End of 2013

Just thought I'd list a few of the books I read over the last few weeks.

The Clocks by Agatha Christie.   I had read this one several years ago, and had recently purchased it for my Kindle.  I re-read it, and enjoyed it just as much the second time as the first.  While Hercule Poirot is involved, he doesn't really enter the book until well into the story.  Cozy Mystery

My Year With Eleanor by Noelle Hancock.  Noelle gets laid off unexpectedly from a high paying job as an entertainment blogger.  She doesn't know what to do with herself because she can't find another job.  She sees a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt in a coffee shop, and decides to do one thing everyday that scares her.  This book is the result--it contains a description of some of her challenges, intertwined with her personal doubts and trying to live up to Eleanor Roosevelt's ideals.  I found Noelle to be a little self-centered, and the book was just so-so. Memoir

The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters.  Jessica travels to England from America after receiving a letter from her grandfather to come for a visit before it is too late.  Her father had died when she was young, and his family had never been a part of her life.  She discovers she is being followed, and while trying to evade her pursuers she meets David, who happens to be a romance novelist.  He becomes involved with her problems and attempts to help her to reach her grandfather.  I actually enjoyed this story in spite of a couple of things that happened that I found difficult to believe. Not wanting to add spoilers, I won't say exactly what the things were.  Cozy Mystery

While I can't say I've read though the entire book, I've also looked through 4 different cookbooks.

Fix, Freeze, Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik. This book suggests buying in bulk and then gives you recipes for bulk beef, pork, chicken and other entrees that can be frozen into meals.  It sounds pretty good, although I haven't yet had time to try any of the recipes.  Cookbook

The Smoothie Recipe Book by Rockridge University Press.  Once again, I haven't had time to make any of these recipes, but looking though the book the recipes sound tasty.  They are broken down by categories by chapter.  Cookbook

Fix it and Forget It 5 Ingredient Soup by Phyllis Pellman Goodman.  It looks interesting, but haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but will in the next week or two.  Cookbook

The Slow Cooker Cookbook by Salinas Press.  Sounds good, and there are recipes in many different categories.  Will be trying some over the next couple of weeks.  Cookbook

Read Around the USA Reading Challenge

I'm going to keep track of my reads both here, and on Goodreads.com.

I'm going to start as of Dec. 1, 2013. I'm really hoping I can finish it in the next year or so.
So far, 5/51 Done

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado--Loose Screw by Rae Davis    My review of the book. (finished 12/05/2013)
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois--You Bet Your Life by Stuart Kaminsky      Here's my review of it.  (finished 12/01/2013)
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine--Murder by Degrees by James Noble   (finished 12/02/2013)  And my review of it here.
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota--The Unprintable Big Clock Chronicle by Jill Winter Here's my review of it. (finished 12/06/2013)
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York--The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine     Review of the book. (finished 12/11/2013)
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

All 2013 Reading Challenges Completed!!

As of today, I've finished the last of the reading challenges I had signed up for in 2013!  Although I read all the time, I'm not really good at writing up the reviews on my blog on a regular basis, although I am trying to improve.

It probably didn't help that my husband and I spent a lot of last summer camping with no internet available.  I had a lot of time to read, and no internet to post reviews.  I started keeping notes so I'd remember what I'd read, and what I thought of the books, but I have a tendency to lose notes to myself.

So while I did finally complete the challenges, I probably read at least another 25 books that I either don't remember if I read it this last summer or earlier, or I don't remember a lot of the details of the book, and I don't like to write a review that just says "This book is totally forgettable".  And I reread several old favorites that are now on my Kindle!  However, I did manage to complete the challenges I'd signed up for.  And, because I actually enjoyed all of the challenges, I've signed up for more in 2014!

I've completed the 2013 A to Z Reading Challenge, both for Titles and for Authors.  Here is the link to the complete list of books read for this challenge. 

I've also completed the Vintage Mystery 2013 Reading Challenge, with 17 books completed.  Here is the link  to the post with the books read and what categories they were in.

This link will take you to the 2013 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge wrap-up page.  I listed 24 books and reviews, but I'm pretty sure I read more than 24 of the books in my "to be read" pile.  But when I started to catch up on my reviews, I either couldn't determine exactly when I had finished a lot of them, or else couldn't remember the details of the book, so didn't include them in my list.  Even so, unfortunately, the pile of books to be read seems to grow faster than I read. 

I also completed the What's in a Name Challenge for 2013, here's the link to my wrap-up post with the categories and books that I read to fulfill them.

I should also mention that all of the books in my wrap-up posts have a link to the review for that book.

A Murder of No Account by Julia Underwood review

The story was set during the beginning of World War II in England.  Eve Duncan, a young woman with a policeman boyfriend who doesn't really make much of an appearance in this book, works in the post office as supervisor of a censor department.  Walking home with a longtime male friend, they happen upon a small group who have discovered an unknown young woman laying on the sidewalk.  Eve and her friend, Charlie, go to see, and Charlie determines the young woman is dead.  He goes to get the police, and everyone besides Eve disappear.

The police question them, and then (because the police are shorthanded because of the war) ask them to help.  First Eve and Charlie are asked to help by looking for witnesses, and then Eve becomes even more involved.

I found the pace of the story a little slow, and there were a lot of unlikely events--from the minor one of Eve sleeping with her boyfriend in her apartment regularly, to the major ones of the police asking Eve and Charlie to do their investigating for them,  and the police not caring much about the murder, to the point where Eve is left to find someone to identify the body.  There are others, but they would give away too much of the plot, so I'll refrain from mentioning them.

I didn't find the story terrible, but it wasn't good, either.  On the up side, there weren't a lot of grammar mistakes and typos, and the theme itself was interesting.  It also featured some of the things that had happened in England during the beginning of the War, such as air raids and staying in air raid shelters.  It is the first in a series, so I'm hoping the second book is better.  




This was a requirement for the A to Z Reading Challenge Author--U
This completes the challenge for me for authors!

2014 Challenges I've joined--What was I thinking?

For 2014 I've signed up for even more challenges than I did in 2013.  I don't know what I was thinking, except all of the challenges really seemed to be calling my name!

The challenges I've joined for 2014 are:

The 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge--because I managed to read at least 24 books in my TBR pile during 2013.  Unfortunately, I've think I've added more than 24 books to my TBR pile in the last 12 months.

The Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge --because a lot of the books in my TBR pile are Cozies, and I plan on reading them anyway, so this should be an easy one to complete.  I'm know I can do the first level easily, and probably even the second and third.  So I'm signing up for the first, and we'll see what happens.

The Read it again, Sam Reading Challenge 2014--because I have several books in my TBR pile that are part of a series, and I like to read the books in order, so when I come to the ones I've already read, I'll use them to complete this challenge.  And I have a tendency to reread my favorite authors quite a bit (yes, even the mysteries).

The Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 ---because I have several books in my TBR pile that have colors in the titles, so I might as well, right?









 The Vintage Mystery BINGO 2014 Challenge--I'm going to do both the Silver and Golden challenge.  The Golden Challenge is for mysteries published before 1960, and the Silver Challenge is for mysteries published between 1960 and 1989, inclusive.  And I have so many vintage mysteries in my TBR pile!  The challenge will be to find books to fill the categories to make a BINGO! 



The Read Around the USA Reading Challenge--this one is nice because it has no deadlines, so I can take as long as I want to finish it.  This is found in the Cozy Mystery group on Goodreads.com.  When you read a book, you mark off the state in which the action takes place.  Since Dec. 1, 2013, I've already read mysteries that take place in five different states.  If I can read enough mysteries that are taking place in five different states each month, I should be done within a year.  I suspect it won't be that easy!  Well, it's a goal, anyhow. <smile>

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis review

This is another of the Chronicles of Narnia.  This one is about Edmund and Lucy, and their cousin, Eustace.  Eustace is a conceited, spoiled and mean spirited boy that Edmund and Lucy are forced to visit.

During the voyage they are drawn back to Narnia, and have adventures with Prince Caspian, aboard his ship, the Dawn Treader.  They are in search of the seven lords that were sent out by Prince Caspian's uncle to search for Aslan's land, and have not been heard of since.

I enjoyed this book as much as the others in this series.  I particularly enjoyed Eustace's adventures, and how they changed him.




