New Review Blog

I decided to move my book reviews to a new blog -- Books Reviewed There.

Stop by and say hello. If you could take the time to give me a shout out on your blog, I'd appreciate it. (hint, hint.)

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Title: Love in the Time of Cholera

Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Publisher: Vintage International

ISBN 978-0-307-38973-2, $19.95, 1988, 348 pages

Genre: Literary

Summary: Six hundred and twenty-two affairs ago, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza had a passionate love affair through letters and telegrams. Instead, Fermina married Dr. Juvenal Urbino. The death of Jeremiah de Saint-Amour, the famed photographer of children, brings Florentino and Fermina together again.

The Take-Away: I never would have read this book if it hadn't been for my book club. As I read, I continued to get lost in the poetry of the prose. I have the same problem when I read poetry. I forget that there's a story being told also. By the end, I understood what attracted people to it, but I've read better literary novels that didn't leave me so confused.

I didn't understand why Fermina married Florentino. What convinced the feisty girl to give up her love? And what's the significance of the first scene? I'm sure it was explained in there somewhere, but I lost track of the thread that carried the story.

Personally, I don't like to have to work this hard for a story.

Recommendation: Skip it, unless you like long, winding stories with obvious endings.

Technorati tag: Book review

News Blues by Marianne Mancusi

Title: News Blues

Author: Marianne Mancusi

Publisher: Dorchester Publishing

ISBN 978-0-505-52749-3, $6.99, February 26, 2008, 336 pages

Genre: Chick Lit

Summary: Maddy's stumbled on the story of a lifetime only her news program is more interested in keeping advertisers happy than breaking-up a drug cartel.

The Take-Away: Mancusi's two-time Emmy award winning background really lent authenticity to the behind the scenes of the evening news. On the one hand, I knew things liked comped products and biased reporting happens. On the other hand, would a station really ignore a story as important as Maddy's?

Maddy is a very lovable character who is someone I'd like to be friends with. I loved her spunk and desire to do the right thing, even when she knows it will get her fired. The romance in this novel is low-key, but has a couple of nice twists (and if I share, it would ruin the storyline, so you'll need to read it for yourself :) )

Thank you, Marianne, for providing the ARC, and such a great story. Novels like this convince me that Chick Lit still has a place in the publishing world.

Recommendation: Want to read it? Leave a comment and I'll draw one lucky winner to pass my copy to.

Technorati tag: Book review

The Tangle Box by Terry Brooks

Title: The Tangle Box

Author: Terry Brooks

Publisher: Del Rey

034538699X, May 1994, 334 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Summary: Ben Holiday and his once-fairy wife Willow are going to have a baby. Once again, a bad guy is tring to kick Ben off the thrown. This time, however, the bad guy also takes out The Witch Nightshade and the dragon Strabo. Willow can't save him, because she has a quest of her own -- to combine the dirt of three lands and bring the baby into the magical kingdom.

The Take-Away: I love how Brooks illuminates the differences of our world with Landover. Even something as magical as giving birth is made extraordinary. Neither Ben or I expected the method that Willow would be instructed to follow.

I also really liked Horris Kew. Yes, he's the bad guy that gets Ben into trouble, but really, he was just a pawn. What I like best about him is the reformation that takes place at the end. It left me yearning for his appearance in the next title -- did he actually change or are we fooled by him?

I'll be picking up the next title in the series.

Recommendation: Starting this series at the beginning the best way to go. Fortunately, several titles are available for your reading pleasure.

Technorati tag: Book review

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Title: The Cider House Rules

Author: John Irving

Publisher: New York William Morrow and Co.

ASIN: B000P8WU96, 1985, 576 pages

Genre: Fiction

Summary: The secret side of a Maine orphanage intertwines the lives of three residents and two visitors.

The Take-Away: I never would have picked-up this title if it hadn't been for my book club. The blurb on the inside of the front cover really didn't prepare me for what it the story was truly about - a doctor performing illegal abortions and the orphan he picks to continue his work.

The book was very frank on sex and abortion in the early 1900 (1920s to 1960s). In fact, it was so frank that I questioned if it was accurate, instead of a modern view of what life was actually life. Irving added notes to the back of the book also, with supplemental antedotes that were mostly relayed by his grandfather. Some of the story seemed overplayed, especially as I'm used to reading this from writers of the time. Were they censored? (Most likely, I realize, but were private discussion as frank as Irving leads us to believe.)

In my mind, the openness is because of the services performed, and not a realistic portrayal of the what happened in most conversations.

However, Irving has a wide variety of story lines, perspectives and character growth, that touching on all of them would make this an essay instead of a review. So I'm stopping there.

Recommendation: An interesting look at the life of two men involved deeply in the orphanage. It also is a great coming of age story for each of them.

Technorati tag: Book review

Snow Blind by P J Tracy

As part of my "One Book a Week" goal, I dedicated two days to reading Snow Blind by P J Tracy.

Summary: Minneapolis police detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are participating in a snowman building contest after the first big snowfall of the year. Instead of creating a snowman, they are forced to destory hundreds of them, when a child discovers a dead body inside of a snowman.

The Take-Away: I love this series. The mother-daughter duo is fabulous. This is book four of the series, and the stakes get higher each and every book. The Monkeewrench group is back also, as part of the crime-fighting team. They are tied into the case in ways that neither they nor the detective anticipate.

The very best part of the book is the ending that, if I shared, would ruin the book for you. Trust, it's worth it.

Recommendation: While you don't need to start at the very beginning of the series, you'll want to, if you start with this one.

Technorati tag: Book review

Title: Snow Blind

Author: P J Tracy

Publisher: Putnam Adult

ISBN 039915339X, August 3, 2006, 320 pages

Genre: Thriller

New Releases

USA Today has a great interactive Flash form to display the new releases of January, February, March and April. Their Winter Book Preview brings some great titles for the first portion of the year, like The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller and The Appeal by John Grisham.

I've read some great things about both titles. Sue Miller would be a new author to me, but the review at Amazon intrigues me:

Meri is newly married, pregnant, and standing on the cusp of her life as a wife and mother, recognizing with some terror the gap between reality and expectation. Delia Naughton—wife of the two-term liberal senator Tom Naughton—is Meri’s new neighbor in the adjacent New England town house. Delia’s husband’s chronic infidelity has been an open secret in Washington circles, but despite the complexity of their relationship, the bond between them remains strong. What keeps people together, even in the midst of profound betrayal? How can a journey imperiled by, and sometimes indistinguishable from, compromise and disappointment culminate in healing and grace? Delia and Meri find themselves leading strangely parallel lives, both reckoning with the contours and mysteries of marriage, one refined and abraded by years of complicated intimacy, the other barely begun.

I love stories about women whose lives are thrown into turmoil and how they overcome it.

Grisham's offering is a return his legal thrillers. My husband's excited. This is a must purchase in my house.

What titles caught your eye?

Thanks, Word Nerd, for pointing this reader to the article.

One Book A Week: The Complete List

The links will lead you to reviews. Enjoy!

1. Snow Blind by P J Tracy
2. The Cider House Rules by John Irving
3. The Tangle Box by Terry Brooks
4. News Blues, an ARC from Marianne Mancusi
5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
6. Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
7. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
8. The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters, an ARC from James Dashner
9. Currently Reading -- Don't Bet Against Me! by Deanna Favre with Angela Hunt
10. Up Next -- Earthly Pleasures by Karen Neches

Coming soon: The Appeal by John Grisham; The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller; Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan.

Scholastics Next Big Thing?

Now that Harry Potter is officially over, Scholastic is looking for the next blockbuster. And they think they found it: Scholastic Plans to Put Its Branding Iron on a Successor to Harry Potter

Called “The 39 Clues,” this series will feature 10 books — the first of which is to go on sale next September — as well as related Web-based games, collectors’ cards and cash prizes. The project demonstrates Scholastic’s acknowledgment that as much as the publisher heralded the renewed interest in reading represented by the Harry Potter books, many children are now as transfixed by Internet and video games as they are by reading.

A part of me wishes them well. I really do. The rest of me, however, wants to smack them along side the head and say, "HP was awesome in part because of it's organic growth. You can't force it with another series. Just let it happen with good writing and captivating stories."

Ech, we'll see.

