READS

53. Ellen Foster (Gibbons) ~ Southern Reading Challenge

54. House of Corrections (Swanson) ~ BOiPod

55. The Memory Keepers Daughter (Edwards) ~ BOiPod, TBR Challenge

56. Amnesia (Ephron) ~ Medical Mystery Madness Challenge

57. Between, Georgia (Jackson) ~ BOiPod, Southern Reading Challenge

58. Tallgrass (Dallas)

59. Heart of Darkness (Conrad) ~ Decades Challenge

60. Anansi Boys (Gaiman) ~ BOiPod, Personal Genre Challenge

61. The Face of Death (Mcfadyen)

62. Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) ~ Book Awards Challenge

63. The Devil in the White City (Larson) ~ BOiPod, Non-Fiction Five Challenge

64. The Color Purple (Walker) ~ Southern Reading Challenge

65. Restitution (Vance)

*Clicking on a title will link you to "Thoughts of Joy..."

RESTITUTION

Lee Vance

Personal Rating: 3/5

Yearly Count: 65

Vance's debut thriller didn't quite make the high marks for me. The plot took a dive about 2/3 of the way through, but then picked back up again, all to sink on the final page. Bummer.

The plot, unfortunately, revolved around the financial industry which isn't a preferred reading topic of mine, so when the plot turned to business transactions ... I checked out. There were some twists and turns throughout that were done well, but I never really made any strong connections to the characters, which is key, ultimately making this a "just okay" read. I think his writing has potential, but at this point, it would solely depend upon the plot as to whether I would read another by this author.

Southern Reading Challenge

THE COLOR PURPLE

Alice Walker

Personal Rating: 3.75/5

Yearly Count: 64

The narrator is Celie. She is a black woman who has endured emotional and physical abuse from several male figures in her life. Her story is one of perseverance and survival.

I enjoyed the format of the book. Celie tells it through letters to God and letters between her and her sister, Nettie, who fled the abusive home. I liked the letters from Nettie best, but I don't believe that was supposed to be the focus of the book. It was good, but nothing special.

Non-Fiction Five Challenge

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY

Erik Larson ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 3.75/5

Yearly Count: 63

This was an interesting blend of two separate developments: the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and a psychopathic serial killer. There was an abundance of details relating to the Fair, which on occasion seemed tedious, yet interesting at the same time. The information given regarding the serial killer was weaved throughout and added an intriguing aspect to the time frame of the story.

I enjoyed learning about the World's Fair with its history of food, architecture, celebrations, people, etc. It was a fascinating time of growth and discovery.

Book Awards Reading Challenge (Newbery)

SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL

Patricia MacLachlan

Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Yearly Count: 62

I thought this was a sweet, short book for young children. It would be a great prelude to the LITTLE HOUSE (Wilder) series.

Sarah, who just happens to be "plain and tall" answers an ad in the newspaper from a man who is looking for a wife due to his wife's death during childbirth. While other attempts had failed, the father continues to seek companionship and help in raising his children. What a blessing it is when Sarah responds.

THE FACE OF DEATH

Cody McFadyen

Personal Rating: 5/5!

Yearly Count: 61

I have a problem with me thinking that this was absolutely excellent. Here's why:

"Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter."

~ Paxton Hood ~

This is not good. I truly believe in that quote. It means that I must really be bad off now.

The Face of Death is the second in the Special Agent Smoky Barrett series. While this thriller brings much of the same as the first (Shadow Man) regarding graphic violence, it also delivers much more depth in the characters, an incredible crime thriller plot and evokes emotions from despair to delight.

Cody's writing ability is outstanding. He is able to grab you and keep you. What I find baffling is that this creative talent he shares with us is very disturbing. Who has this stuff in their mind? And worse yet ... why do I want to read it? Another outstanding, yet questionable skill is that he has an uncanny ability to portray female characters with incredible accuracy. How does he do that?

I will not be intentionally seeking out more authors that describe horrific murders or that contain child abuse, so maybe my character will remain intact. However, I can't wait for Smoky's next case. I miss the gang already!

Personal Genre Challenge

ANANSI BOYS

Neil Gaiman ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 2/5

Yearly Count: 60

No surprise here ... Gaiman is not for me. For a while I was flip-flopping back and forth as to whether I liked this book or not, but I had no wishy-washy feelings by the end. It most definitely is a NOT. Preposterous storylines just are not a genre that I enjoy. The only reason I didn't rate this a "1" is because there were some one-liners that amused me. Those are what kept me listening and its only saving grace.

This has been such a fun, productive book year for me and I wouldn't be where I am today without all of you! I have read so many books, been introduced to fabulous new-to-me authors, met so many interesting people, learned loads of important (and some not-so-important) stuff and in general, just have had a fabulous time blog-hopping in this blogworld of ours.

The following are a few stats that I gathered for this special occasion:

STATS: July 1, 2006 thru July 16, 2007
My 1st posting date was July 16th, but I included books that I read from July 1st. This post is my 160th.

Total Books: 114

I am elated with this total, yet I will wait for December 31 for my accurate calendar yearly count.

Rating 5 (Absolutely Excellent) ~ 2

I'm really disappointed in this total, but this year has been quite unique due to the fact that I have participated in challenges to stretch my reading habits. Stretching has most definitely been accomplished.

Rating 4 (Very Good) ~ 45

I'm happy with this. I actually think it's very good considering the challenges.

Rating 3 (Just Okay) ~ 43

Books that I rate as 'just okay' are just that ... just okay. They aren't bad, but they aren't good either. I'd really like to see this diminish.

Rating 2 (Not Enjoyable) ~ 17

Blah. Seventeen books that weren't enjoyable.

Rating 1 (Don't Bother) ~ 7

If you have browsed through my blog, I bet you can guess what genre of books fall into this category!

BOiPod (Books on iPod) ~ 38

This has increased dramatically over the last couple of months. School's out and so am I. Walking outdoors as I listen to a book is pure joy!

Book Give-Aways (Actual Books Received) ~ 3
Wonderful blog owners have blessed me with books. What a terrific way to brighten my day! Thanks again!

Challenges ~ 12

This is the major culprit of my stats. Participating in the challenges has been a great way for me to branch out and explore new territories. I found so many great new authors this way and also found my disdain for classics. Hey ... at least I gave it a try and a good try at that! Seriously, I am very pleased with all my choices for all the challenges. I chose them all for specific reasons and I'm good with that. The challenges have been a lot of fun and I'm glad I participated; however, I do not plan on joining anymore for a while. I really want to concentrate on doing some spontaneous reading and boosting my "Absolutely Excellent" ratings.

New-to-Me Authors ~ 90

This is one of the best parts of the year. I loved reading new authors and discovering new styles and techniques of writing. This was the impetus to start the 2nds Challenge.

My thanks go to all of you bloggers out there for contributing to my spectacular blogging year!

By the Decades Challenge ~ 00's (1902)

HEART OF DARKNESS

Joseph Conrad

Personal Rating: 1.5/5

Yearly Count: 59

This book satisfies the 1900's for the Decade Challenge ... and that's about all. Ugh! Okay, there are two things that I liked about this book: 1. the word choice (excellent diction) and 2. it was a novella (short read!). Done.

TALLGRASS

Sandra Dallas

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Yearly Count: 58

Rennie, the narrator, is a thirteen year old at the start of the novel. She takes us through the years of WWII when the US government required all West Coast Japanese residents to be placed in internment camps for the duration of the war. One of these camps was developed a mile from Rennie's family sugar beet farm. This is the story of how this camp affected her and the small Colorado community in which they lived.

It was a wonderful read! This was my third book by Sandra Dallas and I just love her ability to write good stories. I enjoyed this right from the start and really wanted to savor every moment until the end. The well-developed characters were very personable and I really enjoyed their relationships, yet tension seemed to be always lurking.

Many issues are explored in this novel, so I think it would make for a great book club read.

Thank you Historia of BiblioHistoria for nominating me (quite some time ago and forgot to blog about it) for this fun award. This is why she nominated me,

" ... because if it wasn't for her Non Fiction challenge, I would have never gotten addicted to challenges in the first place."

I am happy to be of service (aka enabler).

I hope all you Non-Fiction Five Challenge participants are enjoying your choices.

Apparently, Gentle Reader of Shelf Life thinks so too. Thank you!

BLOGGERS ROCK!

Southern Reading Challenge

BETWEEN, GEORGIA

Joshilyn Jackson ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 2.75/5

Yearly Count: 57

BETWEEN, GEORGIA is a story about a family feud that has been in existence for many, many years between the Crabtrees and the Fretts. The feud leaves the main character Nonny, who has ties to both sides, as the mediator.

I didn't make a connection with any of the characters and the storyline didn't hold my interest, so ultimately I didn't care and the book flopped. Well, it wasn't a total flop; there just wasn't enough substance. However, Joshilyn Jackson's writing was very well done in regards to Nonny communicating with her mother who was deaf and blind. I think conveying that relationship would be a very difficult task and she portrayed it well.

This book wasn't for me, but I really enjoyed her first one titled GODS IN ALABAMA.

Medical Mystery Madness Challenge

AMNESIA

G. H. Ephron
Personal Rating: 4/5
Yearly Count: 56

This book is the first in a crime series that hosts psychologist Dr. Peter Zak as one of the main characters. He has actually been created by two people: Hallie Ephron, a writer, and A. A. Greeley, a practicing forensic neuropsychologist.

There are many components to this debut that I really enjoyed: the psychological/medical aspect, the courtroom (Dr. Zak appears in trials as an expert on the thought processes and personalities of witnesses and defendants) and the mystery. Also, Dr. Zak has his own personal issues to work through adding a realistic touch to the storyline.

I enjoyed this first and it won't be my last.

*Recommended By: Framed and Booked

Lisa from Bluestalking Reader

had a 1, 2, 3 Give-Away and I was #3, so I won this ...

The Opposite House

(Helen Oyeyemi)

Winning a book is always so exciting! Thank you so much for sharing your books, Lisa. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

TBR Challenge

THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER
Kim Edwards ~ BOiPod
Personal Rating: 3.25/5
Yearly Count: 55

I was really looking forward to this book, but it ended up not being what I expected. The beginning started out with a mysterious tone that made it very intriguing, but about halfway through it started to become dull and repetitious, then ultimately fell flat.

The plot definitely held promise ... a twin being whisked away at birth without the knowledge of the mother, along with secrets (lies) that always have a way of surfacing seemed to me like the makings of a good novel. However, a great plot doesn't necessarily ensure the best execution, which was the case in this book.

HOUSE OF CORRECTIONS

Doug Swanson ~ BOiPod

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

Yearly Count: 54

I'm not sure how this book appeared on my iPod, but there it was and I needed another short one, so listening I did. Unfortunately it wasn't the sort of listening I prefer. I did not enjoy this book.

The plot of Jack Flippo (PI? I'm not really sure what he does for a living) helping a former mentor was appealing, but not having any characters that were likable was discouraging. Not even one! How sad is that? And if I hear another way to describe a male's private part, I'm going to scream! (Okay, I'll admit it, some of them were pretty funny.) Seriously though, I only continued because I did have an interest in the who-did-what part and I suppose that's a tribute to Mr. Swanson's writing, but there will be no more for me from him with the character Jack.

Southern Reading Challenge

ELLEN FOSTER

Kaye Gibbons

Personal Rating: 3.75/5

Yearly Count: 53

Ellen Foster is an 11-year-old with a lot of tenacity from which she learned at a young age; although, she is a typical girl with hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, Ellen goes through many hardships before finding her niche in the world. Her drive and devotion to a friend is priceless and much can be learned from this character.

Ellen tells her own tale with the "now and back then" strategy, which works well, but the lack of punctuation was bothersome at times. Even though this is a short story, there are many little insights and truths she shared that made me smile.

JULY!

Mister Linky will be keeping track of our monthly non-fiction reads. Please type your name and then the name of the book you have read in parentheses. To link your review, copy and paste the direct URL and press enter.

SAMPLE:

Your Name: Joy (The Tender Bar)

Your URL: http://thoughtsofjoyblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/tender-bar-memoir-j.html

JULY

NON-FICTION FIVE CHALLENGE READS: