Seasonsoflove's 75 Book Challenge for 2012

January 2012
1. Heartless by Gail Carriger
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
3. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
4. Cemetery Girl by David Bell
5. Blood is the New Black by Valerie Stivers
6. Tenderness by Robert Cormier
7. Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World (Found Anthology) by Davy Rothbart
8. Twisted by Sara Shepard
9. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
10. Messenger by Lois Lowry
11. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
12. The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie
13 Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
14. Unnatural Causes by P.D. James

February
1. The Observations by Jane Harris
2. Now You See Her by James Patterson
3. Blood on My Hands by Todd Strasser
4. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
5. Kill You Last by Todd Strasser
6. The White Devil by John Webster
7. Bone Island Mambo by Tom Corcoran
8. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

March
1. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
2. Death in the City of Light by David King
3. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
4. The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon
5. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
6. Hollywood Boulevard by Janyce Stefan-Cole
7. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
8. Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
9. The Mysterious Mr.Quin by Agatha Christie

April
1. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
2. Psycho by Robert Bloch
3. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
4. Murder in Greenwich by Mark Fuhrman
5. Scrapbook of Secrets by Mollie Cox Bryan
6. Ruthless by Sara Shepard
7. When The Guillotine Fell by Jeremy Mercer
8. Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
9. Dead Famous by Ben Elton
10. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
11. The Best American Crime Writing 2004 edited by Otto Penzler

May
1. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
2. The Unseen by Katherine Webb
3. Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard
4. Mortified by David Nadelberg
5. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
6. The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver
7. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez
8. Life Sentences by Laura Lippman
9. Vows, Vendettas, and a Little Black Dress by Kyra Davis
10. The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson
11. Mortified: Love is a Battlefield by David Nadelberg
12. Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis

June
1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Hi Becca, I'm in the same boat with the double and triple stacked bookshelves of TBR books. I'm hoping to make a serious dent in my TBR Towers this year instead of continuing to add to them.

Hi, Becca. What a great-looking book counter! You're going to have to show me how to do some of your fancy tricks this year.

Hi Caro, it's so nice to meet you! I'm hoping to read at least 60 books off my shelf this year, and am trying to resist the pull of the giant library just two blocks away.

Hi Dad! I can set one up for you if you want-they have a basketball one if you think you'd like that one?

Thanks, Becca. Let me think about it - I'd probably mess it up. If I do it, yes, a basketball one sounds good.

I just have to see that I think its pretty COOL that you and your dad are in the challenge together! What fun!! :D I hope you have a great 2012 filled with great books and great conversations.

I would be happy to maintain it for you Dad-I could just update it whenever I see a change in your thread. I wouldn't even have to go into your LT account-it's a separate thing. Just let me know :)

Hi Valerie! Thanks so much! I'm excited to be doing the challenge with my dad-we're hoping my mom joins us too! I hope you have a wonderful 2012 as well!

2 against 1? I think you guys stand a good chance! Now if I can somehow get my little guy to love reading so that fast forward a dozen years or so and he will join me here on LT as a mother/son combo would be wonderful! :)

How old is your little guy? I teach preschool, 4 and 5 year olds :)

My little guy just turned 16 months so I've got a WAYS to go. :) Right now, I'm just happy to get through one story at bedtime without him squirming in my arms.

Aw so cute! From what I've seen with my preschoolers, he will eventually be able to sit still for a few minutes at least ;)

I'm hoping to read more off my shelves this year too, Becca ... but more importantly, I have set a challenge for myself to read more book this year than I actually buy. I've been really terrible (although the bookstores love me) about always buying stacks of books almost every time I step into a bookstore. So this year, I'm going to try and read more from my own shelves, or books from the library and track those against the number of books I actually buy.

With fingers crossed and support from some other LTers who are also going to participate in this challenge with me, I shall succeed.

Good luck! I think its a great goal. I have the same addiction and am trying to resist buying more books as well-though I know the $30 for a box full of books sales at my favorite bookstore are going to get me in the end.

Welcome back!

There are a few folks on the challenge with me. If you're interested in joining us, check out the thread here

Thanks for the link! I may just do that.

Happy New Year, Becca! Glad to see you back with us again.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Becca! I've got you starred!

Happy New Year, Becca! I'm pals with your Dad! I had the honor to meet him last March for our LT hook-up! We all had a great time. It'll be nice to follow you around on your reading year.

Hi to you both!! Happy New Year!!

I hope you are having a great New Years celebration Becca! :)

Thanks so much-I had a great relaxing night in, and then had a wonderful brunch with my mom and dad this morning :) I hope you had a great one too!

Another body here who needs to read her double & triple stacked books instead of adding to the shelves... or at the very least read all the books I bring home!!!

Happy New Year, Becca. I've learned two new things about you, lately. Your name, and that you are Joe's daughter! Here's hoping 2012 will be chock full of great reads!

Happy New Year, Becca! I hope you're having a relaxing few days off.

Starred :)

1. Heartless by Gail Carriger
What I love about this series is how it manages to be a romance without being cliched, supernatural and paranormal within an actual historical time period, tension-filled, character-driven, have twisty surprising plots, and be funny, all within a few hundred pages.

This was an excellent addition to the series-the plot was especially clever, with some really surprising twists. It's these twists, and the wonderful characters the author makes us care about so much, that keep this series fresh and fascinating.

Happy New Year! I've got you starred. Glad to see you enjoyed Heartless. I love that series so much!

#8: I need to dig out my copy of that one. Thanks for the reminder, Becca!

29-Happy New Year! I love the series so much too! I can't wait for Timeless !

#30-No problem! Its so good!

2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
After reading this, I can't believe I'd never read it before. It is definitely a YA classic. My book club is reading the whole trilogy this month, and I'm really glad, because I don't know if I would have thought to pick it up on my own.

The society Lowry creates is so chilling in its seeming perfection. The little details she keeps adding, and the twists, constantly catch you off guard.

I read this in a few hours-while its an easy read in terms of literal difficulty level, the ideas behind the story are so thought-provoking.

Becca- My wife loves the Parasol Protectorate books! I'll have to tell her about the new one coming out. I did read Soulless. I liked it but just a bit light for me.

Eek, another reminder that I have yet to read that most recent installment... glad you liked it!

#31: I love The Giver, so I am glad to see you enjoyed it too, Becca.

I'm really excited for Timeless! They are making graphic novels of the series as well. And Heartless is definitely worth a read-one of the best of the series I think.

The Giver was an amazing book-I just started the second in the trilogy, Gathering Blue.

I had not heard about the graphic novels of the series. How cool!

As much as I loved The Giver, I did not feel that the second and third books in the trilogy lived up to the initial book. I will be interested to see what you think of them.

So far I'm finding that to be true with Gathering Blue-I'm enjoying it, but I definitely don't feel so completely drawn in like I did with The Giver.

I liked The Giver a lot, Becca. I didn't know there were sequels. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of them.

#37: Yeah, I found that to be the case. I hope you end up enjoying the sequels more than I did though.

So far, I am not loving the sequels. I'm not disliking them, but I'm not loving them. My thoughts on the second book are right below.

3. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
This book was definitely not as good as The Giver, though I doubt any sequels could live up to how amazing The Giver is. The society was not as compelling, nor its secrets as interesting (though the reveal with The Singer was a shocking one).

