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2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


30 / 30 bookish books. 100% done!

2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


46 / 50 books. 92% done!

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (2)
- Arizona (2)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (9)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (2)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (3)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (1)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (8)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (3)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (2)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (4)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (1)

International:
- Australia (5)
- Canada (3)
- England (16)
- France (2)
- Greece (2)
- Italy (1)
- Japan (1)
- Norway (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (2)
- Vietnam (1)

My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


31 / 50 books. 62% done!

2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


37 / 50 books. 74% done!

Booklist Queen's 2025 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


40 / 52 books. 77% done!

2025 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


43 / 52 books. 83% done!

2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


30 / 40 books. 75% done!

2025 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


38 / 51 cozies. 75% done!

2025 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2025 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


26 / 26.2 miles. 99% done!

2025 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


33 / 100 books. 33% done!

2025 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


70 / 109 books. 64% done!

2025 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


57 / 62 books. 92% done!

Phase Out Your Seriesathon - My Progress


23 / 55 books. 42% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


97 / 100 names. 97% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


75 / 80 skills. 94% done!
Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Finding June: Another Example of Why "Self-Centered Heroine" Is An Oxymoron

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

One of 16-year-old June Laurie's biggest dreams is about to come true—she's joining the cast of the most popular crime show on t.v.  Sure, it's only for a few episodes, but who cares?  She's in.  Which means she'll be spending some serious on-screen time with the delicious Lukas Leighton.  He's the star of every girl's fondest daydreams, including June's.  She can hardly believe the opportunity has landed in her lap, but she's determined to make the most of it.  

June's co-stars aren't sure what to make of the 16-year-old Mormon girl who won't drink coffee and balks at the skimpy costumes she's supposed to wear.  She's not sure either.  June wants this gig so badly she doesn't dare mess it up by asking the producer for something more modest to wear.  Does she?  It doesn't help matters that the Lukas Leighton seems to be falling for her.  Are a part on a t.v. show and the attention of a gorgeous actor really worth compromising June's standards?  As the pressure mounts, she'll have to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to get what—and who—she wants. 

There are several things I like about Finding June, a sweet YA romance by Shannen Crane Camp (there are lots of things I don't, but we'll get to that in a minute ...).  The cover, for one.  It's got a vintage feel to it that still somehow very clearly says contemporary YA.  Eye-catching for sure.  Also, the fact that Camp's writing about LDS teens without being overly preachy or trying too hard to teach some kind of lesson.  In fact, I think she finds an almost perfect balance between church-y stuff and non-church-y stuff, if that makes any sense.  

That being said, Finding June pretty much annoyed me from the first sentence to the last.  Why, you ask?  Well, it starts with the fact that this story has no central conflict.  It sounds like it does with the whole compromising standards thing, but that's actually sort of a subplot.  And not a very interesting one at that (although it definitely could have been).  In truth, the story really doesn't have much conflict at all.  It's pretty obvious how the book's going to turn out, since this premise/plotline's been done a bajillion times and Crane doesn't bother to throw in any surprises to make June's tale unique.  Plus, June never really struggles with anything.  At all.  She's self-centered, insensitive, clueless and yet everyone loves her and gives her exactly what she wants?  I don't buy it.  For me to really get behind a heroine (or hero), I have to see her fight to attain her goals, I have to see her fail so she can pick herself up and continue to claw her way through her troubles, I have to see her care for someone (or something) beyond herself, I have to find something in her to admire.  That didn't happen with June.  She's too flat, too self-absorbed, too unrealistic.  

I have more beefs with Finding June, but I think I'll stop there.  Suffice it to say, I didn't care much for this one.  Crane's got the right idea, IMHO, she just needs to work on creating deeper, more empathetic characters; plotlines that twist in surprising directions; and richer, more vivid prose.  Piece of cake, right?

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a lot of V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram and a teensy tiny bit of My Double Life by Janette Rallison)

Grade:  D

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild language (no F-bombs) and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-copy of Finding June as part of my participation as a judge for the Whitney Awards.  Thank you!

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday, Or, A Rebel I Am Not

I had so much fun doing Top Ten Tuesday—a literary list-y meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish— last week that I'm back for more!  This week's topic did give me pause, though.  It's this:  Top Ten Series I'd Like to Start But Haven't Yet.  If it was Top Ten Series I've Started But Haven't Finished, I could go on for ages.  In fact, I almost decided to go that route anyway, but I didn't want to be too much of a rebel on my second-ever Top Ten Tuesday.  Instead, I racked my brain and came up with the following:

1.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore -- I've heard so much about this series that I just have to try it out for myself.  Soon, I swear!

2.  The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss -- There are only two books in this series so far, but they're HUGE.  I need to read them, but I'm waiting for a nice long plane ride ...

3.  A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin -- Another fantasy series that I've been hearing about for eons (it seems like).  I bought a copy of A Game of Thrones at a Border's going-out-of-business sale (*sniff*) and still haven't cracked it open.  One of these days ...

4.  The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper -- This is an old children's (YA?) fantasy series that I've been wanting to delve into for awhile now.  Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

5.  Heather Wells mysteries by Meg Cabot -- I haven't read anything by Cabot because she seems a little too chick lit-y, if you know what I mean.  Still, I think these sound like fun.  Plus, I totally agree with the titles:  Size 12 is Not Fat; Size 14 is Not Fat Either; etc.

6.  Thunder Point by Robyn Carr -- I've mentioned this one before, but since I still haven't started the series (even though I've got a copy of the first book, which doesn't come out for another few weeks), I'm going to mention it again.  I'm looking forward to stepping into another warm, friendly Carr community, this time in my old stomping grounds, the Pacific Northwest.

7.  Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta -- I loved Jellicoe Road and have been hearing good things about this children's fantasy series.

8.  Millenium by Stieg Larsson -- Everyone and her brother has read this series, which starts with Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I've heard good things about the books and need to try them out ASAP.

9.  Virals by Kathy Reichs -- I love Reichs' Temperance Brennan series and I've been meaning to get started on her YA series.  Reviews I've read about the latter have been mixed, but I still want to try the books and see what I think.

10.  Study by Maria V. Snyder -- I've been wanting to read this trilogy since it first came out and just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Phew!  That was tough.  So, I noticed that most of the series on my list are sci fi/fantasy.  Wonder why that is?  Some of those books are seriously large and that does give me pause, although I'm not afraid of tackling a chunkster (I like big books and I cannot lie ...).  So, yeah.  Interesting.

What about you?  Which series are on your Must-Read-As-Soon-As-I-Make-the-Time list?  Any good ones that I should add to my list?      
Monday, March 04, 2013

Warm + Satisfying = A Winning Combination

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Amelia Mercer's used to feeling invisible whenever her younger sister is in the room.  It doesn't bother her.  Much.  She knows 16-year-old Charly can't help it—people are just naturally attracted to her beauty and charm.  Amelia's no different; she'll do anything for her sister, whether it's covering for Charly when she misses curfew or chauffering her to the scene of her latest prank.  

Despite her impulsiveness, Charly's never been in serious trouble before.  Until now.  Now, Charly's got a secret, a secret that will devastate the girls' already-grieving father, not to mention stain his reputation as the moral leader of their small Florida town.  Amelia refuses to let that happen.  And she absolutely will not allow Tremonton's vicious gossips to ruin her sister's life with their wagging tongues.  But, when the only plausible solution to the situation involves exile to a frozen little town in Canada, Amelia hesitates.  She wants to spend the rest of her senior year in Florida playing field hockey, hanging out with her friends and maybe even winning back the guy who dumped her for Charly.  As much as she hates herself for it, Amelia's just not sure she can stand by her sister on this one.  Doesn't she deserve to choose her own happiness over Charly's—just this once?  

Torn between loyalty to her sister and anger at Charly's increasing selfishness, Amelia's not sure how to feel, let alone what to do next.  Should she let Charly's choices determine her own fate?  Or force her reckless sister to face the consequences of her own actions, even if it means destroying their relationship forever?

With two of my own, I'm always drawn to stories about sisters.  There's just something so compelling about these strong, but complex relationships.  In her second novel, The Space Between Us, Jessica Martinez looks at just such a bond.  Amelia and Charly are typical sisters, so typical they're almost cliché (Amelia's the responsible, older sister; Charly the wild younger one).  Still, there's something about them that drew me in and made me care.  Although I identified most strongly with Amelia, I felt a lot of empathy for Charly as well.  As the girls worked through their differences, I found myself rooting for both of them, hoping that somehow they could salvage their sisterly bond.  At times, their story seems a little far-fetched, it's true, but I still enjoyed reading about the girls' ups and downs as they sought to understand each other.  Their struggles felt authentic.  Overall, The Space Between Us is a warm, satisfying read that's touching without being saccharine.  That's a winning combination in my book (look at that—a reading pun).

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), depictions of illegal drug use and underage drinking, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find


Friday, March 01, 2013

It's a Hoppin' Good Time!

Ahhhh, it's Friday.  That means it's Book Blogger Hop time.  If you've never done the Hop, click on over to Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer to get all the details.  It's lots of fun—you should most definitely join in!

This week's question is:  You're going on a long train ride.  What books will you bring to read?

-- Well, if it was the last train ride before I died or something, maybe I would take along my scriptures or some great classic.  But, if it was just an ordinary train ride, I'd bring along whatever I happened to be reading at the time.  Or, maybe just my Kindle so I'd have lots of options.  If I was going on this train ride tomorrow, I would most definitely grab The Wanderer, the first book in a new series by my favorite romance writer, Robyn Carr.  Her wonderful publicist just sent me a finished copy and I can't wait to read it!

How about you?  What books would you be reading?

--

Thanks so much for Hopping by.  I love "meeting" new readers and "chatting" with old friends.  It just makes me happy :)  If you're new around here, welcome!  Please take a look around, leave me a comment or two (or ten) and, most important, come back often.  I promise to return the favor.  Until then, have a wonderful weekend.  Happy reading!
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The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed By Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

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The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner



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