2009 Booklist

Books read in 2009

Flower Children by Maxine Swann
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman #
City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson #
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King #
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) by Stephen King
Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 2) by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 3) by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 4) by Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 5) by Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 6) by Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 7) by Charlaine Harris
From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 8) by Charlaine Harris
Dead and Gone (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 9) by Charlaine Harris
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill #
The Host by Stephanie Meyer #
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk #
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke #
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
Tithe by Holly Black
Ironside by Holly Black
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Valiant by Holly Black
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine
Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Shadowfae by Erica Hayes
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters(Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) by Rick Riordan
Fade Out by Rachel Caine
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan
Ill Wind (Weather Warden Series #1) by Rachel Caine
Heat Stroke (Weather Warden Series #2) by Rachel Caine
Chill Factor (Weather Warden Series #3) by Rachel Caine
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

# Denotes a book that was on my 2009 to-read book list

Year In Review 2009

Books read in 2009:

Flower Children by Maxine Swann 2/5
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 5/5
City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau 3/5
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson 5/5
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman 4/5
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King 4/5
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips 4/4
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) by Stephen King 4/5
Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) by Charlaine Harris 5/5
Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 2) by Charlaine Harris 5/5
Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 3) by Charlaine Harris 4/5
Dead to the World (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 4) by Charlaine Harris 5/5
Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 5) by Charlaine Harris 4/5
Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 6) by Charlaine Harris 4/5
All Together Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 7) by Charlaine Harris 5/5
From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 8) by Charlaine Harris 5/5
Dead and Gone (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 9) by Charlaine Harris 5/5
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill 4/5
The Host by Stephanie Meyer 4/5
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 4/5
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke 4/5
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury 4/5
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 5/5
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman 5/5
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 4/5
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison 5/5
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle 4/5
Tithe by Holly Black 4/5
Ironside by Holly Black 4/5
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink 4/5
Impossible by Nancy Werlin 4/5
Valiant by Holly Black 4/5
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris 4/5
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris 4/5
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine 4/5
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 5/5
The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine 4/5
Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine 4/5
Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine 5/5
Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine 5/5
Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine 5/5
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 5/5
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 5/5
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan 4/5
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 5/5
Shadowfae by Erica Hayes 5/5
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger 3/5
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan 4/5
The Sea of Monsters(Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan 4/5
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) by Rick Riordan 4/5
Fade Out by Rachel Caine 5/5
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan 5/5
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan 5/5
Ill Wind (Weather Warden Series #1) by Rachel Caine 4/5
Heat Stroke (Weather Warden Series #2) by Rachel Caine 4/5
Chill Factor (Weather Warden Series #3) by Rachel Caine 4/5
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman 4/5

Total Books Read: 57

Books read from TBR list: 8
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood


Series Completed: 3
Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris
The Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan


Top 10 Books and Series Read in 2009:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris
The Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine


Biggest Let-Downs:
Flower Children by Maxine Swann
City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas

Odd and the Forst Giants by Neil Gaiman

Summery:
Odd is a young boy whose life has been anything but easy. His father dies at a young age, his mother remarries a less-than-admirable man, and Odd shatters his own leg, which makes walking a very difficult task. On top of everything winter seems to be lingering longer than usual. One day, Odd has enough and runs away into the forest. There he encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle. Odd discovers a shared secret among the three animals and accompanies them to Asgard, the city of gods. There he plans to confront the frost giants and restore balance. Quite a daunting task for a young twelve-year-boy who only has a shattered leg to stand on...

Book Trailer:


Review:
A delightful, quick read. This is a heart-warming story for readers of all ages interested in a love-conquers-all fairytale. Gaiman combines Norse mythology with simple prose in this delightful fable. A perfect book to curl up and read on a cold winter's day.

Cover Art Commentary:
Gorgeous. The colors are eye-catching. I love the shadow outlines of the characters.

Overall Rating:

Chill Factor (Weather Warden Series #3) by Rachel Caine

Summery:
*Due to taking some time off from reading, halfway through the book, I am posting the summery from goodreads.com.

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin has protected the human race from monster storms, been killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. Now she's throwing the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid--who is holed up in a Vegas hotel--from bringing on a new ice age. -Goodreads.com

Review:
Readers are in for a wild ride in Rachel Caine's third installment of the Weather Warden series. Chill Factor picks up right where Heat Stroke left off. Caine plants more twists and turns amidst non-stop action. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.

*The fact that I took a reading hiatus in the middle of the book, should in no way reflect the story. I enjoyed it very much and devoured in two well-spread-apart sittings. I highly anticipate reading the rest of the series.

Cover Art Commentary:
I still hold that the first book in the series, Ill Wind is my favorite cover. This cover definitely goes with the rest of the series. I like the choice of color. It also depicts a pivotal action scene from the book.

Overall Rating:

Book Bundle (5)

After the death of his father, Odd's life has been stuck in a downward spiral. However, his luck begins to change after he frees a trapped bear in the woods. Discovering that the bear is actually a Norse god, twelve-year-old Odd embarks on a perilous quest to save the other gods from evil frost giants.
-goodreads.com

Some wounds take time to heal . . . and some scars never fade.Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won't rest until his death is solved . . . and avenged. Whatever the cost.Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel's past comes back to haunt her. Literally.
-goodreads.com

Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower. The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man. And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him — and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name. It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. -author's website

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for. A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards...Professional hit men using Harry for target practice...The missing Shroud of Turin...A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semivampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life. Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging. -author's website

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, takes on a case as a favor to his friend Thomas-a vampire of dubious integrity-only to become the prime suspect in a series of ghastly murders. -goodreads.com





Source:
All of these were purchased at my local indie bookstore.

Most Anticipated:
Well...that is a toss up. I am looking forward to reading Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgen series. However I am also looking forward to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Also, Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. So overall, I would say this is one of my best "bundles." :)

A bit behind...

I don't know if it's just me...but December seems to be a difficult month to getaway and spend some quality time reading. Between work, the upcoming holidays, and family issues, I have barely spent any time reading at all. While all of these are good excuses not to be reading, I find myself feeling a bit empty. For me, reading is a form of relaxation...some good old fashioned "me" time, if you will. So perhaps I am feeling a bit stretched since I am not spending as much time on myself as I normally do. Do keep in mind, I requite a lot of down time. I was just wondering if anyone felt the same?

As far as reading goes...I recently just watched the newest Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Now when I say watched, I mean I obsessively watched it three times. :P The Harry Potter series holds a very dear place in my heart. I had stopped reading in my teens and happened to pick up the Harry Potter books around age 16, just to see what all the fuss was about. About 10 pages in, I was hooked and resumed my old reading habits immediately. My mom melted my heart when she told me "it's good to see you reading again." Anyways, I digress...

Every year, I used to re-read the Harry Potter series. That is until I reached college. Reading took a backseat and I was only able to read the last 3 books in the series one time each between classes. So, as I was watching the movie, I had a hard time deciding how similar the movie was to the book, simply because I couldn't remember what I had read. Therefore, I have stopped reading Rachel Caine's Chill Factor (half-way through) and have started re-reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I am rather enjoying re-reading this book and am able to absorb more out of the second reading. Once I finish it and the holidays are over, I expect to resume my normal reading habits and should once again post more frequent reviews.

Book Bundle (4)

Maggie O'Neill was just your average small-town girl, stuck in a dead-end job until she started working at Enchantments, Stony Mill's finest antique shop with a unique mystical secret. Now Maggie is Indiana's newest witch. Learning to cope with her newfound powers is tough enough, but add to that keeping the stock at Enchantments organized, keeping the peace with her somewhat controlling mom, and remembering to tape reruns of her favorite show, Magnum, P.I., and Maggie's got a full plate. But when a second questionable death occurs a scant two months into her store tenure, she can't turn her thoughts away from all the town gossip about the teenage princess and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the girl's charmed life and death. While the police get caught up in procedure and logic, Maggie uses every trick, charm, and intuition she can summon, with the assistance of her favorite witchy boss Felicity Dow, to get to the heart of this spellbinding murder.
-author's website

Maggie is Indiana's newest witch. Learning to cope with her newfound powers is tough enough, but add to that keeping the stock at Enchantments organized, keeping the peace with her somewhat controlling mom, and remembering to tape reruns of her favorite show, Magnum, P.I., and Maggie's got a full plate. But when a second questionable death occurs a scant two months into her store tenure, she can't turn her thoughts away from all the town gossip about the teenage princess and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the girl's charmed life and death. While the police get caught up in procedure and logic, Maggie uses every trick, charm, and intuition she can summon, with the assistance of her favorite witchy boss Felicity Dow, to get to the heart of this spellbinding murder. -author's website

Something dark is brewing in Stony Mill -- and it's not just the fabulous coffee Maggie serves to browsing customers. Looking for charming stock for the store, Maggie accompanies her boss--and favorite witch--Felicity Dow to the countywide craft bazaar. Felicity falls hard for a beautiful armoire, intricately carved by an Amish craftsman. Maggie can't help noticing that though his clothes may be plain, he himself is more handsome than a man sporting a jawline-only beard has any right to be. And he seems pretty aware that the ladies love his . . . furniture. But when the hunky craftsman turns up dead, with a strange hex symbol etched near his corpse, Maggie can't help but wonder if the craft involved might be the witchy kind. Because Maggie knows that the dead man could well have been oversexed . . . but she worries that he was also overhexed. -author's website

It's a long, hot summer in Stony Mill, and Maggie is busy watching TV reruns, minding the store, and figuring out her love life. Then she reluctantly volunteers to care for her bedridden, oh-so-perfect sister, Mel, and her beautiful nieces. But Mel isn't the only focus of Maggie's attention. There are some strange spirits hanging about the area—and it looks like a job for Maggie and the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghost hunting team. -author's website

Taking a break from her job at Enchantments, Stony Mill's finest mystical antique shop, Maggie O'Neill visits a carnival where she senses some bad spirits. And when a construction worker is suspected of killing a young woman, it's up to Maggie and the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghost hunting team to uncover the dark spiritual energy leaking into their town before it spoils everyone's fun.
-Goodreads.com


Source:
All of these were purchased at Barnes and Noble (I went a little crazy, I know) .

Most Anticipated:
Really, the whole series. I was browsing through the shelves and this series just kinda popped out at me. I looked them up on Amazon.com and imagine my surprise when I saw 2 reviews on amazon from Reading With Tequila! Between her and other amazon reviews, I decided to pick up the entire series. It's not exactly Christmas-y, which was my intent, but they do look like fun reads.

Heat Stroke (Weather Warden Series #2) by Rachel Caine

Summery:
Joanne has been reborn into a djinn. Apparently the transformation of human into djinn isn't easy or common. Jo discovers that she has a lot to learn. Quick. She has been given a week to learn how to survive on her own before her lifeline to survival is cut. Meanwhile, there is a rift in the atmosphere, which is leaking out a fine mist, known as coldlight, which is deadly to all djinn. Said leak is also creating lethal storms, which the Wardens are finding difficult, if not impossible, to contain. Joanne must master her djinn skills quickly in order to help fight the coldlight before her fate, as well as that of her fellow djinn, comes to a rapid end.

Review:
Readers are in for quite a journey in this second installment of Caine's Weather Warden series. In the first book, Ill wind, there was a direct path, one main goal for the main character to obtain, with a few minor pieces that fit into the main storyline intricately. In Heat Stroke, there is a lot more going on. It's almost too much. There are various obstacles for Joanne to overcome, some of which at the same time, almost always effecting another person or djinn. I found it a bit overwhelming and struggled to stay on track at times. However, the ending of this book made up for the chaos ensued. I rather enjoyed meeting Jonathan, the main deity of the djinn. I hope for more appearances of him throughout the series.

Cover Art Commentary:
While not my favorite cover in the series, it does depict a major scene in the story.

Overall Rating: