Angels are Kids and Furkids: June 2013

Friday, June 28, 2013

June Wrap Up!!

Yippy! Summer vacation has finally arrived!! My son and I have been spending some quality time together and having lots of fun in the process. My Scout Troop has been having lots of fun in the sun also. Because of all this fun, however, my reading may have gone down a touch...hard to read while hiking, biking, having outings, and just playing together. :-) I still plugged out some reading and reviews though and hope to keep up the good work.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND THOSE THAT STOP IN TO READ MY BLOG!!! YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED BY ME EVERY DAY!

Here's what I have read in June: 12 Grand Total of Books!!
You can click on the title of the book to get to my review of that book. :-)

~ 2 Children's Book:
~How The Lizard Got Back Her Legs by Ilana Waters
~The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss

~ 3 Young Adult Fiction:
~Running by Barbara Spencer
~Aversion by Kenechi Udogu
~Zombie Chronicles by Chrissy Peebles

~ 7 Adult Fiction ( Paranormal Romance/ Mystery/ Fiction):
~Tell-All by Nell Carson
~Bella Key by Scarlet Chastain
~The Island by Heather Graham
~3rd Degree by James Patterson
~4th of July by James Patterson
~5th Horseman by James Patterson
~Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

~ Adult Non-Fiction:

How are my Challenges looking?
You can click on each challenge and you will go to my post for that challenge to see which books counted for each challenge or what each challenge entails. As I complete challenges I will highlight them! :-)

Over The Year 2013:

1. Paranormal Reading Challenge 2013 Read 12 paranormal books. I am choosing to read one a month and to follow their list of which paranormal being is featured that month and read a book containing the featured paranormal.

6/12

2. Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2013 I am hoping to climb Mount Blanc this year by setting a goal of reading 24 books off my TBR Shelf/List.

24/24

3. Color Coded Reading Challenge 2013 Read 9 color specific books per list provided.

5/9

4. What An Animal VI Reading Challenge 2013 Read 6 books containing an animal somewhere in them (cover, title, main character)

6/6 Wrap Up Post

5. Colorful Reading Challenge 2013 Read 9 books containing a color in the title. Any color from the Crayola Crayon Color Box is game!

8/9

6. Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge 2013 Read one book a month, so total of 12 books, that contain the "key word" of the month in the title. "Key words" are given to pick from every month.

6/12

7. EBook Challenge 2013 Read E-Books! I chose the CD level of reading 10 eBooks in the year.

4/10

8. Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2013 Just like the name implies, simply read more books than I did in 2012. I hope to read 1-5 more than I read in 2012!

0/5

9. Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge 2013 Read books from Sookie Stackhouse Series. I chose to read 5 books from the series this year, as that is the number I have left in the series to read.

4/5

10. Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge 2013 Read books from this series. I chose to read 1-3 books from the series to continue to make my way through the set.

3/3

11. Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge 2013 Count pages read. I chose the Mansion level of reading 10,001 + pages.

20,445/10,001

12. Witch and Witchcraft Reading Challenge 2013 Read Witchy books. I chose to read 1-5 witchy books for the Initiate level.

5/5 Witch and Witchcraft Challenge Wrap Up

13. Reading Challenge Addict Challenge 2013 A challenge to give you the goal of completing you challenges! I chose the In Flight level of completing 11-15 challenges.

5/15

14. Pre-1960 Classic Children Book Challenge 2013 Read classic kids books that date before 1960. I am trying for 12 books, one a month.

6/12

15. Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge 2013 Read Mystery and Crime books. I picked the Sherlock Holmes level of reading 30+ books in 2013.

32/30

16. Off The Shelf Reading Challenge 2013 Read books off your own shelf to lessen your pile. I picked "Trying", which is to read 15 books off my shelf.

16/16 Wrap Up Post

17. Why Buy The Cow Reading Challenge 2013 Read eBooks that you find legally free. I picked the "coupon clipper" level of reading 12 free eBooks.

2/12

18. YA Mythology Reading Challenge 2013 Read 10 YA Mythology Books.

10/10 Wrap Up Post

19. A to Z Reading Challenge 2013 Read a book for each letter of the alphabet (title starts with).

18/26

20. 100 Books in A Year Reading Challenge 2013 Read 100 Books in the year.
71/100

21. 150+ Reading Challenge 2013 Read 150+ books in the year.
71/150

Perpetual:

1. Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge Read all the books in this series.

3/22

2. Kinsey Millhone Reading Challenge Read all the books in this series.

9/22

3. Stephen King Reading Challenge Read all of Stephen King's Books.

0/100

4. Read 1 Million Pages Challenge Read 1 Million Pages.

51,628/1,000,000

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Book Review: Dead Reckoning

Title: Dead Reckoning
Author: Charlaine Harris
Pages: 325
Publication Date: 2011
Version: Hardcover
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery/Paranormal

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows..."

My Review:
If Sookie thought her life would even out and become less eventful after marrying Eric she has another think coming. Now Merlotte's has been firebombed and she has been attacked outside her home. Also, Eric seems to be hiding something from her, something big, but he won't spill it. Pam seems to know, but she was sworn to secrecy by Eric. How is a girl supposed to get important gossip when no one is talking? To top that all off Victor, Eric's new "above him" vampire, is not worth the blood he drinks. He also is nothing but trouble to Pam and Eric. What do they decide needs to be done? Well kill him of course, but how and when? He is a heavily protected and high up vampire. Can they kill Victor without becoming dead and dead for good themselves? Who is after Sookie from the bar and her home attack? Why is Eric hiding things from her now? What's really going on with him? Will she survive to find out?

I am a huge fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series, so was quite excited to read on in this book. I thought it seemed to start a bit slower than other books in the series, but once it got going it was pretty good. It wasn't quite as "on the edge of my seat" as the other books have been for me, but I did enjoy reading it. It was like the mystery of it all didn't really come to light until a quarter of the way into the book. The other ones jumped right in. I liked the many things going on in the book once it got moving though. There were lots of side plots with the main plot that made things more interesting. There are also things, of course, that are unfinished or still have an air of mystery to them, but that is what makes me want to read on in the next book. Once again, the characters amazed me and are such a wonderful part of this series. I kind of missed not "seeing" much of Jason in this book and seeing where he is going with his life. Harris' writing is great and makes you feel the book and feel like you are watching it all happen "live" through her writing style. She is by far one of my favorite authors. I would recommend reading this book, it is a good add to the series and a great way to add some things to the whole story and characters.

4/5 Stars!

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, #11)

Mount TBR June Checkpoint!

I've been climbing my mountain all year so far and have made amazing strides. I was determined to make my mountain climb, and I believe I will! I am so close to the top that I can feel the cool breeze and see the snow peaked top! Here is my original post with where I am in my climb and the reviews to my "steps".

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2013

2013 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

As I mentioned last year, I am a bookaholic. I can't let a bookstore (used or new, it doesn't matter) go by without stopping in ("just to look") and walking out with at least something--if not an armload. I wait all year for the Red Cross Book Sale in October so I can cart them out by the bagful. And, well, that means that I wind up with gigantic piles of TBR books stacked up around my backroom. I don't have a TBR shelf. Oh, no. I have "Mount TBR"...actually a whole mountain range. And it doesn't matter that I've just spent the last year working on my mountain range with the Mount TBR Reading Challenge. They just keep on sprouting up.

So, once again, I plan to concentrate on reading primarily from my own books this year. And you're invited to join me in knocking out some of those books that have been waiting in the wings for weeks....months...even years.

Challenge Levels (I've adjusted the levels just slightly this year):

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2013.

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2013.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2013. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised last year--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks and E-books may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.]

*You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided that you had 50% or more of the book left to finish in 2013. I will trust you all on that.

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance (as incentive to really get those books taken care of) or to tally them as you climb.

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post a challenge sign up and link THAT post (not your home page) into the linky below. Non-bloggers, please leave a comment declaring your challenge level--OR, if you are a member of Goodreads, I will once again put together a group for the challenge there. Feel free to sign up HERE. And, finally, I am contemplating a review tracker for this year. I will post a link if that works out.

I am choosing to "climb" Mount Blanc this year. I didn't make it up my mountain this year, so I am shooting for a smaller one this year to see if I can make the climb. :-)

My Progress is below:

1. Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

2. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

3. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

4. Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

5. Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale by Christine Warren

6. Heart of Gold by J.R. Ward

7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

8. Night of the Aurora by J.A. Marlow

9. Black Wings by Christina Henry

10. Ghost of a Chance by Yasmine Galenorn

11. Murder Under a Mystic Moon by Yasmine Galenorn

12. One Hex of a Wedding by Yasmine Galenorn

13. Coffin Man by James D. Doss

14. Ghost Ship by P.J. Alderman

15. Loco Motive by Mary Daheim

16. Scoop! by Hannah Dennison

17. Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

18. White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz

19. Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

20. Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz

21. The Island by Heather Graham

22. 3rd Degree by James Patterson

23. 4th of July by James Patterson

24. 5th Horseman by James Patterson
25.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge Wrap Up!!

Well, I worked the cases with four wonderful women and have found the answer to the mystery...I have completed another challenge! Yup, I completed the Women's Murder Club Challenge! Yay! I just LOVE this series and can't wait to read more of it! Below you will find the original post with review links.

2013 Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge

Welcome to the 2013 Women's Murder Club Reading Challengehosted by Darlene's Book Nook!

Although I hosted this challenge for 2012, I did not make much headway in this series. So, I'm going to host it again for 2013!

The books in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson are:

1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, Book #1)
2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club, Book #2)
3rd Degree (Women's Murder Club, Book #3)
4th of July (Women's Murder Club, Book #4)
The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, Book #5)
The 6th Target (Women's Murder Club, Book #6)
7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club, Book #7)
The 8th Confession (Women's Murder Club, Book #8)
The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club, Book #9)
10th Anniversary (Women's Murder Club, Book #10)
11th Hour (Women's Murder Club, Book #11)
12th of Never (Women's Murder Club, Book #12) - expected publication in 2013

Please read below for the challenge guidelines.

2013 Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge

Here are the challenge details:

1. This challenge will run from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.

2. You can join the challenge at any time, whether you haven't yet started the series or are already halfway through. All books read in 2013 count for the challenge, regardless of when you sign up.

3. This challenge can cross-over to your other reading challenges.

4. You do not need a blog to participate! If you are not a blogger, you can post your reviews at Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing and link them up here.

5. All formats of books are acceptable: Bound copies, e-books, and audiobooks (as long as they are unabridged).

6. There are four levels for the challenge:

a. Level 1 "Amateur Sleuth":Read 1-3 books in the series.

b. Level 2 "Detective in Training": Read 4-6 books in the series.

c. Level 3 "Private Eye": Read 7-9 books in the series.

d. Level 4 "Seasoned Professional": Read 10-12 books in the series.

7. When you write your sign-up post, you must choose your level. You can go up, but you cannot go down!

8. There will be a linky for your reviews, which will be posted onTHIS page at the beginning of the year.

9. There will be a linky for your wrap-up post at the end of the year.

10. Create a sign-up post and link back to this post. Sign up with Mister Linky below! Be sure to use the direct url to your sign-up post and not the url to your blog.

9. Grab the challenge button and post it in your sidebar. Copy and paste this HTML code into an HTML gadget for your sidebar:

I am signing up for this challenge again. I did manage to hit my goal last year and hoping to do the same this year as I make my way through this series. I am choosing level 1 of amateur sleuth and reading 1-3 books. I will track my progress below with links to my reviews and also I will highlight above as I complete them (some of which I completed last year).
1. 3rd Degree by James Patterson
2. 4th of July by James Patterson
3. 5th Horseman by James Patterson

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Book Review: 5th Horseman

Title: 5th Horseman
Author: James Patterson
Pages: 409
Publication Date: 2006
Version: Hardcover
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"An angel of death is stalking the halls of a San Francisco hospital. Recuperating patients on the verge of release are suddenly stricken and die. Nobody can identify the cause -- or the culprit. In their most gripping case yet, James Patterson's Women's Murder Club convenes to track down a killer who hides among healers. A powerful hospital and courtroom thriller."

