Dragon's Fire -- "Pellar, a mute Apprentice Harper; Halla, a homeless girl; and Cristov, a miner's son, learn invaluable life lessons as the planet Pern prepares for the return of the deadly Red Star and its annihilating "Thread," which can only be destroyed by firestone-fueled dragonfire. But mining firestone is dangerous work, often carried out by children of disenfranchised criminals called the Shunned. Accompanied by his new fire-lizard Chitter, Pellar joins Masterharper Zist in a search for Moran, a missing Journeyman Harper who's involved with the Shunned. Pellar finds his fate intertwined with Halla, but his tangle with Tenim, a ruthless thief, almost keeps them apart. Their friend Cristov learns about the Shunned firsthand after a terrible mine explosion. Fortunately, events lead to dragon-riding wish fulfillment and a remarkable discovery." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Dragonheart -- "The specter of sickness looms over the Weyrs of Pern, felling fire-lizards and threatening their dragon cousins, Pern’s sole defense against the deadly phenomenon that is Thread. Fiona, the young rider of queen dragon Talenth, is about to assume the duties of a Weyrwoman when word spreads that dragons have begun succumbing to the new contagion. As more dragons sicken and die, Weyrleader B’Nik and queen rider Lorana comb Fort Weyr’s archives in a desperate search for clues from the past that may hold the solution to the plague. But could the past itself prove the pathway to salvation for Pern’s imperiled dragons? Guided by a mysterious ally from a wholly unexpected place, and trusting in the dragon gift for transcending time, Fiona will join a risky expedition with far-reaching consequences for both Pern’s future and her personal destiny." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Dragonsblood -- "Never in the dramatic history of Pern has there been a more dire emergency than that which faces the young dragonrider Lorana. A mysterious fatal illness is striking dragons. The epidemic is spreading like wildfire . . . and the next deadly cycle of Threadfall is only days away. Somehow, Lorana must find a cure before the dragons - including her own beloved Arith - succumb to the sickness, leaving Pern undefended.

The lyrics of an all-but-forgotten song seem to point toward an answer, an answer from nearly five hundred years in the past, when Kitti Ping and her daughter Wind Blossom bred the first dragons from their smaller cousins, the fire-lizards. No doubt the first Pern colonists possessed the advanced technology to find the cure Lorana seeks, but over the centuries, that knowledge has been lost. Or has it?

For in the distant past, an aged Wind Blossom worries that the germs that affect the fire-lizards may one day turn against larger prey - and unleash a plague that will destroy the dragons, Pern's only defenders against Thread. But as her people struggle to survive, Wind Blossom has neither the time nor the resources to expend on a future that may never arrive - until suddenly she uncovers evidence that her worst fears will come true.

Now two brave women, separated by hundreds of years but joined by bonds transcending time, will become unknowing allies in a desperate race against sickness and Threadfall, with nothing less than the survival of all life on Pern at stake." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

These were all pretty good books with Dragonsblood being the best of these three...I just started reading "Pern" books again recently after a few years of not really being interested in where the stories had started to go and I was pleasantly surprised at how decent an author Todd McCaffrey is (even with his obsession with plagues). There were a few boring sections in each book where I got frustrated waiting for the story to progress but eventually -- after a few chapters -- the plot would move along. If you've read some of the "Pern" books before, I would say go ahead and read these...but if you're looking for a good spot to start the series, I would go with some of the earlier novels first.

Dragon's Fire -- Started: Oct. 19, 2010 Finished: Oct. 20, 2010

Dragonheart -- Started: Oct. 20, 2010 Finished: Oct. 23, 2010

Dragonsblood -- Started: Oct. 23, 2010 Finished: Oct. 27, 2010

25 Book Challenge 2010 Books #73, #74 & #75

"Billionaire Palmer Lloyd is accustomed to getting what he wants--and what he wants for his new museum is the largest meteorite on earth. Unfortunately for Lloyd, it's buried on an inhospitable Chilean island just north of the Ice Limit in the most brutal, unforgiving seas in the world.

Fortunately for Lloyd, he knows people--people like Eli Glinn, the hyper-focused president of Effective Engineering Solutions, Inc.; Glinn's nonconformist, genius of a mathematician, Rachel Amira; and the uncannily able construction engineer, Manuel Garza. Lloyd's also tapped the brilliant but disgraced meteorite hunter, Sam McFarlane, and the exceptional supertanker captain, Sally Britton, whose career was unshipped by intemperance and a reef. Of course, such a team has a hefty price tag:

Lloyd's broad features narrowed. "And that is... "

"One hundred and fifty million dollars. Including chartering the transport vessel. FOB the Lloyd Museum."

Lloyd's face went pale. "My God. One hundred and fifty million... " His chin sank onto his hands. "For a ten-thousand-ton rock. That's... "

"Seven dollars and fifty cents a pound," said Glinn.

EES's plan is to obtain mining rights to the island, secure the allegiance of various Chilean functionaries via blinding sums of money, disguise a state-of- the-art supertanker as a decrepit ore rig, mine the rock, slip it into the ship, and zip back to New York to thunderous notoriety. Unforeseen, however, are a rogue Chilean naval captain, seas to make Sebastian Junger boot, and a blood-red meteorite of undetermined pedigree and a habit of discharging billions of volts of electricity for no apparent reason." -- from www.amazon.com

This was a pretty decent read and I have to admit I was taken by complete surprise when it came to the explanation of why the meteorite was acting the way it was. The cliffhanger ending was a little frustrating but now I've heard that Preston and Child are considering writing a sequel. I'd recommend this or any of their other books if you like mystery/thrillers.

The Ice Limit -- Started: Mar. 20, 2009 Finished: Mar. 26, 2009

25 Book Challenge 2009 Book #17

Dead End Gene Pool -- "The great-great-great-great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt takes a look at the decline of her wealthy blue-blooded family in this irreverent and wickedly funny memoir

For generations the Burdens were one of the wealthiest families in New York, thanks to the inherited fortune of Cornelius "The Commodore" Vanderbilt. By 1955, the year of Wendy's birth, the Burdens had become a clan of overfunded, quirky and brainy, steadfastly chauvinistic, and ultimately doomed blue bloods on the verge of financial and moral decline-and were rarely seen not holding a drink.

When her father commits suicide when Wendy is six, she and her brother are told nothing about it and are shuffled off to school as if it were any other day. Subsequently, Wendy becomes obsessed with the macabre, modeling herself after Wednesday Addams of the Addams family, and decides she wants to be a mortician when she grows up. Just days after the funeral, her mother jets off to southern climes in search of the perfect tan, and for the next three years, Wendy and her two brothers are raised mostly by a chain-smoking Scottish nanny and the long suffering household staff at their grandparent's Fifth Avenue apartment. If you think Eloise wreaked havoc at The Plaza you should see what Wendy and her brothers do in "Burdenland"-a world where her grandfather is the president of the Museum of Modern Art; the walls are decorated with originals of Klee, Kline, Mondrian, and Miro; and Rockefellers are regular dinner guests.

The spoiled life of the uber-rich that they live with their grandparents is in dark contrast to the life they live with their mother, a brilliant Radcliffe grad and Daughter of the American Revolution, who deals with having two men's suicides on her conscience by becoming skinnier, tanner, blonder, and more steeped in bitter alcoholism with every passing year." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

This book was alternately hilarious and disturbing. Hilarious when the author got herself into strange situations simply because she didn't understand the social mores of the situation. Disturbing as you really see the toll that inbred wealth and unchecked addictions can take on a family dynamic.

Dead End Gene Pool -- Started: May 27, 2011 Finished: May 29, 2011

25 Book Challenge 2011 Book #45

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

"After travel writer Lea Sutter barely survives a merciless hurricane on a tiny island off the South Carolina coast, she impulsively brings two orphaned twin boys home with her to Long Island. Samuel and Daniel seem amiable and intensely grateful at first, but no one in Lea’s family anticipates the twins’ true evil nature—or predicts that within a few weeks’ time her husband, a controversial child psychologist, will be implicated in two brutal murders."

A nice thriller...with a cool premise and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

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"In 1702, fourteen years after she helped oust her father from his throne and deprived her newborn half-brother of his birthright, Queen Anne inherited the crowns of England and Scotland. Childless, despite seventeen pregnancies that had either ended in failure or produced heartrendingly short-lived offspring, in some respects she was a pitiable figure. But against all expectation she proved Britain's most successful Stuart ruler.

Her reign was marked by many triumphs, including union with Scotland and glorious victories in war against France. Yet while her great general, the Duke of Marlborough, was performing feats of military genius, Anne's relationship with his outspoken wife Sarah was becoming ever more rancorous. Political differences partly explained why the Queen's earlier adoration for Sarah transformed to loathing, but the final rupture was precipitated by Sarah's startling claim that it was the Queen's lesbian infatuation with another lady-in-waiting, Abigail Masham, that had destroyed their friendship.

Having lost the will to continue an expensive war that the Marlboroughs and their political allies favoured, the Queen embarked upon a peace process that some condemned as a betrayal of the national interest. And, as it became clear that Anne did not have long to live, the nation became polarised by fears that she intended to bequeath her crown to her Catholic half brother, rather than the German Protestant cousin whom Parliament had designated her heir."

A rather dry read but, like many non-fiction books about this era, chock full of information.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

The Red Tent -- "...re-creates the life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, from her birth and happy childhood in Mesopotamia through her years in Canaan and death in Egypt. When Dinah reaches puberty and enters the Red Tent (the place women visit to give birth or have their monthly periods), her mother and Jacob's three other wives initiate her into the religious and sexual practices of the tribe...describes Dinah's doomed relationship with Shalem, son of a ruler of Shechem, and his brutal death at the hands of her brothers. Following the events in Canaan, a pregnant Dinah travels to Egypt, where she becomes a noted midwife." -- from www.amazon.com

I really enjoyed this book...the story was interesting and well-paced...all in all, a great book.

The Red Tent -- Started: Feb. 2, 2012 Finished: Feb. 3, 2012

25 Book Challenge Book #6

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

Kids and teens: read books to earn a series of fun prizes! The Winter Reading Challenge runs through April 30. Register here: lesterlibrary.beanstack.com/reader365 Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin

I finally got to see all of the movie "The Right Stuff" and I decided to give the book a shot. The story itself is good and some of the anecdotes about the astronauts are hilarious but Wolfe's writing style is a little dense and tedious. The tone of the book is very sarcastic at times and I wonder how much of that is because most of his information on the astronauts is second- or thirdhand -- I guess after the book came out several of the astronauts came out and said they really wished that Wolfe had interviewed them before he wrote the book. I'm about halfway through it right now and trudging through a little more each day :)

I also picked up the Barbara Michaels' book "The Sea King's Daughter" at the library the other day and really liked it. It was a really good mystery/romance novel...I'm planning on picking up a few more of hers this week. Thanks to AKAKibby for the book inspiration :)

The Right Stuff -- Started: Jan. 21, 2009 Finished: Feb. 14, 2009

The Sea King's Daughter -- Started: Jan. 28, 2009 Finished: Jan. 28, 2009

25 Book Challenge 2009 Books #6 & #7

Secret History -- "On the eve of her coronation, Elizabeth Tudor is summoned to the tomb of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to learn the truth about her bloodline—and her destiny as a Slayer. Born to battle the bloodsucking fiends who ravage the night, and sworn to defend her beloved realm against all enemies, Elizabeth soon finds herself stalked by the most dangerous and seductive vampire of all.

He is Mordred, bastard son of King Arthur, who sold his soul to destroy his father. After centuries in hiding, he has arisen determined to claim the young Elizabeth as his Queen. Luring her into his world of eternal night, Mordred tempts Elizabeth with the promise of everlasting youth and beauty, and vows to protect her from all enemies. Together, they will rule over a golden age for vampires in which humans will exist only to be fed upon. Horrified by his intentions, Elizabeth embraces her powers as a Slayer even as she realizes that the greatest danger comes from her own secret desire to yield to Mordred . . . to bare her throat in ecstasy and allow the vampire king to drink deeply of her royal blood." -- from www.amazon.com

This was a really good book. Fun to read, interesting plot...I really enjoyed it and I hope there will be more books to follow.

Secret History -- Started: June 13, 2011 Finished: June 16, 2011

25 Book Challenge 2011 Book #54

Boleyn Inheritance -- "Just when we think we have heard the last of the Boleyns, after The Other Boleyn Girl (2002), Gregory resurrects the ill-fated family in the persona of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. After her damning testimony results in the execution of both her husband and her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn, Jane continues her ruthless scheming as she serves as lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's reviled Bavarian-born fourth wife, and naive, doomed [fifth] wife, Catherine Howard. Narrated in turn by this trio of intriguing women, this tale of court politics and treachery unfolds from three equally compelling points of view." -- from www.amazon.com

This was an pretty decent book. I really did get very tired of scenes with Jane Rochford attempting to justify her actions and I think I agree with Philippa Gregory that Jane probably was not completely sane. This book didn't have quite the same suspense and energy that "The Other Boleyn Girl" did.

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Queen's Fool -- "It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of "Sight," the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward's protector, who brings her to court as a "holy fool" for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires." -- from www.amazon.com

This was a very good book. I liked the character of Hannah and the idea of her being loyal to both half-sisters -- Mary and Elizabeth. It seemed very realistic that way since from what I've read, they both had some wonderful merits and some very unfortunate faults.

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Forgotten Garden -- "In 1913, a little girl arrives in Brisbane, Australia, and is taken in by a dockmaster and his wife. She doesn’t know her name, and the only clue to her identity is a book of fairy tales tucked inside a white suitcase. When the girl, called Nell, grows up, she starts to piece together bits of her story, but just as she’s on the verge of going to England to trace the mystery to its source, her grandaughter, Cassandra, is left in her care. When Nell dies, Cassandra finds herself the owner of a cottage in Cornwall, and makes the journey to England to finally solve the puzzle of Nell’s origins. Shifting back and forth over a span of nearly 100 years, this is a sprawling, old-fashioned novel, as well-cushioned as a Victorian country house, replete with family secrets, stories-within-stories, even a maze and a Dickensian rag-and-bone shop." -- from www.amazon.com

I loved Kate Morton's "House at Riverton" when I read it last year and I thought this book was even better. I think there were a few little plots that she didn't quite follow up that I wished she had but otherwise I have no complaints about the story. I was caught up from beginning to end.

The Boleyn Inheritance -- Started: Oct. 29, 2009 Finished: Nov. 3, 2009

The Queen's Fool -- Started: Nov. 3, 2009 Finished: Nov. 8, 2009

The Forgotten Garden -- Started: Nov. 6, 2009 Finished: Nov. 7, 2009

25 Book Challenge 2009 Books #57, #58 & #59

Daughter -- "Young Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Irish Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, a domain well protected from invading Saxons and Britons by dense forest where, legend says, fey Deirdre, the Lady of the Forest, walks the woodland paths at night. Colum is first and foremost a warrior, bent on maintaining his lands against all outsiders. Not all of his sons are so bound to the old ways, and that family friction leads to outright disobedience when Sorcha and her brother Finbar help a Briton captive escape from Colum's dungeon. Soon after, Colum brings home a new wife who ensorcels everyone she can't otherwise manipulate. By her spell Sorcha's brothers are cursed to become swans. Only Sorcha, hiding deep in the forest, can break the spell by painfully weaving shirts of starwort nettle--but then Sorcha is captured by Britons and taken away across the sea. Determined to break the curse despite her captivity, Sorcha continues to work, little expecting that ultimately she will have to chose between saving her brothers and protecting the Briton lord who has defended her throughout her trials." -- from www.amazon.com

Son -- "...Liadan of Sevenwaters is the child of Iubdan and Sorcha (whose story was told in Daughter of the Forest) and she is granted the power to hear and see what others cannot. She is a healer of mind, body and spirit. It is Liadan's gift of healing that brings about a meeting with a mercenary considered to be the enemy of her family. Liadan names this man without a name or history "Bran" and soon realizes that the information she has been told about him (and the world in general) is not what it appears to be. In too short a time, Liadan comes to love Bran with a fierceness that she never imagined possible, and yet their love cannot be fulfilled. Bran's life is not her life, nor is her life his. They must travel down different paths (at least for a while), knowing in their hearts that the bond between them is stronger than the things that pull them apart." -- from www.amazon.com

Child -- "...the story of Fainne, daughter of the former Druid Ciaran and the lost Niamh. Raised in the ways of magic, Fainne plans to become a solitary sorcerer like her father, but fate intervenes in the form of her grandmother, Oonagh, a sorceress with a penchant for cruelty and a desire to put an end to everything the Sevenwaters folks stand for. A prophecy tells of a way to preserve the old magic, and Lady Oonagh is willing to trick her granddaughter and torture her own son to break it. Though Fainne is forced to bow to her grandmother's will, the love of her family and her own strong ethics help her remember her true nature, as she learns about herself, her powers of sorcery and the part she plays in a prophecy that has tested three generations of women." -- from www.amazon.com

These books were all very good...I liked the first one (Daughter of the Forest) the best because I recognized the story of the six swans. There were times when the story dragged a little, especially in Child of the Prophecy, where it felt like the characters took forever to figure out what was going on. But overall I would recommend these books.

Daughter of the Forest -- Started: June 27, 2010 Finished: June 29, 2010

Son of the Shadows -- Started: July 3, 2010 Finished: July 6, 2010

Child of the Prophecy -- Started: July 6, 2010 Finished: July 8, 2010

25 Book Challenge 2010 Books #46, #47 & #48

Emperor's Tomb -- "Cotton Malone teams with old heartthrob Cassiopeia Vitt on a dangerous mission to retrieve a priceless Chinese lamp from the third century B.C.E....Two high-ranking Chinese government ministers, hard-liner Karl Tang and more liberal Ni Yong, both of whom are vying to be China's next premier, covet the lamp. Tang, in particular, has left a trail of bodies in his own quest for the lamp, which, unbeknownst to Malone and Vitt, contains the secret to how the country will surmount its biggest obstacle to future economic growth, its dependence on foreign oil." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

This was a very good book. I enjoyed it better than the last book "The Paris Vendetta" mostly because it was nice to see Cotton Malone and Cassipeia Vitt on an adventure together...looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Atlantis Code -- "A thrill-seeking Harvard linguistics professor and an ultrasecret branch of the Catholic Church go head-to-head in a race to uncover the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis. The ruins of the technologically-advanced, eerily-enigmatic ancient civilization promise their discoverer fame, fortune, and power… but hold earth-shattering secrets about the origin of man.

While world-famous linguist and archaeologist, Thomas Lourds, is shooting a film that dramatizes his flamboyant life and scientific achievements, satellites spot impossibly ancient ruins along the Spanish coast. Lourds knows exactly what it means: the Lost Continent of Atlantis has been found. The race is on, and Lourds' challengers will do anything to get there first.

Whoever controls the Lost Continent will control the world." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Book tried hard to be the Da Vinci Code...and failed. Thomas Lourds is no Robert Langdon, not even close. Interesting premise but poorly written with no real follow through on the plot.

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Seer of Sevenwaters -- "Sibeal of Sevenwaters, the teen fifth daughter of the Lord of Sevenwaters, has always known she wants to be a druid...Sibeal's uncle Ciaran, her mentor, orders her to spend a summer on the sheltered island of Inis Eala, away from her training, to determine whether the contemplative life is truly for her. At first, Sibeal thinks that Ciaran is punishing her. Then a sudden storm brings a shipwreck and several mysteries that challenge Sibeal's resolve and vocation. Why does the Norseman Knut seem to be holding something back from the islanders, and if Svala is Knut's wife, why is she so terrified of him? And who is the handsome, amnesiac man Sibeal has found washed up on shore?" -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

This was a very good book, probably my most favorite book in the series. I enjoyed every page and would definitely recommend this book.

The Emperor's Tomb -- Started: Dec. 7, 2010 Finished: Dec. 8, 2010

The Atlantis Code -- Started: Dec. 10, 2010 Finished: Dec. 12, 2010

Seer of Sevenwaters -- Started: Dec. 14, 2010 Finished: Dec. 17, 2010

25 Book Challenge 2010 Books #85, #86 & #87

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, to launch the expansion of the Reading Challenge, a scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in young people.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools across Scotland.

Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.

Miss Peregrine's Home -- "As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

I enjoyed this book very much. The plot didn't quite go where I thought it was headed in the beginning but it was interesting and fun to read.

Miss Pergrine's Home -- Started: Jan. 1, 2012 Finished: Jan. 5, 2012

25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #1

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

Reading 150 books is one of my goals.

Blog post: testblogscs.edublogs.org/2013/01/01/new-year-new-plans/

The Tears Of The Rose - Second in the series -- and definitely not as good as the first. The main character was a spoiled brat who ruined even the most meaningful moments with her selfish antics. Hopefully the third book -- due out later in the year -- will redeem the series.

www.amazon.com/Twelve-Kingdoms-Tears-Rose/dp/075829445X/r...

Cry Wolf - An interesting fantasy story. Manages to avoid the trap of over-romantisizing the fantastical creatures (a la Anne Rice vampire love). A good read and I liked the ending.

www.amazon.com/Cry-Wolf-Alpha-Omega-Book/dp/0441016154/re...

Hunting Ground - A nice balance between the fantasy mystery plot and the sub-plot of Anna and Charles ever changing and developing relationship.

www.amazon.com/Hunting-Ground-Alpha-Omega-Book/dp/0441017...

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

The Foretelling -- "This atmospheric coming-of-age fantasy tells the story of a teenager who is destined to become queen of the Amazons. The product of a rape and shunned by her distant mother, Rain struggles to find her identity and prove herself." -- from www.amazon.com

I really liked this liked this book. It was inspired by legends of "Amazon" warrior women around the Black Sea area. It's actually a young adult book but I found it in the bargain bin and thought I'd give it a try. The book isn't very long but the story is very moving. I would definitely recommend this one.

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Resurrection -- "Like The Da Vinci Code, Marlakey's novel professes to find the hidden meaning of Christianity buried behind deceptive orthodoxies. But here the secret comes from the ancient gnostic Gospels recovered from Nag Hammadi, Egypt, shortly after World War II. The sleuth who uncovers the Gospels, Gemma Basian, comes to Egypt to bury the remains of her archaeologist father, who has died in Cairo under suspicious circumstances. As Gemma investigates her father's death, she finds herself increasingly drawn into the mysteries that drew him to the land of Isis. The gnostic Gospels he finally discovers before his death reveal to him--and then to Gemma--everything he had been looking for: individual salvation without a church, sexual ecstasy rather than celibacy, Egyptian magic rather than Hebrew morality. The gnostic Gospels also accord women a much larger role than the New Testament, identifying Mary Magdalene as Jesus' lover and as the apostle first vouchsafed a vision of the Resurrection. The recovered words of gnostic scripture thus reconnect Gemma with her murdered father--and embolden her in challenging a society long darkened by ecclesiastical conspiracy." -- from www.amazon.com

This is a pretty good read so far. I've liked a lot of the mystery/thriller novels that have popped up in the Da Vinci Code's wake -- and a lot of them are much better than Dan Brown could write :) This was another book from the bargain bin and I admit I looked up the author just to make sure that was her real name...lol. I like the historical background, the setting, the intrigue and the characters but I could do without the "budding romance" storyline she has going on the side. Right now though, I'm on page 140 or so and still eager to find out what's going to happen.

The Foretelling -- Started: June 24, 2009 Finished: June 26, 2009

Resurrection -- Started: June 28, 2009 Finished: July 4, 2009

25 Book Challenge 2009 Books #34 & #35

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

Lady Of The Rivers -- "The story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses. When Jacquetta is left a wealthy young widow, she returns to England and achieves a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though she can sense the danger of their royal York rivals. As Jacquetta fights for her king and her queen, she can see an extraordinary and unexpected future for her daughter Elizabeth: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York. . . ." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Kingmaker's Daughter -- "The gripping tale of the daughters of the man known as the Kingmaker, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters, Anne and Isabel, as pawns in his political games. When Anne is left widowed, her mother in sanctuary, and her sister married to the enemy, she manages her own escape and makes a choice that will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

White Queen -- "The story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition, who secretly marries the newly crowned Edward IV. Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for her family’s dominance, but despite her best efforts, her two sons become pawns in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London. In this dazzling account of the deadly Wars of the Roses, brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Red Queen -- "Margaret Beaufort, heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, who charts her own way through treacherous alliances and secret plots. Setting her heart on putting her son, Henry, on the throne, she sends him into exile and pledges him in marriage to the daughter of her sworn enemy. She then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and awaits his opportunity to win the greatest prize." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Very good novels, all of them...there's a little overlapping among them but otherwise it was easy to keep track of when everything was happening...I learned a great deal about the period of the War of the Roses than I ever had before, including a lot about some influential women I hadn't heard much about.

The Lady Of The Rivers -- Started: Aug. 12, 2013 Finished: Aug. 15, 2013

The Kingmaker's Daughter -- Started: Aug. 15, 2013 Finished: Aug. 16, 2013

The White Queen -- Started: Aug. 16, 2013 Finished: Aug. 21, 2013

The Red Queen -- Started: Aug. 18, 2013 Finished: Aug. 21, 2013

25 Book Challenge 2013 Books $71, #72, #73 & #74

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

Bellman & Black -- "Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget . . .

Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

And Bellman & Black is born." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

An okay book...nothing spectacular, a bit boring and ho-hum.

Bellman & Black -- Started: Jan. 29, 2014 Finished: Feb. 10, 2014

25 Book Challenge 2014 Book #5

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, to launch the expansion of the Reading Challenge, a scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in young people.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools across Scotland.

Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, to launch the expansion of the Reading Challenge, a scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in young people.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools across Scotland.

Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.

Children from across Scotland are participating in the first celebration event for an initiative that fosters a lifelong love of reading amongst Scotland’s young people.

Around 600 Schoolchildren in primary 4 to 7 joined First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the inaugural First Minister’s Reading Challenge ceremony in Edinburgh.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in Irvine today to take part in ReimagiNation, hosted by the Edinburgh Book Festival.

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

More young people will be able to get involved in the First Minister’s Reading Challenge as it expands to include secondary schools, libraries and community groups.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement at Riverside Primary School in Stirling – the winner of the School and Community Partnership Reading Journey award for its participation in the challenge.

Children from across Scotland are participating in the first celebration event for an initiative that fosters a lifelong love of reading amongst Scotland’s young people.

Around 600 Schoolchildren in primary 4 to 7 joined First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the inaugural First Minister’s Reading Challenge ceremony in Edinburgh.

Zealot -- "Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the “Kingdom of God.” The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal.

Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God.

Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history’s most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was the age of zealotry—a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy.

Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious “King of the Jews” whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity." -- from www.amazon.com

A nicely written and decently balanced look at the historical/archeological Jesus vs. the biblical Jesus. I didn't find this book to be the Christian bashing Islamic fundamentalist propaganda that so many people condemned it as (most of them without even reading it). It was a well-researched scholarly work.

Zealot -- Started: Oct. 25, 2013 Finished: Oct. 29, 2013

25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #91

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, to launch the expansion of the Reading Challenge, a scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in young people.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools across Scotland.

Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.

Who Was Dracula? -- "In more than a century of vampires in pop culture, only one lord of the night truly stands out: Dracula. Though the name may conjure up images of Bela Lugosi lurking about in a cape and white pancake makeup in the iconic 1931 film, the character of Dracula—a powerful, evil Transylvanian aristocrat who slaughters repressed Victorians on a trip to London—was created in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name, a work so popular it has spawned limitless reinventions in books and film.

But where did literature’s undead icon come from? What sources inspired Stoker to craft a monster who would continue to haunt our dreams (and desires) for generations? Historian Jim Steinmeyer, who revealed the men behind the myths in The Last Greatest Magician in the World, explores a question that has long fascinated literary scholars and the reading public alike: Was there a real-life inspiration for Stoker’s Count Dracula?

Hunting through archives and letters, literary and theatrical history, and the relationships and events that gave shape to Stoker’s life, Steinmeyer reveals the people and stories behind the Transylvanian legend. In so doing, he shows how Stoker drew on material from the careers of literary contemporaries Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde; reviled personas such as Jack the Ripper and the infamous fifteenth-century prince Vlad Tepes, as well as little-known but significant figures, including Stoker’s onetime boss, British stage star Henry Irving, and Theodore Roosevelt’s uncle, Robert Roosevelt (thought to be a model for Van Helsing).

Along the way, Steinmeyer depicts Stoker’s life in Dublin and London, his development as a writer, involvement with London’s vibrant theater scene, and creation of one of horror’s greatest masterpieces." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com

Rather dry at the beginning, very disorganized and often seemed more like a tribute to actor Henry Irving than a book about Stoker and his work. Chock full of information and references to various novels, plays and personas that may have influenced the writing of Dracula, but good luck trying to keep track of them with the convoluted layout. There were a few things that I know are important to Dracula's history that were either under-discussed or not brought up at all. A little disappointed in the book overall.

Who Was Dracula? -- Started: Aug. 18, 2013 Finished: Aug. 23, 2013

25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #75

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, to launch the expansion of the Reading Challenge, a scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in young people.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools across Scotland.

Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.

Heir to Sevenwaters -- "Clodagh, the third daughter of the lord of Sevenwaters, is the practical one who keeps things running while her aging mother awaits the birth of a male heir. At her sister's wedding, she meets rude, closed-off Cathal, one of her cousin Johnny's personal guards. Shortly after, when the Fair Folk replace the newborn heir with a changeling creature, Clodagh and Cathal put their lives and sanity on the line to rescue the child." -- from www.amazon.com

This was a very good book...I liked the characters and the descriptions of the Otherworld were nicely done. A few of the characters were a little sketchy but I think there might be more about them in the previous books in this series (already on my 'to read' list for 2010!)

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Lavinia -- "In the Aeneid, the only notable lines Virgil devotes to Aeneas' second wife, Lavinia, concern an omen: the day before Aeneus lands in Latinum, Lavinia's hair is veiled by a ghost fire, presaging war. Le Guin's masterful novel gives a voice to Lavinia, the daughter of King Latinus and Queen Amata, who rule Latinum in the era before the founding of Rome. Amata lost her sons to a childhood sickness and has since become slightly mad. She is fixated on marrying Lavinia to Amata's nephew, Turnus, the king of neighboring Rutuli. It's a good match, and Turnus is handsome, but Lavinia is reluctant. Following the words of an oracle, King Latinus announces that Lavinia will marry Aeneas, a newly landed stranger from Troy; the news provokes Amata, the farmers of Latinum, and Turnus, who starts a civil war." -- from www.amazon.com

This was a pretty good book. I'm not a big Ursula K. Le Guin fan -- I tried the Earthsea books several times and just couldn't warm up to them -- so I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book or not. It was a pleasant surprise that I did. Most of the characters are pretty nicely developed with the exception of Aeneas and his men who come off as very one-dimensional. There are some really great scenes although the suspenseful moments fall a little flat because you already pretty much know what's going to happen between Lavinia and Aeneas.

*Note about the photo: Both books have important scenes revolving around rivers so I thought the Niagara river photo fit well :)

Heir to Sevenwaters -- Started: Jan. 1, 2010 Finished: Jan. 2, 2010

Lavinia -- Started: Jan. 2, 2010 Finished: Jan. 4, 2010

25 Book Challenge 2010 Books #2 & #3

The Forgers - Interesting murder/mystery thriller with a bibliophile theme. A nice twist at the end -- good read.

www.amazon.com/Forgers-Bradford-Morrow/dp/0802124275/ref=...

Doctor Sleep - Took awhile to get into the book and the entire plot read like an AA fairytale, but a worthwhile read in the end...especially if you've always wondered what happened to Danny after "The Shining"

www.amazon.com/Doctor-Sleep-Stephen-King/dp/1451698852/re...

Prince Lestat - A little long-winded, overly flowery and descriptive. The ending was more like a roll call of the world's most blood-thirsty undead high school reunion than the climax of a novel.

www.amazon.com/Prince-Lestat-Chronicles-Anne-Rice/dp/0345...

Lily of the Nile -- "In the aftermath of Alexandria's tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she's ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she's put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene's captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor's sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans...Trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to honor her mother's lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?" -- from www.amazon.com

I enjoyed this book...it's very similar to Michelle Moran's "Cleopatra's Daughter", same subject matter, same tone and feel...it you like Michelle Moran, Margaret George, Pauline Gedge, etc. then you will probably like this book as well.

Lily of the Nile -- Started: Mar. 20, 2011 Finished: Mar. 28, 2011

25 Book Challenge 2011 Book #27

Children from across Scotland are participating in the first celebration event for an initiative that fosters a lifelong love of reading amongst Scotland’s young people.

Around 600 Schoolchildren in primary 4 to 7 joined First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the inaugural First Minister’s Reading Challenge ceremony in Edinburgh.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, to launch the expansion of the Reading Challenge, a scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in young people.

The First Minister’s Reading Challenge will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools across Scotland.

Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.

Children from across Scotland are participating in the first celebration event for an initiative that fosters a lifelong love of reading amongst Scotland’s young people.

Around 600 Schoolchildren in primary 4 to 7 joined First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the inaugural First Minister’s Reading Challenge ceremony in Edinburgh.

Children from across Scotland are participating in the first celebration event for an initiative that fosters a lifelong love of reading amongst Scotland’s young people.

Around 600 Schoolchildren in primary 4 to 7 joined First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the inaugural First Minister’s Reading Challenge ceremony in Edinburgh.

"Amazons--fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world--were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons. But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book, National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they have never been seen before. This is the first comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and history across the ancient world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Great Wall of China. Mayor tells how amazing new archaeological discoveries of battle-scarred female skeletons buried with their weapons prove that women warriors were not merely figments of the Greek imagination. Combining classical myth and art, nomad traditions, and scientific archaeology, she reveals intimate, surprising details and original insights about the lives and legends of the women known as Amazons. Provocatively arguing that a timeless search for a balance between the sexes explains the allure of the Amazons, Mayor reminds us that there were as many Amazon love stories as there were war stories. The Greeks were not the only people enchanted by Amazons--Mayor shows that warlike women of nomadic cultures inspired exciting tales in ancient Egypt, Persia, India, Central Asia, and China. Driven by a detective's curiosity, Mayor unearths long-buried evidence and sifts fact from fiction to show how flesh-and-blood women of the Eurasian steppes were mythologized as Amazons, the equals of men."

I loved this book...all the details and information were organized and presented well and it wasn't dry and boring like so much non-fiction history.