Cdnshopaholic's Book Challenge

Hi all
I have decided to join this group mostly because I am curious about how many book I actually read. I have never really tracked it before. :-)
I mostly read for fun and mainly mysteries and thrillers.
I have only completed one book so far this year: Hide by Lisa Gardner

I love Lisa Gardner. I will be watching your list for sure!

me too!
Am done #2 The First Victim by Ridley Pearson
It was excellent. :-)

Welcome to the group!

#3 down Bones by Jonathan Kellerman

#4 Divided in Death by J.D. Robb
I like the stories in this series, but they take place in the future and I almost find the references to items that don't exist to distract me from the stories.

#5 a little Chick-Lit with Something Blue by Emily Giffin

#6 Canadian detective story Mindfield by William Deverell

Did you like Hide? I have that on my TBR pile.

Ya! I love all of her books that I have read so far. The stories seem to grab my attention right away and keep moving.
We are planning a move in the spring, so have started to sort through my books to get rid of ones that I won't read again and have discovered a bunch of books that I can't remember if I have read them or not. So, I am digging in to them. LOL #7 was Only Children by Rafael Yglesias It was a good story about two couples who decide to have children., but is going in the 'get rid of' bin as doubt I would ever reread it.

#8 Pandora's Daughter by Iris Johansen Loved it!

>8 booksgaloreca: I see Emily Giffin's books almost every time I walk into the bookshop near me, but I've never picked one up. What did you think about Something Blue?

#12: I am a big fan of Iris Johansen, too. I love the books in the Eve Duncan series.

I enjoyed it.( Something Blue ) If you are in the mood for a relatively light easy read with some laughs then try her books. The story was relatively predictable, but I usually just let myself go with the flow of a book and don't try to figure it out so I enjoyed the 'ride'. :-)

Book #9 was another oldie that has been on my shelf for who knows how long. LOL The Final Fire by Dennis Smith. This is the fictional story of some New York fireman, their families, fires and a strike. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. :-)

Book #10 another fact-paced thriller in her FBI series: Double Take by Catherine Coulter

#17: I am a fan of Coulter's FBI thriller series, too. Another one of my guilty pleasures.

I don't like Coulter *cringes* I have tried four book, Riptide, Night Storm, The Penwyth Curse and Hemlock Bay. Am I missing something? I work with people who love her and I have tried. I feel like she describes the story and doesn't give the reader enough credit to figure it out on their own. I also can't get into her characters.

#19: No worries, cal, I will still talk to you, lol. I read them as BC books - I am not putting any deep thought into them. I do not care for her historicals, which The Penwyth Curse and Night Storm both are, I just like this one series by her. As far as the characters go, there are really only 2 who appear in every book in the series, so you cannot see a lot of their development by only reading a couple of the books.

There are enough other authors out there - I would not beat myself up about not reading this one.

Book #11 Kingdom Come by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins This is the last book of their 'Left Behind' series. Not my favorite, but it does tie all the books together and gives you closure on the characters.

Book #12 has taken me a bit longer to read. Too much other stuff going on. LOL It is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Book #13 Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich Was another great, funny fast read. I love her stuff when I need a 'brain break'. Just good entertainment that makes me laugh out loud.

Book #14 The Mercedes Coffin by Faye Kellerman ****

#15 Duma Key by Stephen King I liked this one. It started as a 'normal' story then ventured into the creepy. :-)

I didn't care for The Mercedes Coffin I felt like she couldn't let the reader think for themselves.

I need to read Duma Key. I actually own it and still haven't read it.

Duma Key was great! Old school Stephen King after all this time...8^}

#16 Playing for Pizza by John Grisham This was a good story, but a bit too much football for me. LOL

#17 The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson I didn't like this one. It seemed like a kid's book....maybe it is. lol I found it boring.

#29: I completely agree with you. Big waste of time.

Book #18 Born to be Wild by Catherine Coulter It was ok...predictable.

Book #19 I received this one yesterday as part of the Early Reviewers program. I picked it up after work and didn't put it down until I was done. LOL It was action-packed! I will try and get my review written later today, but for now *****. It is Triple Cross by Mark T. Sullivan.

Glad to see you got a good one from the ER program!

Ya! I have really liked all of the books I have received from the ER program, and got another one that looks great this month!

Book #20 was Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich Another great funny one by her!

Book #21 Laced by Carol Higgins Clark It was a entertaining fast read.

Book #22 Trust Fund by Stephen Frey It was good. Lots of twists and turns. Another quick read.

Book #23 The Invisible Circus by Jennifer Egan I found it ok, but rather boring.

I just realized this morning that I had not posted my books for awhile. Hope I didn't miss any. LOL #24 was Shimmer by Eric Barnes This was an early reviewers book and it was great! My review will be posted today.
#25 was Black Market by James Patterson. This is one of his earlier books. I enjoyed it.
I just finished Book #26 Afraid byJack Kilborn. This was another early reviewers book and was great as well! The review will be posted today.
I have been lucky to get some very good books lately.:-)

Book #27 Vertical Coffin by Stephen J. Cannell This was a great book. It kept me engrossed and I had to finish it before I could start packing. LOL We are moving in 2 weeks, so am going to try to not start another book until we are packed. :-)

Good luck with the move!

Thanks! My resolution didn't last long. LOL I finished another book today. So, Book #28 was The Tin Collectors by Stephen J. Cannell. It was very good as well. And, I have done packing so we are in good shape there. :-)

#42: I always thought the point of having resolutions was to break them, lol!

LOL Well the move went well. I also finished Book #29 Chill Factor by Sandra Brown. I thought it was very good.

Book #30 Dead Heat by Dick Francis Loved it!

Book #31 was No Second Chance by Harlan Coben It was very good. I made the mistake of starting it too late at might and didn't get enough sleep last night. LOL Guess I will need a nap today to make up for it. :-)

Book #32 Intent to Kill by James Grippando Another great read!

Book #33 I realized this morning that I missed writing this one down as I read it during the move. It was The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet. This was kind of a neat book. It was written by a lady who was a widow with 5 kids in 1927. The book chronicles how she took her kids in their 25-foot boot and explored the British Columbia coastline every summer. The book was not that well-written in my opinion, but as I am from BC and have boated through those waters it was interesting to see their observations of the area from a different time period.
Book #34 was Cold Hit by Stephen J. Cannell I thought this book was very good. I have just recently discovered this author and am thoroughly enjoying his books.

Book #35 The Woods by Harlan Coben Awesome!

One of these days I am going to read some of Harlan Coben's books. The time has just not come yet :)

You're missing a great author!

Book #36 Cichlids by David Alderton This is a general information book on keeping cichlids. It is good if you are new to the hobby, but has very general information as there are over 1600 varieties of cichlids.
Book #37 Trust No One by Greg Hurwitz This was another great one from the early reviewers program! I will be writing my review later tonight.

Book #38 More twisted by Jeffery Deaver This is a collection of short stories. Worth the read! Worked for my short attention span lately LOL

I finished two good books this long weekend (so far) :-)
Book #39 was Summer Sisters by Judy Blume This book was an ok read. Nothing special, but a light read for a nice summer day.
Book #40 was Harvest by Tess Gerritsen This is a fast-paced medical thriller. I don't know why I read medical thrillers as I have enough issues with doctors without dealing with fiction as well. LOL But I did enjoy it!

Book #40 Mr Monk Goes to the Firehouse by Lee Goldberg This book was written by the writer of the tv show 'Monk' so it stayed very true to the characters on the show. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the show. :-)

Finished Book #41 Killer Weekend by Ridley Pearson Another great action-packed book by this author

Book #42 The Overlook by Michael Connelly I had a great afternoon floating in the pool reading this fast-paced detective novel!

Hi! I was wandering around the board and just discovered your thread. I read a lot of mysteries, so many of the books you've read are right up my alley . . .

I read The Overlook and could barely put it down (except when life demanded) until I was done. Fast-paced, I agree!

#57: I am a big fan of the Harry Bosch series. I am glad you enjoyed The Overlook.

I haven't read The Overlook het. I was introduced to Harry Bosch by a co worker who didn't alert me that the Bosch books were a series until she loaned me a few....OUT OF ORDER....AAAHHHH

*deep breathe*

So now I am in the process of reading the ones I missed, starting at the beginning, in order. I just finished Trunk Music. It wasn't one of my favorites.

#60: Some friend, loaning you the books OUT OF ORDER. Some people! lol

Book #43 Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke This was a cute book. Predicable but enjoyable. A nice light read.

Book #44 The House by Danielle Steel it was ok story...same as all her books. Perfect people who go through a tragedy and then gain the perfect life. LOL

Book #45 Dark of the Moon by John Sandford Great book. Good story..lots of action.

#64: I like Sandford's Lucas Davenport books, so I will check into this one as well. Thanks for the recommendation.

Book #46 The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver Another great one with Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs! This one covered data mining and was a bit horrifying to see what information companies can find on us. (I am sure it is based on more truth then we would like to imagine).

Book #47 Section 8: A Hood Rat Novel by K'wan. I won this book as part of the early reviewers, and wasn't sure if I would like it or not. This was my first foray into 'hip-hop fiction'. lol If you can get past the language and sex in this one it was an interesting look into a world I am very far removed from. Check out my review for more details.

What exactly is 'hip hop fiction' for the uninitiated?

Well, the back of this book said it was hip hop fiction, so I would say it is fiction based on ghetto living and the world of hip hop music. Here is a link to an excerpt from a book Hip Hop Matters that explains it better than I can. :-) http://books.google.ca/books?id=SwjMm2CJaIAC&pg=RA4-PA235&lpg=RA4-PA235&...

Book #48 was another one from the Early Reviewers program. Primitive by Mark Nykanen. It was a good book. I enjoyed the storyline and the suspense kept me reading.

#69: Thanks for the additional info and the link.

Book #49 was Writ of Execution by Perri O'Shaughnessy I started this book yesterday as filler while I was eating lunch and before I started on chores. Needless to say, the chores never got done. LOL The story on this one sucked me in and I didn't put it down until I was done. So, today chores before reading. :-)

Book #50 - Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods Another great action-packed novel.

Congratulations on hitting 50 books for the year!

#74 Thanks! I am still a long way from hitting the 75 LOL Damn work keeps interfering with my reading. :-)

Book #51 Swimsuit by James Patterson A creepy fast-paced thriller!

#75: Don't you hate it when real life interrupts your reading? I know I do!

#77 Yup! LOL

Book #52 Presumption of Death by Perri O'Shaughnessy I enjoyed the last books of hers that I recently read, so decided to pull another one of hers off the shelf. Was another great read.

Book #52 Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa This was a book i received from the member reviewers. I am not sure how I felt about this book. I did enjoy it as I was reading, but the characters seemed very flat and the story didn't really go anywhere.

I hope your next read is better for you!

Book #52 was The Canal by Daniel Morris It was also from the Member giveaway program. I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a basic detective story when I started reading with a very odd detective as the main character, but it soon turned into a creepy horror book.
Book #53 was Things Worth Remembering by Jakina Stark This was a total change of pace for me. LOL My Mom got this one in the early reviewers program. It was a a good heart-warming story about a mother and daughter who have issues and work through them. A nice relatively light read after the last book. lol

Book #54 as Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger and #55 was The Final Judgement by Richard North Patterson. Both were great edge-of-your-seat suspense books!

Book #56 Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz Awesome read!
Book #57 Cell by Stephen King Great story...terrifying premise!

Just stopping by to wave *hello*

:-) Thanks!
Book #58 The Killing Game by Iris Johansen I have read a lot of her newer books and came across this one at a book sale. It was nice to read the book that actually brought her characters together. :-)

Book #59 is The Last Manly Man by Sparkle Hayter It was a cute funny mystery. A quick read.

It doesn't look like I am going to come close to finishing 75 books this year, but Book #60 is The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly. It was a great book!

#88: I hope your not making 75 this year does not mean you will not be joining us for 2010. The new group is up and running. I hope to see you there!

Ya! I will join the new group. Hopefully I can reach the goal this year. LOL
Book #61 Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods great book...time to move on to the new group. :-)