Q&A with LaConnie Taylor-Jones

LaConnie Taylor-Jones holds advanced degrees in community public health and business administration and has written several scientific research publications for the past fifteen years. When not writing, she’s involved with the Contra Costa Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the African American Community Health Advisory Committee, and Black Women Organized for Political. An active member of the San Francisco Area and Black Diamonds chapters of RWA since 2003, Ms. Taylor-Jones has combined her writing skills with a twenty-five-year passion for reading romance in the completion of two full-length multicultural romance novels, When I’m With You and When A Man Loves A Woman.

What led you to the idea of writing this book, and then to the actual writing of it? The thing that got me from reader to author was my husband. In the spring of ’03, I was in bed reading a novel that was horrible. It was pass midnight and I think my husband was tired of hearing me whine about the book because he said, “Honey, if you can write a better book, do it, but baby, turn out the lights.” I took him up on the challenged and I’ve never looked back. The inspiration for both When I’m With You and When A Man Loves A Woman came from my experience as a health educator. For the last fifteen years, I’ve taught health education primarily to African American women in community-based settings. Oftentimes, before I can lecture on the risk factors associated with chronic diseases disproportionally impacting African Americans, I have to deal with the soci-economic deterrents women face. Unfortunately, abusive relationships top the list.

What have you learned throughout the process of writing, pitching - and now, promoting your book? The one thing I’ve learned as an author is that two fundamental elements exist between all three entities - tenacity and perseverance. If an author loses sight of the interchangeable connection between writing, pitching, and promoting, they will not be successful.

When you write a story and subsequently pitch it, the target audiences are publishers and agents. However, once that story has sold, you’ve got to promote it, thus the focus shifts to readers. So, as an author, I must use the same diligence to convince readers that my story is worth buying, as I did to convince publishers it was worth printing.

Any exciting things happening before or during the time period while the book is releasing? Absolutely!! For me a couple of things occur. One, I begin outlining the next story bouncing around in my head. Secondly, I work hard to balance writing that new story while promoting the story that’s already sold.

What aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most? I absolutely love sitting down in front of a blank computer screen and begin the process of bringing my characters and story plot to life. I’m very meticulous with this process because it’s important for me to give my readers a quality product. I want them to not only enjoy the story but understand the characters and their plight the way I do. Believe it or not, I also enjoy working on the revisions from my editor. She’s fantastic and so far, we’ve been able to work in total sync to take my writing to the next level.

Perhaps the one thing that I can live without is the tight turn-around deadlines I face once my book enters the production process. Sometimes, my revision deadlines come at a not-so-convenient time!!!

What do you feel is the key to writing convincing characters? An author must know every aspect of their characters. I don’t simply mean know their external characteristics (i.e. physical make-up), but an author must be intimately familiar with their internal characteristics - their thoughts, their likes, dislikes, and what they would and would not do in certain situations. Once this happens, it’s very easy to translate this on to paper to the point the characters become so vivid, readers momentarily have a hard time figuring out what’s real and what’s Memorex.

How did it feel to hold your first book? Holding that book in my hands for the first time was awesome!!! It was then that I realized how much had gone into turning a dream into reality.

What inspired you to become a romance writer? I’ve been an avid romance reader since I was a junior in college. In fact, I flunked an organic chemistry mid-term because I stayed up all night to finish reading my first romance novel. So, let it go on the record that the genre chose me!!

How do you feel about critique groups? I feel critique groups can be extremely beneficial to an author, but authors must be willing to accept the feedback that’s given — good, bad, or indifferent. All too often, an author only wants to hear the positive feedback relative to their stories and sometimes become testy when the group offers suggestions or recommendations for improvement. Conversely, critique groups should provided unbiased feedback, regardless to how well they know the author.

What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand? When an author says their characters are talking to them, they aren’t crazy nor or they ready to be hauled off to the nearest mental institution!!

What was the last book to keep you up at night reading it? The Hunted by L.A. Banks. It’s an awesome read and one I highly recommend!!!

What's your secret to balancing career and family? Learning to prioritize. Oftentimes, this means saying N-O to requests at the bottom of my meat chain and not feeling guilty for doing so.

What do you do to make time for yourself? Weekly visits to the beauty salon and monthly appointments to get the nails and toes pretty. Sometimes, I manage to treat myself to a ninety-minute deep tissue massage.

How can readers get in contact with you? (mail, email, website) I always enjoy hearing from readers. My website address is: www.laconnietaylorjones.com. Also, readers can follow the link on my contact page and drop me a note via e-mail at: lovestories@comcast.net. Plus, there’s also my snail mail address, which is 3377 Deer Valley Road – Antioch, CA 94531

Book: When I’m With You

Publisher: Genesis Press

ISBN: ISBN-10: 1585712507; ISBN-13: 978-1585712502

When your life has been terrorized by violence, how do you manage to go forward, looking over your shoulder at every turn? This is the daily question that haunts Caitlyn Thompson. She has been in hiding from an ex-boyfriend for three years, always careful not to slip up and allow him to find her again. Working for a neighborhood youth center, she has found her niche. This is something she believes in, having grown up in inner-city New Jersey herself. Submitting a grant request to a wealthy philanthropist foundation, Caitlyn is soon to meet the man who will make her want to stop running, want to trust and love again; Marcel Baptiste. It will take a will of iron and a courage she didn’t know she possessed to battle her fears and open up to the wealthy entrepreneur. But when violence comes knocking again, will she have the courage to face her biggest nightmare?

http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com/

Check out the trailer: http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com/WIMW_trailer.php

DECEMBER 12

Chat With Connie

8-9 pm eastern

contact sormag@yahoo.com for telephone chat reservations

Two Minute Book Review

As you may have noticed, I don't blog as much as I'd like to. Meaning that I seldom have time to write the detailed reviews that I used to. Instead, I'm going to try a two minute book review. I'll post the list of books I've read and one or two sentences about what I did or didn't like about them.

• Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher -- Totally love this series and how Butcher has raised the stakes through the nine titles.
• Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen -- Very clever. The protag is 10 years old. I love her innocence and pointed view on her life.
• The Trail of the Jedi by Jude Watson -- For those who wondered how exactly that cute little boy becomes Darth Vadar, these novellas might fill in some of the blanks. Of course, they are geared to kids who are just starting to read chapter books. Great for for shared reading.
• Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Bk. I) by Kelley Armstrong -- I won't be continuing this series. After reading three or four werewolf books, I've decided that they just are the sort of supernatural creature that I enjoy reading aobut.
• The Pardon by James Grippando -- Decent. A bit over the top at times but not a bad first effort. Promising enough that I've added the author to my list of books to continue following.
• White Night by Jim Butcher -- See above.
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyers -- Excellent writing, basic storyline. Word Nerd turned me on to this author and she really liked this one. It was good enough that I'll grab the next one, but not soon.
• Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher -- the other series written by Butcher. Dresdyn files is better, but this is a completely different class. The POV jumped around too much for me. If I had read it in a couple of sittings, instead of over the course of the week, I would have followed it better.
• Heartsick by Chelsea Cain -- Creepy. Women serial killers are much scarier than their male counterparts.
• Drop Shot by Harlan Coben -- Again, decent for a first novel. I'll be grabbing the next one of these too.
• Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult -- I love, love, love Jodi Picoult. Enough said.

Please, drop me a comment and let me know if the two minute book review format worked for you. Or if it didn't, what didn't work.

Sticking with the Series

After much soul-searching, er, reading, I decided to stick with the next set of trilogies for Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series. Basically, this interview series answered some of my objections and made me believe that the next book was worth the commitment.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Thanks, Writer Unboxed, for posting this.

By the way, if that series wasn't enough to convince you to read WU, they have Donald Maass there this week. What are you still doing reading this? Get over there.
(By the by, his Breakout Novel Workshop is simply amazing. He really pushed my writing to a new level.)

Cross posted at Starting Write Now.

When I'm with You by La Connie Taylor-Jones

Book: When I’m With You

Publisher: Genesis Press

ISBN: ISBN-10: 1585712507; ISBN-13: 978-1585712502

When your life has been terrorized by violence, how do you manage to go forward, looking over your shoulder at every turn? This is the daily question that haunts Caitlyn Thompson. She has been in hiding from an ex-boyfriend for three years, always careful not to slip up and allow him to find her again. Working for a neighborhood youth center, she has found her niche. This is something she believes in, having grown up in inner-city New Jersey herself. Submitting a grant request to a wealthy philanthropist foundation, Caitlyn is soon to meet the man who will make her want to stop running, want to trust and love again: Marcel Baptiste. It will take a will of iron and a courage she didn’t know she possessed to battle her fears and open up to the wealthy entrepreneur. But when violence comes knocking again, will she have the courage to face her biggest nightmare?

