User Profile

*Just graduated college!*
*Loves foreign films*
*big reader of fantasy,fiction and that sorta thing*
*Love animals...I want to get a turtle. They are one of the best pets ever*
*Thinking of a career involving dental work of some sort.*





Book List 2007
Book List 2008

Books---2009
These are books that I have read so far for the year.
A=Great B=Good C=so-so D=BAD! F=did not finish

1. Bitten B (Finished 4 January 2009) I've never read anything by Kelley Armstrong and I liked this book. The werewolf pack and world was put together in a somewhat different way than in other books I've read and I liked that. Basically it was a book about Elena who was in conflict with her nature as a werewolf. Once again I got attached to a peripheral character, Karl Marsten, and would like to read a book more focused on him. Had a good time with this book.

2. Raven's Shadow B+ (Finished 11 January 2009) I've gotten to really enjoy Brigg's writing. This is the first in a duology about a woman named Seraph who is a Traveler, a culture/race that has magics and those who are Ordered (specific types of magic) it is their duty to protect the other people from the Shadowed. An ex-solider named Tier saves Seraph from an angry mob and they marry, which essentially means Seraph gives up her heritage. She is happy but one day that is shattered when men arrive and tell her that Tier is dead. As a Raven Order (mage) she realizes that this isn't right and decides to investigate along with her children who are also Ordered. The Shadowed was an evil brought into the land long ago and Seraph will have to use her Traveler heritage to deal with it.
I must say I am looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel Raven's Strike. Briggs has a great way of making a fast paced novel but extremely interesting characters.

3. The Heretic Queen B+ (Finished 14 January 2009) The Heretic Queen is the sequel to Nefertiti. Having read Nefertiti (in 2008) and liking it but not being completely captured by it I didn't rush out to get Heretic. So I was completely surprised with Heretic because it immediately captured my attention. Nefertari, Ramesses, Asha, and Worsoret are very alive characters and this part of of Egyptian history is very interesting. Plus since the idea of having more than one wife is foreign it is fun to read about wives that are dueling for the attention of the husband and the lengths they will go to show up the other. I also enjoyed the power war between Ramesses' two aunts.

4. Beside a Burning Sea A+ (Finished 27 January 2009) This was an amazing book set in the South Pacific during World War II. It begins with the sinking of an American hospital ship and 9 survivors who are able to swim to a nearby island. Once on the island the group dynamic starts to come into play with 3 nurses, the ship's captain, a 12 year old boy, a traitor, an engineer, an officer and a Japanese soldier. The book is about the relationships that form between the survivors for the two weeks they are on the island. Every character is extremely compelling and I ate this book up. I rented it from the library but I most certainly will buy it. It was a beautiful study and I got a connection with the characters that the ending almost made me cry. This is Shor's second book and I have read his first, Beneath a Marble Sky, but this second one is far superior. A must read from a different perspective on the war.

5. Beyond the Hanging Wall C (Finished 2 February 2009) I really like Sara Douglass' writing but this book did not really do much for me. (I wonder if it is one of her first books?) The characters do not have the depth she usually gives them and the writing is a little under par when compared to her other (great) books. Although if you are reading her newest series the Darkglass Mountain series (Serpent's Bride and Twisted Citadel) then it is worth it to read this one because it is the story of how Maximilian is shaped and rescued after spending 17 years as a prisoner in the Veins and since he is one of the forefront characters in the Darkglass series it is worth it to read this book. The writing style is light and I breezed through this book in about 3 days.

6. The Lady and the Unicorn B (Finished 4 February 2009) This book tells book weaves the story of how the Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries were created. I got this book through a swap on swap*bot and was pleasantly surprised since I really like the tapestries. Chevalier does a wonderful job creating the circumstances of the creation of these although at first the changing of the narrator at each chapter put me off but once Nicolas des Innocents (the tapestries designer) became so irritating to me for his womanizing ways I found the narrator change to be delightful. My favorite parts were that of Alienor, the blind daughter of the master weaver. The book really makes you appreciate how hard people worked back then to create such beautiful works.

7. Through Wolf's Eyes B (Finished 15 February 2009) I had this book on my shelf for maybe 2 years when I decided that I should finally read it. It is the story of Firekeeper, a young girl who was raised in the wild by Royal Wolves (smarter and stronger than regular (cousin) wolves). It starts off when people come into the Iron Mountains to find her and she lets them bring her back to civilization since she might be the King's granddaughter. The book centers around Firekeeper learning how to act in human society and the noble's bid to have one of their own children become heir to the kingdom since all of the King's children have died. Derian, the young Carter who forms the best bond with Firekeeper and Blind Seer, the blue-eyed wolf that accompanies Firekeeper to the human world, are my favorite characters. Some parts of the book got a bit repetitive and rambled a tad but on the whole I thought it was a fresh look on the "child raised by wolves" story and was pleased that I finally decided to read it.

8. Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart B+ (Finished 5 March 2009) This is the second book in the Firekeeper series. I really enjoyed this one since I had already been introduced with all of the main characters. This time Firekeeper and the gang have to trek into New Kelvin, a neighboring but vastly different culture, to find some very important artifacts that have been stolen. We get to learn more about the main group of characters and see their relationships develop and deepen. I enjoyed this one more than the first and the added parts with the Royal animals I really enjoyed and I do hope to see more of them in the future.

9. Dragon of Despair B + (Finished 8 April 2008) the 3rd book in a series about a young girl who was raised by Royal (intelligent) Wolves. This book takes place mostly in the country of New Kelvin (a neighboring country to the one the main characters are from and the setting of the first two books). Going to a new country refreshed the books for me since I enjoyed their previous adventure in New Kelvin. These aren’t your typical “girl raised by wolves’ books. A nice and complex story that would be good read in the series or even as a standalone novel. At 500+ pages, not a book for everyone.

10. Wings of Wrath B (Finished 21 April 2009) The second in a series, set in a world where some are born with the ability to do magic, but to do each act takes a bit of that person’s soulfire (essence). In the end, depending on how freely they use their power an early death when their soulfire runs out. Only Magisters, men who are sorcerers can use magic and not pay with their life. In the first book the main character, Kamala, learns the secret and becomes a Magister even though women are not allowed. She is on the run from the other Magisters and trying to get the only thing she can that will save her, Knowledge. It is the one thing the Magisters prize having knowledge to hold above the other’s heads and since they are almost immortal the one thing that can interest them is new knowledge. Set in a medieval type world that is under attack by the mythical and dreaded Souleaters, animals that feed on a person’s soulfire. I found this book much more interesting than the first. Probably because I was familiar with the characters and the one I found very interesting from the first book, The Witch Queen, had a much bigger part in this book. Plus she gives the reader a different perspective on the whole situation. Eagerly looking forward to the next installment. ***Warning spoiler*** I am getting a bit irritable with the pattern that is being set for Kamala’s lovers. It is like she is James Bond and these guys are the Bond girls. She loves them and then they get killed and Kamala gets some anguish but also a chance to find someone new in the next book. Maybe I’m so irritable because I liked the guy who became her lover in this book and was not happy to see him go.

11. The Ransom of Mercy Carter A (Finished 26 April 2009) Mercy Carter is an 11 year old English settler who, along with her whole town, has been taken prisoner by Native Americans. Through her eyes we see how everyone is treated and what she is thinking about her abduction and how she slowly grows to accept and even care for her new Native Family after they adopt her. I enjoy reading books about or involving Native Americans although I usually prefer to read the ones set before the English and other European settlers came, this one was written finely for the teen audience. A nice afternoon read with an interesting perspective.

12. My Sister's Keeper B+ (Finished 30 April 2009) I’ve read this one before, but since the movie was coming I decided to read it again and refresh my memory. I enjoy the way Picoult moves from character to character with each chapter, she does so smoothly and at just the right time in the story for it to be beneficial. (When I’ve seen this style done by other writers it just turns me off the story so quickly usually). Like most of Picoult’s book it centers around a family and a moral dilemma, in this case Anna was born to be a genetic match to help save her sister Kate’s life. At the beginning of the book Anna takes measures to emancipate herself from her parents so that she no longer has to be a donor to her sister and the whole situation that blooms from this decision as her family gets torn apart. Picoult has such a way with this type of drama, I can’t usually put her books down and even reading this a second time that didn't change.
I was extremely disappointed by the movie, they changed the pivotal part of the book which ruined the movie IMO.

