allthesedarnbooks (Marcia) comes back for 2013!

Hi, everybody! *waves* My name is Marcia, I'm in my late 20s and I currently live in upstate NY. I have been a member of the 75 Books Challenge group for several years, but I kind of got distracted/waylaid last year. I had an awesome temporary job that took me out of state working on a cause I loved, but that ended after the election, and even though we won, I'm still readjusting to "normal" life and trying to decide what I want to do with myself.

I made a lot of great friends in this group in this past, and I can't wait to catch up with all of you and see what you're reading, as well as hopefully make some new friends! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my thread this year!

As far as reading tastes, I'm somewhat eclectic. So far this year I'm reading a lot of m/m (gay) romance novels and true crime accounts. I also like mystery, fantasy, YA, historical & contemporary romance, politics, history, medicine, anything paranormal, and whatever else catches my eye.

Here's what I've read so far in 2013:

1. Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux
2. Do-Over by Amy Lane
3. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
4. A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
5. People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--- And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
7. The Party Boy's Guide to Dating a Geek by Piper Vaughn and Xara X. Xanakas
8. Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan
9. Spice and Smoke by Suleikha Snyder
10. The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation by Katherine Ramsland
11. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Robert D. Hare
12. Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
13. Final Vision: The Last Word on Jeffrey MacDonald by Joe McGinniss
14. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
15. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey
16. Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews
17. Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
18. Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
19. Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by Bill James
20. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
21. I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats by Francesco Marciuliano
22. Teasing Secrets From the Dead: My Investigations At America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes by Emily Craig
23. African History: A Very Short Introduction by John Parker and Richard Rathbone
24. Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
25. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
26. Family Man by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
27. Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn
28. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
29. The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases by Michael Capuzzo
30. True Crime Files: My Most Memorable Cases by Kathryn Casey
31. Gulp: Adventures On the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
32. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
33. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

I will try and keep the list updated as the year goes on, as well as post thoughts on books I finish from here on out further down on the thread. If you have any questions about any of the books I've read so far, feel free to ask. :)

Welcome back, Marcia!

Thanks, Darryl!

Hey, you're back! Welcome!

Harmonic convergence is in the air. Without knowing that you posted today, I sent a message to you at your home page.

How special to see you here!

Welcome back! May I ask what you thought of People Who Eat Darkness? I read it last month and thought it was very well done.

>4 drneutron:, Thank you! :)

>5 Whisper1:, Thanks, Linda! I missed you a lot while I was gone! It's great to be back and I can't wait to catch up on your threads.

>6 LibraryLover23:, Thank you! I really liked People Who Eat Darkness. I agree that it was very well done. It's definitely one that's stuck with me, as a month later I find myself still thinking about it. I think Richard Lloyd Parry did a great job making Lucie into a real person, where so often the victims in true crime stories remain elusive. I also loved the descriptions of Tokyo, really making it into a character itself. It's definitely one I'd recommend to true crime fans, but also to people who just enjoy well-written nonfiction.

14. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

I thought this book was a great psychological thriller. It's the story of a woman who is abducted by a stranger and kept captive in a remote cabin in the woods. (Which, to be honest, is one of my biggest fears.) Once I started reading it was hard to put it down. It took me a little while to get used to the narrative structure: it's told entirely in first person as the protagonist, Annie, speaks to her therapist and each chapter is set up as a new session.

I thought the parts of the book that focused on Annie's recovery from her ordeal were amazing. About halfway through, however, there was a change in tone that knocked that book back from five stars to four, in my opinion. Without giving any spoilers away, it goes from being very focused on Annie's inner struggles to plot twists and turns that seem almost tacked on and unbelievable. Still, even though the ending left me a little unsatisfied, I will definitely look to read more by Ms. Stevens. Four stars.

Welcome, welcome, Marcia! So glad to see you back. Have fun getting caught up--we've been busy little bees this year. I've got Seraphina on my wishlist, and read Daughter of Smoke and Bone last year, finding it okay but not great.

Glad to see you here, Marcia!