This is a book in the Mt. TBR Reading Challenge.

The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine review

The Bishop Murder Case is the fourth in the series featuring Philo Vance, an amateur sleuth who helps solve crimes for John F.-X Markham, New York County District Attorney.  Vance is portrayed as a foppish, overly intellectual, snob, who, with his vast knowledge and superior intelligence, manages to solve crimes that the District Attorney is unable to even attempt to solve without Vance's assistance.

I finished the book, but skimmed over several paragraphs while Vance was pontificating.  I didn't really care for this book, I found Vance to be irritating.  The mystery itself was only so-so, and I don't think I will read anymore of these stories unless I'm desperate.



This fulfills one of the requirements for the A to Z Reading Challenge    Author--V
It is also one of my books for the Mt. TBR Reading Challenge 2013. 

The Unprintable Big Clock Chronicle by Jill Winters review

This is the first book I've read by the author, and the first in a humorous mystery series that takes place in Big Clock, Minnesota.  The main character, Caitlyn Rocket, works part-time for the local newspaper.

She starts to investigate a minor crime--the break-in of a supply closet at a local business--that the police are not doing anything about because the business owner claimed it was a misunderstanding.  When Caitlyn discovers that two women quit their jobs at the company the day after the break-in, and that neither have been heard from since, she suspects that they have been murdered.

I thought the book started out a little slow, and seemed to have too many unrelated activities happening.  It got a little better as it went on.  The Caitlyn character comes across as a little  immature, and some of the things she ends up doing are a little unbelievable, and this continues throughout the book.

I didn't love this book, although I didn't hate it either.  I thought it was okay, but moved a little too slowly in the beginning.




This fulfills a requirement in the A to Z Reading Challenge  Author--W and Title--U

Loose Screw by Rae Davis review

This is the first novel in what is planned to be a series.  The second book is already published.  As a first novel it is pretty good.  The grammar and typos are acceptable, and the plot is okay.

The main character, Lucy, is an antique store owner, and had previously worked for the local paper.  When she discovers a body behind her shop she is asked to write the story for her former boss.  And even though she doesn't want to, he assumes she will and she agrees because she apparently doesn't have the backbone to say no.  This makes her a little too wimpy for my taste.  This story is her excuse for starting her investigations.

She is best friends with the book store owner near her shop who is a little eccentric, and has a part time employee that loves jazz and dresses in 1920s style clothes (think flapper).  The main detective on the case is a little abrasive, she has a friend (the photographer on the paper) that she apparently has a crush on, and she has a lovable dog that isn't really a watchdog.

The story has a romantic theme running through it, a little humor, and some surprises and twists.  All in all, I thought the book slightly better than okay, but not one of my favorites. But given that it is the first in the "Dusty Deals" mystery series, I would probably read the second book to see if I enjoy it more.




This is part of the requirement for the Mt. TBR Reading Challenge

Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2014

I've already joined a few challenges, but I love Cozy Mysteries!  And I'll be reading them anyway, might as well be in a challenge, right?  So when I ran across this challenge, I just had to sign up!

Basically, the rules are you have to read at least 6 cozy mysteries in 2014 for the first level, 7-12 for the second level, 13-20 for the third level, and more than 20 for the fourth level.  I'm pretty sure I can make the third level, but I'm going to plan to at least make the second level!

Here's the link to the Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge.

Murder By Degrees by James Noble review

Murder by Degrees is the first novel featuring husband and wife, Winnie and Thatch, although they were apparently featured in some short stories.  Their grandson, Gary, has disappeared somewhere along I-95 while driving from his college in Maine to his home in Florida about a year before, and they are trying to find him.  They've posted flyers along his route, made trips to investigate sightings, and have learned to use the internet to do more investigations.  So far, they have not found out anything.

They then receive a phone call from a woman whose son has just disappeared from the same college their grandson attended.  She was given their name by the police officer in Maine, and she begs them to search for her son.  They agree to search for her son, and they fly off to Maine to start their investigating.

They are caught up in several unexpected events during their investigations. They also find their lives in danger several times.

There were some interesting plot twists, but for some reason I just didn't really like this book.  I just can't seem to relate to Winnie somehow, and Thatch seems to be a little unreal in my opinion.  Although I didn't dislike the book that much, I probably won't read any other books in this series.




This fulfills a requirement in the A to Z Reading Challenge

Mt. TBR Reading Challenge 2014

 I'm signing up for this challenge again, as I hope to get through more of my "To be read" pile of books.  Although I'm afraid I added to the pile recently when I ran across some of my favorite authors on sale.  Luckily, books don't spoil!

There are eight challenge levels, and I'm going to sign up for the Pike's Peak challenge (read 12 books from your TBR list). I'm going to upgrade my challenge level to Mount Blanc  (read 24 books from my TBR list), as I've already read 4 books from my TBR list, and it is still early January!

 I may be moving up another level or two, but don't want to over commit, as I'm signing up for several Challenges in 2014 (again).

Here's a link to the  Mount TBR Challenge 2014

Read It Again Sam Challenge 2014

This is a challenge to re-read some of your favorite books, which is right up my alley!  And I have to pick one of the levels--Deja Vu (4 books), Feeling Nostalgic (8 books), A Trip Down Memory Lane (12 Books) or Living in the Past (at least 16 books).
I'm going to be conservative, and sign up for the minimum for right now, as I learned from 2013 that sometimes I bite off a little more than I can comfortably chew.  As a matter of fact, I'm still finishing up my 2013 challenges, and will be doing a lot of reading in the next couple of weeks!
Of course, part of the problem was that I spent a lot of time camping (and reading), but didn't keep up with writing my book reviews, or keeping track of which books I had read.  So when I tried to write my reviews, I was doing it from memory, with a little help from a list I'd made during the summer of some of the books I'd read (along with a few cryptic notes which I had a lot of trouble deciphering)!
Since I usually read at least 4 or 5 books a week, I know I missed quite a few.  So for 2014 I'm going to make an effort to keep up to date, at least once a week making a blog post of what I've read, and hopefully writing the reviews at the same time!

Here is the link to the Read it again Challenge

Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014

I've decided to join several challenges this year, a couple I joined last year, and a new one.  The new one is the Color Coded Reading Challenge.

There are 9 categories: Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Brown, Black, White, Other color (purple, orange, silver, etc.), and Word that implies Color (like Rainbow, Polka-Dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).  Sounds like an interesting challenge, and looking over the books I have in my "To Be Read" pile, I see several that would also work in this challenge.


 Here's a link to the challenge. 

New Challenge--2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO

I had a lot of fun in 2013 finding books to read for the 2013 Vintage Mystery Challenge, so decided to join the Vintage Mystery Challenge for 2014, which is going to be a BINGO type challenge!
There are two challenges this year--the Gold is for pre-1960 mysteries, while the Silver is for 1960-1989 mysteries.  I might try for both of them, as I love mysteries of every kind!





Here is a link to the Vintage Mystery BINGO 2014 Challenge

Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale review

This is a fantasy novel about a 14 year old boy named Bobby Pendragon, living the usual teenager life--playing sports and video games, thinking about girls, going to school, and playing with his dog.  When his Uncle Press stops by the house as Bobby is just about to leave for his basketball game, his life is turned upside-down.

His Uncle asks Bobby to go with him because he needs his help, so Bobby goes.  And that is where his adventure begins.  He is swept off to another world, where he is expected to help the downtrodden.  He finds out that he is a "Traveler", and that is what Travelers do.

An interesting book, along the lines of Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia, with the hero learning things about himself, and discovering there is more to him than he had believed.

I enjoyed it, and will read other books in this series if I come across them.






This is a part of my Mt. TBR Reading Challenge 2013

You Bet Your Life by Stuart Kaminsky review

This is one of the Toby Peters mystery series.

Toby Peters is a P.I. in California, and in this novel he is hired to investigate a problem one of the Marx Brothers is having with a gambling debt.  On his adventure he travels to Florida, and has a meeting with Al Capone, and then travels to Chicago to continue his investigations.

He finds dead bodies, a pretty girl, and catches a bad cold.  He also meets with several gangsters, and Ian Fleming.

I enjoy the Toby Peters mysteries, and the fact that they take place in the 1940s. While reading you are exposed to info on how life was back then.





This is part of my 2013 A to Z Reading Challenge    Title--Y.