My Review:
Lindsay's life is never boring that's for sure. Whenever she gets one crime solved or problem solved another one is always waiting on her desk. She is starting to wonder why she took the Lieutenant job because her heart and best work seems to be in the thick of it and in the action of the solving of mysteries, not really in the paperwork or behind the scenes work. When patients at a local hospital seem to be dying more often than they should, Lindsay starts investigating things with the help of her old partner and her friends. People shouldn't die in a hospital from broken bones after all, not simple broken bones anyway, so why are they? Is there a doctor or nurse who is playing God with patients? How are they picking the patients? The hospital is being sued by many of the deceased families, but will they actually win in a courtroom? How can they really prove it wasn't "human error" when things got hectic in the ER? Can Lindsay once again pound her feet on the pavement to help bring this big case down? She hopes so, because lives depend on it, including one that is close to her.

In true form of Patterson writing and suspense, this book was great from cover to cover. I dived right in and didn't come out until I was done with the book. I love these ladies and I love how they continue to grow and how us readers learn more and more about them and their past as the books in the series go by. I feel like I met them in book one and have been building my own friendship and bond with them as the books go by. I must say, I am very glad to have "met" them all that's for sure. The suspense of this series is incredible! The fact that they are all so different, the books of this series, is fantastic. So many times you see by book three or four a repeat of a plot with a little bit different twist to it, but this is not the case in this series. Each book is just as different from each other as they would be if they were all different books out of the series. The twists in this book were phenomenal and I must say I never saw them coming. This was a terrific read that all should experience. Don't worry about not having read the books before this either, it would work just fine as a stand alone book.

5/5 Stars!!

The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, #5)

The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, #5)

Friday, June 21, 2013

Book Review: 4th of July

Title: 4th of July
Author: James Patterson
Pages: 392
Publication Date: 2005
Version: Hardcover
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"The Bestselling New Detective Series of the Decade Just Got Hotter, Deadlier, and More Suspenseful. In a deadly late-night showdown, San Francisco police lieutenant Lindsay Boxer fires her weapon and sets off a dramatic chain of events that leaves a police force disgraced, a family destroyed, and Lindsay herself at the mercy of twelve jurors. During a break in the trial, she retreats to a picturesque town that is reeling from a string of grisly murders-crimes that bear a link to a haunting, unsolved case from her rookie years.Now, with her friends in the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay must battle for her life on two fronts: in a trial rushing to a climax, and against an unknown adversary willing to do anything to hide the truth about the homicides-including kill again?"

My Review:
Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer makes a split decision in her career life that changes it forever. When she fires her weapon on a threatening suspect who has shot her and her partner, she never dreamed it would go so wrong and seem so wrong to the public. It was self defense, so why does she feel so badly about it? Well, mostly because that shot hit its target...dead on and now she is on trial for her conduct. When she goes to her sister's house during a break in her trial to watch the house and their pet piggy, she is thrown into more mystery and murder. It may not be in her jurisdiction and she may not even really be on duty even if it were, but Lindsay just can't pass up an opportunity to try and make a city safer. She delves into the murder mysteries in the small town that her sister lives in whole heartily but someone doesn't like that she is doing so. Someone is willing to get rid of her in any way possible, even if that means Lindsay is out of commission for life. Can Lindsay help solve a string of murders that this town has seen? Will she survive to help solve them? How can Lindsay focus on the murders when she has a huge trial that she is dealing with? Will she lose her badge and her life?

This book picks up where the others keep heading to. I can't say enough, though, how great it is that they are a perfect series, but also would be fantastic stand alone reads too, if you didn't want to start from the beginning. When you do start from the beginning you get that extra kick that, they all put together, give though that's for sure. I love how Patterson writes, always have and always will I think. He has shorter chapters that are filled with all the punch of long chapters of other books. I love that! I also love how he throws so many twists and turns in throughout the book to make you change your mind, as the reader, at least ten times on what will really happen and who did it. Patterson develops characters that, as a reader, I can just picture meeting in real life and getting along with and jumping right into mysteries with. They are down to earth, relate-able characters that get better with every book. I know I would love to have lunch with these ladies if I could. I like how, in this book, a new woman is added into the picture. A woman who just seems to fit with them. After the death of their great friend Jill, there is an empty chair to fill anyway, so they are more than welcoming to Yuki, the lawyer representing Lindsay. This was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the mood for a good mystery with edge of your seat suspense.

5/5 Stars!

4th of July (Women's Murder Club, #4)