8th Confession

Title: 8th Confession
Author: James Patterson
Finished: April 29, 2009
Pages: 361
Published: 2009

The next installment of the Women’s Murder Club. This episode focuses more on the women as individuals and not so much working as a team like before.

Lindsay and Rich are still battling out their emotions as they face a portable meth bus that explodes in the middle of the city, followed by the brutal killing of a homeless man who is found by Cindy, and then to add even more to their case load, someone is killing off rich people and no one knows how.

It was a great book, it was interesting how the storylines came together and how some of them connected, and even the development of the personal relationships and how it starts to complicate their lives.

The sad thing about reading this book the second it was released is now I have to wait a whole year for the next one. Eagerly awaiting I am.

Challenges: 2009 Pub Challenge, 999 Challenge, 100+ Challenge, Countdown Challenge, RYOB Challenge, Book Binge

What’s on Your Nightstand? – April

Another month gone by, and it was my most productive one by far. April was the month for the Read-a-Thon which means my numbers are up a lot more than normal and while I predicted a very large amount of reading with a long list, I managed to get through most of my reading.

March List:

• Step on a Crack by James Patterson (1st in Series)
• Roses are Red by James Patterson (Spring Reading Thing)
• Fool by Christopher Moore (Spring Reading Thing)
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Spring Reading Thing)
• The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner (Spring Reading Thing)
• Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (What’s in a Name)
• the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (Banned Book)
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Spring Reading Thing)
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Spring Reading Thing)
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Banned Book)
• D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton (999 Challenge)
• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Spring Reading Thing)
• The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (Spring Reading Thing)
• Four to Score by Janet Evanovich (Spring Reading Thing)
• Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (Spring Reading Thing)

Fahrenheit 451 and Catcher in the Rye have been postponed as I was planning on reading them for the Banned Book Challenge, which I completed with other books. As for the others still on the list, they are still on my nightstand. Uglies is for my book club which has been postponed until May so I may not get to it this coming month either, but everything else is still on the list.

I read a total of 23 books since the last Nightstand, almost double what I read in March.

Other books for May:

• High Five by Janet Evanovich (999 Challenge)
• Four Blind Mice by James Patterson (Series Challenge)
• Run For Your Life (Pub Challenge)
• Living Dead in Dallas (Love Bites Challenge)

And I want to add in some non-fiction since I only have until September to read for the Non-Fiction Five Challenge, so I’m thinking A Mighty Heart, Spook, or Walt Disney. Maybe all will make it.

Northanger Abbey

Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
Finished: April 27, 2009
Pages: 260
Published: 1818

My third Austen book, and with high hopes I expected to enjoy it, but it wasn’t my favorite. It is such a different style than her older works.

Northanger Abbey was Austen’s first major book, but her last to be published, which explains a lot in the difference between this work and those published before. The great thing about the edition I bought was that it went into detail explaining the history behind Austen and also the book itself, including where she may have gotten many of her ideas.

Last year I watched The Jane Austen Book Club and learned a lot about the story through their converstation. In preparation of reading Northanger Abbey, I read The Mysteries of Udolpho last year and I think that may have helped me some in understanding and enjoying the book even more.

It was most interesting reading as Austen questioned writers and styles throughout the book, as she herself is trying to find her own way as a writer. I think I enjoyed that more, her practice of various different styles and ideas, finding her footing, than reading about the characters and their lives.

Challenges: Decades Challenge, 999 Challenge, 100+ Challnge, RYOB Challenge, What’s in a Name?, Classics Challenge, 1% Well Read Challenge, Spring Reading Thing, Book Binge, Fill in the Gaps

Other Reviews: In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, Alaine: Queen of Happy Endings

It’s Monday. What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week.

Hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog

Read Last Week:

• Violets are Blue by James Patterson
• Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (REVIEW COMING SOON)

Reading This Week:

• The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner
• 8th Confession by James Patterson
• The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
• Step on a Crack by James Patterson

Four to Score

Title: Four to Score
Author: Janet Evanovich
Finished: April 23, 2009
Pages: 338
Published: 1998

One of my favorite Stephanie Plum’s so far. I keep saying that and I have a feeling that it’s only going to keep getting better. I keep hearing High Five is pretty awesome. At this rate maybe I’ll just be all caught up by the end of the year.

This time Stephanie is in search of a woman, Maxine, who stole her ex-boyfriends car and didn’t show up for her court date. Seems easy, except all the people around Maxine start losing limbs and blood and no one can figure out why. Meanwhile, Stephanie has new compatition as Vinny hires a new bounty hunter, Joyce, who is Stephanie’s worst enemy.

Things definitely have their ups and downs quite often in this adventure as Stephanie spends time living between three homes, using multiple cars, and almost dying a couple as well. It’s all in a days work.

Loved it. Can’t wait to pick up the next.

Challenges: 999 Challenge, 100+ Challenge, RYOB Chalenge, Spring Reading Thing, Book Binge