View allAll Photos Tagged readingchallenge
FINISH THAT BOOK and finalize your reading log on Beanstack; the Fall Reading Challenge ends this Saturday, Dec. 18!
Pick up prizes by Jan. 15. Then we'll start afresh with Winter Reading Challenges for all ages, at the Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
The principal challenged the kids to read 75,000 books during the school year. They did, and he had to sleep on the roof. In a thunderstorm.
Pirate's Daughter -- "Ida Joseph is 13 years old when Errol Flynn is nearly shipwrecked off the coast of her hometown of Port Antonio in 1946. Flynn instantly loves Jamaica and, eager to find a refuge from stateside scandal, purchases an island across from the port. Navy Island becomes the setting for his glittering parties, movie projects and affair with Ida in her senior year of high school. Flynn refuses to take responsibility for the resulting child, May, and after trying to make a go of it in Jamaica, Ida leaves May and heads to New York City, where she marries a wealthy baron friend of Flynn's who purchases the island after Flynn dies. May grows to adulthood on Navy Island, develops something more than a crush on a married family friend 40 years her senior and indulges in drugs and free love." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a very good book and I liked it a lot but the end felt a little anti-climactic...I was left feeling like there should have been more to the story. The characters could have been a little better developed but she painted a very vivid and real picture of Jamaica.
The Pirate's Daughter -- Started: Jan. 9, 2010 Finished: Jan. 11, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #5
The Columbus Affair -- "Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when a controversial report from a war-torn region is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation crashes and burns. Now he lives in virtual exile—haunted by bad decisions and the shocking truth he can never prove: that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of a trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger with a request that cannot be ignored.
Zachariah Simon has the look of a scholar, the soul of a scoundrel, and the zeal of a fanatic. He also has Tom Sagan’s estranged daughter at his mercy. Simon desperately wants something only Sagan can supply: the key to a 500-year-old mystery, a treasure with explosive political significance in the modern world. For both Simon and Sagan the stakes are high, the goal intensely personal, the consequences of opposing either man potentially catastrophic. On a perilous quest from Florida to Vienna to Prague and finally to the mountains of Jamaica, the two men square off in a dangerous game. Along the way, both of their lives will be altered—and everything we know about Christopher Columbus will change." -- from www.amazon.com
Another great Steve Berry book...lots of action, twists and turns, and new historical ideas and information...great read!
Columbus Affair -- Started: June 7, 2012 Finished: June 9, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #39
Night Villa -- "University of Texas classics professor Sophie Chase, after barely surviving a gunman with ties to a sinister cult, joins an expedition to Capri. A donor has funded both the exact reconstruction of a Roman villa destroyed when Mount Vesuvius buried nearby Herculaneum in A.D. 79, and a computer system that can decipher the charred scrolls being excavated from the villa's ruins. Sophie's hopes for a recuperative idyll fade after her old boyfriend, who disappeared years before into the same cult as the campus gunman, appears in the area, implicating the cult in a criminal conspiracy. Meanwhile, extracts from the scrolls—the journals of a Roman visiting the villa just before the volcano erupted—shade toward bloodshed and betrayal." -- from www.amazon.com
I think this was my favorite novel I've read so far of hers. It was really the only one of her books where the ending was satisfying and the plot didn't feel incomplete...and there was a twist I didn't see coming which is always nice.
*The fountain in the photo is in the Villa Philmonte on the grounds of Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM
The Night Villa -- Started: Aug. 13, 2010 Finished: Aug. 14, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #57
Revolution -- "BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.
PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.
Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
This was a really good novel. I enjoyed reading it. The characters and the plot were interesting and I enjoyed the descriptions of 18th century Paris. The ending was good, but it felt like a few things were left unresolved that I thought could have been worked out before the novel came to a close -- especially Andi's relationship with her father.
Revolution -- Started: Apr. 7, 2013 Finished: Apr. 8, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #24
This awesome family had fun collecting Winter Reading Challenge prizes!
Challenges for all ages. Sign up at lesterlibrary.beanstack.com/reader365. Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
77 Shadow Street -- "The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents—among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager—the Pendleton’s magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.
But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped." -- from www.amazon.com
I really loved this book. A little gross at times with some very vivid imagery and a twist at the end that explains everything - that I didn't see coming. Great book!
77 Shadow Street -- Started: Mar. 21, 2012 Finished: Mar. 28, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #24
Winter Reading Challenges end April 30! That's less than two weeks away; log those books to earn your prizes! Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
Black Ships -- "In a time of war and doubt, Gull is an oracle. Daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, chosen at the age of seven to be the voice of the Lady of the Dead, she is destined to counsel kings.
When nine black ships appear, captained by an exiled Trojan prince, Gull must decide between the life she was born for and a most perilous adventure - to join the remnant of her mother's people in their desperate flight. From the doomed bastions of the City of Pirates to the temples of Byblos, from the intrigues of the Egyptian court to the haunted caves beneath Mount Vesuvius, only Gull can guide Prince Aeneas on his quest, and only she can dare the gate of the Underworld to lead him to his destiny.
In the last shadowed days of the Age of Bronze, one woman dreams of the world beginning anew. This is her story." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a very good book...I was really impressed with the development of the characters and the time and research she obviously put into the novel. I would definitely recommend this book.
Black Ships -- Started: Mar. 12, 2010 Finished: Mar. 16, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #24
Lost Lands -- "There are places that turn up in literature or in film--mystical and legendary places whose names may be familiar but about which we know little. We nod knowingly at the reference, but are often left wondering about places such as Atlantis, the lost land overwhelmed by the sea, or El Dorado, the fabulous city that vanished somewhere in the South American jungles. Other names are more evocative--Mount Olympus, the Garden of Eden, the mystic Isle of Avalon, and Davy Jones' Locker.
But did such places actually exist and if so, where were they, and what really happened? What are the traditions and legends associated with them? In the fascinating new book, Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms, historian Dr. Bob Curran sets out to find the answers by journeying to the far-flung corners of the world and to the outer reaches of human imagination." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a good book. There were a lot of myths and legends I had heard of before but quite a few that I never knew about too. It was an interesting read and there was a great bibliography in the back -- I've already looked up a few of his references :)
Lost Lands -- Started: Jan. 22, 2010 Finished: Jan. 28, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #8
What The Night Knows -- "In the late summer of a long-ago year, Alton Turner Blackwood brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a fourteen-year-old boy.
Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, re-creating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family—his wife and three children—will be targets, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was fourteen and killed their slayer.
As a detective, John is a man of reason who deals in cold facts. But an extraordinary experience convinces him that sometimes death is not a one-way journey, that sometimes the dead return." -- from www.amazon.com
This was an interesting mystery-thriller and very enjoyable. The only frustrating part about the story was the fact that while the protagonist figured out what was going early in the novel, the rest of the characters seemed to take forever to catch on.
What The Night Knows -- Started: Mar. 28, 2012 Finished: Apr. 12, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #25
Lost Summer -- "The story begins with a 20-year-old Louisa unhappily moving with her family from Boston to Walpole, N.H., where her Transcendentalist philosopher father pursues a life sans material pleasure. Louisa, meanwhile, plans on saving enough money to return to Boston and pursue a career as a writer. Then she meets the handsome and charming Joseph Singer, who stirs up strong emotions in Louisa. Not wanting to admit that she is attracted to him, Louisa responds to Joseph with defensiveness and anger until, of course, she can no longer deny her feelings and becomes torn between her desires and her dreams." -- from www.amazon.com
Interesting book...nothing that spectacular...if you're a fan of Louisa May Alcott, then you may enjoy this book...if you're not a fan, then this book isn't going to make you into one.
Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott -- Started: Apr. 6, 2011 Finished: Apr. 10, 2011
25 Book Challenge 2011 Book #31
Really pleased that Medway Libraries are offering a summer reading challenge for adults too this year (and teens I think).
Just 6 books - no problem :-) Maybe I'll use it as an excuse to visit 6 different libraries in the area......
"Her life would be marked by scandal and suspicion, worship and adoration… At the tender age of fourteen, Livia Drusilla overhears her father and fellow aristocrats plotting the assassination of Julius Caesar. Proving herself an astute confidante, she becomes her father’s chief political asset—and reluctantly enters into an advantageous marriage to a prominent military officer. Her mother tells her, “It is possible for a woman to influence public affairs,” reminding Livia that—while she possesses a keen sense for the machinations of the Roman senate—she must also remain patient and practical. But patience and practicality disappear from Livia’s mind when she meets Caesar’s heir, Octavianus. At only eighteen, he displays both power and modesty. A young wife by that point, Livia finds herself drawn to the golden-haired boy. In time, his fortunes will rise as Livia’s family faces terrible danger. But her sharp intellect—and her heart—will lead Livia to make an unbelievable choice: one that will give her greater sway over Rome than she could have ever foreseen."
A wonderful book...I stumbled on it a bit by accident and I'm glad I did.
"Vacationing at a luxurious Tuscan island resort, Nicolas Duhamel is hopeful that the ghosts of his past have finally been put to rest… Now a bestselling author, when he was twenty-four years old, he stumbled upon a troubling secret about his family – a secret that was carefully concealed. In shock, Nicholas embarked on a journey to uncover the truth that took him from the Basque coast to St. Petersburg – but the answers wouldn’t come easily.
In the process of digging into his past, something else happened. Nicolas began writing a novel that was met with phenomenal success, skyrocketing him to literary fame whether he was ready for it or not – and convincing him that he had put his family’s history firmly behind him. But now, years later, Nicolas must reexamine everything he thought he knew, as he learns that, however deeply buried, the secrets of the past always find a way out."
Not worth the time it took to read. The plot meandered in circles before slamming into a literary brick wall. Most of the characters were selfish brats who, if they had been children, would be in permanent time out. I found myself slamming the book closed several times in frustration over the main characters total lack of sense. Really the only book of de Rosnay's that has anything to recommend it is "Sarah's Key".
Bull From The Sea -- "This second instalment in the story of the legendary hero begins with Theseus' triumphant return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur.
Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: he still must confront the Amazons, capture their queen, Hippolyta, and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage." -- from www.goodreads.com
Great book...very interesting to read, well-written with a classically tragic ending.
The Bull From The Sea -- Started: June 19, 2013 Finished: June 22, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #44
Serpent's Shadow -- "He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world
into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the
forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles." -- from www.amazon.com
A good finish to the three part series. A nice adventure story.
Serpent's Shadow -- Started: July 3, 2012 Finished: July 10, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #46
Inferno -- "In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered" -- from www.amazon.com
I really enjoyed this thriller...moved fast, nice plot, decent characters and a twist near the end that caught me by surprise...definitely a great read
Inferno -- Started: June 25, 2013 Finished: June 27, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #45
Cataloochee -- "Set in the reclusive mountains of North Carolina, Caldwell's rootsy first novel follows the small triumphs and tragedies of three families from the Civil War to 1928, when the area was absorbed into the new Smoky Mountains National Park. Keeping track of four generations of Carters, Banks, and Wrights, with their bountiful legions of offspring...to offer a momentary glimpse into the loves, lives, and deaths of these hardscrabble folk." -- from www.amazon.com
Requiem -- "In 1928, the residents of Cataloochee, N.C., are given an ultimatum by the National Parks Commission to either resign their farmland for a price, or remain, but have their property leased back to them by the government. At the core of this conflict is Silas Wright, a farmer who locks horns with the Parks Commission, disputes both of the options offered, and refuses to succumb to governmental demands. Attorney Oliver Babcock is also making rounds about town securing agreements to negotiate as well. Wright contemplates a lawsuit against the commission, for which longtime resident Jim Hawkins is now enlisted to be a warden of the park to come. Mild melodrama ensues as the government removes residents from their homes, a mysterious death occurs, Hawkins contends with an unhappy family, and the town fire-starter gets up to his old tricks again." -- from www.amazon.com
I liked both of these books. They read more like memoirs or diaries than novels and they paint a nicely vivid picture of life in the 'lost' Smoky Mountain towns.
Cataloochee -- Started: July 17, 2010 Finished: July 20, 2010
Requeim by Fire -- Started: July 20, 2010 Finished: July 21, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Books #52 & #53
Dracula in Love -- "In Essex's sensuous reinterpretation of Dracula, Mina Harker declares that Bram Stoker had it completely wrong when he wrote his tale of a vampire aristocrat. Although many of the same characters from Stoker's classic can be found here, their personalities and agendas differ in the extreme. The Count is Mina's centuries-old lover and protector; unfortunately, her memories are deeply buried. She cannot, however, deny her attraction to his powerful presence. His caring for her contrasts greatly with the Victorian attitudes of the men currently in her life..." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
I liked this book...I wasn't sure I wanted to read it at first, because I really didn't care for the last book I read of hers -- "Leonardo's Swans" -- but I've always liked Dracula-related stories so I gave it a go. It was quite good...there were several parts of the story that I wish she had spent a little more time on and Mina's decision near the end of the book was very hasty and not very well detailed...otherwise it was very entertaining.
Dracula In Love -- Started: Aug. 21, 2010 Finished: Aug. 22, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #60
Let Me Go -- "Let Me Go is a haunting memoir of World War II that “won’t let you go until you’ve finished reading the last page” (The Washington Post Book World). In 1941, in Berlin, Helga Schneider’s mother abandoned her along with her father and younger brother. Let Me Go recounts Helga’s final meeting with her ailing mother in a Vienna nursing home some sixty years after World War II, in which Helga confronts a nightmare: her mother’s lack of repentance about her past as a Nazi SS guard at concentration camps, including Auschwitz, where she was responsible for untold acts of torture. With spellbinding detail, Schneider recalls their conversation, evoking her own struggle between a daughter’s sense of obligation and the inescapable horror of her mother’s deeds." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
A very interesting and moving book. Although, I'm not sure, if I were in the author's place, if I would ever be able to face a parent as selfish, hateful and manipulative as hers.
Let Me Go -- Started: May 26, 2012 Finished: May 26, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #36
Enchanted -- "The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm.
Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest--or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy's fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it.
This time he does not run. This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss . . . and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago." -- from www.amazon.com
I liked this book but I admit, I was a little disappointed in the ending. There was a great buildup involving fairy tales, history, religion, myth, etc. but the final battle was rather anti-climactic and the ending just sort of flopped.
Enchanted -- Started: Mar. 16, 2012 Finished: Mar. 25, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #22
Heart's Blood -- "Fleeing an abusive suitor, Caitrin arrives in Whistling Tor penniless and uncertain of her future. She becomes a scribe for the chieftain Anluan, who lives in a neglected hilltop fortress, but the job has perils rivaling her own. Mercurial and physically crippled, Anluan is beset by revenants, thanks to an ancestral curse. Those otherworldly forces wish only rest, but a whispering voice drives them to violence whenever Anluan leaves the hill. Caitrin believes that the secret to breaking the curse lies in the family records. Though her presence brings much needed hope and love to Anluan, it also puts them in danger. Caitrin and Anluan are a dynamic couple. No longer willing to be passive victims, they struggle to overcome the past and make their destinies." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a very good "Beauty and the Beast"-like story. I liked and sympathized with the main characters and, even though I saw one of the major twists coming, there were still a few surprises at the end. I would recommend this book very highly.
Heart's Blood -- Started: Apr. 12, 2010 Finished: Apr. 14, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #31
Getting In -- "Getting In is the roller-coaster story of five very different Los Angeles families united by a single obsession: acceptance at a top college, preferably one that makes their friends and neighbors green with envy. At an elite private school and a nearby public school, families devote themselves to getting their seniors into the perfect school--even if the odds are stacked against them, even if they can't afford the $50,000 annual price tag, even if the effort requires a level of deceit, and even if the object of all this attention wants to go somewhere else." -- from www.amazon.com
An okay book...interesting plot, some decent characters but didn't quite come all the way together.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gatekeepers -- "In the fall of 1999, New York Times education reporter Jacques Steinberg was given an unprecedented opportunity to observe the admissions process at prestigious Wesleyan University. Over the course of nearly a year, Steinberg accompanied admissions officer Ralph Figueroa on a tour to assess and recruit the most promising students in the country. The Gatekeepers follows a diverse group of prospective students as they compete for places in the nation's most elite colleges." -- from www.amazon.com
Very interesting look behind the scenes of the college admissions process...honest and alternately funny or heart-breaking. A definite recommendation for anyone looking to learn more about the higher education system.
Getting In -- Started: Sept. 14, 2012 Finished: Sept. 20, 2012
The Gatekeepers -- Started: Sept. 16, 2012 Finished: Oct. 8, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Books #57 & #58
North Avondale Library patrons participated in the January reading challenge to win prizes, awards, and, best of all, tickets to the circus!
Beauty -- "Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, 'Cannot a Beast be tamed?'" -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
Rose Daughter -- "Almost 20 years after her well-received, award-winning Beauty (1978), McKinley reexplores and reexpands on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. This is not a sequel, but a new novelization...In Rose Daughter, Beauty has an affinity for flower gardening, particularly roses, because of her memories of her deceased mother; it is a talent that serves her in good stead as she nurtures the Beast's dying rose garden. Also...Beauty suffers from recurring dreams of a long, dark corridor and something--a monster?--waiting for her at the end. Rose Cottage, where Beauty and her family settle after the father's financial downfall, and the nearby town and its residents, as well as the opulence of the Beast's castle and the devastation of his rose garden, are vividly depicted. Among the fantasy elements are a prescient cat, the spirit of the greenwitch who willed Rose Cottage to Beauty's family, unicorns, and preternatural Guardians. There is more background on the Beast in this version, allowing readers to see how he came to be bewitched" -- from www.amazon.com
I read these two books after "Beauty" was mentioned in Jane Yolen's "Briar Rose"...I love the story of Beauty and the Beast, and fairy tales in general so I thought these would really be good reads. I enjoyed them both -- "Beauty" with the lighter (more Disney-esque) version and "Rose Daughter" with the darker more adult version -- but there seemed to be something missing in both novels. McKinley kept hinting at mysteries but never really stepped outside the Beauty and the Beast framework to get to the heart of those mysteries. As a result, both books end up more as simple re-tellings of the story instead of inventive re-imaginings.
Beauty -- Started: Oct. 23, 2010 Finished: Oct. 23, 2010
Rose Daughter -- Started: Oct. 25, 2010 Finished: Nov. 1, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Books #76 & #77
Almond Tree -- "Gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, Ichmad Hamid struggles with knowing that he can do nothing to save his friends and family. Living on occupied land, his entire village operates in fear of losing their homes, jobs, and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other.
On Ichmad's twelfth birthday, that fear becomes reality.
With his father imprisoned, his family's home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ichmad begins an inspiring journey using his intellect to save his poor and dying family. In doing so he reclaims a love for others that was lost through a childhood rife with violence and loss, and discovers a new hope for the future." -- from www.amazon.com
A nicely written but rather naive story about Palestinian and Israeli relations. If only peace in the Middle East were as easy as two brothers saying "I'm sorry".
The Almond Tree -- Started: Oct. 9, 2013 Finished: Oct. 10, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #87
Micro -- "In the vein of Jurassic Park, this high-concept thriller follows a group of graduate students lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company—only to find themselves cast out into the rain forest, with nothing but their scientific expertise and wits to protect them." -- from www.amazon.com
An good thriller, very interesting premise, a bit of a bland ending but otherwise very good.
Micro -- Started: Jan. 18, 2014 Finished: Jan. 28, 2014
25 Book Challenge 2014 Book #3
Impact -- "...the U.S. president's science adviser asks former CIA operative Wyman Ford, last seen in 2008's Blasphemy, to look into the sudden appearance of radioactive gemstones, in particular to identify the precise location of their origin in Cambodia. Meanwhile, college dropout and frustrated astronomer Abbey Straw, who believes she witnessed a meteor's fall, embarks on a search of small islands near her Maine home to locate pieces of the meteorite to sell on eBay. In California, soon-to-be murdered professor Jason Freeman sends Mark Corso, a Mars mission technician at the National Propulsion Facility, a classified hard drive with evidence of gamma rays emanating from the red planet." -- from www.amazon.com
This was another really good book from Douglas Preston. I liked the way the different storylines came together and I thought the ending was very realistic and interesting. All in all, a great book.
Impact -- Started: Feb. 16, 2010 Finished: Feb. 19, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #15
Winter Ghosts -- "In the winter of 1928, still seeking some kind of resolution to the horrors of World War I, Freddie is traveling through the beautiful but forbidding French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. Dazed, he stumbles through the woods, emerging in a tiny village, where he finds an inn to wait out the blizzard. There he meets Fabrissa, a lovely young woman also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, Freddie will have unearthed a tragic, centuries-old mystery, and discovered his own role in the life of this remote town." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
This was a really good, highly enjoyable novel. It had the same tone as her other novels ("Labyrinth" & "Sepulchre") although the subject and form of the this story was a little different. Definitely recommend, especially if you read and liked either of her other works.
The Winter Ghosts -- Started: Feb. 7, 2011 Finished: Feb. 10, 2011
25 Book Challenge 2011 Book #15
Queen's Lover -- "Catherine de Valois, daughter of the French king Charles VI, is born into troubled times. Though she is brought up in a royal court, it is a stormy and unstable environment. Before she is out of her teens, Catherine is married off to England's Henry V as part of a treaty honoring his victory over France. She is terrified at the idea of being married to a man who is a foreigner, an enemy, and a rough soldier, and is forced to leave her home for England.
Within two years she is widowed, and mother to the future King of England and France—even though her brother has laid claim to the French crown for himself. Caught between warring factions of her own family and under threat by the powerful lords of the English court, she must find a way to keep her infant son safe. In Owain Tudor, a childhood friend for whom Catherine has long had affection and who now controls the Royal household, Catherine finds both strength and kinship. As their friendship turns to love, however, she risks not only her life and that of her son but the uneasy balance of power in England and France that will be forever changed." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
A really interesting and well written novel. I enjoyed reading about Catherine Valois' life as she wasn't someone I knew much about before I picked up this book.
The Queen's Lover -- Started: Aug. 23, 2013 Finished: Aug. 31, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #76
Our young library friend was very excited to win two Barons Baseball tickets, generously donated by Marco Morosini, just for reading books! In addition to the tickets he won a backpack filled with goodies: baseball books, Cracker Jacks, and an inflatable baseball. Congratulations! And a huge shout out to Marco Morosini of the Silvertron Cafe for being such a supporter of the library and literacy, and for making this giveaway possible. Batter up!
Rose Garden -- "Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.
But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs." -- from www.amazon.com
I really liked this book...the story was interesting and there was a bit of a twist near the end that I didn't see coming...a good read.
The Rose Garden -- Started: Feb. 20, 2012 Finished: Feb. 25, 2012
25 Book Challenge Book #13
Ill Met By Moonlight -- "This enchanting fantasy debut begins with the disappearance of young Will Shakespeare's wife and newborn daughter-a mystery that draws the Bard into a realm beyond imagination...and beyond reality. Held captive by the devious ruler of the elves and fairies, Shakespeare's family appears lost to him forever. But an alluring elf named Quicksilver takes a fancy to Shakespeare-and sees a chance to set things right." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
An okay book...very interesting premise but could have used a great deal more character development to make it into a really great book.
Ill Met By Moonlight -- Started: May 2, 2012 Finished: May 18, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #34
MECC Principal Mike Zimmermann is slimed by first grader Anvitha Katamneni to celebrate the building's outstanding Reading Challenge results. Photo provided
Astor Orphan -- "The Astor Orphan is an unflinching debut memoir by a direct descendant of John Jacob Astor, Alexandra Aldrich.
She brilliantly tells the story of her eccentric, fractured family; her 1980s childhood of bohemian neglect in the squalid attic of Rokeby, the family’s Hudson Valley Mansion; and her brave escape from the clan. Aldrich reaches back to the Gilded Age when the Astor legacy began to come undone, leaving the Aldrich branch of the family penniless and squabbling over what was left." -- from www.amazon.com
I enjoyed this book...it was an interesting memoir. I think a few of the anecdotes could have been expanded on...it felt, at times, like she was holding back when it came to certain people and incidents in her childhood.
The Astor Orphan -- Started: May 3, 2013 Finished: May 5, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #32