2011 Resolution Update

Well, in looking back over my resolutions from last year, let's see where we ended up....

1. To reach my goal weight (surprise, surprise) - Didn't quite get there, however, I got almost halfway there, so that is a big step in the correct direction.
2. To finish at least the same number of books in 2011 that I read in 2010 and provide my faithful audience with a review - Yes! I did actually make this resolution. In 2010, I read 25 books and in 2011 I got to 30!! Woo Hoo and I forced a review of each of them on you all!!
3. To finish half the quilts that are currently in my UFO pile - And, then we start getting into the ones that I didn't make. Yeah, I did almost no quilting in 2011. I have lots of excuses for it, but in the end it is because I was generally too lazy.
4. To open an ETSY store and try to actually sell something - See response to #3.
5. To create and stick to a budget - I thought long and hard about a budget and have tried to create one, but in general it has entailed keeping a somewhat running total in my head of what has been spent and THAT is really scary!!
6. To implement a REAL filing system and stay organized - Yeah, made NO progress on this one, either.
7. To buy more shoes (oh no, twist my arm on this one) - So, this one I actually did meet...many times over. However, I was actually in a shoe store just the other day and managed to walk out without buying a single one. I am very proud of myself for that, especially since I walked around the store carrying a couple pair for almost an hour but decided that they just weren't needed.
8. To cook at home more and actually invite people over, which means I have to keep my house clean. - Hmmm, well, I did cook more and I did have my parents come over and stay and eat, but that was over Christmas, so I guess this is something that still needs some work.
9. To complete all of the exercises in The Artists Way and Writing Down the Bones. - See response to #3. I did NOTHING along the way for this one.
10. To watch less television...I still need to come up with a reasonable number of hours a week. - Television is my biggest vice. I don't know what it is and why I need to have it on so much, but it is like a drug to me. I spent the majority of the week I had off between Christmas and New Year watching movies that I had recorded instead of doing all the other things that I should have been doing. Ah well, it is a new year to try again, right?
11. To get my PMP Certification - See response to #3.
12. To come back in 3 months and provide an update on these resolutions. So, I did do this once.... That counts, doesn't it?
13. To become more involved in my community...or a community....maybe a community of squirrels would like me to join..... - Well, can I count spending more time with the folks 'in the 'hood' as joining a community?
14. To get my passport and in turn do some traveling. - I DID get my passport!! Now, I just need to figure out where I'm going to travel to.
15. To open my heart to love (and actually join Match.com and contact the guy that I've been stalking out there). - So, didn't open my heart to love, yet. But have started loving myself more, which is a big step towards being able to open up for love, right?

Well, I guess there is still a lot of work to be done. Let's see what 2012 has to offer....

2011 - Book 32 - The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana

This is another one that I didn't finish this year, and probably won't. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana is one of Umberto Eco's fictional works and while I love some of his stuff (e.g., The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum) but the last couple of his fiction works that I've read, including this one has felt like I'm reading something for school. Perhaps my mind has spent too much time reading the empty calories of works like the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse series and gone all soft...but at the moment, I'm okay with that. However, here is the book description:

What if you woke up tomorrow and remembered nothing of your life? The faces of your spouse and children are strange, and the outlines of your childhood are only a blur. This is the crisis that Yambo, an Italian book seller, faces when he regains consciousness after suffering a stroke. He is shocked to find, however, that he can remember every book he has ever read, every line of poetry, and a wealth of literary quotations.

Desperate to retrieve his past, he searches through boxes of old newspapers, comics, records, photo albums, and adolescent diaries. And so Yambo relives the story of his generation: Mussolini, Catholic education and guilt, Josephine Baker, Flash Gordon, Fred Astaire. His memories run wild, and life races before him in a series of images, as Yambo struggles to capture the most elusive one - that of his first love.

Don't get me wrong, this is actually a really good book and as so much of Eco's works is well written. The premise behind it is really intriguing and does make you stop and think and wonder "what if..." but, at this time in my life, I'm just sorta happy reading the mind candy that I've spent much of the year reading.

2011 - Book 31 - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Okay, I didn't actually finish Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I made it to page 181 out of 253. I made a promise to myself that I would not feel obligated to finish every book that I started if it doesn't grab me, although with less than 80 pages left part of me thinks maybe I SHOULD suck it up and finish it. I made a really good try at this, but i just never felt the need to finish it. Here is the description, if you faithful readers wish to pick it up and make a go at it.

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, or "old same," in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she has written a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on the fan and compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. They both endure the agony of footbinding and together reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Well, I understand they are making this into a movie.... I'll wait and see the movie to find out what the misunderstanding is....

2011 - Book 30 - The Dirty Parts of the Bible

Same Torode's book, The Dirty Parts of the Bible, is a good read, and actually not too blasphemous. Description:

It's 1936 and 19-year-old Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls.

Mostly girls.

But being a Baptist preacher's son, he can't escape God.

When his father is blinded in a bizarre accident, Tobias rides the rails in search of a lost fortune. Along the way, he is initiated into the hobo brotherhood by Craw, a ribald yet wise black man. Obstacles arise in the form of a saucy prostitute, a giant catfish, and a flaming boxcar. But when he meets Sarah, a tough Texas farm girl under a dark curse, he finds out that the greatest challenge of all is love.

I really liked this book. First, because it does have that blasphemous flavor. Second, because it takes place in Glen Rose, TX, which is just down the road from here. Third, because it is actually a really good story and in the end that is what counts. If you can get your hands on this, I highly recommend it.

2011 - Book 29 - Dumb White Husband vs. The Grocery Store

Okay, so technically, this is a short story, but I read it on the Kindle, so I'm counting it as a book...

Dumb White Husband vs. The Grocery Store by Benjamin Wallace is the first in a series of such short stories. Description:

John is a dumb white husband. That is to say that he loves and cares for his family, is successful in his career, popular around the neighborhood, can dress himself (often without injury) and is capable of reasonable thought. Demographically however, he functions likes a 4-year-old that can't quite master the intricacies of the potty.

It isn't his fault. He studied hard and got a college degree. He works hard and earns a comfortable living. But, like all other dumb white husbands, he leads a dual life; competent member of society by day, helpless male by night, weekends, and holidays.

He has served for years as the nervous legal department-approved foil of commercials, TV and movies. And, for this service, we thank him. No one has ever cared to look inside the mind of the dumb white husband - probably for fear of what we might find - but, if we took a minute to consider it, we may see that he's not as dumb as we all think. But, he probably is.

In this adventure, Dumb White Husband goes to the grocery store.

Well, it is a cute short story, although the description is almost as long as the actual story. I give it a thumb up, although I do find husband versus wife dichotomy a little trying. Perhaps I find it trying because I do not have a husband of my own, but I really doubt if that is what real middle-class WASP relationships are like...but what do I know.

2011 - Book 28 - Heartless

So, I am way behind on blogging about my reading, and other things, so here I go trying to catch up. I finished the third book in the Parasol Protectorate series, Heartless, over Thanksgiving. Here is a quick look at the book description:

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight-months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Like the others in this series, it is a light, easy read that brings joy and not much of challenge, and I'm pretty good with that. The next in this series hasn't been published yet, but I do have it on my list to purchase when it does come out. However, I am again reminded as to how many story lines these days pit werewolves against vampires....that theme seems to be every where lately.

2011 - Book 27 - Blameless

As I'm sure you have gathered, I've been doing a lot of reading lately. As soon as I finished Changeless, I dove directly into Blameless, the third in the Parasol Protectorate series.

Quitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season.
Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attached by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.
While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain to her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.

Again, great mind-candy kind of book. Not very challenging and yet very entertaining. Lots of steampunk visuals and hand-to-parasol combat. At the heart of this series is a love story and a girl's search for who she really is. There are two more in this series and I'm about to begin the fourth book....sadly, the fifth book will not be available until March of 2012, but I already have it on my wishlist!!

Oh, and now I'm hungry for pesto....

2011 Book 26 - Changeless

I just finished another trip to DC and while on the trip, I read Changeless, the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. Here is a quick description of the book:

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.
But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest in fashion, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.
She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

This is a very fanciful series that I am completely addicted to. It is all very far-fetched and proper English. The characters are fun and the intrigue is well, intriguing. This series is a very fast read, which may also be why I am enjoying them as much as I am. I would give this book, and the series as a whole, the better part of two thumbs up. I would recommend them to only those people that I know who might have an interest in steampunk literature and who don't have a need to be overly challenged by their books.

2011 Book 25 - Mockingjay

I actually finished this book a couple of weeks ago on a bus trip to Houston and back with my mom. And, I know that I've been a really bad blogger, again, but to be honest, work just has me flumoxed and not really in the mood to write about anything. However, I will document my reading. Mockingjay, the final book the Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy was great. Oh wait, let me give you the bookjacket first:

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss’s family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans – except Katniss. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss’s willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels Mockingjay – no matter what the personal cost.

As I was saying, this final book was really great, as were all of the books in this series. All three of these books were highly entertaining and really hard to put down. As stated at after I finished Catching Fire, I am now very much looking forward to how these are going to be portrayed on film. I also have a hard time looking at these books as 'young adult' as they are extremely violent. I give all of these books two thumbs up and a 'heck yeah, you should read them!' In fact, my niece, whose copies I was borrowing, has requested that they be returned as she wants to read them again.

2011 Book 24 - Catching Fire

Today I finished the second book in Suzanne Collins Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. I know there was a long stretch between the first, The Hunger Games and this one being read, but I don't intend to have such a span between this and the third as I'm very excited to find out how things end. However, let me first give you the synopsis from the book jacket:

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District
12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothin is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

I give this book and the whole series thus far, two huge thumbs up. If I could shut off the rest of the world and just curl up with these books, I would in a heartbeat. I'm also very much looking forward to how the movies are going to turn out, as they are making a movie of this to come out in March 2012. I am curious, though, how they are actually going to do this movie and not make it Rated R based on the violence and cruelty that the books actuaully address.

2011 Book 23 - Winter Sea

Susanna Kearsley's book The Winter Sea was my most recent completion. Here is the back of the book write-up:

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobian fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.
Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.
But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth - the ultimate betrayal - that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

I found this to be a great book. However, when I just read what was written on the back, I don't really see where that all comes from. I highly recommend this book. It made me smile and cry and smile.

2011 Book 22 - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

I tell you, I've been on quite a roll this vacation and finished up my third book. The latest has been Alan Bradley's second book in his Flavia de Luce series The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag. Since this was an actual book that I read and not from my Kindle, I can provide you with the write-up from the back:

Flavia de Luce, a dangerously smart eleven-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders, thinks that her days of crime-solving in the bucolic English hamlet of Bishop's Lacey are over -- until beloved puppeteer Rupert Porson has his own strings sizzled in an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. But who'd do such a thing, and why? Does the madwoman who lives in Gibbet Wood know more than she's letting on? What about Porson's charming but erratic assistant? All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local contables can't solve -- without Flavia's help. But in getting so close to who's secretly pulling the strings of this dance of death, has our precocious heroine finally gotten in way over her head?

I have to admit that I do enjoy a good mystery and the Flavia books seem to provide that in an Agatha Christie sort of way....if Agatha Christie wrote her main character to be a highly intelligent child with a passion for posion and a history of being tortured by her older sisters. I would recommend this book to folks if they wanted a light read with a little meat on its bones. The plot is pretty good and the character development is quite impressive. I look forward to getting the next in the series A Red Herring Without Mustard...

2011 Book 21 - The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland

So, I actually finished two books during my recent travels. The second book was a really quick (and interesting) read titled The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters. Here is the book's description:

This comedy mystery, the first in a series of criminally funny fables, is set in Miami and London. Fans of Stephanie Plum will cheer for Alice as she watches her back in attempting to keep her head, while being stalked by Nigel's daft ex-wife and inept, but dangerous mobsters. Alice's world is filled with memorable characters strangely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. She's guided through her dangerous adventure by her own Cheshire Cat.
Nigel, a chubby John Cleese with serious dress-code problems, whisks Alice to England. Alice sees him as her White Rabbit rescuer. The plot trips along at a cracking pace with Alice flinging zingers like a drive-by shooter.
After Alice discovers a gangster's freshly beheaded body in his Miami mansion, she launches a desparate self-defense in a kangaroo court. The main witness against her is Algy Green, a bumbling cockney swindler who super-glues his bat wing ears to his head and commits perjury for theme park tickets. But in the middle of the trial a small piece of evidence opens her eyes.

This book was actually recommended to me by a friend and I didn't actually read the description before I read the book...and actually not until just now as I write this up. So, as I was heading home from the airport yesterday and telling Sara about the book, I actually did reference Stephanie Plum as being similar. In short, this is a really quick read that has some cute parts, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are looking for some simple brain candy.

2011 Book 20 - The Forever Queen

I finished off Helen Hollicks book The Forever Queen while on my latest trip to California. That is the beauty of taking a relaxing vacation...being able to just read and relax is heaven. Oh wait, I'm not talking vacation yet, this is about the book, so here is the write-up:

Married to a king incompetent both on the throne and in bed, Emma does not love her husband. But she does love England. Even as her husband fails, Emma vows to protect her people - no matter what. For five decades, through love and loss, prosperity and exile, Emma fights for Englan, becoming the only woman to have been anointed, crowned, and reigning queen to two different kings, the mother of two more, and the great aunt of William the Conqueror.

I really enjoyed this book. Like with other historical novels, there are of course slow parts, but in general it is an interesting tale. Nothing like a good book where the primary character is a strong female. I recommend this to anybody who wants a romantic look at early English history.

2011 - Book 19 - Murder on the Orient Express

This past weekend I went to Vegas for a Bachelorette party, which will be its own series of blogs that I just need to sit down and write. Since I was traveling, I had to have a book to read and my boss had recently tried to talk to me about Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, but I had to interrupt him as I hadn't read it. He was shocked and amazed that I had missed that one and insisted that I go out and get it and read it. Well, I always do what my boss tells me to do and so I went and downloaded it to my Kinndle and ate it up on my trip.

It is a classic. Yes, I had if figured out within a couple of pages of the body being found, although I'm not certain if it is because somebody in the past had informed me what the outcome was or if I had heard reference on some show or movie. However, that didn't deter me from reading it all the way through. I still needed to learn how it was all handled and how Hercule Poirot deciphered all the clues.
I give it two thumbs up and if anybody wants a quick read I highly recommend it. It doesn't have the flare and panache of a modern-day murder mystery, but it still a great read.

Leo - The Latest Casa ABBA Addition

I have a new puppy and we are learning all about one another. I should probably back up just a smidge....

Last weekend I was out for dinner with The Queen and our friend Jennifer. I mentioned that I was thinking of getting a puppy (never mind the whole traveling stuff) and that I saw a picture of a puggle and thought I would get one of those. Fast forward to Wednesday and I get a Facebook flag from Jennifer saying she has a foundling puppy free to a good home. And thought I would love him.

Wednesday evening, I stopped by her place and was introduced to this little rascal and immediately fell in love. Jennifer was ready for me to take him that minute, however, I had to say no at that moment because I did not have a puppy-proofed house at all. Plus, I was leaving on business on Saturday.... In general, I was screwed.

She agreed to keep him on Thursday and take him to the vet (upper respiratory infection) for me. However, she was going out of town on Friday and Saturday, so I had to see if The Queen would take him (luckily she did) and then Jennifer took him back for the week.

Long story short, I finally brought him home with me yesterday and we've now spent a whole 24 hours together. We are learning the dance and I'm so in love with him. What I've learned so far:

• He sleeps a lot.
• He snuffles and sniffs a lot.
• He snores.
• He barks, but not much and usually only when there is a sudden sound.
• He is a messy drinker.
• He smells like Fritos, to me.....I'm thinking of changing his name to Frito or Corn Chip, but will more than likely stick with Leo.
• He is getting fixed in the very near future.
• I'm gonna have to reorganize my life in order to give him the time he deserves.

The sad thing is, I have to leave him again this coming weekend as I have a trip to Vegas planned. Anybody want to come stay at Casa ABBA for two nights and play baby sitter for me?

2011 Book 18 - Soulless

Finished this book on the flight home on Thursday. Soulless by Gail Carriger was great fun. Here is a synopsis:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and hen the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? Soulless is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. It was an incredibly fast read and not too taxing on the brain. While I doing these work trips, I really don't want to have to face a daunting book as the work and the customer is daunting enough. I give this two thumbs up and am preparing to download the next two in the series to my handy-dandy Kindle. The only issue I did have with this book is how the author flip-flopped back and forth in referring her characters. One paragraph she would refer to her as Alexia and the next it would be Miss Tarabotti, but that really one of the few downfalls.

2011 - Book 17 - Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

I just finished Helen Simonson's novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and really liked it. Of course, it was one of my Kindle books (have I mentioned how happy my Kindle makes me? More on that later.). So here is the description from Amazon:

In her witty and wise debut novel, newcomer Helen Simonson introduces the unforgettable character of the widower Major Ernest Pettigrew. The Major epitomizes the Englishman with the "stiff upper lip," who clings to traditional values and has tried (in vain) to pass these along to his yuppie son, Roger. The story centers around Pettigrew's fight to keep his greedy relatives (including his son) from selling a valuable family heirloom--a pair of hunting rifles that symbolizes much of what he stands for, or at least what he thinks he does. The embattled hero discovers an unexpected ally and source of consolation in his neighbor, the Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina Ali. On the surface, Pettigrew and Ali's backgrounds and life experiences couldn't be more different, but they discover that they have the most important things in common. This wry, yet optimistic comedy of manners with a romantic twist will appeal to grown-up readers of both sexes.

As I said before, I really enjoyed this book. I think I channel the Major sometimes because I often find myself echoing his frustration with the "younger" people who lack respect and are only superficial. While the Amazon write up said that this would appeal to both sexes, I personally doubt that, or at least the male writers that I know are not ones that I can see enjoying this story, but I would definitely give it two thumbs up for you female readers out there looking for what is essentially a love story.

Now, onto my latest profession of love for my Kindle... I now take it to the gym with me, increase the font, prop it up on the ledge of the treadmill and read while I work out... GENIUS!!

2011 - Book 16 - The Postmistress

Just finished reading Sarah Blake's novel The Postmistress. Here is write-up of what the book is about:

In 1940, Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris knows more about the townspeople than she will ever say, and believes her job is to deliver secrets. Yet one day she does the unthinkable: slips a letter into her pocket, reads it, and doesn't deliver it.

Meanwhile, Frankie Bard broadcasts from overseas with Edward R. Murrow. Her dispatches beg listeners to pay heed as the Nazis bomb London nightly. Most of the townspeople of Franklin think the war can't touch them. Both both Iris and Frankie know better...

The Postmistress is a tale of two worlds-one shattered by violence, the other willfully naive-and of two women whose job is to deliver the news, yet who find themselves unable to do so. Through their eyes, and the eyes of everyday people caught in history's tide, it examines how stories are told, and how the fact of war is borne even through everyday life.

I give this two definite thumbs up. While it took me a bit to actually get into the story, but once I did, I had a hard time putting the book down. It was actually a very powerful book after having just been to the Holocaust Museum in DC.

2011 - Book 15 - From Dead to Worse

AND.... the last Sookie Stackhouse novel that I have in my possession From Dead to Worse....

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. And things are changing, whether the weres and vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death...and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when he fur has finished flying and the cold blood ceases flowing, her world will be forever altered.

I have to say that I am done with this series for the time being. This last book was a little random and felt like the author was trying to wrap up a lot of the story lines that were going on throughout the past 7 books. She also is trying to open up a couple of new lines which may or may not be interesting to follow. I have a number of other books that I want to get through before I start tackling the remaining Sookie books.