It's a myth - myth! CMBohn's Greek-themed 12/12 challenge

Just a place holder more or less until I actually write down all my categories and stuff. I think it will be fun!

1 - Aphrodite: Love and Romance

1. Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton, 2.5 stars
2. A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson, 3 stars

Ideas:

Aurelia
Tris and Izzie
Mr. Malcolm's List
The Reluctant Heiress
Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther
Mount Vernon Love Story
Salt Bride

2 - Apollo: Medicine and Poetry

1. The Family That Couldn't Sleep by D T Max, 4 stars
2. Bitten: True Medical Stories of Bites and Stings by Pamela Nagami, 3.5 stars

Ideas:

Chicago Poems
Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen
Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Diseases You Probably Already Have
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
The Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins
The Collected Poems of Robert Frost

3 - Ares: War

1. The Training Ground: Grant, Lee, Sherman and Davis, 5 stars
2. Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara, 4.5 stars
3. War Made New, 1500 to Today by Max Boot, 3.5 stars

Ideas:

Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad
Union 1812
Our First Revolution
The Guns of August
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage
Persian Fire
The Eagle of the Ninth
The Siege of Krishnapur
The American Civil War: A Military History
Hard Tack and Coffee
Flags of Our Fathers

4 - Atlas: Travel and Geography

1. The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester, 4.25 stars
2. The Worst Journey in the World, currently reading

Ideas:

The Arctic Grail
The Island at the Center of the World
Over the Edge of the World
The River at the Center of the World
The Riddle of the Compass
Trial by Ice
Jefferson's Great Gamble
My Life in France

5 - Chimera: Science Fiction and Horror

1. Hourglass by Myra McEntire, 2.75 stars
2. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, 3.25 stars
3. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, 4 stars
4. Divergent by Veronica Roth, 4.5 stars
5. Foundation by Isaac Asimov, 3 stars
6. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, 3 stars

Dr. Franklin's Island
There Goes the Galaxy
The Man Who Sold the Moon
Fantastic Voyage
Bellwether
The Martian Chronicles
Out of Time's Abyss
Paradox Alley
The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
A Princess of Mars

6 - Clio: History

1. After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam by Lesley Hazleton, 4.5 stars
2. 1215: The Year of the Magna Carta by Danziger and Gillingham, 3.5 stars
3. The Tycoons by Charles Morris, 2.5 stars

The Last Days of the Incas
Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin
1812: The War that Forged a Nation
Champlain's Dream
The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton
The Santa Fe Trail
Short History of Nearly Everything
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story
Playing the Enemy: The Game

7 - Dionysus: Food and Theater

1. The Everything Anti-Inflammation Book by Karlyn Grimes - 3 stars
2. Chili con Corpses by J B Stanley, 2.25 stars
3. Their Last Suppers by Andrew Caldwell, 2.5 stars

Ideas:

Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
The Compass of Pleasure
Antony and Cleopatra
Candide
Daisy Cooks: Latin Flavors that Will Rock Your World
The Glass Menagerie
Chocolate Never Faileth
The Iceman Cometh
You Can't Take It With You
The Children's Hour

8 - Fates: Biography

1. Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America by Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller, 4 stars

Ideas:

Galileo's Daughter
Victoria's Daughters
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Truman
American Sphinx
Mary Chesnut
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency
To Hell and Back
Evidence Not Seen
Happy All My Life
Those Who Trespass Against Us
A Watchman on the Tower

9 - Hades: Death and Mystery

1. Forensic Nurse by Serita Stevens, 2 stars
2. The Perfect Murder by HRF Keating, 3.75 stars
3. The Killer of Little Shepherds by Douglass Star, 5 stars
4. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, 1.5 stars
5. Granny a la Mode by Sue Ann Jaffarian, didn't finish

Ideas:

Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder
Dead Men Do Tell Tales
A Journal of the Plague Year
Coroner's Journal

10 - Hecate: Magic and Fantasy

1. Foiled by Jane Yolen, 4 stars
2. StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce, 4 stars
3. My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison, 4 stars
4. The Floating Island: Lost Journals by Elizabeth Haydon, 4.5 stars
5. The Thief Queen's Daughter by Elizabeth Haydon, 4.25 stars
6. The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett, 5 stars

Ideas:

The Crystal Cave
Fire Arrow
The Horn of Moran
The Incomplete Enchanter
The Naming
The Changeling Sea
Pawn of Prophecy
The Hollow Kingdom
A Necklace of Fallen Stars

11 - Hebe: Children's Books

1. The Three Furies by Kaza Kingsley - 4 stars
2. Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt - 2.5 stars
3. Erak's Ransom by John Flanagan - 5 stars
4. The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan - 4.5 stars
5. Halt's Peril by John Flanagan - 5 stars!!!
6. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan - 5 stars
7. The Horn of Moran by M L Forman - 4 stars
8. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen, 3 stars

Ideas:

My Friend is Sad
Welcome to the Zoo
The Arrival
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm
The Frog with the Big Mouth
A Tale Dark and Grimm
Boy: Tales of Childhood
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever
The Evil Garden
Penny Dreadful
The Wreck of the Zephyr
The Sweetest Fig

12 - Poseidon: Sea and Disaster

1. Kraken: The Curious, Exciting and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams, 4 stars
2. Over the Edge of the World by Lawrence Bergreen, currently reading

Ideas:

The Shadow-Line
Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
South Sea Tales by R L Stephenson
South Sea Tales by Jack London
Dreadnought
Sultana: Surviving the Civil War
In Harm's Way: The Sinking
Isaac's Storm
The Last Voyage of Columbus
Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage
Three Fearful Days

NEW CATEGORY!

Bonus: Mount Olympus - Religion

1. A Voice of Warning by Parley P. Pratt, currently reading
2. No One Can Take Your Place by Sheri L. Dew, currently reading

Great themes! I look forward to seeing what goes in the categories.

Love your themes, Cindy. Good luck with the challenge next year, you deserve it after such a difficult time this year.

A wonderful theme for your challenge. I'll look forward to seeing how it fills up.

Love the theme!

Very creative, Cindy. Yet still broad enough that these categories will be fun to fill.

Great theme, Cindy!

What a fantastic theme, I'll be interested to see which books you pick.

That theme is genius, I love it! Looking forward to see how the categories fiil, there are a few there I don't normally venture into so I'll be checking back often for tips.

Thanks, everyone! I think it will be fun.

I do like how you linked categories with the gods. Are you books going to have mythological themes too?

ditto on the theme!

I don't know about myth-based books. I'll have to see. There are some new ones out I'm curious about.

Added some books on here for my first few categories

I love the Eva Ibbotson books you've mentioned for your 'Aphrodite' category. And if you haven't read A Countess Below Stairs, you should definitely look for that one as well!

LOL! Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide! You'll have to tell me what you think of it, if you get to it.

I can tell already that you'll be helping me add to my wishlist this coming year. Starred and looking forward to your reviews.

Stopping in to see what you have planned. I like the mythological categories and I look forward to see how you fill them.

Adding a few more to the categories.

1. Forensic Nurse by Serita Stevens, 1.5 stars
Themes: true crime, victim advocacy, court system, medicine, sexual assault

This book could have been so much better. Yes, there was some really good stuff in there, some interesting cases and some insight into the court system and how it works. Mindblowing statistics thrown in. What to do if you are the victim of a sexual assault. Profiles of the nurses involved, how they heard about forensic nursing, what obstacles they faced.

But wow, the writing was SO BAD! She just repeats everything OVER AND OVER. I get it. Forensic nurses are the bomb. They are so much better than doctors. They are better than cops. They make good coroners. Fine. Quit telling me that. I heard you the first seven times. And I don't want to hear the details about what's involved in a sexual assault exam a dozen times. Three is the maximum I'm willing to put up with. I skimmed over so much that I finished this book in no time. It could have been a quarter of the size. Where was your editor? How did this get published the way it is?

To quote another reviewer here: "Really, it would be better condensed and reissued as a series of pamphlets for would-be nurses looking at the various career specialities open to them. Recommended to people interested in a nursing career." That's about it. It could be helpful for nurses trying to get a similar program started in their own hospital. But surely that info is available on the internet in a more concise form.

I really can't recommend this one. Yes, it was an interesting glimpse at a hidden group in the legal system. But ultimately, it wasn't worth it. There must be better books on the subject. Skip this one. I'm giving it back to the thrift store.

Yikes! Here is hoping your second book for the challenge is a huge improvement over the first!

That's too bad! It could have been much more valuable if it hadn't been so poorly written.

Forensic Nurse sounds like it could have been such a fantastic book - what a shame. I too hope challenge book #2 will make up for it! :)

Ugh. No thanks. Hope the next one's better.

Too bad that book didn't meet expectations and got your year off to a bad start.

What a shame that such an important subject was given such shoddy treatment. As for your reading, you have nowhere to go but up.

It is too bad that the book was badly written. I had never heard of Forensic Nursing until it was introduced in a dectective show I watch on TV this year. I would like to learn more about them at some point.

It was an interesting topic. The cover says something like "When the body is the crime scene." Cool idea. There must be a better written book somewhere.

Cindy, great theme but I want to know when you sneaked into my files to check out my theme possibilities?!? LOL Guess next year I'll have to eliminate the Gods from the potential category theme. Oh, well.

Good luck with the challenge, hope you are back in full swing in 2012!

Too funny, Cheli! Maybe it's that Percy Jackson, getting us all into Greek myth mode? I seem to be stuck on a current read. I'm enjoying it, but it's slowing me down.

I am especially interested to see what you do for your Poseidon category. Poseidon has always been my favorite god to read about.

2. The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester, 4.25 stars
Themes: science vs. religion, triumph of the underdog, the self educated working scientist vs. the elite theorist

I've been a fan of Winchester's since I read The Professor and the Madman several years ago. Sure, he can go on a bit, like in Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, where he spent lots and lots of time on Continental Drift and not enough time on exploding volcanoes. But when he's on, he's really on. So I was happy to get a copy of this book at the used bookstore.

I'd have to rank it up there with my favorites. Winchester's geology background really shows in this book, but that's not a bad thing. First of all, who but a geologist, or a scientist anyway, would choose to write a biography of someone like William Smith, who never did anything sexy or cool, but simply wandered all over the British isles, improving drainage, of all things, digging canals and mines, and making a map?

But what a map. A map that really did, in its own way, change the world. He's called The Father of English Geology, which doesn't sound like an especially cool epithet to me, but to each his own. But his map made possible the huge advances in the dating of the earth of understanding Continental Drift, as mentioned above, and finally allowed us to understand what fossils actually were, not Figured Stones, but relics of previous living things. That was huge.

I loved the cover. It's a copy of his map that unfolds. I loved that there is another copy of the finished map inside, in full color, and a modern map with it for comparison. I wish they had added a color portrait of the subject as well. Color I guess doesn't really matter, but the full page size would have been nice. There's a glossy of geologic terms at the back, but the few words I looked for weren't there. Oh, and I *really, really loved* that this was a story of a brilliant man of humble origins who made a huge discovery, was ridiculed and victimized because of it, and then was vindicated. How cool is that?

If you are interested in reading about science, I would recommend this one. If you like stories that feature real life triumphs of the underdog, I would definitely recommend this. It's not your usual take on the subject, but it's all true, and it makes a great story. 4.25 stars

I'm about to start reading The Professor and the Madman and am really excited for it. It's my first book by Simon Winchester, but it looks like he writes some very interesting books! I'm glad you liked The Map That Changed the World.

The Map That Changed the World sure sounds interesting! *sigh* Another one for Mount TBR, I guess.

Wishlisted!

Hi Cindy - I have to say you made what at a quick glance appeared to be a boring read to me into a very interesting book with your review of The Map That Changed the World.

I have a science category for this years 12 in 12, so I think I'll be off to hunt up some Simon Winchester books. Great reveiw.

I just got back from the library, where I got a stack of books about gluten-free cooking. It looks complicated and discouraging, but I'm determined to figure it out. Guess those will all go under Dionysus. I don't think the god himself would be impressed by the look of some of these recipes. They don't sound very decadent to me, but rather depressingly healthy. Maybe I'm wrong. I did see a recipe for a Flourless Chocolate Cake, which I've heard is super rich and good. I hope this is all worth it, as I'm not too happy about it right now.

>51 cmbohn:

That made me laugh out loud (and scare the daylights out of my poor cats). If it's any consolation, I'm a chronic baker and work in an office with three gluten intolerant souls so I've honed my gluten free baking skills and I can tell you that most cake recipes stand up very well to the gluten free treatment. On the other hand, one of these souls is a very dear friend and I get regular dinner invitations. She now knows not to bother inviting me when the menu involves "pasta". It's an abomination. Rice noodles, bean thread noodles, even sweet potato noodles are all marvellous things but not one of them has any business in lasagne. Or mac and cheese.

Well, I'd much rather have cake than pasta, so that's good news!

#51 Cindy, I don't know what books you found, but just after reading your comment I saw this book in an e-mail listing from the library and thought you might be interested:

The Intolerant Gourmet: Glorious Food without Gluten and Lactose by Barbara Kafka

From the publisher's comments:

It's estimated that nearly 1 in 3 North Americans is lactose-intolerant and that 1 in 133 is gluten-intolerant, although many of these people remain undiagnosed. For those who do find out, the resulting dietary adjustments have traditionally been about restriction, denial, and deprivation. All these compromises drain the pleasure from eating.

Now, legendary food maven Barbara Kafka comes to the rescue with a complete soup-to-nuts cookbook full of great food that you can enjoy every day. Barbara's own intolerances, dormant since childhood, returned five years ago, and--as someone who was already intolerant of bad food, ersatz ingredients, and poor cooking--she rose to the challenge of being gluten- and lactose-intolerant with this collection of 300 recipes. They get you to crispy without resorting to breading or flour coatings, offer silkiness and richness without dairy, and feature luxurious textures in sauces and soups without flour or butter.

I have to admit, I'm not tempted to get it. Good luck to you in dealing with what sounds like a difficult situation. Although flourless chocolate cake doesn't sound so bad!

Thanks for the recommendation! I don't think my library has that one, but maybe I could find a copy. Like I said, these books make it sounds more complicated than I thought, and it's already plenty complicated! I keep adding to my list of things I can't eat - brownies, pizza, spaghetti, most Italian food, cookies, my favorite chocolate donuts - it goes on and on! At least Dr. Pepper and chocolate are still on the list! Sure, chocolate has some dairy, but that's not enough that I'm going to worry about it. And I can still eat meat and veggies! I think. :(

>52 letterpress: I agree with you totally on the pasta substitutions normally, but I've made lasagne with a gluten-free lasagna noodle that turned out great. Sadly enough, however, I cannot remember what brand it was or even what it was made of. I know I bought it at my local co-op and had tried a few different brands before finding one that held up well. (I guess that's not much help, except to say that experimenting with different brands can be a good thing.)

#55 The Kafka book is a new release, so it might not be available at the library yet. Dr Pepper and chocolate! That's a healthy diet!

@45 I really enjoy Simon Winchesters books, although he can be a bit dry. Think I might read that one next, thanks :)

Also a fan of Simon Winchester and have the surgeon of crowthorne on the list for this year...

(Hmm touchstones are a bit odd for that)

I did the whole find out what food is making you ill a while ago 6 weeks not eating all my favourite things, decided it was dairy although had a lactose intolerance test and that was negative, seems I may be allergic to cow's milk... I sympathise on the gluten free stuff, gluten free pasta is a crime against humanity

Finished a re-read of The Alchemist for book club. Yeah, I still don't like it. I've had to read it for 2 different book clubs now, and if we have to read it for a third, I'm skipping that month. Too long, too contrived. I just don't get why this one is popular.

3. Foiled by Jane Yolen

A graphic novel about fencing by Jane Yolen. About fencing and magic. And teenage love. Really fun. My 17 year old read this and enjoyed it too. I think there might be another on in this series. Fun stuff.

4. Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams

review to come

>60 cmbohn: I'm so glad to find another person who doesn't like The Alchemist. Everyone I know thinks that's one of the greatest books ever and I just did not like it one tiny itty little bit! I felt like he was banging me over the head with the parable stick!

Exactly! I got the point already! Now I'm going to have to go to book group and be polite about it.

LMAO! I so know what you mean. I think I've perfected the art of not answering the question "What did you think about this book, Debbie?"

@62 - really interested to see what you think of that

Add me to the do not like list for The Alchemist too. Read it for my 999 challenge and managed to give it a 2-star rating.

->62 cmbohn:
I too am looking forward to seeing what you think of it since it's been on my wishlist a while now.

I wasn't too fond of The Alchemist either - it was a nice fairy tale while I read it, but right after it just vanished from my memory.

I have to laugh because I borrowed The Alchemist from the library but I got the book by Michael Scott and not the one by Paulo Coelho. I loved the one I got but I couldn't understand the reviews until I noticed the author difference. Next time, Cindy, read the one my Michael Scott and go to the book club and laugh saying"Oh, I got the wrong author". LOL :-))

This is one of the great things about LT. When I finally get the nerve to admit that I didn't care for a well received book, I always find people who also didn't care for that particular book! It's great being a member of such a well read organization. (I haven't read The Alchemist, but always suspected that I wouldn't care of it.)

>69 cyderry: I did the opposite of Cheli -- wanting The Alchemyst by Michael Scott and came home with the Paulo Coelho. So I went ahead and read it, and I liked it -- thought it was a nice, uplifting little story. But as with Eva, I can't tell you what it was about now. Perhaps it's one of those books that is highly dependent on one's mood at the time.

I guess to appreciate The Alchemist you have to know what you're getting into and be in the right mood. It WAS like being beat over the head by a parable stick. But when I read it I had just been fired from my job and was reassessing my career goals and whether I was on the right path or not--I found it very inspiring. I admit, though, that it had been sitting on my to-be-read pile for about 10 years without moving anywhere closer to the top. Picked it up by chanced right timing. :)

Trying to catch up on the new threads and stopped by to plonk a *star* here. Love your themed reading!

4. Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams

Themes: science, research, fishing, weird critters, evolution

I love the ocean. I just can't swim. (And actually, I hate the water. I have tried to learn to swim, but it's this phobia thing I just can't seem to master.) So I have to get my underwater fix from documentaries and books.

And the giant squid is like the coolest sea creature ever! I mean, it eluded scientist for hundreds of years, but sailors knew better. It is legendary. So a whole book about it was just impossible to resist.

Turns out the book is not just about the giant squid, but about cephalopods in general. They're all here - nautilus, cuttlefish, octopus, and of course, squid. It's full of wild and weird facts you never knew, info on the latest cutting edge research. (And since a lot of in involves dissection, that can be taken literally.)

If you ever loved those films by Jacques Cousteau, I can absolutely recommend this book. It's not perfect. I wish there were better pictures. But it is cool and weird. The chapter on squid sex was the funniest thing I've read in a long time. However, when I tried sharing some interesting facts of life with my teenage daughter all she did was squeal, "Ew!" About 40 times. So avoid that chapter if you have a weak stomach or are especially fond of calamari.

4 stars.

Interesting review of Kraken. As for phobias, I can relate. I love swimming but refuse to take up diving - the concept of breathing under water is alien to me and my psyche will not get past that fact even though I am equipped with a respirator, oxygen tank, etc.

My problem with the ocean (or jumping off pontoons in lakes) is the irrational fear that some horrible creature will grab my foot and pull me under. Luckily, all my phobias are ridiculously irrational like this (it took my well into my 20's to conquer my fear of windows at night--never know when a ghost or floating alien might peek in!). This way, I am generally able to talk myself out of my fear. :) I suffer from an overactive imagination.

Looks like I'll be putting Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid on the to-buy list! Can't wait to read the "facts of life" chapter! :)

#76 - I have the same phobia about my legs dangling down in the water. I think maybe I watched "Creature from the Black Lagoon" once too often!

I'm afraid of deep water for the same reasons too, and, I'm still really afraid of windows at night! All of my shades/blinds have to be pulled down all the way. Doesn't help that I saw "The Mothman Prophecies" when it was in the theater, and that seemed to have cemented the fear. *shrugs* I'm okay with it though - if those are my big fears (oh, forgot about squids, etc too) that's alright. It could always be worse!

I really liked your review, and I'm putting Kraken on my TBR list - maybe it'll help me be less afraid of squids and their friends after all! *fingers crossed*

>76 The_Hibernator:
Early 20's? I'm a few years shy of 40 and there are times I still leap from the light switch to the bed in case something reaches out from under and grabs an ankle. And yes, the blinds have to be all the way down at night. And oh, the horror that is seaweed wrapping around a leg. I know it's just seaweed, if I looked down I would see it's just seaweed but I can't look down because SOMETHING'S GOT MY LEG! Cue racing for the shore.

>74 cmbohn:
I love calamari, so given your warning I think I'll pass on Kraken.

haha Wow, I'm going to have to call up my parents and tell them I'm perfectly normal after all!

@80 SOMETHING'S GOT MY LEG! Cue racing for the shore

OMG. I am laughing so hard! I know that feeling all too well. I love swimming in the ocean, but I do not want to know what is in there with me! And it certainly better not touch me!!

Yaay a cool book about squid! I love all things tentacley so that's going straight on the wish list

Yep adding that book to my wishlist,even if I do love Calamari. I think Jaws put me off deep water swimming for life but there's something about an empty black window too.. Shudder..

I'm not big on all things squid, and actually find calamari to rubbery to be very edible. My phobia of the water isn't about what's under it though, although I wouldn't want to meet up with any sharks, squid, stingrays...etc. My phobia comes from how deep it is. I might fall! LOL I know...it's not logical. I never learned to trust the water, so never learned how to swim. I can manage a float, but only if when I stand up I can feel the bottom. When I can't, it's instant panic that I'll fall. Told ya! Not logical! LOL

5. After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam by Lesley Hazleton, 4.5 stars

Themes: religion, family, community, civil war, holy war

review coming

6. StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Themes: religion, magic, loyalty, family

review coming

Lots of reviews to add, but I'm sleepy. Oh, and I was the only one who did not LOVE The Alchemist. Really? Yep. Everyone else found lots of meaning and inspiration in it. My manga-obsessed daughter asked if the book even mentioned the Principle of Equivalent Exchange. Nope. In fact, there was almost no actual alchemy involved. Hmph, she said. I should have read Fullmetal Alchemist instead. She's right. That has pictures.

5. After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam by Lesley Hazleton, 4.5 stars

Themes: religion, family, community, civil war, holy war

I may just revise the rating and make this one the first 5 star read of the year.

Puzzled by some of the anger and infighting in the Middle East? Have a hard time keeping groups straight? Wonder why they can't all just work things out? Turns out the seeds of that anger go way back. all the way back to the 7th century AD.

This remarkably written book traces the conflict between the Sunni and the Shi'a Muslims, how it began, and what the consequences are for today. While her focus is on the history, the implications for today are clear. With every development, she draws the modern parallels and explains how it would shape the future.

I really recommend this one. I admit to being one who just skims through the developments in the Middle East, tired of the fighting and the violence, and resigned to the fact that I don't understand it at all. Well, this was a good place to start. I'm still confused about a lot of the current figures, but this gives the reader a solid underpinning on the motives behind it all.

6. StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Themes: religion, magic, loyalty, family
Hecate category

Digger is a thief. She doesn't really say a lot about how that started, but it's worked for her for a while. Until now. Now her partner is dead and she's got to find a way out of the city before she gets captured.

Luckily for her, she falls in with a group of nobles out on the town. She makes up a new name and a cover story and they accept her, making her lady's maid to one of the young women. She gets a safe passage out of the city, but what has she gotten into? She gets forced into spying for one of the religious zealots who are running the government. Turns out everyone has a secret, and Digger is in more danger now that ever before.

I liked this story when I read it, but later, when I came back to review it, I had to look it up to remind myself what it was about. It was pretty good, but not anywhere near A Curse as Dark as Gold, her twist on Rumpelstiltskin. And from the reviews I've read, I don't think I'll read the next one in the series. Some readers will love it, but it didn't really stand out for me.

@ 90 -- Hmm, too bad StarCrossed didn't really grab you. I have a copy on my shelves, which I ran out and bought after loving A Curse Dark as Gold so much...sounds like I don't have to move it to the top of my list anytime soon, though!

After The Prophet sounds like something I'd be interested in, nice review.

After the Prophet goes on the wishlist - sounds like a worthwhile read - thumbs up on the great review!

This thread is dangerous to my 'might want to read that' list!

I love your theme! I am going to think through what I could read in your categories, will share my ideas..

7. The Family That Couldn't Sleep by D T Max, Apollo, 4 stars

themes: disease, heredity, science, sleep, farming/agriculture

So you've been having trouble sleeping? I bet your trouble is nothing compared to what this Italian family has gone through. They are cursed with the gene that causes Fatal Familial Insomnia, which is pretty much just what it sounds like. You inherit it, and you can't sleep, and you die. A few other things happen too, but that's the killer. The brain, and the rest of the body too, needs sleep.

But that's just the beginning of this book, although the author comes back to the family over and over. The real subject of the book is prion disease, that weird little twist that lets renegade proteins act like a virus and attack the body in ways that science can't yet combat.

The most familiar of these, and the only one that I recognized at the outset as a prion disease, is Mad Cow Disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE. That "spongiform" part is because it basically turns the brain into a spongy, gooey, hole-riddled mass. (Sorry if you were eating. Hope it wasn't beef.) And because the disease is caused by a deformed protein, cooking it will not not kill the disease. Neither will radiation, alcohol, antibiotics. In fact, almost nothing will kill it. It's seriously bad news.

I really liked this book. It reads more like a mystery. He does tend to throw around some medical jargon, and then later he'll oversimplify to avoid the jargon, so it's not perfect. But it was a read that will keep you up at night.

4 stars

I have that book on my TBR, cant wait to read it!

I really enjoyed it when I read it last year

I saw a member of that family on t.v. a few years ago. He was in a treatment facility and really suffering from the lack of sleep, but nothing they tried was helping (at that point). I didn't know there was a book and it sounds interesting. Thanks for the review.

8. Hourglass by Myra McEntire, Chimera, 2.75 stars

Themes: love, time travel, mental illness, secrets, teen angst

Emerson sees ghosts. Or something. That would be enough for any average teen to freak out a bit, but she's also dealing with the death of both parents in a car accident. She's been away at boarding school, but her scholarship funding ran out and now she's back home, facing her demons. Not literal demons, unfortunately; that would have been cool. Her brother keeps trying to fix her, get rid of her visions. Medication helped, but she quit taking them. So now he's called in the latest expert, a guy named Michael who works for a clinic or something called The Hourglass.

Michael is a hottie. And he sees the ghosts too. Turns out they're not ghosts, they are shadows from the past. I can't tell you much more without spoiling the plot, but let me say it becomes a lot like X-Men, but not as good. There was a love triangle like Twilight. Apparently that's required for teen fiction now. And the whole series ends with a lot of unanswered questions, stuff about what the bad guy is really after, and something about saving the world, and something about it reminded me of Harry Potter.

I guess that was part of my trouble. It just struck me as derivative. I also didn't like Michael, the love interest, at all. He seemed too secretive and too perfect otherwise. Every girl who sees him, and I'm not exaggerating, immediately starts drooling. I guess he's so hot Emerson didn't stop to think about the way he treats her like a kid and won't tell her anything. Hm, it really DOES sound like Twilight.

Like I said, it's the first book in a planned series, but I won't be reading more. I wouldn't have picked up this one either, except it's for my second book club, so I needed to read it. Looks like two duds in a row for book club. This one is not recommended. I hesitated between 2.5 stars and 3, so I split the difference.

9. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, 3.5 stars

Themes: apocalypse, aliens, love, space, family, religion

Three teenage friends are spending a summer evening hiding out from adults, watching the stars, when the stars - disappear. How they variously deal with the implications of this event make up this inventive story.

Jason throws himself into science, following his father's expectations, and searches for answers as to why this event occurred and what's next for humanity. Diane turns to God and religion and love. Tyler just wants to worry about right now, about his two best friends. He's the one who tells the story, looking back and then bouncing back to what's going on with him and Diane, waiting in some tropical city for unspecified reasons.

The story is certainly unlike anything I've ever read. There's a time anomaly going on, a split between how time passes on earth and how it's passing in the rest of the universe. The effect is that while the sun is rapidly aging and approaching its extinction, Earth time is condensed into a tiny fraction of that. So for Tyler and his friends, the End of the World may be just 30 or 40 years away.

SPOILERS AHEAD

But the resolution of the story was very unsatisfying. It just sort of ENDS, with Tyler and Diane going on through a wormhole or something, and no explanations about how this was possible. The same Hypothetical Beings (their term, not mine) who put up the barrier that dimmed the stars later send in this Gateway that lets them through to another world. No explanation of how or why. That was just so dang lame! I didn't need a plausible explanation, since the whole thing is make believe, but something would have been nice. I realize that there is a sequel, but still, that was a stupid way to end what had been a good book.

I was just as bugged that there is NEVER a love scene between Tyler and Diane. There's a love scene, not explicit, between Tyler and another woman. But after years of loving Diane, they finally get together, and there is absolutely NOTHING? Not even a kiss? What kind of payoff is that?

END SPOILERS

I think I would recommend this, but only if you are really interested in the book and willing to put up with any flaws. (And there are several.) Like I said, the plot is original enough to make it worth reading for a sci-fi fan. I was kind of wishing my Dad could have read this. He loved classic sci-fi and I think he would have found the idea an interesting one.

3.5 stars

>101 cmbohn: I enjoyed Spin. But I agree with your comments in the spoiler section; I think that's partially why I wanted to read the next book, and why I haven't made it a priority.

am trying to unsee that but did manage to avoid the spoilers as I plan on reading Spin this month.

Fun categories! Great review of Spin, I am adding that book to my wishlist :)

10. A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson, Aphrodite category, 3 stars

themes: love, music, education, war, prejudice

If you've read one of Ibbotson's teen romances, you know what to expect. You can pick out the lovers from the back cover. You know there will be music, an unconventional upbringing for our heroine (or else a stifling one and an unconventional education), something about a school, and something about Austria. That doesn't necessarily mean they are bad books, though, and there are exceptions in her books. But this one fits the formula. It was however good fun. I liked the setting against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to power and his imminent invasion of Czechoslovakia and Austria. If you like historical teen romance, give her a try. Always some humor in her books too, so that was fun.

I love Eva Ibbotson's books! As you say, they are very formulaic and predictable, but I can't help it -- they're so darn sweet!

#90 -- I felt the same way about StarCrossed.

#106 -- Ditto!

11. Bitten: The True Medical Stories of Bites and Stings by Pamela Nagami, Apollo category

Themes: Yucky critters, unpleasant diseases and germs, why you should stay out of the jungle

What I learned:

Stay away from bats. If you even touch a bat, get the rabies shots.
Never have a ferret as a pet.
I'm glad there are no fire ants in Utah.
If you HAVE to go to the jungle, as soon as you develop a rash or a fever, visit an infectious diseases specialist and DEMAND to be tested for every possible germ there is. And for Heaven's sake, TAKE ALL YOUR MEDICINE.
And don't bite anyone.

4/5 stars

Oh, and I didn't read this one, but I *am* married to the author! Or the technical editor anyway: The Live Web. I have NO idea if it's any good or not, but the editor is pretty cute! DH just got a copy in mail yesterday with all the cool credits inside. So proud of him!

First 5 star read of the year: The Killer of Little Shepherds, review to come.

All the stuff you learned from Bitten: The True Medical Stories of Bites and Stings sounds like good rules to live by, except I would stay away from the jungle entirely. Everything I read about jungles wipes out the image of tropical paradises!

eta: congratulations to your hubby on his book release!

12. The Killer of Little Shepherds by Douglas Starr, Hades category

Themes: forensic science, mass murder, mental illness, homelessness, crime, court system, police work

Amazing book. Yes, it's shelved with the true crime, but it doesn't quite fit. This book is so much more. Starr tells the story of two extraordinary men, one compelled to kill in the most grisly manner possible and one who put him away.

Joseph Vacher was the killer. Always violent, his first actual crime was motivated by an obsession with a young woman. When she rejected him, he stalked her, shot her, and then himself. Unfortunately for France, he didn't die. But that was the beginning. He was sent to an asylum where he seemed to improve. But on his release, he began a killing spree which ended in perhaps as many as 30 dead.

Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne was really the first forensic scientist. He not only figured out how to read a crime scene and a victim for clues, but was dedicated to teaching others how to do the same, drawing up guidelines for police to follow, and preserving specimens that would illustrate his findings. Bones, CSI, Quincey ME, all of them are only pale imitations of the real thing.

Starr made these stories so compelling that I couldn't put the book down. Great writing. I also appreciated that he didn't have to spell out every single nasty thing Vacher did to his young victims, but I still definitely got the point that this was a horrible man.

Highly recommended, and like I said, my first 5 star read of the year.

13. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, Chimera category

Themes: steampunk, war, duty, crazy inventions, technology, love, alternate history

If you like teen sci-fi, you really ought to check out this series. I don't want to give too much away, but it was a quite satisfying ending to a thoroughly fun series. It wasn't quite as good as I hoped, but it was super fun. And it features Nikola Tesla as a crazy inventor, so how can you beat that?

4 stars

@112 Sounds really good!

Agreeing with Claire! And right up my alley, so on the wishlist it goes!

It was great stuff.

@112 yep sounds like one for the WL

I have yet to start the Scott Westerfield series, but hope to at least get to Leviathan this year sometime.

Do! It's so much fun. I like it a lot better than Boneshaker, which I see it compared to fairly often. That one was unsatisfying.

I notice that I have read more books than I have reviewed, big surprise. So here they are in one batch.

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton

Supernatural love story set in some fictional town in the Pacific Northwest and involving a witch and a human. Pretty forgettable and pretty farfetched.

A Fatal Thaw by Dana Stabenow, Kate Shugak series #2

A serial killer goes on a rampage in Alaska, but like in One Corpse Too Many, someone hides an extra body in with those victims. Kate Shugak is asked by the police to investigate. Very brutal opening, but so good. Going to read #3.

And Be a Villain by Rex Stout

A guest on a radio talk show drops dead after taking a sip from a sponsor's beverage. For fans of the series, mostly notable as the first appearance of Arnold Zeck, master criminal. Good, not his best.

The Three Furies by Kaza Kingsley, Erec Rex series #4

Not quite as awesome as the last two books, but still a really good fantasy series for the younger readers of Harry Potter. (And their moms!) Erec's twin sibling feature prominently in this story, I was glad to see, but still lots of plot points unresolved. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Maybe I was in too much of a hurry to really enjoy it. I think if I read it again I would rate it higher. The Monsters of Otherness was by far the best in the series.

We Were Not Alone: How an LDS Family Survived World War II Berlin by Patricia Reece Roper

Not the best writing, for sure, but what an amazing story. All about how this family survived in Hitler Germany and what conditions were really like there. Because of their opposition to Hitler, they faced some serious consequences. But when the bombing began, that's when things REALLY got bad. Worth reading if you are LDS, and recommended if you want another look at conditions inside during the war.

Caught up a little, but more to go, sadly. Still reading The Training Ground. Great stuff, and book group on The Hourglass tonight. Sigh. Two word review: Don't Bother.

Sick in bed with the stomach flu! And before that, busy taking care of those that were sick. This was the NASTIEST bout we have ever had. My poor 17 year old thought she was going to die. And then she just hoped she would die! Mine lasted over 48 hours, and that's not counting the stomachache beforehand that tricked me into thinking that was all I'd get. Ha!

But at least yesterday, when I was just too weak to do anything except sip a little juice and try to keep the crackers down, I did a lot of reading. Happy reading, fluffy stuff. So I got a lot of fantasy books read, finished one disappointing cozy, and read a couple of chapters of an Antarctic exploration tale. Reviews will be coming, but if you're interested now, I added the titles and ratings above.

Wow, tons of books. I imagine you in bed with books all over the covers and spilling onto the floors. Get better! A Fatal Thaw sounds good.

hope you're feeling better!

Hope you are feeling better. I love reading light fluffy stuff when I am sick too.

Sorry to hear you were so sick, Cindy. Hope you are feeling better.

Chili Con Corpses by J B Stanley, Dionysus category

Themes: food, friends, mystery, romantic entanglements, cooking

I read Carbs and Cadavers earlier, which was a free Kindle download, and got this one for 99 cents or something. I thought it was the 2nd in the series, but it turned out to be the 3rd. I didn't feel like I missed much, but if that bugs you, make sure you read them in order.

A cozy mystery featuring a group of friends calling themselves the Flab Five after they met and started a dieting supper club. James Henry the librarian is the main character, and his love life is very complicated right now. He's dating a friend, but their relationship is stalled, and he suspects she likes someone else. Then when acting as a chaperone on a school trip, someone is murdered. He and his friends start investigating.