I haven't read this book yet, but it sounds fabulous. Next week, I plan to have more information about this author and her work posted. Stay tuned!

Bookworm Report, November 2007

It is so cold here, that I'll I want to do is hibernate.

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	5,139	19
2002	4,076	13
2003	2,448	7
2004	2,747	8
2005	3,410	10
2006	2,168	7
2007	3,931	11

• Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
• Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen
• The Trail of the Jedi by Jude Watson
• Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Bk. I) by Kelley Armstrong
• The Pardon by James Grippando
• White Night by Jim Butcher
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyers
• Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
• Heartsick by Chelsea Cain
• Drop Shot by Harlan Coben
• Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

For the year, I've read 162 books, or 59,395 pages, which averages to 15 books a month, or 5,400 pages per month, and an average book length of 367 pages.

I'm in the middle of about a dozen or so series. Keep the recommendations coming!

Bookworm Report, October 2007

Woo-hoo! Caught up!

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	5,880	15
2002	3,073	9
2003	2,129	5
2004	2,862	8
2005	4,064	11
2006	3,777	9
2006	7,018	19

• Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
• Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume by Jennifer O'Connell
• Lover Unbound by J R Ward
• Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz
• Left Behind and Loving It by Lynn Viehl
• Death Masks by Jim Butcher
• In The Cut by Susanna Moore
• The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
• 24 Hours by Greg Iles
• Create a Character Clinic by Holly Lisle
• If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend by Alison Pace
• Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy L Klasky
• Stealing Shadow by Kay Hooper
• Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
• Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
• The Prestige by Christopher Priest
• Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
• Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
• Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

For the year, I’ve read 151 books, or 55,464 pages, which averages to 16 books a month, or 5,546 pages per month, and an average book length of 366 pages.

Wow, that's a lot of reading. No wonder I haven't posted lately.

Bookworm Report, September 2007

Yes, it's true - another gigantic reading list.

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	1,507	4
2002	3,228	8
2003	0	0
2004	4,146	11
2005	3,408	8
2006	5,858	15
2007	6,427	22

• Murder in the Marais by Cara Black
• Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
• Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
• Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
• Something Blue by Emily Giffin
• Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life by Various
• Pale Immortal by Anne Frasier
• Thin Air by Rachel Caine
• Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
• Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier
• Magic's Child by Justine Larbalestier
• The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch) : Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge by Caitlin Friedman
• The Spinster Sisters by Stacey Ballis
• The Good, the Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison
• Garden of Darkness by Anne Frasier
• How to Murder a Millionaire by Nancy Martin
• Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die by Nancy Martin
• The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
• The Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice by Jude Watson
• The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
• Have your cake and kill him too : a Blackbird Sisters mystery by Nancy Martin
• A crazy little thing called death : a Blackbird Sisters mystery by Nancy Martin

Tomorrow looks promising for October's records. Maybe I'll even get some more reviews up.

Bookworm Report, August 2007

Time to catch-up and start posting again. No promises, but I'll see how it goes.

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	2,969	7
2002	3,440	9
2003	1,257	4
2004	3,619	9
2005	5,783	15
2006	4,301	11
2007	4,506	13

• The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer
• The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
• Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
• The Collectors by David Baldacci
• Lover Revealed : a Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J R Ward
• The Courier by Jay MacLarty
• Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret by Obert Skye
• Fear No Evil by Allison Brennan
• His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
• Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardiff
• The 6th target by James Patterson
• Throne of jade by Naomi Novik
• Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden

More catch-up tomorrow.

Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Title: Whale Song

Author: Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Genre: YA fiction

Summary: Eleven year old Sarah moves to Canada with her parents when her father accepts a post to study whales off the coastline. Even though she leaves everything behind, Sarah discovers that life can become complicated in a heartbeat. Or in the absence of one.

The Take-Away: One of the very charming aspects of Tardif's tale are the Eskimo stories that are woven naturally into the narrative. Sarah learns many of them from her new best friend's grandmother. Every one holds a lesson about life, but Sarah and Goldie love them for the adventure and strength of the characters. Sarah draws on this strength when her father is forced to decide whether or not to fulfill her mother's wishes: Don't let her live through the assistance of a machine.

While this aspect of the book is the focus of the marketing, really, it's not until the end that the reason for it becomes apparent. Many of the challenges Sarah developed as much of her character. Sarah is one of the only white children in her new hometown and is subjected to racism. One classmate has a father who physically and mentally abuses her.

The narrative does flow Sarah into adulthood. The story didn't give enough time to show her grow and change her voice, however. The same girl tells every aspect of the story, even though the initial narrative is told from the eleven-year-old's point of view. I also felt that more time could have been spent developing the historic setting. After all, assisted suicide is controversial today; in 1977 it would have been explosive. Sarah withdraws into herself, and little interaction between her and the rest of the town is relayed. Understandably, Sarah draws on the same artistic bent that was her mother's livelihood.

Recommendation: It's a tough topic that is handled well. Definitely read it with your child.

Technorati tag: Book review

Bookworm Report, July 2007

This was a banner month of reading for me. The best, in fact, that I've had since I've been married. I can explain this anomaly, though.

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	2,795	7
2002	2,439	6
2003	1,222	3
2004	2,006	5
2005	4,216	11
2006	4,216	11
2007	8,601	17

• Judge & Jury by James Patterson
• The Killing Hour by Lisa Gardner
• Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson
• Simple Genius by David Baldacci
• Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye
• The Bible by Various
• Storm Front by Jim Butcher
• The Pact by Jodi Picoult
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
• Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
• Solomon vs. Lord by Paul Levine
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
• Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
• See No Evil by Allison Brennan
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
• Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

For the year, I've read 97 books, or 37,150 pages, which averages to 12 books a month, or 4,644 pages per month, and an average book length of 383 pages.

Just a note, this month was a wrap up month for me. I wrapped up reading the Bible, Mansfield Park, The Pact and Judge & Jury, while two of the three Harry Potter books were re-reads. In other words, the anomaly can be explained.

But I can't promise that it won't happen again. I'm not anticipating a paradigm shift, but one never knows.

Harry Potter Book 7 Predictions

Typically, I post a book review today. However, I re-read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in anticipation of this weekend's events. Instead of reviewing the books, I want to share my thoughts on the series finale.

At the end of Book 5, Sirius Black dies. I believe his death serves two purposes, both from a writer's point of view. One, it raises the stakes for Harry. When writing, an author constantly needs to think, "How can I make this worse? What other tragedy can I inflict on my characters?" Taking away a support system like Sirius is monumental to Harry. While the Weasleys are wonderful and love Harry to pieces, they aren't quite family. Sirius is both father and brother to Harry.

Two, it establishes that dead is dead. At the ending of Book 6, when Dumbledore is killed, no one wants to believe it: characters or readers. David Haber went as far as creating a website to document why he believed that Dumbledore lives. However, I believe that Sirius had to die in order for JK Rowling to establish that dead is dead. As a reader, I'm really hoping that Dumbledore finds a way to be in the book.

While the end of Book 6 established that Harry, Ron and Hermione won't be going back to Hogwarts, I predict that Ginny will try to find a way to join them. She's not the sort of girl to sit on the sidelines. If she does stay (or more likely is forced to stay) at Hogwarts, Harry will end up in some sort of adventure there at her request.

I also predict that the two characters that are going to die will be Ron and Hermione. Again, this is a raise the stakes, darkest hour before the dawn, etc. sort of thing. Those are the two most important people to Harry and have been throughout the series. I won't like it if it happens, but I predict it nonetheless.

Finally, I predict that Harry's defeat of Lord Voldemort will be the result of skill, not luck. In both Books Five and Six, much is made of Harry's luck by other characters. By Book Six, however, Harry's actions are deliberate, requiring advanced magic. I'm sure that this will be part of the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort's fatal error as they will underestimate Harry's skills.

I have some thoughts on other minor characters, like Neville Longbottom, Kreatcher, Luna Lovegood, but won't go into them here. Already, this post is longer than my typical offering.

What are your thoughts on the finale?