Update - Week 16

I know this comes a bit late, but here I am again.

I did not enjoy reading "Getting Old is Murder" by Rita Lakin. The story was too predictable and if was full of cliches of old people. It also tried too hard to be funny and a lot of the dialogue between characters was completely unnecessary. I won't be reading any more of this series as I didn't feel I could relate to the main character at all.

This week I started reading "Furies of Calderon" by Jim Butcher, who also wrote the Dresden series. This is a completely different genre for this author but I am enjoying it immensely. It's not a fast read by any means, and with over 500 pages it's going to take a bit longer to read, but it's a much better book than what I've been reading lately. This one might take me two weeks.

The main premise of the book for magic is "furies". Elemental spirits applied to everyone. The person calls their name for the fury and the fury acts upon their wish. They can be used for good and/or evil. Unfortunately, our main character Tavi has no furies and he is sixteen. This is a rarity and he if often considered a freak. I'm still in the first 100 pages.

Update - Week 15

I did not enjoy Murder in Volume by D.R. Meredith. I don't know if it was the negative tone it started with, the overly explaining of things, or having it be from more than one protagonist's perspective. Too many references to being short and cute for my taste, especially since it was always with a negative connotation. There are worse things in life than being short or cute. There were also some really annoying editorial lapses, including changes in tense and some awkward constructions.

My next victim is "Getting Old is Murder" by Rita Lakin. I'm looking forward to this South Florida mystery. I think I will add it to the 1st in Series Challenge. Also, for the Be Inspired Challenge, I read Denise Coates' "Feel it Real" by March 31st. Denise's book is full of great tools that help you keep vibrating at levels that not only make you feel great, immediately lifting your mood to levels that will help you manifest your desires for the future and will also make you experience joy and happiness right now. This book is truly amazing. Games are fun, easy, interesting and have lots of variety. You can easily incorporate these tips into your day. There are enough games so that you don't get bored and you can easily find something appropriate for changing your vibration in any situation. If you want to feel better and happier now, while creating a great future for yourself, then I highly recommend this book. I also highly recommend her podcasts. The second part of the Be Inspired Challenge is to apply one or more principles from the book from April 1st to Dec 31st. I've actually read all the books showing on my Shelfari on this page, except for the Intention Experiment. I may come back and post some thoughts on them later.

Time to check in...

I guess I should have mentioned somewhere that I have a goal of reading a book a week. Not terribly exciting, I know, but when you haven't been reading at all, it seems prudent.

Nonetheless, I am happy to report that I have finished Once Bitten by Laurien Beresnon and have also just finished Persepolis, which was on my Spring Reading Thing list.
I really enjoyed Persepolis and, because it is a graphic novel, it was very fast to read. I really enjoyed reading about all that Marjane went through as a child and young adult and hope the author will write a sequel. I was definetely left wanting more.

For my next read, I have chosen Murder in Volume by D. R. Meredith. It wasn't in any of my lists, but I bought it on Friday and mistakenly posted it as available on PaperBack Swap. Of course, someone had to pick it. So now I have about 4 days to read it.
Will let you know how it goes....

Finished my First Book

Last night I finished A Nose for Murder. It was a very good book full of excellent dog tips. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but in truth, felt that the sleuth, Jack, a former NY detective, talked too much and explained too much, sometimes at inappropriate/awkward moments. I'm going to read the second in the series, but I'm in no hurry to do so.


Next on the list is Once Bitten by Laurien Berenson. I guess you can say I'm going a bit nutty with the dog mysteries, but this is one of my favorite authors, and I simply couldn't resist. I started reading today and already am halfway through.

I also would like to say how pleased I am with PaperBack Swap thus far. I have three books on my way to me and two more that will be sent shortly.

Started Reading!

Sunday I finally started on my first book: A Nose for Murder by Lee Charles Kelley. I'm liking it quite a lot and it reminds me how much I love mysteries with dogs. So now I have added the Themed Reading Challenge and am using that as my theme. It's too soon to post a review on it but enough to say that it has a lot of good tips about dogs. This book is now OOP but will be re-released under a new title.

I never intended this to be my first read but I posted the book on PaperBack Swap thinking it would be a while before anyone asked for it and, lo and behold, it was requested right away. I guess it was on someone's wishlist and they were notified. So now I have until Wednesday to finish it. Piece of cake as the book only has 288 pages.

I'm also new to PaperBack Swap. I had known about it for years but I've been too busy cross stitching to make time to read. Looks like they have local book clubs so I contacted the person who is in charge of the one in Fort Lauderdale and she replied saying we would meet in April. Really excited to get to meet other readers.

Well, that's it for now. Work beckons.