Off the Shelf Challenge 2012

What: Read books from the TBR pile
When: January 1 - December 31, 2012

For more information, see the instructions on Bookish Ardour

My level: 2 = trying.  For this level, I will read 15 books:

1. Carole Nelson Douglas. Dancing with Werewolves -- finished 1/3/2012 
2. Geraldine Brooks. People of the Book -- finished 1/23/2012

A to Z Challenge 2012

As described by the challenge host, Strawberry Splash Review, the A to Z Challenge 2012 has three possible choices:

"1. Author - A to Z by authors last name, 26 books.
2. Title - A to Z by book title, 26 books.
3. Double Whammy - Do both Challenge 1 and 2 for a total 52 books."

I will do #2: A to Z by book title


A:
B:
C:
D: Dancing with Werewolves by Carole Nelson Douglas -- finished 1/3/2012
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks -- finished 1/23/2012
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

First sentence:

"I might as well say, right from the jump, it wasn't my usual kind of job."


Description:

"Hanna Heath, an Australian rare book expert, has been offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding--an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair--she begins to unlock the book's mysteries, ushering in its exquisite and atmospheric past, from its salvation back to its creation through centuries of exile and war.

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity--an acclaimed and ambitious work from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this book. I especially liked learning about the Haggadah through the lives of the people who made it, owned it, and used it.


Date read: 1/23/2012
Book #: 2
Challenges: A to Z Challenge 2012, Off the Shelf Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0143115006
ISBN-13: 9780143115007
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2008
# of pages: 368
Binding: Trade Paperback
LibraryThing page

Dancing with Werewolves by Carole Nelson Douglas

First sentence:

"For the first time in the history of humankind, the turn of the millennium was tracked around the globe like an incoming comet zooming over the earth from the black night sky."

Description:

"It was the revelation of the millennium: witches, werewolves, vampires, and other supernaturals are real. Fast-forward thirteen years: TV reporter Delilah Street used to cover the small-town bogeyman beat back in Kansas, but now, in high-octane Las Vegas--which is run by a werewolf mob--she finds herself holding back the very gates of Hell. At least she has a hot new guy and one big bad wolf-hound to help her out..." -- from the back cover


My thoughts:

This was a good paranormal fantasy. I liked the mix of the mysterious and supernatural in the Las Vegas setting. I also liked Delilah's interactions with Hector, her familiar Quicksilver, Ric and the CineSims. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Brimstone Kiss.
Br
Date read: 1/3/2012
Book #: 1
Series: Delilah Street, #1
Challenges: Off the Shelf Challenge 2012, A to Z Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0809572036
ISBN-13: 9780809572038
Publisher: Juno Books
Year: 2007
# of pages: 394
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page

New Author Challenge 2012!

What: Read authors who are new to me

When: January 1 - December 31, 2012

Hosted at Literary Escapism

 
My goal: 15 new authors

What's in a Name 5 Challenge!

Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, I will read one book in each of the following categories:

• A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title
• A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title
• A book with a creepy crawly in the title
• A book with a type of house in the title
• A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title
• A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title

TBR Challenge 2012!

Time once again for one of my favorite challenges! I selected 12 books plus 12 alternates/extra credit:

Here they are (in no particular order):

• Michael Crichton.  Sphere
• Angela Knight. Master of Wolves
• C.J. Cherryh. The Pride of Chanur
• Robert C. Fleet. Last Mountain
• Dave Duncan. The Gilded Chain
• John Ramsey Miller. Upside Down
• Vernor Vinge. A Fire Upon the Deep
• Patricia Wallace. Lullabye
• Robert Heinlein. The Green Hills of Earth
• Greg Iles. The Footprints of God
• Frederick Forsyth. Icon
• Margaret Truman. Murder in the White House

Alternates/Extra Credit:

• Harriet Scott Chessman. Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper
• Daniel Blythe. The Dimension Riders
• Alice Hoffman. The Probable Future
• Trish MacDonald Skillman. Someone to Watch Over
• Judith Tarr. Household Gods
• Javier Sierra. The Secret Supper
• Terry Bisson. Virtuosity
• Philip Caputo. The Voyage
• Poul Anderson. Trader to the Stars
• LA Banks. Minion
• Madelyn Alt. The Trouble with Magic
• Mo Hayder. Pig Island