The Books of 2011
I'm quite disappointed in myself for the leanest reading year I've had in a long time. Confound that stupid Pioneer Trail, anyway! I read 146 books, totalling 40,885 pages, with an average page count of 280 pages per book. This is my worst finish since I began keeping track, and probably ever. I did get myself tangled up with 33oo+ pages of Louisa May Alcott's Works, which took nearly forever to read and neatly underlined why I have a tendency to avoid really long books--the more pages there are, the slower I read, despite any other mitigating factors such as how interested I am in the material, how big the print is, or how easy it is to read.
I could read a lot more if I stuck to shorter books, but I hate getting engrossed in a story only to have it end. That's probably why I'm so attached to series. My ideal book is about 300 pages. I try to keep my page average at 300, but it's hard when I read so many shorter books or listen to books on tape (where I count the book but not the page total for a number of reasons, such as how do you keep track of page total in an abridged edition? and because I listen to books almost exclusively when I'm driving--so I'm getting the benefit of listening to a book and keeping myself amused while doing something I don't especially enjoy). I also read a TON of storybooks in 2011, after spending the first half of the year in a second grade classroom and the last half of the year in an autism classroom. So there's a lot of reading that goes unaccounted for, except on my shelfari. I don't count magazines, either, and I do read a lot of those, but I'm not as OCD as I used to be about reading every article in every magazine I pick up.
Anyway, here's the list of what I read in 2011, with title, author, and page count. Feel free to comment!
JANUARY
New Chronicles of Rebecca--Kate Douglas Wiggin (277)
The Birds' Christmas Carol--Kate Douglas Wiggin (56)
Midnight Crystal--Jayne Ann Krentz (320)
The Maze Runner--James Dashner (393)
There and Now--Linda Lael Miller (248)
Weep Not, Child--Ngugi (136)
1st to Die--James Patterson (471)
Prayers for Sale--Sandra Dallas (305)
Promises to Keep--Karen Harper (376)
Kingdom Come--Gwen Davis (160)
The Witchcraft of Salem Village--Shirley Jackson (156)
The Darkest Edge of Dawn--Kelly Gay (374)
Lawn Boy--Gary Paulsen (89)
Gathering Blue--Lois Lowry (229)
FEBRUARY
Heart Change--Robin D. Owens (368)
Straight from the Hip--Susan Mallery (313)
Hot on Her Heels--Susan Mallery (376)
Blessed Is the Busybody--Emilie Richards (265)
The Undomestic Goddess--Sophie Kinsella, read by Katherine Kellgren (AUD)
Ecstasy in Darkness--Gena Showalter (502)
Cries from the Earth--Terry C. Johnston, read by Robert Foxworth (AUD)
The Young Oxford Book of Aliens--Dennis Pepper, editor (212)
Thunder Ice--Alison Acheson (145)
The Clockwork Three--Matthew J. Kirby (391)
Heart Journey--Robin D. Owens (354)
MARCH
A Time to Kill--John Grisham, read by Michael Beck (AUD)
Gods in Alabama--Joshilyn Jackson, read by Catherine Taber (AUD)
Matilda--Roald Dahl (240)
Fancy--Norah Hess (307)
Fancy Pants--Susan Elizabeth Phillips (497)
Billy Creekmore--Tracey Porter (311)
Singer in the Snow--Louise Marley (304)
Blue Dahlia--Nora Roberts, read by Susie Breck (AUD)
Danger Guys Hit the Beach--Tony Abbott (81)
Tornado--Betsy Byars (49)
Godzilla Ate My Homework--Marcia Thornton Jones (64)
Danger Guys Blast Off--Tony Abbott (78)
Dracula Is a Pain in the Neck--Elizabeth Levy (74)
Greetings from Nowhere--Barbara o'Connor (200)
The Diamond of Darkhold--Jeanne duPrau (285)
APRIL
Evermore--Alyson Noel, read by Katie Schorr (AUD)
Death Sentence--Jerry Bledsoe (419)
The Random House Book of Easy-to-Read Stories (251)
Ruthie's Gift--Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (164)
Stories to Tell a 5-Year-Old--Alice Low (147)
Wolves--Carolyn Otto (48)
The Worst Day of My Life--Bill Cosby (40)
The King of Torts--John Grisham, read by Dennis Boutsikaris (AUD)
Tomb with a View--Casey Daniels (292)
Speak--Laurie Halse Anderson (198)
Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball--Donita K. Paul (227)
Quest for a Maid--Frances Mary Hendry (273)
The Hundred Dresses--Eleanor Estes (79)
Presidential Pets--Laura Driscoll (64)
MAY
The Search--Nora Roberts (472)
Freckle Juice--Judy Blume (47)
