More Friday Fun

I have really enjoyed joining in with all the different weekly events MizB hosts during the week at her blog, Should Be Reading.  Today is Friday Finds:

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

Definitely joining in with these different hops and events has helped me to find books I never would have found on my own.  I have a lot of new books on my TBR list and I may just need to change my Summer Reading list around a little.  

Please click on the links for each book if you want to learn more, it is the easiest way for me to share, by linking to the Amazon page.

I am not sure who's blog I found the book Shades of Morning by Marlo Schalesky, but I am now planning to read that book plus Beyond the Night and If Tomorrow Never Comes by the same author.

I am also intrigued by the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast, posted about by MizB.  

I also found Watership Down by Richard Adams and The Girl in the Box , by Ouida Sebestyen at the thrift shop this week.

Not sure when I will get to them, but...

Oh, I did pick up the first two books of the House of Night series at the library today.

Another fun Friday event is hosted by Tonya at Storytime with Tonya and Friends

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blogor (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Here is my Friday 56:

For her, I guess.  For me.  So I'd have "Advantages."

from The Girl in the Box Ouida Sebestyen.

Book Blogger Hop July 9th

Jennifer, over at Crazy-For-Books hosts Book Blogger Hop.

We are getting to know our Book Blog Hoppers!  Please answer the following question in your blog hop post and link to it in the Linky at her site!  

This week's question:  Tell us about some of your favorite authors and why they are your favorites!

A long time favorite Christian author of mine is Janette Oke.  It has been a long time since I have read her books but her stories are quite enjoyable.  Well written faith based historical fiction. 

A new-to-me Christian author is Kathy Herman.  Her suspenseful stories are riveting and I enjoy the way she weaves God's forgiveness and grace through the books.  I have only read her first series so far (The Baxter series, of which you will find my reviews under my labels), but I have the second series on my Summer Reading Challenge list, so they will go on hold at the library soon.

I do really enjoy the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, but I am not sure if that would qualify her as a favorite author.  I really do enjoy JK Rowling's writing, her style, the way she was able to weave her stories and create such a realistic fantasy world with characters I just adore.

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a placejust for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!  And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!  We get over 200 links every week!! 

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

DISCLAIMER:

The Hop isn't just for you to throw your link in there and not visit any other blogs.  It's all about networking and finding new blogs that are of interest. So, in the spirit of the Hop, try to make some time to visit other blogs and don't post your link if you are not planning on visiting other blogs in the Hop that week.  This is a weekly event, so if you don't have time this week, that's fine!  We'll see you next week!

If you sign Linky, please share the love and POST ABOUT THE HOP ON YOUR BLOG!  How else will anyone else find out about it and come join the party? 

Review: The Bungalow Mystery

This is the third Nancy Drew Mystery in the series.  In this book Nancy and her friend Helen Corning get caught in a storm  and are saved by Laura Pendleton who states she may need Nancy's help in the near future.  Laura is an orphan who is about to meet her new guardian.
In the meantime, Mr. Drew requests Nancy's help in discovering who has stolen bank securities from the local bank.  While investigating the security thefts, Nancy is drawn into Laura's dilemma with her rude, scary guardians who state that Laura's parents have left her with nothing.
So here are the mysteries:
What happened to Laura's family's money, her inheritance?
How does the bungalow come into play?
What is it about the Aborn's (her new guardians) that isn't right?  Is Laura in danger with them?
How do the missing securities tie in?


I liked this book once I got into it (and past reading Kathy Herman's Baxter Series books).  I didn't feel the answers just fell into Nancy's lap as easily this time.  There was quite a bit of suspense, even though I did figure out what was going on with the guardians pretty quick (okay they are juvenile books).  And Nancy was in some peril.  We didn't see Helen very much though.


I would give this book 4 stars.

Teaser Tuesday: Teenage Vampire: Year One

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.  Here's how it works:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers:

"The rest of the school day was boring, but Derrick met me out by my car, just like he promised.  His appearance was darker and different from the Derrick that I remember, but that was just on the outside."

~page 256 Teenage Vampire by Florence Wilson

Musing Monday

MizB over at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays.  Here are this weeks questions.

What are you currently reading? Would you recommend it to others? Is it part of a series (if so, which one)? What are you thinking about it? What book(s) would you compare it to, if any?

I am currently reading "Teenage Vampire" by Florence Wilson.  At this point (I am halfway through the book) I would not recommend this book to others.  There has been way too much that is a rip off of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga.  While the plot is not the same there are way too many details that feel like they come directly from Twilight and some from New Moon.  I say "at this point" I would not recommend it because I am finally seeing some fresh original plot show through.  At the same time the grammar and inconsistencies make for a difficult read.  I will continue to read the book because I want to see what happens and I hate leaving a book in the middle.  However, if it doesn't improve I will not read any of the books that are supposed to follow.

Book Blogger Hop

Jennifer at Crazy For Books has a blog hop going on every Friday -Monday and I just had to join in.  I look forward to meeting more people who are as crazy about reading as I am.

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a placejust for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

This week Jennifer wanted to know the following:

My name and why I started blogging.

My name is Karen and I had already had a blog devoted to the projects my children and I do in our homeschooling (along with other odds and ends).  I was then introduced to Reading Challenges and decided I needed a blog that I could devote to my reading and reviews.  I love to read and thought it was great that I finally had somewhere I could share my thoughts on the books I am reading.  Though sometimes it is hard to find the time to actually blog about what I have read.  

I am looking forward to getting to meet others as obsessed with reading as I am.  I have already been nosing around others' blogs and  have found books I am interested in reading.

Summer Reading Challenge 2010

Okay, the Spring Reading Thing 2010 is over.  You can read my wrap up post here or here.  As I was reading wrap up posts I came across a comment mentioning a new challenge, which seems to be similar to the Spring Reading Thing.  It is the Summer Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by Julie at My Book Retreat.

Here is my list:
Thriller/Suspense Challenge:Seaport Suspense Series by Kathy Herman:1. A Shred of Evidence2. Eye of the Beholder3. All Things Hidden4. Not By Chance
5. Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand (finished 6/30)6. The Last Christian by David Gregory
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer7. Eighth Grade Bites (finished (6/28)8. Ninth Grade Slays9. Tenth Grade Bleeds10. Eleventh Grade Burns
Nancy Drew:
11. The Mystery at Lilac Inn12. The Secret of Shadow Ranch13. The Secret of Red Gate Farm14. Clue in the Diary15. Nancy's Mysterious Letter16. The Sign of the Twisted Candles17. Password to Larkspur Lane18. Clue of the Broken Locket19. The Message in the Hollow Oak20. Mystery of the Ivory Charm21. The Whispering Statue22. Haunted Bridge23. Clue of the Tapping Heels24. Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk25. Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion26. Quest of the Missing Map27. Clue in the Jewel Box28. The Secret in the Old Attic29. Clue in the Crumbling Wall30. Mystery of the Tolling Bell
31. Teenage Vampire by Florence Wilson (currently reading)
Non-fiction (Didn't get these read for the Spring Reading Thing, hoping to get them read with in the next few months.
32. Einstein Never Used Flash Cards by Kathy Kirsh-Pasek and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff33. Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education by Raymond S. Moore34. School Can Wait by Raymond S. Moore35. The Power of Play by David Elkind36. Storm Warning by Billy Graham37. The Baby Signing Book by Sara Bingham 
Here's how you can participate in this Summer Reading Challenge, which will take place from June 21 - September 21.

1. Create a list of the books you’d like to read or finish during this summer season. There's no minimum and no requirements as to the type of books you put on your list ~ it's all up to you how many you include, and whether they're beach reads or classics or something in between.
2. Write a blog post with the list of books you want to read ~ and any other summer reading goals ~ and post it on your blog.
3. Go to My Book Retreat to sign up. She'll have a Linky set up , so you can link up to your own Summer Reading Challenge post.
4. Read! Work through your list of books throughout the summer. Write reviews if you'd like. Have fun!
5. Write a wrap-up post at the end of summer to report on your results.
6. Go back to My Book Retreat on September 21st to link your wrap-up post to the Linky she'll post that day.