking and several times I read the same pages over and over because it was that though provoking.

Kath, you never ever have to apologize. I'm just happy to have you drop by when you can. :)

I'd be happy to host him anytime, Megan. ;) Although, the sprinkling we got isn't really impressive by any stretch. Wait a couple of months and I'll show you the good stuff.
Does your part of Australia get alot/any snow?

SNOW is a four letter word that I don't like seeing. We don't have any right now but there have been many years when we do get snow in October. As a matter of fact, tomorrow will be the anniversary of the October Surprise: in 2006 we got a couple of feet of snow. Since the leaves were still on the trees, many of them came down and brought down power lines with them. Everybody was w/o power some for many, many days. Ugh! Don't care to see that again.

GAH! Snow already?!? Noooooooo!!!

All this talk of winter coming is making me think of G. R. R. Martin... :)

I do hope the snow holds off a bit longer for you. Meanwhile, here in Seattle, the rains are scheduled (actually, they are way overdue!) to return today..... Once they get here, they typically stay for a while.

Bonnie, seems like at least one city a year in Canada gets hit by that those of storms that debilitate the entire city. Keeping our fingers crossed that nothing like that happens this year. Snow, and freezing rain that turns to ice is always a dangerous combo. I'm hoping the weather stays warm for at least a couple of weeks so we can still enjoy some outdoor activities before the cold really makes a permanent presence!

You betcha, Chelle! Although, it's not here for the long term, fingers crossed!

Really now, . You've got me all curious about the association since I haven't read the books or watched the TV shows yet.

Me too, Ellen! We barely got a winter last year so I'm hoping Mother Nature isn't deciding to use this year as a means to makeup lost opportunities. :/ The first real snowfall where there is significant accumulation is always really beautiful, IMO, but the meltdown afterwards, slush and mud, does not quite have the same effect. :)

The grass is green brown again, and the sun is shining and it's Friday, so I'm a happy camper! This weekend will be filled with hanging up some long overdue pictures in the living room and hopefully soon I can show some newly arranged book porn! :)

Hi Valerie,
just want to wish you and your family a lovely weekend. Hope you will have have fun hanging up your pictures and I am looking forward to your personal book porn.

We did have snow up here this week but it's all gone now. Just drizzly and cool now but it is supposed to be 14 tomorrow.

Thanks, Bianca! It will be a lot of my husband doing all the hanging and me just standing there, supervising and letting him know what a wonderful job he is doing. Haha, I'm beginning to notice a trend with our Friday night activities. :)

Same here, Micky! We are supposed to get some decent weather over the weekend which will be nice since I know it's just a matter of time before we are holed up in our houses.

>186 jolerie: haha, my part of Australia is actually New Zealand :)
There are a lot of people who think NZ is part of Australia, so I wont hold it against you. We get snow here in my city about once a winter. Maybe twice, sometimes not at all. This winter just gone we had 2 heavy snow falls with roads, shops and schools closed. It was great!

We have a fire so can keep toasty warm, but the fools who listened to the local heat pump salesmen were cold as air conditioning units dont work too well in extreme heat or cold. How do you heat the house?

"SNOW is a four letter word that I don't like seeing." I love Bonnie!

Hi Valerie! Happy Friday! Just over 300 pages left in the Murakami! Yah! Hope you have a nice weekend.

#168 - We had a dusting ourselves last weekend. I woke up to about 2 inches on my trampoline. Melted pretty fast though.

Hi Valerie - I've read Genesis twice and enjoyed it both times. I see you are planning on reading The inferior, I enjoyed this but it is rather gruesome at times. Anyway, enjoy your weekend.

I heart Saturday.

Sadly, Glimmerglass is the first book of a series. I am trying to decide on that. It was enjoyable, but a three. So I may not follow it....or maybe I will.

Have a happy day today!

Hello Valerie! Genesis sounds interesting. I'll wish list it for next year.

Hope you're enjoying the lovely fall weather with the monkey.

The room was jam packed with spirits today... it was a good day.

Hi Valerie! I hope you're having a lovely weekend! Glad to hear that the snow cleared up...for now. That's something I'm not looking forward to.

Haha, sorry about that Megan! I figured it was just about time that I got places mixed up. I've already messed up names around here, so it's not surprise that I'll get my countries mixed up as well. Your winter sounds like what we had in Vancouver when I was younger. When it did snow, it was definitely an occasion. Now that I've moved across the Rockies to Calgary, people don't bat an eye when it comes to snow. The city carries on and you are expected to show up for work, regardless...haha!

Mark, you should be almost done now after the weekend? Very curious to see what your reaction is to the book and in comparison to his other works.

Hi Jenn. Light dustings are exactly what we've been having. Haven't had our first "real" snowfall yet. Hoping it will be at least after Halloween!

Nice to see you Kerry! I loved, Genesis! You are right, I'm sure that if I read it second time, it would still blow me away and with it being such a small book, it wouldn't take that much time. Hopefully I'll get to The Inferior next month!

Ellen I ♥♥♥ weekends in general and all holidays that the husband gets off work. :D

Kath, I find that most YA books that I read generally fall in between the 3-3.5 range and I'm okay with that because I read it expecting that kind of rating. It's when I read the books and come out of it with a 4 or higher that I'm pleasantly surprised. Sometimes it does feel like you are searching through a lot of mediocre reads to find those few gems, but it's not like the average reads are horrible, just not very original. :)
Oh, did you go to your past life reading already?? I'll have to swing by your thread to find out!

Hi Roberta! I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance to read it! It is definitely better than your average YA read.

Thanks, Micky! It was the perfect fall weather. Cool, but not cold. :)

We had a wonderfully relaxing and quiet weekend, Kerri. I was telling my husband how excited I was for Friday to come again last night, and the sad part was it wasn't even Monday yet... Here we go again as a new week begins! :)

#79 The Strange Case of Finley Jayne/The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA
Format: TPB
Published: 2011
Setting: London, England
Pages: 476
Rating: ★★★★
Notes: fantasy, steampunk, powers, first in series
Books noted: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), The Ideal Husband (Oscar Wilde), Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

She'll never be able to be part of something while she's two halves of a broken whole. Page. 211

Being released from three different jobs in the span of month does not bode well for anyone. In the case of Finley Jayne, it is a symptom of something much deeper, something much more sinister. A girl who has the audacity to beat a man twice her size to a pulp, the strength to throw people across the room, and the ability to heal faster than the average person, all things that make Finley a little prone to causing trouble where ever she goes. The fear and suspicion she instills makes her somewhat of a lone ranger until a chance encounter lands her in the bed of Griffin King, the orphan Duke of Greythorne. Together, with the Duke's friends, they form a ragtag group of not quite normal vigilantes, and it doesn't take long for them to become embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens to shake very foundations of the entire British Empire.

The Girl in the Steel Corset a very approachable and readable steampunk book. Although, I have to say there was probably more romance than there was steampunk, other than your token steam engine and robots gone wild. Finley Jayne as a heroine was very reminiscent of Kristin Cashore's, Katsa. If you are a fan of Seven Kingdom's series, this would be a worthwhile series to pursue, although be warned, their interpretations of fantasy are very different in form. You have a snarky, lethal heroine, not one, but two love triangles, and an interesting twist to late 19th century London society, all of which makes for a combination that is hard to put down. Recommended.

>207 jolerie: Well that just looks delectable and fitting for my current reading mood. *puts it on hold*

Just stopping by to say hello, Valerie! I'm too far behind to do more than skim. . .

I know how I managed to get so far behind on your thread, Valerie. mea culpa, mea culpa .... but i'm starting afresh! ;-)

Micky, I going to bet that you will like this one. :)

Hi Terri! Great to see you. Skimming is always welcome on my thread!

Hey, Caro! You and your jet setting ways would probably be a valid reason for being behind. The fact that you work, read, keep up your own thread and still have time to comment on other people's thread is amazing already! Glad to have you when you have the chance to drop by.

Valerie- Thanks for your vote! LOL. 45 pages left in 1Q84. Things are really beginning to come together.

Valerie - I think I can't come and visit your thread anymore. Another good review on a book which sounds very interesting and which obviously has to go on my wishlist. My TBR pile and my wishlist are getting longer and longer.
I hope you had a great weekend and I am looking forward to the pictures of your personal book porn *large grin*

Hi, Valerie; I have to confess I've been avoiding reading your thread, because with all the catching up to do, I started with the smallest threads first. Of course, the largest threads are the fastest moving, and yours has just been flying.

>88 jolerie:: Ah the photo 'grimace'. You've got a cute one, anyway. My 8 year old has been going through that phase for the past year or so. He has that kind of petrified grin that I remember wearing when having to pose for the camera at a similar age. Not that I'm much better now - we had to take pictures a couple of weeks ago for the play bill, and I think I tried on 3 different days. It came out alright, finally, but I hate looking at pictures of me.

(Took years to get a decent photo of my husband with his eyes open and his mouth shut, for some reason - irrelevant aside.)

On Friday, when my husband flew into Sydney for my opening night, the weather was windy and very wet. The temperature dropped enough that there was significant snowfall not far from here - though by the time we drove back after lunch, the skies were bright blue. Today, the temperature hit 31 (degrees C) with 18 predicted for Thursday. We're supposed to be in spring!

(PS : I'm Nina, drachenbraut is Bianca) ;)

I am following Caro's example Valerie - computer glitches have done for me in the last few days and I have hardly been able to use the machine and work is too hectic to allow me to indulge myself. Nevertheless I am starting afresh and will catch up as soon as I am able!

Just one more day, Mark! How exciting. Looking forward to your final thoughts and I think you will be like me that even though it was a good book, you'll be glad to finally be able to move onto other books. :)

Bianca. Please stay. I'll try to read some crap for you to balance it out. No guarantees though! ;)

Nina, where did I mess up the names?? I distinctly remember I made a mix-up earlier in the threads between you and Bianca, but I caught it a couple of hours later and changed it? I was telling Megan that I am horrible with names so LT is a serious challenge for me especially since there is not usually a face to attach with the name. My apologies!!
Thanks for taking the time to catch up on my thread. I know what you mean about the fast moving threads...although I don't think mine is of the warp speed variety.
I used to like taking pictures, but since the baby as been born, it has been all about him. It is going to be funny when we look back albums and whole chunk of my life will thus be missing..haha!

Hi Paul! Sorry to hear about your computer woes! Hopefully things get sorted out with the computer and work isn't as hectic so you can get back into the thick of things.

#80 House by Frank Peretti/Ted Dekker
Source: OTS
Genre: Fiction
Format: TPB
Published: 2006
Setting: Alabama, United States
Pages: 372
Rating: ★★★½
Notes: Christian, horror, hauntings, murder
Books noted: none

The light came into the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it.

There is nothing more scary then getting lost in the wild backwoods of Alabama where the law is just a piece of paper and nothing more, except perhaps finding yourself trapped in a house that seems to have a mind of its own. With a psychotic serial murderer on the loose, two couples that have more problems than they care to deal with, and a deadline that looms just on the horizon, friends become strangers, and strangers become your ally in a sick and deadly game of last man standing.
One game.
Seven players.
Three rules.
Game ends at dawn.

Ted Dekker is still considered one of my all time favourite writers of thriller and suspense fiction. Although House will not be on the top of any of my list, Dekker has proven himself many times over that I'm willing to let the occasional weaker book slide. The premise of the story was creepy enough and perfect for an October read, but half way through the back, the scary factor lost its edge and the biblical message of good versus evil was a tad overdone. I'm usually quite captivated by Dekker's characters, people who tug on my heart and I want to root for, but sadly, the personalities in this story fell rather flat for me. Their lives were hanging in the balance, but by the end of the book, I don't think I cared either which way whether they made it through the night or not. A creepy enough book fill with paranormal episodes, but the overall experience left something to be desired. Give Dekker a chance if you haven't heard of him, but don't let this be your first taste.

As promised, some personal book porn after I did an overhaul of all my books and reorganized them so they are in alphabetical order!


This is our main living room space. The two bookcases house my books from K to T. Also my wonderful husband spent last weekend putting up the picture arrangement in the centre. It only took us 5 years to put that up! :/


Closer picture of the arrangement. So proud that we finally have something up on our walls!


Bookcases in our upstairs bonus room. Books A to K


Downstairs bookcases for books T to Z. Notice all the extra shelf space I have no to fill with new books?? That is probably the best part of the whole reorganizational process.

All credits go to a great husband who put in the hours of manual labour so I can see my dream come true. :D

Very nice bookshelves and pictures! I especially like that you have all that space to fill in (eventually). Room to grow is wonderful!

Karen O.

Genesis is on the tbr list since 2009. After your excellent review, I need to get a hold of a copy and read this one. How I envy your book cases! I'm sure it was a lot of work to get your books organized, but the end result is well worth it.

Why is my eye immediately drawn to those empty shelves? Because I don't have any!! I'm so jealous of you Valerie. I covet your empty shelves!

Love those bookshelves! Now, are these TBR books or keeper books or both?

Thanks Karen! Yes, room to grow. That makes me ever so happy, but my worries my husband. He is placing bets on how long those "empty" shelves will remain so. He figures by the end of the year, I will probably need some new bookcases...haha!

Linda, I hope you get your hands on a copy soon and enjoy the book as much as I did. It definitely is so worth the effort, especially since I was able to audit my ongoing spreadsheet and was able to find several books that in my excitement to get them on the shelves, I hadn't even entered them into my excel sheets. My total number of books increased at least by a dozen after I was done. :)

Brenda, my eyes are drawn to those empty shelves as well. Think of all the books that will one day fill them! It is just a matter of time. It was crazy to think that by stacking some of my mmp horizontally instead of vertically, I was able to maximize the shelf space, which in the end gave me so much more room than I originally thought I had.

Mark, I'm ashamed to admit that I've only read about 35% of the books on my shelves, although that embarrassing stat does nothing in terms of slowing down my buying rate. So I guess it's a combination of keeper and TBR books (more TBR than keepers). I tried to do one purge of books to trade in the bookstore, and of the over 800 books, I only managed to part ways with 4!! Ridiculous. Eventually I'll have to do a more critical sweep and really take some of the books that I have no intention of reading and send them on their merry way. As of right now, my hoarding ways are too much of a fixed addiction. I need help.

Love the book porn, but a suggestion from an experienced book hoarder. Go back to those first two book cases and move 2 books from the first shelf onto the second, and then 4 books from the second on to the third, and so on, so that you have room to put new books in without having to reorganize all the cases every time!

That's a great suggestion Roni, but I'm so OCD about how my books are placed on the shelves that having gaps in them would annoy me to no end..haha!
What I've decided is that ALL new books from here on out will just be placed on the empty shelves I have in the basement, and then every couple of years, I'll do another reorganization and fit them into their alphabetical order. For now, I'm content to have MOST of my books in order and the new ones in whatever order I buy them. I have no intention of reorganizing everytime I buy new books. That is more dedication and time than I realistically have to spend! :)

Your bookshelves look great, Valerie. I find the A-K section very pleasingly laid out.
And that room to grow..... I wonder how long it will take you to fill up those empty shelves!! :-D

Ooooh, looking at other people's bookshelves is so exciting! And I picture frames look amazing! And yay for empty (for now) book shelves!

Empty spaces in book shelves is tempting... http://www.amazon.com

I felt the same way about House. It certainly wasn't one of my favorites. And the message was way overdone. At the time, I wondered if that was Frank Peretti's influence, because Dekker's books are generally more subtle than that. I've only read a couple of Peretti books, but they were both like that.

Thanks, Ellen! My husband doesn't hold out much hope that those shelves will remain empty for that long. He is probably right. Empty shelve are such a shame. :)

Hi Amber! I agree with you. I don't think I could ever get bored with looking at shelves filled with books. One of the simpler pleasures in life. Haha, I'm just happy my walls aren't so naked anymore. Now, just gotta think of what to do with the wall in the kitchen which is even bigger!

Haha, Kath! Are you telling me to fill up my empty shelves with e-books??

I was wondering the same thing, Rachel. I've read so many of Dekker books and with the exception of the Circle series, I never felt that he was heavy handed with his Christian message. It was all done very tastefully and subtly. House just didn't seem like a typical Dekker that I'm used to. The only other Peretti book that I read was Monster, but I in terms of thrillers, I've got to say I much prefer Dekker's style over Peretti's.

Oooh, lovely book porn, Valerie. :D

Hi Valerie - I love the pictures of your bookcases and the picture arrangement you made. Bookshelves with space on? Haven't seen any of those around our flat for a while.

"It only took us 5 years to put that up! :/" This makes me feel so much better! We've had pictures we've been meaning to hang for just over three years now. At this rate we might move somewhere else before we get round to hanging them up...

Bookshelves are awesome but your photo arrangement is absolutely beautiful Valerie.

Well, that wasn't the idea.... I thought that was just the maine Ammy page?
But it will save space!

Thanks, Micky! Book porn is indeed always lovely. :)

Heather, they were sorely missing from my house for the longest time as well. I was shoving books into any space I could find, so it comes as a relief to be able to some sort of organization to them.
As for the pictures, you definitely have lots of hope. I was thinking we would NEVER have pictures on the wall until we moved again as well...

Thanks, Roberta! I am more than happy to get both those things off my chest!

Haha, Kath! The Ammy homepage makes a lot of sense. In actuality, I don't think I've bought a single book from Amazon. My weapon of choice has been bookdepository.com of late. I was like, is she telling me to fill my bookcase with e-books or e-readers?? ;)

Hi Valerie- I keep my TBR books and keeper books separated. I've seen some nasty fist-fights. Usually jealousy and envy are the culprits. I like your idea about culling the TBR shelves but I'll have to be in the right mood for that mission. Talk about guilt-ridden?
It would be interesting to see how many books you have, that you have no idea where they came from and why.

Love the book porn :)

Oh oh oh, lovely shelving! And such neatly arranged books too (for now- he he he). You are right about the extra space, it really is a great incentive to fill-em-up!!!

I LOVE the book porn. However, I love the photo arrangement on the wall even more.
*Gulp* you made the effort in sorting them in alphabetical order? Well done. My books are always sorted in categories, and then the same authors (obviously) go together. And, and you have even got some extra space *sigh*.

Took me a few days to wipe the droul from my lips. Your bookshelves have that effect on me!
What a great guy you have to assist in arranging your most beloved possessions, besides him and monkey.
You and Mark have tempted me to seek out time for 1Q84.

About a year ago, I got a new small bookshelf (IKEA) for my corner of the bedroom. P laughs because the shelves are already full to overflowing and there are two stacks sitting in front of them.....
Probably the spouse/partners of LTers could create their own support group. :-)

Bookshelves nicely organised Valerie - I have just finished organising the unfinished fiction on one of my shelves which I double stack and the first bookcase gets me up to AA-HE only. I somehow have almost 600 books crammed into the one bookcase!
Second bookcase being done today and tomorrow and I calculate I might get to R. S-Z? Well I'm not sure where that will be going at the minute.
Have a lovely weekend.

Thanks for dropping by everyone! I will have to come back later to respond to everyone's comments individually. Today is shaping up to be a busy, busy today. A minor detail to attend to - the end of a decade for me! The BIG 3-0??? I can't believe I'm officially out of my 20s - it's a happy day, but also a sad one. Happy because I don't FEEL 30, but sad, because I am actually 30...haha! :)

Not bought from Amazon?!?!?!

I feel faint.

Happy Birthday Valerie. Thirty is still young:) I guess those 0 ending years always feel like a big step though:)

I can also say that I have never bought anything from Amazon either:)

Happy Birthday Valerie - I remember my 30th too, my first after my marriage and I had no kids then. In the 15 years since I have added 3 kids and thirce 15 pounds!

Hey Valerie,

I wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY and as calm said 30 is still young. Still a baby yourself.

Awww...that is super cute Mark and thank you!
I have a tonne of guilt since all my TBR books are probably going to be keeper books unless I absolutely hate it. I can't seem to part with anyone and with limited space, boy am I in trouble. :)

I think that is the one thing we can all safely say we having in common, Chelle, and that is our love for book porn.

He, he, he, is right, Megan! Already with this past week, it looks like one shelf of the empty bookcase will probably be filled...uh oh!

Thanks, Bianca. I guess I should say I'm 30 years YOUNG and not OLD. :)
I thought it was going to be really hard to alphabetize all the books, but the hardest part was actually just pulling all the books off the shelves. It also didn't hurt that my hubby was right beside me helping as well!

*Passes the tissue* to Lynda. :)
Drool is always acceptable and highly encouraged when it comes to book porn. If and when you should decide to devote some time to the monster, I do hope you enjoy it as much as Mark and I did!

Ellen, I bought 2 extra IKEA bookcases with the thought that it probably wouldn't have been enough shelf space for all my books that I've accumulated, but surprise, surprise, the reorganization ended up giving me one whole bookcase free to fill up with more books! :)

Thanks Paul! I'm really hoping, fingers crossed, that I don't gain an extra 15 pounds with each kid. Standing at only 5 feet 1 and 3/4 inches, even a couple of extra pounds has absolutely nowhere to go!
Wow, 600 books in one bookcase is extremely impressive. Your one bookcase is more than half my entire book collection. Oh wait, didn't you buy more than 50 books in one purchase?? ;)

Yup, Kath! I haven't bought a single thing from Amazon..... My husband has bought stuff from EBay though!

Thanks, Calm. I stopped counting after I turned 23. I will only say 30 when it comes to legal documents. ;)

#81 Abandon by Meg Cabot
Source: Public Library
Genre: YA
Format: TPB
Published: 2011
Setting: South Florida, United States
Pages: 304
Rating: ★★★¾
Notes: Greek Mythology, death, afterlife, first in series
Books noted: Inferno (Dante)

Through me the way is to the city of woe;
Through me the way is to eternal pain;
Through me the way among the people lost.
Inferno Canto III

Life in the afterlife was not what she had expected. There was no bright light, no tunnel. What there was an unexpected romance with the keeper of the gates of hell. Pierce wasn't ready to accept that life was over. Coming back to life was just the beginning of a endless struggle to start over, to forget the past, and yet her death experience continues to haunt her.

An imaginative and dark twist on the Greek myth of Hades and his abduction of Persephone, Abandon was an enjoyable read and I will most likely keep an eye out for other books in the series. An above average YA read that met my minimum criteria of having non-irritating characters, cheesiness, but not enough to engage the gag reflex, and writing that doesn't make you question if it indeed was a first draft. This was my first Cabot and certainly not my last.

Happy 30th! Ah, I remember 30, I had such a fun social life.....now that Im 37 I have family life, and dinners in! Different but still fun :)
Hope you had a great day and that its not too shocking being in the the 30s now!

Happy Birthday!

I have a good friend from school who, after a certain age, used to get traumatised about her age on her birthday - so that gave me about 6 months to get used to the fact that I was getting older, too (she being just a bit older than me). Now I'm married, my husband is a few years older than me, so that's even more of a buffer.

30 is a good age. I wouldn't mind being 30 again!

Happy belated birthday, Valerie! My thirties have been my best years....and I only have a few months left of them. Eek! Yay on the book shelves organization project!

Happy Happy Birthday, Valerie!! I hope it was the best one yet!

Happy Belated Birthday, Valerie! Thirty was a great year for me, too, getting into the swing of wedded life with my much better half. It's a big one - out of your 20s and into adulthood?

Happy 30th, Valerie. You are entering a wonderful decade. Enjoy. :-)

Belated happy birthday, Valerie. Hope you had a fantabulous day!

It's snowing up here today. Knowing your dislike for it, I hope your weekend is free of the white stuff. :)

I'm late, I'm late ... but I'm still rushing in to wish you a happy belated birthday, Valerie!

What's the monkey want to wear for Halloween?

Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes!! I agree with everyone that 30 is feeling absolutely fabulous! I feel very blessed with a loving and wonderful husband, a healthy and happy little guy, and great friends, LT included! I look forward to rocking the next decade and beyond out!! :D

Hah, Caro, maybe I should dress the monkey as a, you guess it, a monkey..haha!