ApacheCat's third and luckiest attempt for 2012

Hey guys....wow cant believe I have missed the start of the group for this year. My name is Jess and I am a cartographer by trade...reader any chance I get.
This will be my third time in the group and I love it such great people and some amazing suggestions for great reads. I mostly read Fantasy and paranormal fantasy books with occasional Biography and true life tale thrown in.
I am currently still In South Africa have been here for 7 months and tomorrow (19th Jan) I am finally returning home to Australia...so I better get my ruby slippers out and get clicking so I can get home and catch up with you guys.

Welcome back!

Hey, good to see you--finally! Welcome!

Thanks for the welcome back guys. I think one of my first tasks when I get home is to update the 7 months of reading I did last year...I love my kindle....and the reading I have done this year :)

Hey, Jess! Glad to see you back with us again.

*waves* Nice to see you back!!!

*waves* back to everyone :) am sooo excited to be home and of course being back on librarything rocks as well :)

I think I must have stepped in to a black hole for a couple of months....no posts...no checking into library thing.

Well now that I found my way back...this weekend I will endeavor to catch up on what I have been reading and what other people have been doing.......of course if I walk into another black hole all bets are off.

Just got back from the Lifeline Book Fair and Canty's (the worlds best second hand book store) and eleven new books to add to the library :)

WElcome back! What did you get?

Okay wow its August the year is almost over and I haven't added a single book to this challenge!!! I have been reading though. I have been finding it hard to adjust to life back from the wild of Africa and getting used to an office job and working in a cubicle jungle. So here is a huge update of what I have been reading this year...its a bit hit and miss but hopefully I will be more dedicated now.

1. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire 4 star
2. The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice 4 star
3. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest 3 star
4. Bring on the night by Jeri Smith-Ready 3 star
5. Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian 3 star
6. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice 3 star
7. Green Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells 3 star
8. Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian 3 star
9. Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian 3 star
10. Siren Song by Cat Adams 3 star

11. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher 3 star
12. The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe 3 star
13. The Spirit Rebellion by Rachel Aaron 3 star
14. Scorched by Sharon Ashwood 3 star
15. The Treasure Keeper by Shana Abe 3 star
16. Firewalker by Allyson James 3 star
17. The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells 3 star
18. Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken 3 star
19. My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon by P. N. Elrod 3 star
20. Game Ranger in you Backpack by Megan Emmett 4 star

21. Apart from the Crowd by Anna McPartlin 3 star
22. The Stonehenge Legacy by Sam Christer 2 star
23. Swahili for the Broken Hearted by Peter Moore 3 star
24. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan 3 1/2 star
25. Timeless by Gail Carriger 4 star
26. Heartless by Gail Carriger 4 star
27. Heat Rises by Richard Castle 4 star
28. How to walk a Puma by Peter Allison 3 1/2 star
29. Loki by Mike Vasich 2 star
30. Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James 4 star

31. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James 4 star
32. Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James 4 star
33. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 4 star
34. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 4 star
35. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 4 star
36. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin 4 star
37. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 4 star
38. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday 4 1/2 star
39. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin 4 star
40. Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay 4 star

41. A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle 3 1/2 star
42. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris 3 1/2 star
43. Attila's Treasure by Stephen Grundy 3 1/2 star
44. GIS Tutorial 1: Basic Workbook by Wilpen L Gorr 4 star - this is a work related book.

Most of these dont appear in reading order cause I haven't been keeping track...and I am sure a few books are missing....but from now on better record keeping is my aim...in between watching the Equestrian at the Olympics.

I have adopted a new policy to help rein in my kindle reading...nothing wrong with kindle reading but it is nice to read a real book every now and again.

2 real books for every 1 kindle book
Only allowed to download a new kindle book after 3 kindle books have been read.
Anything that achieves a 4 1/2 star rating or more will be purchased as a real book.

Will this work?? who knows but I have 30 real book sitting beside my bed that need to go to their homes on the book case.

So for the first time ever I have begun reviewing books...only three so far but here are my thoughts.

24. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan I heard a lot of hype about this book and how amazing it was. Well it wasnt the best book I have ever read and it wasn't the worst.
Jake is the last werewolf in the world and boy does he like telling us about it. How sick he is of the world and everything is the same, he feels nothing and cant wait for it to be over. The first 2/3 of this book is all about this and being constantly reminded of it, lest we forgot from the previous page. The predictable happens in the last 1/3 of the book and it does lift the book. The ending is again predictable, but hey how else was it meant to end?? I found the addition of vampires pointless they only seemed to make an appearance to make sure this is a true "supernatural" book.
I know this sounds very negative but I did enjoy parts of it, just don't believe all of the hype.

