Serial Readers Challenge 2009

It will never end - yes, I just signed up for this challenge - but the good news is that I have already read one book! Yeah! Go here to sign up - rules are just to read series/trilogies related by author - but all titles must be read in 2009 (but don't have to read in order!)

Here is my list so far:

• All About Us series

1. It's All About Us - Shelley Adina

2. Be Strong and Curvaceous - Shelley Adina

3. The Fruit of My Lipstick - Shelley Adina

• Charles Towne Belle Books

1. The Red Siren - M.L. Tyndall

• Daniel Vartanian series

1. Scream for Me - Karen Rose

• Carter House Girls series

1. Lost in Las Vegas - Melody Carlson

2. New York Debut - Melody Carlson

• Sister to Sister series

1. Age Before Beauty - Virginia Smith

• An Amanda Bell Brown Mystery

1. Deadly Charm - Claudia Mair Burney

2. Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man - Claudia Mair Burney

• Highland Series

1. Wild Highland Magic - Kendra Leigh Castle

Be Strong and Curvaceous by Shelley Adina (Book Review)

Title: Be Strong and Curvaceous (an all about us novel)
Author: Shelley Adina
Publisher: Faith Words a division of Hachette Books
Genre: YA/Christian Fiction
Available: January 2009

First sentence: Be careful what you wish for.

I read this book for First Wild Card Tour and I loved it! I am hoping (and praying) that my daughters will read these books. I have requested the first one in the series from our public library's interlibrary loan service. But I am getting ahead of myself - let me tell you a little about this book.

Be Strong and Curvaceous is the third book in the 'all about us' series - but it was also very good as a stand alone. The hardest thing about reading it first was just getting the cast of characters set in my mind. Carly, Lissa and Gillian are all students (juniors) at Spencer Academy in San Francisco. They have just started the spring term and upon arriving back at school, Carly discovers that she has a new roommate - "Mac" who we later discover is Lady Lindsay MacPhail, daughter of the Earl of Strathcairn. Mac isn't at the school long before she publicly humiliates Vanessa Talbot (the "it" girl at the school) and puts up a wall that Carly isn't sure she wants to negotiate. Adding to Carly's confusion is that she just became a Christian and is sure that this isn't the Christian thing to do! Mac could also help her reach her goal of designing a dress in the Design Your Dream Event - if only she hadn't taken on Vanessa. To make matters worse, in seems like Mac also has her eyes on Brett, Carly's crush!

This book has romance, rivalry, responsibility, friendship, adventure, and most importantly God! I want my daughter to read it so that she can see that she can talk with God in any and all circumstances - even boys! This would be a great read for a teenage girl. I can't wait to get the first book!

Gatekeepers

It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!



You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Personal note: I have loved this series of books so far - please see my review of Gatekeepers.

Today's Wild Card author is:

Robert Liparulo



and the book:

Gatekeepers

Thomas Nelson (January 6, 2009)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert Liparulo has received rave reviews for both his adult novels (Comes a Horseman, Germ, and Deadfall) and the first two novels in his Dreamhouse Kings series for young adults (House of Dark Shadows, Watcher in the Woods). He is an avid scuba diver, swimmer, reader, traveler, and a law enforcement and military enthusiast. He lives in Colorado with his wife and four children.



Visit the author's website.



Here are some of his titles:



House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Book #1)

Watcher in the Woods: (Dreamhouse Kings Book #2)

Comes a Horseman

Germ

Deadfall



Product Details:



List Price: $ 14.99

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 6, 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1595544984

ISBN-13: 978-1595544988



AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Tuesday, 6:58 P.M.



Pinedale, California



Xander’s words struck David’s heart like a musket ball.



He reeled back, then grabbed the collar of his brother’s grimy Confederate coat. His eyes stung, whether from the tears squeezing around them or the sand whipping through the room, he didn’t know. He pulled his face to within inches of Xander’s.



“You . . . you found her?” he said. “Xander, you found Mom?”



He looked over Xander’s shoulder to the portal door, which had slammed shut as soon as Xander stumbled through. The two boys knelt in the center of the antechamber. Wind billowed their hair. It whooshed in under the door, pulling back what belonged to the Civil War world from which Xander had just stepped. The smell of smoke and gunpowder was so strong, David could taste it.



He shook Xander. “Where is she? Why didn’t you bring her?”



His heart was going crazy, like a ferret racing around inside his chest, more frantic than ever. Twelve-year-olds didn’t have heart attacks, did they?



