What I read in March 2017

I found another series that I can't put down this month--I'm sure you'll figure out the theme...
1. Just One Damned Thing After Another (Jodi Taylor)--Sorry for the title...I came across this as a "Librarian suggestion" at the library...the series is about a woman who works for an organization that "investigates historical events in a contemporary fashion"  ("Don't call it time travel!").  Pretty entertaining and addictive, as you can tell by the additional titles this month...
2.  Miracle at Coney Island (Claire Prentice)--Nonfiction book about some of the first premature babies treated using incubators...at Coney Island!  No kidding, before incubators were found (at all) in hospitals, there was a doctor who had an "exhibit" at Coney Island and is credited with saving hundreds, maybe thousands, of preemies.  The author wrote another book about Coney Island that is in my pile for next month.
3.  A Symphony of Echoes (Jodi Taylor)--continuing adventures...
4.  When a Child Is Born (Jodi Taylor)--and more, this one actually a short story, but entertaining none the less
5.  A Second Chance (Jodi Taylor)
6. A Bridge Across the Ocean (Susan Meissner)--Set on the Queen Mary, mostly, it is slightly different from Meissner's other books.  It still has historical fiction pieces, but there is also a bit of a ghost story that felt "extra".  Good book if you like Meissner,  probably not a good one to start with if you've never read anything by her.
7. The Castle of Lyr (Lloyd Alexander)--Sorry, Lloyd Alexander fans, I just can't get into these...but The Boy loves them...so two more to listen to in the car and then we'll either have to go back to Harry or find a new series...They just seem like a bad copy of Lord of the Rings...and we all know the main character is going to grow up to be "King Arthur" (or whatever we are calling him in this version of the myth...)
8.  The Sleepwalker (Chris Bojalian)--Actually very good, and like all Bojalian's books, the twist was great--I should have seen it coming, but I didn't!
9.  A Trail Through Time (Jodi Taylor)
10.  No Time Like the Past (Jodi Taylor)

(Un) Fortunately, there are currently no more published Jodi Taylor books, so next month I will have to move on to something else...Don't worry, I have a pile that I am ready to dig in to!

November 2016 Books

How is November over? (how has it been over for 2 weeks?!)
Here's What I read in November....

1.  Firefly Lane (Kristen Hannah)--Somehow I read the sequel first.  Knowing "what happened next" kind of ruined the story for me--this book seemed like it was supposed to end on a "high note", but since I know what happened next, it was one long bummer.  The sequel also did a good job recapping, so while there was some new material, there wasn't anything too surprising.  If you're going to read these, I'd read this first.
2.  Stars Over Sunset Boulevard (Susan Meissner)--Connects 1930's Hollywood through 1940's/50's and today.  A little about Gone With the Wind, a lot about the relationship between two life-long friends.  Good book.
3.  Building a Better Teacher:  How Teaching Works and How to Teach It To Everyone (Elizabeth Green)--It took me months to get through this.  It was good, had a lot about the research on how math in particular is taught today.  Good advice that boils down to "get into other classrooms and learn from each other".
4.  The Girl in the Glass (Susan Meissner)--Another Meissner book where she connects the past and the present, this time Medieval Florence and today.  Cute story, good read.

Apparently I was busy doing other things during November!

All good books, but none really contenders for top 10....

What I read in August 2016

I might be back on track...or not...

1.  The Shadow of the Moon (Susan Beth Pfeffer)--The 4th book in the series about the moon being knocked out of orbit.  This one follows another "secondary" character.  The main characters from books 1 and 2 (who were the main characters together in 3) are in the story, but are on the edges.  We find out what happens, but the story loses some of its momentum because the reader almost has to start over.  I've heard a rumor there will be a 5th book, I'll read it if there is, but this one won't make my top 10...
2. The Fifth Wave (Rick Yancy)--There are 3 books in this series and I read all three this month.  I really enjoyed the first, the 2nd was ok...I hoped the third would be awesome...it was ok.  A good post-apocalyptic read...but not top 10 material..
3.  The Infinite Sea (Rick Yancy)
4.  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (JK Rowling and all)--Meh.  Glad I read it, but didn't hold up to the "real" HP books.  The characters don't behave as I expected they would.  Harry constantly doubts his parenting skills (and perhaps he should).  Oh, and there is time travel.  Meh.
5.  The Last Star (Rick Yancy)
6.  The Fold (Peter Clines)--Same author as "14"--good book, ending was almost the same..which I can't tell you about without spoiling both books.  Interesting read, definitely science fiction. If you love science fiction, you'll probably love it...
7. The Love Letters (Beverly Lewis)--Typical Beverly Lewis.  Entertaining, quick read...Amish girl has problem, problems get worked out, she gets married...its all good.
8.  The Last American Vampire (Seth Grahame Smith)--A sequel to Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer..enough said...if you enjoyed the first book, this is a good sequel.  If you thought it was dumb, don't bother.  What I like about both books is the author's (successful) efforts to imagine what someone from another point in history would think of American events.  The vampires and vampire hunters are a bit over the top at times, but the writing is good--entertaining and funny at times, horrifying at others.
9. The Forgotten Room (Whie, Wiliams, and Willig)--I kept expecting it to be science fiction (maybe because of all the sci fi I read earlier?) and it wasn't--it was a classic "three generations" story---stories of the mom, grandma, and "current" young woman tied together by their (not sci fi) connection to a house.  Good read.

So maybe no top ten this month.  Hmm.  I need to find another good series...

What I read in April..Alternate Title, Egads, its almost June

I promise I'm alive, just busy!

 As the school year wraps up, I have to say I'm bummed to lose two of my favorite classes ever--they are juniors, so  they will be back next year, but, golly, our class(es) will never be all together again.

Morrison continues to grow at an astounding rate, some day acting like a toddler and other days like a teenager..she is a sweet puppy, but a bit of a troublemaker when it comes to plants (I'll provide photo evidence later...suffice it to say that she has never met a plant that she allows to remain in its pot).

I also seem to be spending a lot of time in the car again, although I can't pinpoint exactly why--there are no current sports!

So in April I only read one book..and it was a re-read so I don't know if it really counts--Voyager (by Diana Gabaldon)--I did listen to The Blood of Olympus (Rick Riordan) with The Boy in the car--for a grand total of 2 book--eesh. In May I may read 3....

An evening with an author, sort of

Several years ago I read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.  About a year ago, she was scheduled to speak at the local library,  but was snowed out.  BUT...she did come in early April!  My friend, T, and I made a short evening of it--dropping off all the children at my house with Mr IM and a couple pizzas and taking a minute to have some ice cream on our way to the event. Ms. Mead only spoke a few minutes--the typical author speech, "please love my new book, not just my old book...thanks for reading...I can sign 3 books, one personalized"....She did serve fun cookies, shaped like necklaces, to go with the theme of her newest book.  I did not ask the one burning question (in my mind)...does Richelle Mead ever go outside? (She was very pale!)

We handed off our numbered bracelets to the mom and daughter next to us, who between them had about six books to have signed, since T read her books on Kindle and I borrowed from the library.  It was a nice evening and relaxing to hang out with grown ups (well, mostly grownups!)

What I read in March 2016

1.  13 Hours in Benghazi (Mitchell Zuckoff)--might make my top 10 of the year-it was good.  Someone recommended I see the movie, saying that "it wasn't political, it was really about some amazing human beings" and I would agree that is true about the book, too.  It was intense and a good read. Didn't want to put it down, even though I kind of knew what would happen from the news.
2.  Dragonfly in Amber (Diana Gabaldon)--Yes, I'm re-reading the series.  It is nice and mindless.
3.  The Photograph (Beverly Lewis)-Another nice mindless book--typical Beverly Lewis, predictable and cute, for lack of a better description.
4. The City (Dean Koonz)-Another that might make my "top ten"--had a lot in common with The Odd Thomas books.  A little supernatural stuff, but not over the top.  A  great story of someone's life.
5.  Outlander Novella (title?)   (Diana Gabaldon)--Can't remember which one, they are all good--this was a short novella about Jamie before he met Claire.
6. Ana of California (Andi Teran)--A modern re-telling of Anne of Green Gables, set in California.  Good story.  Kept me guessing what would happen.
7.  Innocence (Dean Koonz)-not as good as The City, but a good read.  I'm working my way through Koonz's non-Odd Thomas books.

What I read in December 2015

At first I

 wasn't sure I had read much, then I realized I read three Diana Gabaldon books...at 800 pages each, that is something I guess....

1.  Career of Evil (Robert Galbraith)--I'm always nervous when I wait a long time for a book, but the long-awaited books this month were worth it.  This is book 3 in the Cormoron Strike series, (not so) secretly written by J.K. Rowlings under the Galbraith pen name.  I did find the ending a bit odd, and wonder where she is going to go with it...but I'm sure she has a plan!

2.  Thy Rod and Thy Staff (Debbie Viguie)-another long awaited sequel, no idea what number this is, but it is part of the Psalm 23 mystery series.  Still entertaining, but each book seems a little shorter and a little more rushed.  As my mom says, "I just have to keep reading until the two main characters get married, then I'm good".  Luckily for me I didn't have to buy this one--Dad figured out how to loan it to me, so I read it that way.

3.  Superior Storm (Tom Hilpert)-I really like this series--I think there are four books in it now.  I read number 1 when it was free on Kindle, then bought number three.  This is number 2, don't know how or why I skipped it, but Dad loaned it to me, too and I enjoyed it a lot.  I hear that #4 is out now.  Series is about a pastor in Northern Minnesota who solves mysteries.

4.  A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Diana Gabaldon)--yeah, I know they are trash...but such entertaining trash.  I finished all the books that are written...now I guess I wait with everyone else for the next book...due out in 2-5 years :)

5.  Tricky Twenty-Two (Janet Evanovich)--Long awaited--enjoyed it--Stephanie Plum solved more mysteries and got into more trouble.  Good book, fast read.

6.  An Echo in the Bone (Diana Gabaldon)

7.  Written in my Own Heart's Blood (Diana Gabaldon)

8.  Lost Hero on CD (Rick Riordan)-I would have sworn that I had read this when it first came out, but there were parts I didn't remember.  The Boy and I are working our way through the series in the car, so we didn't make a lot of progress this month, because we didn't go many places during break.  If you enjoy Riordan books, this one is good. (And the reader doesn't do annoying voices, like the reader for Percy Jackson...so, yay!)

9.  The Ruins of Us (Keija Parssinen)-Recommended by my cousin.  About a Muslim couple and what happens to their family when the husband takes a second wife.  It was interesting, set in Saudi Arabia.  Good, fairly quick, read.  Lots of thought provoking passages about couples in general and relationships with almost grown children.

10.  Pawn (Aimee' Carter)--Recommended by my friend, T, who we all know never steers me wrong. This is another dystopian Young Adult read (I giggled when I looked it up and it actually published by Harlequin Teen...words that do not appear on the cover anywhere!).  The Girl actually read the first few pages when she waited for me to run into the grocery store and has only put it down when I take it to read it.  About a girl who becomes the unwilling stand-in for a princess.  Good read, book 1 of a trilogy.

I also "read" The Outlandlish Companion 2 (Gabaldon)--flipped through it, looked at what I wanted to, but really didn't read all of it and started reading Seal of Honor. It was interesting, but I don't know that I'll finish it, it spent a lot of time with the family, waiting to find out if Michael was dead or missing, I had a hard time reading it.  Up first on the agenda for the new year is the newest Charles Martin book.  (I'll start it later today).

Grand total for the year?  124 books.  I'll post links to the year's book posts on the "top 10"...stay tuned, I'm working on it...I'm having trouble narrowing it down...

What I read in November 2015

November might have been some kind of record...five books, all by the same author--I might be addicted...

1.  A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Diana Gabaldon)

2.  The Space Between (Diana Gabaldon)

3.  In the Custom of the Army (Diana Gabaldon)

4.  Drums of Autumn (Diana Gabaldon)

5.  The Fiery Cross (Diana Gabaldon)

I'm still enjoying Gabaldon's stories--they are entertaining.  The new Robert Galbraith book did come into the library, so it is first on my December list (almost finished with it--very good so far!)

Officially the first three were Novellas, but Gabaldon's novellas seems extra long, so I'm counting them as books.

Oh wait, The Boy and I did listen to The Lost Hero (Rick Riordan) in the car--it was good as only Rick Riordan books are...

The new puppy seems to be cutting into my book reading time...perhaps I'll read to her :)