Friends

( 1-25 )

26. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - I remember trying to read this book back in the day and hating it but I had to read it for class and didn't mind it. I mean I didn't think it was as spectacular as it's supposed to be but I understand why it is because it was the first one out of this type of genre. So yeah, it was okay.

27. Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - Another book I had to read for school. Most depressing book everrr.

Book #49
Book Title: Hard Rock to Solid Rock
Author: Darrell Huckaby
Category: nonfiction; religious; inspirational
# of pages: 254
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: A
Short description/summary of the book: (taken from amazon.com):Lenny Stadler emerged from a life of drugs, sex, and rock-and-roll to become a living example of the transforming power of a risen Lord. Today he is the Senior Pastor of one of the largest United Methodist churches in his native state. Dr. Stadler holds a Masters of Divinity from Duke Divinity School and the Doctor of Ministry Degree from Asbury Theological Seminary.
It is Stadler’s hope that in allowing Huckaby to tell the story of his journey, others will realize the possibilities that the of Jesus Christ offers for their lives. Huckaby does tell Stadler’s story, injecting his own inimitable blend of Southern humor and insight into the human condition. The result is a work that is certain to keep you entertained and make you think. It could possibly change your life.
Hard Rock to Solid Rock tells how God nurtured the seeds of faith that had been planted in this young man at an early age and enabled them to grow and flourish through almost total darkness. It is a fascinating story of one man’s journey and a strong testimony to the power of God’s amazing grace.
From the very first words of Hard Rock to Solid Rock, author Darrell Huckaby captures the desperation in the life of Lenny Stadler--a native of a small town--a Baby Boomer who was determined to ride the wave of Southern Rock to fame and fortune. However, God had other plans for this young man's life and Huckaby tells, in his own unique style, how one man was changed forever by the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
It is Lenny Stadler's hope that in allowing his friend, Darrell Huckaby, to tell the story of his journey, others will realize the possibilities that the power of Jesus Christ offers for their lives. Huckaby does tell Stadler's story, injecting his own inimitable blend of southern humor and insight into the human condition. The result is a work that is certain to keep you entertained, inspired, and to make you think. It could possibly change your life!
...The yellow sports car looked strangely out of place, zooming along the rural back roads near Reidsville, NC...For that matter, so too did the long-haired young man behind the wheel. Anyone who looked into the young man's eyes would have found them to be filled with fear; fear and hopelessness. They were the eyes of a dead man. Spiritually and emotionally dead, at least -- and he was now determined to end his physical life as well. The speedometer needle soared as he drove his car faster and faster. The tires squealed as he pushed the high-performance engine to its very limits...


My Thoughts: I found this to be an uplifting and inspirational story that I have heard before because Lenny Stadler was my former preacher when I lived in North Carolina. However I hadn't heard the story in as much detail as Huckaby told in this book. Every year Lenny gave his testimony and every year it was such a fascinating experience to hear the transformation that Lenny went through to get to where he is today. If you like a great religious and inspirational stories then this is a book that you should read.

Books read this year: 49/50. I'm 98% done!


Next read(s): I am not sure but I just have to read one more book to meet my goal!

85. Garden Spells (Bantam Discovery) - (11/15) - Sarah Addison Allen 320p
4/5

I haven't read a chick lit in a really long time, so it was enjoyable ... plus, it had a little something extra.  Not great, but enjoyable.


84. Cosmicomics - (11/11) - Italo Calvino 153p

4/5 

My first Calvino and I liked it.  Very funny.  I'm looking forward to reading more.

83. Out: A Novel - (11/2) - Natsuo Karino 400p
3/5

I don't know what I feel about this book ... It was well done, but I can't say I enjoyed it


82. The Modern Neurosis Handbook: A Guide to Coping - (10/26) - Andrea Sarvady 144p

Not funny.  Not worth reading

81. The Catcher in the Rye - (10/24) - JD Salinger 224p
5/5

This may have been a re-read, I honestly can't remember.  The first part was really funny - but ultimately, I found it more depressing than Bell Jar.  


80. The Bell Jar - (10/19) - Sylvia Plath 288p
5/5

LOVED IT! If Harper hadn't send me this randomly, I probably never would have read it.  I'm so glad they did.  


79. When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder Mysteries) - (10/18) - Lawrence Block 354p

4/5

I read this 'cuz Craig Ferguson had the guy from How I Met Your Mother on his show and they were talking about this book, and it got me curious.  I liked it. 

78. Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas - (10/15) - Tom Robbins 386p

4/5 - this was a re-read as well.  I had forgotten it started with a stock market crash ... hmmm, remind me of anything?  Oh yeah, my missing 401K

77. Curse of the Spellmans: A Novel - (10/11) - Lisa Lutz 416p

3/5
 
I think this book tried too hard to be clever and didn't really deliver. There wasn't one footnote worth reading. I'll give the third book a shot, but if it's not better than this, I'm done with the series.

76. Coyote Blue - (9/30) - Christopher Moore 320p

This was a re-read.  It's not my favorite Moore. :-)

75. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - (9/22) - Steig Larsson 480p
5/5

I really liked this book, it was sort of a mystery/thriller, but it took place in Sweden and that made it unique. 

74. Amazonia - (9/18) - James Rollins 544p

James Rollins books aren't exactly masterpieces, but they are creative and fun so I liked this.



My complete 2008 list can be found here

Are you a member of Shelfari?  Join our 50 Book Challenge group there.

Tithe by Holly Black [A Modern Faerie Tale, Book 1]
My Edition: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, March 2004, Trade Paperback
First Published: October 2002, Hardcover
Cover Illustration and Design – Sammy Yuen Jr.

Kaye is your typical sixteen-year-old rebellious teenager:  one with a messed up family who smokes, drinks, and who’s also dropped out of high school. But, when her mother moves them back to her childhood town in New Jersey she gets caught up in a rivalry between two feuding faerie kingdoms, which becomes very hazardous to her health.

 

My initial reaction after reading this story is I’m not sure if I liked or disliked this book. It was mostly a jumbled mess of a fairy-tale, with some characters thrown in, and a random plot that was hard to keep track of. The secondary characters basically got no development. I’m hoping for more back story in the next book of the series. Sometimes, it seemed as though I missed a paragraph or two, the dialogue wasn’t as smoothly written as it could have been, and that left the novel feeling like it could have been a bit longer perhaps.

It wins points, though, for being a darker teen supernatural novel, which is a nice change of pace. And for having a cute love interest. (No matter how unoriginal that is.)

3/5

Recommended For: 13+

King of Thorn #2 by Yuji Iwahara
( THorn )

Summer Knight – Jim Butcher
( Summer )

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

( Surgeon )

I was wondering if it would be alright if I joined this challenge for the start of next year? I would really love to give this a try seeings as how I usually don't keep track of how many pages I read in a year just usually books. But I wanted to make sure it was ok for me to be joining/posting here. I don't want to step on anyones toes =o)  I look forward to joining you guys in your challenge.

I've just finished reading Transformation by Carol Berg. I really didn't think I was going to like it and was delighted to find that it was fabulous. A simple story (slave, trying to get used to the idea of just giving up, finds that his cruel master is likely to save the world and must be protected) but original and very well done. There's really good character development in this one and, although it says there are likely to be sequels, it stands perfectly well on its own. The story was captivating and well worth a read.

66.  Peony in Love, by Lisa See.  273 pages.  (2008)

Grade: B+

This is a historical novel set in 17th Century China.  Peony is on the edge of sixteen, and in love with the drama The Peony Pavilion, and with a poet she meets at a performance of the opera. 

Fascinating details of traditional Chinese culture, from medicine to the  Afterworld to foot-binding.  And well-written.

#43 Title: Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson #4) by Keri Arthur
( Read more... )
Notes: Not one of my favorite in the series but still a good enough read for the paranormal-romance's lovers.
The most aggravating thing in the story was, for me, the whole love triangle Riley-Quinn-Kellen that is going on for a long time and Riley's relative musing about who's best between the two: she has the same arguments pro/contro both of them she had from the start so it's just annoying! Usually I don't have a problem with this type of situations, they make romance more interesting after all, but after a while there should be a choice between the two contending part and I think that the author waited a little too long in making Riley choose (I won't give any spoiler but in the end she finally made a choice!).

#44 Title: Embraced by Darkness (Riley Jenson #5) by Keri Arthur
( Read more... )
Notes: Liked it better than the previous one, after all the love-triangle situation seems solved (SPOILER even if it doesn't last!), but the conclusion of both "mysteries" was too rushed in my point of view.
The author built really well the increasing suspense but it seemed to me that, at the breaking point, after saying for 300 pages how difficult was to kill the bad guys, it all ended a little too quickly. I don't know how to explain it but I had the impression that, while Riley worked hard for the whole book trying to have the upper hand, at the end the bad guys die as they suddenly run out of luck...does it make any sense?! Am I the only one that had this impression?

#45 Title: The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson #6) by Keri Arthur
( Read more... )
Notes: Nothing to grumble about this one: I liked it! Both the romance side and the mystery side of the story were really interesting and, even if Riley's sentimental life maybe is more messed up than ever, I have the impression it's moving and going somewhere unlike the stasis I felt through book 2-4. I hope the next book in the series will keep up to my expectations

#46 Title: Stray (Werecats #1) by Rachel Vincent
( Read more... )
Notes: Loved it!!!!!!! Everything about this book kept me locked till the end: the characters, the dialogues, the plot (duh!) and I absolutely loved the pack dynamics (different species -cats v wolves- but same interests)! I think that the reason I liked it so much is due to the fact that it gives you the whole package; in the book, in fact, you can find in equal measure humor, mystery, romance & action!

#47 Title: The Becoming (Anna Strong #1) by Jeanne C. Stein
( Read more... )
Notes: The few reviews I read about this book were quite contradictory and since they picked up my curiosity I went and read it.
One of those reviews was quite negative saying that the plot and the characters were dull and it was clear from the start who was the bad guy that kidnapped David. I don't think it was that clear! Maybe it's just me but, till the bad guy in question was revealed, I still had my doubts about who was the responsible of the kidnapping so I enjoyed the story and, while one can't say it outright differs from the ones on the genre, I particularly like these settings so I'll continue to read about Anna Strong's adventures.

#48 Title: Alpha & Omega -short story from "On The Prowl" Anthology- (Prequel of "Cry Wolf") by Patricia Briggs
( Read more... )
Notes: This is the prequel for the "Alpha and Omega" series and you really should read it before starting "Cry Wolf" since it gives you the background of Anna and Charles' story. It's the same universe of Mercy Thompson's series (but the attention here is focused on her old pack) so you'll meet some characters you know already but that's pretty much the only thing they have in common. The female character is very different from Mercy and the tone of the story is somehow darker. The story is told by different pov, not only Anna's, and sometimes could be a little confusing (more so in "Cry Wolf") but all in all, if you don't expect it to be like Mercy's books, it's a good story and an interesting start for a new series.

#49 Title: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
( Read more... )
Notes: A slow start but the story gets more interesting as you carry on and in the end it'll have you hooked.
Mercy Thompson series is still my favorite between the two but this one has the potential to be quite as good.

#50 Title: Bareback by Chris Owen
( Read more... )
Notes: A lot of the book is about the sex but there's a good plot too and it shows Jake & Tor relationship in a time frame of 10 years so it's quite realist in the up&down a story that long can have. My favorites parts are the ones at the beginning when the two characters are still at each other throats for this or that...the mud scene in particular was awesome!

#51 Title: Howling at the Moon by Karen MacInerney
( Read more... )
Notes: Funny and likable story, halfway the urban fantasy and the chick-lit genre, about the problem of a city werewolf. The end of the book left a lot of things unsaid and I'm quite curious about what will happen to Sophie in the next one (which is just out).


-->51/50 books-->DONE
-->16416/15000 pages -->DONE

( Book read (since Dec 1st '07)  )

I finished, yesterday, Mark Stein's book How the States Got Their Shape, which gives some interesting background into the odd shapes that most of the US states have. It covers a lot of history, and does a good job of explaining most of it. Nicely done.

Welcome to a Very Special Edition of LJ News.

Moving Day and What It Means for You

Moving What Where?

The long-awaited server move takes place this Tuesday, November 18, at 8:00 a.m. PST. We're moving the site from servers based in San Francisco to the servers in our new data center in Montana. A massive data move like this takes a lot of heavy lifting, and to haul all that data from San Francisco to Montana, we have to take the site down, starting at 8:00 a.m. PST on Tuesday morning. We don't think the move will take more than four hours, but there's always the possibility that it could take longer (the best laid plans and all).

What Does This Mean for You?

During the downtime, nothing on LJ will be available—no posting, no Friends page, no LJ mail, nada. When we bring the site back up, we're going to ease into it rather than open up a floodgate of traffic. Posting might not be immediately available or the site could be slow to load for a while.

New servers mean new IP addresses, so it's possible that LJ mail might not reach your email inbox because your email provider or client doesn't recognize the new IP addresses. We're working with email providers to whitelist the new IPs. There are a few things you can do on your end:

• Add these two IP addresses to your "allowed senders" list (or whitelist) and address book in your email client: 208.93.0.18 and 208.93.0.50. These are the new IPs for sending comments notifications and LJ mail to your email inbox.


• Add lj_notify@livejournal.com and webmaster@livejournal.com to your email address book.

If you can't edit the spam or junk filters in your email client, you may need to disable them entirely. Make these changes just before 8:00 a.m. PST on Tuesday morning or shortly after the site comes back up to ensure that your LJ mail makes it to your inbox.

Those of you who use domain aliasing to forward your domain to your LiveJournal will need to create a CNAME record that maps to livejournal.com. Please note that we're no longer supporting the A record. For more information, check the domain forwarding FAQ.

Before the move, you can check lj_maintenance for complete details about the planned downtime. During the move, you can check status.livejournal.org for updates about the site's status.

Permanent Account Sale Delayed

We regret to inform you that due to the server move, the Permanent Account sale has been pushed back to December 4, rather than November 20 as announced in the last news post. After the virtual dust has settled from the move, we'll be able to turn our attention to the Permanent Account sale. Except for the start date, the details remain the same: You have a limited opportunity to purchase LJ for life for only $175. It's a bummer to delay the sale, but on the bright side, you have more time to save up.

But What About A La Carte Userpics?

We know we promised more information about a la carte userpics, and we're sorry that details have not been forthcoming (blame it on the move). We're still planning on having a la carte userpics, but we don’t have any details yet. When the move is over, we'll have more information. We're sorry for the delay.

Title: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Rating: 5/5
Book: 62
Pages: 629
Total Pages 22,725 pages
Next up: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I loved this book so much. So far, Twilight and Eclipse are my favourite of the series. I read this one slower so that I could make it last longer. I'm not ready to read Breaking Dawn and leave Edward and Bella's world.

xposted to 50bookchallenge, 15000pages and thirdwatch_gurl

( Book Description from book jacket or back of the book: )

Title: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Rating: 5/5
Book: 62
Pages: 629
Total Pages 22,725 pages
Next up: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I loved this book so much. So far, Twilight and Eclipse are my favourite of the series. I read this one slower so that I could make it last longer. I'm not ready to read Breaking Dawn and leave Edward and Bella's world.

xposted to 50bookchallenge, 15000pages and thirdwatch_gurl

( Book Description from book jacket or back of the book: )

31. The Keepsake - Tess Gerritsen

Fiction/Suspense/Thriller/Mystery

For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston's Crispin Museum. Now its sudden rediscovery by museum staff is both a major coup and an attention-grabbing mystery. Dubbed "Madam X," the mummy - to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact - seems a ghoulish godsend for the financially struggling institution. But medical examiner Maura Isles soon discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse - horrifying proof that this "centuries-old" relic is instead a modern-day murder victim.

To Maura and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, the forensic evidence is unmistakable, its implications terrifying. And when the grisly remains of yet another woman are found in the hidden recesses of the museum, it becomes chillingly clear that a maniac is at large - and is now taunting them.

Another amazing work from Gerritsen. The woman's talent never ceases to amaze me.

The characters of Maura and Jane have become even more dynamic, more real and easier to identify with. The new characters have had fantastic life breathed into them as well. The plot was very well written. With just enough twists and turns to keep things interesting, Gerritsen glossed over any possible loopholes and made sense of everything at the end. An ending that was a surprise, even if I had my suspicions from the beginning.

All in all, I give Tess Gerritsen's The Keepsake four stars out of a possible five. I'd definitely re-read it. I highly recommend it!

#34 - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

GENRE OF WORK: Young Adult FIction
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005

****

Jacket Description

"Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite."

Review

Stephanie Meyer has created a winning formula by injecting the popular mythology of the vampire into the coming age tale of stubborn protagonist Bella Swan. The characters may sometimes seem exaggerated and the wrting bogged down by adverbs and adjectives, but the characters are enrapturing enough to ensnare the reader into their tale of forbidden love and lurking danger. A light and entertaining exercise in escapism that keeps you hooked until the last page and leaves you hungry for more, of which there is plenty in the subsequent books of the series.

BOOKS: 33/50
PAGES: 7544

95. Torchwood: Pack Animals- Peter Anghelides, 250 pages, 3.5/5
Not bad. Rift creatures depicted on Mastaquest (think Magic: The Gathering) game cards are coming to life and wreaking havoc all over Cardiff. There's quite a bit of Jack/Ianto thrown in for all the fangirls too.

96. Torchwood: Skypoint- Phil Ford, 250 pages, 3.5/5
Another solid spin off, this one about a block of flats called Skypoint where people are going missing. Owen and Tosh move into one together undercover as newlyweds so it's very Tosh/Owen angsty in places.

97. Torchwood: Almost Perfect- James Goss, 250 pages, 3.5/5
I take back what I said about Pack Animal's being for the fangirls. This one reads like it was copied and pasted from livejournal! I loved it and it shows they know their audience. Also Jack talking to the machine at the end made me squee!

98. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs- Tom Baker, 126 pages, 3/5
This was a very short book and every other page was an illustration which made it even shorter but I had to buy it just because it's Tom Baker. The blurb on the back quotes Ardal O'Hanlon: 'Grotesque and depraved and above all very funny.' I'd amend that to quite funny and I thought it was good but a word of warning- the ending is not for the squeamish.

99. Interview with the Vampire- Anne Rice, 368 pages, 4/5
I thought this started a bit slow but the second half I was gripped. I've seen the movie but that was more than ten years ago and I can't remember how similar the story was. I'll definitely read the next couple of books in the series though a few people have told me the later ones aren't so good.

100. The Revenge of Gaia- James Lovelock, 204 pages. 2.5/5
I didn't find myself agreeing with a lot of Lovelock's arguments for ways to fight climate change, though we both want the same thing in the end. He made some interesting points that were food for thought but he was patronising with it and he occasionally came across as a bit of a pompous old fart.

Books: 100, Pages:26891

Currently reading Notes on a Scandal

Title: Our Children's Children
Author: Clifford D. Simak
Year: 1974
# of Pages: 189
Date read: 9/2/2008
Rating: 3*/5 = good


Description:

"They were our children's children, and they came one day from nowhere -- walking through holes in the air into our world. By means of one-way time tunnels, they fled the ravening beasts with teeth, claws and tentacles, that reproduced like bacteria and were intelligent.

They fled to escape the uncontrollable horror of their own far future, and we, their distant ancestors, housed and ed and comforted them, content in their assurance that the tunnel was securely guarded from the beasts, whatever or whoever they were.

But then somebody up there slipped and the beasts were abroad..." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good science fiction book with lots of untapped potential. I liked the interactions between the people from the future and the ones in the present. At the end, however, I found myself wondering what happens next and being a little disappointed that there were so many unanswered questions.