So Sorry!

Sorry guys!  I got a little bit hooked on an online game & spent all my time on there instead of updating my blog.  So I'm going to play catchup.  I have read a few things in this time, but don't have dates so I'm just going to make all of them today's date.  Promise to keep up better in the future!

E-Readers

OK, so I'm considering buying an e-reader.  I'm leaning toward the NOOK Simple Touch because it has a very long reading life and I don't really need the extra bells and whistles.  Can anyone give me feedback on their e-readers and what they love/hate about them?

Ok, this isn't a book...

But it is something I think you may find interesting. Go to www.zbs.org and click on the Jack Flanders link. These are a series of radio plays that were done in the 70's and they are fantastic. The first one you should listen to is The Fourth Tower of Inverness. You definitely want the radio version because it was recorded live so there are the moments when the actors crack up or make mistakes. The story is a kind of Gothic mystery with a lot of eastern thought thrown in. I know it sounds weird but, believe me, these radio plays are great. I've finished The Fourth Tower, Moon Over Morocco, and The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders. If you were ever a fan of The Shadow or any of the other wonderful radio plays of the 30's you will love these.

Sorry for the huge hiatus!

I never meant to be away this long, but that's what happens when your personal life explodes. :) But I'm back now and am going to try to update at least once a week. I have read a lot while gone and did not keep track so there are a few things that have been missed but I figure I'll just pick up where I'm at now. I'm almost done with a book and should be able to update by the end of the week. My goal is at least one book a week and I'll try to avoid re-reads for the moment. Hope I haven't lost too many readers while I was away and I hope you'll come back for visits in the next week to see what's new.

A little bit of a delay

I'm having some personal turmoil right now so it'll be a couple more days until I can update the blog with more books. Stay tuned....

4-13-10 The House of Night series 1-6 by P.C. and Kristin Cast - Fiction

This is a re-read so see the individual books for ratings.

Unemployment sucks

Well readers, I am now unemployed. It is unfortunate and, although this does give me more free time to read, I'll probably be reading a few more educational books (languages, computers) than normal. I doubt I will wirte those up unless I find something that is really well suited for the topic. And, since I am now a little depressed, as anyone who has followed this blog for a little while knows, I will be re-reading a few of my favorite comfort reads. I'll note those, but probably won't review them again. I'll try to keep a good mix of new titles coming though so you don't get bored. I do have two more to write up now, but I haven't done my rough drafts yet. Hopefully I'll get them posted tomorrow. So if anyone knows of a job where I can read all day or that involves food or wine (not waitressing please) in the Scottsdale, AZ area, feel free to drop me a line.

I totally missed an anniversary!

I realized that as of 2/19 I had been keeping this book journal for 5 years! So, out of curiosity I counted all the books to see how many I had read in that time. The grand total: 530 books in 5 years! Yes, some of the books I re-read 3, 4, 5, or more times but I still counted them each time. That's 106 books a year, approximately 1 book every 3 days. And people say physical books are dead. Ha! There are so many wonderful stories out there with only the occasional dud and you can't get them all on your Kindle. so support your local library or bookstore and get out there and read!

I’m back again!

We had a bit of a moving fiasco so I’ve only just now been able to update my hard copy of my book journal and now I’m going to throw them all on here.  I’m back to 2-3 books per week and will update regularly again.  So here we go!

I’m back & I’m better!

I feel much better now and will be posting 2 new reviews sometime tomorrow.  Yay familiarity!

Sorry I’ve been gone so long

I’ve been a little depressed lately and when that happens I have no desire to read anything new and prefer the comfort of well enjoyed and familiar books.  So in the time I’ve been gone I’ve re-read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the House of Night series (which has a new installment coming out in October – Yay!) by P.C. and Kristin Cast, the Ranger’s Apprentice series (including the new installment which will have a review in my next post) by John Flanagan, and the Freedom series by Anne McCaffrey.  I am doing a little better now but I think I’m going to be re-reading the Twilight series and The Host by Stephenie Meyer, the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison, and the Twelve Houses series by Sharon Shinn next.  Since I’ve read and reviewed these all prior I’m not going to be writing new posts on them but I do recommend all of these series to everyone since I obviously find them very enjoyable.  I have read 2 new books and their reviews follow this.  But I just wanted to let you know that I haven’t forgotten you readers and I absolutely have not stopped reading.  I’m sure that I will soon be back up to speed with new (at least to me) books and will be writing back at my usual speed of two to four books a week again.  In the meantime, check my prior posts for book ideas or revisit some of your favorite books.

I've not forgotten about you...

Sorry the updates have been delayed so long. I've had a bad couple of weeks including totalling our car, so I'm a little behind on writing up my reviews. But never fear, I should be updating this week with 4, possibly 5, new books.