>9 ronincats:, Thanks Roni! I'm glad to be back. :) Seraphina is awesome! I absolutely loved it. I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone too, but I think I'm partial to Laini Taylor's style, as I read Lips Touch: Three Times a few years ago and was blown away by it.

>10 _Zoe_:, Hey, Zoe! *waves* Glad to be here. :)

On a non-book note, today was my 28th birthday. It was a pretty low key day, as I did most of my actual celebrating on Friday night. My mom made me a special dinner though, and I got a $25 Amazon gift card, which probably won't take me very long to get through!

Happy, happy birthday, Marcia!

So glad to see you here!! xoxox
Hope your birthday was a fab start to the best year yet!

Happy Belated Birthday Marcia!

Love you lots

Belated happy birthday!

Hope you had a good birthday! Gift certificates for books are the best, aren't they!

Got you starred--looks like we enjoy some of the same genres.

>12 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! :)

>13 suslyn:, Thanks Susan! Good to see you, too. :)

>14 Whisper1:, Thanks, Linda! Love you too!

>15 LibraryLover23:, Thank you!

>16 streamsong:, Hi! *waves* Thanks for the birthday wishes and the star--- I will have to track your thread down as well!

-----

15. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

I read a few novellas by Shannon Stacey last year and enjoyed them, but this is the first full length novel of hers that I've read. She is becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. This book is just plain fun. Joe Kowalski is a popular, reclusive author; Keri Daniels is a reporter for a tabloid celebrity magazine. She also just happens to be Joe's high school girlfriend. Joe agrees to give Keri an exclusive interview if she comes with him, and his large family, on a two week camping trip. This premise would be silly in another author's hands, but Stacey manages to make it work. My only problem with the book is the same problem I have with a lot of romance novels: the ending was WAY too drawn out. I read this one on my Kindle, so I would say the last 20% of the book (which is 352 pages long in paperback) was unnecessary and annoying, as I kept wanting to yell at the characters to just get over themselves and admit that they wanted to be together. Otherwise, a stellar read that I would recommend to fans of contemporary romance. Three and a half stars.

16. Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

This is the latest book in husband and wife team Andrews's Edge series of paranormal romance/contemporary fantasies. I've enjoyed the whole series, and Steel's Edge is no exception. Although the book could probably be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the series in order, as there are recurring characters whose appearances in this book are absolutely delightful. The Edge books have some of my favorite world-building of recent years. I remember reading somewhere that this is supposed to be the last book in this series. If so, I will definitely miss the world and its characters, especially the children we've been watching grow up, Jack, George, and Sopie. Four and a half stars.

17. Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman

This is the latest installment in Kellerman's long-running Alex Delaware mystery series. There have been some weak entries within the last few years, but I quite enjoyed this one, which starts with a young pregnant woman finding a box with a baby's skeleton in her backyard and from there spirals out into a complex mystery involving Brangelina-like celebrities. This was a quick read for me, and one I couldn't put down once I started. Definitely enjoyable, if perhaps far-fetched. Four stars.

18. Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

This historical fantasy was a bit of a disappointment for me. It's the first book I've read by Juliet Marillier, although I've thought about starting one of her series several times (they always have fabulous covers!). The setting is medieval Ireland, and the tale combines elements of Beauty and the Beast with Celtic folklore. The book is dense and it took me a long time to finish. There are lots of details and scenes of everyday life. At the center of the book is a really interesting plot and likable romantic leads, but for me, all of that got lost within dull surroundings. I guess I like my fantasy a little more action-oriented. The romance, too, builds very slowly. At times Heart's Blood reminded me of a Patricia McKillip novel, with its Celtic mythology and romantic storytelling, but where McKillip seems to choose each word carefully for the utmost lyrical impact, Marillier uses twenty words where five would do. If you like your fantasy dreamy and long-winded, this one's for you. Personally, I don't know if I would read another book by this author or not. Two and a half stars.

---

This reminds me: I have not read anything by Patricia McKillip in a long time! I should get on that. Some rereading may be in order!

