October Reads

Wow! October was an awesome month as far as my reading goes, even with managing to read only one book during the read-a-thon. 10 books in a month is my monthly goal and I wish I could meet it every month. I am certainly happy I did this month. And most of the reads were really, really good which is another plus (and maybe also the reason why I managed to read all ten, lol!).

1. To Serve Them All My Days by R. F. Delderfield - a really, really enjoyable HF about a teacher in England and the country between the wars.

2. Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee - a book club read (my month to lead the discussion and the title was my suggestion) that I guess I am glad I read, it was easy enough to go through but the author annoyed the hell out of me.

3. The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes - another enjoyable HF read, this time about the end of War of Roses and the beginning of Tudor dynasty.

4. Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd & Ann Kidd Taylor - a mother/daughter memoir about life changes and traveling, for some reason made me cry quite a few times

5. Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins & Amberly Collins - another mother/daughter team but this time it's a YA mystery in the Christian fiction stream. I am glad I read it and will be recommending it to my daughter when the time comes.

6. A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick - HF with photography in early 20th century America as one of the main subjects, despite not having a major interest in photography I did enjoy the book.

7. Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart - I liked this one but I wasn't overly impressed with it. Being a 'chunkster junkie', I would appreciate the story to be longer as the whole book seemed rushed.

8. Sliverstein & Me by Merv Gold - a memoir about about one of the most famous children poets that tastefully reveals he was a lot more than just that.

9. A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi - a captivating psychological thriller from a debut writer.

10. No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer - I just love her murder mysteries, if ever a want a good laugh I know where to turn.

11. Dragon House by John Shors (did not finish) - I wanted to look past certain blatant political statements of the writer but I couldn't. I am a reader who when reaches out for a fiction book expects fiction and not political commentary on how bad America is and how many lives we've ruined by fighting wars. I wrote a little more on Goodreads if you click on the link.

Audio Books:

1. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr - I think the worst of the three, I simply could not stand Aislinn who is one of the weakest, most indecisive, afraid to offend even the worst enemy queen I have ever read about.

2. Requiem for a Mezzo by Carola Dunne - I found out about this little gem of a writer on Beth Fish Reads blog and I was right to follow the recommendation. Ms. Dunne is another crime mystery British writer that is earning her way to my favorite authors' list.

3. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - I believe this one came as a recommendation from Teddyree's blog The Eclectic Reader and it's another one I am glad I followed. One of the best YA paranormal stories (part of a series, which I'm very happy about) I have read.

No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer

It’s already November, the end of year is near and I can safely speak about who my favorite awesome writer discovery is this year. It is undoubtedly, definitely Georgette Heyer. I am completely taken by this author of mysteries and historical romances and also extremely happy that luck was on my side and I did get to know about her, considering that I had lived on this planet for 31 years (20 of which having been a total bookworm) before I laid my hands on the books of Ms. Heyer. It is therefore not going to be a surprise to you to learn that No Wind of Blame was yet another hit for me.

Wally Carter provided all who knew him many reasons to want to kill him and the list includes his overly dramatic wife, absurdly theatrical stepdaughter and a newly acquainted phony Russian prince who isn’t really Russian and has no princely belongings. However, the fact that everyone had a motive is not what complicates the case of Mr. Carter’s murder. It’s not why but how he was killed that Inspector Hemingway has to figure out first because none of the suspects were anywhere near the murder weapon when it was used to fire the deadly shot. Now Inspector Hemingway has quite a cast of characters to deal with before the guilty party is found and how he gets to interrogate the suspects makes up for one hilarious read.

I honestly cannot praise Heyer’s talent at writing mysteries enough. No Wind of Blame my fourth Heyer mystery I read this year and they just keep getting better for me. On the surface it is a cozy whodunit read in the same field as Agatha Christie’s books. And as such it already would have been enjoyable enough. What makes this book extra special for me is the clever dialogue showing off the absurdity of some human characters and the hilarious comedy of manners. Ms. Heyer will provide you with tons of laughs if only you’ll give it a chance. At least I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out laughing every once in a while. And boy did I need it! I think it takes a special kind of author to write intelligent, hysterical mysteries that provide just the right mixture of entertainment and secrets to keep a reader intrigued and hooked until the last page. I also think that Georgette Heyer is that special kind of author and No Wind of Blame is that special kind of book.

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Special Thanks to Danielle J. from Sourcebooks, Inc. for sending me a copy of this book for review.

It's Monday...and it's time for Borrowed Words

Last week I posted some funny quotes to lighten up a mood on Monday. It turns out that my sister loved them and was laughing out loud while reading the Dangerfield quotes especially and Amy from The House of Seven Tails together with her husband also seem to be greatly amused by Rodney, I figured I will post some more funnies for all of you out there to put a little laugh in our lives. Today, I give you words borrowed from Rodney Dangerfield.

I came from a real tough neighborhood. I put my hand in some cement and felt another hand.

I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it.

It's tough to stay married. My wife kisses the dog on the lips, yet she won't drink from my glass.

My uncle's dying wish - he wanted me on his lap. He was in the electric chair.

My wife is always trying to get rid of me. The other day she told me to put the garbage out. I said to her I already did. She told me to go and keep an eye on it.

When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.

When I was born I was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother.

Yeah, I know I'm ugly... I said to a bartender, 'Make me a zombie.' He said 'God beat me to it.'

Okay, and a little bit more from Groucho Marx:

Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.

I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.

Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.

Now there's a man with an open mind - you can feel the breeze from here!

Women Unbound Challenge

I absolutely love this challenge! And not because I am a great feminist or anything, because I actually am not. But I am a woman and that is enough. I decided to join also because I don't read enough fiction or non-fiction written by/for/about women and this challenge will give me a kick in the butt to correct that mistake. There is actually a blog devoted to the challenge only, Women Unbound Blog and I will only steal a little bit from the introductory post written by Eva (this is also the post where you sign up for the challenge) just to explain quickly what the challenge is about to those of you who would like to join but haven't really heard of it and want to know a little more before committing.

Here it goes:

The challenge runs from November 1, 2009-November 30, 2010, but you may join in the fun whenever you wish! Participants are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ (...) For nonfiction, this would include books on feminism, history books focused on women, biographies of women, memoirs (or travelogues) by women, essays by women and cultural books focused on women (body image, motherhood, etc.). (...) It’s trickier to say what is applicable as fiction. Obviously, any classic fiction written by a feminist is applicable. But where do we go from there? To speak generally, if the book takes a thoughtful look at the place of women in society, it will probably count. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to explain in your review why you chose this for the challenge and its connection to women’s studies.

Sounds great, doesn't it?!

There are three levels but I will try to shoot for the stars and am picking 'The Suffragette' one. That means I have to read at least eight books, including the minimum if three non-fiction.

I do not have a full list yet but here are the titles that will definitely be included:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

3. George Eliot, a Life by Rosemary Ashton

4. Color Me Butterfly by L. Y. Marlow

And let me just add a recommendation for all of you who are not sure what to read (it's actually two recommendations):

Lucky by Alice Sebold & Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy. They both are memoirs that are extremely difficult as far as the subjects go (first one is about the authors being raped, the second one about the author living with a ruined face due to a childhood illness) but they both are beautiful and really showcase female strength.