The Gollywhopper Games--Jody Feldman (315)
The Doll in the Garden--Mary Downing Hahn (128)
A Veiled Deception--Annette Blair (246)
Larceny and Lace--Annette Blair (288)
The Bargain--Francis Ray (348)
Sarah Bishop--Scott O'Dell (231)
Water for Elephants--Sara Gruen (350)
Secondhand Spirits--Juliet Blackwell (325)
Listening for Leroy--Betsy Hearne (211)
What Child Is This?--Caroline B. Cooney (150)
Here to Stay--Catherine Anderson (422)
The Adventures of Captain Underpants--Dav Pilkey (123)
JUNE
19 Steps Up the Mountain--Joseph P. Blank (234)
The Searching Hearts--Dorothy Garlock (376)
Ralph S. Mouse--Beverly Cleary (160)
A Taste of Magic--Tracy Madison (292)
Big Trouble--Marianna Jameson (418)
The Girl Most Likely To...--Susan Donovan (340)
Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships--Robert D. Ballard (64)
A Game of Thrones--George R. R. Martin (854)
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah--Richard Bach (192)
The Sugar Queen--Sarah Addison Allen (276)
The Persian Pickle Club--Sandra Dallas (196)
Bubbles Unbound--Sarah Strohmeyer (341)
I'm in No Mood for Love--Rachel Gibson (373)
Nowhere Near Respectable--Mary Jo Putney (390)
Horrible Harry in Room 2b--Suzy Kline (56)
Two Tickets to Freedom--Florence B. Freedman (96)
The Boy Trap--Nancy Matson (108)
Sweetheart, Indiana--Suzanne Simmons (324)
Phi Beta Bimbo--Trish Jensen (336)
JULY
Nothing But Trouble--Rachel Gibson (377)
The Bride's House--Sandra Dallas (374)
The Girl Who Chased the Moon--Sarah Addison Allen (292)
True Confessions--Rachel Gibson (376)
Promise Bridge--Eileen Clymer Schwab (418)
Full Dark, No Stars--Stephen King (368)
Becoming Georgia--Emily Carmichael (327)
Intertwined--Gena Showalter (442)
The Finishing Touches--Hester Browne (427)
Promises to the Dead--Mary Downing Hahn (202)
Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes--Sandra Lee (233)
The Divide--Nicholas Evans (499)
Roadside Prey--Alva Busch (306)
AUGUST
Sarah's Key--Tatiana de Rosnay (305)
The Host--Stephenie Meyer (619)
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War--Kay Moore (64)
If You Lived in Colonial Times--Ann McGovern (80)
If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620--Ann McGovern (80)
Thunder from the Clear Sky--Marcia Sewall (56)
If You Grew Up with Abraham Lincoln--Ann McGovern (79)
Willie, the Frog Prince--C. S. Adler (163)
SEPTEMBER
Black Blade Blues--J. A. Pitts (369)
Smokin' Seventeen--Janet Evanovich (308)
The Anything Box--Zenna Henderson (191)
Life As We Knew It--Susan Pfeffer (337)
The Dead & the Gone--Susan Beth Pfeffer (326)
Out of This World--Jill Shalvis (298)
Timepiece--Richard Paul Evans (236)
Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake--Laurie Brown (391)
Texas Rain--Jodi Thomas (374)
North American Racer Snakes--Adele D. Richardson (48)
Kindergarten Read-Aloud Anthology--Harcourt (144)
Surprise--Houghton Mifflin (220)
This World We Live In--Susan Beth Pfeffer (239)
OCTOBER
Ghost Cadet--Elaine Marie Alphin (182)
Heart Search--Robin D. Owens (351)
Christmas at Timberwoods--Fern Michaels (362)
Dark Moon, Lost Lady--Elsie Lee (173)
Works of Louisa May Alcott (3,355)
Life Sentences--Laura Lippman (457)
NOVEMBER
The Unquiet--J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Patricia Gaffney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas (408)
The Comforts of Home--Jodi Thomas (328)
Parasyte 1--Hitoshi Iwaaki (281)
DECEMBER
Freckles--Gene Stratton-Porter (238)
The Things a Brother Knows--Dana Reinhardt (245)
The Lost Children--Carolyn Cohagan (313)
Jokelopedia--Ilana Weitzman, Eva Blank, Alison Benjamin, and Rosanne Green (278)
Gabriel's Angel--Nora Roberts (288)
Finding Noel--Richard Paul Evans (305)
The Christmas Hope--Donna Van Liere (213)
Dead Reckoning--Charlaine Harris (325)
Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls--Lynne Jonell (377)
My Best Friend's Girl--Dorothy Koomson
Magyk--Angie Sage (431)
The Truth About Forever--Sarah Dessen (393)
Jingle Boy--Kieran Scott (230)
TOTAL: 146 books, 40,885 pages
Showing posts with label audiobooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audiobooks. Show all posts
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Monday, July 11, 2011
WRITERS' WORD CHOICES
I've been working a lot on my book the last few weeks. I'm about halfway through the manuscript, and my reading partners seem to like it well enough. One thing I'm very aware of as I write is word choice. My friend Sue pointed out that I used the word "palatable" three times in one chapter. I haven't gone back to edit it yet (it's still handwritten in pencil on a legal pad), but I'll be thinking about what I was trying to say and how I can change up my words so they won't stick in the reader's awareness and pull him or her out of the story.
When you write a book of 200 or more pages, naturally you're going to repeat a lot of words. The trick is not to repeat words or phrases in a way that readers notice. For instance, if you use a really unusual word, such as fungible (which describes commodities that can be traded to satisfy a contract), it makes sense to use it once and then find another word. Of course, since I was reading a thriller that involved embezzlement when I encountered that word several times, perhaps there wasn't another choice, but it really stuck out and subconsciously, I was almost counting how many times the author used it.
Phrases are something to be aware of, as well. I have a tendency to pick up words and phrases that I hear other people use, and I'll use them for a while until something newer and shinier catches my attention. When I'm writing, I try to be aware of repetition, so if I say someone looked like she'd swallowed her tongue, the next time I'm trying to describe a character's expression of shock or surprise, I'll be scouring the wordwork for something that says the same thing a different way.
On a recent drive back to Georgia from Naples, FL, my aunt and I listened to Evermore by Alyson Noel. Nearly every time the main character reacted to something, Noel used the phrase, "I pressed my lips." The first few times we heard it, it was pretty funny, but that phrase grew to be painful before we reached the end of the last CD. This was not the only thing the author repeated. Every time the heroine asked the hero a question he didn't want to answer, "he shrugged." Those two phrases really worked my nerves. I don't know if my reaction would have been different if I'd been reading the story rather than listening to it, but I suspect not, because that's the kind of thing I tend to notice. At any rate, much as I enjoyed the story itself, I could not bring myself to read the second book in the series.
Another peeve of mine is when authors use the wrong word. If someone does something on purpose, they did it purposely, NOT purposefully. I've seen that one a lot lately, and boy, does it grate. I also hate when authors spell celebrities' names wrong. Two I've seen lately are Steven King and Stephanie Meyer. (Should be Stephen and Stephenie.) And why, oh, why cannot people get the use of me vs. I straight? Billy and I went to the store. Mom gave the candy to Billy and me. If you're not sure which one to use, people, for heaven's sake, take out the other person and you'll know which pronoun to use. It's really simple.
Writing is not always easy, I'll be the first to admit that. A little extra work on the writer's part, however, will make it a lot more rewarding for the reader.
When you write a book of 200 or more pages, naturally you're going to repeat a lot of words. The trick is not to repeat words or phrases in a way that readers notice. For instance, if you use a really unusual word, such as fungible (which describes commodities that can be traded to satisfy a contract), it makes sense to use it once and then find another word. Of course, since I was reading a thriller that involved embezzlement when I encountered that word several times, perhaps there wasn't another choice, but it really stuck out and subconsciously, I was almost counting how many times the author used it.
Phrases are something to be aware of, as well. I have a tendency to pick up words and phrases that I hear other people use, and I'll use them for a while until something newer and shinier catches my attention. When I'm writing, I try to be aware of repetition, so if I say someone looked like she'd swallowed her tongue, the next time I'm trying to describe a character's expression of shock or surprise, I'll be scouring the wordwork for something that says the same thing a different way.
On a recent drive back to Georgia from Naples, FL, my aunt and I listened to Evermore by Alyson Noel. Nearly every time the main character reacted to something, Noel used the phrase, "I pressed my lips." The first few times we heard it, it was pretty funny, but that phrase grew to be painful before we reached the end of the last CD. This was not the only thing the author repeated. Every time the heroine asked the hero a question he didn't want to answer, "he shrugged." Those two phrases really worked my nerves. I don't know if my reaction would have been different if I'd been reading the story rather than listening to it, but I suspect not, because that's the kind of thing I tend to notice. At any rate, much as I enjoyed the story itself, I could not bring myself to read the second book in the series.
Another peeve of mine is when authors use the wrong word. If someone does something on purpose, they did it purposely, NOT purposefully. I've seen that one a lot lately, and boy, does it grate. I also hate when authors spell celebrities' names wrong. Two I've seen lately are Steven King and Stephanie Meyer. (Should be Stephen and Stephenie.) And why, oh, why cannot people get the use of me vs. I straight? Billy and I went to the store. Mom gave the candy to Billy and me. If you're not sure which one to use, people, for heaven's sake, take out the other person and you'll know which pronoun to use. It's really simple.
Writing is not always easy, I'll be the first to admit that. A little extra work on the writer's part, however, will make it a lot more rewarding for the reader.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
BREATHING ROOM, BY SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS
I've been avoiding this one for a couple of weeks, even though it's the only SEP I could find to reread since I finished Dream a Little Dream earlier this month. As I recall, I enjoyed it the first time I read it, but the She-God in the story was a bit unsettling. Since I was in the mood for an SEP kind of story, I bit the bullet and re-read it. This time I enjoyed it without qualifications. The God plot didn't bother me a bit, and I was carried away for a couple of hours to the sunny fields and vineyards of Tuscany. How could I go wrong?
I feel like I haven't been reading much lately, but I've been listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when I'm in the car. I'm on tape 4 of 12. Jim Dale really does a marvelous job reading the Potter books, and he deserves every award he's received for his work.
I've been skimming lots of magazines lately, and my recipe book has taken up chunks of my time. I love reading recipes and seeing how the same ingredients can be combined in so many different ways with so many different results, give or take a spice or two. It's funny how I know just from reading a recipe whether I'd even want to try making it.
I watched Julie & Julia the other night and found the idea of working my way through a cookbook more than a little daunting, until I realized that I sort of plan to do something similar with my own recipe book. What I find perplexing is how Julie got such a following on her blog--as far as I know, I have two readers and several who come here just to post junk and ads. How do you get hundreds of people interested in your online musings?
My cookbook project will likely begin in May. Now that my husband has a job and we can see an end to the days of being broke and living paycheck to paycheck, I can focus on planning my menus for the week, using my crockpot, doing a bit of baking, and just expanding my list of go-to recipes. I'll probably post the recipes I try, so you foodies out there, plan to chime in with advice and share your cooking adventures.
And in the words of Isabel Favor, Embrace the Chaos...and BREATHE!
I feel like I haven't been reading much lately, but I've been listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when I'm in the car. I'm on tape 4 of 12. Jim Dale really does a marvelous job reading the Potter books, and he deserves every award he's received for his work.
I've been skimming lots of magazines lately, and my recipe book has taken up chunks of my time. I love reading recipes and seeing how the same ingredients can be combined in so many different ways with so many different results, give or take a spice or two. It's funny how I know just from reading a recipe whether I'd even want to try making it.
I watched Julie & Julia the other night and found the idea of working my way through a cookbook more than a little daunting, until I realized that I sort of plan to do something similar with my own recipe book. What I find perplexing is how Julie got such a following on her blog--as far as I know, I have two readers and several who come here just to post junk and ads. How do you get hundreds of people interested in your online musings?
My cookbook project will likely begin in May. Now that my husband has a job and we can see an end to the days of being broke and living paycheck to paycheck, I can focus on planning my menus for the week, using my crockpot, doing a bit of baking, and just expanding my list of go-to recipes. I'll probably post the recipes I try, so you foodies out there, plan to chime in with advice and share your cooking adventures.
And in the words of Isabel Favor, Embrace the Chaos...and BREATHE!
Sunday, January 03, 2010
THE BOOKS OF 2009
JANUARY
The Last Book in the Universe--Rodman Philbrick
Dracula--Bram Stoker, read by Susan Adams and Alexander Spencer
Sundays at Tiffany's--James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
The Outlaw Demon Wails--Kim Harrison
And Baby Makes Six--Linda Markowiak
Lucy Gets Her Life Back--Stef Ann Holm
Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
Peace Like a River--Elaine Schulte
Maida's Little Shop--Inez Haynes Irwin (ebook)
Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
The Pagan Stone--Nora Roberts
A Cedar Cove Christmas--Debbie Macomber
Worth More Dead--Ann Rule
FEBRUARY
Just Between Friends--Sandra Steffen
The Great GIlly Hopkins--Katherine Paterson
Snowy Night with a Stranger--Jane Feather, Sabrina Jeffries, Julia London
To the Brink--Cindy Gerard
Christmas, Present--Jacquelyn Mitchard
The Prophet of Yonwood--Jeanne DuPrau
Seduce Me at Sunrise--Lisa Kleypas
The Empty Mirror--James Lincoln Collier
Saying Grace--Beth Gutcheon
Poison--Chris Wooding
MARCH
One Little Sin--Liz Carlyle
To Tame a Texan's Heart--Jodi Thomas
Griffin's Castle--Jenny Nimmo
Don't Say a Word--Barbara Freethy
Miracle's Boys--Jacqueline Woodson
APRIL
Fat Chance--Deborah Blumenthal
At Twilight--Maggie Shayne
Sean Donovan--Lori Wick
Blue Christmas--Mary Kay Andrews
Palace of Mirrors--Margaret Peterson Haddix
Salvation in Death--J. D. Robb
Promises in Death--J. D. Robb
From Dead to Worse--Charlaine Harris
Star Bright--Catherine Anderson
Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart--compiled by Alice Gray
Only with a Highlander--Janet Chapman
Under a Lucky Star--Diane Farr
A Family Christmas--Carrie Alexander
MAY
Heart Fate--Robin D. Owens
Alone in the Ice World--MaryAnn Easley
The Revelation--Beverly Lewis
The Gunslinger--Stephen King
Hattie Big Sky--Kirby Larson
The Drawing of the Three--Stephen King
Night of the Loving Dead--Casey Daniels
Jessie--Lori Wick
Stuart Little--E. B. White
JUNE
Tribute--Nora Roberts
Magic's Child--Justine Larbalestier
Living with the Dead--Kelley Armstrong
Men of the Otherworld--Kelley Armstrong
Fearless Fourteen--Janet Evanovich
Waiting for Normal--Leslie Connor
What I Saw and How I Lied--Judy Blundell
Ashes to Ashes--Tami Hoag (audiobook)
Dead Over Heels--Charlaine Harris
Savvy--Ingrid Law
Christmas Letters--Debbie Macomber
Lavender Morning--Jude Deveraux
The Waste Lands--Stephen King
Tall, Dark, and Texan--Jodi Thomas
Once Smitten, Twice Shy--Lori Wilde
Power Play--Deirdre Martin
Everything She Ever Wanted--Ann Rule
JULY
Princess of the Midnight Ball--Jessica Day George
Under the Banner of Heaven--Jon Krakauer (audiobook)
Grave Sight--Charlaine Harris
An Ice Cold Grave--Charlaine Harris
After Midnight--Teresa Medeiros
Numbering All the Bones--Ann Rinaldi
Charlotte's Choice--Cathleen Twomey
The Christmas Hope--Donna Van Liere
How to Ditch Your Fairy--Justine Larbalestier
Heart Quest--Robin D. Owens
Vision in White--Nora Roberts
Swept Away--Candace Camp (audiobook)
The Lost World--Michael Crichton, read by Anthony Heald
Book of a Thousand Days--Shannon Hale
Lock and Key--Sarah Dessen
The Summoning--Kelley Armstrong
The Princess and the Hound--Mette Ivie Harrison
AUGUST
Grave Surprise--Charlaine Harris
The Time Traveler's Wife--Audrey Niffenegger
Love Is Blind--Lynsay Sands
A Curse Dark as Gold--Elizabeth C. Bunce
Finger Lickin' Fifteen--Janet Evanovich
The Awakening--Kelley Armstrong
SEPTEMBER
Runaway--Bobbi Smith
Guardian of Honor--Robin D. Owens
Catching Fire--Suzanne Collins
The Runaway McBride--Elizabeth Thornton
This Lullaby--Sarah Dessen
The Darkest Whisper--Gena Showalter
Red's Hot Honky-Tonk Bar--Pamela Morsi
The Forgotten Man--Robert Crais, read by James Daniels
Christmas Revels--Mary Jo Putney