Xander leaned back and sat on his heels. His bottom lip trembled, and his chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. The wind plucked a leaf from his hair, whirled it through the air, then sucked it under the door.



“Xander!” David said. “Where’s Mom?”



Xander lowered his head. “I couldn’t . . .” he said. “I couldn’t get her. You gotta go over, Dae. You gotta bring her back!”



“Me?” A heavy weight pushed on David’s chest, smashing the ferret between sternum and spine. He rose, leaped for the door, and tugged on the locked handle.



He wore a gray hat (“It’s a kepi,” Dad would tell him) and jacket, like Xander’s blue ones. They had discovered that it took wearing or holding three items from the antechamber to unlock the portal door. He needed one more.



“Xander, you said found her! ”



Xander shook his head. “I think I saw her going into a tent, but it was at the other end of the camp. I couldn’t get to her.”



David’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not finding her! I thought I saw her, too, the other day in the World War II world. . .”



“Dae, listen.” Xander pushed himself up and gripped David’s shoulders. “She saw the message we left. She saw Bob.”



Bob was the cartoon face and family mascot since Dad was a kid, drawn on notes and birthday cards. When David and Xander had been in Ulysses S. Grant’s Union camp the night before, Xander had drawn it on a tent. It was their way of letting Mom know they were looking for her.



“She wrote back!” Xander said. “David, she’s there!”



“But . . .” David didn’t know if he wanted to scream or cry or punch his brother. “Why didn’t you go get her?”



“Something was happening on the battlefield. They were rounding up all the soldiers and herding us toward the front line. I tried to get to her, but they kept grabbing me, pushing me out of camp. When I broke away—“ Xander’s face became hard. “They called me a deserter. That quick, I was a deserter. One of them shot at me! I barely got back to the portal.” He shook his head. “You gotta go! Now! Before she’s gone, or the portal changes, or . . . I don’t know.”



Yes . . . no! David’s stomach hurt. His brain was throbbing against his skull. His broken arm started to ache again, and he rubbed the cast. “Xander, I can’t. They almost killed me yesterday.”



“That’s because you were a gray-coat.” Xander began taking off his blue jacket. “Wear this one.”



“Why can’t you? Just tell them—”



“I’ll never make it,” Xander said. “They’ll throw me in the stockade for deserting—if they don’t shoot me first.”



“They’ll do the same to me.” David hated how whiney it came out.



“You’re just a kid. They’ll see that.”



“I’m twelve, Xander. Only three years younger than you.”



“That’s the difference between fighting and not, Dae.” He held the jacket open. “I know it was really scary before, but this time you’ll be on the right side.”



David looked around the small room. He said, “Where’s the rifle you took when you went over? The Harper’s Ferry musket?”



His brother gazed at his empty hand. He scanned the floor. “I must have dropped it one of the times I fell. I was just trying to stay alive. I didn’t notice.” He shook the jacket. “Come on.”



David shrugged out of the gray jacket he was wearing. He tossed it onto the bench and reluctantly slipped into the one Xander held. He pulled the left side over his cast.



Xander buttoned it for him. He said, “The tent I saw her go into was near the back of the camp, on the other side from where I drew Bob.” He lifted the empty sleeve and let it flop down. He smiled. “Looks like you lost your arm in battle.”



“See? They’ll think I can fight, that I have fought.”



“I was just kidding.” He took the gray kepi off David’s head and replaced it with the blue one. Then he turned to the bench and hooks, looking for another item.



“Xander, listen,” David said. “You don’t know what’s been happening here. There are two cops downstairs.”



Xander froze in his reach for a canteen. “What?” His head pivoted toward the door opposite the portal, as though he could see through it into the hallway beyond, down the stairs, around the corner, and into the foyer. Or like he expected the cops to burst through. “What are they doing here?”



“They’re trying to get us out of the house. Taksidian’s with them.” Just thinking of the creepy guy who was responsible for his broken arm frightened David—but not as much as the thought of getting hauled away when they were so close to rescuing Mom. “Gimme that,” he said, waggling his fingers at the canteen.



Xander snatched it off the hook and looped the strap over David’s head. “Where’s Dad?”



“They put him in handcuffs. He told me to come get you. That’s why I was here when you came through.”



“Handcuffs!”



“And one more thing,” David said. He closed his eyes, feeling like the jacket had just gained twenty pounds. “Clayton, that kid who wanted to pound me at school? He came through the portal in the linen closet.” He opened one eye to see his brother’s shocked expression.



“How long was I gone?” Xander said. “Where is he now?”



