Second Grave on the Left

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: Charley Davidson, Book 2

Publisher:  Macmillian Audio

Narrator:  Lorelei King

Year: 2011

Goodreads Description:
When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously?
Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.
Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven… well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

I am loving this series. Charley Davidson is quickly becoming my favorite female investigator. I've listened to the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich for years and loved them but lately those books have lost their luster. But never fear, looks like Charley is ready to take Stephanie's place. What I think makes Charley better than Stephanie is that she's smart and figures things out whereas Stephanie just falls in to a lot of the answers. Plus, Charley's just cool. This books are hilarious but it's not because Charley's doing stupid stuff. It's because Charley's sarcastic and smart. The one-liners are great. Plus, Reyes is super-hot. And, I'm holding out hope for Garrett Swopes. Charley's sidekick and neighbor, Cookie, is fun and smart. I really appreciate that Darynda Jones writes books with two smart women in them that are not reliant on the men in their lives to  make things happen or get them out of trouble. I can't wait to get further along in these audiobooks.

And completely coincidental, these books are narrated by Lorelei King who also narrates the Stephanie Plum series. As always, Ms. King does a wonderful job with the narration. She's definitely in my top three narrators. 

If you're looking for something fun and entertaining to get you through your daily commute or exercise routine, give these books a try and I guarantee the time will fly.

Friends With Boys

Author:  Faith Erin Hicks

Publication Date: February 28, 2012

Publisher: First Second

Pages: 224
Source:  Goodreads First Reads

Goodreads Description:

A coming-of-age tale with a spooky twist!

Maggie McKay hardly knows what to do with herself. After an idyllic childhood of homeschooling with her mother and rough-housing with her older brothers, it’s time for Maggie to face the outside world, all on her own. But that means facing high school first. And it also means solving the mystery of the melancholy ghost who has silently followed Maggie throughout her entire life. Maybe it even means making a new friend—one who isn’t one of her brothers.

Funny, surprising, and tender, Friends with Boys is a pitch perfect YA graphic novel full of spooky supernatural fun.

This graphic novel has tons of heart. I loved the relationship that Maggie had with her brothers and the new friendships she made at school. I felt like the author did a really good job of conveying those emotions and bringing Maggie's feelings and fears to the forefront. I also thought the characters were very beautifully drawn. A number of times I caught myself just looking at the pictures and not even reading anything. I was just looking at Maggie's eyes and how beautiful and expressive they were. This is definitely worth a read.

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice

Author:  Gregg Hurwitz and Szymon Kudranski

Publisher:  DC Comics

Year: 2012

Pages:  144

Source:  Goodreads First Reads

Goodreads Description:

Bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz examines the painful and dark past of one of Batman's most devious foes. How did young Oswald Cobblepot go from being the apple of his mother's eye to the leader of underworld gangs and adversary of The Caped Crusader?

I've read very little in the way of superhero graphic novels/comics. In truth, I think the only one I have read is Batman Noel which I don't really think counts (although I did love it). I wish I knew a bit more about the Batman mythology before I jumped into a story about Penguin but I have to say, I did enjoy this comic. I liked the way that the authors made me feel sympathy for Oswald Cobblepot a/k/a Penguin and I was actually rooting for him a little bit. Not too much bit just a little. It was very interesting. Anybody read more of the Batman stories? Are there any suggestions as to where I should start on learning more about Batman?

Graphic Novel Challenge 2013

As any regular readers of my blog know, I do tend to read quite a few graphic novels but I would like to branch out some in my graphic novel reading. Thus, I am going to join the Graphic Novel Challenge 2013. I am going to try and stretch myself to read 24 graphic novels which will be a lot for me. But, more importantly, I'm going to aim for the advanced game play wherein I try to read different types of graphic novels. The breakdown is as follows:

1. manga
2. superhero
3. classic adaptation (a classic work adapted into the graphic format)
4. memoir
5. fantasy
6. translated from a foreign language
7. a single-issue comic book
8. science-fiction
9. crime or mystery
10. fairytale or mythology (true to the original or fractured, such as Fables series)
11. children's book (specifically written for children)
12. anthology (a collection of short stories by different authors/artists)

If you'd like to join in, you can go to this link.

I've never read a lot of these categories so it will definitely be fun and challenging. You'll be able to keep up with my progress on my 2013 Challenges page. 

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013

So I came across this challenge hosted by the Blog of Erised (the coolest blog name I've seen in a while) and figured it was right up my alley since I love dystopian books. I'm going to aim for the Leader level which means I need to read at least 19 dystopian themed books. If you'd like to join in the challenge, you can follow this link to the Blog of Erised and join in.

You can keep up with my progress throughout the year on my 2013 Challenges page. 

Summing Up 2012

2012 was quite the year in books for me. I read a personal best of 179 books (of course, the five months of unemployment helped that total a lot). That was a total of 51,903 pages. The books I read averaged 351 pages each. That also included 275 hours of audiobooks. It was very hard to narrow it down to ten favorites out of 179 books because there were a lot of awesome books this year but I think my favorites were these (and they're in order by author's last name):

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I've seen this book at the top of lots of bloggers favorites list and it should be. This book made me laugh, cry and feel and that's all that I can ask of a good book. 

A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. Yeah, I know, this is actually two books but I read both of them this year and loved both of them. Harkness creates a beautiful and magical world. She also develops her main characters and lets Diana and Matthew slowly fall in love. Then, the second book successfully travels back in time and shows us a terrific imagining of what the past could have been like. You know, if such things as witches and daemons really existed (wink, wink). I haven't seen a series of books so hard to classify into a specific genre since Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (which I highly recommend also). Also, I met Deborah Harkness at YallFest and she was wonderful.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. I knew without a doubt this one would be on the list. I've recommended it to everybody who has asked me which book they should read this year. I loved it. Ismae and Duvall were wonderful and I still think one of the most romantic lines all year came from this book:

“Whenever you are ready, or if you never are, my heart is yours, until Death do us part. Whatever that may mean when consorting with one of Death’s handmaidens.”

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is one of those books that I was supposed to have read in high school but I am so glad that I never did. I don't think I would have appreciated it's beauty and message as much as I do as an adult. Wonderful book.

Legend by Marie Lu. This is what dystopic fiction should be. I loved June and Day. They're drawn perfectly. I felt for both characters and want both of them to win. Oh and another favorite quote of all time is in this book:

"Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time."

Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta. So I discovered Melina Marchetta this year and fell in love with her. I think these two books were amazing and absolutely cannot wait until Quintana of Charyn is released later this year.

The Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin. Yes, I'm including the entire series here. I conquered them this year. Well, all except for A Dance with Dragons which still has not been released in paperback. There were times when I absolutely hated these books. (How in the world could Martin kill that character. By the way, there's about 20 characters that would fit into that line). Oh, and Martin tricks you and plays with you and makes you angry and I swear I'm going to quit him but I keep going back.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. I loved these books. Noah is such an amazing guy. And Hodkin does this terrific job of keeping the writer completely confused as to what's going on. She makes Mara an unreliable narrator and you want to believe that Mara is being truthful but I can't quite be sure that Mara knows the truth to begin with.  Oh yes, I realize that she's totally out of order. Guess I'm not too good at alphabetizing, am I?

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. This was the second book I read this year and I still think it's probably the most beautiful. I can still see the drawings in my mind and every single time I see the words "yew tree" I think of this story. And I think I will for the rest of my life.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I read this book in one sitting. It was impossible to put down. I loved Perry and Aria and I have wished more than once that I had the time to go back and reread this book. Rossi created an unique word and tells the same  end of the world story but in a totally new way.  I probably will reread it before Through the Ever Night comes out.

Hmmm, that doesn't quite add up to ten, does it? Oh well. I also want to take just a few seconds and mention my favorite audiobooks of the year. I get so much enjoyment out of audiobooks and think that absolutely everybody should give them a try. There are times when a book comes to life so much more during an audiobook than it ever could on the written page. Proof of that is in two of my favorite audiobooks this year:  The Wizard of Oz narrated by Anne Hathaway and The End of the Affair narrated by Colin  Firth.  Hathaway did amazing voices for each of the characters in The Wizard of Oz and painted the picture so well. It was better than watching any movie. As for The End of the Affair, I don't think I could have ever made it through that book but Colin Firth read it with so much emotion and feeling, I couldn't quit listening. 

In Before I Wake and The Golden Lily I got two more books featuring my two favorite guys in books: Tod Hudson and Adrian Ivashkov. These two guys are amazing and they have no fear about telling the girls they love how they feel. I'm hoping Tod and Kaylee make it through the final book in 2013 and that Sidney gets over her vampire phobia and realizes just how amazing Adrian is in The Indigo Spell.

11-22-63 is all that's great about Stephen King. It's a great story with flawed characters that you can't help but feel for and root for them. There's some scary crap that goes down and the entire fate of the world rests on the shoulders of the main character who never fails to be the average every day guy that could just as easily be you. Yeah, this is why I love Stephen King.

I also got devoured the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost this season. I love this series of audiobooks and highly recommend them to any paranormal fiction/urban fantasy fans. Bones and Cat are just perfect but Frost goes a step beyond her main couple and creates a whole group of characters that are fleshed out and interesting.

So, yes, 2012 was a great year of reading for me. 2013 is looking pretty darn good also from the stack of books piled up beside my bed. I'm sure I won't read near as many books next year as I did this year but I think they're going to be just as good. I'm hoping you guys stick around for the journey.

Get Steampunk'd 2013 Reading Challenge

So I was into steampunk before steampunk was cool. I have been so excited about seeing all the various steampunk themes popping up in books over the past year. Some have disappointed me a bit. But others have thrilled me. I've also noticed a number of steampunk books and series that I haven't quite got to yet and I would really like to read. So I've decided to join the Get Steampunk'd 2013 Reading Challenge hosted by Bookish Ardour this year.  I'm hoping this challenge will inspire me to grab some of those series and start reading them.  I'm going to go for the "Cogged" level which is 15 books but I'm hoping that I can read more steampunk books than that. I'm just not sure that I can come close to 30. 

You can keep up with my progress on my 2013 Challenges page. You can also go over to this link at Bookish Ardour and join in.