This is a picture of my cat, Buffy, curled up in her favorite chair, reading I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats, which we just got from the library today.

Not showing up, Marcia! Try again!

ETA Have you read Od Magic? One of my very favorite of McKillip's books.

Fixed it?

Yes, fixed!! Great picture!

What a great photo of your beautiful cat.

Welcome!

>21 ronincats: &22, Thanks! She is a fluffy little sweetie. We rescued her after the last flood (in 2011), when our neighbors abandoned her and another cat in their flooded out home. Eventually the cats escaped through a broken window and we started feeding them, and we were able to get Buffy to come inside with us, but the other cat disappeared. :( Buffy is doing well, though, although she doesn't always get along with Cordelia, our dog, and is still rather skittish.

>23 PiyushC:, Hi Piyush! Thanks.

>19 ronincats:, No, Roni, I haven't read Od Magic! I shall have to add it to my list. I think my favorite McKillip is probably either The Forgotten Beasts of Eld or The Book of Atrix Wolfe.

LOL. (at the pic) We have no heat atm (it's being installed tho!), so of course one of our cats decided to pee on both of my winter coats last night... I vote yes for McKilip and might try the other as I sometimes like wending my way slowly through a landscape, even a dull one. :)

>26 suslyn:, Your cat would love the poetry book! Lol. You might enjoy Heart's Blood. It seemed to get good reviews from everybody other than me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it?

Definitely look for Od Magic--like I said, it's a very, very favorite of mine. YOu'll love it.

19. Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by Bill James

This book is, to use a "popular" phrase, a hot mess. I'd never read anything by Bill James before, but apparently he's a quite well-known writer on baseball. In Popular Crime, his stated purpose is to trace the history of true crime books, TV, and media coverage and show whether or not they are "bad" for society. Unfortunately, he doesn't come anywhere near meeting his goals.

While James lays out the crimes in chronological order, he doesn't trace the history of media coverage of famous murders like he claims he's going to. For example, while he mentions the Helen Jewett case in one of the early chapters, and how much media coverage it received, he declines to discuss it at any length because (and I'm paraphrasing here) too many books have already been written about it. Which had me going, "Wait? What? Isn't that what your book is supposed to be about?"

There are some famous murders that James go into great detail about, some that he skips altogether except for a quick mention, and some that he recaps briefly in a way that leaves you wanting more.

James talks about his editor at several points in the book, as in "if my editor chooses to leave this in." (Again, paraphrased, but you get the picture.) This is bizarre, as I was pretty sure by about 50 pages in that James didn't have an editor, as it seems every tangent was followed. The most infuriating for me was when James tried to establish a point system (I'm not kidding) for how much value to place on evidence at a trial, with a certain number of points being necessary to convict. Similarly, he tries to set up a scale for how likely murders are to become famous. He spends page after page on these pseudo-statistics and it gets to be mind-numblingly dull.

James also has lots of thoughts and theories about the criminal justice system, including a totally unfeasible prison reform model. His book becomes just as much about that as it does about true crime.

As far as analyzing the true crime industry, he ends up reviewing books on many of the cases he writes about. At first, I wrote down James's recommendations, but then I figured out we have very different criteria for what makes a good book. For example, I loved Joe McGinniss's Fatal Vision, which James seems to think was too long and detailed, and therefore dull. Hello, have you read your own book?

The worst part is that James is actually a good writer. Some of the chapters, especially those on unsolved murders and famously controversial cases, were riveting. Unfortunately, these parts are overshadowed by overall inconsistency and James's attempt to include everything but the kitchen sink. There are the kernels of several different, good, books inside of this bulky mess. Seriously, if James had an editor, they didn't do a very good job.

One final note before I wrap up: There are no footnotes, endnotes, or even a bibliography. In a book about media coverage of true crime. Really? When he's discussing a certain book he'll include the title, author, and publisher in the body of the paragraph. But for the most part, we have no idea where he's getting any of his information from. I want to see references to newspaper articles! I know there are books he's referring to that he doesn't mention! What are they? At one point James says he worked on this book for ten years, and you can tell he's done a lot of research, so why couldn't he show us the research he's done? Instead, we are left to rely on James himself, and if he were a literary character, he would definitely be an unreliable narrator.

Wow, I didn't realize how many problems I had with this book until I started typing up my review. It sounds like I really hated the book, but while I was reading it I couldn't put it down. I guess I would recommend it if you're already familiar with the true crime genre, and either have the patientce to wade through multiple tangents and statistics, or are willing to skip those parts to get to the meaty bits. Two stars.

Oh, that does sound infuriating! I'm glad to have read your review--I have a feeling I would have the same reactions had I picked it up, and the topic certainly would have drawn me in. It also sounds like he couldn't possibly have had an editor, or at least not one at a major agency. My guess is that, at best, he had a copy-editor to read over for sentence errors, or they would have at least corrected the omission of secondary sources through footnotes or a bibliography :(

Oh well--I'm glad it was at least compelling and well-written! (And that your wonderful review will keep me from picking it up...) I hope your next read is better in all respects!

>30 whitewavedarling:, Thanks, Jenn! Unfortunately, the lack of footnotes/endnotes seems to be a trend in nonfiction that's written for a general audience. I understand that not everybody is a research geek like me and some people don't like footnotes, and maybe the author doesn't want to interrupt the narrative. That's why even though I like endnotes much less than footnotes, I understand that trend. What I don't understand is this trend toward nothing. I've read a couple books where the author was like, "I've done so much research, the notes and bibliography would take up too much room in the book," so they put the notes up online. I love that... if they won't give me footnotes, why can't everybody do that?

It's definitely a pet peeve lol.

20. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

I loved this! Gail Carriger is definitely one of my favorites. This is set in the same world as the Alexia Tarabotti (Soulless, etc.) books, but 20-some years earlier so you can definitely enjoy them without having read the other seies. It's also Carriger's first YA book. I think she's perfectly suited to writing YA. This is fast-paced and fun and I could not put it down. Some minor characters in the Alexia books appear here in their younger days, and it left me wanting to reread the entire Soulless series. This one is more straight steampunk than those books, as the werewolf and vampire interaction is extremely limited. Highly recommended! Four and a half stars.

21. I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats by Francesco Marciuliano

If you're not a cat person, you won't enjoy this book. If you have a cat, you will probably love it. The poems are short, simple, and to-the-point and I found them absolutely hilarious and very true. It's a teeny-tiny book (111 pages but of the miniature gift book size) so I probably wouldn't buy it for myself, but if your library has it (like mine did) or you're looking for a sweet little gift for a cat-lover, I'd recommend it. Buffy gives it a paws up! Four stars.

Because... who doesn't love book statistics? Doing February and January, cuz I was late getting started in the group this year.
----

February Stats:
Books Read: 12
New-To-Me: 12
Re-Reads: 0
From the Library: 3
Borrowed from Lendle: 0
Off the Shelf or Previously Bought For Kindle: 2
New Purchases (Kindle): 7
New Purchases (Physical Books): 0

Pages Read: 4202

Fiction: 6
Nonfiction: 5
Poetry: 1 (but really more humor than poetry)

Best Fiction: Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews and Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
Best Nonfiction: Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
Best Poetry: Not really applicable, but I Could Pee On This

----

January Stats
Books Read: 9
New-Tom-Me: 9
Re-Reads: 0
From the Library: 1
Borrowed from Lendle: 3
Off the Shelf or Previously Bought for Kindle: 1
New Purchases (Kindle): 3
New Purchases (Physical Books): 1

Pages Read: 2689

Fiction: 8
Nonfiction: 1
Poetry: N/A

Best Fiction: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Best Nonfiction: People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry
Best Poetry: N/A

---

And I haven't been keeping track of books acquired... it just makes me feel guilty lol.

Marcia, I have Seraphina waiting to be picked up at the library and you're the second person who's said they've loved it! I saw Exclusively Yours further up the thread - I have read all six in the series and Ms Stacey is now an autobuy for me (and an actual buy rather than a borrow from the library). I hope there are more soon.

Hi, Susan! I hope you love Seraphina as much as I did... it's right up there in the running for the best book I've read so far this year!

I really enjoyed Exclusively Yours, and I definitely want to read more of Stacey's Kowalski series. She's not an auto-buy for me yet, but I read two Christmas-themed novellas of hers last year (Holiday Sparks and Mistletoe and Margaritas) and liked them a lot, so she may just become an auto-buy one day!
----

Susan's comment, alongside a bunch of Kindle pre-orders I just made, left me thinking about auto-buys. What authors (or series) for you are automatic buys, that as soon as you see something new is coming out, you have to get it, whether you'll have a chance to read it immediately or not? Here are some of mine.

Mystery: Karin Slaughter, Linda Castillo, Chelsea Cain, Jonathan Kellerman

M/M Romance: Heidi Cullinan, Marie Sexton, JL Merrow, KA Mitchell

Historical Romance: Sherry Thomas

Urban Fantasy: Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs

Hey, guys! *waves* I haven't been on lately, or doing too much reading, mostly because I haven't been feeling very well. I've had a sinus infection/double ear infection for the last two weeks and am on my second round of antibiotics. Fun!

Anyway, I am a little behind on posting the books I've completed, so here we go with the first of my backlog:

22. Teasing Secrets from the Dead: My Investigations at America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes by Emily Craig

This excellent and well-written memoir tells about Dr. Craig's life as a forensic anthropologist. I found it absolutely fascinating, from her first career as a medical illustrator, to when she went back to school and studied at the famous "Body Farm", to the cases she saw as the state forensic anthropologist for Kentucky, to her work on disaster sites like the Twin Towers and the Oklahoma Federal Building. She is particularly adept at describing the difficulties of balancing her work as a scientist with her emotions and empathy for the victims of crime. There are some fairly graphic descriptions of her work, so if you have a weak stomach this may not be the book for you. However, if you're interested in crime-solving and/or anthropology, I highly recommend it. Four and a half stars.

Oh, I'm sorry you aren't well. Sending healing energy your way.

Your latest read sounds fascinating and it is now on the TBR pile.

Gentle hugs,

Thanks, Linda!

Hope the second round of meds is working!

I think you should post your wonderful cat pic on this thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140017

Hoping you will be feeling better, soon!

>39 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! I think they are finally starting to help.

>40 streamsong:, Awesome! I posted the picture of Buffy over there. I love that thread!

Hope you get well soon.

Because I am bored and procrastinating and haven't does this yet with last year's books...

Describe yourself: A Modern Witch
Describe how you feel: Unraveled
Describe where you currently live: A Hole in God's Pocket
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: South of the Border
Your favorite form of transportation: Black Wings
Your best friend is: Getting It Right
You and your friends are: American Dreamers
What’s the weather like: Freezing
You fear: A Fountain Filled With Blood
What is the best advice you have to give: Life Lessons
Thought for the day: The Hum and the Shiver
How I would like to die: Dearly, Departed
My soul’s present condition: Handle With Care

>42 PiyushC:, Thanks, Piyush!

I'm glad you shared your wonderful cat photo! Now she can get the fame she knows she so richly deserves.

Fun answers on your meme!

I was thinking very recently that unless I get some more interesting books read, that whatever meme shows up at the end of the year will look very sparse. Have a great weekend!

>45 streamsong:, I don't think the books I read were actually that interesting, they just had good titles lol.

------

23. African History: A Very Short Introduction by John Parker and Richard Rathbone

Recently, when I was at a bookstore, I saw a whole spinning rack full of the Very Short Introduction series. "What a great idea!" I said to myself. "I should read as many of those on topics I don't know much about (but that interest me) as I can. So when the African History book appeared as a discounted Kindle book in February, I went ahead and bought it.

This was an interesting little book. It was definitely interesting, but it was more of a historiography, or history of the study of African history, than an introduction to African history itself. I would have liked more chronology and meat in a history text, but as an historiographical (is that even a word?!) essay, it held my attention. Three stars.

Marcia, if you hadn't queried whether historiographical was a word, I would have just assumed it was. It sounds like it should be!

>47 susanj67:, Apparently it is, Susan! My spell check just didn't like it. ;)

24. Dog On It by Spencer Quinn (for some reason touchstone not working today?)

I absolutely LOVED this first book in the Chet and Bernie mystery series, narrated by Chet the dog. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious at times, edge-of-your-seat exciting and suspenseful at others. Quinn's interpretation of dog psychology is perfect! Four and a half stars.

25. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

This is the latest installment in the Mercy Thompson series, one of my favorite urban fantasy series. These books are auto-buys for me, and this one didn't disappoint. Exciting mix of werewolves, fairies, shapeshifters, govenment agents, and Mercy kicking ass... Just a perfect escape from everyday life. Four stars.

26. Family Man by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton

Enjoyable m/m romance co-written by two of my favorite authors in the genre. Sweet and sexy, but not until the characters have already been established enough that you like them, which is always one of my pet peeves when a romance moves too quickly. Just lovely and compulsively readable. Four stars.

27. Thereby Hangs a Tail

This is the second Chet and Bernie mystery, and while not quite as compelling suspense-wise as the first, it's still delightful fun. Four stars.

Hey, Marcia, hope all is well with you!

Marcia, you are missed!

Hope you're well. xox

Thanks Roni and Susan! I'm hanging in there. Missed you guys as well!

So I've been MIA again for a long period of time. First I got a job, which, like my job last year, was of the short-term but intense political variety. It was only meant to last for July & August, but then I ended up getting my contract extended til the end of October. I had a chance to extend it again but the work load and amount of travel was just too much for me. My health hasn't been good for the last month or two, so I just needed to take a break and try to rest up and get better again.

I have been reading quite a bit, not so much while I was working (as all I did was work) but a lot since then. I'm well past 75, and have upped my personal goal to 150 for the year. I haven't been reading anything deep, mostly escapist romance. I will try and post at least brief catch ups with title, author, and rating, and maybe a brief review. Then I'll try to catch up with you guys!

How are you all? Read great books lately?

28. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis; three and a half stars; This is a well-written, if incredibly depressing, saga of an African-American family in the twentieth century. Relentlessly tragic from the first pages; nothing good ever happens to these people, and just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. The prose is nice, though.
29. The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases by Michael Capuzzo; three stars; A somewhat disappointing true crime book about the Vidocq Society, a group of forensic experts who gather to solve cold cases. The book is bizarrely structured, and the main "characters," the three founding members of the society, are pretty unlikable. There is also, through out the book, a nasty undercurrent of sexism. Some of the unsolved cases brought up were fascinating, though.
30. True Crime Files: My Most Memorable Cases by Kathryn Casey; three stars; Very short collection of true crime stories, mediocre.

Good to see you back, Marcia. Hope you get to feeling better with some rest.

Hi Marcia,

Hope you are doing well, great seeing you back.

Cheers,
Piyush

Welcome back!

Hope your November was good and that your December is shaping up well. May you be healthy and warm! xox

Happy New Year, everybody! I missed you all. I am going to try to be a good girl & participate more actively in the group during 2014... Here is my new thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163357

And, since I was so remiss in posting, here's a complete list of all the books I read in 2013, in multiple installments so it doesn't get too clunky.

Part I, Books 1-25
1. Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux
2. Do-Over by Amy Lane
3. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
4. A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
5. People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--- And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
7. The Party Boy's Guide to Dating a Geek by Piper Vaughn and Xara X. Xanakas
8. Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan
9. Spice and Smoke by Suleikha Snyder
10. The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation by Katherine Ramsland
11. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Robert D. Hare
12. Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
13. Final Vision: The Last Word on Jeffrey MacDonald by Joe McGinniss
14. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
15. Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey
16. Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews
17. Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
18. Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
19. Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by Bill James
20. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
21. I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats by Francesco Marciuliano
22. Teasing Secrets From the Dead: My Investigations At America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes by Emily Craig
23. African History: A Very Short Introduction by John Parker and Richard Rathbone
24. Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
25. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Part II: Books 26-50
26. Family Man by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
27. Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn
28. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
29. The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases by Michael Capuzzo
30. True Crime Files: My Most Memorable Cases by Kathryn Casey
31. Gulp: Adventures On the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
32. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
33. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
34. Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard of by Harold Schecter
35. Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime's Greatest Moments by Alina Adams
36. American Vampires: Their True Bloody History From New York to California by Bob Curran
37. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
38. Bad Attitude by K.A. Mitchell
39. Cardington Crescent by Anne Perry
40. Lasher by Anne Rice
41. Slam! by J.L. Merrow
42. The Devil: A Very Short Introduction by Darren Oldridge
43. Blind Items by Kate McMurray
44. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
45. Bolt-Hole by Amy Lane
46. Long Lost by Linda Castillo
47. Not Young, Still Restless by Jeanne Cooper, with Lindsay Harrison
48. A Dance In Moonlight by Sherry Thomas
49. Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
50. Cold Fire by Kate Elliott

Part III: Books 51-75

51. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
52. The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
53. The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin
54. The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long
55. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English by John McWhorter
56. Like No Other Lover by Julie Anne Long
57. Since the Surrender by Julie Anne Long
58. Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule
59. A Rose For Her Grave & Other True Cases by Ann Rule
60. Out of the Blue by Josh Lanyon
61. So B. It by Sarah Weeks
62. The Secrets They Kept: The True Story of a Mercy Killing that Shocked a Town and Shamed a Family by Suzanne Handler
63. Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer--- America's Deadliest Serial Murderer by Ann Rule
64. The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin
65. Home Work by Kaje Harper
66. House of Horrors: The Shocking True Story of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Strangler by Robert Sberna
67. Busted by Karin Slaughter
68. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
69. Unseen by Karin Slaughter
70. The Bridegroom Wore Plaid by Grace Burrowes
71. I Kissed An Earl by Julie Anne Long
72. What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long
73. How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long
74. A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long
75. Four Corners by Kate McMurray

Part IV: Books 76-100
76. Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
77. You Belong To Me And Other Cases by Ann Rule
78. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
79. The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
80. Unacceptable Risk by Kaje Harper
81. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
82. Point of Hopes by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
83. Point of Knives by Melissa Scott
84. It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long
85. Mary Fran and Matthew by Grace Burrowes
86. The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
87. A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare
88. Once Upon a Tartan by Grace Burrowes
89. Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
90. Touch & Geaux by Abigail Roux
91. Never a Hero by Marie Sexton
92. Let Me Go by Chelsea Cain
93. Covet Thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt
94. Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare
95. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
96. Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
97. Secrets by Jordan Castillo Price
98. Ethan In Gold by Amy Lane
99. Taltos by Anne Rice
100. His At Night by Sherry Thomas

Part V: Books 101-125
101. Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas
102. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (reread)
103. The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
104. A Kiss For Midwinter by Courtney Milan
105. Vampire Forensics: Uncovering the Origins of the Living Dead by Mark Collins Jenkins
106. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (reread)
107. Sweet Young Thang by Anne Tenino
108. The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan
109. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid McCulloch
110. The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry
111. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
112. An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (reread)
113. Anything For You by Sarah Mayberry
114. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (reread)
115. Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas
116. Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
117. Laid Bare by Lauren Dane
118. Catching Liam by Gennifer Albin
119. 72 Hours by Shannon Stacey
120. Addicted To You by Colina Brennan
121. Laid Open by Lauren Dane
122. Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux
123. Cashelmara by Susan Howatch
124. Styx & Stone by James W. Ziskin
125. Let It Snow by Heidi Cullinan

Part VI: Books 126-135
126. The Virtuoso by Grace Burrowes
127. Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
128. Dark Witch by Nora Roberts
129. Christmas Kitsch by Amy Lane
130. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
131. The Want-Ad Killer by Ann Rule
132. The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas
133. Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas
134. Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes
135. Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas