Chelle Reads Into Autumn - Thread #3

Autumn in Algonquin park, one of my favorite places in Ontario. (Picture from this website)

(Thread #1)
(Thread #2)

Books read in 2011 so far
1) The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
2) The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
3) The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
4) The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
5) Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
6) The year of the flood by Margaret Atwood
7) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
8) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
9) The Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
10) The Passage by Justin Cronin
11) The Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
12) The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth:
13) The Radley's by Matt Haig
14) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E Harkness
15) Blood Game by Iris Johansen
16) Dead Town by Dean Koontz
17) Lost Souls by Dean Koontz
18) 10th Anniversary
19) Tick Tock by James Patterson
20) Sing you Home by Jodi Piccoult
21) Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult
22) The Lightning thief by Rick Riordan
23) The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
24) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
25) The Battle of the Labrynth by Rick Riordan
26) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
27) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
28) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
29) Harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban by JK Rowling
30) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
31) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
32) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
33) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
34) Quidditch through the ages by JK Rowling
35) Fantastic Beasts and where to find them
36) Tales of Beedle the Bard
37) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
38) Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
39) Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
40) Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
41) Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
42) Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
43) Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
44) Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
45) Lover Mine by J.R. Ward
46) Prophecy of the Sister by Michelle Zink
47) The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
48) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
49) Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D
50) Spell bound by Kelley Armstrong
51) Dracula by Bram Stoker
52) Fall of the Giants By Ken Follett
53) Divergent by Veronica Roth
54) Now you see her by James Patterson
55) Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gibaldon
56) Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
57) Virals by Kathy Reichs
bust: The Dark End of the Street short stories
58) Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
59) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
60) Mister B Gone by Clive Barker
61) Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
62) Covet by J.R Ward
63) Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
64) Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (audio)
65) The Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
66) Mile 81 by Stephen King
67) Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansback
68) The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (Book 5 ~ Outlander Series)
69) The Tommyknockers by Stephen King
70) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (audiobook)
71) Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
72) Room by Emma Donoghue
73) The Elephant Mountains by Scott Ely (ER novel)

October

74) Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
75) We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
76) Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
77) The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
78) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
79) The Edge of Reason by Melinda Snodgrass
80) Wolf's Trap by W.D. Gagliani
81) The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (audiobook)
82) The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
83) I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
84) The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
85) The Terror by Dan Simmons
86) Scavenger by David Morrell
87) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Macabre Tales by Washington Irving
88) Wolf's Gambit by W.D. Gagliani
89) Mice by Gordon Reece

November

90) Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson
91) Aesop's Fables by Aesop
92) The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro
93) Angelic by Kelley Armstrong
94) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs
95) The Help by Kathryn Stocket
96) The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Currently Reading

Print____________Audio____________


Goals for November:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (1001 Books List)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Aesop's Fables by Aesopus

Oh such gorgeous fall colours on your thread! And I'm the first to drop a star!

Second! Brilliant colors in your top picture... so much better than ours... love it!

ETA: I wanna move to Canada!

Oh, wow, what a beautiful photo!

*starred*

Thanks for the visit and the star Deb :)

Claudia you should move to Canada (Until November when it snows and then go somewhere warm!!)

Thanks Anne, thanks for stopping by! :)

But... but... Chelle...
I LOVE SNOW/COLD/ICE!

Chelle- Love the New Thread and the photo is wonderful. Since I have to trudge through it for a living, I'm not a huge fan of winter, although it does have it's moments.
I've had The Strain on my WL for awhile. I'll be watching for your thoughts.

Great photo! Hope you're having a good Monday!

Claudia I guess in Maine you probably get similar weather to Ontario? If not then you can come stay at my house and play in the snow while I go somewhere warm!! Sound good?

HI Mark. I've never been a big fan of experiencing cold weather, but I do love the romantic look of a fresh snow (Especially around Christmas). Although since I started working for the police dispatch winter storms usually mean a busy shift dealing with stranded motorists or accidents.
I can imagine walking in snow and while delivering the mail probably takes the romantic look of it away quick!
I'm about halfway through The Strain and enjoying it! I'm going to try and get my hands on the sequel soon.

Thanks Laura! Enjoy your Monday as well :)
***

I'm on nightshift this week, 4 twelve hour shifts, so I should be able to get a few books done. Hope everyone has a great day!

Ah The Strain another of my planned reads for next year. I too will be watching for your comments on this one.

83) I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

I Am Legend follows the narrative of Robert Neville, a survivor of a pandemic that he believes no one else survived. The pandemic killed his family and after they died, like everyone else, they came back to "life" as a creature resembling vampires. Each day in Neville's new life he uses the daytime hours to hunt down and stake the vampires, and spends the rest of his time finding supplies and securing his home from the group of vampires that arrive every night to taunt him into coming outside for them to kill him.
After bouts of depression which finds him very intoxicated and thinking about his past and his present, he reaches a mental place where he decides to try and research the disease and possibly find a cure. Meanwhile the vampires come to visit every night ...

Although this novel is an apocalyptic tale about a plague turning humans into vampires, I found it focused more on the main character. It shows the struggles he went through with loneliness, the confusion of what happened to the world and the things that happen to him and around him in the course of the story. I was very happy to find the story much more likable than the movie!

oic... eeeewwww Good review, but still not a book for me.

Being on the coast, we probably don't get as much snow as you.
If you have any better books than #83, I'll come watch your house, play in the snow, and read while you scamper around the Carribean in a sailboat! ;-)

Hmmm that sounds like a plan ... you don't happen to have a sailboat I can borrow??

A little one (can't sleep on it) ... and a couple of kayaks?

You might want to go a bit bigger in the islands...

I guess I'll have to start saving ... my fiance and I went on a catamaran tour in the Dominican a couple years ago and he loved it ... so maybe I'll have to find a cheap catamaran for him ... or win the lottery and GO BIG! ;)

84) The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Quite possibly the best book I have read this year. I will be running out to buy this one, book two and book three is being released at the end of this month.

When a Boeing 777 pulls into JFK airport and stops on the tarmac and loses all power the ground crew is concerned. When it stays that way and the people on the plane make no attempt to get out the CDC gets involved and finds a shock of gigantic proportions when they get on the plane. Dr Ephraim Goodweather is the head of the Canary Project for CDC in New York and is one of the first two people on the plane. What he finds amazes and confuses him and as he starts to find out more about the situation quickly finds his life spinning out of control into an area that surpasses his imagination. Meanwhile holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian sees the news story about the plane and he has a sinking feeling that a foe from his past has arrived. He has waited 60 years to come face to face again with The Master.
The Plague has come to New York City.

This was an absorbing read. I gobbled it up as quick as I could and can't wait for the sequel. This was a fresh look at vampirism, back to the days of vampires as a danger to society and not the romanticized version where they live in peace with humanity and drink blood from the blood bank. These vampires are not your friends. Run.

"A truce has been broken. An ancient, sacred pact. By a man who is no longer a man, but an abomination. A walking, devouring abomination"

5*

glitter-graphics.com

Just popping in to say hi:)

I've got I am Legend waiting on the shelves of shame, probably should bump it up a bit:) You also made The Strain sound really good, I'll have to see if I can track it down.

A couple of great, spine-tingling reviews, Chelle. I plan on getting to both of them in the New Year.

HI Calm, thanks for visiting! What a cute graphic!!
I Am Legend was good, but The Strain was great! Left me hanging though so I can't wait to get to the second!

Thanks Judy! I hope you enjoy them when you get to them in the new year :)

Hi Chelle! So glad you enjoying your Vampire reads!!! Oh so scary!!!! Yesterday when I was out I could not help but notice the contrast between your area of Canada and mine! I'm afraid we have a lot of evergreen in the Vancouver area - and far fewer deciduous trees -so we don't get much colour. On the plus side, it's much warmer all winter and it's always green - and grey!;)

HI Deb. I love seeing our fall colours here, and as a matter of fact my fiance and I are going to try and get our engagement photos done this Sunday and we hope to be able to incorporate some fall colour into them

However, our colour only lasts about 3 weeks ... I would probably trade that (and the snow!!) for a winter of mild weather and more green and less slush! If we lived on the west coast we probably wouldn't have to winter our motorcycles!

HI Chelle.

I note you are reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. My partner and his cousin and her partner visited Sunnyside last weekend. Sunnyside is the home of Washington Irving. It was fascinating to learn more about him. He was a very popular author in his day. The house is charming and Tarrytown is beautiful.

HI Linda, thanks for visiting!

That is a charming house! I bet that was quite the interesting visit!

I'm finding Sleepy Hollow hard to get through, but I hope to finish it this weekend. I'm not a big fan of short stories so making myself sit down and read it is a challenge. As with all complilations it has some good and some not-so-good stories. Lots of pirates though lol

Chelle- Good review of The Strain! High praise too! I'll have to track this one down. I love Del Toro's film work too. Have you seen "Pan's Labyrinth"? Great movie.

The Strain sounds like a ripsnorter of a read!

ETA: Mark, I loved "Pan's Labyrinth"! He also did "The Devil's Backbone" which is another excellently creepy movie.

*Gasp* That is a gorgeous picture to introduce your new thread. Our fall colors aren't as vibrant as they normally are here in the heartland of the U.S. Too hot and dry this summer. I love fall and winter is nice if I can stay inside and read while the snow falls.

That's a great idea about having some fall backgrounds in your engagement pictures. So when is the wedding?

HI Mark, thanks :) I haven't seen any of Del Toro's movies as I am a big baby when it comes to watching scary movies. I think I'd like to read more from him and Hogan though!

Hi Tania! It was a ripsnorter! (although I'm not entirely sure what "ripsnorter" means! LOL)

Hi Donna, Thanks very much!
We are planning on having the wedding next November in Jamaica. We haven't booked anything yet

>14 ChelleBearss: You know, there is a movie called I Am Legend, and it sounds exactly like that. But it's been a long time since I've watched it.

Late but I am here to drop off my star!

Looks like you are in full swing with your October spooky reads. :)

Did you ever watch the I am Legend movie?

ETA: I just noticed that Nathan asked the same question before me..haha!

HI Nathan and Valerie!

Surprisingly enough I have seen that movie. (Although I normally don't do scary movies!)
I remember it being meh, ok but not spectacular.

>33 ChelleBearss: Same here.

Just stopping by to say hi! How exciting , your upcoming engagement pictures. And such a lovely plan for your wedding! Such a gorgeous picture that Linda has dropped in on your thread! What a lovely cottage!

As to having to put away your motorcycles in the winter, even here, most people do. We get black ice and there are many curvy, hilly roads -and I've known of more than one person losing control in the rain / black ice.

Spooky movies! OHH to scary for me!!! Anything with the supernatural scares me to bits. But give me a good spy movie with " spooks" and I love them!!

Wedding in Jamaica! WOW
Sorry Im late to the new thread, sometimes I just get carried away using the "Your Posts" link and forget to look ahead!

I see that you have read lots of books by the same author in a row, is that intentional or is it that you loved one so much you just want to read more? (or are they grouped that way to make it easier for you to see what you've read?)

HI Deb, thanks for visiting!
We are excited to get out engagement photos done. There is a lovely park about an hour from our house that has a small waterfall that you can walk out to and we are hoping to be able to get some shots there. However we are getting quite a downpour of rain right now so the park might be a tad wet by Sunday! I'm crossing my fingers that it will dry before Sunday!

I have been in a bit of a movie funk since Nate has been away training. I've mostly just been reading and only watch movies when he is home to enjoy them with me. We watched Bridesmaids last weekend and it was pretty hillarious!

Hi Megan I didn't join until August so I had to try and figure out what I had read in the first half of the year. Mostly those were not read in the order they are posted, but the JR Ward books I did read in that order as I borrowed them from a friend at work and got completely addicted!
I'm trying to space out my reading of series as I don't want to have to compare one to the next and just enjoy them.

I hope we get to see some engagement pics :)

So... get married in Jamaica - then stay for honeymoon? Maybe we should plan an LT meet-up nearby! ;-)

I second Claudia!

Claudia, If the pictures turn out I will for sure post a couple. We are bringing our baby (aka Jax the dog) and hope to have him in a "family" picture too ... cheese-ball I know, but fun :)

Ohhh Jamaica would be the perfect place for an LT meetup!! We are hoping to be able to go for two weeks, one with our family and friends for the wedding and then change resorts to a fancier resort for the honeymoon. All yet to planned of course, waiting for the military to tell us where we will be living next year first!
***

Sooo I made a chapters order tonight! Turns out I have zero will power! (I guess I knew that already...)
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro (because the hardcover was only $7!! )
The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro
The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro
The Passage by Justin Cronin
The Maze Runner by James Dasher
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (because I got tired of being on the library hold list!)

(sad that I have already read two of them though ... I have an 'owning" issue me thinks!)

No will power? Seems like you've found the perfect support group here on LT.
I see The Maze Runner on that list!! I really hope you enjoy that one as much as I did. :)

Jamaica for a wedding sounds heavenly and a perfect place for a honeymoon as well!

Speaking of I am Legend movie, I actually preferred the alternate ending as opposed to the one they actually released. I thought it had more purpose and meaning.

Chelle, I absolutely LOVE the photo of Algonquin Park! Have been into the park on a few occasions, though not for a long time. I've been in BC some twenty years now, and I still miss Ontario's fall colours. Have never seen anything that comes close ... Enjoy : ).

Haha Valerie, I'm not so sure this could be counted as a support group ... I seem to find more temptation here! But at least I have help feeding my addiction here ... a nice healthy, slightly expensive addiction though ;)
The Maze Runner looks quite good ... I'll let you know what I think when I get around to it next month

Thanks Nancy! I love Algonquin Park. We live about 5 hours away though so it's not exactly a day trip, and I missed not being able to camp this year.
I do enjoy the fall colours, but in the torrential downpour we are getting right now I can't really see them!

I finally got some pictures passed along from friends that went to the county wedding with us.
This is my fiance and I being talked into posing with cowboy hats. I am soooooo not a cowboy :)

Great picture Chelle!! You both look wonderful!! I too am so not cowboy! Very daring of you to put on a cowboy hat. I think you look great with it on. Are you sure you aren't from Calgary?:)

Your comment that you always planned / thought you would be a young mom made me chuckle. In highschool, one of my closest friends said that she planned to be married and have kids by 19 or 20. Well, she ended up going to university, getting a degree, traveling and living in Europe and finally getting married at 27 - and now has 3 kids! I planned to wait until I was at least 26 to have my first child and what do you know - I got married at 22 1/2 - and had my first child at 2 months short of 24!!! Yes, life is full of surprises!

Cute picture and you and the fiance Chelle! The plaid of course is a great compliment to the cowboy hat. Of course you aren't a cowboy because you are a cowgirl! ;)

It's funny because I think almost everyone in Calgary actually does own a cowboy hat and they all whip it out during Stampede week. I will have to admit since I've moved to Calgary, I have never donned one let alone made the purchase. There is no cow in me!

#44 - Awesome picture! I love the idea of a super-casual wedding...even though I'm not sure if I could rock the cowgirl hat.

Chelle- Great book haul! I'm a big fan of both Maze Runner & The Passage and I have Miss Peregrine's on the WL.
I think you make a fine cowgirl. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Deb We definitely are not from Calgary, but funny enough the white hat that Nate had on came from the Stampede! One of our friends brought it back with them last year.

I always figured if I hadn't had kids by the time I hit 30 then I wouldn't have any. Well 30 has come and gone and we are starting to think about kids now for after the wedding. We shall see what life brings I guess

Thanks Valerie but I don't think I would make a very good cowgirl. I would giggle and feel weird the whole time I wore the hat!

Hi Kerri! It was a very fun wedding! $2 drinks, pie bar, nacho bar and the brides little son was a riot! He striped himself out of his cowboy shirt and danced half naked. I think he is about 3 years old and was the life of the party!

Hi Mark! Hope you ended up getting some piece and quiet afterall tonight!

I'm looking forward to November, I have a ton of great books lined up and once it snows I go into hibernation so I'll probably get a ton of reading done!
*****

Well I am at work, last nightshift tonight YAY!!

I'm struggling to get through The Terror. I'm 219 pages of 769 and hoping it gets more interesting soon. I'm procrastinating right now as an excuse not to read ... sad! The funny thing is it isn't bad, just slow going and I think I needed something exciting for nightshift to keep me awake.

Dropping by to drop a star Chelle. Lovely colours on your Alonquin photo and your county wedding shot proves that you are definitely not cowboys. I have never seen such a clean stetson as that on your fiance!
Bit worried about The Terror - it was left behind in my hotel in Thailand this August by someone presumably as despairing of it as you. Maybe I should have left it where it was.

HI Paul, thanks for stopping by!

Give The Terror a shot, I'm sure it will turn out to be worth reading. I think I am just in a nightshift mood and maybe should have started it on days off. I can see potential in it though

Aw, that's a great picture of you and your fiancee! A Jamaica wedding sounds wonderful, especially as a break from the winter weather!

Thanks Laura! It's all Nate and his big smile and overly white hat that make the picture!

ETA:
I'm still procrastinating from reading my chunker book ... blah!

As another way to procrastinate I have joined the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die group and made a thread, I'll post it here in case any of you are also participating

http://www.librarything.com/topic/125501#

Hmm , Chelle, I need to order that book so at least I'll know what books I must read before I die.... I'll have a look at your link! Thanks for the push! :)

We can help push each other!
I'm going to try and add one book in each month. I need motivation to read off my shelves instead of buying more! (and we all know I will still buy more, many more!)

This book has finally started to get interesting, and a little freaky.

I'm also learning, kinda fun so I'll share ( you can probably tell that I'm at nearing the end of nightshift and killing time before I can leave and go to bed!)

fo'c's'le means forecastle:
1. The section of the upper deck of a ship located at the bow forward of the foremast.
2. A superstructure at the bow of a merchant ship where the crew is housed.

Tails of the Cat:
a type of multi-tailed whipping device that originated as an implement for severe physical punishment, notably in the Royal Navy and Army of the United Kingdom, and also as a judicial punishment in Britain and some other countries.


The phrase "not enough room to swing a cat" commonly refers to this device, and not the feline variety.

54 Touche Chelle I'm also a member of that Group! Unfortunately as new editions come out I think we are at around 1239 books already - "1239 To Read Before You Die" doesn't quite work does it? Noticed my collection of the 1239 is not so shabby, but I still have a lot of them to read.

haha 1239 doesn't quite have the same ring to it, no. I'm amazed at how many of the books I have never even heard of!

I remember browsing through that book one time at the bookstore and like you I was surprised at how many of the books I've never even heard of but then again, 1000 books is quite a lot of books!

yes Valerie, 1000 is a ton of books ... and 1239 is even more! lol

I am just waking up from nightshift and realize that I resemble a zombie today. I don't imagine a lot of reading will be done today! If only I could go back to bed but still be able to sleep tonight normal

Love the cowboy photo. But I thought everyone who lives north of Mexico dresses like this?
;)

Chelle, I LOVE the cowboy/girl photo! hehe, it's perfect!
Tickled you also joined 1001; I'm part of the group, too, but don't keep a thread there. Often I'm listening to a 1001 selection while reading something else. I'm a walker and always have something going in the iPod. In case you're interested, LibriVox.org has a ton of free audio recordings of 1001 books - anything that's copyright-expired, you have a good chance of finding there. Great resource!

Nancy what a resourceful resource!

Hi Chelle! I just thought I'd pop by and tell you that I ordered 1001 books to read before you die - I ordered it via Amazon ca, so I won't get it until next Friday.. but I'm excited!

yay, that's exciting! I sat down with mine last night while I was waiting for Nate to get home for the weekend and it is now full of sticky notes for books I want to read!
I figure I'll start with the ones I've actually heard of and work my way from there lol

OK, let's try this again. The last time I tried to post something on here Librarything crashed so....

That cowboy picture up there is very convincing. I should know. I grew up with cowboys everyday. You even got that cowboy smile.

HI Nathan! I think that will probably be the last time I wear a cowboy hat ( unless we move to Calgary or something! lol)

***

Just got home from the Friends of the Library book sale! I can't believe I almost forgot about it and didn't go yesterday! I got there within an hour of it closing today, whoops! Still got some good books, including a brand new copy of Divergent for $2 that someone must have donated as it doesn't have a library tag on it! I'm going to give it away as a Christmas present as I already own it, but couldn't not buy it for $2! lol

This is the haul for $19.50:

Flashback by Nevada Barr
The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Yousef Al-Mohalmeed
A Certain Justice by PD James
The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton
A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Lost Boy, Lost Girl by Peter Straub
Ape House by Sara Gruen

Oy, that was quite a lot to carry!!