25. Timeless by Gail Carriger Timeless is my favourite book in the series and is also the last book in the series (sadly). Alexia is again thrown into a world of mystery and this time manages to drag along her husband, her toddler and acting troupe, an inventor and 1 vampire on a wild adventure in Egypt. Things back in London are not calm as deaths occur, drigibles are stolen, and a new romance develops.
Plenty of tea, parasols, fainting and hilarity ensue...and I can’t wait for Miss Carriger’s new series set in the same world.

39. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin Arrgggh - If one more person dies I am going to scream. I said that at the start of the book, needless to say I screamed a lot through out this book. For me it seemed to be the longer of the three books in the series I have read so far, but by far one of the best. Yes there is still a cast of hundreds and trying to remember who they are, where they are and why they are doing things is hard but hey it exercies the mind. I have no idea how this series is going to end and I cant wait to find out.

46. Deadly Desire by Keri Arthur
This is the 7th book in the series and is part of one of my favourite series of all time. I enjoy the writing, the plots are fresh and keep me guessing, the characters are engaging and likeable or if they are evil they are truly evil no nice parts. Add to that its written by an Australian, set in melbourne and the odd bit of Australian slang creeps in makes it a great read.
4 stars and a small sigh that this series is coming to a close.

*waving* at Jess

*waves* back at Stasia and does a *small dance of joy* cause someone found my thread again

47. Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur Oh this book mad me so mad, not at the writing but at one of the characters..if I could have killed him I would have. Keri Arthur is amazing for making me hate him so much but understand why he was necessary and why Riley still needed him. I knew how it was going to end but still a good read.

48. Moon Sworn by Keri Arthur The final book in the series and so many things needed to be wrapped. The whole loosing your memories thing seemed a bit lame but then it turned out to be ok. Pack dilemmas were sorted, families were made and the ending was a happy ending one of the few I could accept.

I really enjoyed Timeless as well.

#23: Was it lost? :)

#25 It was a a good book and a fitting final book in the series...it leaves it open to maybe another one or just moving onto what happens with the " abomination" (Alexa's daughter). this series is what got me into the steampunk genre and I like what I have seen so far.

#23 Well my thread wasn't lost but...I definitely got lost for most of this year but making up for it now......I am even contemplating posting some of my photos from South Africa up on here...just my top 10 as I took thousands of photos...all I need to do now is to figure out how to post photos :)

I stole this from Stasia's thread (who stole it from Jenny's thread and she stole it from Nora). Just continuing the stealing of quizzes.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Mass market paperback

Amazon or brick and mortar?
Bricks and Mortar so they don't disappear, but I do buy on amazon for my kindle and book depository for those hard to find expensive books.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
We dont have Barnes & Noble in Australia and Borders went bust....But Dymocks is my commercial bookstore of choice.

Bookmark or dogear?
Bookmark, always. Even if its a shopping receipt or stick note........dogears belong on dogs where they are cute.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
My books are broken up by genre and then Alphabetised by author and then in series order.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep, I find it really hard to part with books unless they are truly horrible (insert Twilight here even the second hand bookstore said not it!)

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep dust jackets.

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Remove it.

Short story or novel?
Novels hands down short stories just leave me wanting more.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Anthologies - makes me dicover new authors.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I usually fall asleep reading with book collapsed on me and I have the handy trick of ignoring chapter breaks cause I just want to read more.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
"Once upon a time"

Buy or Borrow?
Buy

New or used?
New usually but only if its a series I have already started collecting, if its a new series to me off to the second hand book store I go.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Book reviews, Cover design/image, Recommendations.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Tidy endings....dont leave me hanging!!!

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Nightime reading and during my rest breaks at work.

Stand-alone or series?
Series

Favourite series?
I will have to go with my all time favourite series The Lord of the Rings

Favourite children's book?
Ok after I kicked my addiction to the Children's Bible (go figure) it would be Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Favourite book of which "nobody" else has heard?
Well that would be my friends book (and series) which is about to be released on Amazon for downloading

Favourite books read last year?
Top five from last year, in reading order
A Voyage for madmen by Peter Nichols
World War Z by Max Brooks
Blindness by Jose Saramango
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Favourite books of all time?
ohhh dear well I will list some of my 5 star rated books.
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
The lords of the rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Least favorite book you finished last year?
Fallen by Lauren Kate

What are you reading right now?
Tainted by Julie Kenner
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
GIS Tutorial 2: Spatial Analysis Workbook by David W. Allen

What are you reading next?
Something from the 30 book pile that lives beside my bed.

