I read about this challenge on another blog and thought, "I can do that." However, it turns out that reading seriously impacts the time I have for knitting and for blogging - and of course work has to fit in somehow. This should explain why I haven't blogged since February.
These are what I have read so far (not in the order I read them):
1. Dark Moon Defender, 2. The Thirteenth House, 3. Mystic and Rider, 4. Reader and the Raelynx all by Sharon Shinn. I read about this author on another blog and, since I love fantasy, decided to try them. I really enjoyed them all; she had some unique ideas which made them fun to read.
5. Aunt Dimity - Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton. I have loved this series from the beginning. Aunt Dimity was a sort of super woman now deceased who communicates with Lori, her best friend's daughter, through a journal. Lots of humor and interesting situations throughout the series and lots of description of England.
6. Death Walked In by Carolyn Hart. This is a great series if you like mysteries because the protagonist has a mystery bookstore. Besides the mystery in the book, there are also lots of references to other authors. I have always read these with paper and pen so I can make notes of others I want to read. I also really like Annie and Max Darling and the characters that surround them. The author always starts with a view into the murderer's mind without revealing exactly who they are.
7. The Gladstone Bag by Charlotte McLeod. This author also writes under the name of Alisa Craig. She has several series, all set in Northeastern US or in Canada. She is so funny, and I love her characters. This is one I evidently missed because I thought I had read them all.
8. The Wednesday Wars and 9. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt. Two very different books by the same author. These are for young adults, but I loved them. The Wednesday Wars is about a boy who is the only student in his school who does not go for religious instruction on Wednesday afternoons, so he is assigned to a teacher who does not want him. However, through reading, theater and sports, they find some common ground. This is set during the Vietnam era. Lizzie Bright is a take on a true story of a group of black people on a small island off the Canadian coast who are forced out so the island can be made into a resort. I can't write a description that would do this book justice. I loved both of these so much though that I am trying to get funds to buy sets for my classroom.
10. She Came Back and 11. Run by Patricia Wentworth. I love classic mysteries and these are great. I especially like her Miss Silver character (she knits!) and I love the time period (roughly 40's). These are hard books for me to find because so many are out of print, but they are wonderful.
12. The Princeton Murders and 13. The Princeton Imposter by Ann Waldron. These are interesting mysteries about a journalist from Florida who comes to Princeton to teach one course. These have some interesting twists and characters. I am having trouble finding the rest, but I liked them enough that I am making the effort. Very interesting protagonist.
14. Turkey Flambe 15. Holy Guacamole, 16 Bon Bon Voyage, 17. Crime Brulee by Nancy Fairbanks. This mystery series includes food and recipes. The protagonist is a food writer who travels to get ideas for her books. So, you get recipes and descriptions of interesting places along with a pretty decent mystery. Her characters are interesting and funny. The opening chapter in Turkey Flambe was like a scene from Keystone Kops but I laughed out loud while reading it.
18. Sax and Violins by Mary Daheim. I have been reading this series for awhile. I enjoy the interactions between Judith and her cousin Renie and the descriptions of Judith's bed and breakfast in Northwest US.
19. The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews. The titles drew me to this series, and the writing did not disappoint. The protagonist, Meg, is a blacksmith with a unique family. I think I like reading about the characters more than I enjoy the mystery. These should be read in order however, as some of the story builds from book to book.
20. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. Curtis is known for great young adult books, and this one is my favorite so far. It is about a colony of free black people in Canada in the 1870's. It is somewhat painful to read at times; I find it hard to read about a child who is manipulated by an adult, but this was still a great read.
21. Eldest by Christopher Paolini. I wasn't a fan of Eragon because I thought it was very derivative. However, some of my students insisted that I read the second, and I wasn't sorry. It was a fun read, but not great. I do see why my students love it but personally I really don't remember much already.
I haven't finished the list, but I need to go knit. I am working on two baby sweaters for a young man who is supposed to arrive the end of June.
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