The 2nd book in the Millennium trilogy. Salander has taken over a year to satisfy some wanderlust and travel abroad after stealing a few billion in the last book. While she is gone tho, her Advocate has decided that he has had enough of her interference in his life and wants his life back. Meanwhile, Blomkvist and Millennium are getting ready to print an expose on the extensive sex-trafficking operations in Sweden. Just before things can get published Salander's Advocate, the journalist writing the piece, and his girlfriend who was doing her thesis on sex-trafficking are all murdered and Salander's fingerprints on found on the murder weapon. With her history, Blomkvist is one of the few people who believes her innocent but can he prove it and can she survive long enough for him to do so?
Another fast-paced incredible tale. This is really not a series that I would generally have picked up but I'm so glad I did as it has been an amazing read. Highly recommended.
Page count: 630p/37,226p ytd
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
110:114 The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey
The fourth book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. Aleksia is growing tired of her role as Godmother in the frozen territories, aka The Snow Queen. Then she learns that someone calling herself The Snow Queen is killing off whole villages and abducting young men. Now instead of doing as a Godmother usually does by helping to steer Tradition for another's tale, she finds herself in the thick of it trying to find the impostor and clear her name.
This one was a bit slower and not my favorite so far. Not bad but it felt like the snow of the story had chilled the words and it was just harder to finish it. Or maybe that was just my move that did that...
Page count: 408p/36,596p ytd
This one was a bit slower and not my favorite so far. Not bad but it felt like the snow of the story had chilled the words and it was just harder to finish it. Or maybe that was just my move that did that...
Page count: 408p/36,596p ytd
110:113 Fortune's Fool by Mercedes Lackey
The third book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. Sasha is the seventh son of king in a small, peaceful kingdom. To protect his child, the king learned of the Tradition and molded the Tradition around Sasha to allow him to become The Fool but one that brings luck and protects the kingdom. Ekaterina is the seventh daughter of the Sea King and has been trained as her father's observer on dry land. Once they meet the attraction is instantaneous but nothing in the Five Hundred Kingdoms could be that simple, especially with The Tradition always around.
Ekaterina is sent by her father to investigate some disappearances that have come to his attention but her only chance to investigate requires her being kidnapped as well. Now she must try to find a way to stop the djinn who has her and several other girls. Sasha knows only that she went off by her father's command and will stop at nothing to find her. With this be a Traditional path with a happy ending or not?
Another fabulous tale. I am really enjoying this series and all the twists and turns and how the characters are learning how to work within the Tradition to make happier endings. Absolute fluff but well-written and completely enjoyable after a long day.
Page count: 395p/36,188p ytd
Ekaterina is sent by her father to investigate some disappearances that have come to his attention but her only chance to investigate requires her being kidnapped as well. Now she must try to find a way to stop the djinn who has her and several other girls. Sasha knows only that she went off by her father's command and will stop at nothing to find her. With this be a Traditional path with a happy ending or not?
Another fabulous tale. I am really enjoying this series and all the twists and turns and how the characters are learning how to work within the Tradition to make happier endings. Absolute fluff but well-written and completely enjoyable after a long day.
Page count: 395p/36,188p ytd
Monday, November 5, 2012
110:112 One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
The 2nd in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. Andromeda is a plain and simple princess under a selfish and vain queen mother but even she never thought that her mother would go along with feeding her to the dragon that has taken up residence in their kingdom. When The Champion, George, shows up to slay the dragon and rescue the Princess, Tradition would have been thrilled to pull them together but neither the Champion or the Princess is about to let that happen. But Tradition likes things to stick to a Traditional path and straying from that will take a lot more than they know.
Really, really enjoying this series. The different twists on the old, familiar fairy tales makes these absolutely delightful.
Page count: 393p/35,793p ytd
Really, really enjoying this series. The different twists on the old, familiar fairy tales makes these absolutely delightful.
Page count: 393p/35,793p ytd
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
110:111 The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
The first in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. Ella Klovis, also known as Ella Cinders, was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella except that fate left her with a totally inappropriate prince. Now The Tradition is trying to figure out what to do with her when her Godmother appears with a most intriguing job offer, to be her apprentice and eventually the next Godmother to several kingdoms. Now with so many people to look after and to wrest The Traditions into happier endings, what will happen to her own path now?
Ok, I admit it, I'm a horrid fantasy lover to have never read Ms. Lackey before and I'm now kicking myself. This book was phenomenal!!!! She took an old, well known fairy tale and completely set it on it's end in a most delightful way. Yeah, it's a total fluff read but hey, sometimes that is just what you need and with this one, you couldn't ask for better.
Page count: 479p/35,400p ytd
And yep, there's my page goal met! I still have 9 new authors to try and get in before the end of the year, one more book to finish my A-Z author challenge and four more to finish the A-Z series challenge. A-Z book title challenge is done tho. The series challenge is a bit harder since some of those books are now in storage waiting for our move and the others are on my kindle which died a tragic death. I have the new one now but the cover will take a few more weeks to get here and I don't want to do much with it until it's more protected. Besides, still need to get everything downloaded and organized on it which will take some time too. Hoping I can manage to do that and still get those books read before the end of the year.
Ok, I admit it, I'm a horrid fantasy lover to have never read Ms. Lackey before and I'm now kicking myself. This book was phenomenal!!!! She took an old, well known fairy tale and completely set it on it's end in a most delightful way. Yeah, it's a total fluff read but hey, sometimes that is just what you need and with this one, you couldn't ask for better.
Page count: 479p/35,400p ytd
And yep, there's my page goal met! I still have 9 new authors to try and get in before the end of the year, one more book to finish my A-Z author challenge and four more to finish the A-Z series challenge. A-Z book title challenge is done tho. The series challenge is a bit harder since some of those books are now in storage waiting for our move and the others are on my kindle which died a tragic death. I have the new one now but the cover will take a few more weeks to get here and I don't want to do much with it until it's more protected. Besides, still need to get everything downloaded and organized on it which will take some time too. Hoping I can manage to do that and still get those books read before the end of the year.
110:110 Shadow Rising by Yasmine Galenorn
The 12th book in the Sisters of the Otherworld series and is told by Menolly. Menolly and Nerissa are planning their hand-fasting ceremony but the war with the demons has escalated further. Shadow Wing has now sent his major sorcerer to start a war in the Otherworld while sending the Ghost Master demon back to Seattle to work on possessing the people in power. The only good news in their world is there father is speaking to them again and they are being reinstated into the OIA but with a much larger say. The only question is will they live long enough to enjoy any of it?
Ms. Galenorn does it once again with a fast-paced book which manages to include plenty of plot development where a few things get solved but plenty is left to continue the story, the characters are believable and ones you can really care about even with their flaws, and leaves you anxiously pacing the house cursing that the next one is still a few months away. I absolutely love this series and it just seems to get better with each book.
Page count: 324p/34,921p ytd
Oh, and with that I have completed my books read goal for the year and will easily have the pages read taken care of with the next book. Now to work on my new authors since I'm only at 30 so still 10 more to go there.
Ms. Galenorn does it once again with a fast-paced book which manages to include plenty of plot development where a few things get solved but plenty is left to continue the story, the characters are believable and ones you can really care about even with their flaws, and leaves you anxiously pacing the house cursing that the next one is still a few months away. I absolutely love this series and it just seems to get better with each book.
Page count: 324p/34,921p ytd
Oh, and with that I have completed my books read goal for the year and will easily have the pages read taken care of with the next book. Now to work on my new authors since I'm only at 30 so still 10 more to go there.
Friday, October 26, 2012
110:109 Animal Farm by George Orwell
This is the second time I've read this book. Here's my review from the first time:
I will say that I think 1984 was a better book and definitely much more relevant to today than Animal Farm but it's very easy to put this one into historical perspective and incorporate the thinking of the time into the discussion. I also think that it's a much easier book for 8th and 9th graders to get into and have fun with since because it's animals, it's not as dark as it would be otherwise (like 1984). Of course, that's the whole point of his using animals in the first place so that plot device definitely works.
Reading it this time with Matthew for part of his 9th grade curriculum and while I still agree with my previous review, I have to say that I feel like it's more relevant today than it was when I read it the first time several years ago. My only question is are the pigs becoming more like humans or are the humans becoming more pig-like?
Page count: 154p/34,597p ytd
I will say that I think 1984 was a better book and definitely much more relevant to today than Animal Farm but it's very easy to put this one into historical perspective and incorporate the thinking of the time into the discussion. I also think that it's a much easier book for 8th and 9th graders to get into and have fun with since because it's animals, it's not as dark as it would be otherwise (like 1984). Of course, that's the whole point of his using animals in the first place so that plot device definitely works.
Reading it this time with Matthew for part of his 9th grade curriculum and while I still agree with my previous review, I have to say that I feel like it's more relevant today than it was when I read it the first time several years ago. My only question is are the pigs becoming more like humans or are the humans becoming more pig-like?
Page count: 154p/34,597p ytd
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