Review: Throne of Jade

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (Temeraire, book 2)
4.5 stars

Reasons for reading: Loved the first book; Seconds Challenge (though slightly cheaty as I'd planned to read a different book, but this is still a second!)

Synopsis: "When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo–an unhatched dragon’s egg–Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await."

First line: "The day was unseasonably warm for November, but in some misguided deference to the Chinese embassy, the fire in the Admiralty had been heaped excessively high and Laurence was standing directly before it."

My thoughts: Another late review, oops! But this was a great sequel to His Majesty's Dragon. It was really interesting to see the interactions between the Chinese and British groups. I felt sad for Temeraire when he discovered how well dragons are treated in Asia as opposed to their near-servant status in Britain. Laurence is his usual stand-up self, his main concern being Temeraire, even when it means standing up to his own government. There's international intrigue aplenty as the Chinese seem to be trying to get Temeraire back, perhaps even at the cost of Laurence's life. I couldn't imagine how things were going to work out, but I knew they had to because there are (thankfully) more books! The way around the difficulties was rather a cunning solution, which was satisfying.

The verdict: I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Review: The Dead and the Gone

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I was riveted by Pfeffer's first book; Seconds Challenge

From the publisher: "Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle. With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities."

First line: "At the moment when life as he had known it changed forever, Alex Morales was behind the counter at Joey's Pizza, slicing a spinach pesto pie into eight roughly equal pieces."

My thoughts: This book was an interesting companion to Life As We Knew It (note the echo in the first line) because it was about a girl in a fairly rural area who still had her mother with her. Alex lives in New York City and suddenly becomes the only parental figure to his younger sisters. LAWNI was also told from Miranda's first-person perspective in her diary, while this book is in third person.

I didn't find that this book had quite the atmosphere of the first book - I remember really feeling the presence of the looming moon in the first book. Perhaps in the city it wouldn't make as much of an impression, or perhaps Pfeffer felt she'd already done that. The realities of city life during a disaster were pretty well-drawn - death and rats and danger, though I think Alex managed to look after the girls well enough that they didn't experience the full horror.

Faith plays a central role in the book, which isn't something that comes up in most of the YA novels I've read. Alex's sister Briana is so devout she's almost a nun already, while Alex struggles with his faith when confronted with the horrors of the disaster. Even under horrible conditions, the daily acts of prayer and attending church play a large part in the Morales siblings' lives.

The book ends with a tiny spark of hope, but overall I'd say it's even bleaker than the first one.

The verdict: Another good survival/disaster story from Pfeffer.

Review: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I loved the first book in this series; Seconds Challenge

Synopsis: "Gregor learns of his role in another Underland prophecy, yet he swears he will never return to that place. But his vow crumbles when his little sister, Boots, is snatched. Gregor knows it is a ploy to lure him to the subterranean world, but he gives in and heads back underground, where he is reunited with his bat, Ares, the princess Luxa, and new allies. Together, they descend into the deadly Waterway in search of an ominous rat known as Bane. But Gregor must face the possibility of his greatest loss yet, and make life and death choices that will determine the future of the Underland."

First line: "When Gregor opened his eyes he had the distinct impression that someone was watching him."

My thoughts: The second book in this series is a great read, too! I was concerned it would just ben another "adventure" that was exactly the same as the first, but Collins manages to fit it into the format she established (Gregor has to go on a quest to fulfill a confusing prophecy for the Underlanders) while still including fresh elements. Boots is as adorable as ever. The underground creatures like enormous rats and roaches continue to be fascinating, and are joined by funny but very annoying giant fireflies who eat like pigs and bicker constantly. Gregor's connection to the Underland continues to grow, especially as he learns that he has a special capacity for fighting. Princess Luxa didn't play as much of a role as she did in the first book, I hope there will be more of her in the next one. Also, I hope that Gregor's dad regains his strength and his character develops and he's able to join in the adventures.

The verdict: A great sequel!

Review: Sundays at Tiffany's

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
2 stars

Reasons for reading: Turned out the book I'd taken on a trip was one I'd already read (darn British titles being changed in North America!), so I picked this up at the drugstore based on my Holly Golightly-like love for Tiffany's; it ended up accidentally being my 2nd James Patterson book so is now on my Seconds Challenge list

Barnes & Noble Summary: "Jane grew up very rich and very lonely. Her mother was much too busy with her Broadway theater company to be close to her nervous, introspective daughter. In fact, Jane had only one true friend, and he was imaginary. For years, "Michael" nurtured her in her solitude, amusing and comforting her with jokes and camaraderie. Decades later, Jane is still lonely and, though she is a successful playwright, still chained to her mother. Then one day, as if magically, Michael reappears. And this time he's real… "

My thoughts: This was an little odd book. Mr. Thriller Patterson teaming up with a children's author? Strange. I was intrigued by the premise, it's a cute idea - an imaginary friend coming back into one's life as an adult. But it's never really explained why Michael comes back, why Jane remembered him when all other kids forget, what exactly he is and why he's suddenly human... I guess the answer is supposed to be that they're soul-mates and it's all about the power of love, which is a theme I'm in favour of, but the whole thing was just a bit too lightweight for me.

The verdict: Romance and soul-mates, yay! New York theatre people, yay! Afternoons spent at Tiffany's and then hot fudge sundaes at a swanky hotel, yay! But overall...meh.

Review: Three Can Keep a Secret

Three Can Keep a Secret by Judy Clemens
3.5 stars

Reasons for reading: I enjoyed Clemens' first Stella Crown book, Till the Cows Come Home, last year so chose this one for the Seconds Challenge.

Description: "When Stella Crown hires a new farmhand to help run her Pennsylvania dairy business, she gets more than she bargained for. The Mennonite widow arrives burdened not only with grief, but with rumors of infidelity and murder. And a young child. Stella herself is battling deep sorrow over the loss of her long-time friend and employee Howie and worries over her shaky finances. Before you know it, she is coping with an influx of nasty in-laws, heartbroken beaus, and spiteful vandalism. Determined to protect herself and her farm, Stella sets out to discover the truth while trying to give her new employee a respectful benefit of the doubt. Meanwhile, Stella's good friend and fellow biker Lenny is riding a crisis. At one moment jovial, the next angry and suspicious, Lenny is haunted by pain and secrets he won't share with Stella. His odd behavior is soon complimented by bizarre attacks on his home and his business. Now there are two people close to Stella with undisclosed pasts. And the saying, "Three can keep a secret, if two are dead," suddenly gains new and terrible meaning."

First line: "Dr Rachel Peterson stepped back and shook her head. 'I have to tell you, Stella. I'm concerned.'"

My thoughts: Hooray, a great sequel! Stella is a really interesting character. She's only 29 but has already had enough tragedy to last anyone a lifetime. She has a cow skull tattooed on the back of her neck and she had another one on her arm that said "To thine own self be true," but it got shredded in a terrible bike accident in the previous book, which takes place a few weeks before this one. She looks lean and mean, and she is tough, but she also has a very good heart underneath. She's fiercely independent, but is going through a time where she needs lots of help, as mentioned in the summary above.

That help comes in the unexpected form of Lucy (the Mennonite widow) and her young daughter Tess. Despite the rumors and air of mystery surrounding Lucy, Stella quite likes her and she's a lifesaver around the farm, but someone has it in for her. Unfortunately, someone also has it in for Stella's biker friend, Lenny, and the results are much worse than the vandalism and visits from Child Services plaguing Lucy.

This is less of a whodunnit (though there is some of that) than a why-are-they-doing it, which I found interesting and a nice change from the usual formula.

The verdict: It's no secret - I'll definitely be reading more about Stella!

