2009 Book Challenge Update

We're twelve days into the 2009 Book Challenge so I thought it was time for an update. Since January 1st, I have completed:

Part One: 3/12 complete

• The Shadowdwellers: Ecstasy by Jacqueline Frank
• Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe'
• Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood

Part Two: 0/12 complete

and
Part Three: 2078/50,000 pages complete. I am ahead of my minimum pace needed to achieve the goal by about 500 pages. Yippee! Only 48,000 pages to go.

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood is the latest book that I have read for part 1 of the 2009 Book Challenge. This book is a stand alone, but there are secondary characters from a previous book. I suspect there will be a third book with other secondary characters. The book is in the genre of romantic suspense.

Sophie Rose is a journalist working for a small, local Chicago paper. She is somewhat notorious because her father is a notorious. He is suspected of being a Robin Hood type thief. Thus, Bobby Rose is often a person of interest to law enforcement. No one has ever been able to link him to any actual crime, however. Sophie has spent years being bullied by various law enforcement agencies that would like to use her to get evidence from her to use to arrest him. Sophie is a loyal daughter though, so she protects him fiercely--at the same time, she's a moral daughter. She has come to realize that she shouldn't profit from her father's ill-gotten gains so she no longer accepts money or gifts from him. She also gives any extra money she has to charity in a sort of penance. Since she grew up rich, this is difficult for her. (I found it difficult too---I mean a Fendi bag---c'mon, her father only steals from criminals!! What could it hurt?)

In a convoluted story line, events converge to place Sophie in danger. The police and FBI think she is being threatened because of the latest scam involving her father. Turns out it's something completely different. Jake MacAlister, an FBI agent, ends up protecting her. While laying low, Sophie and Jake fly to Alaska to investigate a story for Sophie's paper. Those scenes in Alaska were hard to take, I don't mind telling you because--the cold, oh, the cold. How do people live with it? Anyway, while running from killers and trekking to Alaska, Sophie and Jake fall in love. Together, they figure out why she's been shot, shot at, kidnapped and bashed on the head. And they all lived happily ever after.

This was a pleasant book with no emotional highs or lows. The characters are all likable. Sophie's character and motivations are well-explained while Jake remains an enigma. Early in the book it's mentioned that Jake has no intention of ever marrying and a throw-away comment at the end mentions that his mother is on her fourth or fifth honeymoon. Those two things may be related but Jake's motivations and character are never really fleshed out. The mystery was bizarre and confusing. Just when you thought the story was over, Sophie was kidnapped again. The bad guy comes out of nowhere and acts rather ruthless with no back-story to explain his behavior. The relationship between Sophie and Jake was pretty shallow and the decision to marry happens abruptly at the end. While I enjoyed the book, I would give it a three of five stars, I can't place it on list of potential best of the year. It was pleasant and forgettable--and hey, sometimes that's exactly what you are looking for in a book.

My Super Fabulous Chili Recipe

Robin’s Chili Recipe

1 lb. hamburger (90% lean) or ground chicken/turkey
1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilis (Delmonte preferred)
1 16 oz. red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 16 oz. can of water
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 packet of chili seasoning (McCormick’s preferred)
½ tsp red pepper flakes

Sauté onions and carrots until onions are translucent. Add meat and sauté until cooked. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans and water. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil; simmer for 1 ½ hours.

Seduction in Death by J. D. Robb

My latest re-read of the Robb oeuvre is Seduction in Death. It's number thirteen, I believe. Although the murder storyline is unpleasant (to say the least) the story is one of my favorites because of a number of advancements in story lines. Really--when I think about it--my least favorite part of any J. D. Robb is the mystery. Ironic, really. Which is not to say I don't love them, just that I like the relationships best. Peabody and Dallas, Dallas and Roarke, Peabody and McNab, Dallas and the Commander...well, you get the idea.

The basic story is this--two rich and spoiled boy/men with a whole bunch of issues from their childhood begin a game of seduction using date rape drugs. They seduce women over the internet, stalk them, and eventually drug them for points in the 'game'. The very first time out one off the fellows accidentally kills his date. This leads to an escalation in the game, since for our sociopaths the accidental death leads to deliberate murder.

Nit picks 1: Even in 2009, women who meet men from the Internet are surely not so stupid as to drink from a glass that was poured by a stranger before they arrived at the scene of the meet. Yet these woman from fifty years in the future apparently don't notice anything weird about a drink being poured for them before they get there. (And it's champagne--which goes flat, so your really don't want to pour it early. ) Isn't it SOP in bars and such to never leave your drink unattended? Nit pick 2: It just happens that Roarke owns the drug laboratory where the date rape drugs where developed twenty-three years earlier--thus allowing him to access information that would likely never have come to Eve's attention until the end of the case. Frankly, it was an unnecessary step in the solution of the murders since Eve identified the murderers through other evidentiary clues.

On to the good stuff--notable moments in this book. First, Louise Dimatto meets Charles and they begin their romance. Secondly, Peabody's fight with McNab is resolved when he goes to punch out Charles for supposedly dumping Peabody and disrespecting her. They end up agreeing to an exclusive dating relationship. Yea! Thirdly, Eve has some great opportunities to interact with the Commander. Finally, Eve voluntarily agrees to go on a two week vacation with Roarke which represents a big step forward in their relationship. She is learning to put their relationship first, slowly but surely.

As I said at the beginning of the post--Seduction is one of my favorite J. D. Robb books. I give it a four and one half out of five stars. What does it take to get five stars? I generally need to cry at some point in the story. There's definitely a five come up in one of the remaining re-reads. Trust me.

Obama-mania

With the inauguration of Mr. Obama comes entrepreneurship at its finest. Here's what I saw at the grocery store this morning :

Yep, that's a special edition of Jones soda. The tag say its, "Orange You Glad For Change" soda. I guess you're supposed to drink it while watching the inauguration. Just when watching on tv, though, because like all presidential events the security so tight you aren't allowed to have drinks or seats or strollers.

Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe'

My latest read for the book challenge is Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe'. This was my first experience with a Shana Abe' book. Apparently, I came into the middle of a book series without realizing it. The first and second book in the series are The Smoke Thief and The Dream Thief. I'll be looking for them on my next trip to the bookstore.

Anytime you read a new author there is a learning curve at the start of the book. You have to get used to the way the author writes. Andd when the author is establishing a new world with unique qualities, like say, oh--people who can turn into dragons and also smoke--there's definitely a lot to figure out about the world. Even though this was book three of a series (unbeknownst to me) the book gave me enough information to figure out the basics of how this alternate world operated--without bogging down the opening chapters with boring description and back story.

The main characters are the leaders of separate dragon tribes, Maricara and Kimber. The dragon tribes seem to be similar to a wolf pack, in that the alpha male is the head of the tribe. The alpha male also weds the alpha female automatically. Over the years that dragons have existed--their blood has been diluted through intermarriage. Therefore, dragon-blooded people who still have the ability to turn into dragons and also smoke are highly valued. For the alpha, having a wife who's innate dragon skills are still intact is essential in order to produce the next generation of dragon-powerful children.

When Kimber's tribe learned about Maricara and her tribe, they immediately determined to wed Maricara to Kimber and to acquire the other dragon tribe and bring its assets and members under their control. This was a decision made, not out of greed or lust for power, but rather because of a belief that keeping the dragons together in one unified group was necessary for their survival. Maricara feels differently. She wants to be free, along with her tribe. Thus, Kim and Maricara have conflicting goals setting up a distrustful relationship made complicated by desire.

Lest you have the impression that this book is mostly a romance, let me set you straight. It is classified as fiction. While the book does contain a central theme that involves the two main characters falling in love, there is a lot more going on in the story than just that. For starters, the dragon race is in danger from a group of 'others' who want to exterminate them. Dragon people are being killed and kidnapped. The group has a powerful jewel which allows them to control dragon people. Kimber's father, from whom he inherited the running of the tribe, has left with his wife in search of their runaway daughter. After he disappeared, Kimber was left with the responsibility of being the Alpha during dark times for the tribe. Oh yeah, and--turns out the runaway daughter's new human husband is part of the group trying to exterminate the dragons. Yikes. That's a lot of plot threads to keep from getting tangled.

The full story arc had its beginnings in the first two books--and the ending is still to be published. I get the feeling the plot is only going to get more complicated with additional books. Meanwhile, in this book, Kim and Maricara must deal with the attacks against his tribe and the loss of people they care about. They must learn to come to grips with their passion for each other. And they must learn to work together and trust each other even though it seems like their needs and goals are in opposition.

This book has been reviewed by others with high compliments about the lyrical language and graceful storytelling. I cannot disagree with those comments. For me, though, the interesting thing about the story was that I was intrigued by Maricara and Kimber. They were not one-dimensional characters. The author revealed some things about them, hinted at others and concealed still other elements. They had strengths, weaknesses and flaws. They seemed real. By the end of the book, I wanted to read more still--and isn't hat the ultimate high compliment about a book? You want more of the characters, more of the world, and more of the story. I rate the story a four and one half out of five stars.

