Unfinished Challenges

Wow, there's three. I started out with good intentions on these challenges, but then I hit a major reading lull. This hasn't happened to me in years. The deadline has come and gone, so here's my final wrap-up on my unfinished challenges.

Series Challenge: I read 11 out of the 12.

Dec 1, 2007 - May 31, 2008

1. We Shall Not Sleep

2. The Bleeding Dusk

3. Messenger of Truth

4. The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog

5. River Secrets

6. Goodnight, Irene

7. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels

8. The Light Fantastic

9. The Hippopotamus Pool

10. The Silver Chair

11. The Last Battle

12. The Sign of the Book

My favorite was We Shall Not Sleep by Anne Perry. It was the final book of 5 in her WWI series. Loved the final books in the Narnia series. Immensely enjoyed The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason, Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear and Goodnight Irene by Jan Burke. Always a pleasure to read Elizabeth Peters and Terry Pratchett. All in all, a very rewarding list. Can't believe I haven't read Thursday Next: First Among Sequels yet. All was not in vane, however. The books I read were great.

Numb3rs Challenge: YIKES! I only read 2 of the 5.

1. Book of a Thousand Days

2. A Thousand Days in Tuscany

3. Sixpence House

4. Thursday Next: A First Among Sequels

5. Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing

My favorite of these two was Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, but I thoroughly enjoyed Sixpence House, too.

Once Upon a Time II: Another poor showing - only 2 out of 5.

1. River Secrets

2. Wintersmith

3. Light Fantastic

4. Yarrow

5. Singer of All Songs

My favorite was Light Fantastic. I enjoy Pratchett's writing, sense of humor and great stories.

The Light Fantastic

by Terry Pratchett

Pratchett is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. His books are pure delight - besides being witty and imaginative, they are well-written, have a great storyline and include full-bodied, whimsical characters. The Light Fantastic is Pratchett's second Disc-World novel and is a direct continuation of the story presented in The Colour of Magic.

Favorite characters include Rincewind who is the main protagonist. While attending wizard school he got a powerful spell stuck in his head that seems to have made lesser spells afraid to lodge there, thus he has never been good at magic. His companion in both books is a tourist named Twoflower who has a rosy way of looking at things. I really like Twoflower. My 3rd favorite character is Luggage, with his multitudes of tiny feet and definite attitude. Luggage is just that - luggage, a trunk in fact. He belongs to Twoflower and is fiercely loyal.

"Twoflower was a tourist and fundamental to his very existence was the rock-hard belief that nothing bad could really happen to him because he was not involved."

Chuckled at this description: "He moved in a way that suggested he was attempting the world speed record for the nonchalant walk."

"She picked him up by his apron straps and glared at him eye to eye. Torn though her dress was, disarrayed though her hair was, she became for a moment the symbol of every woman who has caught a man with his thumb on the scales of life."

Hippopotamus Pool

by Elizabeth Peters

Book eight in the mystery series featuring Amelia Peabody is much like the previous books - enjoyable, satisfying, informative, humorous and cozy.

This season (1899-1900), the Emersons are greeted in Cairo by a mysterious Mr. Shelmadine, who tells them a tale of reincarnation and a queen's tomb before disappearing. The tomb he wants them to excavate is at Drah Abu'l Naga, the tomb of Queen Tetisheri. Despite Emerson's annoyance at the melodrama, his interest is piqued, especially after a corpulent and ruthless antiquities dealer named Riccetti mentions their visitor in a veiled warning.

While trying to find the exact location of the tomb, as well as the vanishing Mr. Shelmadine, the Emersons meet up with David Todros, a young apprentice to an accomplished forger of antiquities. David is Abdullah's grandson, who scorns the "Inglizi" and wants nothing to do with Abdullah, until he himself becomes a target for violence connected with the Emersons' quest.

Evelyn and Walter Emerson come to join the work as well, and Ramses, Nefret, and David begin what is to be a beautiful friendship.

River Secrets

by Shannon Hale

Booklist calls this a stand alone adventure. I think it could be read on its own, but I think it works better to read it after Goose Girl and Enna Burning.

Razo is the main character and is one of the ambassadors of peace to a country that was just defeated by his country. He is in a difficult position and he has quite a bit of self-doubt, but he tries to push himself into the role his leader has for him.

This is not my favorite of Shannon Hale's books, but it was still very good. Her writing is engaging. I often catch myself mulling over an arrangement of words that caught my attention. Unfortunately, I didn't mark any, for which I'm kicking myself. That's one of the highlights of finishing a book for me - to go back and read certain passages. It helps review certain aspects and events of the story.

Anne of Avonlea

by L.M. Montgomery

What a delightful book. I was a bit worried that after Anne finished school (in Anne of Green Gables) the series would loose some of its magic. Not so. Although I missed Matthew, the addition of the twins was fun. Davy is definitely a kindred spirit for Anne.

I used lots of bookdarts in this book. I'll probably use a dozen more when I reread it. Here are some of the ones I marked:

"We make our own lives wherever we are, after all. They are broad or narrow according to what we put into them, not what we get out." --Mrs. Allan

"I wish you could think first and do things afterwards, 'cause then you wouldn't do them." --Davy

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." --Anne

"That is one good thing about this world . . . there are always sure to be more springs." --Anne

Charlotta the Fourth admired Anne wholeheartedly. It was not that she though her so very handsom. Diana Barry's beauty of crimson cheek and black curls was much more to Charlotta the Fourth's taste than moonshine charm of luminous gray eyes and the pale, ever changing roses of her cheeks.
"But I'd rather look like you than be pretty," she told Anne sincerely.
Anne laughed, sipped the honey from the tribute and cast away the sting. She was used to taking her compliments mixed. . . . Anne herself would never believe that she had any claim to beauty. When she looked in the glass all she saw was a little pale face with seven freckles on the nose thereof. Her mirror never revealed to her the elusive, ever-varying play of feeling that came and went over her features like a rosy illuminating flame, or the charm of dream and laughter alternating in her big eyes.

"Now where is the romance in all that?" asked Marilla.
"Oh, there isn't any, when you put it that way," gasped Anne, rather as if somebody had thrown cold water over her. "I suppose that's how it looks in prose. But it's very different if you look at it through poetry . . . and I think it's nicer."
Marilla glanced at the radiant young face and refrained from further sarcastic comments. Perhaps some realization came to her that after all it was better to have, like Anne, "the vision and the faculty divine" . . . that gift which the world cannot bestow or take away, of looking at life through some transfiguring . . . or revealing? . . . medium, whereby everything seemed appareled in celestial light, wearing a glory and a freshness not visible to those who, like herself and Charlotta the Fourth, looked at things only through prose.

Anne of Avonlea was published in 1909 - the year my grandmother would have turned ten, almost 100 years ago! It's story is still as fresh and mood-altering today.

A big THANK-YOU to Raidergirl3 who presented me with my copy of Anne of Avonlea when we visited last summer in the PEI. Every I picked up or laid the book down I would be flooded by those memories in the Pub, our good visit, and the bagpipes marching by. Delightful evening!

The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog

by Elizabeth Peters

I read this for the Series Challenge and for the What's in a Name Challenge (animal) . This is book #7 in the Amelia Peabody series that I've dipped into here and there over the years. There are 12 more to get me caught up. I'm sure Ms Peters will have written more before that happens, though.

I really enjoy the story of Amelia and Emerson and their archaeological discoveries. In this installment Emerson looses his memory which adds undue complications in catching the "Master Criminal." There's plenty of adventure, intrigue and a bit of marital romance combined with a good mystery. It was fun to pick up a book and read about likable, crotchety characters you are familiar with. This series is comfortable and totally enjoyable.

The Bleeding Dusk

by Colleen Gleason

I received an unexpected, but delightful surprise in November when I opened a package and discovered an ARC of Colleen's latest book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. I immediately sent off a thank-you email expressing my surprise and delight. Colleen emailed back and told me to be sure and read the acknowledgments. There, right after the illustrious name of Carl V, was my name! I had to sit down and do some deep breathing exercises. In the acknowledgments Colleen expressed her thanks to several blogging friends who have read and reviewed her books and sponsored contests. I was downright tickled to be mentioned.

Those of you who have been following the escapades of Victoria Gardella, vampire slayer will be happy to know that The Bleeding Dusk will be out and on shelves on Feb 5. We learn some pretty interesting things about Max and Sebastian, the two main men in Victoria's life. Desire puts her at the mercy of Sebastian, while loyalty binds her to Max, but can she trust either man? And what of the 3rd man lingering in the shadows?

I found myself a bit annoyed with Victoria. She's so young and impetuous and gets herself in some dangerous situations. Doesn't she have a brain to go along with that beautiful body? It's just a good thing she has others who aren't so full of themselves watching out for her best interests.

As with the first two books, there are a lot of suspenseful moments. I love that part, as well as the mystery surrounding the main characters. One of the good things about this series is the slow reveal of important aspects of the characters' lives. I look forward to the next book so I can get more insight into both Max and Sebastian. AND of course, I can't wait to read what further adventures await.

The Last Battle

by C. S. Lewis

The last in The Chronicles of Narnia series iss a short, quick read. Aslan shows up unexpectedly and commands the people and animals to do things that appear contrary to his previous benevolent teachings and actions. King Tirian is beside himself and calls for help from Eustace and Jill. Of course, it is not the real Aslan but a donkey dressed up in a lion's costume who only appears to his subjects at night. That symbolism made me smile.

As the title suggests this is the last great battle and is symbolic of the last battle talked about in the Book of Revelations in the Bible.

I enjoyed reading this series very much, but felt this book ended a bit too abruptly. My mind didn't stay focused on it as well as the others in the series. Can't say as it was the book's fault or mine. I may give it another try in the future.

I do love this cover and would like to buy the whole series with this type of artwork, but I've been unable to locate them. I bought what was advertised as this, but I received a different set. Guess all I can do is keep my eyes open.

The Silver Chair

by C.S. Lewis

Eustace returns to Narnia with a new friend, Jill Pole. Aslan tells them that King Caspian's son is alive and they must find him and return him to Narnia. The children are aided by a rather pessimistic marsh-wiggle named Puddleglum. I delevloped a liking for this Eeyore-like character because, even though he was a wet blanket, he was brave and courageous.

I was tickled when Jill's nurse called her a poppet. The only other time I had heard the word, poppet, it was in reference to Lisa Snellings cute little artwork. I stole this picture from Bookfool's blog to show you what they look like in case you've never seen them.

It seems the word poppet comes from the old English meaning a small child or doll. Who knew? Some look on poppets as lucky charms.

We Shall Not Sleep

by Anne Perry

My first finished book of 2008 may just wind up being my favorite at the end of the year. At least, I would not be surprised if it did.

Anne Perry has long been in my top 10 favorite authors. It's with exuberance that I review this, the fifth and last, in her acclaimed World War I series. The overall mystery that ran throughout the series covering the length of the war was discovering who the 'Peacemaker' was and stopping him before he succeeded in his plan for world peace and dominance. There was within each book a separate mystery that was solved within the time frame of the book.

In book five a nurse is brutally murdered and two innocent people are blamed. The Reavley siblings must discover who it is in order to take care of some secret service work before the war ends. And the end is soon approaching. A young lady the reader knows well from other books was raped and she may be the only one who can shed light on who the real murderer is, but if she comes forward she could loose the love of her life. Perry provides real insight into the feelings of people in the early part of the century towards rape victims.

I seldom cry during movies or books, but I was choked up several times while reading We Shall Not Sleep. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish the book. After doing so, I crawled in bed beside my sleeping husband and thanked the Lord that he never had to personally experience war. And my heart wept for those who suffered and who still battle today for freedom.

Perry wrote a powerful series. The mysteries are captivating, the history is well-depicted, and the storyline is well constructed. I marked a kazillion passages to reread at the end. I love putting a little bookdart* at a thought or passage that I want to reread at the end of the book. It refreshes the ideas and allows me to think of them again but with the end of the book in mind.

When talking with the Peacemaker, Mason (a war correspondent) became aware of the conflicting beliefs of Joseph Reavley and the Peacemaker. "The Peacemaker had argued over and over that the greater end justified the smaller ugliness of the means. Joseph Reavley had said that the means were inextricably bound into and part of the end. Being a chaplain, he had put it in religious terms. He had said that if you picked up and used the devil's tools, you had already served his purpose, because using them had changed you, and that was all he wanted."

In this passage the flaw of the Peacemaker's plan is contemplated by Mason.

"The Peacemaker had begun with such high, clear ideals. They would broker peace, prevent the slaughter and ruin of war, at a relatively small price. Except that it was not a small price. They had not seen then that the lack of open war is not the same thing as peace. There are internal prices to pay that create a different kind of war, another sort of destruction. . . It wasn't nationality that was the issue. It was the passion and belief of the individual, the right to rule himself in the manner of his choice, the chance to be different, funny, inventive, to learn anything and everything, to question, to make mistakes and to start again."

At one point Matthew Reavley (Secret Intelligence) is recruiting Mason's help and tells him of the Peacemaker's plans.

"It would be peace, but without any passion or individuality, any freedom to think and question, to be different to dare new ideas, to complain against stupidity or injustice, to question or work or laugh aloud. It would be the peace of death. . . He still hasn't learned that you can't force people without at the same time destroying them."

Joseph often refers to Dante's Inferno. Here he has a brief insight of his study of that book.

"It's Dante again - Rewarded not for what we do, but by it--and by what we see, and what we see others do."

Joseph confronting the Peacemaker.

"There would always have been some who would pay for the freedom for us to make our own laws, speak our differences aloud, follow the faith we choose . . . If we pay with our lives, then so be it. We will not pay with the slow death of our minds or the withering of our souls."

Though there are more, I will only share one last kernel.

"Great men use power as little as possible."

*I bought several tins of bookdarts for Christmas presents and they sent me a couple of extra sleeves. If you would like to win a sleeve of 12 or so bookdarts, make a comment and I will draw for a winner on Sunday, January 13.

Goodnight, Irene

by Jan Burke

I read book five in the Irene Kelly mystery series earlier this year and really liked it. So when Joy mentioned reading a second book by an author we'd only read one of, Jan Burke was an obvious choice.

In Goodnight, Irene the reader is introduced to Irene Kelly and several of her friends. The book starts out with one of her closest friend's murder. As a reporter, Irene picks up on the stories her friend was working on in hopes of finding clues that will lead to the murderer.

This type of book is like comfort food to me. Perfect for when I don't want to thing too hard, but want to escape for a few hours and be totally wrapped up in the story. I look forward to reading book two in the series soon.

The Sign of the Book

by John Dunning

I am enjoying this mystery series immensely. The Sign of the Book is number four in the Cliff Janeway/Bookman series. The well-read and articulate Jenclair directed me to this series and I will always be grateful.

Cliff Janeway is a former cop turned used book dealer. He has a relationship with Erin D'Angelo who is a highly respected lawyer. Together they are called upon to help solve the mystery of who killed Erin's former boyfriend. All signs point to Erin's high school best friend who had an affair with Erin's boyfriend, Bobby, and ended up marrying him.

As with the previous books in this series, there are unexpected twists in the plot and there are fun tidbits about book collecting. Someone commented on one of my earlier reviews of a Janeway novel that these sounded like good cozy mysteries. I wouldn't classify them as typical, light cozy mysteries. This series is a little more hard-boiled and well-crafted.

Only one more book's left in the series and that makes me sad. I wish there were lots more. I guess I'll be looking into some of Dunning's other work when I finish the Janeway series.

Series Challenge

Kathrin at Crazy Cozy Murders has more series started than I do. Amazing! Anyway, because she has this 'sickness' to start but not finish or get up-to-date on all these series she created a challenge to help herself out of the mire. Being a real sweetheart she is allowing the rest of us to join this challenge. It's kind of like an AA meeting, 12-step program to help all those with the same 'sickness' to get the help we need.

I realized after looking at Katrin's list that I NEEDED to make a list of all the series I've started and would like to read further. I LOVE making lists, so I did have fun even though it took awhile. My list is at Serial Hit List. My dear husband came up with this clever title for me.

The challenge runs from Dec 1, 2007 through May 1, 2008. Since we can choose how many books we'll read and in what series, I've decided to read 6 books. Each book will be from a different series that I've already started. In a few cases this will finish the series. In others I will just become reacquainted with old friends.

1. We Shall Not Sleep This is the 4th and final book in Anne Perry's wonderful WWI series.

2. The Bleeding Dusk This 3rd installment of Colleen Gleason's thrilling Gardella Vampire Chronicles will be available Feb 5, 2008. After reading this I'll be current with this series.

3.Messenger of Truth Book four in the Maisie Dobbs series will almost put me up to date. I just discovered the 5th is coming out towards the end of Feb. Yay!

4. The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog It's been quite awhile since I've read one from the Amelia Peabody series and I'm feeling in the mood. Unfortunately, this will NOT get me current. This is only book 7 out of 17 or so.

5. River Secrets Another series I haven't visited for a long time. River Secrets is the last in the Goose Girl Trilogy by Shannon Hales. I'm looking forward to rejoining the young characters in this series.

6. Goodnight, Irene I recently read book 7 without realizing it was a series. For this challenge, I'm going for book one.

7. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels Who else but Jasper Fforde would name book 5 The First Among Sequels? I'm excited to read this one because I love the series but also because I won it in a drawing from Emily (Lost in the Pages)

8. Wintersmith This is book 4 in the Tiffany Aching YA series. Sooooo fun!

9. The Light Fantastic I can't not add a Terry Pratchett book. The more I read of his Discworld series the more I love it. Only 34 more to get caught up!

10. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis Book 6 in the Chronicles of Narnia.

11. The Last Battle The final book in the Chronicles of Narnia.

12. The Sign of the Book This is the 4th in the Cliff Janeway series. Only 1 more to go!

Okay, I know I said I was setting my goal at 6, but making the list was just too much fun and I got carried away in the moment. I hope to read all 12, but my goal is still 6. We'll just see how things turn out.