Saturday with Mister-- Should I Laugh or Cry?

So the other day I posted all about cleaning my kids' bookcase out, right?

Well, after all that work, THIS is what Mister did the next day... and the next.....  more than once.....

Doesn't he look pleased with himself?

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry....  On the one hand, he LOVES books.  On the other, I have to clean it up!

Sigh.

At what age does it become feasible for the child to replace books on a shelf vertically?  Boo still has a hard time with it too....  Though she's better about not throwing them all over the floor...

Preview-- My Heart is Like a Zoo

Holy cow!  Has anyone read this yet?  It looks SOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!

Check out the TRAILER!

I've got it on hold at the library, but it's still "on order" darn it all.

Maybe we need to get it for Valentines' Day......

Books Books Everywhere.....

And the shelves began to shrink....

I can't be the only one in this boat, right?  Books everywhere, spilling off shelves...

So yesterday I sat myself down on the floor in front of Boo and Mister's bookcase.  (Yes, risking the possibility of being stuck there until my husband got home to haul my big pregnant self OFF the floor, but some things just have to be done.)

My children own a ridiculous number of books.  First of all, there are books we have from when I was a kid.... then there are the books my mother-in-law sends us as hubby's youngest siblings have outgrown them.... then there are all the books we can't seem to resist at cheap places like the library or thrift stores.... and of course the books they get for Christmas or for their birthdays....

The result?  A freakish number of books-- especially for 2 kids who can't read yet.

So I did it.  I sorted.  I purged.  I made a DI pile (VERY LARGE) and a "donate to the nursery" pile (good sized too).  (Nursery is the LDS class for ages 18 months to 3 years.  I was in there with Mister Sunday, since he's having a hard time staying without Mommy or Daddy during nap time...  They seriously need more/better books.  It was sad.) 

I even organized the books on the shelves.  Granted, they've already undone that.  When I got up this morning there were already books strewn all over.  But, hey, that means they're looking at them, right?

Now that that's done, how are my books, you ask?  We don't talk about my books.  :D 

Anybody else purging lately?  Is it a late winter thing?  Probably just a crazy nesting thing, huh?

Chasing the Secret by Maya Snow

4 stars
R- 0
JF (Actually I was suprised... I'd call it YF/YA)
Violence/blood
Sequel to Sisters of the Sword

Picking up where the first book left off, this is more of Kimi and Hana's story.  As betrayal and cruelty abounds, who can the girls trust?  How will they survive?

Once again, I really enjoyed the story, though I was really surprised that the library has it listed as JF.  I would call this one slightly darker than the first and more violent.  There's a fair amount of blood as the girls fight for their lives against samurai bigger, older and stronger than they.

It's a great story for the right age group, though.  I'm really excited to read the third one, since once again we're absolutely left hanging!

Totally counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge!

Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan

4 Stars
R- 2 ish
mystery

Ah, yes, another scrapbooking mystery series.

Does anyone else get a HUGE kick out of the idea of "forensic scrapbooking"?  I love it.  It's hilarious.  And fabulous.

Fluffy mystery, but it was a fun story. 

A little preachy about the wonderfulness of the scrapbooking community.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the scrapbooking community.  It's great.  But I don't spout paragraphs about it.  Little bit cloying at times.  Not to mention after a while it comes off as slightly defensive.

Overall, cute story.  Good one to try if you're in need of a new fluffy mystery series.... and who's not?  :D

One more for the Support Your Local Library Challenge!

Saturday with Boo-- Binky the Space Cat

by Ashley Spires
5 stars

This is an absolutely adorable kids graphic novel.

Cari over at Bookscoops picked this for our book club this month and once I picked it up from the library I figured I'd read it with Boo.  Well, technically she figured that.  After all, it's a kids book, so clearly I was checking it out for her.

Sooooo cute!

Simple and quick, it says the suggested age range is 7-10, but I think pretty much any kid from 3 or 4 on up will love it.

I must admit, though, that I censored as I read.  Am I the only parent that just really hates bathroom humor?  I skipped the parts about bugs eating poo and giving Binky gas.  She'll find enough of that stuff on her own, right?  I don't see a need to encourage it, you know?

Am I the only parent that skips stuff as reading aloud?

Anyway, seriously, check this one out.  It's awesome.

Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge!

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

5 stars
R- 2
Book 4 of the Lady Emily books

I loved this one.  We've finally moved past the love triangle/romantic tension/he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not nonsense that got on my nerves in the third book and I loved it.

Emily and Colin are on their wedding trip.  And naturally they find a dead body.  Sigh.  So much for the honeymoon.  :D

As they become tangled in the intrigues of the harem and other bizarre politics of Constantinople, they race to find a murderer before the body count climbs.

I thought the romance was cute, the story was great and all throughout it was rich with culture and history.  All in all, Tasha Alexander has done it again.

When's the next one coming out??  :D

Totally counts for the Support Your Local Library Challenge-- though I really need my own copy. 

D. A. by Connie Willis

4 stars
R-0
Novella

Short and quirky.  :D

I love Connie Willis.  I really do.  Her stuff is hilarious and fun and weird.

This fits that bill.

Totally irreverent and quirky, this is the story of a girl who absolutely does not want to go to the Academy.  She wants to go to UCLA.

So no one is more surprised than her when her name is called as the only cadet appointed from her school.

As she insists there must be some mistake, she's propelled forward as if it's everything she ever wanted.... but it's not.

But she's not leaving without an explanation.

Sort of sci-fi, but not really.  Great quick read.  It's shelved with the adult fiction, but I think it would have a lot of appeal to high schoolers... and even middle schoolers.

Counts for the Support Your Local Library Challenge!

Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick-- Challenge!

I tried to read the whole book.  I just wasn't in the mood.  It just wasn't going to happen.

I'll try again some other time.

Anyway... challenge.  List.  All that good stuff.

I've read 10 or 11 of the books in here.  Kind of sad, really.  But honestly, when I was the right age I was dying to read something really challenging.... so I read a lot of Crichton and Clancy and such.  I skipped a lot of preteen/teen books.

The challenge hosted by Booking Mama (which runs through the end of April... I've already missed half of it) is to read 6, but I'm feeling kind of OCD because there are 10 chapters!  Must Read Something From Each Section.....

I need a life.

Anyhoo. 

Chapter 1-- YA Heroines
My pick-- Harriet the Spy

Chapter 2-- Girls on the Verge
My pick-- The Long Secret

Chapter 3-- Danger Girls
My pick-- The Westing Game

Chapter 4-- Read 'Em and Weep
My pick-- Summer of My German Soldier

Chapter 5-- You Heard it Here First
My pick-- Don't Hurt Laurie

Chapter 6-- Girls Gone Wild (Wow, a section that I've read most of already!)
My pick-- The Endless Steppe (Done!)

Chapter 7-- She Comes by it Supernaturally
My pick-- A Gift of Magic

Chapter 8-- Him She Loves?
My pick-- In Summer Light  Nevermind, the library doesn't have it.  Fifteen then (done!)

Chapter 9-- Old Fashioned Girls
My pick-- A Little Princess

Chapter 10-- Panty Lines (Or I Can't Believe They Let Us Read This)
My pick-- Actually I'm skipping this one.  Call me a prude, but kids shouldn't be reading any of these.... and I don't really want to either.  So nevermind.

Alright, 9 books.  I can do that.  I think... by April.... sure.  No problem.  :D

I'll link reviews here as I go.....

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

5 stars
R-0
YF/YA

Still 5 stars... but this one is a little harder to read.  Rin is a complicated character and sometimes you just want to shake her.  :D

Rin is Razo's little sister.... You read my post about River Secrets, right?  I love Razo.  Really really.  He's adorable.  And I love how Shannon Hale says that he wasn't going to be a big part of Forest Born, but he snuck or forced his way in.... :D

Anyway, Rin.  Rin has issues.  But I don't want to give anything away, so just go read it.  :D

New attacks on Bayern, this time from Kel, have prompted the "Fire Sisters" as Rin calls them (Isi, Enna and Dasha-- you MUST read River Secrets first for this to make sense) to set off on yet another adventure.  So Rin follows them, feeling desperately that she must keep moving.  That maybe being with Isi and the others will fix what's wrong with her.

Interesting story.  Pulls interesting threads from previous books.  Threads we didn't realize were loose.  :D

Now I'm just really really hoping there's a 5th book coming.....

This book counts for the Support Your Local Authors Challenge!

River Secrets by Shannon Hale

5 stars
R-0
YF/YA
Reread

I love this book.  I think it's quite possibly my favorite of the Bayern books.  Don't get me wrong, I love Isi and Enna and I enjoyed Forest Born (review soon), but I LOVE this one.

Why?

Razo.

I love Razo.  He's adorable.  He's hilarious.  From his hair that sticks straight up (on purpose... he's short) to his amazing denseness, he's just cute.

Speaking of hair sticking up.....

We've been calling this "Memo Hair" for Mehmet Okur (and you should really click that link... the photo's great) but now I may have to call it "Razo Hair".  :D

Anyway, what was I talking about?  Oh right, the book.

The war with Tira is over and Bayern sends an ambassador to help mantain the fledgeling peace.  But many Tirans aren't happy about the peace to begin with, let alone being happy about a whole crew of Bayern showing up in the capital.  As time runs out before the assembly votes on returning to war, Razo must figure out what's going on and who's behind it all... or their peace delegation will become the first prisoners, if not casualties, of war.

If you can, get the paperback with the extra stuff at the end.  The note from Shannon Hale about Razo is great.  She loves him too.  :D

This book counts for both the Support Your Local Library Challenge AND the Support Your Local Authors Challenge!!

Reader's Choice Challenge!

Who-- ANYONE!  If you live in the Salt Lake area, this is a program that the SLCO Library System does twice a year and you can fill out ballots with your local branch.  If you don't live in the Salt Lake area, play along anyway!!  I have found some of my FAVORITE books through this program!

What-- Twice a year, librarians choose between 22 and 28- ish books for this program.  My goal is to read them all, but how many you read is up to you!  This time around there are 28.

When-- This round runs from January to the end of April, EXTENDED to the end of JUNE 2010 (For those in the SLC area, remember, the library is no longer taking ballots.)

The Books--
Asta in the Wings by Jan Elizabeth Watson   Link your reviews HERE
All Other Nights by Dara Horn   Link your reviews HERE
Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti   Link your reviews HERE
Blue Heaven by C J Box   Link your reviews HERE
The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim   Link your reviews HERE
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall   Link your reviews HERE
Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad   Link your reviews HERE
Desolate Angel by Chaz McGee   Link your reviews HERE
Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn   Link your reviews HERE
Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff   Link your reviews HERE
Etta by Gerald Koplan   Link your reviews HERE
Fragment by Warren Fahy   Link your reviews HERE
Hello, Goodbye by Emily Chenoweth   Link your reviews HERE
Honolulu by Alan Brennert   Link your reviews HERE
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford   Link your reviews HERE
In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefani Pintoff   Link your reviews HERE
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo   Link your reviews HERE
Lamentation by Ken Scholes   Link your reviews HERE
Little Bee by Chris Cleave   Link your reviews HERE
Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farhad Zama   Link your reviews HERE
Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron   Link your reviews HERE
Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg   Link your reviews HERE
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas   Link your reviews HERE
The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson   Link your reviews HERE
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley   Link your reviews HERE
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo   Link your reviews HERE
The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer   Link your reviews HERE
Woman Strangled, News at Ten by Laurie Moore   Link your reviews HERE

(Links will take you to the SLCO Library Reader's Choice post about the book, where you'll find a summary, picture of the cover, other links, and, for those in the area, links to place a hold.)

SO-- Mr. Linky below-- please sign up using a direct link to your post about this challenge. If you don't have a blog, sign up in the comments below!



Once you've read a book (and it totally counts if you've already read them!) link your review to the appropriate post (I'll have one for each book) and cast your vote in the comments on that post. Here's how the voting works-- you give the book a score 1-5, 5 being the highest. (Basically how many stars you give the book.) The book with the highest points at the end wins and we'll see how we match up to the county winner's list. :D
ETA-- I'm going to group the books for the review posts rather than making 28 separate posts.  Links will be on here soon!

Six Years

Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young

3.5 stars
R-3-4
Source- Review copy for Virtual Book Tours

Good story... even if it is filled with mostly unlikeable characters.  And it is.  Really, even the two most likeable characters weren't ones I liked all that much.

This thriller is based on the viatical insurance business.... which involves investors buying people's insurance policies from them.  Now, Pamela Samuels Young is careful to say at the end that she took some liberties and that people in the business do a lot of good, but it seems like a business just begging to be abused... which is of course why it makes such a good story. :D

Why only 3.5 stars?  A little too much sex.  Not that it was rampant, but I don't need quite that much detail, myself.  And the dialect stuff was distracting.  Usually I like dialect, but I wasn't even sure how to pronounce some of the intentional mispellings and it pulled me out of the story trying to figure it out.

I did really enjoy the storyline, though.  The plot twists and turns and keeps you guessing.  And for the most part things work out pretty well... for the more likeables anyway. :D

Goose Girl and Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

5 stars
R-0
YF/YA
Reread

I love this book.  I really do.  I loved it when I first read it and I loved it again this time around.

I'm not familiar with the tale it's based on, but Shannon Hale does a fabulous job in her rendering.  As Isi grows and becomes more confident, you can't help but root for her.



5 Stars
R-0
YF/YA
Reread

And can I tell you how much I love that Shannon Hale added to the story?  Enna's story is a wonderful addition to Isi's.

Just as Isi learned to communicate with the wind, Enna learns fire, which is at once beautiful and destructive.

I really love Enna.  Even if there is that annoying bit where she doesn't see through what's his nose.  She makes up for it later.  :D

Both of these books count for Support Your Local Authors and Support Your Local Library.

I've Been Totally AWOL

Whew.  What a crazy few days.  In the past few days we've had--
a birthday
a wedding (my fabulous wonderful cousin and cowriter over at Arri and Keish!)
a Stampin' Up! event
a new church calling (with church at a new.... interesting time)
an extended family birthday dinner
a doctor's appointment (29 weeks and all's well enough)
and a new work schedule that threw my routine out of whack

So yeah.... AWOL.... it happens.

:D

You don't even want to know what my Google Reader looked like when I finally got 'round to it yesterday.  Yikes.

Nancy Drew

I'm not going to review each of these as I go.

I had planned to, but really.... I don't think I'm going to have much new to say after the first couple.

'Cause they're really all very similar.

And they're hilarious.... unintentionally.  :D  Talk about the quintessential fluff mystery.

Not real well written.... not real complicated.... and yet they're classic and enduring and endearing.

And I have no idea why.

I'm wondering if kids still read them, though, because the language is a bit out of date.  Not quite as bad as the Curious George books maybe.... but still.  (Seriously, when was the last time you tried to actually READ ALOUD one of the original Curious George books?  Wowsers.  I rephrase a LOT.)

So why??   Why are these so blasted popular?  Why do I keep reading even as I'm laughing at how silly they are?

There's just something universal about them.

Anyway-- I've read The Clue of the Black Keys and The Scarlet Slipper Mystery and The Crooked Banister.  (Those being the 3 yellow-cover originals I own.)

The Crooked Banister totally has the coolest cover.  :D

Wordless Wednesday-- New Family Members

Boo's new pet-- Melissa. Because you can't convince a preschooler that a pink fish is a boy.

Mister's new pet-- Nemo. Yeah, the name choice is a shocker.  (He's dark blue I promise.  I didn't want to use the flash and freak them out.)

We got them Saturday and they're still alive!!

PS- HAPPY EPIPHANY!!  (Which is just cool to say if nothing else.)

Looking Ahead-- 2010

I'm not much of a formal goal person.  Goals for me exist as to-do lists and notes on calendars more than anything else.

BUT, I figured the beginning of the year would be a great time to look ahead and talk about challenges I'm doing this year.

So, there's the Support Your Local Authors! Challenge.  Lots of awesome authors in Utah.  Easy-peasy.  :D

Then there's the Take Another Chance Challenge.  I've made my list.  I've updated my list.  Now I just have to actually read something from the list.

Then there's Support Your Local Library.  I'm going for "super size me" since I read over 100 library books last year anyway.

And of course there's the Shelf Discovery Challenge.  ETA-- Post is up finally!!

And the Nancy Drew Challenge.  Who could pass this one up?  Even with how many of these I read as a kid, I'm not sure I've read all the originals!

And finally.... (last but not least, right?)  I hereby announce the Reader's Choice Challenge!  I'll have all the details and a Mr. Linky sign up (if I can figure out Mr. Linky...) in a couple of days!!

Whew!  That's quite a list....

What are you up to this year?

2009 Year In Review

Well, folks, it's officially 2010.  Why and how?  I have no idea.  What happened to 2009?

Anyway, since there's nothing to be done about it being 2010, here's a look back at 2009...

Total books read-- 141 (Okay, 135.  There were 6 I didn't finish.)
Average # of books per month-- 11.75
Best month-- January, 17 books
Worst month-- December, 6 books (that's pitiful, really, which is why I didn't bother with a December post...)

