BOOK: Miss Julia Hits the Road by Ann B Ross

Miss Julia Hits the Road by Ann B Ross, 339 pages

series challenge

Apple crisp in the fall. Macaroni and cheese casserole on a winter day. Bread pudding any time. Comfort foods are not necessarily meant to be high cuisine, but they are tasty and reliable and bring back great memories of childhood. Miss Julia is a comfort read as I can usually fill a day with a book and enjoy some time in North Carolina with characters I know and enjoy. No earth shattering literature here, just a 'Southern comedy of manners', as I learn what outfit would be suitable for a motorcycle Poker Run, how a yard should be kept clean, and what topics are suitable for discussion in mixed company (not labor or Viagra type medication.)

Miss Julia continues to grow and thrive on her own after the death of her husband, Wesley Lloyd Springer. She is realizing some of the choices she missed out on during her marriage, and getting closer to Sam, in a romantic manner. That is one slow moving courtship. All the great characters are back - JP Pickins, Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd, Lillian, Binkie and Coleman, and Sam.

Best scene - Miss Julia convincing Emma Sue Ledbetter to enter a poker Run motorcycle event; and Miss Julia having to get changed out of her dress to ride a motorcycle as well.

BOOK: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Book Awards II: Hugo and Nebula 1987 ; cardathon; in a series

Last year I read Ender's Game and liked it enough to read the next book. It's a summer read as I can take them from my school library. I would recommend this series even to people who don't like science fiction, as I am one of them. But the writing and the characters are so likable and conceivable that it makes it easy to read. Also, Card has a lot of things to say about forgiveness, and getting along with different people.

Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin has grown up and now is called to speak for the dead, to tell the dead person's story and let people know who they really were. Card has said this was his original story, but he had to write Ender's Game first to set up Ender as the Speaker for the Dead. He is called to a planet that humans have inhabited along with another species, the piggies. I was really intrigued by the piggies and how they lived. Humans judge everything based on themselves and the piggies were so different that it took Ender to figure out what was going on. Ender is a grown up now, but three thousand years have gone by since the Bugger War; travelling at the speed of light does some wonky things to aging.

Speaker for the Dead sets up the next book, but was stand alone as well and had a great ending. I'm not sure if you could read it without Ender's Game, but that is a really good book anyway.

BOOK: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

End of the World challenge, series

Book two in the dystopian teen series where everyone is beautiful. When people turn sixteen, they finally get the operation to become a 'pretty' and live in the beautiful city and party and just be overall wonderful, because if everyone were beautiful, life would be perfect, right? But Tally Youngblood ran away to the Smoke Town, just before her operation and is now aware that not everyone wants to be pretty and even that there are some side effects. Smoke Town is where some rebels who don't want to be pretty live. The Special Circumstances crew are the people who keep the pretties happy and unquestioning.

This is a great summer read, like getting cotton candy at the exhibition. If you have read a slow, heavy book, maybe some dense 18th century classic or a chunkster and feel like you have fallen behind on your reading lists, pick up a book from this series. You can fly through them and enjoy a little light diversion with some interesting dystopian themes.

The series goes: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras, and they are quite popular with the high school set.

BOOK: The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri

The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri (translated by Stephen Sartarelli)

Orbis Terrarum: Italy; in a series

I discovered this Italian mystery series at book number four. I hate reading a series out of order, but I found The Voice of the Violin on the marked down table at Indigo before I went on my Mediterranean cruise in 2006. I loved the cover and the idea of reading an Italian book while in Italy. I loved the character of Inspector Montalbano (Valentino wrote a lovely post on the appeal of Montalbano and Camilleri) and so then started at the beginning. The Snack Thief is the third book, the one just before where I started.

Camilleri is getting into the swing of the series by the third book, and I am beginning to keep all the characters straight. I tend to read names in a book like a picture, that is, I don't say the name, those letters just represent that person. When I read books with foreign names that are not as familiar to me, I have a more difficult time assigning the name to a character, because the letters are distinct enough. I'm not sure I've explained that well, but it's how I read. Anyway, the series and characters are developing nicely and I might have to read the next book, which I've already read, to keep the flow of the series. I am remembering things that happened in The Voice of the Violin that this book set up. It all makes sense now.

As I wrote in my Miss Julia review, the plot of a series doesn't really matter so I'll just say that Montalbano is his usual grumpy self, and the food descriptions make my mouth water and make me dream of spending a year on Sicily, drinking wine and eating pasta and fish. I'll just have to read the next book in the series.

BOOK: Miss Julia Throws a Wedding by Ann B Ross

Miss Julia Throws a Wedding by Ann B Ross

Southern Reading Challenge, in a series

I hate giving much of a review for a book in a series because if you haven't read the first books, it makes no sense, and if you are in the series, finding out about a book too far ahead and ruin the plot of earlier books. So, for people who haven't read Miss Julia, I would say that the books get better as you go. The other characters around Julia, a southern widow whose life was turned up side down after her husband died, are more developed and their relationships with Julia more interesting. Julia continues to be torn between her Southern deportment and her need to control everyone and everything around her. I am enjoying this series, and look forward to the next one. They are the perfect summer fluff to start my summer vacation.

CHALLENGE: Series Challenge Update

This challenge ran from December 1, 2007 until May 31, 2008. I finished three series and read 4 books to continue a series. And 4 books to start new series'. That's not helping.

Shakespeare Mysteries by Charlaine Harris
Shakespeare's Christmas Dec 2007
Shakespeare's Trollop Jan 13, 2008
Shakespeare's Counselor Feb 9, 2008

Gardella Vampire by Colleen Gleason
The Bleeding Dusk Mar 21/08

Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic & Baby Mar 12/08

continuing series books:
Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B Ross Mar 28/08
Terra Cotta Dog 2002 (Il cane di terracotta - 1996) by Andrea Camilleri Mar 10/08
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde Mar 19/08
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith May 24/08

Series Started:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde Jan 25/08
Silence of the Grave (Icelandic: Grafarþögn) by Arnaldur Indridason Feb 08
Booked to Die by John Dunning Feb 3/08
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale May 10/08

I believe that Kathrin is hosting Series Challenge Season II, from June 1 - December 1, 2008. I'm not sure why a challenge helps a person like me read a particular book, but it seems to give me a focus. I've got a whole blog full of series I'm keeping track of, so there are lots more to read, plus I keep starting new ones.

BOOK: The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith

The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith

African Reading Challenge: Botswana; series challenge

Book four starring Mma Precious Ramotswe and all is well. She is still engaged to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, and although a wedding date does not seem imminent, Mma seems happy. Not much happens in these books but a lovely philosophy of life, a respect of the old ways, and the usual human conditions of adultery, theft, and competition that are complicating life. Precious deals with the people around her in her indomitable yet quiet style. Bush tea is drunk and the standards of society are respected. I haven't read this series in quite a while and I am glad to have re found these books.

Stephanie Nolan's book, 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa, explained how AIDS is not named, just called that illness. I was wondering if AIDS would be a part of the story, because with infection rates as high as they are, it would have to in order for the setting to be realistic. Sure enough, this book included that habit, as well as grandmothers raising their grand babies because the adults have died.

BOOK: Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B Ross

Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B Ross

eponymous challenge, series challenge

Miss Maggie and her Southern Reading Challenge introduced me to the delightful Miss Julia series last summer. This second book feels like it has hit its stride a bit more, and I enjoyed it more than the first one. Little Lloyd and his mother, Hazel Marie are living with Miss Julia and Lilian, but when Hazel Marie doesn't come home one night, Miss Julia decides she must find her. Foul play is suspected and Miss Julia, with her proper manners, and her ability to decide when disobeying the law is allowed heads off with a private detective to find Little Lloyd's momma. You'll have to read Miss Julia's adventures to see how she ends up driving around a NASCAR track in North Carolina, but I like her spunk and her increased confidence and her growth in this book. I'm more interested now in picking up the next book, Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, to see who gets married, because there was quite a bit of romance happening, and there are several possibilities.

This series challenge has been good, reminding me of books that I'd like to keep reading. I discovered several new authors and characters last year and this is keeping me going with them. After I made a whole list of books in series, it made it easy to pick out another book at the library. I tend to read series books from the library. Only another 5 or 6 in this series to go.

BOOK: The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason

The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason

pub in '08, series challenge

I'm up to date in this series, but now I can't wait for the next one. This third book in the series continues after the big battle in the last book. Victoria, Max and Sebastian are all around and fighting vampires, but more importantly, their attractions to each other. I don't want to say too much, because I could be giving things away from the second book, but they are still in Rome, and the story is continuing fighting vampire leaders Lilith and Beauregard. This is a fun book, lots of vampire lore, and heaving bosoms. The plot races along, actually only covering a few days, but fast and furious. Victoria has the same stubborn streak she accuses Max and Sebastian of having, but she seems to be recognizing her attractions to each of them and realizing her power and intelligence.

A very cool part of this book was the acknowledgements including booklogged, bookfool and carl. How cool was that? I thought the books were a trilogy, but they most certainly are continuing, because this book ended at a point that I really want to know what is going to happen next. These books are a nice diversion, nothing too heavy but lots of escapism, romance and adventure.

And finally, my question is: are you a Max or Sebastian fan?

BOOK: Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

series challenge: book #2 in Thursday Next series

I won't say too much about this, because it is hard to review books in a series if other people haven't read the first book. Too many spoilers, which is why I haven't read any Pretties or Specials reviews lately. Suffice to say, Fforde is at his imaginative best self. Not only are there literary detectives, but within the fictional world characters look after the integrity of the books, and the boundaries between what can and can't happen are blurred. Fforde explains everything within the rules of his world so that not just anything can happen, although it appears so at times.

After reading these books, my TBR pile grows as different novels become important and my understanding of the allusions would be better if I had previously read Great Expectations and Sense and Sensibilities. Did you know there is a missing Austen book Confusion and Conviviality? If that amuses you, you might enjoy these books. I read this one because I bought the next one in the series, The Well of Lost Plots, (the basement where books and characters not published live) for only $2, and I'd like to get to it before this series challenge ends in May. This series is cute, and amusing and easy going. I'm glad I found this series.

BOOK: Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

series challenge

I've put two series to rest now! Yay for me and thanks to the series challenge for making me put a real effort into finishing some series that have been so close.

Each time I start a new Shopaholic book I think that I won't finish it: Becky is so silly, so shopping obsessed, that I don't think I can take her any more. She never really grows, but she does have a heart of gold and would do anything for her friends and family. Gradually, Kinsella pulls me in, and I'm chuckling at Becky and the scrapes she gets into, and out of. It's almost predictable but then it becomes enjoyably predictable and worth the read. I usually finish these books quite quickly as well.

Becky has found her man, gotten married, found a sister, and now she is pregnant. Luke is still high powered and smitten by Becky. Becky is thrilled because she has a whole new area for shopping: baby stuff. While her friend tries to get her to buy some baby essentials, Becky is finding the most adorable cowboy boots, or five prams that she must have. Car seats and diapers are too boring to buy. When Becky discovers the hot new obstetrician to the stars, she must go to Valentia Carter. But oops! Valentia is Luke's old college girlfriend. Will Becky's insecurities drive Luke into Valentia's arms? Will Luke's company expand with his new client so that Becky can buy an Caribbean Island? Will Becky go behind Luke's back and determine the sex of their baby? Nothing earth shattering happens here, but I stayed up way too late last night trying to finish this, and I enjoyed my time with the silly Shopaholic. Congrats to Becky and Luke for entertaining me with their Shopaholic series. And Sophie Kinsella.

BOOK: The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri

The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri

translated by Stephen Sartarelli

in a series challenge; what's in a name: animal in title category

Inspector Salvo Montalbano's second mystery finds him discovering two bodies in a cave, set up as a tableau guarded by a terra cotta dog since the second world war. He wants to discover who the couple were and why they were killed. Along the way he will eat very well, be rude to his fellow policemen, be an ass to his girlfriend, eat some more, string along a couple other girls, give a terrible press conference, and be rude to a few more people. He's not a nice man, but he is smart, and will do anything to solve his crime.

Camilleri writes this series partly as a police procedural, and he doesn't let the reader in on everything as Salvo is figuring out. I like the setting, southern Italy in the little town of Viageta on Sicily, the descriptions of the food, and even cranky, rude Salvo. The language might be a little crude for some readers; it doesn't bother me but be forewarned.

Here's the series standing for me: (I read the 4th book first, yuck for reading out of order)

1. The Shape of Water 2002 (La forma dell’acqua - 1994)

2. Terra Cotta Dog 2002 (Il cane di terracotta - 1996) Mar 10/08

3. The Snack Thief 2003 (Il ladro di merendine - 1996)

4. The Voice of the Violin 2003 (La voce del violino - 1997)

5. Excursion to Tindari - 2005 (La gita a Tindari - 2000)

6. The Scent of the Night - 2005 (L’odore della notte - 2001)

7. Rounding the Mark - 2006 (Il giro di boa - 2003)

8. The Patience of the Spider - 2007 (La pazienza del ragno - 2004)

9. The Paper Moon - 2008 (La Luna di Carta - 2005)

10. La Vampa d'Agosto - 2006

11. Le Ali della Sfinge - 2006

12. La pista di Sabbia - 2007

BOOK: Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris

series challenge


The last book in the Lily Bard mysteries has Lily beginning to deal openly with her past attack and attending group counselling for rape survivors. Strange things begin happening to the group leader, who is new in town. But with all these books, the story is more about Lily and her recovery, and Harris has her characterization done perfectly. I've enjoyed reading Lily's progression and sad as it is to say, it is OK for this series to end. Lily will be alright.


And this makes my first series that I've completed. Sadly, I only just started this one last summer during the Southern Reading Challenge, and I've read all five books. I say sadly because there are many other series I haven't even looked at in that time. Time to get focused. I hope to finish another series (Shopaholic and Baby) and then read another book in a few more. I've got a couple other books I am working on right now that I don't seem to be ripping through. Normally that doesn't bother me, but these challenges with their lists of great books to come make me resent a book that goes too slowly.

BOOK: Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris

series challenge

Number four in the Lily Bard series, the penultimate book. (hee, I don't get to use that word very often) As I was looking into this series, I was disappointed that the series didn't continue, only five books. But now I am glad for a few reasons:

1. I will be able to complete this series and it will be done.
2. Many times, mystery series continue past the point where the author should, and the books just feel like books for the sake of the book. And you have to keep reading, even though they have lost their bite.
3. Lily is starting to be normal, and that would be a good place for the series to end. She feels a part of the community, making friends, and able to put her past behind her. One more book should just about do it.
4. Five is a nice number for a mystery series.
5. Also for lists. hmm. I know. I can start the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series by Harris as well, and I think that one is still being written.

Excellent read, good mystery with lots of the characters from Shakespeare involved. Such a good read that that is all I did today, when I should have been correcting. This will bite me later in the week as I try to get through all the physics labs. I can't wait to read Shakespeare's Counselor.

CHALLENGE: Series challenge

Kathrin is hosting a series challenge that I have no business looking at. Except. I started a few new series this year, and they never seem to fit any particular challenge, and I really want to read them. For example, even with a list of books I want to finish this month that is longer than I will ever be able to do, instead of picking up one of them, I got Shakespeare's Christmas from the library because I love Lily Bard and her grumpy dysfunctional life and I want to read about. Especially after Lolita. That is what this challenge is about: finishing series you've started, and Kathrin says there are no particular amount of books to chose, just read for 6 months and finish the series you want to. This runs from December1, 2007 til May 31, 2008.

I have no idea how many I can read, here's my list of series I still want to finish:


Charlaine Harris' Lily Bard series FINISHED

• Shakespeare's Christmas - done Dec
• Shakespeare's Trollop - done Jan
• Shakespeare's Counselor - done Feb 9
  

Miss Julia by Ann B Ross

• Miss Julia Takes Over done Mar 28
• Miss Julia Throws a Wedding
• Miss Julia Hits the Road
• Miss Julia Meets Her Match
• Miss Julia's School of Beauty
• Miss Julia Stands Her Ground

the Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason, book 3 The Bleeding Dusk FINISHED Mar 21

Scott Westerfield's dystopian Pretties, Specials, that follow Uglies

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella Mar 12 FINISHED

Andrea Camilleri's Detective Montalbano's mysteries:

• Terra Cotta Dog done March 10
• The Snack Thief
• The Smell of the Night

Megan McCaffery's teen series:

• Charmed Thirds
• Fourth Comings
  

Stephanie Plum: I've only read One for the Money, I might try some more

Alexander McCall Smith

• No 1 Ladies Deterctive series, books 4 - 9
• - #4. The Kalahari Typing School for Men done May 24/08
• Sunday Philosophy Club series
  
  

Crap. I didn't realize I had so many ongoing series. I reserve the right to change this, or bail at will.

Following the excellent lead of booklogged and alisonwonderland, I made a blog of series that I've started and could possibly finish, over here.

BOOK: Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

series challenge

The bad news about this book is that it really had nothing to do with Christmas; the good news is that it was an excellent little mystery.

Lily has travelled to her hometown for the wedding of her sister just before Christmas. It's a big sacrifice, because she'll be back with her parents and all the people who knew her before and just after the brutal attack that changed her life. Plus, she's the maid of honor and there are showers and parties, and Lily will have to get dressed up, with makeup?

Soon after she arrives, the town doctor and nurse are bludgeoned to death, and then Lily's boyfriend, private investigator Jack shows up, investigating an eight year old kidnapping.

Another excellent edition of the Lily Bard mystery series. The mystery itself was tight, and interesting, and Lily's cleaning actually came in handy for her snooping. I like seeing Lily's evolution as she is beginning to come back to the land of the living and caring people. Her love interest and now her family, and showing a new side to her as she grows back into a person.

This is a series and author I hope to read more of. Harris has several other series as well, a vampire series and another southern mystery.