Mmmmmmmm boooook saaaaaaales
Nice haul

Chelle- What a great book haul! I'm a big fan of both Divergent & The Knife of Never Letting Go. Actually the entire trilogy of the latter is real good.

Oh nice haul, Chelle! And especially for 19.50! PD James is one of my favourite authors, so I hope you enjoy A Certain Justice. I've always wanted to read The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing so I'll look forward to your comments. I've got a new thread - do drop by when you get a moment.

Hi Chelle. I decided to stop by and visit your thread after you dropped in to visit mine a few days ago. Three threads and an hour later and I finally made it to the end. You have read some great books and I have enjoyed your reviews. Consider yourself officially starred. I'm just sorry I didn't catch your thread sooner. Hope you enjoy The Magicians when you get there.

Well done Chelle - book sales seem to be coming thick and fast this end of year. I have one coming up in early Nov - heaven knows to what extent I will abuse my bank account.

#69 I know Megan, books sales are the best! I can't believe I almost forgot about this one!

#70 Hi Mark I didn't realize The Knife of Never Letting Go was a trilogy! Crap, I guess I'll be starting another series ;)

#71 I've actually never gotten around to reading any PD James so I guess this will be my first taste. I see a lot of people read PD James on LT though

#72 Wow Jechtshot, thanks for reading all 3! That's kinda cool!
I'll be attempting The Magicians in November, looking forward to it! I got partway into it before and had to return it to the library, so I bought it now so I won't have to rush

#73 enjoy your books sale Paul! I used real restraint by not going back today! As I was leaving yesterday there was an announcement over the loudspeaker stating that today would be "Fill a bag" Sunday! Fill a grocery bag with books for $3.

Things are always interesting in our house when Nate comes home from Base for a weekend! I was woken up to THIS playing at top sound this morning ... oy!

#75 Samuel Jackson, hehe!

Hi Chelle! You are always so full of good energy! Cowboy wedding, Jamaica honeymoon plans, book sales/great haul and happy songs... LOVE the pic of you and Nate.

Hope you don't have to deal with another nightshift for awhile. It messed up my system when I worked varying shifts in the hospital. :P
Have a great day! Ya-hoo!

Thanks Claudia, it's easy to be full of good energy right now, life is good :)

I'm on a set schedule right now so I'll be 2 days and 2 nights this week and then another weekend off with Nate. We are supposed to go to a costume party next weekend, but we are struggling to think of a fun (and not cheesy) couples costume.
Hope you enjoyed your birthday weekend!! :)
***

So we were supposed to get our engagement photos done today but Nate had to head back to base early for an assignment so we have changed it to next Saturday when we will have more time.

Instead we just took the pooch out to check out the falls where we will be getting the pictures done next weekend, and it's as cool as I remember! It was nice enough that we even let the pooch swim in the falls for a bit (quite shallow and safe)

Love these pictures! Lucky Dog!
Can't wait to see how your engagement pics come out!

Beautiful dog and scenery! Thanks for sharing.

Hi Chelle, just checking out your thread. We seem to have a lot in common. I just got married to a military man myself in September. Congrats on your engagement! You also added some books to my wishlist (Bel Canto, Divergent...) I also really wanted to try the books that Bones is based on. I LOVE the show so I was always hesitant about the books, but I think I need to give it a whirl.

Thanks Claudia! He is a spoiled dog!

Thanks Kerri! I found this place about 6 years ago and really should visit more often. It's a great place for a hike

Hi Marie, thanks for visiting! Congrats on your recent wedding! I love the Bones tv show too, although I am very being on the last season. The books are great, but there are not exactly like the show. Bones is actually based out of Montreal and North Carolina instead of The Jefferson. Booth isn't in them but a hunky french cop is instead (at least I vision him as hunky!)

Gorgeous photos, Chelle. What an absolutely perfect day!

Love the falls-with-dog photos!

Thanks Nancy! It was quite a nice fall day, and the dogs just loved it. Slept like a baby last night from all the excitement lol

Hi Genny, thanks for stopping by! :)

What a beautiful spot, lovely photos.

Oh! A beautiful weekend! What gorgeous pictures! What fun for you and your dogs!!!

Wow, Id like to go there now and have a half day sit down.

Thanks Calm, Deb and Megan It was a fun few hours! Looking forward to going back this Saturday for our engagement pictures and maybe a longer swim for the beast (aka Jax the dog:)
***

I am determined to finish my current book Today! It has taken me a week and as much as I am enjoying it now it needs to be finished!
Adding this here to motivate me...
**
85) The Terror by Dan Simmons


Beware - Spoilers included!

I am not sure how I feel about this book. It took me a week to get through this chunker! I almost gave it up around page 200. While the beginning was very difficult to get into, the back half of the book was terrifying and very interesting and I am very glad I hung in there until the end, however had I not been reading this for a specific challenge I probably would have given up on it.

The Terror is a fictional tale set in 1845, based on the historically unsuccessful Franklin Expedition. Setting off on two vessels, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, sail from England with 105 men in an attempt to locate the Northwest Passage.

After a bad commanding decision, the boats become frozen in ice and stranded for years and the crew quickly finds that a large portion of their stored food has been packaged badly and has gone putrid. They are forced into dealing with half rations and feelings of starvation, scurvy, constant freezing temperatures, threats of mutiny and a monster. Crew members are stalked by this creature and are attacked and some eaten while walking on ice or attempting to hunt.

Simmons did a great job of showing the terror and anxiety felt by the crew and creating a vivid picture of a beautiful landscape that is a dangerous and dismal place to die. The slow burning suspense in the middle of the book really draws the reader in.

While Simmons manages to hold the readers interest almost until the very end he loses something in the chapters on Inuit mythology. I was unimpressed with this portion of the book and felt that it didn’t quite fit, although I understood what he was trying to explain.

Overall this ended up being an enjoyable book but at 766 pages it really lives up to it’s name.

3.5*

Chelle- I love the photos! Thanks for sharing. I have not read Dan Simmons.

Getting caught up with you this morning was such a good time, Chelle. I loved the pic of you and your intended in the clean cowboy hats. Well, it was a wedding so you had to leave the dirty ones at home, right? What a cool idea for a wedding...but I think you have a better one to get married in Jamaica. Can't wait to see the engagement pics with the falls and fall leaves in the background.

I also recently made a good haul at my library's book sale. I love the idea of finding a book treasure at these sales - and I'm rarely disappointed.

Post #89 Edited to show review ...

Hi Mark! Hope you are enjoying your day off! This was my first by Simmons, but I have Carrion Comfort waiting to be read at some point. I've heard that one is quite good!

Hi Donna Thanks very much! I'll try and post some of the pictures from this coming weekend when I get them from the photographer.

Great review Chelle, I will give it a miss though. After reading The Farthest North on the same subject matter, I feel I may have had enough of the longest winter ever.

Hmmmm.
Nice review, Chelle. I love winter - but 766 pgs might be a bit much. Still... I'm keeping this one in mind for next summer! :)

Wow, Chelle! 766 pages!! That's a chunkster!! Well - my husband has to move to graveyard shifts for a few months - 8:30 in the evening til 7:40 am. He starts in a couple of days. I wonder how we are going to adapt to that. My husband has not had to work graveyards for about? 25 years, so I think this will be a shock to both of us....

Hi Megan I read it for the halloween challenge otherwise I probably wouldn't have. Reading about
-71F weather gives me the chills!!

Claudia I'm not sure you would like that kinda cold!! Walk outside without a glove and lose a finger type cold. Ick! I'll keep my nice Canadian -10c weather instead lol

Hi Deb 25 years is a long time to go without a doing a nightshift! Wow. He might not like it a first, it tends to be a tad bit of a shock, but he will probably get used to it. I don't mind the nightshifts now when I am able to sleep during the day. Nightshifts on no sleep are brutal though!
A plus for you, alone time from 830 on! More reading time lol

Hi Chelle! I'm trying to make my way to catch up on all threads and it looks like library sales or cheap book sales are the common theme around here. Everywhere I go I read about such fabulous books for fabulous prices! There is a library sale coming up in November in my neck of the woods so hopefully I can cash in like everyone else.

Such pretty picture of the falls in your area! Are those places close by home or do they require a drive out of the city?

Hi Valerie! Fall does seem to be the time for mass amounts of book sales! Hope you get some good ones at your sale next month!
Rock Glen Falls is about an hour west of my house. Not too bad of a fall drive! We stopped and got some local apples on the way back and I resisted buying yet another pumpkin! We have one to carve this weekend.

*******

86) Scavenger by David Morrell

***Possible spoilers!


Scavenger is the sequel to Creepers which I did not have the pleasure to read first. It apparently starts from where the previous book left off, with the main character Frank in the hospital after saving Amanda's life. After being released from the hospital and being taken care of by Amanda they are invited to a lecture on Time Capsules. Frank has a passion for history so they attend and then find themselves awaking separately in strange places, with no memory of leaving the lecture.

Amanda and 4 strangers awake in a strange house to the sound of a man's voice coming through loud speakers. They receive instructions on how to survive The Game that they have been kidnapped to play in. Wearing jumpsuits, headsets and given only a GPS they are given instructions to leave the house they are trapped in, and must follow clues given to them from The Game Master speaking to them through their headsets. Very quickly they realize what will happen to them if they refuse to play along, and it isn't pretty.
Meanwhile Frank has been thrust into his own part in the game and must find a way to save himself and Amanda.

They are in the ultimate scavenger hunt, and they have 40 hours to win or die.

Morrell tells a great story in this race against the clock thriller. It was quite the page turner and I very much enjoyed it! I will for sure be looking up more titles from Morrell!
4*

87) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Macabre Tales by Washington Irving

As with all short story compilations some are good, and some are not so good. I won't do a full review of each story but just state that I did enjoy the stories overall. Surprisingly there were quite a few stories of pirates, some of which didn't really live up to the "macabre" promised.

The title tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was quite good, but not what I expected. As with a lot of the stories, Irving leaves the tale open to an alternative conclusion; the reader can either chose to believe the supernatural side or the possibility of a reasonable explanation for the event.
My favorites of the stories were: Rip Van Winkle and The Adelantado of the Seven Cities

"Times grew worse and worse with Rip Van Winkle as years of matrimony rolled on; a tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use." From 'Rip Van Winkle'

3.5*

Oh Chelle! My husband is really dreading the night shift! He's worked 6 am to 3 pm and 12 :20 pm til 11:10 pm in two weeks alternating shifts, so as it is, I get plenty of time to read by myself, but now - can me and the dog stay quiet enough for my husband to sleep during the day??? At least where we live is relatively quiet. .

Great review of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. You've really been doing lots of reading! Good for you! hmmm - maybe on midnight shift my husband willl pick up on reading -hard to say! He's an aircraft mechanic, so I'm not sure how much time he'll spend freezing outdoors.....He hopes to bid back to a better shift come Jan or Feb.

Hi Deb! Hope your hubby grows into nightshift, or gets his new posting in the new year! I don't mind nights when I get sleep ... however tonight feels like the longest night ever! Looking forward to my bed!

Nate and the dog do a pretty good job of keeping quiet when I am on nights. Nate usually hides in the basement and the dog is the laziest dog ever and usually sleeps with me all day! We have a good system :)

Morning Chelle- Hope you get off soon, so you can get to bed. I haven't read David Morrell in many years. good to hear he's still writing decent thrillers.

I used to work nights, and I don't envy you! However, I find I can block most noise out with super-duper ear plugs and my white noise recordings. I have one that is like tv static and it's FANTASTIC. I use it on the train too, to block out noise so I can read.

I can never do shift work. My sleep is rather a sensitive beast all on it's own with the constant shifting of time to add to the confusion! My husband can hit the pillow and be out in less than a minute! That has always boggled my mind because it takes me at least a good 15 minutes before I feel like I'm drifting on a good day.

Hi Mark! Last nightshift and then I am off for 5 days, I can't wait!! Counting down 11 more hours ;)
I think I will try and pick up more Morrell and more Dan Simmons. I think they could become favorites.

Hi Kerri. You are lucky that you don't have to work nights anymore. I don't have to worry about blocking out noise, I actually sleep pretty great during the day. Not sure why. Except for days like today that the dog and cat thought it would be a good time to try and kill each other, or at least that's how it sounded!

Hi Valerie! I don't always fall asleep quick but once I'm out I can usually stay that way for a loooong time :)
I fear that once I have children and have to listen for them I'll lose this ability to block out noise, so I will cherish it for now!

88) Wolf's Gambit by W.D. Gagliani
Nick Lupo book #2

Again we meet Nick Lupo, Detective and werewolf. Things are not easy balancing life as a cop and as a werewolf. Every full moon he manages to get away from work for a couple days and go to his hideaway in the woods where he can run wild as a wolf and spend some time with his girlfriend. Unfortunately for him things never seem to go as planned!

When someone opposes the new reservation casino and starts picking off the counsel members one by one the new sheriff finds out his nice cozy small town job is not going to be as easy as he thought and finds himself asking Nick for help. Quickly Nick finds out that he is not the only werewolf in town and things start to get interesting.

Another fun and easy read. Kept me awake for a couple nightshifts and that is always a good thing!
3.5*

Chelle- You should only have a few hours left! Yah! Enjoy your time off. I'm also looking forward to a week off. Double Yah!

LOL! That does sound like a fun book... but my WL is waaaay too long and werewolves aren't for me. Glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Mark! Hope you enjoy your time off as well!

Hi Claudia, it was a fun book but it's full of werewolves and graffic content so I could see how that wouldn't be for everyone!

Well I'm now off for 5 whole days! yippee!!
I'm procrastinating from doing my housework (boring!) and playing online instead. Spent my morning hunting around for final touches on my costume for our party tonight! Should probably practice my makeup at some point ... or maybe take a nap instead ...

We ended up picking a marionette and puppet master as our costume! Nate will be happy he gets to Suit Up!

5 whole days sounds awesome! Hope you have a fun time tonight and enjoy the couple days of freedom. :)

Have a fun time at your costume party, Chelle.

Enjoy your days off, Chelle!! I was considering reading something scary for Halloween, but with my husband just starting on to graveyard shift, as he calls it -I thought I might not be able to sleep at night with him gone! Spppoooky!! :)

Happy Halloween!

Awe- SOME!
Love your costumes. Cool and creepy with your facial expression/make up.

#113 - Wow! Nice job!

Oh, excellent costume! Well done, you!

Chelle really scared you are going to the do as my Mother in law!

Hi Chelle,

I think this might be the first time I've dropped by your thread - your photo of Algonquin caught my eye. It's one of my favourite places too! Anyway, I'm now following your reading - we share lots of books :)

Happy Halloween!

Oh Chelle, I am just getting caught up on your thread -- what wonderful photos you've posted! Thanks for sharing :)

OH! I LOVE your costumes! They look fantastic on you both!
Thanks for the picture. (great pose, Chelle!)

That's pretty awesome! I hope you guys had a great time. :)

Hahahaha!!! I love your costumes, Chelle! Thanks for posting them for us!! Hope you had a great time!!!!!

Great costumes Chelle - hope the party was fun.

Chelle- Excellent job on the costumes! You guys did a great job. Hope you had a fantastic time.

Impressive costumes! What a lot of effort goes into Halloween!

Well I'm back :) It was a pretty great weekend all around! The party on Friday was a lot of fun and we won 2nd prize for best costume! Got a timmies card, yay! Love me some Tim Hortons!
Yesterday we spent the afternoon with our dog and the photographer and went to Rock Glen Falls for our engagement photo shoot. We ended up with a nice sunny and warm fall day! Got some great pictures and the photographer even took some of the dog playing in the waterfall. Lots of fun!
Today I'm just hanging around while Nate winters our motorcycles with my dad. Sad to see the season end. Dealing with a bit of back pain today and looking forward to a night of laying around with my book and a very tired doggie!

#110 & 121, Thanks Valerie! It was super fun! A couple more days off still and looking forward to some relaxing!

#111 Thanks Judy! I'll try and pop by your thread and visit tonight!

#112 & 122 Thanks Deb! Maybe something just thrilling, and not totally spooky, would be ok for Halloween when you are home alone?

#114 Thanks Megan! The makeup was pain and didn't end up quite like I wanted, but I'm useless in the makeup department so I was happy it turned out at all!! I had a little disagreement with the fake eyelashes that I bought and they didn't end up getting worn! Turns out the sticky backing doesn't stick to makeup well. Who knew?!

#115 Thanks Kerri! Hope you had a good weekend :)

#116 Thanks Amber! Wish I had your skill and could have made one! Is your little Charlie excited for Halloween? Hope he got a good stash of candy!

#117 Paul Is it the white face or cute dress that reminded you of your MIL?!

#118 Hi Cait Thanks for visiting! I'll try and find your thread tonight! Always nice to find someone who enjoys the same types of books!

#119 Hi Anne! I'm a tad behind on your thread (and all the threads) as well! 3 days away from the computer really adds up!

#120 Hi Claudia! Did Maine end up getting the big snow storm that was hitting the coast? London missed out (oh darn! haha) but I saw Boston and some areas got up to a foot! I'll be happy to wait until December for snow if I can!!

#123 Hi Calm! The party was a great time! My fiance took that opportunity to remind me that we should get out more!

#124 Thanks Mark! Hope you are enjoying your quiet house and some vacation time!! Enjoy your week!

#125 Thanks Genny! I don't think my fiance realized how much work it took to get our costumes ready! I think if we are going out next year I will start looking for costumes in September! Probably save some money that way too!!

Chelle- I just wanted to let you know, I downloaded the audio of The Strain Trilogy this morning. Cool, huh? Hope to get to the 1st one, in a couple of weeks.

That's great Mark! I ended up buying the 2nd and 3rd as well! I hope to be able to start #2 sometime in November
I hope you enjoy them!

#126 Glad to note that you had a great weekend both in the costumes and with your engagement shoot. Was just pulling your leg with the MIL gag - my MIL is scary without dressing up for the part.

I spoke to my 2-1/2 year old great niece today, and she is all excited about "going to the houses and get CANDY." Her mom says, "and what do you say then?" "Go to the NEXT house and get candy!" This is the first Halloween where she know what is going on. Big brother and big sister will take care of her. She'll be a butterfly and I am looking forward to pictures.

Loved your costumes!

#129 Thanks Paul, it was a nice weekend! I'm lucky my soon to be MIL isn't scary, but she is only in her late 40's so we will see what happens in the future ;)

#130 Hi Roni! Your great nice sounds adorable! It's all about the candy for the little ones until they are old enough to understand. I bet she makes an adorable butterfly!

89) Mice by Gordon Reece

Mice tells the tale of a mother and daughter that are basically mice; timid creatures that that are unable to deal with confrontation and live their lives scared of others. Shelley is bullied in high school to the point that she ends up injured and forced into home schooling, while her mother lives a tormented life with a domineering husband who eventually leaves her for a younger woman and a boss who sexually harasses her and takes advantage of her timid nature.
Shelley and her mother move into the country to a small cottage to escape into a quite life of solitude. Their cottage isn't so much a home, but a place for them to hide from the torments of their world.

Unfortunately everything changes for them on the eve of Shelley's sixteenth birthday. After a brutal act of violence, Shelley and her mother find a strength that they did not know they had. They slowly start to become different people, showing a different face to those that torment them. Meanwhile at home they are starting to realize that every action has a reaction and that one horrible night is starting to haunt them.
How do you live a normal life when you are terrified of getting caught?

The lock hasn't been invented that can keep our own fears out.

My library has this book tagged under suspense fiction and psychological fiction, either category describes it well. There are some descriptive scenes in the book, but the majority of the book deals with the suspense leading up to and away from the acts of violence and the psychological descriptions of the meltdowns that both females are trying to avoid.

This was a random pick while wandering around my library and I am so glad I picked it up. While it is not a difficult read, and not exactly the highest of literary writing, the darkness in this book might not be for everyone. I found myself fidgeting at certain points of reading, not wanting to put the book down but worried for what might happen to Shelley. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a dark read.
4*

Chelle, I know that you have started on the 1001 books before you die challenge, and I though in case you had the older book, I listed quite a few of the newer books on Jolerie's thread - Valerie. I got rolling with a few and next thing I had about 10 or so. Just in case you want some newer titles.

Well, just going to bed. I hope my husband graveyard shift is okay for him!

No - no scary books just now! ;)

Thanks Deb! I have the 2006 edition, which I believe might have been the first one? Although I was looking at the website, which I think is updated to the newest edition?

Great review Chelle! I'm adding books like crazy to my wishlist which should means I should step away from LT before it gets dangerous. :)

Thanks Valerie! Glad I could help you grow your wishlist!!
***

Well, I admit I have a problem. Hi my name is Chelle, and I am a book buying addict!
I got a coupon emailed to me from Chapters that offered me 20% off my next purchase ... so even though I have already spent $300 on books this month, I felt that I shouldn't waste my coupon ... obviously, right?! Some books Chapters had already marked at 30% off and I had a 10% discount card, so at 30 or 40% off I saved about $100 ... (look at me justifying my purchase!)

I vow not to purchase anymore books until I finish these ones!

Soooo this is my book haul for today.

Solar by Ian McEwan
The Litigators by John Grisham
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides
The Shimmer by David Morrell
Canning for a New Generation
Artisan Bread in Minutes a Day

***
In other news my fiance's class was told today that the administrators were looking for volunteers to take a posting in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador .... so Nate signed us up! Apparently because it's an isolation posting we have to undergo some interviews to make sure we can handle it. I'm always up for an adventure but Nate is teasing me that there are no book stores there! What a scary place if there were no book stores!!

(edited for poor poor grammer!)

I know what you mean by not passing up a good opportunity to save money when those stinking coupons come my way...my husband doesn't buy that excuse though! ;)
Some great books there, several of which I'd be interested in getting a hold of as well but since I went nuts a couple of weeks ago, I think I should lay off the purchasing until at least Christmas.

Just tell Nate that it's okay with you as long as you can do the stocking up beforehand. ;)

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador sounds interesting Chelle - I just took a look at LT local ... no mention of book stores ... but there is a library:)

Thanks for looking Calm, I forgot about the LT local thing!

If we get this posting I will be spending A LOT of money on books before we move, as it's a 3 year posting!
At least they have a library. I can't find anything online for book stores, looks like the closest is in Labrador City (8 hours away!!) I wonder if Chapters or Amazon would deliver there?

(edited : Chapters will deliver anywhere in canada ... I feel better now ;)

Wow! And I just ordered 2 books from Amazon and felt guilty. Another nice book haul. Congrats on the new Eugenides. I've heard nothing but good things. And World War Z is a MUST OWN.

136: Ooo lots of new books. I've been wanting to read the new Eugenides and McEwan. I agree that World War Z is a good one and I don't even usually like zombie books.

YAY! Labrador!

Mark I do feel guilty! But .. but .. I had a coupon! ;)

Hi Marie, thanks for visiting! I haven't read any McEwan before but Deb's thread is contagious so I thought I'd grab one... and it was on sale for $7 so how could I not!

haha Thanks Claudia! We won't know for a while if we even get an interview for the Labrador posting, but thanks for cheerleading for us! I would still love Halifax but apparently so would everyone else in his class and there are only a few postings.
He also said they might be looking for people to go to Cold Lake, Alberta but I put my foot down there. Last I checked Alberta is not near the ocean ... (although I'm sure it is a lovely place to live ;)

Hahahaha! Definitely no ocean. :( I miss that too but lovely, breathtaking, jaw dropping mountains though!

Okay, I had to googlemaps Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and whoa, that is Up There. I bet it's beautiful, though!

I would go batty off in the boondocks for 3 days much less 3 years!

#136 - Wow! What a book-buying month. I'm jealous.

I'm pretty sure Amazon delivers to military bases (I think you said your fiance is in the military, but maybe I'm wrong.) I used to sell used books on Amazon (before everyone took those UPC scanners to garage sales and it became a soul-crushing nightmare) and I remember sending some to remote military bases.

Hi Chelle! Congratulations on your big book haul! I'll be so interested to see what you think of Solar ,The Hypnotist - I've had my eye on that one... and The Marriage Plot - don't let it give you cold feet:) But, you forgot to pick up The Virgin Cure which I'm nearly finished and it's just fabulous!!!!!!! Oh well, there is still time!

I'd feel like you -hey- if there aren't any bookstores in a city , I'm not sure I could handle it!!! ;) How long will the posting be for, if you get it! My brother, who used to fly " as a bush pilot" used to spend 2-3 months at time flying in Antarctica . Now that's isolated! And he was married with one child. Thankfully both of my brother's now fly with Air Canada - just the safety factor in flying that I feel better about.

Morning All! Had a terribly odd sleep last night, lots of dreams that I can't remember. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with all the halloween candy I was munching on or my umteenth scary book of the month ...

Last freaky book to finish and then moving onto something tamer! The Help came in at the library so I'll be toning things down to start November!
***

#144 Morning Valerie! The mountains are on my list of things to see in my lifetime! For sure! However, at this time my mom won't fly, but she is willing to drive 20-30 hours to visit, so east coast is better for us. Even in the wicked boonies of Labrador

#145 HI Amber! Oh ya, it's definitely not close to home, that's for sure! I was looking at some pictures online and it looks like a lovely place, isolated but lovely!

#146 Thanks for visiting Morphy! I'm not an overly social creature (don't let LT fool you!) so I think an isolation posting would be ok for a while. As long as I have books, Nate, a few TV shows and the internet I think I would be ok.

#147 Hi Kerri! I checked the chapters website and it just says shipping cost for Canada. It doesn't separate the provinces or anything, so it will probably be ok! If not then it's an excuse to take a day trip to the next biggest town and stock up. Plus I always have library, audio or eBooks.

#148 Deb Is your hubby adapting to nights ok? Are you staying quiet as a mouse for him while he sleeps? ;)
I'll have to add the Virgin Cure to my WL after I see your final comments. I think it will have to be a library book for me, my book budget is officially done until I work an overtime day.

I think Nate said the posting would be for 3 years. I was able to talk to him a bit about it this morning. He thought it was quite funny that a whole group yesterday said they were applying and then when they got into class this morning about half of them backed out because their wives said no!

There is one position open and three applied, so depending on what they are looking for we might not get it.
It's probably cheaper and easier for the military to send a single person up there who doesn't have a home to sell instead of sending us, a couple with a home. We shall see what the next few months bring!
We will for sure know where we are going by January, I can't wait!!

I grew up in a navy family so I know all about waiting to hear where your next posting is going to be. We ended up shuffling between Victoria, B.C., Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Ottawa, Ontario. As a teenager I remember wishing my Dad was in the army as there were some great postings to Germany at that time.

Labrador would be an amazing place to discover, and now, you have a great excuse to stock up on books.

Wow, Judy, sounds like you have seen some of the best of Canada! I think becoming a military wife will make me see a lot more of Canada! I am kind of excited but nervous to find out where they end up sending us!
Eventually, once Nate is fully trained, we could apply to work at an embassy! That would be really cool!

***

90) Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson

This is the story of Tom, an average guy with an average family. At a party he finds himself being talked into getting hypnotized by his brother-in-law, great fun and amusement for all to watch. Afterwards though he realizes that was quite possibly a very bad decision. Tom starts to see a ghost that is hanging around his house. He also starts to have premonitions and can read minds, much to the dismay of his pregnant wife Anne. When his mind reading and premonitions show a violent act that is a little too close to home, he is forced to share this with his wife. This sends them in a direction that neither of them want to go.

This is the second book that I have read by Matheson, the other being I Am Legend. I enjoyed this one much more! The story flowed great and it was easy to get absorbed it.
4*

Would you sell your home or just rent it out for the 3 years?

I've only ever read a couple of short stories by Matheson, but I keep wanting to get back to him - I think I'm remembering correctly that he wrote a great amount of the Twilight Zone episodes, which are wonderfully weird and creepy. And his son, Richard Christian Matheson, is an excellent writer as well.

Like the look of this one Chelle - tempting review and it will be added to the infinity pool with is of a library.

Great review Chelle! You definitely got me curious enough to want to check this one out as well.

HI Amber! We would sell our house and rent one on base. I have been talking to more people that have lived in that area and apparently it is BEAUTIFUL!! I am getting excited and kinda hope we get it ... even thought it's wicked COLD!

Hello there Paul, glad I can help you add to your wishlist!! Cause I know there is a shortage of books around here! ;)

Thanks Valerie! I didn't want to say too much about the plot and give it away
***

I'm at work today and it's sooo slow! However, I can't seem to get into my book because I am sitting beside a lovely woman that is planning on talking for her entire 12 hour shift. Arg!

Ah Chelle - how I wish I had a husband willing to go into the deep freeze up north! It surely is very beautiful up there. I hope you get it! All crossables crossed for you two!

Good review, btw!

151>Hi Chelle - Nice review of Stir of Echoes. Pretty sure I saw the film back when Kevin Bacon was still making movies, but I don't recall it being particularly good. The book on the other hand sounds like something I would enjoy. +1 to the Wishlist.

Thanks Claudia! The more I research it and look at pretty pictures of waterfalls, the more I think it would be a fun experience. Not sure if 3 years of -25 degree weather would wear on me, but I'm sure the summer would be, somewhat, warm(ish)

I had to laugh last night though, Nate sent me a text as I was going to bed. Where we live is supposed to be +13c on Sunday, Labrador is supposed to be -23c! ouch!

Hi Jechtshot, thanks for visiting!
I was looking at reviews online for Stir of Echoes and it looks like the book was changed quite a bit for the movie. They even changed the names of the main characters. I hope you enjoy the book if you read it!

dropping by to catch up!
nice thread you have here Chelle :)
many books on this thread I have read or I have already on my list...nice selection!
I Am Legend I liked so I might take a look at his Stir of Echoes
Mice looks interesting also :) don't you just love when random picks turn out to be great reads?
nice reviews on all and crossing fingers for the "maybe" move

you are starred!
we have too many books in common for me not to follow you :)
kara

Hi Kara, thanks for stopping by! :)

Hi Chelle! I finally got my review posted for The Virgin Cure posted, so you can have a look at it, if you wish. I can understand about having purchased all of the books one can reasonably afford for the year. As for the graveyard shift - both Dave and I have been exhausted. On the other hand, I think it's going better than I expected. Staying quiet during the day is definitely difficult!I think our dog, Daisy, is the most confused by it all. She kinds of knows when to expect my husband to come and go -and all a sudden her breakfast and first walk is earlier, she doesn't see my husband, so I think she might be having the hardest time adapting. That said, I'm quite exhausted, as is Dave. We'll be glad to see Dave get back to more usual shifts, which we think will happen in the New Year. Crossing my fingers!!!

