macart3's reading for 2010

Talk75 Books Challenge for 2010

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macart3's reading for 2010

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1macart3
Edited: Jan 22, 2010, 6:18 pm

1. Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo.
2. Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle.
3. Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle.
4. Girl Overboard by Justina Headley.

2fantasia655
Jan 14, 2010, 5:13 pm

Welcome and good luck with your challenge this year! :)

3drneutron
Jan 14, 2010, 8:08 pm

Welcome back!

4alcottacre
Jan 15, 2010, 2:02 am

Glad to see you back again!

5macart3
Jan 17, 2010, 4:18 pm

Thank you! It's great to be back. Guess what?! I'm in Boston right now attending the American Library Association and I met Tim Spalding!!!! It was so cool! I think I fangirled him a bit!

5. Fallen by Lauren Kate.

6drneutron
Jan 17, 2010, 7:25 pm

Yeah, I saw a couple of pics from the ALA event. If you've got any more, I'd love to see 'em!

7macart3
Jan 22, 2010, 8:32 pm

6. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

#6 Unfortunately, my camera was not working so I couldn't take any pictures. :(

8macart3
Jan 23, 2010, 3:41 pm

7. Stealing Athena by Karen Essex.

9alcottacre
Edited: Jan 24, 2010, 1:58 am

#8: How did you like that one?

10macart3
Jan 24, 2010, 4:26 pm

#9 It was okay. I think the author relied more on describing the story rather than tell it. Like when Lord Elgin was courting Mary Nisbet, the author told described their feelings, i.e. Mary felt x, y, z, and c when Lord Elgin kissed her hand and not the emotions that overtook her. Also, there was a whirlwind courtship later on in the book and it took me by surprised when it happened. Great potential but it kind of fell flat. Though I would highly recommend that you look for a different author's rendition of the Elgin Marbles because it's a fascinating story.

8. The Silver Rose by Susan Carroll.
9. America (the book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart.
10. Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater.

11alcottacre
Jan 25, 2010, 1:11 am

#10: Thanks for the input. I think I will give Stealing Athena a miss.

12macart3
Jan 30, 2010, 2:21 pm

Glad to be of service. :)

11. No Angel by Penny Vincenzi.

13macart3
Feb 2, 2010, 1:07 pm

12. Empress of the World by Sara Ryan.

14macart3
Feb 11, 2010, 8:57 am

14. In the Woods by Tana French.

15macart3
Feb 27, 2010, 4:01 pm

15. Menage by Emma Holly. Great male objectification novel.

16alcottacre
Edited: Feb 28, 2010, 12:34 am

#15: Great male objectification novel

I have no idea what that means, but I suspect that it is not a book for me. Glad you enjoyed it though.

17macart3
Mar 3, 2010, 5:38 pm

#16 Objectification is when the viewer looks at you and evaluates you, whether with words in novel or screen time in a film. Usually it's women who are assessed because the majority of the films, novels, etc. are made by men and are assuming, however unconsciously, that the viewers will be male as well. A lot of women do this too as well, having been brought up in a male-centered society.

Some time ago I saw a fantastic example of this in an early 20th century cartoon: in the scene an older man is to the right side looking at, evaluating at a what appears to be valuable object. On the left side is a woman sitting in a wing-backed chair looking coyly at her admirer while the young man looks at, evaluates her. The caption above the cartoon says, "To each his own". Each man evaluates his object.

I took film theory class where we were shown movies where female directors do the reverse: the camera looks at the male instead of the female, thus objectifying *him* and not *her*. In Menage, Emma Holly has the female character evaluate the men, something I thought unusual since most of the novels evaluate the female characters than the male and have noted it in the short blurb in message #15.

18sibylline
Mar 3, 2010, 7:11 pm

I try to read a new thread on 75 every day -- and yours was such a pleasure to find! Your profile page also, so thoughtful, funny and full of interesting observations and ideas! We have similar reading tastes -- I like almost anything as long as it isn't trashy - though I do avoid horror as I actually get seriously creeped out. I want to look into Melissa Marr..... she sounds like fun.

19alcottacre
Mar 4, 2010, 4:30 am

#17: Thank you for the explanation. I am not sure I have ever heard the term before, although I am certainly aware of the reality of it.

20macart3
Mar 8, 2010, 6:15 pm

Some fantastic rereads:

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libbra Bray.
Nightlight: a parody by the Harvard Lampoon.

21macart3
Mar 11, 2010, 10:38 pm

16. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. An extremely well-written book of Evelyn Spooner, a sixteen-year-old girl growing up in 1947 America, is finding her place in the world of adults, deceit, and herself. Fantastic characterization.

22alcottacre
Mar 12, 2010, 12:49 am

#21: I already have that one in the BlackHole. If whoever has it overdue from the library ever returns it, I may actually have a chance to read it.

23macart3
Edited: Mar 13, 2010, 11:19 am

#22 How long has it been overdue?

17. Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle by Beverly Bartlett. A great monologue narrated by an intimate, but mysterious person connected to Princess Isabella of Bisbania detailing the travails of her rise to princess-ship in the tiny city-country. Has all the juicy twists and turns of a soap opera plot, or real life royalty.

24alcottacre
Mar 13, 2010, 11:30 pm

#23: There is no way for me to tell. I checked on an overdue book a couple of weeks ago and was told by the librarian it had been overdue for 6 years. I asked her when they actually considered it missing!

25macart3
Mar 23, 2010, 8:03 pm

18. The Erotic Silence of the American Wife by Dalma Heyn.
Fascinating insight on how women, even into the 1990s, unconsciously aspire to be the wife Donna Reed was and puritanical concept American women, modern American women have on marriage and sex.

19. City of Glory by Beverly Swerling.

26macart3
Mar 28, 2010, 11:21 am

20. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

27macart3
Apr 4, 2010, 9:29 pm

21. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig. In this installment of the Secret History of the Pink Carnation series, Ms. Willig shows her maturity in writing the complex characters of Penelope Staines, nee Deveraux, and Captain Reid in British India. Has romance a-plenty, but involves more of the historical aspect that the series had begun to lose in the previous two or so books.

28macart3
Apr 6, 2010, 1:11 pm

22. Soulless by Gail Carriger.

29RosyLibrarian
Apr 6, 2010, 1:33 pm

28. What did you think of Soulless? I started to read it last week and found that I couldn't get past the first few chapters. I usually like steampunk-y books, but the whole vampire and soulless thing was a little strange. Should I press on? :)

30macart3
Apr 8, 2010, 6:24 pm

#29 I didn't find it particularly odd, and that just may be because I'm into the whole fantasy/supernatural genre. Have you seen the movie "Underworld" with Kate Beckinsale? The whole vampire/werewolf animosity in the book reminded me of this movie, although in the book it's not as intense-there's some civility between the two. I thought the book was bit of a Victorian mystery novel with a Frankenstein twist and a lot of dry humor thrown in. I enjoyed it, but I'm not going to rush out it buy the next book in the trilogy; I'm getting it through Interlibrary Loan. I give it a middling review.

31macart3
Apr 8, 2010, 6:25 pm

23. Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland.

32alcottacre
Apr 9, 2010, 12:49 am

#31: I have seen several good reviews of that one. Did you enjoy it?

33RosyLibrarian
Edited: Apr 9, 2010, 2:18 pm

30: You know, I have not seen that movie but know enough about it to understand what you mean. I have several friends who really enjoyed Soulless and perhaps I was just not in the right mood at the time. I think I'll give it another go the next time I head down to the library. Thanks for your review!

34macart3
Apr 10, 2010, 6:47 pm

#32 Hard to say. I like how the author plays out the themes of perception, appearance, and deception. I think s/he did a good job on it. However, the main character, Pekkla, is suppose to be the legend, some one to hold in awe as per what the other characters said about him, but I didn't sense the awe. And when Pekkla got answers, the questionees gave it to him in large chunks after a minimal pretense of stubborness, he didn't have to tease the answers out from the other characters. This is something I found highly suspicious since the time they're in is in Soviet Russia, a time where no one trusted any one else. The author did grab me enough that I may read the second one. I'll just get it through interlibrary loan or the ARC, if I win it.

35macart3
Apr 10, 2010, 6:48 pm

24. Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
25. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. (I wish I had never read this book).

36alcottacre
Apr 11, 2010, 1:13 am

Sorry you did not like Hush, Hush. I hope your next read is better for you.

Congratulations on making it 1/3 of the way through the challenge.

37macart3
Apr 17, 2010, 11:42 am

26. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant.
27. Fire by Kristin Cashore.

38macart3
Apr 18, 2010, 11:18 am

28. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Eh, it was okay. Minimal dialogue and lots of narrative. Don't think it deserved all that praise.

39alcottacre
Apr 18, 2010, 11:23 am

#38: I did not think it deserved all that praise either and nothing was going to induce me to read the follow up.

40macart3
Apr 18, 2010, 2:21 pm

#39 Hehehe. I found that if I skimmed the pages I could figure out what the main gist of the situation without getting bogged down in the details. I "read" eight hundred pages in four hours. If I were his editor for Pillars of the Earth, I'd be brutal: go through several boxes of red pens, licorice bitter comments, no restraints. If you're going to devote so many years of your life to writing a book of this magnitude, do it right. Although, it's not as bad as Hush, hush (that woman owes me fours of my life back. If you want to see why I hate the book so much, I wrote a review of it in my account and am thinking about expanding it), but I've read Jackdaws and that was better.

41alcottacre
Apr 19, 2010, 12:45 am

#40: I will have to give Jackdaws a try. I am a WWII buff, so it looks right up my alley. Thanks for the mention.

42macart3
Apr 22, 2010, 6:41 pm

29. Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr.

43macart3
Apr 25, 2010, 5:22 pm

30. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams.

44macart3
Apr 25, 2010, 5:23 pm

31. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George.

45alcottacre
Apr 26, 2010, 1:23 am

#44: How was that one? I read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by George and enjoyed it very much.

46macart3
Edited: Apr 27, 2010, 9:40 am

#45 Ohhhh, it was soooo cute and Germanic small town-like. In it, the sisters actually have intelligence and are not portrayed as vapid females who enjoy dancing. And the common boy has character as well: a soldier come back form the 12-years' war and becomes an under-gardener who knits. I highly recommend the book.

47alcottacre
Apr 27, 2010, 10:13 am

#46: I will have to look for it then! Thanks.

48macart3
May 1, 2010, 9:05 am

32. The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint.

49drneutron
May 1, 2010, 8:04 pm

I need to get back to de Lint one of these days...

50macart3
May 2, 2010, 8:27 pm

#49 I was not too thrilled with The Blue Girl. It was kind of amateurish writing and not exciting.

51sibylline
May 4, 2010, 3:58 pm

That's really a YA sort of Lint -- my daughter read it at 13 and was thrilled, I found it lesser...... she tried one of the more 'adult' ones and got bored.....

52macart3
May 7, 2010, 11:37 am

33. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.

53macart3
May 10, 2010, 8:27 pm

34. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier.

54macart3
May 12, 2010, 4:52 pm

35. Meridian by Amber Kizer.

55macart3
May 23, 2010, 3:33 pm

36. The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean.
37. John Dies at the End by David Wong. A very good, very odd book with some outrageous situations that made me continue reading it. Not too much plotwise, but it was so good I kept reading and didn't care if it had a plot or not.

56alcottacre
May 24, 2010, 1:07 am

Congratulations on reaching the halfway point of the challenge!

57macart3
May 26, 2010, 7:41 pm

Thank you!

58macart3
Jun 2, 2010, 8:00 pm

38. Horns by Joe Hill. I picked up the book because the premise was intriguing: Ignatious Perrish, guy with strong Christian morals, brought up in a weathly home, but modest grows horns year after the town pins the rape and death of Merrin Williams on him. These horns can make people react negatively or say negative things. You can tell the story and writing are good, but I just didn't click with the novel.

FYI, Ignatious means "ardent"; Perrish as in "perish/destroy" or "parish".

59alcottacre
Jun 3, 2010, 3:37 am

#58: Not my cup of tea at all, so I will give that one a pass. I hope you enjoy your next read more.

60macart3
Jun 6, 2010, 7:08 pm

39. Spiced by Dalia Jurgensen. What goes behind restaurants: rampant sexism, belittling of co-workers, hazing, and intricate pecking orders all written poorly.

61alcottacre
Jun 6, 2010, 7:15 pm

#60: Sounds like one to skip!

62RosyLibrarian
Jun 6, 2010, 10:23 pm

A book along the same lines, but well written by a New York waiter is Waiter Rant. He kept a blog for years that I enjoyed reading and found success in writing a book from his experiences.

63dk_phoenix
Jun 7, 2010, 8:55 am

I read Waiter Rant recently and really, really enjoyed it. I recommend it as well! And his blog is worth checking out.

64macart3
Jun 11, 2010, 3:14 pm

40. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Eh, it was okay.

65macart3
Jun 11, 2010, 8:10 pm

41. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. Oh how I love, thee, Jane Austen Fluff. Goes nicely with ice cream. :)

66macart3
Jun 13, 2010, 2:04 pm

42. Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy. It was okay.

67macart3
Edited: Jun 22, 2010, 8:49 am

43. Lavinia by Ursula LeGuin.
44. Twins by Marcy Dermansky.
45. The Archivist's Story by Travis Holland.

68alcottacre
Jun 22, 2010, 12:09 pm

#67: How was The Archivist's Story?

69macart3
Jul 5, 2010, 1:58 pm

#68 Very good. It's about a former literature professor in Soviet Russia destroying manuscripts of other writers during WW2 and the political and personal intrigue of Soviet Russia.

70Eat_Read_Knit
Jul 5, 2010, 3:18 pm

I read The archivist's Story last year and liked it a lot. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it too.

71alcottacre
Jul 6, 2010, 1:09 am

#69: Thanks for the input!

72macart3
Jul 6, 2010, 7:10 pm

46. In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami.

73macart3
Jul 12, 2010, 7:45 pm

47. The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris by Leila Marouane.
48. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.

74RosyLibrarian
Jul 12, 2010, 8:40 pm

How did you like Devil in the White City? I loved it when I read it.

I'm also curious about book #47. What a title! What's that one about?

75macart3
Jul 13, 2010, 9:53 pm

#74 I was a little disappointed with Devil in the White City. I can't exactly put my finger on why. Larson said he followed the style of Capote's In Cold Blood and one of the salient features I remember from reading it was that Capote was meticulous in his level of detail. I'm sure Larson was, but I found Capote's work to be better. Larson's book didn't get me involved or in the mindset of the atmosphere at the time.

The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris is about the sexual mores of Islamists in Paris, the culture and belief of Islamists in Paris, the tensions they face from their adopted culture and mother culture. And it centers on this 40-year-old Islamist banker living in Paris trying to get a place of his own. It is a book that engrossed me from the start: I loved how it's told, the rhythm of the story, the discussion of Islam without being dogmatic. I recommend it. Penguin owns the publishing house, Europa, which is dedicated in making quality translations of foreign works, and this is the second book I've read from them (the first being The Elegance of the Hedgehog, also very good) and I have not been disappointed by them. This is a division I'm going to follow in what is published.

76RosyLibrarian
Jul 14, 2010, 1:49 pm

Sorry to hear about Devil in the White City. I haven't yet read Capote so I don't have the experience to pull from, but I get what you mean.

Your second book does sound interesting though! I took a class on Islam last year and have been diving into more Islamic related reading ever since. This one might have to go on the wishlist as well as Muriel Barbery's books. Thank you for the recommendation!

77macart3
Edited: Jul 25, 2010, 11:04 am

49. This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James.

78alcottacre
Jul 24, 2010, 7:25 am

Almost at 50! Good going.

79macart3
Jul 25, 2010, 11:05 am

50. Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas.

80alcottacre
Jul 25, 2010, 11:07 pm

Congratulations on making it to 50 books for the year!

81macart3
Jul 31, 2010, 2:00 pm

On hiatus until further notice.

82alcottacre
Aug 1, 2010, 1:00 am

Come back soon! I hope everything is OK.

83macart3
Aug 9, 2010, 5:37 pm

51. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (e-book).
52. American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

There may be more posts, added books, etc. but they're going to probably be more sporadic due to a possible decrease in interest in general from a death in the family.

84alcottacre
Aug 9, 2010, 9:14 pm

Sorry to hear about the death in your family. My sympathies.

85macart3
Aug 12, 2010, 6:04 pm

Thank you. I appreciate it.

86RosyLibrarian
Aug 19, 2010, 12:54 pm

Sorry to hear about a death in the family. My grandmother passed away last week and it is hard to jump back into one's interests. All the best.