Patriotism

I found this quote by English Poet Laureate John Masefield (1878-1967) after a great deal of internet searching. I had heard it quoted in a documentary about the British Navy. I was immediately struck by the beauty and deep truth of the quote and it made me think about how our greatest generation, those who fought World War II, probably understand it well. I wonder if Americans understand it still.

"Patriotism, in its true form is of the kind they gave, it is not a song in the street or a wreath on a column or a flag flying from a window. It is a thing very holy and very terrible like life itself. It is a burden to be borne, a thing to labor for, and to suffer for and to die for, a thing which gives no happiness, and no pleasantness, but a hard life, an unknown grave, and the respect and bared heads of those who followed."

The Ice Storm That Wasn't

We had a rain/sleet/ice event here in Maryland, which began on Tuesday and ended Wednesday. Weather forecasters kept using the term "dodged a bullet' to describe it. They really need to get some other phrase for variety's sake. After getting out of school two hours early on Tuesday (while it was just raining) I waited for the event to change over into something that would cause massive problems for travelers and more school closings. It just didn't really ever happen. Wednesday morning we had school as usual. On my drive in to work I observed some spectacular icing on trees and railings but the roads were fine--which is how I like my ice events. I was able to take some pictures of the trees around my school on my walk in--while juggling my umbrella, book bag, purse, and coffee mug. Sadly, when I left school that afternoon the trees had lost their glittering decoration and were black and shiny with rain--all the magic had washed away.

Shoot in Macro, Ohhhh ;O)

Thanks to Shirley for suggesting that I should try shooting closeup images in macro. What a difference! I can't believe I forgot all about those different settings on my camera. Duh moment for me!

Tyger by William Blake

The Tyger

Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

William Blake

Betrayal In Death by J. D. Robb

Betrayal in Death by J. D. Robb is the twelfth book in the In Death series. It is a particularly brutal entry as the two murders are presented as they happen and are extremely graphic. My empathy level for the victims was very high. I confess, when re-reading it, I skipped those pages. I just don't need to experience the trauma of the attack from the victim's point of view. I prefer my murders after the fact, with limited detail, and a little distance. Call me a wimp, I'll own it.

The premise of this story is that a professional killer is knocking off people with a connection to Roarke in order to distract him from a huge auction of millions of dollars worth of jewelry and memorabilia being sold by a legendary screen actress. Of course, Eve et. al., don't realize that's the motive for the murders for a good while. Once again our murders have a connection to Roarke. The first murder occurs while Eve and Roarke are at the opening of the display of the goods to be auctioned. Eve is decked to the nines in an evening gown and diamonds. If Eve is dressed up, you can almost guarantee that she's going to be called to a crime scene or end up chasing a criminal. Her outfits frequently do not survive her job--good thing that Roarke's a billionaire. Weirdly, Eve travels to New Jersey in this same outfit to inform the next of kin about the murder. I'm thinking even devastated by my grief I would wonder about it, if the cop delivering the bad news was wearing a couture gown and diamonds sprinkled in her hair.

Have I mentioned lately that I write my book "reviews" in a stream of consciousness kind of way? I'm not pretending to be a professional here--this is just my reaction to the book. The next thing that struck me as hinky; the contract killer, the professional killer is...well, a sociopath. As a result, he can't just kill the victims in a business-like way. He's gotta have a whole serial killer m.o. That's what makes the murders so awful--the torture and other stuff. Now I don't claim to be an expert on killers, but it just seems to me you either kill as a job or as a hobby if you fall into one of those two types of killers. (I can't believe I'm explaining my thinking here...) It seems to me a true contract killer has to be cold and dispassionate and have a get in and get out mentality. You don't want to get caught, right? Also, since it's a business you don't want to be spending anymore time on it than necessary. A job that is done quickly is more profitable than a job that takes more time. Our contract killer does extra stuff which takes longer and increases his risk.

In this offering, McNab and Peabody's relationship hits a speed bump. McNab has reached his tipping point regarding sharing Peabody with Charles. Mavis has a minor walk-on when she helps to identify some make-up and we have the obligatory scene where Trina gives Eve a beauty treatment.

Taken altogether, Betrayal is not my favorite book in the In Death series. That said, I still recommend it as an essential read if you are a Eve and Roarke fan. I rate it a three out of five starts mainly due to the extreme violence.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Ugh

This is why I HATE my camera. Look at this fuzzy picture. I just can't take good close-ups with it. Sigh.





