Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the sequel to "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I was told it wasn't as good as the first one, but I definitely thought it was. Katniss and Peeta as victors in The Hunger Games set out on another adventure which causes a spiralling effect that I can't tell you about! More characters are let into your heart with this book and the ending just catapaults you to "Mockingjay", the third book. These books move so fast and they are impossible to put down--just the way I like a book to be. There are lots of questions to be answered in "Mockinjay" and I can't wait to read it.






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Thankfully Reading Weekend Wrap-up Post

Well, I did better this year than last year! I read "The Christmas Cat" - 4 stories about Christmas romances facilitated by the presence of a cat AND "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins. I'll post my review of "Catching Fire" tomorrow. Right now I just want to go to bed!

Catching up on my blog-hopping...

This weekend I'm doing the Blog Hop Tour hosted by Crazy-for-books. I've decided to do just one blog hop tour a week so that I'm able to visit more of the blogs on the Linky list for that particular tour. This week's question is:

"What is your favorite book cover?"

Hmmm...of course this could change with every new book that is published, but right now I like the cover of "The Iron Daughter" by Julie Kagawa. Sometimes books call to me from their shelves at the bookstore or on a page of a book blog and this book has been doing this for a while. It's beautiful. One of these days I'm going to get my hands on a copy and read it.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your weekend!

#1 book read for Thankfully Reading Weekend!

The Christmas Cat by Julie Beard


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love Christmas and I loved these stories. They were all Christmas romances with a cat involved in helping the hero and heroine find each other. My favorite was "The Gift of Christmas Past" by Lynn Kurland. Abigail took a plunge in a pond and ended up in 1238 in an English moat! From there it just got better and better. I'm partial to time travel and Lynn Kurland is so good at writing it. This story was about Miles de Piaget, one of the de Piaget brothers who so many of Kurland's stories are about. Her characters are always strong and stubborn and very interesting. Humor abounds and there is always love and a happy ending. These stories will make your Christmas even brighter!






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THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Hunger Games was FANTASTIC!!! I couldn't put it down. I read it in under 30 hours and it only took that long because I had to work and sleep. I figure it took me 15 hours: 8 hours straight through the first day and 7 hours straight through the second day. Now that may be slow for some people, but it was compelling for me. It moved so quickly. I was told that the first chapter was background and not to get discouraged if it seemed boring. The first time I actually noticed where I was in the book, I was on chapter 5! The characters were so real that you fell in love with them and WERE them. Katniss is so clever and she outwits everyone. Peeta is so sweet, but there's something really strong inside him. Oh my gosh, I can't wait to read "Catching Fire". It is sitting on my bookcase calling me. Gotta go read it!




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2011 Challenges

Okay, here I go...I entered way too many challenges last year...but they were so enticing...I have to cut down this year so I can actually finish some of them. Well, I did finish some and the upside is I read a lot of books I wouldn't have read otherwise. I mean that's the big reason I do reading challenges--to expand my horizons. I really like challenges that expose me to specific kinds of books whether it be through their titles or their genres.

So, I decided to do "What's In A Name 4" this year.

There is a dedicated blog for this challenge here. And here is how the challenge works:

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:



1. A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
3. A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
5. A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
6. A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child


The book titles are just suggestions from our host, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.


Other Things to Know:


Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.


I think there's plenty of room for choices in these categories. I can't wait to get started!

The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn

The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"This enchanting holiday treasure combines historical fact with glorious legend as Saint Nicholas himself reveals the definitive story of Santa Claus. For anyone who has ever wondered...you're right to believe in him!"
That is from the front bookflap of the book. This book was definitely enchanting. Enchanting, amusing, heartwarming...it covers the story of Nicholas beginning with his childhood and how he discovers how good it is to give gifts to children that need cheering up. It covers how stories started making him out to be a magical being who made miracles happen. Nicholas encounters many historical figures in his long, long, long life, but I don't want to spoil the story for you. Suffice it to say that as I read I wondered, "who will he meet next?" I'm putting this book in my library to pull out and read every Christmas. I can't wait to get the other books in the Christmas Chronicles. Jeff Guinn is a great storyteller. This is a book you could read aloud to a child yet it was very interesting to me as an adult. I recommend it highly.




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FRIDAY!!! 43 Days to Christmas! OMG!

I've decided that I'm going to do one blog hop tour a week. I have several to choose from and all of them are fabulous, so I have to limit myself to one a week. This blog hop tour is hosted by Parajunkee.com . If you want to hop along, go on over and sign up. The question for this week is:

WHAT IS YOUR MONTHLY BOOK BUDGET?

HAHAHAHAHA!!! I laughed out loud at this. Maybe I SHOULD have one. Well, I don't. I get my books through Paperback Swap, the library, friends, sneaking one into my grocery cart at Wal-Mart (Yes, I pay for it--but it comes out of the grocery money...shhh don't tell my husband), and as a last resort I visit my local bookstore and buy a nice hardcover book--but only if I have a coupon. Now, I do a lot of book browsing! I never go to Wal-Mart without pushing my cart down the book aisle and I can get lost in a bookstore--browsing--for hours. I once visited a BIG Borders and thought I had died and gone to heaven. So many books, ahhhh. Just remembering it brings back great memories.

I'm getting off track. The answer is: NO, I don't have one.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you spend some of your weekend sharing your books with your family!

Thankfully Reading Weekend

I'm joining the Thankfully Reading Weekend 2010!

Last year, I only read one book over the weekend,

but I'm willing to give it another go this year.

Who knows what will happen?

If you want to join us,

go to Beth Fish Reads OR Jenn's Bookshelves for more information.

It's easy to sign up and it'll be fun!

Blog Hop Tour for 40 & Over

I just found this Blog Hop! It's for bloggers over 40! Awesome!
The RULES to join in are very simple! Go to Never Growing Old, and follow these rules:

1. Grab the button
2. Add your link to the list
3. Visit as many other blogs as you can
4. Follow the ones you like (and comment on their blog to say that you are following)

And it lasts all week! Here we go!