Reader's Choice books-- 34
Book Club-- 8 (2 of those I didn't finish.)
Virtual Book Tour-- 16 (1 of those I didn't finish)
Rereads-- 8

Series or companion books-- 58 
Newbery books-- 5

Library books-- 107
Books I own (Not including books sent for review)-- 16 (which is higher than I thought it was, yea me!)
Borrowed books-- 3
Books I bought or received as a gift after reading-- 3  (We won't talk about how long my wishlist is...)

Genre I read the most-- Mystery, 24 (no big surprise there)
Genre I read the least-- tie between General Christian fiction and Graphic Novels, both 2 books

YA or JF books-- 43

Not too bad of a reading year!

Support Your Local Authors! List

Books read in 2011 for the Support Your Local Authors Challenge

Books read in 2010 for the Support Your Local Authors Challenge

1. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
2. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
3. River Secrets by Shannon Hale
4. Forest Born by Shannon Hale
5. Devil's Food Cake by Josi S Kilpack
6. Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack
7. English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
8. Too Stubborn to Die by Cato Jaramillo
9. The Mark by M R Bunderson
10. Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack
11. No Going Back by Jonathan Langford

Reader's Choice Links part 5

And last but not least.....

The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
Woman Strangled, News at Ten by Laurie Moore

Link your reviews and rate the books in your comments!!

Reader's Choice Links part 4

Part 4 includes--

Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron
Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Link your reviews and rate the books in your comments!!

Reader's Choice Links part 3

Okay, Part 3--

Hello, Goodbye by Emily Chenoweth
Honolulu by Alan Brennert
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefani Pintoff
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
Lamentation by Ken Scholes

Link your reviews and rate the books in your comments!!

Reader's Choice Links part 2

Here's part two-- link and rate!  (Don't forget the book title in your links/comments!)
These are the books for part 2--

Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad

Desolate Angel by Chaz McGee

Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff

Etta by Gerald Koplan

Fragment by Warren Fahy

(Mr. Linky is giving me troubles, so we're linking in the comments too!)

Reader's Choice Links part 1

Okay, here's where you link your reviews.  Don't forget to rate the book in the comments!!

In this post link/rate:

Asta in the Wings by Jan Elizabeth Watson


All Other Nights by Dara Horn

Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

Blue Heaven by C J Box

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall

(No Mr. Linky. Leave your links and ratings in the comments!)

The Nancy Drew Challenge

The Nancy Drew Challenge from Books, Movies and Chinese Food!

How cool is this?  I mean really?!  I LOVE Nancy Drew.

Now, only the original yellow hardcovers count, and I don't think I've read all of them even though I read a ton as a kid.  I'll likely end up reading several of the later ones also, 'cause it's just fun.  :D

I'll keep track of them here:  (The ones in purple I've read.)  (The ones in green I read in 2011)
1. The Secret of the Old Clock

2. The Hidden Staircase

3. The Bungalow Mystery

4. The Mystery at Lilac Inn

5. The Secret of Shadow Ranch

6. The Secret of Red Gate Farm

7. The Clue in the Diary

8. Nancy's Mysterious Letter

9. The Sign of the Twisted Candles

10. The Password to Larkspur Lane

11. The Clue of the Broken Locket

12. The Message in the Hollow Oak

13. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm

14. The Whispering Statue

15. The Haunted Bridge

16. The Clue of the Tapping Heels

17. The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk

18. Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion

19. The Quest of the Missing Map

20. The Clue in the Jewel Box

21. The Secret in the Old Attic

22. The Clue in the Crumbling Wall

23. The Mystery of the Tolling Bell

24. The Clue in the Old Album

25. The Ghost of Blackwood Hall

26. The Clue of the Leaning Chimney

27. The Secret of the Wooden Lady

28. The Clue of the Black Keys

29. The Mystery at the Ski Jump

30. The Clue of the Velvet Mask

31. The Ringmaster's Secret

32. The Scarlet Slipper Mystery

33. The Witch Tree Symbol

34. The Hidden Window Mystery

35. The Haunted Showboat

36. The Secret of the Golden Pavilion

37. The Clue in the Old Stagecoach

38. The Mystery of the Fire Dragon

39. The Clue of the Dancing Puppet

40. The Moonstone Castle Mystery

41. The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes

42. The Phantom of Pine Hill

43. The Mystery of the 99 Steps

44. The Clue in the Crossword Cipher

45. The Spider Sapphire Mystery

46. The Invisible Intruder

47. The Mysterious Mannequin

48. The Crooked Banister

49. The Secret of Mirror Bay

50. The Double Jinx Mystery

51. Mystery of the Glowing Eye

52. The Secret of the Forgotten City

53. The Sky Phantom

54. The Strange Message in the Parchment

55. Mystery of Crocodile Island

56. The Thirteenth Pearl

Support Your Local Library

Presenting the amazing Support Your Local Library! Challenge, from J. Kaye!

There are varying levels-- I'm going with Super Size Me!  After all, I read more than 100 library books last year anyway.  :D

I'll be linking my reviews here:
1. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
2. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
3. River Secrets by Shannon Hale
4. D. A. by Connie Willis
5. Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander
6. Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan
7. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
8. Chasing the Secret by Maya Snow
9. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
10. Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
11. The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene
12. Woman Strangled News at Ten by Laurie Moore
13. The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene
14. Desolate Angel by Chaz McGee
15. Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
16. The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
17. Cut, Crop and Die by Joanna Campbell Slan
18. The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene
19. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
20. Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene
21. The Double Jinx Mystery by Carolyn Keene
22. The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
23. The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene
24. The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene
25. Vitals by Greg Bear
26. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore et al
27. English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
28. The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
29. At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper
30. Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper
31. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
32.  Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
33. Too Stubborn to Die by Cato Jaramillo
34. The Sign of the Twisted Candle by Carolyn Keene
35.  Password to Larkspur Lane by Carolyn Keene
36. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (re-read)
37. Dave Barry's History of the Millenium (So Far) by Dave Barry
38. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
39. Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
40. The Clue of the Broken Locket by Carolyn Keene
41. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
42. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
43. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
44. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
45. The Message in the Hollow Oak by Carolyn Keene
46. The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn
47. Shoot to Thrill by PJ Tracy
48. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene
49. The Inside Story by Michael Buckley
50. The Mark by M R Bunderson
51. The Whispering Statue by Carolyn Keene
52. The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters
53. Dead Head by Rosemary Harris
54. I'll Mature When I'm Dead by Dave Barry
55. The Secret of the Forgotten City by Carolyn Keene
56. Haunt Me Still by Jennifer Lee Carrell
57. The Girl with the White Flag by Tomika Higa
58. Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
59. Jane Bites Back by Michael Ford
60. The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
61. Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
62. Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy
63. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
64. Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
65. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
66. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
67. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
68. Bound South by Susan Rebecca White
69. The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch
70. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
71. Ghostyshocks and the Three Scares by Laurence Anholt
72. Shampoozel by Laurence Anholt
73. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
74. Fairies and the Quest for Neverland by Gail Carson Levine
75. The Reincarnationist by M J Rose
76. The Memorist by M J Rose
77. Something Missing by Matthew Dicks
78. The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd
79. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
80. The Rivers Run Dry by Sibella Giorello
81. A Quiet Belief in Angels by R J Ellory
82. The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene
83. The Clue of the Tapping Heels by Carolyn Keene
84. Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk by Carolyn Keene
85. The Lost City of Z by David Grann
86. The City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris
87. The Osiris Ritual by George Mann
88. Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
89. Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel
90. Untraceable by Laura Griffin
91. The Man Who Loved Books too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
92. A False Dawn by Tom Lowe
93. The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert
94. Darkborn by Alison Sinclair
95. The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb
96. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
97. The Last Ember by Daniel Levin
98. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
99. Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton
100. When Did I Get Like This? by Amy Wilson

WOOHOO!!!  I reached my goal of 100 and it's only November 1st!!

101. Sorcery and Cecilia by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
102. The Grand Tour by Patircia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
103. Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
104. The Clue in the Old Album by Carolyn Keene
105. Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C Hines
106. The Clue in the Crossword Cipher by Carolyn Keene
107. The Clue in the Crumbling Wall by Carolyn Keene
108. Mint Juleps, Mayhem and Murder by Sara Rosett
109. The Clue in the Jewel Box by Carolyn Keene
110. Disorder in the Court by Charles M Sevilla
111. Mystery of the Tolling Bell by Carolyn Keene
112. The Tale of Oak Cake Crag by Susan WIttig Albert
113. The Compound by S A Bodeen
114. Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
115. Spyglass by Maria V Snyder
116. The Witch Tree Symbol by Carolyn Keene
117. Mystery of the Glowing Eye by Carolyn Keene
118. The Hidden Window Mystery by Carolyn Keene
119. The Thirteenth Pearl by Carolyn Keene
120. Mystery of Crocodile Island by Carolyn Keene