Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Book Challenge: 26 Weeks: 92 Books Read

Well, a half-year has rapidly finished; and, since I have been reading at lightning speed (92 BOOKS!!!!), it seems that it might be a good thing to bring my readers up-to-date now on what I've read and what I've thought of it.


ARCHEOLOGICAL THRILLERS

Adams, W.: The Eden Legacy(4)*** (N.B. has absolutely Nothing to do with Biblical archaeology)


Byrnes, M.: The Sacred Blood(2)**+


Byrnes, M.: The Sacred Bones(1)**+


AUSTENALIA: Sequels; Prequels; Variations

Adriani, S.: Affinity and Affection**++(N.B. fairly good variation; too erotic for a teen-ager)


Aidan, P.: An Assembly Such as This(1)***++


Aidan, P.: Duty and Desire(2)***++


Aidan, P.: These Three Remain(3)***++


Altman, M.: Mr. Darcy's Great Escape(3)***


Altman, M.: The Ballad of Gregoire Darcy(4)***+


Altman, M.: the Darcys and the Bingleys(1)***


Altman, M.: The Plight of the Darcy Brothers(2)***


Angell, L.: The Sheik of Araby**+


Aston, E.: Mr. Darcy's Dream** (N.B. a green-house!!!! Gah!)


Austen, J. & Nazarian, V.: Mansfield Park and Mummies***


Austen, J. & Nazarian, V.: Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons***++ (N.B. delightfully diverting!)


Bader, T. & Bader, M.: Desire and Duty*+ (N.B. the authors bring in a type of "are you saved" religiosity which is very painful, although I realize that Methodism was gaining at this time, Austen herself was not interested in this; other parts of the story are very nice)


Baxley, M.K.: The Cumberland Plateau(1)***?


Baxley, M.K.: The Mistress's Black Veil*** (N.B. erotica was very understated, which I liked; another what-if Mr. Bennet had died)


Bonavia-Hunt, DA: Pemberley Shades*** (N.B. first published in 1949; this was the 2nd Austen sequel ever written)


Brocklehurst, J.: Darcy and Anne***


Childers, C.: Twilight of the Abyss**+ (N.B. a long novella)


Cole, B.T.: White Lies & Other Half Truths**+ (NB: many copy editing errors, which is a usual problem with many self-published books; story actually is fun)


Cox, K.M.: 1932**++


Croft, J. Marie: Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge** (N.B. I really was annoyed with the word play (alliterations and puns) that are on nearly every page of this novel.)


Elyot, A.: By a Lady***+ (N.B. time-travel & Bath in the Regency with our own JA as a character)


Ford, M.T.: Jane Goes Batty(2)***++


Granger, A.: Captain Wentworth's Diary**+


Hamilton, M.: Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman***


Kaye, S.: For You Alone: Frederick Wentworth, Captain, Book 2*** (N.B. I would have done the ending differently)


Kaye, S.: None But You: Frederick Wentworth, Captain, Book 1***


Lilian, L.: Rainy Days***


Lilian, L.: Remembrance of the Past***


Louise, K.: Only Mr. Darcy Will Do***++


Nelson, KL: Pemberley Manor***


O'Brien, S.: Blame It On The Tea** (NB: copy editing was almost non-existent; author really needs help for her ending)


Oakland, R.P.: My BFF (a friendly romance)***


Odiwe, J.: Mr. Darcy's Secret***+


Reynolds, A.: A Pemberley Medley*** (NB: 5 short stories)


Reynolds, A.: From Lambton to Longbourn**++


Reynolds, A.: Morning Light**+ (N.B. I don't know why she makes her modern heroines so neurotic (grr); however, it does get on my nerves. I think this is actual a half-n-half book: half a continuation of Pemberley By the Sea and half a new story. I really cannot see Persuasion in the new story.)


Reynolds, A.: To Conquer Mr. Darcy**+(N.B. previous title Impulse & Initiative -- this was a re-read for me -- I don't know why the publisher changed the title, as the new one is not as good as the first in my opinion)


Sanchez, L.: A Noteworthy Courtship*** (You've Got Mail!)


Saunders, K.: A Modern Day Persuasion**++ (N.B. I really really disliked the occasional (about 5 or 6) short sops to "conservative" Xians -- all could have been removed painlessly!)


Simonsen, M.: For All the Wrong Reasons**+ (novella)


Simonsen, M.L.: A Wife for Mr. Darcy***


Simonsen, M.L.: Mr. Darcy's Angel of Mercy: A Romance of The Great War**++(N.B. short novella -- I don't think I am a real fan of this genre as I felt there could have been a very interesting novel here)


Simonsen, ML: The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy***+


Ward, Eucharista, OSF: A Match for Mary Bennet***+


Wasylowski, KV: Darcy and Fitzwilliam***+


Webb, B.J.: Fitzwilliam Darcy, An Honourable Man***(N.B. a different variation)


Wegner, O.: Moonlighting**+(N.B. P&P and werewolves; Lizzy is NOT blonde!; author has Lizzy and Jane acting like blondes, though L does recover; so much more could have been done)


Wells, L.: Chance Encounters**+ (N.B. I believe that there is too much explicit erotica in this variation


Wells, L.: Fate & Consequences** (N.B. too erotic)


Wells, L.: Perfect Fit*** (N.B. modern with erotic elements; I did like some of the characterization changes for some of the minor characters)


Whelchel, L.: Rocks in the Stream***

MYSTERIES / NOVELS: Ancient Greece

Corby, G.: The Pericles Commission(1)***+


Pressfield, S.: Last of the Amazons***++

MYSTERIES / NOVELS: Ancient Rome

Downie, R.: Caveat Emptor(4)****


Downie, R.: Persona Non Grata(3)****


Downie, R.: Terra Incognita(2)****


Saylor, S.: Roman Blood(1)****(N.B. 1st volume of the Roma Sub Rosa series)

MYSTERIES / NOVELS: 18th Century

James, E.: When the Duke Returns***


Norman, D.: A Catch of Consequence***+(1) [N.B. author also writes under the name Ariana Franklin (Mistress of the Art of Death series); I think that the title here is quite ironic and the heroine (Makepeace Burke) is a very different kind of woman]

MYSTERIES / NOVELS: Regency Period

Jeffers, R.: The Scandal of Lady Eleanor(1)*** (N.B. the first in a new series by the author of many Austenesques)


Kelly, C.: The Admiral's Penniless Bride**+(N.B. this is the first Harlequin Historical that I've read, nice light read)

MYSTERIES / THRILLERS

Alpert M.:The Final Theory(1)***+


Alpert, M.: The Omega Theory(2)***+ (N.B. the what-if in these 2 novels concerns the possibility that Einstein actually DID complete the Unified Field Theory)


Berry, J.: The Jefferson Key***


Cussler, C.: The Kingdom(3)***(Fargo Adventure)


Gruber, M.: Night of the Jaguar(3)*****


Gruber, M.: The Book of Air and Shadows****


Gruber, M.: The Forgery of Venus****


Gruber, M.: The Good Son****+


Gruber, M.: Tropic of Night(1)*****(N.B. 1st volume of a trilogy of mysteries)


Gruber, M.: Valley of Bones(2)*****


Khoury, R.: The Sign***


Koontz, D.: Your Heart Belongs to Me**++ (N.B. better than many of his extreme black vs white novels and the psychopaths which haunt them)


Rollins, J.: The Devil Colony (Sigma Force)***

SCIENCE FICTION/ STEAMPUNK/ VAMPIRES/ FANTASY / ETC.

Carriger, G.: Blameless(3)***+


Carriger, G.: Changeless(2)***


Carriger, G.: Soulless(1)***++


Fahy, W.: Fragment*** (N.B. genre of lost continents)


Farnsworth, C.: The President's Vampire(2)**? (N.B not as good as the first; however, there were a few moments...)


Hallaway, T.: Dead If I Do(4)**+


Hallaway, T.: Dead Sexy(2)**+


Hallaway, T.: Honeymoon of the Dead(5)**+ (N.B. author states that this is the last for this series; however, I find that there can still be more stories "conjured:" still don't think Sebastian should use slang)


Hallaway, T.: Romancing the Dead(3)**+


Hallaway, T.: Tall, Dark & Dead**+(1) (N.B. a lot of fun; however, it is terribly flawed)


Harkness, D.: A Discovery of Witches(1)**** (NB: Wicca and the so-called Triple Goddess are MODERN -- this is the only quibble I have with the book)


Harris, C.: Dead Reckoning***(13)


Kowal, M.R.: Shades of Milk and Honey*** (N.B. how do you categorize a Regency from another universe which allows a person to reach into the strings and ribbons of the universe itself in order to bring "glamour" to the visible?)


Stoker, D. & Holt, I.: Dracula the Undead (The Sequel to the Original Classic)***




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