This was the first one I read while I was sick, and maybe it was my fever, but I found it pretty forgettable. (Despite the fact that I dreamed about it! I'm sure that WAS the fever.) I was disappointed with the way the romance worked out and found them all extremely dim when it came to solving the crime. Seriously, how did it take them THAT long to figure it out? It wasn't all that hard! I had it solved halfway through! I wouldn't recommend this one, but it DID have some yummy sounding recipes throughout for Mexican food, so I put it in this category and I will save it on my Kindle just for the recipes.

2.25 stars

The Training Ground by Martin Dugard, Ares category

Themes: military schools, war, brotherhood, manifest destiny

Another great read. Features a few great men, met on a battlefield - William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis. Except that the battlefield is the Mexican-American War, and they were all on the same side.

The book starts with their education in West Point, the first American military academy, which provided then and now a first rate education, free of charge, for those who are lucky enough to get in.

I won't go into the whole book, but if you are a student of the Civil War, a Texan, or a history buff, you need to find a copy of this book. 4.5 stars.

And then, in a perfect instance of serendipity, I found a copy of Gone for Soldiers at the thrift store, which is Jeff Shaara's fictional account of the same story. I can't wait to read it!

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison, Hecate category

Themes: fairy tales, divorce and stepfamilies, Robin Hood, Rumplestiltskin, teen angst, magic

Fun little twist on a couple of classic fairy tales. Fairy godmother Chrissy Everstar, last seen in My Fair Godmother, and her assistant, the leprechaun Clover, are assigned a new project. Tansy has to move in with her dad and her new stepmom. She is not happy about it. Her dad abandoned the family, as she sees it, and she wants nothing to do with him anymore. But now she's stuck.

So she does the one thing that she knows will drive him nuts. She finds a Bad Boy boyfriend. Then she gets arrested. (That was an accident.) She's definitely got her dad's attention now. And she's got the services of a Fairy - or is it Fair? - Godmother. Trouble is (big surprise) the magic doesn't work the way she expected.

Very funny book. Not quite as good as the first, IMO, but worth reading. Great for teens.

4 stars

I had a similar reaction to Chili Con Corpses. It was the first book I read from that series and I haven't been tempted to try another one.

Gone for Soldiers is on my wishlist. I really liked Jeff Shaara's books about the Revolutionary War. Maybe I'll try the Dugard book first. It sounds really good.

I just finished Rise to Rebellion and it was really good. I keep thinking that I *know* about the Revolutionary War, but then I keep learning stuff I didn't know!

I keep thinking that I *know* about the Revolutionary War, but then I keep learning stuff I didn't know! -- Don't you just love when that happens? There's always something new to learn, even when you already know a lot.

I've got Chili Con Corpses on my list for March...maybe I'll move it down on the list.

Cheli - My reaction to it was "While it did improve at some points, it ultimately was not a satisfying read." I rated it 3 at the time I rated it, but I suspect that would translate to a 2 or 2.5 now. I'm rating things harder now. I also have not been motivated to read additional books by Stanley.

I just finished a Killer Collection - #1 in a new series by Stanley an I thought it was great fun. Ive read the first two in the Supper Club Mysteries and while they're not the best, I still enjoyed the characters and their struggles.

Fun review! Rallison's book sounds like a good escapist read. I'll keep my eyes open for her.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Themes: Death, medicine, more death

I just couldn't finish this one. Her writing was super annoying. Everything had to be a joke, even when it was a) totally uncalled for or b) just not funny. This story, told straight, would have been good reading. There was all kinds of stuff in here I didn't know. But I couldn't read another page of her self-conscious "aren't I so funny" voice. 1.5 stars

I got a couple of chapters into that one when it first came out, but couldn't finish because of the very graphic information. It did make me realize that doctors can't learn facelifts on live patients, something I hadn't thought of before.

Hmmm, I found some of the information provided in Stiff quite interesting. But I agree about her sense of humor. The way she had to make everything into a joke--I started to wonder for a little while whether she was more squeamish than she said she was and was overcompensating by making stupid jokes. But I haven't read any of her other books. It's probably just her style.

@138 I think its her style having also read packing for mars I enjoyed stiff a lot more than that one though

Yeah, from the reviews I read, people were split between those who thought it was a funny look at a serious subject and those who just hated the humor. I guess I'm in the latter category. I like TV shows on the subject, so I thought it would be a good fit for me, but for some reason, I didn't like it at all.

I thought it was hilarious, but I listened to the audiobook and it may very well have been that the reader was perfect for the book. It did make me decide what to do when I end my days here. :)

23. (more or less, I skipped a whole bunch that I didn't list here)
The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould and J P Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy by Charles R. Morris

Not what I expected. I thought this would be more of a straight biography, but there was so much financial stuff in here that I was totally lost. He either needed to explain stuff better or refocus the book. Long section about some gold deal Jay Gould was involved in that also sucked in the Grant administration, but it took me THREE readings before I had any idea what was going on. Then we got into anti-trust stuff and I was completely lost. Only for MBAs.

24 and 25. Erak's Ransom and The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan.

If you haven't tried the Ranger's Apprentice series by Australian writer John Flanagan, you should. Especially great for boys who might be reluctant readers. They remind me a bit of Lord of the Rings for the young set, but in a really good way. Rangers are like the Navy Seals of the medieval era. They could handle anything from a full-scale invasion to undead creatures to a boat full of Vikings. They answer only to the king. And Will is on his way to being a legend before the age of 20. So much fun! It's like the most delicious popcorn you can imagine. And I stayed up until 2 or 3 am (I was afraid to look at the clock!) to finish one of these this week. Only two more left in the series, plus a book of short stories and I will be so sad to see the end. It's probably really written for boys, but this mom is crazy about them!

26. Foundation by Isaac Asimov, review coming

27. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanan, review coming

28. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill, review probably coming, didn't enjoy it

Ranger's series sounds fun. I've seen them around but never picked them up. Perhaps I can get a few summer school students interested in them. Thanks for the tip.

26. Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Chimera category (science fiction)

Themes: social order, government, trade, politics, science

I chose this one because it was one of my dad's books. After his death last year, I've been slowing reading through some of his favorites. I'm really, really sad that I didn't read this one while he was alive so we could talk about it. It's an old copy, so I know he had it for a long time. I wonder what he thought about it when he read it first versus what he would have thought about it later.

The Galactic Empire is winding down after 12,000 years of peace. Hari Seldon uses math and psychology to predict a 30,000 year period of chaos. He comes up with a plan to shorten that to 1000 years. This is the beginning of the plan, and it all starts with a group of scientists and their families living on a remote planet with few resources, other than their scientific knowledge, and how they survive.

I enjoyed this book. I got all caught up in what was going on. But I couldn't help thinking that -

a) There were no women! What's up with that? Female scientists were too advanced or something? Don't buy it, or any lame excuses that Asimov didn't realize what he was doing and added them later or that this was typical of the time. It's science fiction, people. Star Trek had women. Sure, they were mainly sex objects, but they were at least doing something.

b) Asimov didn't know much about psychology. Seriously, Seldon could use that to predict 1000 years of human behavior? Don't buy that either. But I was willing to overlook that because I liked the story.

Glad I read this one, but I don't know that I'll read more in the series. Also glad because this book is such a well known classic of early sci-fi, so it comes up a lot. 3 stars.

27. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanan, Hebe category (teen/childrens' books)

Themes: running, high school, overcoming challenges, romance, not judging on appearance

This was a book club book, or I NEVER would have picked this up. Not that I hated it, but I am SO not a runner, this was a stretch - get it!?

Liked it, didn't love it. Again, I'm out of step - wow, the unintentional puns just won't stop! - with the rest of the group. They found it to be totally epic and meaningful.

Jessica is on her way home from a track meet when the bus is in a traffic accident. One girl is killed, but Jessica loses her leg. She thinks her life is over, but she finds a way to start over and with help from her teammates, she even gets to run again.

I liked it, as I said, but it was not epic for me. I found it pretty predictable. Jessica learns important Life Lessons from her accident, gets a fake leg, makes friends with another girl who has a disability, and gets a boyfriend. A little on the cheesy side, I thought, but not as much as I was afraid it would be. And since I'm not a runner, I couldn't identify with Jessica's story that much, and running is a major theme of the book. I also thought she was a little annoying, especially at first in the "Why Me?" stage. Granted, she's a teenager, but hey, I live with some slightly (!) self-absorbed teenagers; I don't want to read about them too. I did start to connect with it around 2/3 of the way through, when she starts to figure herself out a bit. Jessica was apparently never much for self-realization, but she starts to think things through and I did like that. But that's also when the romance angle picks up and that was kinda cheesy.

Super quick read. 2 stars.

And I'm pretty bummed that I am always the odd person out with this book group. I find myself toning down my real opinions, after everyone else *raves* about how awesome a book is. Maybe for them it is awesome. But I haven't enjoyed a lot of the books we've picked lately, and next month is a parenting book I've already read and only slightly enjoyed. At least we're doing The Thirteenth Tale for May, and I've been wanting to read that one, so maybe that will be good.

That's why I decided book clubs aren't for me. With so many books, and of course a finite amount of time, I want to choose all my books for myself. Good luck with the future choices!

I'm with you cammykitty. why waste time reading books you don't enjoy? The few times I did try a book club I never fit in either. People were fine, just not their reading!

It's frustrating sometimes, all right, but if it weren't for book club, I don't know that I'd make time to get together with my friends. I think it's worth it to get out of my house and visit. And sometimes it's good to read stuff I wouldn't normally read. Our big hits have been The Hunger Games and The Help.

29. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, 3 stars

30. Death of a Dude by Rex Stout, 4 stars - fun!

31. Halt's Peril by John Flanagan, 5 stars, +++

32. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan, 5 stars, great conclusion to series.

33. Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It by J M Fenster, 4.5 star

34. Variant by Robison Wells, 5 stars, great new teen sci-fi series

35. Divergent by Veronica Roth, also 5 stars, but very violent. Only for older teens. Dying to read book 2!

36. The Horn of Moran by M L Forman, 4 stars

Ether Day sounds interesting. My public library has a copy so I've added it to my ever-expanding library TBR list.

Hi Cindy, I just picked up Divergent the other day. I don't mind the violence, and I was happy to see your 5 star rating. Really looking forward to this one, just have to find a place to fit it in.

Ether Day was good - I got it for the RTT challenge on Medicine. Great stuff. Another reminder of why I'm SO glad I live now - anesthesia!

Divergent was great! My 17 year old read it after me and we are both dying to read the next one!

37. War Made New - good stuff about technology and the difference it makes in warfare. Liked the maps - you really need those.

38. Granny a la Mode - cozy with a ghost. Couldn't finish it.

39. Their Last Suppers - stories of random famous folks and what they ate before they died, plus recipes to fix it. Odd picks, but it was free.

I'm definitely waiting for the Divergent trilogy to be finished before I start - I don't do well with waiting for a next installment...! :)

That is a good plan! I didn't start Harry Potter until book 4 was almost ready to be released, so not *quite* so hard waiting.

WRAP UP FOR 1ST QUARTER!

ALMOST DIVINE: (4.5 stars or more)

The Training Ground and Rise to Rebellion, both from the Ares/War category. Neither one is new, but both are worth looking for if you are interested in military history at all.

Divergent from the Chimera category. Excellent Dystopian fiction; book 2 is due out this summer.

After the Prophet from Clio category.

The Killer of Little Shepherds from Hades category. Really great read.

The Floating Island, The Last Hero, both Hecate category. The Last Hero is my very favorite book so far this year. I love Terry Pratchett, and this may be my favorite. That is saying something.

Erak's Ransom, The Kings of Clonmel, Halt's Peril, and The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, all from the Hebe category, which was the biggest winner of the year. (And that will probably not change.) I still love children's/teen fantasy, and this series is one of my very favorites in recent years.

UNGODLY MESS: (2 stars and under)

Forensic Nurse, Stiff and Ghost a la Mode, all Hades category. The first really was a mess. Interesting idea, very poor execution. The last two were just not even worth finishing. Didn't like the style in one; didn't like the premise in the other.

Only 39 books listed so far this year, which is not as many as I've actually read, but isn't bad. I've got one in every category so far, but only one in The Fates (biography). I need to balance out my reading, but I've been shying away from 'serious' reading in favor of lighter stuff, as life has continued being stressful this year. This may result in a category overhaul later, but for now, I'm keeping things as they are and hoping it will work out.