87macart3
Aug 20, 2010, 11:55 pm

Thanks. I'm sorry about your grandmother passing away.

89macart3
Oct 1, 2010, 9:24 pm

56. The Secondary Colors by Alexander Theroux.

90macart3
Oct 5, 2010, 10:07 pm

57. Confessions: Shameful Secrets of Everyday People by Nicotext.
58. The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi.
59. It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas.
60. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.

91RosyLibrarian
Oct 5, 2010, 11:30 pm

How did you like Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie? It looks like it got good reviews.

92macart3
Oct 7, 2010, 10:26 am

#91 I didn't really like it because...well, I thought the narrator was very hyper and fidgety and it just wasn't my cup of tea. Also, an event in the book reminded me of something not good and I wasn't ready for that.

61. Torment by Lauren Kate. Hooray for Lucinda getting some gumption!

93dk_phoenix
Oct 7, 2010, 8:14 pm

Lucinda gets a little more backbone, you say? Hmm... I admit I'm still undecided on whether I want to continue the series.

94macart3
Oct 8, 2010, 9:32 pm

#93 Yes, she does. It's kind of touch and go, like she's trying how to assert herself and what works and doesn't, but I'm glad about the ending.

95macart3
Oct 10, 2010, 1:22 pm

62. A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James.

96macart3
Oct 16, 2010, 11:32 am

63. Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas.

97alcottacre
Oct 16, 2010, 11:26 pm

#96: I do not think I have read any of that series. I will have to look for them. Thanks for the mention.

98macart3
Oct 19, 2010, 8:02 pm

#97 I kind of like her Wallflower series (I'm assuming that you're commenting on Lisa Kleypas's books). And this is from someone who really hesitates on reading romance books. And admitting it too.

99macart3
Edited: Mar 22, 2011, 2:40 pm

64. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. Audiobook.
65. Living with the Dead BY kelley Armstrong. Audiobook.
66. Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong. Audiobook.

100alcottacre
Oct 20, 2010, 4:00 am

#98: Yes, I was talking about the Lisa Kleypas series.

101macart3
Oct 20, 2010, 4:41 pm

67. The Huntress by Susan Carroll.

102macart3
Oct 31, 2010, 3:30 pm

68. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler. Excellent book about an anexoric girl becoming the Famine horseman.

103macart3
Oct 31, 2010, 4:00 pm

69. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston.

104alcottacre
Nov 1, 2010, 12:16 am

#102: That one sounds interesting. I will have to look for it. Thanks for the recommendation!

105macart3
Nov 2, 2010, 5:35 pm

# 104 It really is awesome. It's the second book I've read this year where I'm thinking: "Why do I have to eat/go to work/shower/sleep, etc.?" It's really engrossing. It's less than 200 pgs. and the plotline could have been a bit more developed, but I still love it. Her next book, "Rage", is coming out in April 2011 and I cannot wait. My only hope is that what I figured out beforehand in Hunger won't repeat in "Rage".

106macart3
Nov 2, 2010, 5:37 pm

70. Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas.

107macart3
Edited: Dec 4, 2010, 3:27 pm

This message has been deleted by its author.

108alcottacre
Nov 2, 2010, 10:10 pm

#105: If it is a series, I may wait until book 2 is out.

109macart3
Nov 3, 2010, 6:09 pm

#106 Oh, she's doing all Four Horsemen, and there's no way I'm waiting until she's done writing book four to read them.

110alcottacre
Nov 4, 2010, 12:10 am

#109: Ah, OK. Thanks for the heads up.

111macart3
Nov 6, 2010, 6:01 pm

71. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork.

112macart3
Nov 7, 2010, 8:09 pm

72. It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn.

113alcottacre
Nov 8, 2010, 1:22 am

#112: I love the Bridgerton series!

114macart3
Nov 9, 2010, 1:57 pm

#113 It's pretty good, though, I did read the penultimate book in the series first. Ah, well. :)

115macart3
Nov 10, 2010, 3:56 pm

73. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Disliked it.

116macart3
Nov 12, 2010, 4:09 pm

74. Miss or Mrs.? by Wilkie Collins.

117alcottacre
Nov 12, 2010, 11:03 pm

I hope you have a dandy picked out for 75!

118macart3
Nov 15, 2010, 4:05 pm

#117 Wow, I didn't even realized that I was that close. Hmm, so do I want to finish The Thirteenth Tale, Villette, or...wait. I read The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales by Boris Vasilʹevich Zvorykin for my 75th book this past Sunday. It was cute and good.

119nancyewhite
Nov 15, 2010, 4:11 pm

I disliked Good Omens as well though I generally like Gaiman. I think it must be Pratchett because I abandoned another of his that I tried.

How are you finding The Thirteenth Tale? I liked it, but I'm pretty forgiving of gothic because I enjoy the genre so much.

120macart3
Nov 16, 2010, 2:28 pm

76. The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss.

#119 I like The Thirteenth Tale so far. I've read half of it but then got distracted by The Girls, which was awesome.

121macart3
Nov 30, 2010, 7:30 pm

77. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin.

122alcottacre
Dec 3, 2010, 1:53 am

Did I miss it? Where is 75?

123macart3
Edited: Dec 11, 2010, 5:32 pm

I didn't list the 75th book in my usual style, separate from the rest of my ramblings, but included it in them. It was The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales by Boris Vasilʹevich Zvorykin.

78. City of Bones by Casandra Clare.
79. The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason.

124macart3
Dec 4, 2010, 3:28 pm

80. Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter.
81. Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl.

125macart3
Dec 4, 2010, 3:38 pm

It's snowing!! God, I love winter...When it's snowing.

126macart3
Dec 4, 2010, 3:40 pm

82. Changeless by Gail Carriger.

127alcottacre
Dec 5, 2010, 12:17 am


128drneutron
Dec 5, 2010, 5:01 pm

Congrats!

129macart3
Dec 7, 2010, 11:00 pm

#127 :) Thank you very much. Very cute animation.

#128 Thank you!

130macart3
Dec 11, 2010, 5:33 pm

131dk_phoenix
Dec 11, 2010, 7:51 pm

How was Fat Vampire? I keep seeing it and wondering whether it's any good...

132macart3
Dec 13, 2010, 8:07 pm

84. Tarnished Beauty by Cecilia Samartin.
85. The King of Lies by John Hart.

#131 It was okay. It had a geeky slant to it, the vampire and his friend went to Comi-Con, comic book fans, etc. There were some funny parts. The way the girls spoke, you could tell it was obviously written by a guy because I don't think the author quite knew what went on at slumber parties. I thought about buying, but I'm really glad I just borrowed from my library. I read it and won't be reading it again.

133macart3
Edited: Dec 29, 2010, 9:48 am

This message has been deleted by its author.

134macart3
Dec 28, 2010, 8:39 pm

86. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

135alcottacre
Dec 29, 2010, 4:21 am

#134: I need to get to that one yet. Did you like it?

136macart3
Dec 29, 2010, 9:55 am

87. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

I liked The Help. The author certainly got the subtleties of racism in the book, but I couldn't fully feel righteous indignation of behalf of the black maids. I didn't think that there wasn't enough everyday drama in the book. However, I did stay up during the night to read the entire thing. The only times I put it down was to leave the neighbor's house (a bit of treacherous walk with the ice) and to change into my pjs.

137alcottacre
Dec 30, 2010, 5:21 am

#136: I am definitely going to have to get to The Help in 2011. Of course, I said that in 2010 as well.

Why are you going to your neighbor's house to change into your pjs?

138macart3
Dec 30, 2010, 10:09 am

88. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

#137 My parents and I went to our neighbor's house, where I started to read it, and then I had to quit reading it when I left their house. I also had to put the book down when I changed into my pjs at my house. Sorry if I didn't make that clearer.

139macart3
Dec 30, 2010, 5:20 pm

I'm about to read The Iron King; Finally! Somebody spelled "Meghan" right!

140alcottacre
Dec 31, 2010, 12:50 am

#139: I have had The Iron King in the BlackHole for a while now. Thanks for the reminder that I need to check and see if the local library has it yet!

141macart3
Jan 3, 2011, 5:49 pm

89. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips.

142alcottacre
Jan 5, 2011, 3:08 am

#141: I got that one through PBS, but still have not read it. One of these days!

143macart3
Jan 10, 2011, 11:19 am

#142 You're on PaperBackSwap, too! I love that site! It's addictive! And I loved book #89; you should hear the audio version!