Wow! You sure have the travel bug!! Good for you - you are much more adventurous than me!!

Wow Chelle, the wanderlust in me is so envious of the two of you possibly taking off for parts unknown. Sounds very romantic. Perhaps, there will be a small group of readers in the area who will exchange books with you or have interesting book discussions. If not, you can always start one.

Hi Deb! I checked out your review, sounds good!
Hopefully your dog gets used to having a different schedule. Because I work rotating shifts, and so did Nate before he got his current job, our dog has never really had a routine. Although he is a wicked lazy beast so he is quite content to sleep whenever I need to :)

Have you seen the new Kobo Vox? I think I am going to buy that one. I was really interested in the kindle but since I can't use canadian libraries on it, and need to spend less money next year while I'm unemployed, I think I'm going to splurge on that one

Maybe I'll ask santa for chapters gift certificates for Christmas!

Hi Lynda! I am getting excited, but nervous, about our chance to move far far away. Sounds like the class ahead of Nate's got their postings yesterday and practically no one got the location they requested. Soooo we could end up pretty much anywhere in Canada that they need us.
Exciting, but nerve wracking now!

Interesting article for those of you who own Kindles and belong to the Amazon Prime Program. Apparently they are starting a lending library...

Good morning Chelle! I think it will be quite the adventure for the first year of marriage to move to new place together. The fun will be that you will get to share that experience with Nate and it does sound exciting and wonderful to anticipate!

Chelle, if he gets that posting, it will certainly be an adventure! Good luck!

Enjoyed your review of Stir of Echoes. That one is waiting on my shelf, so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it!

Hi Valerie. Life in general lately has been an adventure! It will be nice to finally have a normal life again, living in one house and not just on weekends! :)

Hi Terri! I hope you enjoy Stir of Echoes when you get to it!
***

Well I ended up leaving for work sick this afternoon with some bad lower back pain. After a visit to my doctor it turns out I have a kidney infection. I've had them before and they SUCK! I hope the meds kick in before the fever arrives!
I will be off work tomorrow as well. Hopefully I can stay awake long enough to get some reading in!

Chelle, get well soon. A bowl of hot soup, some TLC and a good long read - prescribed by Dr. Paul.

Chelle, I think the notion of spending your early married life in a faraway place is a great idea. Think of all the books you can read in the dead of winter... not to mention the snuggling to stay warm. My husband and I spent the first 2 years of married life in Germany while he was in the army. No television... it was heaven. And we had a little "German" baby to keep us company for part of that time. ;-)

Oh Chelle! Get well soon! Get some sleep and read a good book, if you are up to it. I think that you would be wise to go for the Kobo Vox. When I purchased my kindle, I did not realize that I would not be able to use Canadian libraries. Even the article that you've linked up - it only applies to those living in the US. While I am still happy with my kindle, it's a bit of a turnoff. Go for the Kobo Vox.

Sending you some get well wishes, Chelle. And I agree with Deb, the Kobo Vox sounds like the way to go. I do love my Kindle, but then I had to go and buy a cheap e-reader so that I could download library books. My next e-reader will probably by the Kobo Vox as well.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador
Wow, is that really a place? It sounds like a fairy tale place-name, I love it.

I'm so sorry to read that you're sick! Get well!

Oh no! I hate to hear that you're not well! Hoping those meds kick in soon.

I just remembered: Happy Valley is the name of the location of Disney's Mickey and the Beanstalk! Adorable.

Chelle- Sorry to hear you are under the weather! I hope you are on the mend and can quietly get some reading in. Gentle Hugs!

168 Thanks Dr Paul! I think I managed to read about 50 pages before I fell asleep. I'll get more in today though!

169 Hi Donna! I think it will be a great time as well! I love to travel so this is perfect for us!
A little german baby too funny!! I won't be surprised if we end up with the same (well, not german but you know what I mean ;)

170 Thanks Deb that's so unfortunate that the kindle perks only apply to the US. They would probably sell a ton more if they would open things up to Canadians more. I tried to go buy the Vox yesterday but Nathen had a fit. My fault for mentioning it. Apparently we have a rule that we can't buy ourselves things this close to Christmas? Arg! So now I won't be able to have it for our cruise in December, but maybe he will get it for me for Christmas ...

171 Thanks Judy! I think I will print off a weblink for the Vox and leave it on Nate's beside table, hint hint's always help ;)

172 haha Megan, It really does exist! I'm sure it looks like a fairy tale some of the time ... and then it snows lol

173 Thanks Kerri Still have some pain today but another nap should help

174 Thanks Amber
I did not know that was the name in the Mickey story! I'll have to tell that to Nate, we would get a kick out of that!

175 Thanks for the gentle hugs Mark! I'm still working my way through The Fall and I would really like to finish it today. It's a typical sequel, and I liked the first better. I've had a crappy reading week though so I'm still only about halfway through it.
***

Thanks everyone for dropping by! I'll be around all day today and I'll try to visit everyone in between reading and naps! Feeling better today but still have some back pain which the pills should clear up by tonight (I hope!)
Hope everyone has a good day!

Sorry you are not well... Rest and read! Hope pain is gone by the end of the day.

You have a lot of fun things to think about... where are you cruising?

Yikes! Kidney infection sounds like a rough time. I hope the day off gives you the much needed rest and relaxation. :)

It is steadily snowing as I type this right now and watching it fall makes me want to snuggle next to the fireplace with a cup of tea and my book, but alas, I have a baby to change, feed, and put down for a nap before I can get some alone time!

I hope you feel better soon. Infections are such a pain, but once the antibiotics start working the pain can often disappear relatively quickly.

We are going on a cruise in December as well, our first, to the western Caribbean. Where is yours?

Raining here in San Diego today. Also a snuggle day.

Hope you feel better Chelle :) I have had bladder infections that turned into a kidney infection that put me in the hospital :(

bummer about The Fall being a typical sequel....will wait to see what you think of it :) I read the first and liked it but if the second is so so then it can wait a little on the shelf ;)

Thanks Claudia! It does seem like a lot of excitement all at once eh?! I'm not normally this dramatic, life is usually pretty boring around here! lol
Nate's parents spoil their boys at christmas, last year it was iPads and this year a cruise. But this year they included me, yay! ;) They are taking the whole family, fiance and girlfriends, to the carribean for 5 days. We fly from Toronto to Miami and spend a night then off to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I've never been on a cruise before and I am very excited!

HI Valerie I've pretty much been asleep since 9pm last night so I should be feeling better anytime now lol! Sorry to hear you are getting more snow already! Winter started early out your way! it's +8c here and sunny, more rain in the forecast for later this week but no snow yet. I'm sure we are due for some soon though. Hopefully you get a nice long baby nap time today so you can relax with that tea and book!

Hi Roni! Maybe we will be on the same cruise?! Ours starts on december 17th from Miami and I think it's a carnival cruise. Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Hope you love yours! I've never been on a cruise so I'm looking forward to it

Thanks Kara! Sounds like your have the same medical history as me! Kidney infections can go bad fast eh, been to the hospital as well for them and that seriously sucks! I've learned to watch for the very small symptoms and get to the doctor fast for meds.

I think the problem with the fall is more about me not feeling well and not as much the books fault. The first book was sooooo good though it really would be hard to write a second that could top it. I'm hoping to stay awake more and try and finish it tonight.

I'm out of Ft. Lauderdale to Grand Turk, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas (Holland Amsterdam), so guess we won't be in the same part of the Caribbean. Enjoy!

Roni, yours sounds like fun too!! Hope you have a blast!

***

91) Aesop's Fables by Aesop (eBook)
Read for the 1001 Books challenge

I had never heard of this collection of stories until I started the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die Challenge. After reading it, it turns out that I have actually heard quit a few! The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Ant and the Grasshopper, and most famously The Tortoise and the Hare.

This a collection of over a hundred short fables, some only a few sentences long, others about a paragraph length. Some seem to have lost something in translation but for some others it is not surprising to see that they are still told to this day. I think this would be an excellent book to own a special collection of with pictures, I read a free eBook edition and I was appalled at the spelling and grammar mistakes.

The Hen and the Golden Eggs
A cottager and his wife had a hen that laid a golden egg everyday. They supposed that the Hen must contain a great lump of gold in it's inside, and in order to get the gold they killed it. Having done so, they found to their surprise that the Hen differed in no respect from their other hens. The foolish pair, thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived themselves of the gain in which they were assured day to day

You know, Chelle, Mice really sounds interesting! Hmm that may have to go onto my wishlist. I'm glad you are enjoying Aesop's Fables. I was very fortunate as a child to have both my mom and my grandma keen to read to me -and my younger sister ( and eventually 3 other children) and we were read Aesop's Fables , and Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson as well as the ones from the Brothers Grimm. I think I just might know every Mother Goose Rhyme there is to know.

Good for you for reading yet another book for the 1001 Challenge!

Hi Deb! I was surprised that I had heard the common tales from the book but had never actually heard of the fables combined before! I think I will start looking for a nice collector edition at the used book stores! The Brothers Grimm is another that I have not read!

***

92) The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro
Book 2 of The Strain trilogy

I know it's going to be a good book when the first line states "It took the world just sixty days to end."

This second book in the trilogy took me a bit to get into, but I blame myself and feeling ill more than I blame the book. Once I sat down and focused on reading I got totally into it! This book explains a lot more of the history of the vampire virus and the history of Setrakian and how he came to become a vampire hunter. The end just blew me away. I have no idea how the 3rd book will fix everything that happened to the world in this book ... or if it even can fix it.

Outside, he heard another automobile crash. Gunshots in the distance, alarms ringing insistently - cars, buildings - all going unanswered. The screams that split the night were the last cries of humanity. Looters were taking not only goods and property - they were looting souls. Not taking possessions - but taking possession.

4.5*

Hi Chelle! I hope you're having a lovely weekend. Vampire novels are not quite for me, although I recently read something about one (it has oranges in the title) that sounded interesting, so never say never, I suppose.

Chelle- I'm so glad you enjoyed The Fall. I'm looking forward to diving into this series. I love the quote too!

Oh, wonderful! A holiday cruise as a gift! Don't let those future in-laws get away!

I used to be a travel agent and have been all over the Carib. It's ALL good!
If available still, I would rec swimming with the sting rays in Grand Cayman - and the river raft ride or Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica. That will be so exciting!
Wish I could take my whole family on a cruise for Christmas. Would have to win lotto first!

Hi Kerri Well the weekend could be better, but at least I am home and getting a little reading done. Unfortunately the side affect from my medication has turned out to be a wopper of a headache, so most of my reading is being done now by listening with my eyes closes LOL What did sick people do before audiobooks?
Not sure which vampire book has orange in the title, but if you read it then I hope you like it!!

Hiya Mark I think you will enjoy the series!

Hi Claudia The boys are currently spoiled, but I think once grandkids come into the picture that will stop! :) The cruise sounds like it is going to be a ton of fun. We plan on doing Trash the Dress at Dunns River Falls for the wedding, so I think we are going to skip a visit this time around. But I had not heard about swimming with sting rays! Cool! Is that safe?!

****
93) Angelic by Kelley Armstrong (audiobook)
My absolute favorite paranormal 'fluff' author!
Eve was a witch, before her death of course. Now she is an Angel with a really big sword and it is her job to help The Fates keep the afterlife running smooth. When a couple demons get out of control it is her job to round them up and set them straight, but things don't go quite as planned

>183 ChelleBearss: I didn't know that There were so much Aesop Fable. I estimated at maybe 20-25, but over one hundred? Very interesting.

Congrats on the Caribbean Cruise! Sounds like a blast. Do you think they would buy me a ticket too? I'm a quiet and polite guest and I love books!

Aesops Fables look lovely.....I ll have to WL it for my boys.

Getting to check Jamaica out prior to the honeymoon - sounds like a heck of a jaunt!

Hi Nathan! Apparently this website says there are 656 fables! I find that hard to believe really, but if it's on the internet then it must be true ;)

Hi Mark, I'll see what I can do!

Hey Megan, I thought it was an interesting read. A few fables here and there, they are quite short. Some are graphic but the ones they would put in a kids book probably would omit those ones

Hi Paul! Yes we are very lucky to get to go there before the wedding! I am counting down the days!

94) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs

This was a perfect book to keep me awake on nightshift. Not only was it an interesting read but it has pictures! Cool, creepy pictures.

Jacob is a 15 year old boy who is a bit of a loner, only has one friend and doesn't quite fit in with the life he has been given. He has grown up listening to his grandfather tell tales of his life as a child that were amazing when Jacob was younger but as he grows older the tales seem to be unbelievable. After a family tragedy Jacob is left to try and find out if the tales were true or what the story of his grandfather's life really is.

I had seen a lot of hype about this book and sometimes that leads to disappointment for me, but I was very impressed with this book and can see what all the hype was about!
4*

Glad that you enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children! That's one I've had my eye on... maybe one day. Glad it kept you awake on your night shift! ;) My husband and I are getting accustomed to his nightshift. He's finding it busier than he anticipated, so he's had very little time to read on his shift. We are pretty sure that by January 1st - he can bid back to a day shift!! Hurrah! It will still be a rotating 4 on 4 off, long shifts - but still...

Have you heard whether you will be moving to Nfld?

HI Deb
Glad your hubby and you are getting used to nightshift. I don't mind it most of the time, as long as I get enough sleep during the day!

We won't hear where we are going for quite a while. Nate seems to think they are going to try and post a young single fellow to the Labrador posting, cheaper than moving a family with a house I guess. Hopefully we will know by Christmas, but it will probably be early January when we end up finding out.

Chelle- Good review of Miss Peregrine's. I've had this one on my radar since it came out. Sounds nice & creepy.

Thanks Mark. I think it is more mysterious than creepy, but quite good!
***


Unfortunately I have given up on Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I started listening to an audio of this and after 30 minutes I had to turn it off, I just couldn't listen to it any longer.
I'm sure the book is perfectly good, and maybe I'll give it shot in print form at a later time, but the audio just screams too young. It's a YA book that isn't quite mature enough for adults. The narrator sounds like a young teen girl and it was just too hard to listen to and take seriously.

#195 - That's definitely a creepy cover though!

Curse you Chelle and your reviews for books I have to now add to my wishlist! :)

All kidding aside, the vampire book definitely perks my interest. None of that light, fluffy, and cuddly stuff (not that I minded that when I was reading it), but the traditional scary stuff is great stuff as well. I gotta find out what the first book in the series is and add it to my obese list!

Yes Kerri, the pictures and the cover are quite creepy looking. The books explains them though in a very interesting way!

Sorry Valerie, guess the ever growing wish list has grown a bit more eh! If you are talking about The Fall the first one in the series is The Strain and the 3rd is Night Eternal. I'm saving the 3rd one for when I need something spooky!

Goodie! The Fall turned out decent.... I think I'm going to re read the first then chain read the rest :)

what is Trash the Dress at Dunns River Falls?

I loved Miss Peregrine's! and there will be a sequel and a movie :)

*sigh* Shiver..If you want to know what I thought about the book my thoughts are here. you were a little more generous in your rating then I was.
Book 2 is Linger which I read my thoughts are here...some people like them, me not so much but I will probably read Forever because reading a whole series is a crutch of mine and they were quick reads :)
and who knows the last one might be the winner in them all! ;)

Hi Kara!

I am disappointed to say I didn't really even give the book a chance. The narrator that read Grace's part was grating on my nerves. I couldn't have listened to the whole book. I was going to consider giving the paper version a chance instead of the audio, but I read your review and then I looked at the author's webpage
I’m Maggie Stiefvater and I write books about werewolves and kissing *Blech* It seems to be a lame version of Twilight.
I think I'll give it a pass now.

Hope you love the rest of The Strain trilogy! I'm going to try and get into some literary fiction and some books that have been waiting to be read, then I'm going to come back for book #3.

Trash the dress is a new type of photo shoot some brides have been doing after their wedding. Kind of like THIS. For mine I plan on wearing my wedding dress into Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica the day after the wedding. I figure I'm only going to be able to wear it once anyway, might as well have some fun with it!

That is freaking cool!!! "trash the dress I mean" :) you must post pictures when you do that!!
mine is preserved in a box...if I did that trash the dress thing I would probably drown because my dress was heavily beaded and weighed a ton, imagine the weight when wet!

The narrator that read Grace's part was grating on my nerves .........she (Grace) got on my nerves and I was reading it, not listening like you..pass for now might be the thing :)

I will for sure post pics when we get home! It's over a year away still though. Hard to imagine we have been engaged since last Christmas and STILL have a year to go! *Oy!

My dress won't drown me (I hope) It's a very simple lace dress, no puffs or ruffles or extra frilly things. Nice and simple for the beach ;)

I'm hoping to get our engagement pictures back sometime this week. I only have been given one so far (on my profile page) but the photographer said it wasn't the best background picture but she liked how we looked in it. Hopefully I'll have some later this week

casual chic engagement picture :)
I was engaged for almost 4 years, Oy! just didn't really see the need to change anything but "the family" jump started the planning and presto been married for 11 years!

congrats to you two and your future adventures together :)

Oh, Chelle... I meant to comment on your "trash the dress" plans... I think that will be so fun! I wish I had done something like that.
I made my own gown and the material (etc) only cost about $50. OK.. back in 1969 that was worth more than now... but I would have loved doing something fun with pictures... it probably would have created a scandal!
I eventually cut it up to make a christening outfit and used the lace train for part of my niece's wedding outfit.
AND -
Your engagement picture on your profile is really good :) Can't wait to see more!

Thanks Kara!!

Hi Claudia! Using your dress as material for a christening outfit is a wonderful way to reuse it! I think "trash the dress" is a somewhat new idea but I am excited to do it!

95) The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Now I'm sure this book has been reviewed a ton of times since it seemed to be the hot book of the summer, with the movie and all. I won't do a big review because it's 230 in the morning and I am so tired because I read all day due to the fact that I did not want to put this book down! It has been a long time since I read a book that actually brought tears to my eyes.

Set in the early 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi The Help is narrated by 3 women. Skeeter is a privileged white woman in her 20's fresh out of college and not quite sure where she fits in, she just knows she wants to write.
Aibileen is a 53 year old black woman who has worked as a maid all her life. An intelligent woman who has raised 17 white babies for the people she works for, she grows tired with being treated like a diseased second class.
Minny is a black woman who has just been fired from her last maid position due to her sassiness. She has found work with an odd sort of woman that will take some getting used to.

With racial unrest starting to rise up in the south during the time of Martin Luther King, things become quite dangerous in Jackson. When Skeeter has an idea for a book she hopes to get the maids on board, but how can they do it without getting themselves all killed?

Highly recommended
5*

I liked it too :)
Trashing the dress looks fun....cant wait to see pics
and....the audio book disaster wasnt worth the effort by the sounds of it!
See you.

Chelle- Glad you loved The Help. I'm a big fan too! The audio was fantastic!

The Help was a good one! glad you liked it....
Minny and the odd sort of woman were my favorite :) the yard/man scene cracked me up along with the "cooking lessons"

Hi Megan! Thanks for visiting :)

Hi Mark! I bet the audio would be great! I saw that the part of Minny was narrated by Octavia Spencer, I bet she would be perfect to read that sassy character! I've heard the movie was done pretty well so I might have to watch that sometime soon.

Hi Kara! My favorite was the revealing of 'the pie' details. Oh I laughed! Never piss off the people who serve your food!

***
Today has been a busy one! I took my mom to the hospital for a routine test thingy today, I got to sit around for 2 hours waiting. Results say she is fine, yay! Funniest thing ever is watching my almost 60 year old mother try and talk like a normal person after being drugged up. She was talking like she was drunk, oh too funny! She is fast asleep now

Then I got to spend the rest of my day raking leaves. Oh joy. They are so pretty when they turn color ... then they fall. Just my backyard filled a dodge ram truck bed full! Tomorrow I take on the front yard, oy!

Finally it is time to relax and read. Working my way through The Magicians tonight :)


Hope everyone is having a great day!

Great review Chelle! That is one that I've been meaning to get around to for ages, but somehow never seem to feel motivated to start it. Your review definitely makes me want to try it sooner than later!

Great idea with the wedding dress as well. Mine is right now sitting in the basement and it hasn't even been cleaned yet. Good thing it wasn't an expensive dress since I just couldn't justify spending that much money on something that I will only wear once! Taking the extra money on pictures is definitely more worth it since it is something you can keep for a life time. :D

Chelle- We enjoyed the film version of The Help. They did a good job. I hope you enjoy The Magicians. I had mixed feelings about it, although the next book has been getting some excellent reviews, so I'll probably read that one as well.

Hi Chelle, great review of The Help which happens to be a book that I keep trying to get to the top of my pile but something always pushes it back down. Perhaps next month ...

HI Valerie, you should definitely move The Help up the pile a bit!
My dress wasn't expensive either. I looked at a ton of lace dresses that were double my mortgage payment but I could not justify the cost! I got lucky and found the perfect one on sale for about a quarter of the price of the others

HI Mark. The Magicians is pretty good so far, I think I am about halfway done. I should finish it at work tonight.

Hi Judy! I'm sure you will love it when you get around to reading it! I was surprised at how much I ended up liking it.

The Magicians is my TBR dresser :)
mixed reviews on that one but I will wait and see what you think about it :)

Hi Chelle - just catching up on your thread, too many subjects to comment on - weddings, engagement pictures, moving to Labrador, a Caribbean cruise etc.. I picked up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children at the library the other day so am looking forward to reading it. Looking forward to your comments on The Magicians, it's also on my tbr pile.

Looking forward to what you think about The Magicians. You are really tempting me with the Strain trilogy - but the local library only has the first two so far:(

Just swinging by to see how you are doing today. :)

Hi Kara! It is pretty good so far. I got too busy at work last night to read it much so I'm relaxing with it tonight

Hi Kerry, thanks for visiting! I know, my thread is a tad dramatic right now! lol
I really enjoyed Miss Peregrine so I hope you love it!

Hi Calm! The Strain trilogy has been very good so far! Very evil vampire type, instead of the sparkly ones we've been getting over the last few years. The third one just came out so hopefully your library gets it sometime soon

Hi Valerie! Doing pretty well thanks! Kidney infection seems to be lingering, but it gives me an excuse to lounge on the couch with a book and ignore the rest of the leaves on my lawn ;)

Hi Chelle... sorry you are still a bit under the weather... but you are being good and taking care of yourself.
With any luck, a good wind will blow all your leaves to another property and your lawn will be miraculously clean!
That has happened to us a few times over the years.
Of course, it happens in reverse too! lol

Hi Claudia! Thanks :) Feeling a bit better, but those pesky leaves are still there.
***


96) The Magicians by Lev Grossman

This was an odd little book, and I found myself loving and then disliking it and then loving it again.

Narrated by Quentin, a 17 year old boy about to graduate high school and pick a college. He gets invited to attend a specialty school, Brakebills, which teaches magic to those who have magical tendencies. This story spans the years of school and the first few years after graduating.

I find this book very hard to summarize as it spans so many years and so many different events in Quentin's life.
At first I found Quentin likeable and a little pitiable, but through the course of the book and after he graduates he started to grate on me. Not sure if it was the author's intent or just my own personal feelings, but I found him to become a bit of a whiner.

I did enjoy this book, especially the beginning years, and I plan to continue with the second book, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it.
3*

^^^^ Uh Oh

that's what I have heard from many
well, I have it but it just won't be my next read for awhile :)

Hi Chelle- I think we ended up feeling the same way about The Magicians, maybe for different reasons. I loved the 1st 3rd and really liked the last 3rd but the middle was a bit saggy for me. I never did review it. I'll probably still read the follow-up because it has earned some excellent reviews.

Hi Kara
If you have the book then please still read it, you may find you like it better than I did. I didn't dislike it, but I found some parts that I just didn't find worked for me. It was a pretty interesting and creative story though

Hi Mark
I didn't like the middle much, mostly the time in Fillory. I think my issue with it was that I was starting to dislike Quenten and the choices he was making. I wanted to reach into the book and give him a little shake at a couple points!

#226 - Sorry it was a bit disappointing. I see that it's tagged urban fantasy (something I just learned about.) I'm thinking about reading Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes, which is also classified as urban fantasy. There are so many sci-fi/fantasy sub-genres nowadays, it's hard to keep it all straight!

an odd little book, and I found myself loving and then disliking it and then loving it again.

Isn't that often the way with books? Surprised though given your review that the end result was three stars. Was it love it-loath it-love it- take-it-or-leave-it?

Dropping in to say- love that cover- cant help but be so superficial sorry :)

Hi Chelle, just passing through. Sorry your last read was just sorta good. I find those kind of books are often the hardest to review, not much to complain about but not much to rave about either.

Hope you had a lovely Remembrance Day.

Wow! Miss a day, and look at all of the blue! Hope you had good Remembrance Day. I did, but we had some big windstorms - 100 km/ hr. No harm done, other than a lot of downed trees and poweroutages. Sorry you had a bad read! Frustrating, that!

Hi Chelle, sorry to hear that you had such mixed feeling on The Magicians. If you sort of liked it I would still recommend continuing on with the sequel. I liked the first, but the second had a much better flow.

Hi Everyone! I've been away from the computer a couple days with my fiance and his family! His Grandmother passed away yesterday so we have been spending time with his parents. She lived to a lovely old age of 88, so the funeral will be a celebration of a long and happy life.

I'll try and get caught up. No reading has been done this weekend, but we did get our engagement photos back so I'll post my couple favorites





***

#230 Kerri there are so many genres and sub genres that I honestly don't look anymore. I usually just read the blurb that the author puts out and if it sounds interesting then I'll give it a shot. I'll have to take a look at Zoo City, I haven't heard of that one yet

#231 Hi Paul
It was more like a "love it-hate it- kinda like it" book. Good read but had me frustrated with the main character too much. I may be too liberal with my star ratings sometimes though ;)

#232 HI Megan, I am cover superficial as well! Love a pretty cover

#233 Hi Judy! You are so right! The ones we hate and the ones we love usually leave us with a ton of things to say, either good or bad. But the Meh ones sometimes leave us trying to figure out exactly what left us feeling blah about it

#234 Hi Deb! Hope your power has returned and the weather lovely now! It's 12c and overcast here, but no snow!

#235 Hi JechtShot thanks for visiting! I definitely will continue with the second book. Probably next month. Glad to hear that you thought it was better!

Lovely shots Chelle of you and Nate. Sorry to hear about his Gran but as you rightly said at 88 there is plenty to celebrate in a life so full.

Hi Chelle- Thanks for sharing the photos! You make a great couple! Like the pooch too! Sorry to hear about his grandmother's passing. Have a good one!

Apologies in advance Chelle for extremes of bad taste but I couldn't resist it -

Mark how did you know the pooch's gran died too?

Ohmygosh, those pictures are beautiful! Both you and your fiance are very lucky, it seems to me...

Hi Chelle, I lost track of you for a bit but I've got you starred no. Lovely pics of you and your fiance and love the Algonquin Park. Gorgeous shot of fall.

Ohh great pictures!!!You both look lovely! Sorry to hear of Nate's grandma's passing. Even though she lived until 88, if she was still a vital member of the family, I'm sure that you will both miss her.

Ohhh you are nearing 75... I'll have to keep an eye out for you!

Wow, you and Nate take lovely pictures, and of course, your dog only enhances the look.

So sorry to hear about Nate's grandma, it's always difficult to lose a family member, I'm sure he was glad to have you by his side.

Hi everyone! I finally get to sit down and maybe read for a bit. Spent a little time with the in-laws today and got some lovely time with my sweetie. He is heading back to base tonight for a test tomorrow and he will be back tomorrow night for the funeral on Tuesday.
I'm pooped but I just started a new book on Friday that I would like to try and get into tonight. I'll see how late I make it before I pass out ;)

#237 & 239 Thanks Paul. 88 is a lovely old age, we should all be so lucky. Her husband passed away in April after they had celebrated 63 years of marriage. So I'm sure she is happy to be with him again.
(PS cute joke ;)

#238 Thanks Mark! It was surprisingly difficult to get the dog to sit still and look at the camera!

#240 Thanks Amber! I think I am the lucky one, 600 photos and he looked like a model in every one while I make weird faces and blink a lot LOL!!

#241 HI Bonnie Thanks for visiting! I love Algonquin in the fall

#242/243 Hi Deb! She will be missed but the whole family agrees that she is probably happier to be with her husband again.
(Hit 75 a little while back though, rounding on 100 soon :)

#244 Hi Judy! Thanks, he is a cute dog when he sits still :)

I'm going to try and make the rounds of threads now, I can only imagine how many there have been in my couple day absence!

Those are some beautiful pictures, Chelle! (And, I love your sweater!) Thanks for posting. :)

Nate looks like a happy guy - and why not? You make a beautiful couple!
Personally, my favorite (though it was hard to choose) is the shot with your dog!
And - instead of having a tree sprouting out of your head (which happens to me when Ron is taking pics), you have a nice branch arching over the two of you. (good photographer!)

You two are gonna have awesome wedding pictures ;-)

Lovely photos, Chelle! You look happy together.

My condolences about Nate's grandmother.

Chelle - Adorable photos! I love the one with the dog. So sorry to hear about Nate's grandmother. Take care.

Love your engagement photos. Cute boots! Can I ask where you bought them? I've been on a mission to buy a cute pair.

Sorry to hear about your fiance's grandmother.

#246 Thanks Laura That's my new favorite sweater, so comfy!

#247 Thanks Claudia!Nate is naturally a happy smiley guy, that's why every picture he has this perfect teeth showing smile!
Those pictures were actually taken by a friend I work with, she is an amateur photographer on the side. I think she did an amazing job!

#248 Thanks Terri! We are happy :) We got lucky with a lovely sunny fall day and everything went as planned. It's not often things fall together properly like that :)

#249 Thanks Kerri The dog pictures were a pain because he could hear the waterfall and wanted to go swimming. He squirmed like crazy during the pictures lol

#250 Hi Marie! Thanks, I bought those boots at Spring Shoes. They have some really cute high boots. I think they have a website that would probably ship to the USA.

Well, I guess it's probably time for a new thread... I'll work on that when I am more awake ;)

Oh! I see that yes, you are on book 97 already! wow! I guess I looked at the books listed til book 73, and the there is the ticker - which clearly I did not look on! Duh!! ;)