I also didn't feel the connection to The Giver I was hoping for. There is the continued theme of a society very different from our own, governed by a strict set of rules only a special young person dares to question, and with painful secrets hidden deep under tradition. But there is no mention of the characters from The Giver, or their world, at least not that I could pick out, and I was really hoping for more of a continuation of their story.

4. Cemetery Girl by David Bell

This book was not entirely what I expected, but that didn't end up being a bad thing at all.

Going into it, I had expected this to be similar to other books I had read surrounding a mystery and secrets...I expected the matter of who had done the kidnapping and what had happened in those four missing years to be a mystery with a shocking twist at the end.

But while we didn't find out until much later in the book who actually did the kidnapping, and how it had happened, and where the little girl had been, these answers were not great shockers. And I think that was the point of the book. That these things can and do happen, that small moments can tragically change lives forever, and that what mattered in this book wasn't solving these mysteries, but figuring out how to keep living when everything has changed.

5. Blood is the New Black by Valerie Stivers

After reading some books with pretty heavy subject material, I decided I needed something a lot lighter for my next book-and this definitely fit the bill. This was a really fun, occasionally ridiculous, thoroughly enjoyable read-humor, romance, a resourceful and likeable narrator heroine, and some flying bloodsucking fashion magazine staff members.

You are off to a great reading start, Becca! I read The Giver for the first time just a couple of years ago, and I loved it too! And I've got to get back to the Gail Carriger series. I read the first one last year and thought it was a hoot!

Thanks so much!

The Gail Carriger series is so much fun! She's working on two new series as well. She's so nice-she tweeted me back a few times yesterday.

6. Tenderness by Robert Cormier
As he has done so well in his other books, Cormier creates a complex protagonist who, because of Cormier's exemplary writing, you extraordinarily actually hope for for split seconds at a time, despite him being a murderer of innocent young girls. And even though you know that these characters are too sad and too broken to have happy endings, and even though one of them seems to be truly truly evil (though Cormier manages to create shades of gray even with this) you can't help but hope that somehow everything will turn out okay in the end anyway. The ending of this book was particularly powerful, and the foreshadowing was really well done.

7. Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World (Found Anthology) by Davy Rothbart
I've really been enjoying reading the Found books, which showcase papers and things that people have found and sent in. What I particularly enjoyed about this is people writing about how what they found, or reading what other people had found, affected their lives.

8. Twisted by Sara Shepard

I was really excited to get my hands on this book, as I had really enjoyed the original series, and it had taken my city's library system over three months to get one copy of Twisted in circulation.

This book was definitely a fun, gripping read. The mystery was intriguing, and the suspense was well-built up.

However, I had the same problems with this book as I did with the last few books in the original series. What happens to the girls is ridiculous. It was believable in the beginning, that a young girl could go missing, and that there would be secrets surrounding her life and disappearance.

But unfortunately this new book picked up in the same unbelievable vein as the previous book. No parent in the book has any positive or redeeming qualities if they are even around at all, every minor character brought in seems to be plotting against the four main girls, the four main girls make incredibly stupid decisions at every turn, and there is even a Finnish exchange student who of course is so gorgeous literally every single male who comes into contact with her can't move they're so taken with her beauty. And then it turns out she might be evil and is plotting against one of the girls.

This book was definitely a fun, guilty pleasure, don't get me wrong. The problem was that the ridiculous nature, and how only awful and demoralizing things seemed to happen to the main characters, frequently took me out of the book.

Sara Shepard knows how to build up suspense really well, but seems to get taken over by how much insanity she can throw at her characters, and just how many people can possibly be out to get them. I really hope she can rein it in, and get back to the can't-put-it-down suspense of those first few entries.

Hey, I'm all for guilty pleasures. Every so often I love to curl up and read a good chick-lit. I usually turn to Sophie Kinsella or Marion Keyes.

I love those authors too! When I was studying abroad in London, I picked up a bunch of Marion Keyes at used bookstores-they were perfect for long train rides.

9. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

This book was a fascinating look at what, at first glance, one would assume would be a very straightforward part of history. As a true crime buff, I had absolutely no idea that the dictionary I reference all the time was, in part, created by a murderer locked in an insane asylum.

The author did a great job of interspersing the history of the creation of the dictionary, the sad and troubled history of Dr. Minor, and the history of the time period itself. For a history of a book I know I've always just taken for granted, there were so many shocking moments in the decades it took to create, and I learned a lot from this really enjoyable read.

What a wonderfully varied group of books you've been reading, Becca! Nice reviews of all of them - I get your point about Sara Shepard and hope she dials it back the way you suggest.

I read an excerpt of The Professor and the Madman way back when, but never the whole book. I've got to bring my current stack down to manageable size, but that one will go on my tbr.

Thanks so much Dad! I've really been trying to mix it up this year-it doesn't hurt that I have a lot of random books on my bookshelves ;)
If you want to borrow The Professor and the Madman just let me know-I own it (though I'm not planning to keep it).

I actually jut finished another one while in the office!

10. Messenger by Lois Lowry
I enjoyed this book more than the previous one in the trilogy, which I found interesting considering that many of the characters from the second book were focused on in this book as well.

I think it helped that Matty, one of the supporting characters from the second book, now the main protagonist of the third, is given so much depth in Messenger. I was actually reluctant to read this book simply because Matty had been so one-note previously, but he is wonderful in this book.

I also absolutely loved "Leader", who readers of The Giver would immediately recognize. All I'd wanted from the rest of the trilogy was to find out what had happened to him, so to get that was wonderful.

I was not thrilled with the ending, perhaps because it was so heartbreaking, but also because I didn't feel it was really necessary. The book was powerful enough without it, and I actually think the ending might have been better that way.

Oh, I loved The Professor and the Madman when I read it years ago. I highly recommend Winchester's other books as well - they're all excellent!

Yup, me too. My favorite of his is Krakatoa.

#52 and #53-Thanks for the recommendations! I will definitely add his other books to my TBR list!

11. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

This was lent to me by a student I work with at after school, who had read it in school and loved it, and couldn't believe I hadn't read it.

While I didn't love it as much as I loved The Giver (this one came off as a bit heavy-handed), I still really liked it. I can see how this book would be a great way to teach kids about the Holocaust in a way they could relate to, feel, and understand.

12. The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie

This was such a fun read. Reading some of these was like reading brand new mysteries, because she rewrote the endings for the stage. With those where the endings were the same, it was so great to be able to read and envision how they would play out on the stage.

I've had The Professor and the Madman on my bedside table for nearly three years now... I've got to actually read it one of these days! LOL

Glad you got such a kick out of The Mousetrap and Other Plays, Becca. That does sound like fun. It was great to finally see the title play in London a few years ago.

#56-It's definitely worth the read!!

#57-You can definitely borrow it some time if you want-I'd highly recommend it. Seeing The Mousetrap was definitely an amazing early birthday present!

13. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ms. Anderson has a talent for taking topics that are incredibly difficult to think about and read about, and making you have to read her books because her prose style is so unique and so beautiful.

This book was no exception. The topic, young girls struggling with anorexia and bulimia, is certainly not an easy one to read about, especially given the detail Anderson goes into. But it is an important topic, and one she manages to handle with beauty, sadness, hope, and grace.

Her prose style is so unlike any other current authors, and so beautiful, that you feel like you are right in the main character's head, and while this is certainly uncomfortable given the topic, it also insures that you continue reading, and understand the message she is getting across-that life can be hard, but it is always worth living, and that asking for help does not mean you're weak.

Yes, you're right, she has a talent for taking on difficult topics in ways that draw you in and carry you along, and a beautiful prose style. Thanks to you I read her Speak and am glad I did. I'll keep this one in mind for when there's a clearing in the reading schedule.

Hi Becca. Laurie Halse Anderson became one of my favorite authors after just reading one of her books. Chains was such a great and moving story, and now I am reminded that I need to read the 2nd part of this story, Forge. Eventually I want to read everything she's ever written!

#60-I own Wintergirls, though only in hardcover, so you are welcome to borrow it any time you want. It's definitely worth the read.

#61-I feel the exact same way about her-after Speak she immediately became one of my favorite authors. I want to read everything she's written as well!

I haven't read anything by Laurie Halse Anderson, and your review makes me want to rectify that soon. I'm putting her on my list of new authors to try this year!

#63-I'm so glad! That just made my night to know I've gotten someone else to read her!

14. Unnatural Causes by P.D James

A mystery writer is killed, seemingly in the same way as a suggestion for his next book, and the close-knit inhabitants of a small remote village seem to be the only suspects.

Another excellent mystery from one of the Queens of Crime. I loved that she tied in writers as both victims, detectives, and suspects, giving a great glimpse into the varied and fascinating literary world.

The solution was particularly clever and dramatic, and the method of confession very creative. By the time I got to the last few chapters, I absolutely couldn't put it down.

15. The Observations by Jane Harris

As a huge fan of books like Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and the like, as soon as this book was recommended to me, I knew I had to read it.

The set-up is a wonderfully familiar one. A woman with a mysterious past goes to work in a house full of secrets and cover-ups. All she knows about her predecessors is what she can find from small mysterious scraps of information-until she finds The Observations, and everything changes.

What was so great was that this book managed to be wonderfully, comfortably familiar while still turning the genre on its head. The protagonist is very funny, and the humor really lightens the tone of the book in a great way.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves reading the gothic genre-this is a great addition to the list.

Oh, The Observations must immediately go on my wishlist - sounds right up my alley!

I read Unnatural Causes a few years back and remember really enjoying it, as I normally do with her mysteries. I'm glad you did, too, Becca.

I'm happy to hear The Observations was as good as you hoped! It sounds like a fun one.

Hi Becca, I added The Observations to my wishlist when Bonnie recommended it. And now you are giving a 5 stars! I really need to find more hours in the day.

Glad it was so good!

#67-You definitely should! It's a fantastic book.

#68-My goal is to someday read all of her books-they're so good!

Hi Joanne, it's definitely one of my favorite reads of 2012 so far!

16. Now You See Her by James Patterson

I didn't have particularly high hopes for this book, as any Patterson co-writes never seem to live up to how good his earlier books were. But I definitely needed a quick, easy read, and a Patterson thriller is always good for that.

This was actually one of the far better ones out of his recent works. The plot was constantly twisting and turning, and the characters were really compelling. The side plots worked really well too.

17. Blood on My Hands by Todd Strasser
I read the first entry in this young adult "cyber-thrillogy" a year or so ago, and was very excited to discover that the other two books in the trilogy were out.

This book had less of the cyber aspect than the others, but did play cleverly with the idea of viral videos and photos and what those can do to a person's reputation, and how dramatically they can affect people's perceptions.

The protagonist stumbles on her "frenemy" stabbed to death in the woods. Thinking it must be a prank, she picks up the bloody knife, and her picture is immediately snapped by teenagers' cell phone cameras. On the run, she tries to figure out who could have actually committed the murder.

The solutions to the mysteries in these books, while definitely good, always leave me a little unsatisfied. I don't know why honestly, and can't put my finger on it. I still really enjoy these books-its a clever concept the author pulls off well. I wish there were going to be more books than just three.

18. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson

I'm always so happy when I see James Patterson has written a new Alex Cross book-not only do I love the characters in this series, but these are the Patterson books that are consistently great.

The tension in this book was really palpable-the two cross storylines were both gripping in their own right, and really suspenseful when they crossed. The plots felt relevant in today's frequently fear-filled society, and Patterson created some new, very complex secondary characters.

My only complaint was the addition of Ava, a girl off the street who mugs Nana and is then taken into the Cross home. I honestly didn't see a point to her, except to be able to bring in the other members of the Cross family into a story that had nothing to do with them. I feel like those chapters took away from the great tension and storytelling in the rest of the book.

19. Kill You Last by Todd Strasser

For the last book in the "thrillogy", this was definitely the best.

Any minor complaints that I had had about the previous entries in the trilogy, namely that the endings left me slightly unsatisfied, definitely did not apply to this book. I had no complaints whatsoever. The twist ending was brilliant, and what was especially great was that I realized the solution as the protagonist was realizing the solution.

The romance was great as well-it seemed realistic, and ended up exactly how I had hoped.

This is one trilogy I wish could have many more entries. Because the stories are completely separate plots and sets of characters, connected by the thread of technology and the internet, new entries would definitely be possible.

You know I'm lost when it comes to James Patterson, but the cyber-thrillogy is intriguing. Do you think geezers might like it?

I think you should definitely give the trilogy a try-I own the first one, you guys gave it to me for the holidays one year, so you could borrow it if you wanted.

Okey-dokey, sounds good, oh sneaky one.

20. The White Devil by John Webster

I would never have even heard of this book if it wasn't for LT, and I'm so glad it was recommended to me-this was a great read.

It hit so many of my favorite things to read-gothic horror, historical fiction, literary mystery, all wrapped in one really interesting and well-written novel.

An American student with a semi-secret and shady past arrives at a boy's boarding school in England, one steeped in history and tradition. Due to his uncanny resemblance to Lord Byron, who once attended the school, he gets drawn into acting in a new play being written by a troubled headmaster. He also gets drawn into a ghost story and literary mystery, one with immediate and deadly consequences.

This book is really creatively done, with richly drawn complex characters, great historical touches, and a paranormal literary mystery that keeps you guessing and keeps you hooked.

Adding The White Devil to my wishlist - it sounds great!

#78-I'm so glad! The book is so good!

21. Bone Island Mambo by Tom Corcoran

I'm one of those people who hate to give up on a book and stop reading it.

So by the time I realized/accepted that yes, I really wasn't going to enjoy this book as much as hoped by the back cover, I was halfway through, and decided I had to push through and finish.

Bone Island Mambo was one of those fun $2 impulse paperback buys at a book fair. These buys frequently turn out well for me, with fun mysteries I would otherwise never have read coming into my book-loving life.

Sadly, this was not the case with this book. The back cover described a mystery where crimes from the past were being replicated in the present, and a photographer, who becomes the main suspect, must figure out how the secrets of the past are connected to the never-ending cycle of murders suddenly occurring.

What I got, however, was a completely unbelievable main character, one straight out of a stereotypical action movie, who dodges exploding motorcycles, knives thrown at him on two separate occasions, and at least ten different people trying to kill/bring him down; caricature supporting characters including multiple one-note women who all talk with the same seeming swagger but drop anything and everything to help the protagonist because he's that irresistible; and a mystery that becomes a complete side note to the protagonist's "heroic deeds" and is wrapped up quickly and with no real revelations in the last few pages.

22. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

"When she woke, she was red."

I have a confession to make.

I am one of those English majors who hates Nathaniel Hawthorne. And I do not use that word lightly. His "introduction" to The Scarlet Letter is one of the few pieces of writing I have actually considered ripping into shreds for the cathartic value (granted it was a photocopy for a class, because I would never rip a book no matter what).

But my reason for really not enjoying The Scarlet Letter was the writing style, not the story itself. I was always intrigued by the story, but couldn't get into it because of the way Hawthorne wrote it.

So I was thrilled to hear about When She Woke, a modern dystopian take on The Scarlet Letter. And what I had suspected all along was true-when put in the hands of a writer whose style I enjoyed much more, the story of a woman whose adulterous affair and the resulting pregnancy shed light not only on herself, but on the society around her, became one I could not put down.

The premise of this story is fascinating. In a seemingly utopian society, those who commit crimes (or rather what society deems crimes), become Chromes. Their entire body is colored by a pigment relating to their crime, and thus their physical appearance tells all those around them the story of their socially-deemed sin.

The protagonist of the story, Hannah, a girl who grew up going to church and sewing wedding dresses for other girls, wakes up on the first page of the story as a Red. Instead of destroying her life as society plans, living her life as a Chrome forces Hannah not only to reexamine herself, but the society she has always believed in without question.

I read Hilary Jordan's Mudbound last year and loved it, one of my top reads of the year. Now I am looking forward to When She Woke.

>80 seasonsoflove: Well, now I have to add When She Woke to the TBR list. Thanks for the review!

Nice review of When She Woke! I'm glad you liked it.

It's waiting for me on my nook.

Mudbound was excellent, too!

#81-I'm definitely interested in reading Mudbound now.

#82-Glad you'll be adding it to the list-definitely worth it!

#83-Thanks so much! I'm adding Mudbound to the TBR list.

Loving the reviews, Becca! Bone Island Mambo was good for a laugh, at least, via your review. I agree the premise of The Scarlet Letter is interesting, while the book itself is worth running from. The movie "Easy A" improved on it, too.

Oooh, adding When She Woke to my wishlist - sounds great!

I'm a huge Mudbound fan, but I wasn't sure When She Woke was my kind of book. but your review may have convinced me!

#85-Thanks Dad! "Easy A" definitely improved on it as well.

#86 and #87-It is really an amazing book, definitely worth a read.

23. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

This book is like the ultimate comfort food of the book world. You get the wonderful "cozy" mystery writing of P.D. James, combined with the beloved characters and world of Pride and Prejudice. This is a truly perfect combination.

In the hands of any other writer, this could have all gone terribly astray, verging on parody even, but instead, this novel fits right into the world Jane Austen created. The mystery is excellent, tension-filled, with plenty of twists and drama. It is also such a wonderful treat to see what happens to Darcy, Elizabeth, and the other characters after Pride and Prejudice ended.

This is the kind of book that makes you feel like you're wrapped in a warm blanket, drinking a warm strong cup of tea, tucked inside safe and cozy on a stormy day.

Hah! Death Comes to Pemberley sounds like a fun one, Becca! You know where to bring it next. I'll trade you for Midnight in Austenland, which also was a lot of fun.

Great to see all the Austin love over here! I am adding both those book to my massive wish list.

89 and 90-I'm loving Midnight in Austenland right now actually!

24. Death in the City of Light by David King

The true crime books I tend to enjoy reading the most are the ones that also weave in the history of the time period the crime occurred in. This is one of those books that does that really well, especially with conveying how the murderer attempted to use the war that had just occurred to be found not guilty for his heinous crimes.

I picked up this book based on recommendations from fellow LT-ers, and am very glad I did. This was a crime I knew nothing about, and while I have studied Nazi Germany, I knew very little about Nazi-occupied France before this book as well.

I would definitely recommend this book myself-it is gripping, educational, and well-written.

25. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

As a fan of both Austenland and mysteries, this seemed right up my alley, and it definitely was.

I loved the idea of a mystery within a mystery, where you are not quite sure who and what are real and true, a concept the author played with really nicely with all the men being actors playing at Austen gentlemen, and all the women taking on false names and backgrounds so as to be more a part of the fantasy.

The heroine was clever and fun, and it was great to see her transformation from beginning to end. I also really enjoyed how the ending managed to be satisfying without being ridiculous or out of character in any way. They mystery itself, while definitely not on par with, say, an Agatha Christie, was still a good one, and did a great job of advancing the plot and characters.

Hi Becca, Lots of good reading going on here! I have a copy of Death in the City of Light so I'm happy to hear good things about it.

I've been meaning to ask you, Becca, ever since your dad read Midnight in Austenland whether the books lean more towards the Bridget Jones's Diary end of the spectrum as far as Austen homages go. Because those I liked. Continuations tend to drive me up the wall.

#93-I'm so glad you already have a copy, it took me quite a while to get it from the library-its definitely worth the read!

#94-I would definitely say it leans more towards the Bridget Jones end of the spectrum, it's definitely not a continuation at all.

>95 seasonsoflove: Thanks! I will definitely have to give the first one a try then. :)

>96 MickyFine: I'm so glad! I really think you'll like it.

26. The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon

A book whose description includes secrets long buried in the past, a mystery, suspense, and a boarding school full of suspicious characters and unknown relationships, is guaranteed to be a book I will pick up and read. This book had all that and more, and was an amazing read.

Armitage, the setting of most of the story, is a boarding school with a reputation for entitlement and excellence. But when a student is found dead, and the baby no one knew she was carrying is missing, the secrets behind Armitage's seemingly-perfect facade start to be revealed.

The characters never venture into stereotypes, but instead are complex challenges to those same stereotypes, and the mystery is a fascinating one with many twists and turns. The author had never written a mystery before this one, and I certainly hope she writes one again.

Nice review, Becca! That does sound like the ingredients I know you love.

>98 jnwelch: Thanks Dad!

27. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Imagine waking up each morning thinking you are the person you were over two decades ago, having no idea of the life you've lived since then. There is a person next to you you do not recognize, but, more than that, you do not recognize yourself.

This is where the book opens, with the narrator having to piece her life back together every day with the use of scrapbooks, photographs taped to her mirrors, and a journal she did not remember keeping. Her words, and what others tell her, are the only things she knows; but even those stories may not be the truth.

Who do you trust when you can't remember anything from the day before, when even your own seeming memories may be nothing more than fantasies you've created to get yourself through another terrifyingly new day?

I finished this book in less than two days, because I literally could not put it down. The author makes you feel like you are the one caught in this terrifying situation, unable to trust yourself or anyone around you, even those who say they love you the most. The twists and turns in this book are some of the best I've read in quite a while.

The truth becomes an unknown entity when you can't remember your own truth anymore.

I think I'm going to be starting Before I Go To Sleep very soon. Glad to see you liked it and I enjoyed reading your thoughts!

>100 Copperskye: (and yay for being my 100th comment on this thread!) I'm so glad you'll be reading it-I look forward to seeing what you think of it.

28. Hollywood Boulevard by Janyce Stefan-Cole

I received this book as an Early Reviewer, and thus particularly really wanted to enjoy it. Unfortunately, I walked away from this book feeling merely so-so about the whole thing.

One of the main issues for me, I think, is that this book was billed as a psychological thriller, which is why I requested to be an Early Reviewer for it. However, as the main character seems to be merely letting life happen to her, rather than having any sort of active role, there was not enough believable psychology and hardly any thrills.

Even when the main character was put in seemingly-mortal danger, I couldn't bring myself to care too deeply about her fate, given what a passive character she was.

The book did have some good insight into what the acting world can do to a person, and some interesting moments, but the sheer passivity of almost every character, particularly the main character, tended to take the punch out of just about everything.

More good reviews, Miss Becca! Sorry Hollywood Boulevard was meh. Before I Go to Sleep sounds great, and you know one guy who's waiting with anticipation for you to bring it over.

Hi Becca, Before I Go to Sleep sounds deliciously scarey and I am adding to the massive wish list.

<102 Thanks Dad! I'm bringing it over tonight.

Hope you like Before I Go to Sleep as much as I did!

29. Uglies by Scott Westerfield

In a world where everyone believes that the way they are born is hideous, and live only for the day when they turn sixteen and get to have an extensive surgery to turn "pretty", the most anyone does to question the status quo is play a few pranks.

Or at least, that's what Tally thinks. But then her best friend runs away, and Tally is forced to choose between betraying her friend or never being turned pretty. She also learns the secrets of the operation, and what it really means to be a Pretty.

This was an older entry in the young adult dystopian trilogy genre, and the creative take definitely sets it apart. I've already gotten the second book from the library, and am eager to find out what happens next.

Hope you like the rest of the series, Becca. I have... *mixed* feelings about it.

I... also have "mixed feelings" about the rest of the series. Mostly annoyance and derision, but to each their own. Lol. Really liked the first book, though!

I'm wondering too how I'll feel about the other books in the series, because they told so many of the secrets in the first book.

30. Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

This was an amazing unconventional mystery, somewhat in the vein of Before I Go to Sleep, another brilliant book.

You are put in the mind of Dr. Jennifer White (through a second-person limited narration, interestingly enough), a former surgeon who is succumbing to Alzheimer's, and may have killed her best friend.

This book is really chilling, not only because of the mystery and the characters, but because the author takes you so initimately into Jennifer's failing mind. The unusual format, of small snippets of stories and flashbacks within the overarching story, make this a particularly gripping read.

>107 dk_phoenix: My feelings also, Faith. I just wanted to be politic. ;)

Congrats on reading thirty books already, Becca!

>109 MickyFine: Thanks so much for the congrats! I will probably end up returning Pretties to the library and picking it up another time, I just have so much else I really want to read.

31. The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie
This is one of those hidden gem Agatha Christie's, one I may have actually only read once.

It's also an unusual one as well. There's a supernatural element very prevalent as well, in the person of the title character, who appears in each short story within the book, and may be Death himself, an angel, or something else entirely.

The mysteries are, as always, extremely well-written, with great twists and solutions. Some of the stories in this collection had solutions that I guessed early on with not much difficulty, but this could also be some sort of residual memory from the previous time I read the book.

Yay! The Mysterious Mr. Quin is one of my favorite Dame Agathas. I don't remember her having that supernatural element in anything else. Satterthwaite (did I get that right?) drives the action, but it's all at the instigation of the Mysterious Mr. Quin.

<111 I don't remember her using the supernatural element in anything else either...it's sometimes a plot device a murderer uses, but it's never a real supernatural occurrence (like in Endless Night with the gypsy).

32. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Having loved her Vampire Academy series so much, I was unsure if I could get into another series of hers that wasn't directly centered around those characters. What is great about this first book in the new series is she takes some of the more minor characters from the original series and sets them center stage, to a great end result.

Sydney, an Alchemist from the last few Vampire Academy books, is ordered to help protect Jill, another character from the first series who is the Moroi Queen's sister. There has already been attempt on Jill's life, one mysterious and traumatic enough that no one who was there will tell Sydney exactly what happened.

Complicating matters is Sydney, Jill, and their other helpers have to blend into a prestigious boarding school, all while being on the alert for other attacks and threats. There is also some sort of mysterious connection between Jill and Adrian (also from the first series), and a rash of metallic tattoos that seem to be affecting the students mentally and emotionally.

I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in the series to come out!

Sounds like a fun one, Becca. I'm glad it turned out to be good, as I remember you were concerned about whether she'd do as well with this one as she did with the Vampire Academy series.

I'm really glad it turned out to be good too, and she brought in one of my very favorite characters at the end, which makes me doubly excited for the next book.

Today was a two book day-love these kinds of days!

33. Psycho by Robert Bloch

Having thought the original Psycho movie was brilliant, and having just watched the remake (which was essentially a shot-by-shot remake of the original, an interesting directional choice), I decided it was time I read the book.

What was really interesting (and chilling) with the book was getting inside Norman Bates' head right from the start. The story is largely told through his thoughts, which is really terrifying and highly effective. The parts with Lila and Sam actually become relatively boring in comparison, essentially them repeating their same argument about finding Mary and if they should call the Sheriff.

I think reading this book after having seen the movie made the book even creepier, knowing what was coming. The psychology at the end did come off a bit long-winded and definitely dated, but the character of Norman Bates will never not be creepy, especially when seeing into his head. I suspect at some point I will end up reading the other books in this series of sorts.

I haven't watched the film, and I haven't thought of reading the book... but you do make it sound very interesting. I didn't realize there were other related books? It's a series?

Hi Becca, I read Psycho quite a few years ago after seeing the film, and I remember being quite impressed by it. Norman Bates will go down as one of the creepiest characters ever. As you say, I imagine the psychology at the back of the book would be very dated today.

<115 There surprisingly do appear to be more books in the Psycho universe, which were also made into movies. If I do read the others, I will definitely report back.

I believe it is a series, both a book series and a movie series, which I had not realized either.

Norman Bates is definitely one of the creepiest characters ever!

34. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

While I had expected more gothic horror, and less fantasy, that didn't make me love this book any less.

When Jacob loses his grandfather in a horribly brutal manner, he is forced to confront the idea that the fantastical stories his grandfather told him may just be true. Through photographs, and a visit to the island where his grandfather lived in a mysterious isolated orphanage, Jacob begins to piece together the truth about himself and his family, and the orphans captured in the seemingly impossible old photographs.

The characters in this book are incredible, and the world Riggs has created is one you get completely lost in. The writing style is a great one, and the vintage photographs (real photographs the author found) add so much to the book.

I can't wait for the sequel!

Silly me, I had no idea the movie Psycho was based on a book, and a series, too. I'll have to look around for it!

I had had no idea Psycho was a book or a series either! I'm glad I can pass the information along!

35. Murder in Greenwich by Mark Fuhrman

While I'm extremely glad that this book brought the murder of Martha Moxley back into the public spotlight, and led to the arrest and conviction of the murderer, this book was unfortunately not one of the best true crime books I've read.

The problem lies in the author's obvious agendas. The positive agenda that permeates through the book is to find the murderer of Martha, and that is a wonderful honorable one. However, the other agendas, to paint the Greenwich police as both incompetent and complicit, and to paint the wealthier citizens of Belle Haven as spoiled and complicit, color the book with an unpleasant preaching tone.

Having clearly never lived in Belle Haven, nor known anyone involved in the case, I can in no way say for certain that Fuhrman's claims regarding the police and citizens are not completely accurate. That said, the heavy hand with which Fuhrman paints these claims overshadows the good work he was doing in bringing the case back to light.

36. Scrapbook of Secrets by Mollie Cox Bryan

I received this book from a Member Giveaway, and I'm really glad I did, as I doubt I would have heard of it otherwise.

This is a good addition to the craft/cooking genre-within-a-genre mysteries. As someone who has made scrapbooks in the past, I especially enjoyed the details about the specific scrapbooks the women were making. I also felt like the author had some really good insights into people-as a teacher, I particularly enjoyed the dance teacher character's thoughts about why it's wonderful teaching young children.

My only complaint would be that sometimes there was so much going on, it overwhelmed me as a reader, and overwhelmed the mystery as well. The book opens with a knife in someone's neck, someone who is walking around with no idea they've been stabbed, and follows this with secret erotica, S&M, affairs, a surprise pregnancy, thoughts on racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism, poison, alcoholism...The solution to the mystery feels almost like a last-minute thought at the end.

That said, I thought this was definitely a creative take on the crafty mystery, and as the author hones their craft more, I can see this becoming a really good series.

Happy Easter, Becca.

#119 - Hmm, that's a very enticing review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I've picked that book up several times in the bookstore, but just wasn't sure if I'd like it, but your review is making think again. Back onto the TBR list it goes!

Happy Easter Judy!

#124-I'm so glad I could convince you to put it back onto the TBR list! It really is worth the read.

Nice reviews, Becca! I'm glad you liked Miss Peregrine's Home.

Thanks Dad! I really did!

37. Ruthless by Sara Shepard

This is one of those rare series where I now have to say that the television show is way better than the books. I feel like Shepard started writing this series again is because of the popularity of the television show, but sadly the book cannot live up to the show it spawned.

What is great about the show, and was great about the first few books in the book series, are the twists and turns, the overarching mysteries, and the romances. In this book, there really is no mystery. There is one great twist, but its overshadowed by the ridiculous amount of over-the-top tragedy, drama, and life-threatening peril Shepard throws at her characters. She brings back a beloved romance (that is extremely popular on the show) only to completely trash it forever, and hangs on to an incredibly annoying character that serves no purpose other than bringing pointless misery raining down.

In fact, the ending of this book renders the entire book itself essentially pointless, so it adds nothing to the series, and does not serve to move it along at all. I continue reading this series honestly because of my love of the show, and my hope that somehow the great mysteries and twists will come back.

38. When the Guillotine Fell by Jeremy Mercer

This was a book I picked up by chance at the library, having been looking for another book in the true crime section and stumbling on this one instead. I'm close to finish up a biography of Marie Antoinette, which has been a really fascinating read, and as this promised both French history and true crime, I had to check it out.

I'm glad I didn't know anything about this going in, as I might not have read it. It gets quite gruesomely descriptive at times, and had I known this, I might not have picked up the book. I would have missed a really great book.

Mercer manages to effectively weave together the history of the death penalty and its abolition (or lack thereof), French history, French politics, the history of the guillotine, and a true crime from start to finish. It reads almost like a novel that just happens to be full of little-known information.

Good for you for taking a chance in one of your areas of interest with When the Guillotine Fell, Becca. It's great when those flyers pay off. Hope the Sara Shephard series turns back in the direction you enjoy.

Thanks Dad-it is always nice when those chance books work out.

39. Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

I picked this up at a book sale, and I'm really glad I did. I made it my before-bed book, so at almost 500 pages it took a couple months to finish, but was well-worth it.

The author clearly did her research. Not only did she cover every aspect of Marie Antoinette's tragic and controversial life, she included so much on France during that time period, and the other figures who played such a crucial role in shaping both Marie Antoinette's and France's destinies.

This book has gotten me hooked on history again, especially of royalty. I already have my next historical before-bed book picked out and ready to start tonight.

I am always on the look out for historical fiction set during the French Revolution. Off to see if this is one on offer through my local library.

ETA - Just realized, after scanning the book page, that this is a non-fiction read but still one I want to check out further.

131: It's definitely worth the read. It actually reads like a novel a lot of the time-Fraser is a really good writer as well as an amazing historian.

*waving* at Becca

Stasia! How are you?! *waves back*

40. Dead Famous by Ben Elton

This was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm so glad she did, otherwise I would have missed a really good book.

A murder mystery take on Big Brother-type shows, Dead Famous centers around a group of contestants who have signed up to live in a house together, completing random tasks for rewards, getting to know each other, fighting, breaking down, and making up, all filmed for TV, all for the chance at fame and a half-million dollar prize. And then one of them is murdered, in the house, while a live internet audience watches. And even with millions of people watching, no one can tell who the killer is.

This book is not only a clever and engaging murder mystery, but also a really clever parody of and commentary on the reality television culture, and just how far people will go for their fifteen minutes of fame.

I read Dead Famous a year or so ago and really enjoyed it. Ben Elton is quite a versatile author, I have also read a really good historical crime story called The First Casualty which I also thought was very good.

I've been looking at what else he's written, and he is really versatile! I'll have to look into getting my hands on a copy of The First Casualty.

#40: Dead Famous sounds right up my alley! I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Becca!

I really hope you like it Stasia! It's a great read-I couldn't put it down.

Unfortunately, my local library does not have it yet. I need to see if it is available for the Nook.

Yeah, the Chicago Public Library system only had I think two copies in the entire system. I really hope you can find it, it's a great read.

41. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

A high school girl with a seemingly normal life gets paired up in Biology class with a mysterious transfer student, one who seems to have no known past, and some mysterious scars on his back. She starts seeing things that others don't, including a dangerous person in a ski mask who seems to always know where she is, and with her life seeming to be in grave danger, the only person she can rely on is the one person she's not sure she should trust.

I really enjoyed this book. I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it before the whole Twilight craze, if simply because then the idea of a young girl who is inexplicably drawn to a mysterious supernatural boy would have come off as a bit more original and a bit less occasionally cliched. But Becca Fitzpatrick is a very clever author with a real talent, and manages to make her take on this tale both highly creative and well-written. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series.

>141 seasonsoflove: Glad you liked Hush, Hush, Becca. My problem with these books is that I always forget to re-read the previous books before I start the newest one and with the normal year-ish gap between books, it takes me a bit to remember what happened in the last one.

I have that problem too, that's why this time I made sure I ordered the second book from the library right away. It's in transit, and I can't wait to get to read it!

Also, a head's up: I thought this series was a trilogy, but when I reached the end of the third book, it turns out it's a tetralogy. Just so you're not expecting all the overarching conflicts to be resolved and then being mystified why they weren't as you near the last 100 pages, like I was. :)

Thanks so much for the heads up! I had no idea, I assumed it was a trilogy.

42. The Best American Crime Writing 2004 edited by Otto Penzler

One of the things I love best about these anthologies is that I get to read about a lot of things I never would have otherwise, and get to read a lot of writers I never would have otherwise.

What was particularly great about 2004's edition is the new perspective it gave on crimes/groups I had previously read about, including the Vioduq Society, and the murder of Martha Moxley. I really enjoyed and appreciated being exposed to new ideas and opinions on these things.

This edition covers everything from Megan's Law to interrogation techniques to the death penalty, from crimes that may or may not have actually happened, to an elderly bank robber, to the seemingly never-ending cycle of violence and murder in Juarez.

Hmm, did some wonderful dad find that for you, I wonder?

I'm glad you liked it so much. You're becoming a true crime expert, you are.

Some wonderful dad did hee hee!

I try ;)

>141 seasonsoflove:: Interesting that you liked Hush, Hush! I thought it was okay when I read it several years ago, but the one thing that really bothered me about the book was when the main character went to talk to an adult (teacher) about feeling uncomfortable around a male student. She mentions that she feels creeped out and unsafe, and the teacher brushes her off and says it's all in her mind. That really bothered me -- I think if a female student has the courage to approach an adult about feeling unsafe around a male, that needs to be taken seriously. I think it sets a really dangerous example for teen girls to be told they're crazy if they think there's something wrong. And of course, the main character was correct, there WAS a problem! Even if the teacher had looked into it, or reacted with some element of concern, I think the whole situation would have been more realistic and set a much, much better example.

I do agree with you about that teacher character-as a teacher myself, I would never dismiss a student who clearly had a very serious problem going on. I did still enjoy the book though, despite that plot point.

43. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Somehow, despite reusing entire subplots from the first book in the series-must fight against those in power, must escape the city, must somehow survive alone in nature-I still enjoyed this book and got caught up in it.

The idea of the government turning everyone into standard Pretties, and the conspiracy of what that means, plus the addition of an unexpected anthropological experiment, is enough to have me order the third and fourth books from the library.

Great to see you at the meetup, Becca! Thanks for being my navigator. :-)

Looks like you all had a good MeetUp today, Becca. What book were you 'reading' in the photo?

Becca- It was great to finally meet you! You are a lot of fun. I was scrolling through your thread and reading some of your well-written reviews, (You take after Dad, huh?). Cool, that you read Psycho, it's one of my favorite films but I never thought to read the book.
Have you read Westerfield's Leviathan books? I read and enjoyed the 1st.

Hi Becca, I'm delurking to officially welcome you to the LT family. It looked like you had fun at your first meetup. I hope there are more in your future. Like Caro, inquiring minds want to know what your book was in the picture!

Caro, it was a great MeetUp-I was 'reading' In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

It was great to meet you too Mark! Thanks so much for the compliments on my reviews-I definitely take pointers from my Dad's great reviews. Psycho is one of my favorite movies too, and as soon as I found out there was a book I had to read it. I'm planning to read the other ones as well soon. I haven't read the Leviathan books yet, but I definitely want to-I know my library has them.

Hi Donna! Thanks so much for the welcome! I had a great time at my first meetup, I definitely hope to go to more. My book was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, one of my favorites.

I got to go to a book sale today at a local church-$5 for a bag of books-so of course I crammed about 20 books in a bag! Got some really fun looking mysteries, perfect for this month, and some classics as well.

44. The Unseen by Katherine Webb

This was my second ER book, and definitely way better than the first. It's one of those books that makes me so glad I sign up for ER books, because I might never have heard of or read this great book otherwise.

The Unseen contains two storylines, one set in the 1900s, one set in 2011. A woman in 2011 is trying to identify the body of a dead soldier, found with two mysterious letters on him. This man, and the letters, are connected to a rectory in the 1900s that, while peaceful perfection on the surface, contains many harmful secrets within.

What I especially liked about this book was how it explored how small moments, and the entrances and exits of people into each others' lives, led to deception, cover-ups, and even murder. Exploring everything from fairy photographs to the suffragette's movement to love itself, this is a book I would strongly recommend.

Hi Becca- Good review of The Unseen. Sounds interesting. It's nice when an ER book clicks!
Have you read The Scorpio Races? I've heard good things. That's my next audio.

Nice review, Becca! I'm trying to land an ER book this month, we'll see.

Mark, I forgot, you asked me about The Scorpio Races, and I haven't read it. I know Becca has read this author, not sure about this book.

I haven't read The Scorpio Races-another one for the list!

45. Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard

This is definitely a guilty pleasure mystery read. Part of a young adult series, it centers around a girl named Emma who discovers she has a long-lost twin, only to discover her twin has been murdered.

Emma takes over her twin's former life, pretending to be popular and pretty Sutton. She is trying to figure out who murdered her sister without getting killed herself, discovering secrets and lies all along the way.

This is definitely a quick, fun, and easy read. As with her other series, sometimes all the things that always seem to go wrong for her characters can get to be a bit much,but the mystery is really intriguing.

Becca- I know we were talking about book podcasts at the Meet-Up. Just a reminder, here is the link for Books on the Nightstand, my favorite:
http://booksonthenightstand.com/
Also look up Bookrageous! You can find both of these on itunes.

Thanks so much for the links! I started looking at the website for Books on the Nightstand and it looks great!

Hi - I'm another Chicago-area person, but wasn't able to make the last meet-up. I've starred your thread and look forward to reading your reviews. I've just started reading mysteries and thrillers and need help with recommendations!

Welcome! I love giving recommendations, especially for mysteries and thrillers, so please feel free to ask!

#163 - Thanks! At this point, I think I'm looking for not too gory, but not too cute, and with lots of suspense and interesting twists. That should narrow it down, right? Ha!

Hee hee! Here are some suggestions I think fit those guidelines:

-any Agatha Christie, especially And Then There Were None, Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Endless Night and Murder on the Orient Express.
-An Instance of the Fingerpost by Ian Pears
-The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr
-The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
-The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
-The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
-The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
-The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
-Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon
-A Mind to Murder by P.D. James
-The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault
-The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman
-The Seance by John Harwood

Hope this is a good list to start you out with!

What a great list, Becca! I forgot you read The Broken Teaglass. You've got a couple there that are new to me, too.

Why did I not realize the Kate Morton books were mysteries? I have them here, somewhere. Great list Becca!

#165 - Thank you! I will check those out. I've read Case Histories, but not the others.

#166-Thanks Dad! They're all definitely worth reading.

#167-Thanks Joanne! You can read those for Murder and Mayhem month!

#168-You're welcome! I hope you like them! I look forward to hearing what you think of them.

Is it supposed to be The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman, rather than The Ghost Orchard?

#170-It is Dad, thanks for the catch!

Becca- That's a nice list of mysteries. I didn't realize Kerri was such a newbie in this field. We'll have to really show her the ropes. I have not read Kate Morgan. Should I?

Thanks Mark! I have loved all Kate Morton's books so far, so I would definitely recommend them.

46. Mortified by David Nadelberg
A clever and funny book, Mortified is a collection from an ongoing project, taking people's submissions of their old journal entries from when they were young, and turning them into a stage show. This book has entries on everything from unintentionally hilarious rap songs to fanfiction about Duran Duran, Jesus to summer camp, friendships to unrequited crushes. I would definitely recommend this-its really entertaining!

47. The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

This is a very clever and well-written fictional take on a few real events surrounding Sherlock Holmes and his legacy. One storyline fictionalizes the true tale of a foremost Sherlockian scholar, who purportedly found the missing Sir Arthur Conan diary, and was subsequently found dead in his room; the parallel storyline follows Sir Arthur Conan Doyle after his decision to kill off Sherlock Holmes, and the murder mystery he becomes entangled in.

The writing style makes you feel like you are really there with the characters, and the twists and turns are fascinating. I would highly recommend this, not just to fellow Sherlockians, but to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Oo, that sounds good, Becca. I'm swamped right now, but I may ask to borrow The Sherlockian later.

Becca- Thanks for the reminder on The Sherlockian. Back on the WL. Remember I'm next after your Dad....just kidding.

Hi Becca, your review of The Sherlockian had me checking my wishlist. Yep, it's there, but I have no idea when I will actually get to it!

Dad, you can definitely borrow it-and I own The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo that has the original non-fiction piece The Sherlockian is based on.

Mark, hee hee! Glad to remind you!

Delta, it's definitely worth grabbing off your wishlist!

Glad to see you enjoyed The Sherlockian.

Thanks! It was a great read.

48. The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

While not as good as his Lincoln Rhymes and Amelia Sachs series, this was still a good mystery with some well-executed twists. I also liked the inclusion of a cult figure as the main murderer, as I've been reading quite a bit of true crime lately centered around cults.

This novel looks at the impact of the past on the present, and how crime can affect everyone, not just the direct victim. One family was destroyed when Daniel Pell murdered a man, two of his children, and his wife, with one little girl surviving due solely to her being asleep among her stuffed animals, and thus overlooked. One Family was formed by Pell, which ended up destroying the lives of the young women he ensnared. Kathryn Dance, a kinestics expert, must piece together past and present to stop Pell from killing again.

49. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez

I should preface this by stating that math has always been my nemesis, due to a completely inept math teacher in grade school who left me with minimal knowledge of the basics, and thus ensured me floundering throughout high school math.

This left me with some reservations about picking up a mystery centered around mathematics, but Martinez is a much more capable teacher, and a great writer. The mathematics sections are easy to follow regardless of background knowledge, and the mystery is really intriguing and well plotted.

An Argentinian mathematics student arrives in Oxford to continue his studies, only to find that within days of his arrival, the elderly woman running his boarding house has been murdered, and a mysterious note foretelling the death has been left for a famous mathematician. The student is drawn into helping to solve the murders, and must attempt to decipher the mysterious symbols the murderer continues to leave, before the killings begin again.

*waves hi*

Back from Boston, to see my younger brother graduate college and help him pack everything up -and straight back to work-good thing I love my job because I am exhausted! And of course tonight is the Spring Concert-it is going to be adorable I have to say-imagine 48 Pre-kers singing Little Old Lady from Pasadena while doing the Sprinkler.

I'm also finalizing plans for my 26th birthday this Sunday-brunch with my family, then my friends are hosting a party for me, and then we're going out to the Kit Kat Klub for drinks after.

Hi, Becca! Glad you enjoyed the Deaver and The Oxford Murders. As to your math skills, I should mention you always got high marks in math despite your sensation of floundering. I think that doofus teacher made you dislike it, but you were better at it than you remember.

No idea how to do the Sprinkler, but that concert sounds like it will be a hoot.

I'm not a big fan of math either, but I find that when it crops up in novels, I don't mind it so much. Case in point, An Abundance of Katherines.

Welcome back, Becca! Hope you had a good time at little brother's graduation. What day is your birthday? Sounds like you have a nice weekend planned. Enjoy.

Thanks, I had a great time! I'm still exhausted though, but it was worth it. My birthday is this Sunday. We are tweaking the plans a little, but it's still going to be a great day.

50. Life Sentences by Laura Lippman

A book that counts for both Murder and Mayhem Month and my Books Off the Shelf challenge, this was not the best mystery I've ever read, but it was a good book nonetheless.

A memoir writer who's attempt to write fiction has meant with much criticism, Cassandra decides to reclaim her writing glory by solving the mystery surrounding a former classmate. Calliope was accused of murdering her baby, but rather than respond, she pleaded the fifth, and spent seven years in jail in complete silence.

As Cassandra attempts to discover the truth, she learns more than she ever wanted to, including a very difficult truth about her father.

While the solution to the mystery itself was somewhat disappointing, the truths Cassandra learns about her past, her parents, and her former friends are powerful. Lippman shows how the smallest half-truth, the most minuscule action or inaction, can have far-reaching consequences.

51. Vows, Vendettas, and a Little Black Dress by Kyra Davis

This is a series I've enjoyed a lot since the beginning, but this entry was not as good as I had hoped. Whereas the previous books had such great humor, almost Janet Evanovich-like, this book tried to tackle too many complicated and tragic issues.

When I pick up a book like this, I'm expecting, and want, fun, great dialogue, romance, and a good mystery. And while I did get these things, the book was brought down by the attempt to suddenly get very serious. There are other authors who deal with heavy subjects within mysteries, but when I go for a Kyra Davis, I don't expect to read about a best friend getting shot and possibly never walking again, a possible stalker, and what feels like eight hundred fights between the main character and her boyfriend. I fell in love with this series for the romance and the humor, which felt strangely lacking in this book.

That said, I did enjoy the book, though not even close to as much as the other books in the series. There was still some great humor, especially surrounding one of the characters wanting a Disneyland wedding, and the mystery was clever and well-executed. I will be reading the new book in this series in hopes it gets more of its magic back.

Nice! Thumb from me on birthday eve.

Happy Birthday, Becca. Hope you have a great weekend.

Hope you have a great day today! Keep cool! It's going to be a sizzler!

Becca, I am getting my Happy Birthday wishes in before the festivities begin. Sounds like a big day for you ..oh, to be 26 again. Actually, I think I'd choose 46. At your age I had two young children and another one on the way. Makes me tired to think about it. You have fun today. You can sleep off the partying tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, Becca! You're a wonderful daughter, and we look forward to celebrating with you!

Hi! I enjoyed reading your last few reviews. I hope you have a lovely birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Thanks so much everyone! It was an amazing birthday, everything I'd hoped for and more!

52. The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson

One of Patterson's much earlier works, this book, predominantly through flashbacks, follows the story of a journalist writing a book about the truth behind the assassination of a mayoral candidate in the South, and the various parties involved.

While interesting, this book was disappointing. It felt like Patterson was trying too hard to write a "tough" story, but never really found his footing. This could definitely be due to how early it was in Patterson's career, that he hadn't yet settled into his writing style.

53. Mortified: Love is a Battlefield by David Nadelberg

The second book in the Mortified collection, this one is not quite as good as the first as the subject matter is narrowed down to just love. But this is still a great read, and it's definitely fun to be reminded of the hilariously bad unrequited-crush poetry I used to write.

54. Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis
This was an enjoyable Member Giveaway, and a fun mystery. The main character is a very relatable and like able single mother who recently was asked to write the food and wine column for the local newspaper. When her rival is murdered, she is the immediate prime suspect.

The characters are well-differentiated, interesting, and a lot of fun. The romance is intriguing, and the mystery well-resolved.

the hilariously bad unrequited-crush poetry I used to write. Love it!

The second one sounds like your ma might like it.

Mom has actually read the second one-she liked it too!