April Book Log

1. One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1) by Janet Evanovich
2. The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake, Book 4) by Kerrelyn Sparks
3. Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz
4. Remember Me 2: The Return by Christopher Pike
5. Remember Me 3: The Last Story by Christopher Pike

I am shamefully behind on my reading challenges but hoping to get caught up in the month of May. The first two books were loaned to me by patients. I am definately interested in finishing the rest of Janet Evanovich's series. It was a quick and entertaining read.

The Spark's book was a little too much like a romance novel for me. I may still read more in the series, but they don't hold my interest the same as the Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake books.

Dean Koontz again disappoints with his latest book. Lately he has been writing stories about humanity and our good and bad and stepping away from the horror and sci-fi that I had come to love him for.

The last two, Christopher Pike books, are just more in my stack I'm re-reading one last time before getting rid of. I liked the first but the second and third were hard for me to get into.

I'm reading more of my Pike books in May. Also working on Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Loving it so far.

I haven't disappeared...

A few people have been wondering where I've been since I haven't updated in a while. I apologize and promise to be back full swing soon.

I have had two 5 week cram courses going on at the same time as my regular classes and between school and work I'm exhausted.

I'm also not feeling well the last few months. They are doing tests on me and hopefully will be able to figure something out soon. My bloodwork from last week came back with good news. I'm not diabetic, and my iron count has doubled in the last six months. I'm still anemic, but it's good to hear that's improving. More blood was taken today for a whole barage of other tests. I also had two moles biopsied. Later, I'll write a blog about skin cancer.

I hope all my online friends are well and I will see you soon.

February Book Log

12. "When the Emporer was Divine" by Julie Otsuka 144 pages
13. "Secret Vampire" by L.J. Smith 242 pages
14. "Daughters of Darkness" by L.J. Smith 238 pages
15. "Spellbinder" by L.J. Smith 238 pages
16. "The Great Failure: A Bartender, a Monk, and My Unlikely Path to Truth" by Natalie Goldberg 192 pages
17. "Life After God" by Douglas Coupland 360 pages

"When the Emporer Was Divine" was a quick read, but very well written. It's about a Japanese family in the interment camps during World War II. It counts toward my diversity reading challenge.

I read the L.J. Smith series when I was younger. I loved them back then. They are still good teen reads but they aren't as well written as some of the books out there now.

I was really disappointed in Natalie Goldberg's book. I had been wanting to read it for a long time now. I enjoyed some of the section about hedr father, but I really think that she made too big of a deal about some of the things that happened with her teacher. The fact that she felt the need to tell everyone she could about his human failure seemed a little unnecessary to me.

"Life After God" isn't Douglas Coupland's normal witty book. It is a series of short stories about spirituality. Another quick read but some of it was hard for me to get thru.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Books Completed From Last Week

Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs 320 pages

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 305 pages

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk 293 pages

This Weeks Reading List

Coraline by Neil Gaimon

Final Journeys: A Practical Guide for Bringing Care and Comfort at the End of Life by Maggie Callanan

Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan

Up Next

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

New Classes

I started my first Connection class on Tuesday night. The class is title "AIDs: The Modern Plague" and so far I find it fascinating. There are two instructors, both of which are fun and a little off the wall. One teaches psychology and the other teaches socialogy, human sexuality and anthropology. The class lasts for five weeks. At the begining of class they will put a question on the board called a "quick write" which serves as their way of taking attendance. We have to keep a journal and give an oral presentation at the end of class. The first night we watched a video from back in the 80's when the AID's epidemic first was heard off. Our quick write question was "When and where did you first hear about the AID's virus". For our journal we are supposed to put ourselves back into that time frame. Prentend we are just now learning about AIDs. That we aren't as enlightened as we are now. I really can't wait for next weeks class. I'd love to be able to take more classes with these professors.

Tonight I start my second Connection class, "End of Life Issues". I hope that it is as interesting as my Tuesday class.

Stayed Tuned!

Between now and next Wednesday stay tuned for the follow:

1. Eden Fantasys review.

2. Savor Soap review.

3. Introduction to the Biographer's Club.

4. Craft updates.

5. Several book reviews.

This Weeks Reading Pile

This week I'd like to finish the following books:








This layout isn't exactly what I had in mind, but I can't get the plain image links to work.

Wordless Wednesday

Prehistoric Squirrel at the Smithsonian Museum

999 Reading Challenge

I'm taking part in the 999 Book Challenge. Details can be found at J Kaye's Book Blog or the 999 Book Challenge Blog.

I will be reading 9 books each in 9 different categories.

My 9 Categories:

1. Nonfiction
a. "The Action Heroine's Handbook" by Jennifer Worick & Joe Borgenicht 185 pages
b. "The Tao of Willie" by Willie Nelson & Turk Pipken 184 pages
c. "The Great Failure: A Bartender, a Monk, and My Unlikely Path to Truth" by Natalie Goldberg 192 pages
d. "100 Way to Beat the Blues" by Tanya Tucker and Friends 194 pages
e. "Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs 268 pages
f. "The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club" by Laurie Notaro 225 pages
g. "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey 432 pages
h. "The Te of Piglet" by Bejamin Hoff 257 pages
i. "Life on the Color Line" by Gregory Howard Williams 285

2. Vampire
a. "The Last Vampire 6: Creatures of Forever" by Christopher Pike 181 pages
b. "Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris 291 pages
c. "Secret Vampire" by L.J. Smith 242 pages
d. "Daughters of Darkness" by L.J. Smith 238 pages
e. "The Undead Next Door" by Kerrelyn Sparks 369 pages"
f. "New Moon" by Stephanie Meyer 608 pages
g. "Skin Trade" by Laurell K. Hamilton 486 pages

3. YA Fiction
a. "Final Friends: The Party" by Christopher Pike 212 pages
b. "Final Friends: The Dance" by Christopher Pike 226 pages
c. "Final Friends: The Graduation" by Christopher Pike 238 pages
d. "Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception" by Eoin Colfer 342 pages
e. "Remember Me" by Christopher Pike 230 pages
f. "Spellbinder" by L.J. Smith 238 pages
g. "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman 162 pages
h. "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaimon 305 pages
i. "Remember Me 2: The Return" by Christopher Pike 210 pages

4. 1001 Books to Read Before Your Die
a. "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka 324 pages

5. Mystery
a. "One for the Money" by Janet Evanovich 334 pages
b. "Devil Bones" by Kathy Reichs 320 pages
c. "One for the Money" by Janet Evanovich 334 pages
d. "Your Heart Belongs to Me" by Dean Koontz 337 pages
e. "When the Wind Blows" by James Patterson 402 pages
f. "Strangers" by Dean Koontz 681 pages
g. "Killer Pancake" Diane Mott Davidson 368 pages
h. "Bad Love" by Jonathan Kellerman 483 pages
i. "Two for the Dough" by Janet Evanovich 352 pages

6. New to Me Authors
a. "When the Emporer was Divine" by Julie Otsuka 144 pages
b. "Gods Behaving Badly" by Marie Phillips 292 pages
c. "Smack" by Melvin Burgess 288 pages
d. "The Dogs of Babel" by Carolyn Parkhurst 261 pages
e. "The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club" by Laurie Notaro 225 pages
f. "The Undead Next Door" by Kerrelyn Sparks 369 pages
g. "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey 432 pages
h. "Killer Pancake" Diane Mott Davidson 368 pages
i. "Little Alters Everywhere" by Rebecca Wells 224 pages

7. Books I Own
a. "The Midnight club" by Christopher Pike 211 pages
b. "Fall Into Darkness" by Christopher Pike 213 pages
c. "Last Act" by Christopher Pike 226 pages
d. "Weekend" by Christopher Pike 230 pages
e. "Bury Me Deep" by Christopher Pike 211 pages
f. "When the Wind Blows" by James Patterson 402 pages
g. "New Moon" by Stephanie Meyer 608 pages
h. "Hey, Nostradomus" by Douglas Coupland 244 pages
i. "The Giver" by Lois Lowery 180 pages

8. Books from the Library
a. "Life After God" by Douglas Coupland 360 pages
b. "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk 293 pages"

9. Re-reads
a. "Remember Me 3: The Last Story" by Christopher Pike 244 pages
b. "The Visitor" by Christopher Pike 162 pages
c. "The Eternal Enemy" by Christopher Pike 180 pages
d. "Scavenger Hunt" by Christopher Pike 215 pages
e. "The Lost Mind" by Christopher Pike 213 pages
f. "Whisper of Death" by Christopher Pike 180 pages
g. "Die Softly" by Christopher Pike 248 pages
h. "Spellbound" by Christopher Pike 211 pages
i. "See You Later" by Christopher Pike 226 pages

Spiritual Reading Challenge

I'm taking part in the spiritual reading challenge hosted by Reading Extravaganza. Between January 1st and June 30th I will read 6 or more books in the spiritual category. They can be fiction, nonfiction, spiritual, metaphysical or self-help.

My books are:

1. "The Great Failure: A Bartender, a Monk, and My Unlikely Path to Truth" by Natalie Goldberg 192 pages
2. "Life After God" by Douglas Coupland 360 pages
3. "The Te of Piglet" by Bejamin Hoff 257 pages
4. "The Tao of Pooh" Benjamin Hoff 158 pages