Review: Fool Moon

Fool Moon (Dresden Files, book 2) by Jim Butcher
4 stars

Reasons for reading: after the first book, I was hooked; Seconds Challenge; my husband is a Jim Butcher pusher - he has the whole series and keeps trying to get me to read them when I have a stack of library books to get through! :)

Description: "Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work-magical or mundane. But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses — and the first two don't count... "

First line: "I never used to keep close track of the phases of the moon."

My thoughts: Another winner! Harry is a really super character - smart, witty, chivalrous, rebellious... I love reading about him and I'm glad the books are written from his point of view. This time, he gets involved with werewolves. A whole bunch of werewolves. Did you know there were lots of types of werewolves? Harry's now met 'em all. Some are good, some are evil, some are in between . . . Butcher's really done his research on wolf-lore, it's impressive.

Harry's relationships with gutsy tabloid reporter Susan and tough, tiny lady cop Murphy continue to build, fall apart, and get rebuilt. I'm really glad there are two strong female characters in the books, it makes them even more enjoyable.

The verdict: This series is addictive! Read it! (It's actually a good thing my husband has them all because I ended up tearing through the next two when I was home sick last month.)

Review: Grounds for Murder

Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo
3 stars

Reasons for reading: I enjoyed Balzo's first book, Uncommon Grounds, last year; Seconds Challenge

Description: "Set in Milwaukee at a scaldingly competitive trade show for the coffee industry, events reach a head when coffeehouse-owner Maggy Thorsen discovers a body under a table at the conference centre. As the reluctant conference coordinator and a potential suspect Maggy must track the murderer, save her coffeehouse, and hopefully put some froth in her love life. . . "

First line: "Slut in a cup!"

My thoughts: One review of this book describes it as "lukewarm" - I wouldn't go quite that far, but I definitely preferred the first book. This one felt a bit rushed and hard to believe. Most of the secondary characters are quite caricature-ish - an uber-enviro-earth mother and her money-grubbing egotistical husband, for example. Fortunately, one of one them - Maggy's chain-smoking friend Sarah who decides to "quit" by breathing in second-hand smoke and cracks the whip on the conference exhibitors -adds some spark to the story. Balzo's humour is still there (as you can see from the first line!), but I'd have liked better characters and more development of Maggy's budding relationship with hunky detective Jake Pavlik.

The verdict: Not a bad little cozy but not the sequel I was hoping for.

Review: Betrayed

Betrayed: a House of Night Novel by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
3.5 stars

Reasons for reading: I enjoyed Marked, the first book in the series last year and so decided to use this one for the Seconds Challenge

Description: "Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night.She's come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend...or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world. "

First line: "New kid. Check it out," Shaunee said as she slid into the big boothlike bench we always claim as ours for every school meal served in the dining hall (translation: high-class school cafeteria)."

My thoughts: I enjoyed the second installment in this series. Sadly, Zoey doesn't seem to say "hee hee" any more, which is a pity because I do that, too. :) But overall I still really like what I liked about her character in the first book -she's smart, strong and loyal. I think we'll be seeing a fair bit of "with great power comes great responsibility" stuff, as her powers keep growing at an unheard-of rate for a new fledgling. And I like that she has really good friends - with so much frenemy crap going on today, it's nice to see loyal, true friendship portrayed in a YA novel.

I heard this series described at "Twilight crossed with Gossip Girl" the other day, but it's not quite that. There still is some of the mean girl element with Zoey's nemesis, Aphrodite, but it seems to be turning more towards Zoey fighting evil forces and away from the cliquey boarding school stuff of the first book, so that's a good sign. It's definitely a series for older readers, though, so that may be where the GG comparison comes in - while nobody has had actual sex yet, there's a lot of discussion about oral sex, sluts, and some rather heated scenes, especially those involving blood-drinking. It is getting a bit exasperating that Zoey now has three men who are totally enchanted by her. I hope there's some resolution of that in the next book because, to use Zoey's own phrase, she's acting a tiny bit like a ho-bag.

The verdict: I look forward to seeing how Zoey and her friends face the challenge of a powerful dark force (don't want to give too much away) in the next book.

Review: Belong to Me

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
5 stars

Reasons for reading: I loved Loved Walked In; Seconds Challenge

Description: "Cornelia Brown surprised herself when she was gripped by the sudden, inescapable desire to move to the suburbs with her husband. Her mettle is quickly tested by her impeccably dressed, overly judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt—the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she'd find in suburbia. With Lake, another recent arrival, Cornelia shares a love of literature and old movies—as she forms an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman and her perceptive, brilliant young son Dev."

First line: "My fall from suburban grace, or, more accurately, my failure to achieve the merest molehill of suburban grace from which to fall, began with a dinner party and a perfectly innocent, modestly clever, and only faintly quirky remark about Armand Assante."

My thoughts: It's rare that I like a sequel as much as the first book, but it's happened here. In fact, I enjoyed this book more than Love Walked In. An added bonus was that it caused me to have "You Belong to Me," a song I love, running through my head all week!

I didn't actually realize it was a sequel until I started reading, I thought it was just the de los Santos' second book. I think I enjoyed this one more because Love Walked In had a fair bit of movie-ness about it (not that that was bad and it was rather appropriate given Cornelia's love of old movies) and it ended like a movie, with Teo and Cornelia falling in love. This book shows what happens after the happy ending - they're still happy, but life has thrown them some curveballs, both good and bad. And while the book definitely has some situations that wouldn't be out of place in a soap opera, it didn't feel soapy.

I really liked that the characters grew and changed, particularly Piper. I really enjoyed reading things from Cornelia's point of view again - she's so linguistically and just generally quirky. She's caring and smart, but far from perfect. And I like that she's really short, like me! Teo is dreamy, Dev is a teen boy you'd like to get to know, and Clare has grown up well - her precociousness suits her better as a teen than it did at 11.

De los Santos does an excellent job of portraying emotions - the book is loaded with joy, sorrow, anger, pain, and lots of love - love for children, friends, family, spouses and a sweet dose of first love. Two of the scenes that stuck with me are a lovely moment between a father and his newborn baby and the epilogue, where family and friends gather to celebrate a child's christening. I hope that's something I'll experience one day - everyone who belongs to me coming together to experience such happiness. I loved how she expressed the concept of belonging to someone - not in a chattel sort of way and not just one's husband or children, but anyone we're lucky enough to have in our orbit who is truly special to us.

The verdict: This is a beautiful book.

Review: Murder With Puffins

Murder With Puffins: a Meg Langslow mystery by Donna Andrews
4.25 stars

Reasons for reading: I loved her first book, Murder With Peacocks; Seconds Challenge

Description: "A romantic getaway was what Meg Langslow had in mind when she and her boyfriend planned a trip to the tiny island of Monhegan off the coast of Maine. They would spend their days hiking the trails and their evenings by the fire. But in this remote place, birds of a feather flock together and Meg quickly learns that this vacation isn't going to go as planned. Although the puffins have already flown south for the winter, the island still harbors a flock of birdwatchers-and Meg's family...Discovering her parents, her brother, her aunt, and a nosey neighbor on the island is Meg's first surprise. Her second one comes when a body is found and her father is accused of murder. Now instead of quiet walks by the water, Meg finds herself scouring the island for clues. In the process, she uncovers more than she bargained for. "

First line: "I see land ahead," Michael said."

My thoughts: Another winner from Andrews! I didn't love this one quite as much as the first book mainly because I really, really liked the crazy three-weddings scenario of Peacocks and the rainy birdwatching of this one didn't quite grab me as much. But that's a minor quibble - I'm definitely into this series.

Meg's crazy-wonderful family is back, particularly her glamorous, enchanting mother (in fact, much is revealed about her, way too much for Meg). Michael is still the sweetest boyfriend ever, being a totally good sport about the rain, the lack of privacy, and the murder investigation. While not quite as involved as he was in the previous book, her mystery-loving dad still manages to end up as a suspect, rather to his glee. And various puffin-crazed birders and residents (whose fierce love of their rather dismal island is impressive) are hilarious, particularly Rhapsody, the odd, shy, children's book author who writes drecky children's books about the Happy Puffin Family.

The chapter headings are all titles (mostly books, some songs) with "puffin" subsituted in them, such as "Zen and the Art of Puffin Maintenance" which is a fun added touch.

This is a cozy mystery - you're rather glad the victim was killed. In this case, the victim is Victor Resnick, a conceited painter who is electrocuting the birds and chasing "trespassers" off with a shotgun, so no great loss there. Meg once again has to get involved because two of her relatives are suspects and there's a lot of slogging around in a hurricane. Not a nail-biting mystery, but the Langslow family's antics make for a great read.

Verdict: I'm flying (ha!) through these, it seems, and am looking forward to Owls Well That Ends Well.

Review: Plantation

Plantation: a Lowcountry tale by Dorothea Benton Frank
3.5 stars

Reasons for reading: I loved Frank's Sullivan's Island last year; Seconds Challenge

Description (from the publisher): "When Caroline Wimbley Levine learns that her mother, Miss Lavinia, has supposedly gone mad, she leaves the big city bustle of Manhattan and returns to Tall Pines Plantation. Caroline originally left Tall Pines to escape her feisty, eccentric mother and her drunken brother, Trip, but when Miss Lavinia dies, Caroline is forced to come to terms with her family's troubled history as well as her failing relationship with her husband. As Caroline reminisces about her past rebelliousness and her childhood, she realizes that her father's sudden and tragic death many years before served as a catalyst for the family's disintegration. Caroline and Trip also learn that their seemingly selfish and self-assured mother was not so uncaring after all. "

First sentence: "This story I have to tell you has to be true because even I couldn't make up this whopper."

My thoughts: This is my second book by Dorothea Frank and, while I didn't get as wrapped up in it as I did in Sullivan's Island, I still enjoyed it. I think part of the magic of her first book for me was that I read it while I was visiting South Carolina, so I was excited to read about places I'd just seen and I was surrounded by the heat, the rivers, the accent, etc. But Plantation definitely sparked some happy memories of being there, too. Frank's love of the area shines through, particularly when describing the beauty of nature, in particular the Edisto River, which seems to flow through the very veins of the Wimbley family.

This is a very back-and-forth novel, which isn't always my favourite. I don't mind flashbacks, but this one started at the end (through a prologue) and then mixed way-back flashbacks, the present day, and used both Caroline and Miss Lavinia as narrators. It was a bit too jumbly for me at times. It also had supernatural elements that didn't really grab me (messages from the grave, in particular).

I found both Caroline and Miss Lavinia's hormones a bit shocking - I'm not a prude, but not-yet-divorced Caroline seems to be attracted to every man she meets and barely lets two days go by in between her conquests. She is recovering from a jerk of a husband, but it was still a bit much. Miss Lavinia also seems to snag any man that wanders into Tall Pines. I'm all for embracing your sexuality, but a few standards and a bit of self-control wouldn't hurt.

France Mae, Trip's white trash wife, is both an awful villain and a figure for pity. She's greedy, rude, and stupid, and Trip only married her because she was pregnant. It's really quite sad - everyone in the family, including her husband, hates her. But she has produced four granddaughters for Miss Lavinia, who treats them and their mother like dirt. I actually felt sorriest for the girls - while their mother may be frightful, the family's attitude towards her overflows onto the children, which isn't fair. The new baby is gleefully described as ugly by her grandmother and aunt, which I found dreadful (yes, I've noticed an ugly baby in my time, but I would never describe my own kin that way) and it seems that Miss L. didn't know anything about loving a grandchild til Caroline and her son Eric showed up. Even Trip prefers his nephew to his own children. Perhaps if he wasn't a drunk who was losing all his money, he could've had a positive influence on them and kept them from becoming copies of Frances Mae.

The story of Trip, Caroline, and Lavinia's strained relationship unfolds well and Miss Lavinia leaves the world in grand style, as she lived in it. Lavinia really is a character and she does come to realize her past behaviour towards her children has damaged them. Despite her death, there's a happy ending.

Verdict: I may not have enjoyed this one quite as much as her first book, but I'll still be happy to take any trips to South Carolina that Frank wants to take me on.

Review: The Winter Rose

The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
4.25 stars

Reasons for reading: I lurved The Tea Rose over my Christmas vacation; Seconds Challenge

Summary (from Publishers Weekly): "In late Victorian London, idealistic new medical school graduate India Selwyn Jones goes to work at a clinic in the city's poorest neighborhood, much to the dismay of her aristocratic mother and ambitious fiancé, political up-and-comer Freddie Lytton. The squalor is a bit much for India, but she manages to keep her emotions under control until she meets underworld crime boss Sid Malone. Sid begins as India's nemesis, becomes her patient and ends up something much more than that. What India doesn't know is that Sid is the brother of tea heiress Fiona Bristow, wife of self-made, highly principled businessman Joseph Bristow. What Sid doesn't know is that India's fiancé is as ruthless as Sid's most ruthless henchman, willing to commit theft, betrayal and even murder to launch his career, force India out of hers and bring down Sid in the process. In typical epic style, Donnelly (The Tea Rose) alternates India's story with Sid's, Freddie's, Joseph's and Fiona's, leading the reader through turn-of-the-century England from the Houses of Parliament to ale houses and whore houses, and from London to Africa and beyond."

My thoughts: I liked this one almost as much as The Tea Rose, hence the quarter-star difference. The life of a female doctor in 1900 was really interesting and well-researched and again Donnelly made the squalid surroundings of East London and its proud, hardworking residents come to life. It was lovely to see Fiona and Joe again, with their growing family, although they're still no strangers to heartbreaking tragedy. And I really liked the characters of aristorat-turned-doctor-to-the-poor India and gangster-with-a-heart-of-gold Sid. I think I enjoyed their romance even more than Fiona and Joe's. Also, the African settings were well-drawn, and it was interesting to read about the beginnings of British colonization there.

Freddie Lytton was a great villain (well, he's loathsome, but great for a villain), almost as evil as Jack the Ripper/William Burton in the previous book. Perhaps more so, actually, since Burton seemed at least somewhat mad, while Freddie is completely ruthless and calculating.

But I didn't enjoy the mountaineering parts so much, though. While it was nice to see a bit more of Fiona's little brother Seamie and I liked brave, determined Willa, his climbing partner on Kilimanjaro, I skimmed over the descriptions of crampons and whatnot. Also, the scope of The Tea Rose also seemed broader - while the about same amount of time (10 years-ish) elapses in each book, it seemed like there were more details of what happened to the characters in the first book. There was quite a 6-year jump in this book. I gather nothing much happened, but it seemed a bit abrupt.

Still, this was a great follow-up to an excellent book. I've heard that she's working on a third book in this series, which I'm already looking forward to!

Seconds Challenge 2009

Another challenge run by J. Kaye - yay! The sign-up page is here.

Here are the guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need to have a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 books by authors that you have only read once. It doesn't have to be a series.
3. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009. Don't start reading until January. 4. You may list your chosen books any time during the year. Change the list if needed.

I really need this one, I started so many series this year! (Not that they have to be in a series, but I think most of mine will be.)

Here's my in-progress list:

1. Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson
2. Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews
3. Three Can Keep a Secret by Judy Clemens
4. Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo
5. Season of Ice by Diane Les Becquets
6. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
7. The Dead and the Gone by Mary Beth Pfeffer
8. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
9. Betrayed by PC Cast
10. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins
11. The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
12. Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank