Books 39-44

#39
The Enchantment Emporium
Tanya Huff

Tanya Huff is one of my favorite authors (yes, I'm aware how often I say that LOL) & while she has a couple other series that I would have loved to see another book for, after reading this one now I'd like it to have a sequel =) At least in part because there are so many unanswered questions, or questions just partially answered.

#40
Undead And Unwelcome
Queen Betsy Book 8
MaryJanice Davidson

Betsy is, in answer to a long-spoken prophecy, Queen of the Vampires. Which is nowhere nearly as dramatic as it sounds, if I had to give this series a genre I think it would be something like comedic romance, because MaryJanice Davidson is an author who can literally make me laugh out loud ... which can draw some strange looks from non-readers I'll admit.

#41
8th Confession
Women's Murder Club Book 8
James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

I like being able to discuss these books with my friend, but she likes them quite a bit more than I do. Sometimes they're hard to fit in when I have other books that I really would prefer to be reading. I did squeeze this one in but I'll admit I'm kind of glad that there's not a release date for a 9th book LOL.

#42
Raven's Shadow
Patricia Briggs

I've been reading so much urban fantasy lately I thought I might have trouble getting into something like this that is more high fantasy, set in a created world rather than kind of just an altered version of our own reality, but Patricia Briggs sucked me right in within the first couple of pages.

#43
A Bone To Pick
Aurora Teagarden Book 2
Charlaine Harris

I kind of hate to say it, because I really like Charlaine Harris, but this book kind of bored me. Not that it wasn't a good book, as a mystery it was really good, but it was just so ... normal. No supernatural happenings at all, and for me to tolerate that, I guess I need more than a whodunit murder mystery.

#44
Kushiel's Dart
Kushiel's Legacy Book 1
Jacqueline Carey

I recommended this book to my friend, and when I picked it up for her & took a look "just to refresh my memory" I was 84 pages in before she even came to get it & had to go get another copy for myself & re-read this along with her. I think I originally read this 2 or maybe 3 years ago, and I wanted to re-read it eventually, but she gave me a good excuse. I was really nervous about her liking it, because it's beyond totally opposite of what she normally reads, but she got sucked right in & at this point has finished this first book & started the 2nd =) And at 700+ pages in the hardcover, this is a doorstopper of a novel, and it's not because the author can't shut up, it's because there really is that much story to tell.

And I'm still not caught up ... but I think this post is long enough for now LOL. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Books 23, 24, 25

Have to play some catch up ... I usually keep my book posts as works in progress to fill in gaps between nail pics, but I'm kind of falling behind. I also lost a good chunk of my personal book list (where I don't have to worry about posting any spoilers LOL) when the comp crashed, so I'm glad I do at least have my blog record of what I was reading over the past couple of months.

#23

Small Favor

Dresden Files Book 10

Jim Butcher

This book started a whole bunch of new paths for the overall mytharc of the series. I mean, it seems like there are always more questions raised than answered, but this one really left a lot of loose ends. Unfortunately, odds of them actually being resolved in the next book are next to none ... questions like the ones that got raised have a tendency to simmer in the background for a few volumes before they come to take their own place center stage.

#24

7th Heaven

Women's Murder Club Book 7

James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

I have to admit I didn't write any notes on this book right away when I finished & the only things that now jump out in my memory I can't put down here because they are HUGE HUGE spoilers! On top of that, my friend (who got me reading this series) is going out of town just as book 8 comes out & didn't even bother to finish book 7 & discuss it with me! So I'm not sure if 8 will show up on my reading list, as there are a lot of other books coming out very quickly that I'm much more interested in.

#25

Magic Bites

Kate Daniels Book 1

Ilona Andrews

A big thank you to Nixxy for recommending me this author & series. As with the first book in any series, there was a lot of world-building & foreshadowing going on, but that's great because it shows that the author has things planned. This series has a lot of unique twists on the usual urban fantasy themes. Kind of nice for a change that the vampires are not sexy predators but creepy undead puppets for the necromancers. And the ebb & flow of magic vs. tech adds a really new & different aspect to Kate's world.

I've actually already read the 2nd book in this series but I'm going to save that for another post =) I've got a fresh NOTD to post also (the dots did not grow on me) but I'd like to post up with sunshine pics so that will have to wait for tomorrow, while I cross my fingers that the rain stops long enough tomorrow for me to actuall take a few =) Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Books 14, 15, 16

Time for more books! Seems like I always end up posting about 3 at a time, which I swear I'm not doing on purpose, just when I need a "filler" post that's how many I've read in between.

#14
Death Masks
Dresden Files Book 5
Jim Butcher

I read this book in under 2 days. Part of it I think was having it available right after I finished the last one, just continuing on in the world, but another part is that I think, much though I've enjoyed James Patterson's books, he's not cracking my top authors list. Whereas Jim Butcher is definitely in my top 10 & maybe my top 5 (the top 5 is kind of shifty ... kinda depends on who I'm currently reading & who has a book coming out next that I'm most looking forward to at the moment).

#15
6th Target
Women's Murder Club Book 6
James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

This book dragged for me. It's like it was interesting while I was reading it, and I'd even go so far as to say hard to put down, but it didn't make me pick it back up again. It took me a whole week to get through, and I think I only managed that quick because I wanted to get to what I had ready for next.

#16
Blood Rites
Dresden Files Book 6
Jim Butcher

Ah, trust & family, 2 things that hopefully - but unfortunately not necessarily - go together. And poor Harry -the main character of the Dresden files - has his share of issues with both. One of the reasons that I really enjoy Jim Butcher is that he's been doing foreshadowing for some of the stuff that got revealed in this book since book 1. And that's just pretty cool to me, a skill that some authors have in much greater share than others.

I'm reading Book 7 right now, & I've got the rest of the Dresden files sitting on the floor next to my desk, out from the library (through book 10) & I hope to have them finished before #11 comes out in April.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Books 8, 9, 10 & My First Poll

HA! Bet you almost forgot about the books & I've really been slacking pretty bad ... last year I was going strong 10+ books a month, and here we are mid-February & I'm only on number 11. I've got to get my butt in gear, but considering I just spent most of my day off napping ... well, there's always tomorrow!

#8
4th of July
Women's Murder Club Book 4
James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

So instead of just ending with a twist, this one also started out with a twist. Can't tell you what the twist is without spoiling it of course, but I was surprised by the path this one took, a lot different than the first 3 books.

#9
Really Unusual Bad Boys
MaryJanice Davidson

This was a nice break from the Women's Murder Club. Instead of trying to figure out the twist or identify the killer, I'd classify this as pretty light reading. Technically an anthology, still all 3 of the stories kind of linked together so that it kind of like just one book.

#10

5th Horseman

Women's Murder Club Book 5

James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

In addition to a twist, this one ended on something of a cliffhanger. A girl at work that has also read the series promised that things would be explained in the next book, but my friend has 6 (even though she hasn't finished 5 yet...) so I've got another copy on request & until then have a couple books from other series I will be catching up with.

So, I also set up my first poll! Check it out in the upper-right corner.

After my friend wanted to borrow a gold for Valentine's Day & I ended up pulling down literally every shoebox, I'm reconsidering my sorting system. Right now everything is by brand, and I'm strongly considering switching to by color. I mean, when I'm looking for a color for myself, I know exactly what I want, but when someone else is requesting something, they're usually not as sure. The next day my mom asked for a gold, and I kind of had a "d'oh!" moment because I'd had them all out & put them all back away in their respective boxes.

So, how do you store your polish? Vote in my poll & let me know! I think I'll leave it running through the end of the month. Thanks for reading!

~Colette

Some Ground Rules & Books 6 & 7

Well, I feel a little more on track. Still behind compared to last year, but keeping a better book schedule. #7 only took me 2 days, although it was fairly short, under 300 pages. Normal Saturday routine is a trip to the library & since I have no other plans to speak of, I'm hoping to get through another book or 2 by Monday.

I also thought I should lay out a few ground rules for myself for when I do book reviews. I will try to keep from posting any spoilers without prior warning, but anything mentioned on the back of the book or the book jacket I will consider fair game. Same goes for stuff that happened in books earlier in a series when reviewing a later book. Ummm ... other than that I don't know yet but if I come up with anything more I'll be sure to let you know =) On to the books:

#6:

3rd Degree

Women's Murder Club Book 3

James Patterson & Andrew Gross

I've been enjoying this series more than I thought I would, but I have to start out by saying - damn you James Patterson! He has a habit of killing off important characters, and while from a plot standpoint I understand that not everything can have a totally neat & happy ending, it's starting to get a little old. Every book has contained the death of a main or semi-main character.

As a reader it's sad when you get to know someone & then they get axed just to progress the story. As a writer, I'm aware it's something I need to work on, because I have a TON of trouble ever killing off any of my own characters.

#7:

Real Murders

Aurora Teagarden Book 1

Charlaine Harris

This is a series that had been on my to read list for quite a while. I like Charlaine Harris but up until now I had only read her Sookie Stackhouse series, which may sound familiar to some because last summer it was adapted for TV by HBO into the series True Blood (which I have to say is pretty well done & has excellent casting [& Anna Paquin even won a Golden Globe for her Sookie] & I can't wait for summer for the 2nd season).

I liked this book but didn't love it - that may just be that it's the first in the series, and I feel like I'm still getting to know the characters, I'm not really invested in what happens to them yet. But I definitely liked it enough to pick up the 2nd book in the series. I got this partly to see if it was something I could recommend to my friend after she finishes the Women's Murder Club series, although Patterson does have another couple series & plenty of stand alone books to keep her busy.

So that's that & all for now. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Confessions of a Bookworm

It says right up top: "Nails, novels & other stuff that makes me happy." So where, you may be wondering, are these supposed novels?

I confess that sometimes my other hobbies get in the way of reading, and sometimes I get irritated with myself for being so easily distracted. Even though I have already read 5 books so far this year, a part of me feels a little bad because last year at this point I had already read 11 books.

Actually keeping a list & tracking how much I read came about basically from people at work teasing me. "How many books did you read this week?" Ha. Ha. Except it actually did get me to wondering. I knew I read 2-3 books a week most of the time, but I had never really tried to keep track before over a longer period of time. So, at the begining of 2008, I started keeping a list, and at the end of the year my grand total was (insert drumroll here): 130 books. I even impressed myself a little, surpassing my initial estimate of 100 books.

This part of my blog is still a work in progres. I mean, I'm getting a comfort level with the polish-related stuff, I'm doing better than I thought I would, but how much rambling about books will be tolerated in between? What kind of info should I include? What ... are other people posting on this subject?! And so it dawned on me: there are probably as many if not more book blogs as nail blogs. Why in the world hadn't it occured to me before to check them out?

So I did. And it was good. And you'll notice my "other blogs" little section is no longer so little. In fact, the book blogs may need their own little area like the nail blogs soon. On one of them (Bookish Ruth actually) I found a little quiz (I love online quizzes, so often they're just spot-on accurate), which I think summed it up nicely:

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

That is so me.

Anyway, my main distraction to date this year has been reading blogs, writing my own blog, and shopping for polish that I suddenly realize I must have after seeing swatches. But I have managed to get a few books in & here's what they were:

#1:

Fish Out of Water

Book 3 of Fred the Mermaid

MaryJanice Davidson

#2:

No Rest for the Witches

Anthology

#3:

Moving Targets & Other Tales of Valdemar

Anthology

Edited by Mercedes Lackey

#4:

1st to Die

Book 1 of the Women's Murder Club

James Patterson

#5:

2nd Chance

Book 2 of the Women's Murder Club

James Patterson & Andrew Gross

Next on my list is the rest of the Women's Murder Club series. I started these books because my friend quit smoking & started reading instead, so to support her I decided I would read what she was reading so we can talk about it.

I can't say I intend to post reviews of every book I read, kind of like you don't catch me swatching whole polish collections - there are other people who do it better in both cases. But you'll probably catch me waxing poetic on some of my favorites, as I do with my favorite manicures. I can admit that almost every post I've made has turned out longer than I thought it was going to be when I started.

So. Maybe new record for longest post, and maybe not even on anything you care about if you've come looking for some NOTD. But I've been reading even longer than I've been painting my nails. And! Since I usually get all my books from the library, it's a much cheaper simple little pleasure than my nails tend to be.

If you're still with me, please feel free to let me know what you think! (Or even just what's on your mind ^^ ) That always goes, but especially for this first book post. And, as always, thanks for reading.

~Colette