Still ploughing my way through Inheritance...why is it taking so long?? I am not really sure, the editing is a lot better in this book and the story line in a lot tighter than the previous books. All I can put it down to is I dont want to finish the series, overall I have enjoyed it and I have a feeling something big and bad is going to happen and I dont want to read it.
The solution?? suck it up princess and just keep reading.....see how I go.

eeek 200 pages left in Inheritance and the big bad thing thats going to happen hasnt happened yet but surely it must be coming up??
I have never ever read the last pages of a book, but it very tempting at the moment I just want to know everyone is ok.
Must read faster....

I have finished!!! yep finally completed Inheritance.
Here is my review: The final book in the Inheritance saga. I really really enjoyed Inheritance it is by far the best book in the series. Paolini has finally got the craft of story telling right. The pacing of the story was excellent, gone are the long boring chapters about training or background story. Yes its still a long book but everything that appears in the book deserves to be there and adds something to the story. The twists and turns of the story a great and as mentioned in previous reviews not everyone gets what they want but its ok, I can live with the ending and maybe there will be another book about what happens to Murtagh and Thron.
4 1/2 stars

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Book 49 was Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Book 50 Naked in Death by J.D. Robb - Not a bad book. Other people in the 75 Book Challenge seem to have enjoyed the series, so I thought I would dive in and give them a go. A typical police murder mystery, with a female detective that is strong but damaged and a dark, broody guy that she is unexplainably attracted to. Ok so the set up is familiar, but it managed to keep me entertained and the twists were good and Roarke was nice to imagine. It was good enough for me to go ahead and keep reading the rest of the series.

Ok after many trials and tribulations I have finally figured out how to post pictures...woot...so bare with me people but here are a few of my favourite shots from my 7 months in South Africa working as a game ranger.

This is our male lion Zero he is 14 yeras old and still the King of the reserve..I miss his roars.

This is one of our male cheetah's Djuma...check out the love heart nose.

One of our male leopards

This is a Kudu - I love things with big ears which is why I own Oriental cats.

A baby giraffe

And finally me doing my other job in Mozambique leading horse trail rides around Bengueera Island.

Love the big cat pictures! The big cats are always my favorite part of the zoo.

I LOVE the pictures - of the animals and, of course, the horse riding. Recently took my horse to the beach, but I should think it's much much better over there! It's a lifetime ambition of mine to go on a horseback safari. Maybe one day.

Thanks for the comments guys.

The big cats are also my favourite I have thousands of photos that I have to wade through, but they were always photogenic even when eating.

#lunacat - if you ever want any information about horse safari's in South Africa or Mozambique drop me a line... I am more than happy to chat about ponies and riding, two of my favourite things.

Great pictures!

51 GIS Tutorial 1 by Wilpen L Gorr True it was for work but it was a great book that has increased my skills.

52 GIS Tutorial 2 by David W. Allen Yep another one for work but still the same thoughts as above.

Am moving to a freinds property of 3 weeks to house sit and I only packed 10 books and my kindle....I think that should be enough...oh and 4 horse magazines :)

This is what the book should be.....Image is from Seaworld Australia when our bears hit breeding season, a bit of light reading, a swim in the pool and then a romantic meal of an entire Tuna!!!

Love that picture!

I love polar bears so went and stuck it on my Facebook page.

Morphidae I am glad you enjoyed the picture, its so cute and makes me smile everytime I see it.

53. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma I didnt know what to expect coming into this book. But wow it sucked me in and wouldnt let go. Three different but interwoven stories are presented to us in the book, with the mysterious and wonderful narator making an apperance and guiding us through the tale. I can honestly say I like every single aspect of this book, the storyline, the plots twists, the way H. G. Wells, Bertie, is fleshed out and turned into the most amazing character. All I can say without giving away the plot is that time travel always seems to be because of the love of a women. An amazing tale everyone should read it.

University enrollment for next year opens tomorrow....eeeks...yep I really am going to do this :)

54. Tainted by Julie Kenner This is the first book writtenby Julie Kenner I have read and I am sorry to say it will be the last. It was an ok book but nothing spectacular, nothing groundbreaking, nothing new. Lily leads a pretty horrible life and then she dies...and wakes up in someones else body and is now a warrior for God!!! Fighting the good fight slaying demons...or is she??
I just couldnt get involved I didnt care for the characters they just washed over me, the plot was ok but you could see the twists and the end of the book coming a mile away.
I think there are people out there who do a better job at the battle between good and evil, demons and angles and what side of the battle we mere mortals should be on.

55. Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready This is the second book in the series, and I thin it just keeps getting better. Vampires are still trapped in there time, religious nuts are out to kill them all, Shane is still hot, and Dexter makes an apperance and decides to stay...its alright he is a loveable vampire-dog!!!
3 1/2 stars

*delurking* to say hello. I love your animal pictures up here and on your profile, especially the cat ones.

#56 thanks for delurking....something which I admire but dont often do I like lurking......I will have to post some more photos...I have thousands of the big cats, thank god digital cameras were invented because if they were on film I would need a bank loan to develop them.

*waving* at Jess

I love the pictures from Africa! Thanks for sharing those!

Well a small accident has given me the opportunity to catch up on my reading...I got thrown from a horse on sunday during my riding lesson...not his fault he is only a baby and the saddle slipped and he freaked out...the end result 6 fractured ribs and soft tissue damage to my right shoulder and ribs and one night in hospital......roll on the reading for the rest of the week when I am not sleeping off the painkillers.
Hope the rest of you are all well and accident free.

*waving* left handed back at Stasia, thank you for visiting my thread : )

Ouch! I hope you heal up quickly, Jess!

Oh dear! That sounds like a substantial injury--so sorry it had to happen to you. I hope you heal quickly, but it sounds like you are sidelined for a while now.

Thanks for all the well wishes guys...the only good thing about fractured ribs is the time of work to catch up on reading!!! The reviews are a bit all over the place sorry but painkillers are making me odd.

56. Original Sin by Allison Brennan Well this book just dragged for me. I kept picking it up and putting it down and reading other books so I wouldn't have to read it. The writing just didn't do it for, the story line should have been engaging but I didn't care about the characters and couldn't get involved in their struggle. I cant put my finger on why it didn't work for me. I wont be continuing the rest of the series.

57. The Dream Thief by Shana Abe This is the second book in the series and is a light and enjoyable read. The characters are entertaining and so is the story line as you want o find out more and why. And of course anything with dragons is great.

58. Frozen Heat by Richard Castle I love this series so much!!! I actually forgot I had per-ordered it on kindle until it "magically" appeared one day. We dig deeper into Nikki's past and learn more about her mum and what caused her murder. Nikki and Rook's relationship deepens, the jokes are funnier and the plot twists are great. Its a series that is quick to read and doesn't take itself too seriously but still delivers are good read.

Thought I would post a few more South Africa photos...just cause I can....



This a Red-headed Weaver that made its nest right outside our bedroom

Another of our Bull Elephants Mr M

Yep this is me kissing a hippo, and Yep her name is Jess....she is drinking ice tea

A treed female leopard

Our adult pride lions Maggie, Lisa and Zero

And finally sunset on the most beautiful game reserve in South Africa - Karongwe



Night guys hope you have a great night reading : )

Absolutely love the photos. They are beautiful. And I hope the injuries heal quickly!

Beautiful photos! What an experience you had!

*Woot* my library just hit 803 books!!! Ok I admit 150 odd books are on my wishlist and 99 of them are kindle books but still exciting to see the 800 number roll over...now if only I can get my wishlist into double digits or the ultimate dream ...single digits....*sigh*

Anyway contiuing the fractures rib read-a-thon

59. Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey A new series for one of my all time favourite authors. And not too bad. Yes I shuddered at the thought of how Carey would deal with werewolves but she did it nicely and really it wasn’t a huge part of the storyline and not your typical werewolf story. Its more a dystopian story about a young girl with special talents struggling to live in a world where no one cares, hope is lost and everyone live behind the wall with only the army for outside contact. Enter boxing!!! Yep boxing as the way to beat the man and stand up for yourself, plus a little masquerading as a superhero and lesbian lovers as our heroes.... Was it a good book yes, not bad I couldn’t put it down read it in one sitting and I am interested enough to continue on with the series. Is it up to Kushiel's standard?? No I don’t think so but again its worth a try.

60. River Marked by Patricia Briggs Ok ok I love this series, Mercy is by far one my favourite characters of all time. In this book Mercy and Adam are on thier honeymoon...so will it be normal and relaxing?? Not with Mercy along., chaos always follows (and so does the walkingstick)..unexplained deaths, otters in the river, Native American Ghosts and Coyote all join in the fun and adventure. Mercy learns more about her past and kind of discovers who she is but only if you look at it sideways. This book lef smiling and wanting more..I cant wait to get my hands on the next one.

I love the South African photos, Jess! Thanks for sharing them. To be honest, I am not sure I am brave enough to kiss a hippo :)

One of these days I really need to get to the Patricia Briggs series. . .

#74 Hi Stasia glad you are enjoying the South Africa photos, kissing the hippo was easy cause she was distracted by the ic tea it was feeding her chunks of sweet pottato that was a bit scary, after that we eneded up giving her a back massage with our feet whilst she was in the water.

I Have another two weeks off work due to my ribs still giving me hell, but am on new painkillers now so fingers crossed.....so much reading time when I am awake.

Me and the girls giving Jess the Hippo a Back massage with our feet!!

*curse you LT or my web browser just lost the post below and now have to remember what I wrote*

61. Glory in Death by J.D. Robb This is the second book in the series and I think it was reccommended by Statsia in a long ago post (maybe). I am well and truly hooked and I am just waiting for my next payday so I can download the next book. I love the characters, their interactions, their personal growth and the everyday problems they encounter. The plot twists keep me guessing and I like the fact its set in the future, fingers crossed for an off world adventure soon. The only complaint I have is that Roarke is always a suspect in the murder cases, its book two and its getting a bit old, so hopefully that doesnt happen in every book in the series.

I am curently trying to read Warrior by Jennifer Fallon but I am half way through and the bad guys have just had a major victory and I dont want to see how badly it goes for the good guys....sigh I am just going to have to suck it up and keep reading.

Ahhh the reading marathon has almost ended, My ribs are getting better and I have to go back to work next week *sigh*. So only a few more days to cram in as many books as possible. Meanwhile I am going mad not being able to go horse riding...another three weeks before I can ride again, an even bigger *sigh*

62. Hidden (A Bone Secrets Novel) by Kendra Elliot An impulse buy from Amazon when I was feeling sorry for myself after fracturing my ribs. And it wasnt too bad, the plot kept me guessing the interaction between the two main characters was excellent and It did keep me on my toes to the end to see who would survive. I am not sure if I would keep buying the series as I do prefer J.D. Robb's series better.

63. Warrior by Jennifer Fallon Second book in the series and I am well and truly hooked. I love the political intrigue and interaction in the families. Ohh but the "bad" guys scored a big win in this novel and it just tears me apart, I even had to stop reading for a while. But I went on and now I need the next book.....I Just wish the good guys would get a small break. Death, affaris, raiding, harems, secret passageways and the odd bit of magic.....

64. Horns by Joe Hill After his first book Heart-Shaped Box I was very keen to read this book. It almost lived up to the last book but not quite. The story was original and the charcters were engaging and you really wanted to know whats happens in the end. But there were a few chapters that dragged and could have been cut or sharpened up. Still it was a great read and I will keep reading his books. Horn playing, horns, devils, murder, God, fireworks, snakes, a magical tree house and the battle between good and evil.

65. The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow A steampunk novel thats ok. I am still trying to figure out what it is about this book that rubs me the wrong way. I like the lead female character Bannon she was a strong lead with humour and an intreguing past. I think its Clare that slightly annoys me...all the time spent in his head being a mentath sorting through endless information and putting it in draws on on black boards...it was good the first couple of times but I quickly got bored of it. I liked the storyline and the plot. I dont think I will buy the next book in the series...maybe if its on sale on Amazon.

66. Reflections - Eternal Curse by J. Dorothy *Touchstones not working* If any of you have read my previous years 75 challenege posts you may remember me raving on about reading my friends first draft of her book....well it has finally been published and released to the world for download on Amazon. So here is my review -

**Disclaimer: I know the author....I am NOT the author just reading and reviewing a friends book**

Reflections - Eternal Curse is the first book in a trilogy for a first time author.

If you read the book description I know what some of you will be thinking..."Oh No a book about a magical ring" but no take a step back and give the book a go. Yes there is a magical ring but its not a crucial/prominent character in the book (like Lord of the Rings). Yes its use causes things to happen, but more importantly I think this book is about how a family works and the relationships in it and the harm secrets can cause.

It is aimed at the Young Adult market and there is teenage love but its not soppy and all encompassing like Twilight and the lead female character actually has a backbone and personality. I love the twists in the book and the little hints you get of what might happen in future books. The world is well constructed and the characters well thought out, conversations happen like they would in real life, points of view change effortlessly through out the book.

In all honestly I think its a good first book, I want to know more about the characters and how the story ends..all ways a good thing.



(Hope fully a few of you might give it a go and download and help out a first time author with some constructive feedback.)

Fogot to add some of my favourite quotes from Reflections - Eternal Curse by J. Dorothy

"Her books had replaced her need for friendship and she was happy escaping from the real world into a fictional one" - sounds pretty much like me on the odd ocassion block out the world and problems and just read.

"... Remember, I'm the shining light"
Jo frowned. "The what?"
"Sarah called me that when she thought we'd had a fight. Said I was the shining light that gave her hope the curse was all nonsense" - It makes me laugh and is a thing that keeps being brought up threw out the book James being the shining light....flashing or non flashing.

Currently reading Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson and I had to post this line from the book cause it cracks me up "I love my cat. She's a pain in the ass, but she's dependable, and has never once told me to change my hirt because I look like a crack whore in periwinkle blue"

Made me thankfull my cats cant give commentary about what I wear. Other than the meow of that me comfy sweater not yours!!!

Still reading this book so review still to come but I like it so far.

It was only 99¢, so I went ahead and bought Eternal Curse (no touchstone yet) on your recommendation. I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but it's on my Kindle now.

Oh thank you so much ronincats thats great any feed back for my friend is always welcome : )

Such a slow reading month....but my ribs are now almost fully healed and I can lay down on my right side....got back on a horse for the first time since coming off. It was ok for the first hour but then my mare started acting up and pigrooting which shook up my confidence and ended up in me getting of and walking 3 kilometres back to home.....anyway try again on thursday...fingers crossed it goes better.

67. Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson As mentioned in a previous post this book cracks me up and I end up laughing out loud (which is slightly embarrassing at work). Its a light and cheerful read, with nothing too heavy in it and likeable characters. Yep the plot is easy to guess but really what were you expecting?? Lighter and funnier than the Sookie Stakehouse novels its a refreshing read and I will keep reading the series.
Only two things bugged me about the book Betsy's insistence for creating silly nicknames out of peoples names...yes I know she does it to bug the people but it also bugs me!! And shoe obsession, I cope with a little bit of shoe obsession but it does go slightly over the top.

68. Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson The second book in the series and Betsy is back. She has a new house, a new job, some new friends and she is still learning how to be Queen of the Undead. Her dad and the Ant are still in denial about her existence, Sinclair is as hot as ever and still trying to get into Betsy's bed, vampires are dropping by to say hi and swear allegiance and somebody is killing vampires (Buffy??) and to top it all off there is a new range of shoes coming out!!
I like this book a lot better than the first one, Betsy doesn’t constantly use/create annoying nicknames for everything. We get to see she does have some character and isn’t all about shoes. More of Betsy's amazing abilities are revealed in this book when will they ever end??
from me and a small break from the series whilst I hunt down book 3 as I mistakenly bought book 4 and not 3.

69. Grass for his pillow by Lian Hearn This is a re-read for me, now that I actually own the books. Its still fantastic story, with words that conjure up powerful imagery of medieval Japan. The characters are likeable, relateable and they develop through out the course of the story. The plot has twists and turns and the good dont always win and get what they want. yes there is an element of magic powers in the book but it doesnt dominate the story and scream in your face, its just part of the story and sort of melts into the background. I cant fault the book and will continue re reading the books for many years to come.

70. Dirk Gently's Holisitic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams Is it possible to like a book more than Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?? I think that it would start raining salmon, everything would turn a shade of pink, the dolphins would leave us and the universe would explode with a squelching sound. With that threat hanging above me I am going to push ahead and say I like this book better than Hitchhikers!! I am not really sure why, it just had me laughing, trying to figure out what was going to happen next and solve the problems of how to get a couch stuck in a stairwell unstuck and how exactly do you fit a horse in a bathroom?? Highly highly recommended

71. Ink and Steel by Elizabeth Bear It has taken me about a month to the read this book. I know it has been highly recommended in the 75 challenge and everybody seems to have really enjoyed...it except me. It just didn’t click, I had a hard time relating to the characters, I don’t think the plot was clearly thought out, the threat to the Queen and England really did seem that huge to me. I did enjoy the time spent in Faerie more and I like Kit's character a lot more than Shakespeare, which feels wrong to say. I don’t think I can go on with this series and will just have to hang my head and disagree with everyone else.

Ooops looks like I missed my thingaversary...I have been a member since 2009 and I have loved every minute of it...especially the 75 book challenge. Its good to know other people are interested in the same books or even try something new that has been recommended but another member.

Getting closer to completeing the challenge this year...cant wait to look back and see what my top 5 books were and what the worst books were of the year.

Ribs are now fully healed and I am back riding again...if only my muscles would remember what to do it would be great. Last weekend we had a 2 Day Event in town which meant two days of dressage, show jumping and cross country....so now I will bore anyone who wanders onto this page with a few of the photos I took over the weekend.

Pluto Mio ridden by Stuart Tinney in the 3 Star Dressage phase. Stuart Tinney is a gold medalist for Australia.

Big jump at the 2 Star Show Jumping

Jaybee Calypso & Jack Hayden on the Cross country course

Bloomers Twinkletoes & Jade Findlay 3 Star Dressage

APH Moritz & Shane Rose on the cross country course - Shane is a two time Silver medallist for Australia and yep a bit of hero

APH Moritz & Shane Rose in the 3 Star Show Jumping

A bit of a first for me, have just cleaned out 13 book from my library to go the second hand book store. They had to make way for new books. A huge step on they way to making sure my library is made up of books I really want and treasure.

72. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss I have been looking at this book in the book store for months and months and now that I have finished reading it, I wish I had started reading it ages ago. A truly impressive piece of fantasy fiction. There will be people out there who say it follows the typical fantasy stereotype... down on his luck boy, dicovers magical powers, studies, meets friends, a girl, dragons and the big bad. Yes it does follow that pattern but for me at least it seemed to be in a new way, it kept me interested, I wanted/need to know more. The characters are engaging, the plots is slowly unraveling, nothing was boring or unessacery it just flowed. It really really worked for me. The only thing keeping it from being a 5 star book is I want to read the full series first to see if it keeps to this standard.
highly recommended especially for those who love books like Magician by Raymond E. Feist

73. Iron Angel by Alan Campbell This is the second book in the trilogy. I must confess I found this one hard going and a bit of a slog. It didnt seem to pick up from where the last book left off and several key characters were missing until 200 pages or so into the book. So that took a bit og getting used to. Also on the kindle version I was reading there was no distinct break between chapters or characters it just flowed from one sentance to another making it a bit hard to figure out who was speaking. Apart from that the story was good the ending was a tad bit predictable and there was no cliff hanger ending, but thats ok. I will read the final book but I am really glad its only a trilogy as i dont think I could keep reading a longer series written in this style.

74. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin This the fourth book in the series, I have to get to the end of this series on day. I actually think this is the best book of the series so far. What did I like about it?? Well most characters actually suvived this book, not as many deaths. Huge plot developments happened and most of them are still waiting to be concluded. Yes some major characters were not dealt with in this book, but thats ok cause some other characters got the spotlight and we learnt more about them. It has mde me want to read the next book and I have already added it to my extensive wish list.


and almost completed the challenege!!!!

Happy that you loved The Name of the Wind! I didn't like the second book as much for a number of reasons, but I'm still eagerly awaiting the third one. Pat Rothfuss is a nice, genuine guy as well -- I got to meet him and have a chat this summer, which was a lot of fun!

#101....am looking forward to the second book fingers crossed I will like it....and wow getting to meet Pat Rothfuss how cool....I always jump at the chance to meet authors so far I havent met a nasty one...they always seems happy to chat and are really nice people.

75. Bad Debts: Jack Irish by Peter Temple Another Australian author. I watched the mini series this year and liked it so much that I thought I would give the books a try. I am glad I did! Jack Irish is a lawyer with a past, an ex-drunk, his wife is dead, one of his clients is dead and now people are trying to kill him and to top it all of he needs 24k to put on a race horse. The book is amazing, the characters get fleshed out more and the plot gets explained a bit better, plus it helps having the image of Guy Pearce playing the lead character mmmmm.
Forgot to add

Yay I finished the challenge woot....now to see how many books I can add to the total before the end of the year. I am re-reading The Hobbit because the movie is about to be released and I am beyond excited.

Congrats on #75!

I love the photos you've posted on your thread. I found the bull elephant especially impressive.

Thanks for the congrates and yep the elephant picture is one of my favourite ellies on the reserve he was always polite and posed beautifully.

Had a scary moment this afternoon...when I couldnt log into librarything it kept coming up with an error and you know that horrible feeling of "OMG what happens if my account gets deleted or runs away with the faries..what would I do?? I couldnt start entering book all over again and then all my star ratings would be gone and....It was a very scary 10 mins but now its back and I am ok...just watching out for the librarything gremlins.

And this christmas season I thought I would try my very first audio book...should be interesting see how it goes.

Ok so the year hasnt ended yet but I am going to post my tope 5 reads of the year and the worst reads of the year.....safe in the knowledge that between now and next year I will be reading classics that I already like...eg The Hobbit and The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo

Best Reads of 2012
1. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
2. A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin
3. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
4. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
5. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

and the the Worst Reads of 2012
1. Loki by Mike Vasich
2. The Stonehenge Legacy by Sam Christer
3. Tainted by Julie Kenner
4. Original Sin by Allison Brennan

Merry Christmas to all, I hope santa was kind to you and bought you a sack of books.

Glitterfy.com - Christmas Glitter Graphics

I want to wish you a glorious celebration of that time of year when we all try to unite around a desire for Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward All. Merry Christmas, apachecat!

Thanks for the christmas wishes :)

I havent finished with this thread but here is my new one for 2013: http://www.librarything.com/topic/146598

76. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien - my all time favourite book, the 5 star book that all of the other have to live up to. My father bought me this book when I was in year 5 and since then I have read it and the LOTR series every year. I am forever getting lost in that world. So much so I even have tattoos in elvish and a horse from Rohan on my arm. This year I actually finished reading The Hobbit in the movie cinema whilst waiting for the Hobbit movie to start. The movie was amazing I have waited a long time to see it on screen and I was not disappointed....excpet curse you Peter Jackson for only showing us a nostril and one eye of Smaug...I knew you would do that but still curse you...until I see him then all will be forgiven.

was there really any other option???

And just for a laugh a picture of my cat Libi enjoying the spirit of Christmas lols....

Glad you enjoyed your Hobbit re-read and the film too. I saw the film on opening night, and although I was dubious about it being turned into three films, I found that it did not drag as I feared, and I was pleased with how it was done.

Your cat does not look to be in a very jolly mood!

Poor Libi (the cat pictured above) I think the star was too much...and the fact the tin of cat food was still closed.

Gennyt - I was worried as well about the draggin of the movie but I agree they did it quite well and I was entertained...reading the book so close to seeing the movie you could see where Peter Jackson is going to break up the book in to the three movies. I am glad someone else enjoyed it too.

77. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson A re-read of one of my all time favourites. There are just so many things I like about this book...The fact that there are about three plots running at once, the characters are intriguing. Its a book that keeps me reading it and I find it very hard to put down even though I have read it before.

78. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel A book I wanted to read before going to see it at the movies. The main thing I keep hearing about this book is that it will make you believe in the exsitense of God, which means I did want to read and I didnt. I am glad i have read it. I thinks its an extraordinary story about one boys survival and refusal to give up on life.....even when he says he gives up he keeps on going. The book is filled with lots of zoological information and you learn alot about animal training and what goes on in a tigers mind. I like the fact that Pi follows three different religions even though some aspcts may conflict. Did the book make me believe in God....well i think thats a bit much to ask of a book and a story but it does make me believe in the human spirit and how truly amazing animals are.

79. Angelology by Danielle Trussoni I picked this book up at a book fair ages ago cuase the cover looked interesting and the premise sounded good. It has a good plot and the characters are interestesing but boy did it drag. Ineed of some seroius editing. I think i got bogged down in the religious stuff and that sounded the death bell for me. I struggled through to the end but I wont be reading the next book. It could be the whole angel thing they just dont sit well with me...give me vampires and werewolves instead lols.

The last post of this challenge....sigh another year over but so many amazing books have been read...yep there have been a few duds but hey that happens. I wish you all a Happy New year and may 2013 be a bigger and brighter year for you all.

Latters

Here's to a great new year ahead!