“I pushed him back in. He returned to the school, but he might . . . come back.”



“Great.” Xander glanced over his shoulder at the hallway door again, then back at David. “Anything else I should know?”



David shook his head. “I guess if I die, I won’t have to go to school tomorrow.” He smiled weakly.



The school year—seventh grade for David, tenth for Xander—had started just yesterday: two days of classes. Mom had been kidnapped the day before that. David couldn’t believe they’d even gone to school under the circumstances, but Dad, who was the new principal, had insisted they keep up normal appearances so they wouldn’t attract suspicion.



Lot of good it did, David thought, thinking of the cops downstairs.



“I don’t know,” Xander said. “Dad would probably figure out a way to get your body there.”



David’s expression remained grim.



“You’ll be fine.”



“Don’t get taken away,” David told his brother. “Don’t leave with me over there. Don’t leave me alone in this house when I come back. Don’t—“



Xander touched his fingers to David’s lips. “I won’t leave,” he said. “I’ll go see what’s happening downstairs, but I won’t leave. No way, no how. Okay? Besides—“ He smiled, but David saw how hard it was for him to do it. “You’ll have Mom with you when you come back. Right?”



It was David’s turn to smile, and he found it wasn’t so hard to do. “Yeah.” He turned, took a deep breath, and opened the portal door.

Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo (Book 3 in Dreamhouse Kings series) - Book Review

Title: Gatekeepers (3rd book in the Dreamhouse Kings series)
Author: Robert Liparulo
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: YA fiction

First Sentence: Xander's words struck David's heart like a musket ball.

I am so very glad that I was able to read the first three books in this series so closely together. My only gripe is that I have to wait until July for Timescape - the 4th book in this series!

In Gatekeepers, we again join Xander, David, Toria and their father, Edward, in the search for their mother, G(ertrude). As they discover more rules about the portals, they also encounter more danger - both in their own world and the world behind the antechambers. Men - warriors - are now coming through the portals and are after the children! Come see how Xander, David and Toria fight off three of these men in the mysterious clearing in the woods - how they are able to fly out of the way of danger!

We also meet Jesse, a very elderly man who has a gift of "feeling" when history has been changed. He also has a link to the mysterious King house, as well as to the King family themselves. He is able to help the children with their knowledge of the portals - but will he have the time to share all of his secrets, or will "time" want him back.

The children may not be able to rescue their mother during this book - but come and find out who they do meet in the other worlds along the way. I guarantee you will not want to put it down!

See my other reviews for the first two books in the series: House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods.

Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo-(Book 2 in Dreamhouse King series)- (Book Review)

Title: Watcher in the Woods (book 2 of Dreamhouse Kings series)

Author: Robert Liparulo

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Genre: YA

First sentence: At twelve years old, David King was too young to die.

Ok - how can you not want to keep reading with that first line. This was book 2 in the Dreamhouse King series, and it kept me as riveted as book 1 did (House of Dark Shadows - see my review here). I was able to devour this book in one day. In melded seamlessly with book 1, and as I have already started book 3 (look for my review tomorrow!) I can tell you that it was the same with it also.

Book 2 picks up with the King children and their father wondering how to go about searching for their mother - and if they find her - how to get her back. Now their mother has not just been kidnapped - she has been taken through one of the portals of the house into another world - the doorways to these worlds change, seemingly without rhyme or reason and in all worlds but one, danger is around every tree, bush, or building!

Since Edward and Gee (parents) have known each other, they have doodled a cartoon figure they called 'Bob'. Edward comes up with the plan that they would leave pictures of 'Bob' in all the worlds they visit, to let Gee know that they are looking for her. They leave the first picture in the one world that is peaceful - Edward carves it in a tree.

But lets not forget that the King family must also maintain an outward appearance of normalcy - this means going to work/school and making everyone believe their mom just went back to Pasadena to close up the sale of their old house. Add to that - David falling out of a "tree" and breaking his arm, being chased by bullies at school and a mysterious stranger trying to get them evicted from their house!

I was so glad that I had gotten the third book for First Wild Card Tours because that meant I could start it immediately! Can you tell I loved this book!

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Young Readers Challenge

I know - I signed up for another challenge - but this one has to do with all the books I read to my son who is 4! (His first day of school last fall - above) Becky from Becky's Book Reviews is hosting it and you can go there to sign up. I will only be reviewing these books if I think they are exceptional or if my son really liked them (so I have had to read them over and over and over!)

Here are some of her guidelines!~

Read 12 children's books in 2009.

'Children's books' are defined as anything written to be read (or read aloud) to children 12 and under.Examples of children's books are: board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books.

No list is required. If you choose to post one, you can change it as needed. But it isn't required at all.

Audio books work.Rereads are acceptable, but try to mix it up old and new if you can.Overlaps with other challenges are acceptable.You may consider yourself 'finished' with the challenge if/when you complete the twelfth book. (You could finish it January if you're ambitious. But there is no requirement to read one book per month all year long.)

If you want to keep going past twelve books, that's fine. I won't stop you!If you want to challenge yourself further you might consider going with a theme:

*Read twelve picture books published in 2009

*Read twelve children's fantasy titles published since 2000

*Read twelve children's books that have been made into a movie

*Read three books on shapes, three books on numbers/counting, three books on the alphabet, three books on colors.You get the idea. You can make it as simple or complex as you like!© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Here is my list - If it is listed, it has been read once - if there is a number in parenthesis following it - that is how many times we have read it!

1. More Fun With Maisy - Lucy Cousins
2. Katy Duck dance star - Alyssa Satin Capucilli
3. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Joffe Numeroff
4. Pie in the Sky - Lois Ehlert
5. Get to Work, Trucks! - Don Carter
6. The Worm Family - Tony Johnston
7. This Train - Paul Collicutt
8. The Smushy Bus - Leslie Helakoski (2)
9. Matthew's Truck - Katherine Ayres
10. Good Morning Engines - Britt Allcroft
11. Alexander's Pretending Day - Bunny Crumpacker
12. Motor Graders - Jean Eick
13. The Wolf Who Cried Boy - Bob Hartman
14. Curious George Visits a Police Station
15. Going Places
16. The little mouse, the red ripe strawberry, and the big hungry bear - Don Wood
17. Toy Story II - Play a Sound
18. Blue's Music Maker - Play a Song
19. Hello, Robots - Bob Staake (3)
20. Reptar to the Rescue - Stephanie St. Pierre
21. Young MacDonald - David Milgrim
22. Little Boy - Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds
23. The Night Before Christmas Pop Up Story Book (Better than Broccoli Books)
24. Nursery Rhymes (Wee Willie Winkie and Other Rhymes) Pop Up Book (Better than Broccoli)
25. Nursery Rhymes (Humpty Dumpty and Other Rhymes) Pop Up Book (Better than Broccoli)
26. My Subway Ride - Paul Dubois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender
27. Santa's Workshop Pop Up Story Book (Better than Broccoli Books)
28. Nursery Rhymes (Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and Other Rhymes) Pop Up Book (Better than Broccoli)
29. Old MacDonald Had a Workshop - Lisa Shulman
30. Itchy Itchy Chicken Pox
31. Walter the Farting Dog - William Kotzwinkle (2)
32. Curious George Goes to the Beach - Margret and H.A. Rey
33. Sleepy Cadillac - Thacher Hurd
34. Curious George and the Dump Truck - Margret and H.A. Rey
35. Shape Space - Cathryn Falwell
36. Maisy's Morning on the Farm - Lucy Cousins
37. Alphabet City
38. Kipper's Toy Box - Mick Inkpen
39. The Bestest Mom - Susan Hood
40. Sailor Boy Jig - Margaret Weis Brown
41. Hoppity Skip Little Chick - Jo Brown
42. Freight Train - Donald Crews
43. Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon - Margret and H.A. Rey
44. Happy Birthday Spongebob - J-P Chanda
45. Scooby Doo and the Disappearing Donuts - Gail Herman
46. If I Could Drive a Loader - Michael Teitelbaum
47. If I Could Drive a Tow Truck - Michael Teitelbaum
48. If I Could Drive a Fire Truck - Michael Teitelbaum
49. If I Could Drive a Dump Truck - Michael Teitelbaum

Chick Lit Challenge

From January 1 through December 31, 2009, read at least 10 chick lit books. Books can overlap with other challenges and you can change your list at any time. I am hoping to fulfill this challenge by just reading either my ARC's or books for other challenges - so I will be filling in my list as I go. It is being hosted over at the Twiga Blog and you can go there to leave a comment to sign up.

1. Be Strong and Curvaceous - Shelley Adina
2. The Red Siren - M.L. Tyndall
3. For the Love of Pete - Julia Harper
4. Lost in Las Vegas - Melody Carlson
5. Scrapping Plans - Rebeca Seitz
6. The Valentine Edition - Robin Shope
7. It's All About Us - Shelley Adina
8. John's Quest - Cecelia Dowdy
9. Simple Wishes - Lisa Dale
10. The Spring of Candy Apples - Debbie Viguie
11. Age Before Beauty - Virginia Smith
12. The Fruit of My Lipstick - Shelley Adina
13. Marked by Passion - Kate Perry
14. Katt's in the Cradle - Ginger Kolbaba and Christy Scannell
15. Deadly Charm - Claudia Mair Burney
16. Yesterday's Embers - Deborah Raney
17. An Offer You Can't Refuse - Jill Mansell
18. The Girl She Used To Be - David Cristofano
19. The Lost Hours - Karen White
20. So Not Happening - Jenny B. Jones
21. Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man - Claudia Mair Burney
22. New York Debut - Melody Carlson
23. Wild Highland Magic - Kendra Leigh Castle
    

Outlander Reading Challenge (Diana Gabaldon)

I know - enought challenges already - but I had added these books to my TBR pile BEFORE this challenge was posted - so it just fits!

The challenge is to read or listen to each of the six Outlander books in order before the release of An Echo in the Bone (fall of 2009). This challenge is being hosted by A Reader's Respite and you can go here to see all the rules and to get the link to sign up.

• Outlander
• Dragonfly in Amber
• Voyager
• Drums of Autumn
• The Fiery Cross
• A Breath of Snow and Ashes

World War II Reading Challenge (War Through the Generations)

This challenge is being hosted over at War Through the Generations.





Rules are as follows:


1. To participate in the WWII Reading Challenge, you must commit to reading at least five books throughout the year. We plan to read more than that, and feel free to do the same! The books can be fiction or non-fiction, and they can be about any aspect of WWII. WWII should be the primary or secondary theme, and it doesn’t matter whether the book takes place during the war or after the war. (Please visit the WWII Reading List page for some recommendations.) 2. You can count books you are reading for other challenges, so long as they meet the aforementioned criteria.


3. You can decide which books you’d like to read right away, or you can choose them during the course of the challenge. However, you must set a reading goal when you sign up. At the end of the challenge, those who met or exceeded their reading goals will be entered in a drawing (prizes to be announced later).



**Participants anywhere in the world are eligible for the drawing!**



For sign up rules please visit the challenge host here.

I will be reading 5 books - as I have at least 3 just browsing through their list that were already in my TBR pile! Here are some possibles -

1. - Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
2. - Night of Flames - Douglas W. Jacobson
3. -
4. -
5. -

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Mondays is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page so drop by and see what everyone else got in their box last week!

I had a great week this week - It was Christmas for me in my mailbox! I received these books from First Wild Card Tours -

Lessons From San Quentin - by Bill Dallas

A Lever Long Enough - by Amy Deardon

The Red Siren - by M.L. Tyndall

I also received these from Sourcebooks:

The Kingmaker - by Helen Hollick

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark - by Donna Lea Simpson

Fire Me - by Libby Malin

Wild Highland Magic - by Kendra Leigh Castle

Holly's Inbox - by Holly Denham

And from Santa I received the following:

The Pagan Stone - by Nora Roberts

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - by Peter Ackroyd and Peter Boxall

The Knifty Knitter

BUT - since my daughter has been patiently waiting for the computer - you will have to wait to hear anything about them until I have read and reviewed! Happy Monday!

Read Your Name Challenge

The challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. I am going to use my whole first name this time - so that would be Kristina.

That means:
1. Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. (Audio books and eBooks are also okay.)
2. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are free to join.
3. If you have your own blog, go back to the host blog here every month and leave a comment containing the link to your challenge page containing the books you've read or each review you've written for books that count for this challenge. (Crossovers with other challenges are okay.) There will be a new post for this on the first of every month.
4. The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2009, to Dec. 31st 2009. You may join at any time.

So go visit Victoria at her blog to sign up!

• Kiss - Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
• Rachel's Tears - Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
• I Do Again - Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs
• Scream for Me - Karen Rose
• Trail of Crumbs - Kim Sunee
• It's All About Us - Shelley Adina
• New York Debut - Melody Carlson
• Age Before Beauty - Virginia Smith
  
  

Numbers Challenge

The challenge is to read 5 books whose titles have a number in them from Jan 1, 2009 to August 1, 2009. This includes written numbers like 'one' and numbers like 10th or first.

You can choose up to three that are on lists for other challenges. So two of the choices must not be on any list. You can re-read books but all books must NOT be read until January 1, 2009.

To join - sign up here.

My Possibilities:

1. - The Four Corners of the Sky - Michael Malone
   
2. - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

2009 Suspense & Thriller Reading Challenge

Rules of this challenge:
* Read TWELVE (12) different sub-genres of thrillers in 2009.
* You do NOT need to select your books ahead of time. Also, you may change as you go.
* Your books can crossover into other challenges.
* You don't need a blog to join in this challenge. For those who do, this is important. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your S/T books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.
*Challenge is being hosted by J.Kaye Book Blog and you can signup here.
*Listed at the host site is a very detailed list of sub-genres for thrillers.

Books:

1. - Scream for Me - Karen Rose (Serial Killer Thriller)
2. - Kiss - Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (Conspiracy Thriller)
3. - Scream - Mike Dellosso (Action Thriller)
4. -Deadly Charm - Claudia Mair Burney (Amateur Detective Mystery)
5. - Fatal Illusions - Adam Blumer
6. - Boneman's Daughter - Ted Dekker
7. - Always Watching - Brandilyn and Amberly Collins
   
8. -
9. -
10. -
11. -
12. -
13. -

Themed Reading Challenge (Feb 1, 2009 - July 31, 2009)

This one sounds like a lot of fun - and I have already been forming themes in my head just based on the other challenges that I have signed up for. Here are the rules:

February 1, 2009 - July 31, 2009
The Themed Reading Challenge is a six month challenge designed to help readers clear books from their to-be-read stacks which center around a common theme or themes. Here are the “rules”:
Books should be chosen from the reader’s TBR pile (this may be an actual physical pile or a virtual pile).
The goal is to read 4 to 6 books linked by theme.
Overlaps with other challenges are allowed.
Readers may change their list of books at any time.

Readers may choose three different levels of participation:
Read at least 4 books with the same theme.
Read at least 5 books that share at least TWO themes.
Read at least 6 books that share MORE than two themes.

Themes can be geographic, genre, author, subject matter, or anything in between! Last year’s themes were wonderfully creative and varied and included such things as: books about books, books set in New England, books with a color in the title, books about vampires, books with the word ‘lady’ in the title, Gothic classics, fairy tales retold for adults, highschool classics, Asian culture, feathered friends, WWII, Canada, books in translation, and Beverly Cleary. There were many others I have not listed here!
The only thing limiting your choices is your imagination - so have fun!
Sign-ups for this challenge will close on March 30th.

My tentative theme is going to being Irish/Ireland - I will probably do option A even though I have listed 5 books. If I find another theme while I am reading them I will list it also.

1. Blessed are the Cheesemakers - Sarah-Kate Lynch
2. Revenge - Mary Stanley
3. Ireland - Frank Delany
4. Christine Falls - Benjamin Black
5. The Gathering - Anne Enright
6. The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry

Yeah - this theme bit the dust - it is now going to be books with Dead or words that mean dead in the title.

1. Deadly Charms - Claudia Mair Burney
2. Fatal Illusions - Adam Blumer
3. What the Dead Know - Laura Lippman
4. Talking to the Dead - Bonnie Grove
   

This is being hosted by Caribous's Mom.

Dewey's Books Reading Challenge

I am relatively new to blogging, and had just started following Dewey's blog when she passed away. From all the posts remembering her, I am sorry that I did not have the chance to get to know her. I am going to take part in the reading challenge remembering her - because it seems only fitting to do so.

If you would also like to sign up, it is being hosted here. You can find all the rules there as well as the link to Dewey's archives.

I am going to choose Option 1 and my 6 books are listed below -

1. 2003 - Into the Forest - Jean Hegland
2. 2004 - The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
3. 2005 - Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
4. 2006 - Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
5. 2007 - Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
6. 2008 - Christine Falls - Benjamin Black

Unshelved Reading Challenge (Feb 1, 2009 - June 1, 2009)

I had never heard of the Unshelved Bookclub until I stumbled across this challenge. It is a comic strip book review that comes out each Sunday. So Becky of Becky's Book Reviews is hosting a challenge to read 3 books from the list.





Audio books welcome. Blog not required. Overlaps with other challenges allowed. Lists not required. But books must come from their archives. Remember, new books/strips are being added all the time.



Tentative books are:

1. Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne
2. The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau
3. Heir Apparent - Vivian VandeVelde
   

Sign up is here.

Art History Reading Challenge

This one is going to take me out of my comfort zone - but it is only 6 books(I say that now.. hope it doesn't come back to bite me!) and the ones on their sample list look pretty interesting. So I am going to join this challenge.

To Join The Art History Reading Challenge and challenge yourself to read at least 6 books about art in 2009. These can be either fiction or nonfiction, and can span every genre from historical fiction to graphic novel.

Go here for some inspiration!

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Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Mondays is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page so drop by and see what everyone else got in their box last week!

Can I just say - my husband would kill me if he found out I just bought 11 more books at the thrift store! It is the most wonderful place for books! I just picked up 3 of the hard cover Thomas Kinkade books - Cape Light, Home Song, and The Gathering Place - that I had seen recommended awhile back on another blog - and for a mere $9 I got the rest of these books: (descriptions are from book covers)

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier - Sorely wounded and fatally disillusioned in the fighting at Petersburg, Inman, a Confederate soldier, decides to walk back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada, the woman he loved there years before. His trek across the disintegrating South brings him into intimate and sometimes lethal converse with slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, both helpful and malign. At the same time, Ada is trying to revive her father's derelict farm and learn to survive in a world where the old certainties have been swept away.

Tell No One by Harlan Coben - For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night his wife was taken. The last night he saw her alive.

Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted with the impossible - that somewhere, somehow, his wife is alive..and he's been warned to tell no one.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult - Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her beloved, widowed father, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiance, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as Delia plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can't recall . . . until a policeman knocks on her door, revealing a secret about herself that changes the world as she knows it - and threatens to jeopardize her future. With Vanishing Acts, Jodi Picoult explores how life - as we know it - might not turn out the way we imagined; how the people we've loved and trusted can suddenly change before our very eyes; how the memory we thought had vanished could return as a threat.

Rebellion by Nora Roberts - Scotland, 1745. Against the bloody background of the Battle of Culloden, another war was waged and won - the price was honer, the victory, love.

Scottish beauty Serena MacGregor's hatred of all English began as a child when she watched as a band of Englishmen attacked her mother. Her brother's friend Brigham Langston was no exception to Serena's loathing - despite his supposed loyalty to the Scottich cause . . and his good looks.

Although Brigham eventually proves himself worthy of the MacGregor family's respect, Serena is still reluctant to abandon her hatred for him and his heritage. But Brigham has other plans. Serena has captivated him with her beauty, her passion for life and commitment to her beliefs - and he refuses to let her antagonistic attitude keep him from winning her. And Serena must learn to open her mind - as Brigham opens his heart - to see the true love awaiting her.

Black Rose by Nora Roberts - Three women meet at a crossroads in their lives, each searching for new ways to grow - and find in each other the courage to take chances and embrace the future.

Roz is a woman of independent means who thought love was behind her, but when romance takes her by surprise, she won't allow anything to keep her from her second chance at happiness.

In the Dark of the Night by John Saul - For Chicago couple Dan and Merrill Brewster, a summer at Pinecrest, a rambling lakeside house, is an ideal vacation, and for their kids, Eric and Marci, Pinecrest is the perfect place to spend some time exploring. Eric and his friends discover a curious cache of objects stowed in a hidden room, but the boys' strange fascination with the forgotten possessions soon becomes an obsession. When a horrifying discovery surfaces, so does the chilling truth about the terrifying events that rocked the town seven years before, the mysterious disappearance of Pinecrest's previous resident, and a twisted legacy with a malevolent life of its own . . . and a bottomless hunger for new victims.

Darkfall by Dean Koontz - Strange Days ... Winter gripped the city. Terror gripped it, too. They found four corpses in four days, each more hideous than the last. Strange Nights ... At first the cops thought they were dealing with a psychopath. But soon they heard eerie sounds in the ventilation system - and saw unearthly silver eyes in the snow-slashed night. Final Hours... In a city paralyzed by a blizzard, something watches, something stalks...... DARKFALL.

The Reef - by Nora Roberts Marine archeologist Tate Beaumont has a passion for treasure-hunting. Over the years, she and her father have uncovered many fabulous riches, but one treasure has always eluded them: Angelique's Curse - a jeweled amulet heavy with history, dark with legend, and tainted with blood. In order to find this precious artifact, the Beaumonts reluctantly form a partnership with salvagers Buck and Matthew Lassiter.

Having to share this dream is more than Tate can bear, but she has little choice. As the Beaumonts and Lassiters pool their resources to locate Angelique's Curse, the Caribbean waters thicken and darken with shadowy deceptions and hidden threats. Their partnership is placed in jeopardy when Matthew refuses to share information - including the truth behind his father's mysterious death several years earlier. For now, Tate and Matthew continue their uneasy alliance - until danger and desire begin to rise to the surface .. .


And if you are still with me - I also got three books in the mail! (Bonanza week for me!) - {Descriptions are from Amazon.com}

Gatekeepers by Robert Liparulo

In the third novel of this young adult series, the mystery deepens in a house that is more than meets the eye. (I just finished the first book in this series - read my review here.)

It's hard to believe that things could have gotten worse for the King family-but they have. Dad's in handcuffs, the school bully has just found the secret portal that leads from the high school to the house, and Xander is sure he's found Mom, but they can't get back to her. Then Jesse arrives, and he seems to be a virtual Obi Wan of knowledge about the place. But is he the key they need to unlock the secrets, or just a crazy old man?
Dangers are increasing from within and without when Xander makes a startling discovery that explains why they haven't found any rooms that lead to the future. Alongside the threats, though, they're also starting to find some surprising allies.
All they have to do is get organized, get psyched, and get Mom. But that isn't nearly as easy as it sounds.

Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness by Matthew S. Stanford, Ph.D.

Each day men and women diagnosed with mental disorders are told they need to pray more and turn from their sin. Mental illness is equated with demonic possession, weak faith and generational sin. Why is it that the church has struggled in ministering to those with mental illnesses? As both a church leader and professor of psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Stanford has seen far too many mentally ill brothers and sisters damaged by well meaning believers who respond to them out of fear or misinformation rather than grace. Grace for the Afflicted is written to educate Christians about mental illness from both biblical and scientific perspectives. Dr. Stanford presents insights into our physical and spiritual nature and discusses the appropriate role of psychology and psychiatry in the life of the believer. Describing common mental disorders, Dr. Stanford asks of each What does science say and what does the Bible say about this illness? Mental illnesses addressed in the book include Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Schizophrenia Dissociative Disorders AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder Eating Disorders Substance Use Disorders Borderline Personality Disorder

Be Strong & Curvaceous by Shelley Adina

After spending spring break in Mexico with her grandparents, Carly Aragon can't wait to get back to school at SpencerAcademy in San Francisco. With Lissa Mansfield and Gillian Chang by her side, she's ready for anything . . . except a new roommate.Lady Lindsay MacPhail, flamboyant daughter of the Earl of Strathcairn, quickly becomes Carly's worst nightmare. "Mac" not only swoops in and steals Carly's privacy, she's also dating Brett Loyola--Carly's biggest crush!But when Mac starts receiving strange, threatening e-mails, she and Carly must come together to figure out who's behind them and why. In the end, the fate of one girl will lie in the other's hands. Will the two learn to trust one another and trust God?

Happy Reading!

House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo

Title: House of Dark Shadows
Author: Robert Liparulo
Genre: Supernatural Fiction/Young Adult
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

From the cover: When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander isbeyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.

Bet he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into - as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house.

They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.

Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading to far-off places -in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.

My review: Robert Liparulo where were you when I was growing up trying to read and comprehend Stephen King as a preteen/teenager! I found myself glad that I had my husband to curl up next to when I shut off the lights!

Upon first viewing their new home, Xander is suspicious - he feels like he is being watched, sounds are coming from the wrong direction, his family seem to "appear" where they shouldn't be. With much trepidation he moves in with his mom and dad, brother David and sister Toria. When he shares his misgivings with his father, his father agrees with him - but tells him that he should just trust him. There is a mystery surrounding what happened to the previous residents years and years before. The real estate agent tells them a story that they think the husband killed his wife and later ran off with the kids and possibly killed them too! Then - G (Xander's mom) finds HUGE footprints in the house.

Xander, David and their dad set out to explore the house from top to bottom - they get the basement done when dad has to go to town to check on his new job. As David and Xander continue to explore, they discover a linen closet that teleports them to their new school! But do they tell mom and dad? No way, and the secrets begin to pile up..

The man/creature with the big feet shows back up in the middle of the night and Xander and David follow him - and discover a secret hallway with many rooms. Each room is equipped with a different items representing a different "theme". Do they really want to go into each room? What will happen if they do? Do they live? Do they die? And when the man comes back to kidnap someone - who will it be? And why is Xander's father not surprised with the series of events?

Find out the answer to all these questions by reading the book! I must warn you that it leaves you with a cliffhanger and hungering for more! I have had the second book (Watcher in the Woods) on request through my library's interlibrary loan since I checked out the first one - and it still isn't in! I definitely give this book 5/5 stars!