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

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.

Favorite Characters to Love

Even after closing some books, the characters stay with you. Here are my Top Five Lingering Characters:

1. Clare, from The Time Traveler's Wife. Her resolve, patience and confidence is inspiring. She always trusts Henry to come back, to be what she needs him to be. I cannot imagine the difficulties of marriage on top of the fact that your husband pops in & out of your life, at different ages each time.
2. Laura, from the Little House on the Prairie books. I haven't read these since I was in grade school, but the massive amounts of snow we had remind me of the sleigh ride that Laura and Alzonzo took as part of their courtship.
3. Ben, from Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! series. Even though he is sure something is up (it is a magic kingdom and he is a lawyer,) he buys it. It comes with its very own bad guy. Ben never gives up. He truly wants to do what is in the best interest of the country. Admirable, really, how he stands up in the face of danger that he could just walk away from.
4. Lizzie, from Pride and Prejudice. I love her confidence and self-assurance. I'm positive that's what wins Darcy over in the end too, even though she's not his equal, socially.
5. Beatrice, from Much Ado About Nothing. Another feisty woman who stands up for herslef and those who have been wronged.

What characters stick with you? Why?

Bookworm Report, December 2007

I hope your Christmas was very merry and your new year started out bright. I'm not much of a resolution maker, but I've seen a few posts that reminded me of some life philosophies that I haven't thought about in a while. I'll probably post about them soon.

On to The List!

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	4,032	14
2002	2,017	4
2003	1,305	4
2004	4,647	15
2005	3,909	9
2006	3,360	9
2007	2,161	6

• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
• Live Bait by P.J. Tracy
• An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
• The Extremists by Christopher Priest
• Dead Run by P.J. Tracy
• Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

For 2007, I read 168 books, or 61,556 pages, which averages to 14 books a month, or 5,130 pages per month, and an average book length of 366 pages.

2007: 168 books; 61,556 pages

2006: 127 books; 47,694 pages

2005: 114 books; 42,519 pages

2004: 94 books; 33,910 pages

2003: 54 books; 20,673 pages

2002: 87 books; 32,812 pages

2001: 164 books; 49,482 pages

A complete listing for 2007 will appear some weekend.

My reading goal should be interesting, if I'm able to stick to it.

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.

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.

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

Assisted Suicide

Not the sort of thing you'd expect to see on my blog, huh? Tomorrow's book review covers this topic, however. Cheryl was gracious enough to provide a bio and I thought it would be a great to for my readers to get a sneak peek of tomorrow's controversial review.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif is the author of the 2007 bestselling, controversial, assisted suicide novel Whale Song. Booklist calls Whale Song “moving…perennially crowd-pleasing…sweet and sad”. Booklist raves, “Tardif, already a big hit in Canada…a name to reckon with south of the border”.

She is also the author of the 2005 action-packed conspiracy thriller The River--a “mile-a-minute pot-boiler myster[y]”, says the Edmonton Sun. The River is both thought provoking and terrifying. It is based loosely on legends about the Nahanni River area of Canada’s Northwest Territories, legends of headless corpses washing up on its shores. This area has often been called the ‘Bermuda Triangle of Canada’.

Her 2004 “sizzling psychic suspense” novel Divine Intervention is a thriller about a group of psychic government agents and their search for a deadly serial arsonist who is leaving behind a burning trail of corpses. This novel has been compared to shows like ‘Medium’ and ‘CSI’, and novels by Kay Hooper and J.D. Robb.

Cheryl has also had numerous short stories, articles and poetry published over the years, although her main passion is fiction with a twist of mystery, suspense or horror. All of her novels to date―Whale Song, in particular―have received inquiries from the film industry, including Hollywood interest.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband and daughter, and is working on three new novels of suspense. When asked about her work, she enjoys telling people, “I’m busy killing people off. You could call me a serial killer. But remember…I write suspense fiction.’ 

Tomorrow...my thoughts on the book.

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?

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye

Title: Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Author: Obert Skye

Genre: Fantasy, First in a Series

Summary: The world of dreams -- Foo -- is in danger of collapsing if Leven Thumps does not trust Fate and stay awake.

The Take-Away: Leven has some requisite fantasy elements, like the lack of parents and a heritage that is bigger than he is. However, great writing makes this story rise to the crop. The opening line is just a taste of what is in store: “It was at least forty degrees above warm.” I didn't want this book to end and was thrilled that the second in the series is already out.

Leven has several side kicks that made the book. First is Winter, another child with unfortunate and ambivalent parents. She has a special gift that will aid Leven in his quest. Next is Clover, a sycophant with an bottomless pocket. Geth is the final character, a Lithin that trusts Fate to bring the four of them together.

While the book resides in the YA section, it is charming, the same way that the first Harry Potter is charming. This is definitely a series to watch for.

Recommendation: Get it.

Bonus Review: Writer Unboxed

Technorati tag: Book review

Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra

Title: Graffiti Girl

Author: Kelly Parra

Publisher: MTV/Pocket Books
Address

9781416534617, $9.95, May 2007, 256

Genre: YA Fiction

Summary: Angel Rodriguez wants to take her art further and the school's competition for painting a mural seems to be the place. Angel isn't selected as one of the three finalists, but finds herself torn between the good boy who was and the bad boy who should have been.

The Take-Away: I loved how Angel was positioned between the good kids and the bad kids. When Nathan Ramos -- the good guy -- and Miguel Badalin -- the bad boy -- both try to lure her into their own worlds of art, Angel has to make tough decisions about who she is and what she stands for. Her feelings of alienation from her mother and best friend force her to decide without guidance from those she cares about. Angel, inspite of her name, is one tough kid. Reading about her decision will captive the teen in us all.

One unique aspect of the title was the introductory lines to each chapter. Angel's intimate thoughts about her growing graffiti career give the reader insight to the slang used by graf artist as well as providing the reader with a sneak peek of what's to come in the chapter. They were probably my favorite part of the book.

Recommendation: Get this one for the teenage girl in your life.

Technorati tag: Book review

Bookworm Report, June 2006

This has been a banner month for me, both in page count and number of books read.

Bookworm Review
Year	Pages	Books
2001	3,375	7
2002	1,975	5
2003	2,560	7
2004	2,608	6
2005	4,435	13
2006	3,386	7
2007	5904	16

• The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
• The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud
• Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud
• The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon
• For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison
• Open Season by C. J. Box
• The Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor
• In a Country of Mothers by A. M. Homes
• Hide by Lisa Garnder
• Savage Run by C. J. Box
• Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult
• He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot by Stephanie Rowe
• Murder…Suicide…Whatever by Gwen Freeman
• The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis
• Grafitti Girl by Kelly Parra
• Alone by Lisa Garnder

For the year, I've read 80 books, or 28,549 pages, which averages to 13 books a month, or 4,758 pages per month, and an average book length of 357 pages.

How is your summer going?