Bathtub Voyages: Tales of Adventure--Scott Foresman
The Big Blank Piece of Paper: Artists at Work--Scott Foresman
Personal Demon--Kelley Armstrong
A Babe in Ghostland--Lisa Cach
The Honorable Midwife--Lilian Darcy
Garden Spells--Sarah Addison Allen
True Believer--Nicholas Sparks
OCTOBER
Tennyson--Lesley M. M. Blume
Stolen Children--Peg Kehret
Breathe: A Ghost Story--Cliff McNish
Impossible--Nancy Werlin
The Miss America Family--Julianna Baggott
Trouble in High Heels--Christina Dodd
Tongue in Chic--Christina Dodd
Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girld: Cooties! (Issues 9-12)--Roman Dirge
Danger in a Red Dress--Christina Dodd
Storm of Visions--Christina Dodd
Baby Be Mine--Diane Fanning
Conard County: Cowboy Comes Home--Rachel Lee
Simply Perfect--Mary Balogh
Storm of Shadows--Christina Dodd
The Glass Castle--Jeannette Walls
NOVEMBER
You're So Vein--Christine Warren
Bed of Roses--Nora Roberts
Bitsy's Bait & BBQ--Pamela Morsi
Chesapeake Blue--Nora Roberts, read by James Daniels
Hard Day's Night--Katie McAlister
Assignment: Rescue, An Autobiography--Varian Fry
When the Duke Returns--Eloisa James
This Duchess of Mine--Eloisa James
Zenda: A New Dimension--Ken Petti and John Amodeo
Just the Way You Are--Barbara Freethy
A Christmas Scandal--Jane Goodger
Hapily After All--Laura C. Stevenson
Destined for an Early Grave--Jeaniene Frost
I'll Be Home for Christmas--Linda Lael Miller et al
The Millionaires--Brad Meltzer, read by Tony Goldwyn
They Cage the Animals at Night--Jennings Michael Burch
Sooner or Later--Debbie Macomber
DECEMBER
Land of the Living--Nicci French, read by Anne Flosnik
Lover's Knot--Emilie Richards
Secondhand Bride--Linda Lael Miller
If Wishes Were Horses--Anne McCaffrey
Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World--Paul Chambers
Dead and Gone--Charlaine Harris
Stormbreaker--Anthony Horowitz
Call Me Princess--Tomoko Taniguchi
Tall, Dark, and Dangerous--Catherine Anderson, Christina Dodd, and Susan Sizemore
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity--Bill O'Reilly
Gifts of Love--Kay Hooper and Lisa Kleypas
Amelia Earhart: Adventure in the Sky--Francene Sabin
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller--Sarah Miller
White Witch, Black Curse--Kim Harrison
The Rescue--Nicholas Sparks, read by Mary Beth Hurt and John Belford Lloyd
Holidays Are Hell--Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, and Vicki Pettersson
Sucker Bet--Erin McCarthy
The Better Part of Darkness--Kelly Gay
Mistletoe & Magic--Lisa Cach, Stobie Piel, Lynsay Sands, and Amy Elizabeth Saunders
157 Books; 46,439Pages; Average page per book: 296 pages
The Last Book in the Universe--Rodman Philbrick
Dracula--Bram Stoker, read by Susan Adams and Alexander Spencer
Sundays at Tiffany's--James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
The Outlaw Demon Wails--Kim Harrison
And Baby Makes Six--Linda Markowiak
Lucy Gets Her Life Back--Stef Ann Holm
Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
Peace Like a River--Elaine Schulte
Maida's Little Shop--Inez Haynes Irwin (ebook)
Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
The Pagan Stone--Nora Roberts
A Cedar Cove Christmas--Debbie Macomber
Worth More Dead--Ann Rule
FEBRUARY
Just Between Friends--Sandra Steffen
The Great GIlly Hopkins--Katherine Paterson
Snowy Night with a Stranger--Jane Feather, Sabrina Jeffries, Julia London
To the Brink--Cindy Gerard
Christmas, Present--Jacquelyn Mitchard
The Prophet of Yonwood--Jeanne DuPrau
Seduce Me at Sunrise--Lisa Kleypas
The Empty Mirror--James Lincoln Collier
Saying Grace--Beth Gutcheon
Poison--Chris Wooding
MARCH
One Little Sin--Liz Carlyle
To Tame a Texan's Heart--Jodi Thomas
Griffin's Castle--Jenny Nimmo
Don't Say a Word--Barbara Freethy
Miracle's Boys--Jacqueline Woodson
APRIL
Fat Chance--Deborah Blumenthal
At Twilight--Maggie Shayne
Sean Donovan--Lori Wick
Blue Christmas--Mary Kay Andrews
Palace of Mirrors--Margaret Peterson Haddix
Salvation in Death--J. D. Robb
Promises in Death--J. D. Robb
From Dead to Worse--Charlaine Harris
Star Bright--Catherine Anderson
Stories for the Extreme Teen's Heart--compiled by Alice Gray
Only with a Highlander--Janet Chapman
Under a Lucky Star--Diane Farr
A Family Christmas--Carrie Alexander
MAY
Heart Fate--Robin D. Owens
Alone in the Ice World--MaryAnn Easley
The Revelation--Beverly Lewis
The Gunslinger--Stephen King
Hattie Big Sky--Kirby Larson
The Drawing of the Three--Stephen King
Night of the Loving Dead--Casey Daniels
Jessie--Lori Wick
Stuart Little--E. B. White
JUNE
Tribute--Nora Roberts
Magic's Child--Justine Larbalestier
Living with the Dead--Kelley Armstrong
Men of the Otherworld--Kelley Armstrong
Fearless Fourteen--Janet Evanovich
Waiting for Normal--Leslie Connor
What I Saw and How I Lied--Judy Blundell
Ashes to Ashes--Tami Hoag (audiobook)
Dead Over Heels--Charlaine Harris
Savvy--Ingrid Law
Christmas Letters--Debbie Macomber
Lavender Morning--Jude Deveraux
The Waste Lands--Stephen King
Tall, Dark, and Texan--Jodi Thomas
Once Smitten, Twice Shy--Lori Wilde
Power Play--Deirdre Martin
Everything She Ever Wanted--Ann Rule
JULY
Princess of the Midnight Ball--Jessica Day George
Under the Banner of Heaven--Jon Krakauer (audiobook)
Grave Sight--Charlaine Harris
An Ice Cold Grave--Charlaine Harris
After Midnight--Teresa Medeiros
Numbering All the Bones--Ann Rinaldi
Charlotte's Choice--Cathleen Twomey
The Christmas Hope--Donna Van Liere
How to Ditch Your Fairy--Justine Larbalestier
Heart Quest--Robin D. Owens
Vision in White--Nora Roberts
Swept Away--Candace Camp (audiobook)
The Lost World--Michael Crichton, read by Anthony Heald
Book of a Thousand Days--Shannon Hale
Lock and Key--Sarah Dessen
The Summoning--Kelley Armstrong
The Princess and the Hound--Mette Ivie Harrison
AUGUST
Grave Surprise--Charlaine Harris
The Time Traveler's Wife--Audrey Niffenegger
Love Is Blind--Lynsay Sands
A Curse Dark as Gold--Elizabeth C. Bunce
Finger Lickin' Fifteen--Janet Evanovich
The Awakening--Kelley Armstrong
SEPTEMBER
Runaway--Bobbi Smith
Guardian of Honor--Robin D. Owens
Catching Fire--Suzanne Collins
The Runaway McBride--Elizabeth Thornton
This Lullaby--Sarah Dessen
The Darkest Whisper--Gena Showalter
Red's Hot Honky-Tonk Bar--Pamela Morsi
The Forgotten Man--Robert Crais, read by James Daniels
Christmas Revels--Mary Jo Putney
Bathtub Voyages: Tales of Adventure--Scott Foresman
The Big Blank Piece of Paper: Artists at Work--Scott Foresman
Personal Demon--Kelley Armstrong
A Babe in Ghostland--Lisa Cach
The Honorable Midwife--Lilian Darcy
Garden Spells--Sarah Addison Allen
True Believer--Nicholas Sparks
OCTOBER
Tennyson--Lesley M. M. Blume
Stolen Children--Peg Kehret
Breathe: A Ghost Story--Cliff McNish
Impossible--Nancy Werlin
The Miss America Family--Julianna Baggott
Trouble in High Heels--Christina Dodd
Tongue in Chic--Christina Dodd
Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girld: Cooties! (Issues 9-12)--Roman Dirge
Danger in a Red Dress--Christina Dodd
Storm of Visions--Christina Dodd
Baby Be Mine--Diane Fanning
Conard County: Cowboy Comes Home--Rachel Lee
Simply Perfect--Mary Balogh
Storm of Shadows--Christina Dodd
The Glass Castle--Jeannette Walls
NOVEMBER
You're So Vein--Christine Warren
Bed of Roses--Nora Roberts
Bitsy's Bait & BBQ--Pamela Morsi
Chesapeake Blue--Nora Roberts, read by James Daniels
Hard Day's Night--Katie McAlister
Assignment: Rescue, An Autobiography--Varian Fry
When the Duke Returns--Eloisa James
This Duchess of Mine--Eloisa James
Zenda: A New Dimension--Ken Petti and John Amodeo
Just the Way You Are--Barbara Freethy
A Christmas Scandal--Jane Goodger
Hapily After All--Laura C. Stevenson
Destined for an Early Grave--Jeaniene Frost
I'll Be Home for Christmas--Linda Lael Miller et al
The Millionaires--Brad Meltzer, read by Tony Goldwyn
They Cage the Animals at Night--Jennings Michael Burch
Sooner or Later--Debbie Macomber
DECEMBER
Land of the Living--Nicci French, read by Anne Flosnik
Lover's Knot--Emilie Richards
Secondhand Bride--Linda Lael Miller
If Wishes Were Horses--Anne McCaffrey
Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World--Paul Chambers
Dead and Gone--Charlaine Harris
Stormbreaker--Anthony Horowitz
Call Me Princess--Tomoko Taniguchi
Tall, Dark, and Dangerous--Catherine Anderson, Christina Dodd, and Susan Sizemore
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity--Bill O'Reilly
Gifts of Love--Kay Hooper and Lisa Kleypas
Amelia Earhart: Adventure in the Sky--Francene Sabin
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller--Sarah Miller
White Witch, Black Curse--Kim Harrison
The Rescue--Nicholas Sparks, read by Mary Beth Hurt and John Belford Lloyd
Holidays Are Hell--Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie M. Liu, and Vicki Pettersson
Sucker Bet--Erin McCarthy
The Better Part of Darkness--Kelly Gay
Mistletoe & Magic--Lisa Cach, Stobie Piel, Lynsay Sands, and Amy Elizabeth Saunders
157 Books; 46,439Pages; Average page per book: 296 pages
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Book Give-away: Nora Roberts audiobook
This week's give-away is a four book audio collection of Nora Roberts' Dream trilogy plus Homeport. These audiobooks are abridged, and the reader generally does a good job (except for little girl voices--hers are ANNOYING). To win this book, all you have to do is comment on this post. If you are the winner (I'll announce this next Saturday), you'll need to send me your mailing info so I can send you your prize.
No one entered last week's give-away, so I'll put Devil in the White City on the swap shelf at work.
No one entered last week's give-away, so I'll put Devil in the White City on the swap shelf at work.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
This week's winner, and next week's giveaway
This week's winner, of Emeril's Louisiana cookbook, is toyhabilitation. Congratulations!
My next giveaway is an audiobook, abridged and on cassette. The book is Hot Six (the sixth book in the Stephanie Plum series), by Janet Evanovich, read by Debi Mazar (who does a really good job of it, by the way). I bought it from my library's discard shelf, so it's been through some handling, but it played fine and was a fun listen during a recent trip to Memphis. All you have to do to be entered is to comment on this blog entry. If you'd like, you can email your address to me at magpye29@hotmail.com with a list of your reading preferences, and you could win a random book from me, as I tend to pass my books along as soon as I've read them.
Good luck, everyone!
My next giveaway is an audiobook, abridged and on cassette. The book is Hot Six (the sixth book in the Stephanie Plum series), by Janet Evanovich, read by Debi Mazar (who does a really good job of it, by the way). I bought it from my library's discard shelf, so it's been through some handling, but it played fine and was a fun listen during a recent trip to Memphis. All you have to do to be entered is to comment on this blog entry. If you'd like, you can email your address to me at magpye29@hotmail.com with a list of your reading preferences, and you could win a random book from me, as I tend to pass my books along as soon as I've read them.
Good luck, everyone!
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