June Reads

Here are some of the books I've read the past month in addition to the previous list. I would eventually (fingers crossed) get reviews on them out

54. The Sisters Grimm IV : Once Upon A Crime by Michael Buckley rating:B
55. Blue Blood: A Debutante Dropout Mystery (Debutante Dropout Mysteries 1 ) by Susan McBride rating: C+
56. Killer Hair: A Crime of Fashion (Crime of Fashion Mysteries) rating: A
57. Death By Darjeering ( Tea Shop Mysteries #1) by Laura Childs rating: B+
58. A Charmed Death (Bewitching Series #2) by Madelyn Alt rating: B+
59.Hex Marks The Spot (Bewitching Series #3) by Madelyn Alt rating: B+
60. Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson 3) by Patricia Briggs rating: B
61. Blood Noir (Anita Blake 16) by Laurell K Hamilton rating: C-
62. Beyond A Highland Mist (Highland Series 1) by Karen Marie Moning rating: C+
63: Second Sight by Amanda Quick rating: B+
64: Mistletoe Murder (Lucy Stone Mysteries #1) by Leslie Meier rating: B
65: Dance Upon the Air (Sisters Island Trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts rating: B+
66: Heaven and Earth (Sisters Island Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts rating: B-

94. Charlie Bone and the Blue Boa.

Book 3 of the Children of the Red King Series is Charlie Bone and the Blue Boa (UK)Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy(US). I had to confirm that both books were the same before I could mooch them. Who knew that the title would be very different.

As I mentioned earlier, the parallels to Harry Potter is still bothering me, Charlie now has a wand and there's a snake in this one too that is loose int he academy, CoS anyone.

Anyway, this book is about Charlie and Emma finding an invisible boy, except his toe. They find out that the Bloors are hiding him, and the reasson didn't really make that much sense to me. There's a snake loose in the school that turns people invisible once it has coiled around you. With the boy's brother's help, the keeps hatches a plot to rescue him. But there's a new girl in town named Belle, a too beautiful mysterious girl that seems to get along really well with the Yewbeam sisters,warning bells everyone. And Uncle Paton disappears and comes back changed and full of hopelessness.

I liked book three better than book 2 by judge a little bit but could still need a bit more work. The thing I noticed with the series is that the characters aren't as well developed as I would hope it would be and the fluidity of the story is just not very smooth. Characters pop in and pop out and the confrontations end up too easy, in my opinion. I am starting to feel a little symphaty for Billy but he is still a contradiction to me. Also, they defeat their adversaries far too easily in my opinion which makes the ending kind of anticlimactic for me. I already have books 4-6 courtesy of my very very nice bookmooch buddy chris so I'll give them a go.

Rating C

95. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister

I was lucky enough to find the rest of the series on bookmooch and so I was able to continue reading Jenny Nimmo's Children of the Red King Series.

Second to the series is Charlie Bone and the Time Twister. Henry Yewbeam, Charlie's great great grandfather, mysteriously disappeared one night and we find out that he was tricked into using a time twister and was transported into the future to Charlie Bone's time. Amidst problems with his friends and avoiding a plot of his aunts to trick him to enter the painting of an evil sorceror named Skarpo, Charlie is having a hard time trying to hide Henry from Ezekiel Bloom ( the cousin who tricked Henry) and his spies, including BIlly Raven.

Honestly, book 2 was a bit of a letdown for me. At first I liked Henry but I really couldn't sympathize with his character when he was transported to Charlie's time. He just started to annoy me, and his actions that led to his capture was just plain foolish thinking. I can imagine being lost in time should be a bit daunting but he never listens. We also find out that Cook has a big role to play in the story too. And Uncle Paton is solid as a rock amidst bursting bulbs :) . I would probably read the next book hoping it's better than this o ne.

Rating C

96. Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

I found this book at the public library and the cover made me pick it up (the US cover looks more mysterious actually). I was to later find out that it was the first book of the "Children of the Red King Series" The book starts of with the hero named Charlie Bone who lives with his mom, and 2 grandmothers, the nice one and the not so nice one, Grandma Bone. and his Uncle Paton, sister to Grandma Bone, who has 2 evil sisters too. We also find out that hsi father is presumed dead. Charlie discovers that he can go into pictures. And when this power came about, the evil Bone sisters sent him to Bloors Academy and here is where Charlie's past, present and future will unfold. I can't help comparing this book to the Harry Potter series which is unfair but there were similarities here that just made me think of HP, not to say that all basis of magical school-boy is HP mind you. The characters were pretty entertaining and it did kind of left me wanting to read teh rest of the series. All in all not a bad read. Rating B.

The rest of the series will follow

Books read 2008

Comments will come later but if I don't write them down I'll end up forgeting

1. Goddess of the Rose by PC Cast
2. Goddess of the Spring by PC Cast
3. Goddess of the Light by PC Cast
4. Goddess of the Sea by PC Cast
5. Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
6. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
7. Charlie Bone and the Blue Boa by Jenny Nimmo
8. Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo
9. Charlie Bone and the HIdden King by Jenny Nimmo
10. Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf by Jenny Nimmo
11. The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
12. The Sisters Grimm: The Usual Suspects by Michael Buckley
13. The Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child by Michael Buckley
14. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
15. Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
16. Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie
17. Better Read than Dead by Victoria Laurie
18. A Vision of Murder by Victoria Laurie
19. What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie
20. Crime Seen by Victoria Laurie
21. Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend by Victoria Laurie
22. The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt
23. The Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts
24. Love's Prisoner : Wyndham Werewolf Series by MaryJanice Davidson
25. Jared's Wolf : Wyndham Werewolf Series by MaryJanice Davidson
26. Derik's bane : Wyndham Werewolf Series by MaryJanice Davidson
27. This Pen for Hire by Laura Levine
28. Last Writes by Laura Levine
29. Nightlife by Caitlin Kittredge
30. On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
31. Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle
32. Pick Your Poison (Yellow Rose Mysteries) by Leann Sweeney
33. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
34. Furdge Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
35. Sugar Cookie Murder by by Joanne Fluke
36. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Prime Crime Mysteries) by Alice Kimberly
37. No Rest for the Witches - Davidson, Warren etc anthology
38. Vamps in the City by Kerrelyn Sparks
39. Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter
40. Dead Sexy by Amanda Ashley
41. Ain't Myth-Behaving by Katie MacAlister
42. Really Something by Shirley Jump
43. Dark Desire by Christine Feehan
44. Dark Gold by Christine Feehan
45. Dark Magic by Christine Feehan
46. Dark Challenge by Christine Feehan
47. Dark Fire by Christine Feehan
48. Dark Legend by Christine Feehan
49. Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan
50. Dark Symphony by Christine Feehan
51. Not Just A Witch by Eva Ibbotson
52. Mum's the Word: A Flower Shop Mystery by Kate Collins
53. How to Murder a Millionaire by Nancy Martin

Woot I passed 50 already!! Hmm mostly cozy mysteries and paranormal though heheh So many books to read so little time!

97. Goddess of the Light by PC Cast

 Goddess of the Light is the 3rd book in the Goddess series. With the change in Persephone (See Goddess of the Spring), Zeus has a great idea to open up the mortal realm for the Gods and Goddesses to experience and the twins Apollo and Artemis go to Las Vegas where Bacchus, god of wine, full of jealousy and resentment for being once more usurped by the golden twins plots his revenge. Pamela Smythe is inadvertedly drawn into the mix when she unconcsciously bound Artemis to her wish( though Bacchus), and Apollo is given the task of wooing and making her wish come true.

The book actually started pretty good, I love how Lina and Hades were tied to the story and how seeing them affected Apollo and go on his own search for love. Enter Pamela who was in Las Vegas to look at a design for the estate of famous fantasy author ED Faust. Apollo and Pamela fall in love and overcomes the chaos that Bacchus creates. I like how ED Faust was incorporated in the book, too. But personally the ending of a book affects how much I like the book and the book just ended up weird for me. I felt that the characters weren't that deeveloped when bam the end so I ended up with mix feelings about the book as a whole. It was an ok read.

Rating: B -

98. Goddess of the Rose by PC Cast

Goddess of the Rose is the 4th book in the Goddess series and actually the first one I've read of PC Cast. Using the story of Beauty and the Beast, the story tells of how Mikki ended up in the Realm of the Roses where she is destined to play a big role as well as fall in love with the guardian of the realm

The book started a little slow for me actually, MIkki had a whole my life is going nowhere moment at the beginning of the book with even a disastrous date and where we find out that her blood helps her roses grow. In the rose gardens, she unknowingly frees the guardian of the realm who was cursed by the Goddess Hecate for a mistake he made and Mikki ends up in the realm of the rose where ebcomes the Priestess.

I like how Cast writes strong female characters and the ending had the awww factor for me. I didn't love it but it was ok. A good introduction to the author.

Rating: B