13. Darling Jim C (Finished 5 May 2009) This book starts out with a mailman finding the bodies of two sisters and their aunt in the aunt’s house, with the knowledge that a third sister seems to have escaped. The aunt was keeping them captive and starving them as punishment. The book follows along the story as told by each of the sisters through diaries that a young mailman finds at the postoffice. The central conflict follows after one sister falls in love with a wandering storyteller but he then marries the aunt. It follows that the sisters murder Jim and the aunt vows to get revenge for them killing her love, Jim. Interspersed with the main story is the tale that the bard Jim was telling in local pubs about a werewolf who is trying to find redemption. For me, the best part of the book was the Bard’s tale and that was few and far between, the other bits of the story is just pretty odd and while it was intriguing it just had an odd quality that diminished the story in my eyes.

14. Handle With Care B- (Finished 14 May 2009) Another hard hitter by Picoult where it is hard to decide which side exactly you’d side with if you were in that situation. This one centers around a family with a daughter who has osteogenesis imperfecta a rare condition where the bones are brittle and something as insignificant as a cough can cause a broken rib. Willow is this child, and one day her mother decides to sue for wrongful birth against her best friend and ob-gyn saying if she had known Willow had this she would have not had her. This leads to broken families, broken friendships and an issue that is hard to side since we know how much this family really loves little Willow. The only part that troubles me about this book was the ending…unexpected and felt a little unnecessary even though I can see how it shows Willow just being the kid she is. Was still an amazing read, but the ending left me a bit unsatisfied.

15. Bloodhound : Beka Cooper series #2 A (finished 7 June 2009) I have been reading books by Tamora Pierce since I was 8 probably. Although marketed to the tween crowd her lively characters have always drawn me in. I’m always awaiting her next book with eager anticipation. Blood Hound is the second in this series with the first being Terrier about a young girl, Beka Cooper, who is a Dog. Dogs are basically police in the medieval type country of Tortall where magic is also commonplace. In Blood Hound, Beka faces a great challenge in trying to find the source of counterfeit money abounding in the towns before it ruins the economy of the whole of Tortall. She faces the added difficulties of going into a new town to do her Dogging. Beka is a great and strong female character who has her faults and because of them is totally realistic. Pierce has another hit in my eyes.

16. Wolf Captured B- (Finished 13 June 2009) Fourth in the series about Firekeeper, the young girl raised by intelligent wolves, this book immediately captured and kept my attention as Firekeeper, Blindseer and Derian Carter are abducted and taken to a previously unknown land. Derian is one of my favorite characters from this series and having it be just these three main characters focused on in this book made me happy. Here they meet a people who all know about the Royal/ Intelligent animals and they want Firekeeper to teach them how to better talk to the animals. Once again the foreign culture keeps you interested plus the wide array of new characters. The only thing that kept this book from being an A was the ending. I’m extremely attached to Derian, and at the very end of this book he was dealt a dirty dirty blow and I was so upset that Lindskold could let that happen to him. I’m already tearing into the next book of the series (Wolf Hunting) to find out what happens to everyone and especially this situation with Derian…I keep hope that it might turn out ok.

17. Clan of the Cave Bear A+ (Finished 27 June 2009) Another book that I’ve read previously. Set way back in the ancient world where Neanderthals still walk the earth. Alya is a young Homo Sapien who is orphaned as a young child and found by a clan of Neanderthals and adopted. A very intense story which made me think. Mainly about how short their lives were, you were practically ancient at 26 years old. History always has drawn me and Auel makes these people mean something to the reader. Alya has troubles adapting to the way of life of the Clan since their culture is so extremely different from the two human groups but she tries her hardest to fit into the only family she has ever known. I want to jump straight in to Valley of Horses but since the Earth’s Children series and the Firekeeper series are both consisting of extremely long books I decided to start the next Firekeeper book in an effort to not burn myself out on any set of characters by reading too of them all at once.

18. 2001: A Space Odyssey A+ (Finished 9 July 2009) I'm not really into reading space books, but after I got started reading this one I couldn't put it down. From the start with the ape-man Moon-Watcher and the monolith all the way to Discovery One's trip to Saturn with the super computer HAL in 2001. Gets pretty trippy towards the end with the encounter with powerful alien race that built the Monoliths and leaves you thinking long after it's finished.

19. Wolf Hunting B+ (Finished 9 July 2009) Firekeeper and Blind Seer are still in Liglam, living on the Island as Alpha's in their own little pack. About a year has passed since the events in Wolf Captured and everything is going well...that is until the Jaguar Truth starts going extremely downhill in her mental state and requests that Firekeeper help her regain sanity. A mysterious entity called The Meddler is in the background leading the group towards a destination in a neighboring country in a search to find two magically inclined twins but as always everything is not as it seems. I enjoyed this book their adventure is exciting especially after they find the portal to the Old World. Hard to believe the series is almost over.

20. The Valley of Horses B (Finished 20 July 2009) Alya is all alone and trying to find her people the Others. It is kind of fascinating seeing her survive on her own and knowing that she won't be able to go back to the Clan for help. Kind of makes you think about how screwed most people in this day and age would be if we were set in this type of landscape and expected to survive. Alya finds a valley that is perfect to spend the winter in and decides to stay there and we also meet Jondalar and Thonolan two men of the Others on their Journey trying to reach the end of the Great Mother River. The chapters switch between Alya and the brothers and leaves you with a building expectation of when Alya is going to meet Jondalar. After she saves his life the book keeps you interested by how she, and he, reacts to the differentness of each other. A very good read.

21. 3001 The Final Odyssey A (Finished 9 July 2009) This is the 4th book in Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey collection. I found it a few weeks after I had read 2001: A Space Odyssey in my uncle's book collection. The funny thing was I had picked it up probably a hundred times when I lived there but never read it cause it was space related. After loving 2001 I eagerly started reading it. Even though it is the 4th and I have not read 2015 and 2065 I was not lost in the story as this takes place 1000 years after the first book. In a way it is like you are seeing things through Frank Poole's eyes after his body is found floating in space and reanimated from his cryogenic sleep. Lots of technological leaps have been made and it is neat to see how Clarke imagined human society would be. Of course the monoliths and the entity that used to be Dave Bowman have not been idle in this time between and we get to see the continuance of their story when Poole goes to one of Saturn's moons to visit the human base there. After reading this book I am even more excited to read the other two.

22. Shelters of Stone (review to come soon)

23. The Shadow Queen A++ (Finished 12 September 2009 ) The Black Jewels Trilogy being one of my favorite series of all times, I was extremely pleased when I saw The Shadow Queen was out and snapped it up and started reading. This book has two interweaving plots that focus around Cassidy, who as a Queen in the Dark Realm is asked to go to Dena Nehele and set up a court by Jaenelle. While at the same time Daemon SaDi and his family keep a close watch since Dena Nehele is in Terreille, where this family has some bad memories. So we get to see Cassidy as she tries to set up court in a semi-hostile envrionment with warlords who have only known hurt and fighting, and also more of the daily life of Saetan, Daemon, Lucivar and Jaenelle as they cope with the emotions dealing with Terreille again has brought up.
I liked the new story and characters, especially Gray and Cassidy but since I love the boyos so much, I was extremely pleased to get a good dose of them as well in this book. Looking forward eagerly to more stories to come out of the Realms. I would totally recommend this book, but ONLY if you've already read The Black Jewel's Trilogy (Daughter of the Blood, Heir To Shadows, and Queen of Darkness and probably The Invisible Ring since this book deals with Dena Nehele from the Past) Only because I think a lot of the pain/emotions that are shown in The Shadow Queen wouldn't really make sense unless you already know the back story. But these books are great and engaging reads so I don't think reading them should be a problem.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28. Cleopatra's Daughter
29. Mara: Daughter of the Nile

30. The Hippopotamus Marsh: Lord of the Two Lands: Volume I C+ (Finished 13 September 2009)
I randomly found Pauline Gedge while searching the Goodreads list of Egyptian books. Hippopotamus Marsh was the only book my library had by her. I enjoyed this book, she brings Ancient Egypt alive during the time when the Hyskos are ruling egypt and the Tao family decides they want their birthright as the real Kings of Egypt back. For the first part of the book I didn't know if I was going to like it, then the things started hopping and by the end of the book I became entrenched with the characters Kamose and Hor-Ah. I'm now eagerly awaiting getting my hands on the next in this series.












Click here to go to www.care2.com and click to donate and help animals in need along with other great causes. With practically no effort you can do your part to help the environment and other creatures on this planet. :D