Sorry for the delay

I was a little distracted this weekend. I'll be updating with last week's reads tonight.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

As a holiday treat, I have done a mid-week update and added three more books. I'm just reading like a fiend! Right now, in the spirit of Christmas, I am re-reading my favorite holiday story, The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. Watch for my review this weekend!

Oops. New reading order.

I just looked at the back of Betrayed and discovered it's the 2nd book in the series. So I'm putting off reading it until I get the 1st book Marked. Hopefully, it will be in about a week. (My library is so poorly stocked, I have to order in the majority of my reading) So I'm starting In the Woods tonight and will put in Marked and Betrayed as soon as I can.

I'm sorry. I apologize profusely.

I really, really tried not to, but I just couldn't help myself. I'm re-reading the entire Twilight series. (Damn the movie!) I have a review for Waiter Rant to write up and post yet, and I will be reading your choices next (I promise!) but I'm right in the middle of New Moon and have to finish it before I start my next one. There was a tie for my next book, so I'll be reading Betrayed first, because it is a teen book it will go faster, and then In the Woods. After that I have Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago to read. Somewhere in there I'll be throwing in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn again. Hang in there, I'll get my next review up in the next couple of days.

A Sad Day for Fiction

Fiction has lost one of the best scientific thriller writers this week, Michael Crichton. He was a master of the genre and made the science understandable even for the layman. He will be missed. If you would like to read his obituary and sign the guestbook, here's a link. http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?page=LifeStory&personId=119781709.

I Need Some Help

O.K. I read a lot as you can see. But I need help from you. I'm reading (and in one case re-reading) a few series and I have a couple other titles on my list to read, but NOTHING is really capturing my attention so far as new stuff to pick up. I need recommendations. New, old, fiction, non-fiction, I don't care. I want to try some new authors, but nothing is really appetizing when I pick it up. E-mail me or comment on this post with titles you've really enjoyed or even something you might want to try, but you just don't have time to waste on bad writing. Make sure to note in the subject line of an e-mail "recommendation" so I don't delete it as junk. My only request is not War and Peace or, really, any other die hard classics. I already have 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 on my list and should get to them relatively soon. Please help me find some new books!

Sorry about the delay

I have one book to add (Everfree), but haven't gotten around to writing it up yet. I am currently reading the complete Lord of the Rings, so it'll be about another week before any new postings. I'm about halfway through now. I'll try to get Everfree on in the next few days.

Freya's Holiday Suggestions

This time of year sucks for so many. 'What do I get _______? I know, a book! But what would they like?' (Yes, I see the desperate every year in the bookstore) So, I'm going to give a little bit of general help to the wide world instead of just the store I work in. If you would like a more personal recommendation, feel free to e-mail me. I'm very good at this, just ask my Dad. (OK, he might be a little biased, but I really am good at this!) Most of these recommendations have a review somewhere on my blog. Even if they don't, I only recommend stuff I've read. I'll note HC (hardcover) or PB (paperback) for each, not all may be available in both. And if there's anything weird or special about a title, I'll let you know that too.

For the foodie: 'Heat' (PB), 'The Year of Eating Dangerously' (HC)
For the Harry Potter or Eragon fan: The Pit Dragon trilogy by Jane Yolen 'Dragon's Blood', 'Heart's Blood', 'A Sending of Dragons'. (PB or box set)
For the teen girl: The Stephanie Meyer set 'Twilight' (HC/PB), 'New Moon' (HC), 'Eclipse' (HC)
For the teen boy: The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan 'The Ruins of Gorlan' (HC/PB), 'The Burning Bridge' (HC/PB), 'The Icebound Land' (HC)
For the horror buff: 'Heart-Shaped Box' (HC/PB), 'I Am Legend' (PB)
For the world traveler: 'American Shaolin' (HC/PB in Dec), 'The Year of Eating Dangerously' (HC)
For the action buff: 'Empire' (HC/PB tomorrow!), 'Creepers' (PB), 'The Black Sun' (HC/PB tomorrow!)
For the romantic: 'Mystic & Rider' (PB), 'Twilight' (HC/PB), 'Archangel' (PB)
For the sci-fi junkie: 'Santiago' (PB), 'Starship Troopers' (PB), 'Idlewild' (PB)
For the fantasy junkie: 'Acacia' (HC), The First Demon Wars Saga by R.A. Salvatore 'The Demon Awakens', 'The Demon Spirit', 'The Demon Apostle' (PB)
For the zombie lover: 'World War Z' (PB), 'The Zombie Survival Guide' (PB)
For the freaky friend (you know we all have one): 'The Stupidest Angel' (HC), 'A Dirty Job' (PB), 'Apathy and Other Small Victories' (PB)

Most of these should be pretty commonly found in any bookstore or on-line.