Challenge: 50 Books discussion

1. Altar of Eden by James Rollins

2. Blood Colony by Tananarive Due

3. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

4. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

How was The Unit? It's on my to-read list.

I thought it was pretty good. The idea of the old, sick, and the disabled being a drain on society is something that has been brought up before, but the idea of being dispensable simply because you don't have children was new and depressing to me.

5. Impact by Douglas Preston

I would give this 2 1/2 stars. A little scientific for me, but I did like the main characters. I still think he's at his best when teaming up with Lincoln Child. The Pendergast series is awesome!

6. Storm Front by Jim Butcher

7. Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb



Very lighthearted and fun read. I was laughing out loud!

Jessica wrote: "7. Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb
Very lighthearted and fun read. I was laughing out loud!"

Jessica, I read this book in December and loved it. I laughed out loud in several parts as well!!!

To start off February....

8. Let the Right One In: A Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. A little bit graphic and disturbing for me, and I felt some parts were completely unnecessary. Overall though, a pretty good scary story and I liked how the all the different characters' storylines kept intersecting.

9. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht



If you find yourself having to constantly fend off sharks, wrestle alligators or dodge gunfire, this book may be helpful to you. Most interesting was how to hot wire a car, but my husband respectfully declined my offer to try it on his :)

Jessica wrote: "To start off February....

8. Let the Right One In: A Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. A little bit graphic and disturbing for me, and I ..."

have you seen the movie? i've not read the book, but the movie was one of my favourite of last year. from discussions i had in a movie group here on Goodreads, it seems there was a sublte change regarding the motives of the man who was 'taking care' of the girl, but other than that, it remained fairly true to the novel.

10. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

11. You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs

Usually enjoy his writing, but for some reason did not care for this collection of Christmas-related stories.

12. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher


Book Three of the Dresden Files was my least favorite so far. I think I will switch to something else for awhile and pick the series up again at a later time.

To start off March....

13. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

Best book of the year so far. I would highly recommend it. Can't wait for the author's second book.

14. The Gates by John Connolly

I started off thinking I was not going to enjoy this book as there was so much talk about wormholes, blackholes and particle colliders, but ended up really liking it. Lots of dry humor, and I especially enjoyed the interactions between the various demons and the townspeople.

15. The Shimmer by David Morrell

Liked parts of this book but the unrealistic ending made it a so-so read at best.

Thinking about starting Under the Dome next, but concerned about my growing pile of library books that should probably be taken care of first :)

Jessica wrote: "15. The Shimmer by David Morrell

Liked parts of this book but the unrealistic ending made it a so-so read at best.

Thinking about starting Under the Dome next, but concerned ab..."

I hear ya on the library books. I have so many books on my Kindle to read but I keep getting physical & ebooks from my library. One's a book club read that I'm not really enthusiastic about reading, but I know I have to get it read by the 27th.

Connie wrote: "Jessica wrote: "15. The Shimmer by David Morrell

Liked parts of this book but the unrealistic ending made it a so-so read at best.

Thinking about starting Under the Dome next, ..."

Glad to hear other people have the same problem. Lately I've been more excited finding new books to read than actually reading them.

16. A Dark Matter by Peter Straub

Invested a lot of time and enjoyed the writing, but the last third of the book was kind of a disappointment.

17. Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris


Thought the ending left a few unanswered questions but I don't think it is set up for a sequel...

18. What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg

19. The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum

A very interesting non-fiction read.

20. Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

21. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

Went back to the Dresden Files, Book #4. This story was a getting to be a little too much fantasy for me, what with a fairy war and such, but I really like the main character's sarcasm/sense of humor, so for that reason, I cannot seem to quit reading these. Heading to the libary for #5.

22. [image error] Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

This book had been receiving very high ratings, so I was excited to finally read it. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to clearly envision the settings of both the Prison and the Outside, as well as understand the technology at work, so I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

23. The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry

So, I really like the Joe Ledger character and his career with the DMS. I enjoyed the storyline of this book and found the genetics research that the plot centerered on both interesting and alarming, as it does not seem that far-fetched with today's technology. That being said, I was a little disappointed with the ending. I was also incredibly irritated with the several editing errors that I found while reading the book. I obviously wasn't looking for them, which means they were pretty blatant for me to notice. I love books, and don't mind paying for them when I know that they are ones I'm going to enjoy and simply can't wait for from the library, but I feel a bit cheated paying full price for something that feels like a rushed rough draft.

Hear, hear! I can't tell you how often I find myself reaching for a red pen while reading.

24. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

I think I may have liked her more recent book, Year of the Flood, better if had I read this one first. It offers background on some of the characters and explains how the outbreak that wiped out humanity started.

25. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

Halfway to 50! This book is about a family trying to survive an avian flu pandemic. The story seemed softer than many other end-of-the world novels, and focused more on the past and present relationships of the family, although it does contain many of the typical elements found in stories about major catastrophes.

26. Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

27. Kings of the Dead by Tony Faville

This is the story of a man and a group of individuals who struggle to survive after the H1N1 vaccine turns most of the population into zombies. The book was written as a series of journal entries, which I found frustrating because they were not dated, so at times it was hard to tell how much time had lapsed. Also there was a lot of time spent describing firepower, and since I don't know anything about guns, it was lost on me. I would give this book 2 1/2 stars.

28. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

I saw somewhere that they were possibly going to make The Forest of Hands and Teeth into a movie, which I would actually like because I am having real difficulty envisioning the Forest and its fenced paths on my own. The setting played a big role again in this sequel and I would like to know more about the forest--what the fences look like, how they're maintained, how the area was created, the actual distance between the villages remaining and those destroyed, etc....maybe in book 3?

29. El Patrón by Michele Scott

I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. I was expecting a thrilling saga about a crime family, so I was a bit nervous when the book showed up with a man in boxers on the cover. I'm not a big fan of romances. However, while the book did have several heated scenes, there was much more going on than just sex. It was an over-the-top story containing everything you would picture when you think of a crime empire: drugs, murder, prostitution, loyalty to family, betrayal, revenge, politics, rich vs. poor, etc.... At times, the writing was a little cheesy and melodramatic, and I felt like the author was maybe trying too hard to hit every crime family stereotype. There was one story thread in which a beloved son was disowned with no real explanation, other than it would add another reason for revenge. There was also another storyline involving child molestation, which I felt was completely unnecessary, as the person committing it was so heinous enough the readers did not need another reason to hate him. Overall though, I was pleasantly surprised with the book and really enjoyed the characters and the relationships that formed over the roughly 30 years the story spanned. I also appreciated the ending...after so much darkness in the story, it was nice that the story had a happier, albeit probably unrealistic, ending.

30. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

This is a re-read to get ready for the start of season three of True Blood.

31. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

32. Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

33. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

34. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

35. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

I am addicted...Must.stop.reading.sookie stackouse.novels!

Jessica wrote:

I am addicted...Must.stop.reading.sookie stackouse.novels!"

No, you must not. You really must not stop. You're ours now, and we're not letting you go.

Donna wrote: "Jessica wrote:

I am addicted...Must.stop.reading.sookie stackouse.novels!"

No, you must not. You really must not stop. You're ours now, and we're not letting you go."

Thanks, Donna. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I really like the show, too, and I just love reading ahead to see what is going to happen next!

And you still have Quinn to look forward to!

36. The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

37. Lies by Michael Grant

The introduction of some darker elements and some new characters made this my favorite book of the series so far.

38. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Umm...so I lasted 2 1/2 whole books before going back to the Sookie Stackhouse series. I have a problem. Luckily Barnes and Noble has not sent me the next one yet, so I will be forced to read something else :)

So, what did you think of Quinn?

I definitely think Quinn is a very interesting addition. I just don't like him calling Sookie "babe" all the time. Do you watch True Blood? Who do you think will play him? I must say, though, I was really a fan of Alcide, so was a little disappointed when he dropped Sookie and started dating Maria Star in this last book.

Being called "Babe" or "Baby" is one of my bff's pet peeves, so you're not alone. Quinn on True Blood.... I always picture someone along the lines of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I'd have to upgrade my cable package if they managed someone that good instead of waiting on the DVD. I saw a picture of the actor that's going to be playing Alcide. Sooo hot. As the books go along you'll probably agree that Alcide would probably not be the best choice for Sookie.