I also need a camera with a view finder so I can see what I'm shooting when I am sightseeing. Bright sunlight makes those big displays in the back of digital cameras useless.

The To-Be-Read Stack

The tbr pile for most dedicated readers can be quite large. After all, one's acquisition of books out-paces one's ability to read them--what with life being so busy and all. (The need to work for a living really cuts into my free time.) Some romance readers can claim tbr piles in the hundreds, maybe even the thousands. I'm not going to try to compete. I'm not proud of my compulsive purchasing of books since it is evidence of my paranoia. Basically, I'm afraid they'll stop publishing the books I like to read, therefore I need to stockpile them. Some people stockpile non-perishable food and water in case of a natural disaster. I stockpile books in case the entire publishing industry goes nuts or bust. Anyway, this is just a selection of my tbr.

The Shadowdwellers: Ecstasy by Jacquelyn Frank

Ecstasy by Jacquelyn Frank is the first book in her new series. It is connected to the Nightwalkers series (Jacob, Damien, Noah, etc.) as it occurs in the same world and with a cross over of characters. The Shadowdwellers are the newest supernatural culture to be introduced. They are notable because they are vulnerable to light and live in total darkness. I confess I found that idea to be difficult to comprehend. The heroine of the story is a human woman, Ashla, who has a horrific past involving abuse by her mother and siblings because she can heal others. The hero is a shadowdweller, Trace, who also experienced torture in his past as a prisoner of war. Ashla and Trace meet in Shadow-scape, an alternate reality or dimension where Ashla has been stranded. These two damaged individuals meet and become connected through Ashla's healing of Trace's mortal wounds. Because a healing by Ashla, involves taking on the injury, she essentially risked her own life to save Trace. (That totally made me think of an original Star Trek episode about a healing empath played by the actress who played Kim Hughes on ATWT..oops, I digress.) When Trace understood the nature of what Ashla did for him, he also realized that they are part of a "Sainted" pair--a relationship highly revered in his culture because greater love hath no man...well, you get the idea. Trace and Ashla are caught up in a powerful connection that overwhelms them. There are mysteries to be solved: how did Ashla come to be stranded in Shadowscape; who is trying to assassinate Trace; and what is the identity of the traitors trying to bring down the Shadowdweller government. This was an excellent, intensely emotional book with a satisfying conclusion. The next book in the series, Rapture, comes out in June 09 which is just too far a way in my opinion. I rate this book four and one half out of five stars.

All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Most everyone has probably heard of the book, "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten". I haven't read it and I didn't go to kindergarten, but Judy and I are using kindergarten centers as a model for how to more consistently fit our hobbies into our lives. Tiredness and inertia after a long day of work seem to sap all desire to haul out the scrap booking supplies, or my book project, or cross-stitch projects. Zuma, that addicting computer game, can seduce us into losing hours of the evening. Zoning out in front of the tv watching junk I don't even like (Smoking Guns: World's Stupidest Criminals comes to mind.) can devour my life. So, as part of a "new year's" reorganization we are going to set up "centers" in our home. In the den we'll have the puzzle center set up. (That tea party puzzle has turned out to be a real doozy.) The dining room table is going to be the scrap booking center. The desktop computer can be the book project zone. We may switch out some centers for others as we see what works best. I'm hoping that Judy's cross-stitch Nativity may be done by next Christmas. I'm hoping my book project can be ready to submit to a publisher by summer. And maybe when we make a visit to Indiana we can show Emily and Karen some completed scrapbook pages at last. Finally, the book challenge may actually discipline my reading habits so that I can get through my substantial to-be-read stack. Fingers-crossed.

Judgement in Death by J.D. Robb

In my continuing quest to re-read all of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, I just finished Judgement in Death, which is book number 11 of the 27 (so far) books. Like so many of the first books in the series, the murder of bad cops somehow manages to be connected to Roarke. This annoying plot "twist" has been used way too frequently for plausibility. Robb connects the murder to Roarke in two ways: first, when the first victim works as a bartender in a business he owns, and secondly, because of a connection to the evil organized crime boss who has his fingers into all the bad cops. Roarke knew him and did business with him once upon a time. A third odd connection springs up when Eve has a flashback about her father and realizes he did some errands for this same crime boss. The murderer was a bit of a surprise the first time I read the story back in...hmmm, lemme check the copyright...2000.

What makes this a nice entry into the series is the fight that Eve and Roarke have. First she lies to him--a big mistake--then she pulls a weapon on him--also not a bright move. After the first fight when she lies, Eve amusingly goes to confide in Mavis about the fight and ends up having a girl's night out and getting smashed on screamers, while hearing typically hilarious guy-advice from Mavis. After the girl's night, she has an encounter with an old "boyfriend" who makes a pass at her which is interrupted by Roarke. Not surprisingly, this is followed by a fist fight between the two males. Eve draws her weapon and actually shoots it, in order to break up the fight. Roarke naturally objects to his wife pulling a weapon on him. I laughed every time this incident was discussed because Eve couldn't' understand what the fuss was about it. She had it set on stun after all. The capper of the book is a scene in which Eve confides in Dr. Mira in a sweet interaction where Mira confides that she feels maternal towards Eve. When Dr. Mira hears the full story with gloriously private and personal details, her reaction is a hoot. The Peabody and McNab story gets little advancement in the book which is disappointing but you can't have room for everything. All in all, an excellent entry in the series and a great little comfort read. I give in four and one half stars out of five. I do love Eve & Roarke. (Oh yes, and my page count is 396 in part three of the book challenge.)

Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz

I just finished reading Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. This is a modern day Arcane novel which continues the story of the struggle of Jones & Jones and the Arcane Society against the evil Nightshade organization. The book also has a minor connection to the Eclipse Bay series in the person of the eccentric Arizona Snow.

As a long-time reader of Jayne Ann Krentz novels, this book met my expectations very well. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Typical of Krentz' books, it is the story of two misfits and how they each find the mate who, if they don't complete them; matches them very well. The hero and heroine have been without family for most of their lives, and have not found a partner who will accept them and love them unconditionally. They form a bond that satisfies and fulfils. It is (as I expect in my books) a happily ever after type of book. I personally don't have a problem with that. You will never find me reviewing a book recommended by Oprah, after all. The story is romantic suspense with the suspense being provided by the conflict between Nightshade operatives and our hero and heroine. This book gets my recommendation--with four stars out of five possible. Sadly, since I finished the book today--I can't count it toward any part of the 2009 Book Challenge, darn it.

2009 Book Challenge

Judy and I have decided to create and compete in a book challenge this year. We invite our friends and family to participate too. The challenge is in three parts. You can participate in all three or just one. It's up to you. Part one: read 12 biographies in the coming year. Part two: reading 12 nonfiction, mystery, science fiction, suspense, or romance (not including category romance) books in the coming year. Part three: read 50,000 pages worth of books counting any and all books read. (Magazines, internet, etc do NOT count toward your page total.) We recognize this challenge will be tough for those of you who have kids (rethinking that decision yet? ;o) oops, too late) which is why we added some flexibility to the levels of participating in the challenge. The challenge begins January 1, naturally, so get reading to READ.

2008 Cookie Bake

So the great Cookie Bake of 2008 is over. In the end we had an unintended white chocolate theme but I think the mix of cookies is interesting and I hope really good. All that's left to do now is prepare the boxes. Each box will have:
White Chocolate Candy Cane Drops
Sugar Crisps
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Cherry Chocolate Kisses
Orange Sugar Cookies
Coconut Drops
Candy Bark (a cracker/toffee/chocolate candy)
White Chocolate Trash (a white chocolate/cereal candy)
Pretzel Rods coated with white chocolate and jimmies
I still have some baking to do for our Christmas Day company but the biggest amount is over.
I hope we get some good feedback from the family so we can adjust for next year.

Another Long Absence

Considering how much time Robin spends on the computer everyday I'm amazed that it's been 10 months since her last post. I, on the other hand have spent very little time on the computer this last year. It's only been since we bought the laptop that I've got into the habit. Not that I get to USE the laptop mind you, but now that Robin is on the laptop all evening it leaves the desk computer free. So Yay! I've opened a Facebook account and re-connected with lots of friends and now I want to keep the blog up to date. I'm very opinionated and if I go too long without expressing these opinions in a positive way among friends, then I start boring people at work (and the checker at the grocery..). It's not a pretty sight. Today we began the 2008 Cookie Bake. Of course since Robin and I are uber-procrastinators, first we had to clean the kitchen, rearrange the cupboards, organize the pantry and the baker's rack where we store canned goods, take out the trash, go to the grocery and....take a nap! FINALLY, I started baking. First I mixed up the dough for sugar crisps a long-time family favorite, then I moved on to Peanut Butter blossoms while the 1st dough was chilling. I have to say so far, excellent cookies. The family will be suitably grateful I'm sure.

Judy