The second book in the Chesire Red series. Raylene has somehow managed to collect people which is strange considering how long she'd been on her own. Now when she finds out that Ian is in danger due to vampire family politics, she's off to try and find a way to save him. But how to do that while she's also on the prowl for a box of magic artifacts with the potential to earn her millions? Some days, a girl's life can't get any stranger....even when she's undead.
I really liked this one a lot better. Raylene's voice didn't sound nearly as forced as it did last time and the rest of the characters clicked well. I'm now wondering when the next one in the series will be coming out and bummed that I have to wait.
Page count: 338p/26,789p ytd
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
104:88 Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkein
So this is my review from 2008 when I read these with my oldest. Now I'm reading them with the next one and while he's not enjoying them so much yet, I still am and I think he'll enjoy it as the action starts to be more prevalent.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I last read these books back in 1991-1992, something like that. I remember enjoying them but also being put-off by the intense descriptive scenes which didn't seem to move the plot along (please, no flames on this, I was like 16 at the time, teenagers are stupid). I've moved them several times and always meant to give them another chance, especially after the movies, but there always seemed to be something new to read or worlds where I didn't remember being so bored so I kept putting it off.
Until that is, I found the LOTR curriculum and went "Wow! This is way cool! I gotta do this with Christopher!" And I'm of the mind that if my kids are reading something for school, well, since I'm their teacher I should read it too. So we are reading it together. I stay about a chapter ahead of him and then stop (which surprisingly is starting to annoy me LOL). Now that I'm enjoying it with him and reading it with better appreciation for literature, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I can't add much to what has already been said about it by so many thousands of other people in the world except that if you tried it years ago and found it dry, try it again. Don't give up on it. It's truly worth the read. And even better, read it with someone you love and enjoy discussing it together. It just adds to the experience.
Page count: 479p/26,451p ytd
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I last read these books back in 1991-1992, something like that. I remember enjoying them but also being put-off by the intense descriptive scenes which didn't seem to move the plot along (please, no flames on this, I was like 16 at the time, teenagers are stupid). I've moved them several times and always meant to give them another chance, especially after the movies, but there always seemed to be something new to read or worlds where I didn't remember being so bored so I kept putting it off.
Until that is, I found the LOTR curriculum and went "Wow! This is way cool! I gotta do this with Christopher!" And I'm of the mind that if my kids are reading something for school, well, since I'm their teacher I should read it too. So we are reading it together. I stay about a chapter ahead of him and then stop (which surprisingly is starting to annoy me LOL). Now that I'm enjoying it with him and reading it with better appreciation for literature, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I can't add much to what has already been said about it by so many thousands of other people in the world except that if you tried it years ago and found it dry, try it again. Don't give up on it. It's truly worth the read. And even better, read it with someone you love and enjoy discussing it together. It just adds to the experience.
Page count: 479p/26,451p ytd
104:87 Bloodshot by Cherie Priest
Raylene is a vampire and a thief but in a world where most vampires are affiliated with Houses of their own kind, she's unusual in her determination to go it alone. And she has, quite successfully for a long time. Now tho, she has a vampire as a client and what he wants from her will get her noticed by all the wrong people.
I thought the story was good but the voice of the main-character didn't totally grip me. There's a second book in the series so I'm going to continue and see if it mellows a bit into something I can enjoy.
Page count: 359p/25,972p ytd
I thought the story was good but the voice of the main-character didn't totally grip me. There's a second book in the series so I'm going to continue and see if it mellows a bit into something I can enjoy.
Page count: 359p/25,972p ytd
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
104:86 Hell to Pay by Simon R. Green
The 7th book in the Nightside series by Simon Green. Lilith is gone and defeated but in her wake she has left despair and devastation including the removal of The Authorities who were nominally in charge of the Nightside. Now there is a power-vacuum and someone has to step in. Good money is on Jeremiah Griffin who managed to become immortal centuries ago and has spent that time accumulating money, power, and enemies. So why is Griffin calling upon John Taylor? Someone has kidnapped his granddaughter, the one he just rewrote his will to leave everything to and when you need someone found, who else do you call? The only problem is that this time, something is blocking John's gift and he has to go about trying to find her the old fashioned way.
A fun book with some nice twists and turns. Wondering if things at this point will just be basically stand-alone stories or if another arc is going to come about now that the one concerning his mother is resolved.
Page count: 264p/25,613p ytd
A fun book with some nice twists and turns. Wondering if things at this point will just be basically stand-alone stories or if another arc is going to come about now that the one concerning his mother is resolved.
Page count: 264p/25,613p ytd
104:85 War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
I know why I never picked this up before since it is more in the SciFi side of things than Fantasy which is my preferred playground but since it was Matthew's book club read this month I figured I should pick it up. In all, I really enjoyed it and can easily see how it has withstood the test of time and become a classic. For those who haven't read it, Martians invade the Earth which is woefully unprepared for their level of technology. This deals with the first two weeks of the assault.
And for the record, Matthew won't put it down. I haven't seen him this excited about reading a book since Douglas Adams.
Page count: 251p/25,349p
And for the record, Matthew won't put it down. I haven't seen him this excited about reading a book since Douglas Adams.
Page count: 251p/25,349p
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
104:84 Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth by Simon R. Green
The 6th book in the Nightside series. John Taylor's mother, Lilith, is back and she is disappointed in the way her creation, the Nightside, has gone. It has not lived up to her vision for her and she is determined to remake it the way she wanted it. To do so tho, she needs to tear down what it is currently and John Taylor is just as determined to stop her. The only question is how do you stop the most powerful being ever in a place where neither Heaven nor Hell have any power? And for John, how do you do it without creating the future that he keeps seeing where the battle between them has destroyed not just the Nightside, but all of civilization?
Another fun page turner. Fear of John's mother has been a big part of the series to this point so it will be interesting to see where the series will go from here.
Page count: 247p/25,098p ytd
Another fun page turner. Fear of John's mother has been a big part of the series to this point so it will be interesting to see where the series will go from here.
Page count: 247p/25,098p ytd
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
104:83 The Iron Butterfly by Choon-Ok Jade Harmon
Memoir of a Martial Arts Master and the True Story of a Mermaid's Daughter. This is an autobiography of the highest ranking woman in Kuk Sool Won, a traditional Korean martial art. It tells of her life from birth to present and everything she has gone through to get to where she is today: a 9th degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won, married to another 9th degree black belt, mother of two. She shows how all her hard-work and dedication to what she believed in has brought her the life she always dreamed of. A truly inspirational story.
On a personal note, I have not had the honor of meeting her but I was privileged to meet her husband and be instructed by him once and he is an incredible instructor and wonderful man.
Page count: 221p/24,851p ytd
On a personal note, I have not had the honor of meeting her but I was privileged to meet her husband and be instructed by him once and he is an incredible instructor and wonderful man.
Page count: 221p/24,851p ytd
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