Books Read in 2006                                                                                           

Total Number of Books Read: 45 Total Number of Pages Read: 17,469

46. A Dame to Kill For By Frank Miller Rating: Finished: January 11, 2006 Length: 208 pages Series: 2 of 7 from the Sin City graphic novels

Summary: Dwight's thinking of all the ways he's screwed up and what he'd give for one clear chance to wipe the slate clean, to dig his way out of the numb gray hell that is his life. He'd give anything, just to cut loose one more time. Then Ava calls. Review: I was really interested in reading this one because it wasn't in the movie, so it was a brand new story to read! :D Plus it's going to be the main plot for the second movie. I liked it a lot but sadly I totally missed all of the "plot twists," haha. I'm really interested to see who they cast for some of the roles for the movie!

47. The Big Fat Kill By Frank Miller Rating: Finished: January 29, 2006 Length: 184 pages Series: 3 of 7 from the Sin City graphic novels

Summary: Criminals have always called the shots in Sin City, but ever since the first dame set up shop in Old Town, those side-streets have been run by the women who walk the night. It's been a delicate truce, but now there's a messy body and the mob's looking to reclaim those licentious streets. They're going to have to put down a tight band of dangerous women and a guy named Dwight to do it. Review: The Big Fat Kill is one of my favorites, that and The Hard Goodbye. I love how humerous it is, it is much more lighthearted than the other stories. I especially had fun with Miho's character, she's quite bad-ass. :D I liked this story a lot in the movie as well; I love the cast in particular. Overall, one of the better from this series!

48. Naked Empire By Terry Goodkind Rating: Finished: February 3, 2006 Length: 752 pages Series: 8 of 11 from the Sword of Truth series

Summary: Richard Rahl has been poisoned and saving an empire from annihilation is the price of the antidote. With the shadow of death looming near, the empire crumbling before the invading hordes, and time running out, Richard is offered not only his own life but the salvation of a people, in exchange for delivering his wife, Kahlan, into bondage to the enemy. Review: I really liked the plot in this book, it was refreshing and new compared to the previous plots. There weren't many new characters, which was nice because it can get overwhelming quickly to have a ton of new characters. I liked the whole thing about the "pure" people as well. It's kind of weird (and convenient) that we just happened to not know anything about them until eight books in .. but whatever. >.>

49. That Yellow Bastard By Frank Miller Rating: Finished: February 7, 2006 Length: 240 pages Series: 4 of 7 from the Sin City graphic novels

Summary: An old cop, Hartigan, gets a call about a young girl who has been kidnapped by a lunatic. Hartigan has got just one more thing to do before he retires: save the girl. Saving her is the easy part, because Hartigan has uncovered something really bad that is not going to stop until it catches up with him. Review: I don't like this one much because Junior is by far the sickest villian in these books (though Kevin does give him a run for his money ..) and yeah. I adored Jessica Alba in the movie but I didn't like her character as much in the books, she was kind of annoying. Overall, I think this one is the saddest, and the most depressing out of all of them (at least so far). Still a good book, though.

50. Chainfire By Terry Goodkind Rating: Finished: February 17, 2006 Length: 768 pages Series: 9 of 11 from the Sword of Truth series

Summary: Richard is in the strange position of being the only person who remembers that his wife, Kahlan, ever lived. While those around him think he has lost his mind, he perseveres in trying to find her, knowing that her fate is tied to his and to the fates of those who believe he is their only hope. Review: The plot to this one bothered me because I hate it that we all know that Richard is right, but no one in the book believes him. It's just incredibly irritating. I also really didn't like how this book is only a third of the story. Cliffhangers = very annoying! This book's not the worst in the series but not one of the best, either.

51. The Da Vinci Code By Dan Brown Rating: Finished: March 4, 2006 Length: 496 pages

Summary: A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. Review: I finally read this! I thought it was good. I think the main thing I loved about this book was how intricate it was - everything was linked and all of the little plot twists and the codes were really neat. I have a simplistic mind so it was fun trying to figure out the puzzles. I also loved the characters a lot; the whole thing about Sophie's family at the end was neat. Dan's writing, unfortunately, is rather bland so that was annoying but the story is interesting enough to make up for it (at least a bit).

52. Angels and Demons By Dan Brown Rating: Finished: March 18, 2006 Length: 736 pages

Summary: Robert Langdon is called in by a Swiss research lab when Dr. Vetra, the scientist who discovered antimatter, is found murdered with the cryptic word "Illuminati" branded on his chest. Vetra's daughter, Vittoria, makes a frightening discovery: a lethal amount of antimatter is missing. Vittoria and Langdon rush to recover the canister, but they aren't allowed into the Vatican until it is discovered that the four principal papal candidates are missing. Review: After reading The Da Vinci Code, I was eager to read it's prequel, which I'd heard was even better. I thought this book was more interesting because it dealt with the whole science vs. religion issue. I also really loved learning about the Illuminati - an organization I've actually heard of before. :D The only thing I didn't really like was that the one character I actually admired turned out to be bad. Overall, though, I very much enjoyed the book, I thought it was better than The Da Vinci Code.

53. The Golden Compass By Philip Pullman Rating: Finished: March 25, 2006 Length: 416 pages Series: 1 of 3 from the His Dark Materials trilogy

Summary: Young Lyra Belacqua is a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Oxford University but Lyra's carefree existence changes forever when she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, first prevent an assassination attempt against her uncle and then overhear a secret discussion about a mysterious entity known as Dust. Soon she and Pan are swept up in a dangerous game involving disappearing children, a beautiful woman with a golden monkey daemon and a trip to the far north. Review: I've heard a ton about this trilogy and finally got around to starting it. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting; the book was different from what I had imagined but I did like it a lot. I love the world Pullman created with the daemons and different worlds and everything, it's really interesting. The characters are very easy to get attached to and though the plot was slow in at the beginning, it really sucks you in once you get into it. Overall, quite good, we'll see if the rest of the books in the series lives up to the hype!

54. The Subtle Knife By Philip Pullman Rating: Finished: April 15, 2006 Length: 304 pages Series: 2 of 3 from the His Dark Materials trilogy

Summary: A determined, unhappy boy named Will, son of a long-vanished arctic explorer, finds a window into another world. There he meets a girl named Lyra and her daemon - a kind of animal manifestation of her inner self. Lyra has come to the city in search of a mysterious substance called Dust, but she abandons her own mission to help Will find his father. Review: I'm not quite sure if I like this one better or worse than The Golden Compass. I really liked having the three different worlds that were in this book and I also liked the new characters (mainly Will). I was a bit disappointed that Iorek wasn't in this one, but the witches and angels were neat. I really want to read the third book, hopefully that'll explain everything about the Dust and stuff because it's a tad confusing!

55. The Amber Spyglass By Philip Pullman Rating: Finished: May 2, 2006 Length: 544 pages Series: 3 of 3 from the His Dark Materials trilogy

Summary: Will and Lyra endure a perilous journey to the land of the dead, and reconnect with Dr. Mary Malone who has made the all-important spyglass. After encounters with helpful angels, demons and witches, as well as difficulties with clergy and theologians, the pair fulfill their destiny. With this comes a deeper understanding of the dangers to their universe, and eventually, painful, but necessary choices. Review: I was a little dissapointed by this book because it was so anticlimactic for the most part and I felt like a lot of the main questions I had about the books were never really answered. That being said, I still loved it and it was my favorite out of the three. I like that a big portion of the book took place in different worlds and I also liked how many different creatures were introduced. The ending was depressing, though - I was hoping for more of a fairytale ending. :P All in all, this series wasn't my favorite fantasy trilogy (I liked The Abhorsen trilogy better) but it's still very enjoyable!

56. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams Rating: Finished: May 16, 2006 Length: 320 pages Series: 1 of 5 from the Hitchhiker's "Trilogy"

Summary: When Arthur Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway, he travels the galaxy with his pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Review: I tried reading this a long time ago and really couldn't get into it, but my friend really recommended it so I thought I'd give it another try. It was a lot easier to read this time, heh. I enjoyed it - it's a lot like the movie which is not surprising, but I find the completely random, totally crazy plot really fun. It's a great book to just read during your spare time, but it wasn't something I couldn't put down, you know? Good book, though, I'm definitely planning on reading the sequels.

57. Memoirs of a Geisha By Arthur Golden Rating: Finished: June 6, 2006 Length: 512 pages

Summary: 9-year-old Chiyo is sold with her sister into slavery by their father after their mother's death. Narrating her life story from her elegant suite in the Waldorf Astoria, Sayuri tells of her traumatic arrival at a geisha house, where she endures harsh treatment from the greedy owners, and from Hatsumomo, the sadistically cruel head geisha. But Sayuri's chance meeting with the Chairman, who shows her kindness, makes her determined to become a geisha. Review: It took me forever to finish this book just because I didn't have much free time but I'm glad I finally got to read it. I'm a bit disappointed I watched the movie first because it kind of ruined the story for me (I knew what would happen) but it was still a beautiful book to read. The descriptions were such that you could easily picture the settings and costumes and everything. It was a touching story that was captivating and fun to read. I definitely enjoyed it!

58. Guilty Pleasures By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: June 28, 2006 Length: 272 pages Series: 1 of 17 from the Anita Blake series

Summary: Anita Blake is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees to help figure out who and why. Review: I've been meaning to read this book forever now and finally found it and read it. I liked it quite a bit; it was like reading a mix between Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I thought the characters were all great; Anita is spunky, the vampires are suitably hot/evil and the main villan, Nikolaos, not only had a cool name but was also wonderfully creepy. I liked that there are other supernatural creatures as well, it makes it more interesting. The story was exciting and I really liked the element of mystery that ran throughout the book. It was easy to read and I enjoyed it a lot! I look forward to reading the next in the series. :D

59. Cry to Heaven By Anne Rice Rating: Finished: July 6, 2006 Length: 576 pages

Summary: Anne Rice makes real for us the exquisite and otherworldly society of the eighteenth-century castrati, the delicate and alluring male sopranos whose graceful bodies and glorious voices brought them the adulation of the royal courts and grand opera houses of Europe. Men who lived as idols, concealing their pain as they were adored as angels, yet shunned as half men. Review: I have never read a book about this topic before so I found this book really fascinating! It was all about opera singers and castrati (eunuchs) in 18th century Italy, more specifically about one boy (Tonio) who is forced to become a castrati. It's much more interesting than one would expect, heh. Anne Rice's descriptive writing style really works well for this book; it gives the readers a very visual picture of the story. It was easier to read than her Vampire Chronicle books, despite it's length, so I had no problem whizzing through the book. The characters are all really interesting and well developed; Tonio's transformation in particular throughout the book from the beginning to the end is quite fascinating to read about. This book is great if this is a topic you might be interested in, I'd definitely recommend it giving it a try!

60. Lyra's Oxford By Philip Pullman Rating: Finished: July 8, 2006 Length: 68 pages

Summary: Lyra and Pantalaimon spot a witch's daemon called Ragi being pursued over the rooftops of Oxford by a frenzied pack of birds. Together Lyra and Pan try to guide the daemon to the home of Sebastian Makepeace--an alchemist living in a part of Oxford known as Jericho--but it is a journey fraught with more danger than they had at first anticipated. Review: I enjoyed Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy a lot so I decided to borrow this from the library and check it out. Turns out it's like twenty pages so I ended up just reading it while I was there. I was quite disappointed, it's just a random sidestory that had no real plot and was definitely published simply because people would associate it with the trilogy and buy it. The story was very short and very predictable and I was less than satisfied. >.>

61. Three to Get Deadly By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: July 9, 2006 Length: 344 pages Series: 3 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie Plum becomes persona non grata when she tracks down a neighborhood saint who has failed to show up for his court appearance. No one wants to help Stephanie, and while questioning admirers of the man, Stephanie is attacked and knocked out as she cases his candy store. She comes to next to the dead body of her attacker, who turns out to be a well-known drug dealer. Review: Finally got around to getting the third book in this series! Like the previous two books, I really enjoyed this book; I'm always up for an interesting mystery and Janet combines mystery with kind of girly subplots (rather Bridget Jones-esque) to make a very fun novel to read! I like that it's relatively fast-paced and has enough action and stuff to keep one occupied. A tad predictable, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. :P The characters in the books are awesome and I'm glad to see them all return. I liked the plot of this one, and look forward to the next in the series!

62. A Caress of Twilight By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: July 9, 2006 Length: 368 pages Series: 2 of 7 from the Merry Gentry series

Summary: Merry is desperate to conceive a child and thereby claim the Unseelie throne; she's the target of intrigue from both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts; her newest client is an exiled goddess with a secret that could get them all killed and a hideous fey force that alarms even her formidable warriors is loose in Los Angeles. Review: I thought the first book in this series was unique, but unfortunately the second one just got tired fast. The plot was intriguing but it culminated into a very abrupt and extremely unsatisfying ending that wasn't really explained at all. If Hamilton had stretched the ending out more, with more details and made it a couple of chapters instead of a couple of pages, it would have been really good. So that was disappointing. The characters were lovely, but what else is new in these books?

63. Crystal Gorge By David & Leigh Eddings Rating: Finished: July 24, 2006 Length: 560 pages Series: 3 of 4 from the Dreamers series

Summary: At first, Dhrall's mortal defenders are certain they'll prevail again but while the Vlagh's past servants were venomous but mindless bugs, it has now created perfect spies: new minions with a man's appearance and intelligence. Corrupted by the agents of the Vlagh, the human tribes are soon at one another's throats. Review: I finally got around to finishing this, took me long enough. I hate to say it but I think Eddings is loosing his touch. This book was so incredibly repetitive, most of it was just the same scenes over and over again, but each time with a different main character. I like the story; the idea behind it and the characters are really interesting but the writing style is getting a bit unbearable. The books are becoming increasingly predictable, too. The Belgariad and Mallorean series were much better. I'm still going to read the next book in the series just because I want to find out what happens but I hope it's less repetitive & has more character/plot development.

64. The Laughing Corpse By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: August 4, 2006 Length: 304 pages Series: 2 of 17 from the Anita Blake series

Summary: Harold Gaynor offers Anita a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down, but when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised the zombie. Anita pits her power against the zombie & the priestess who controls it. Review: I didn't like this one as much as the first because it focused mainly on the zombie aspect of the world (which, in itself, I'm not that much into), thus some of my favorite characters (i.e. Jean-Claude) had only a very minor role. However, it was still an exciting book; much creepier than the first and certainly more gruesome but it had more of a mystery element, which was interesting. I heard the next in the series is one of the best so I'm looking forward to reading it!

65. The Mummy (Or Ramses the Damned) By Anne Rice Rating: Finished: August 6, 2006 Length: 416 pages

Summary: Ramses the Great lives, but having drunk the elixir of life, he is now Ramses the Damned, doomed forever to wander the earth, desperate to quell certain mummy hungers that can never be satisfied. Review: I'm so glad I finally read this book - I loved it. Ancient Egyptian culture is one of my highest interests; I am absolutely fascinated by it. I was a little disappointed this book didn't have as much about ancient Egypt as I had hoped, but it was still delightful to read. The whole story was romantic and it had it's twists and turns (though the ending was predictable) and overall I enjoyed it immensly, despite the fact it reminded me vaguely of Rice's Queen of the Damned. My only complaint is that this book was suppose to have a sequel, but Rice never wrote it and is never planning on writing it. Since the book ends with the words 'to be continued' - this seems a bit cruel! But I definitely thought it was worth reading despite this.

66. Chocolat By Joanne Harris Rating: Finished: August 15, 2006 Length: 320 pages

Summary: Vianne Rocher and her 6-year-old daughter, Anouk, arrive in the small village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. Three days later, Vianne opens a luxuriant chocolate shop crammed with the most tempting of chocolate confections. It's Lent, the shop is opposite the church and is open on Sundays. Francis Reynaud, the parish priest, is livid but one by one the locals succumb to Vianne's concoctions. Review: This is the book the movie is based on. It was actually quite different from the movie, I was surprised. There are lots of little things and plot points they changed around for the movie. For the most part, I actually like how the movie turned out better. There are a few things I enjoyed about the book that wasn't in the movie, though (for example Vianne and Anouk can do "magic"). Also, the Count from the movie doesn't exist in the book; instead the priest plays this role. I'm glad they changed this in the movie; I loved the priest in the movie, he's so adorably dorky! The book was great but I think overall the movie was better which is quite odd. :3

67. Four to Score By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 19, 2006 Length: 338 pages Series: 4 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie Plum is tracking Maxine Nowicki, who's wanted for skipping out on a car-theft charge lodged by her ex-boyfriend. Now the ex-boyfriend's very interested in getting back the love letters he supposedly wrote to Maxine but what he's really looking for is a secret Stephanie and her various friends must uncover. Review: I think this one is my favorite so far, I absolutely loved it! I loved the plot because there were several interesting subplots going on. Also, it seemed a little less serious than the previous books (only one dead body and two explosions, haha) which was nice. This book was hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing! The characters were all awesome as usual (I particularly adored the minor characters in this book) and plus Joe plays a big role which is always a plus. ;D All in all, another great installment! We'll see how the next is.

68. High Five By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 23, 2006 Length: 340 pages Series: 5 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie's problems are many and varied. She's not making enough money picking up FTAs; her red-hot love affair with Detective Joe Morelli has cooled off; and her giant extended family is no help at all. For instance, Uncle Fred the cheapskate has disappeared, leaving behind some suspicious photographs of body parts in garbage bags and links to some really dangerous people. Review: Fifth book and another great one! Stephanie's family finally gets involved in the "mystery" this time when her uncle goes missing. Her aunt was absolutely hilarious, she cracked me up. This whole book was extremely funny; what with the midget, the fact Stephanie has like six different cars over the course of the book, etc. etc. Besides the extremely creepy part about the body in the garbage bag and the return of the sadistic rapist from the first book, I really liked this one. Plus, Ranger and Joe both play big roles.

69. Hot Six By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 23, 2006 Length: 352 pages Series: 6 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: The police are after Stephanie Plum's mentor, the mysterious Ranger, who is wanted for killing drug and gun dealer Homer Ramos. Claiming he's innocent, Ranger persuades Stephanie to help him keep an eye on the Ramos clan. When Mafia thugs get involved, she barely avoids kidnapping and torture. Review: It's amazing how even after six books, Evanovich still manages to have such unique characters and plots! This one was awesome because it had a dog. :D And Ranger was kind of the bad guy (which, of course, just makes him more appealing). And the mafia/mob is very involved. And there are dorky guys (Dougie and Mooner). And Joe is absolutely adorable. The dialogue was particularly witty in this book.

70. Seven Up! By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 24, 2006 Length: 352 pages Series: 7 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie's employer, her bailbondsman cousin, Vinnie, gives her an easy job: pick up vicious senior citizen Eddie DeChooch, who is constantly sighted racing around Trenton in a borrowed white Cadillac, but whom no one can grab. Review: This book was hilarious - Eddie DeChooch was a riot! Dougie and Mooner (our two favorite side characters from the previous book) were back, which was a welcome relief. Stephanie's sister Valerie was a great addition to the cast as well. And, of course, the whole thing about Stephanie and Joe's wedding was amusing. Ranger is likewoah! in this book. <3 The plot was really amusing, what with the roast and the heart and everything. The ending was a bit unsatisfactory (in the Joe + Stephanie department) but otherwise I loved this one. Plus, there's mud wrestling. :D

71. Hard Eight By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 25, 2006 Length: 352 pages Series: 8 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie Plum picks up a case a little nastier than anything the wisecracking bounty hunter's seen before. Evelyn Soder and her young daughter have gone on the run, leaving an angry ex-husband who's planning to collect on a child custody bond that will leave Evelyn's grandmother homeless. Stephanie's first clue that there's more to it than that comes in the form of Eddie Abruzzi, a shady local businessman who warns her to butt out of the case. Review: I'm kind of torn about whether I liked this book or not. I got a bit confused about the characters but the overall plot was interesting. There were some extremely funny points (namely the whole goose/tarantula/snake/rabbit incident) which I enjoyed. :D Ranger was unbelievable in this book but I was sad that Joe and Stephanie were at odds. Also a tad disappointed more of the supporting characters from the previous books weren't here; it seems that after one book or maybe two, each new set of characters falls off the face of the planet, which is annoying. Still great fun to read, though!

72. To The Nines By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 26, 2006 Length: 352 pages Series: 9 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Cousin Vinnie, a bail-bondsman, sends Stephanie Plum in search of a missing immigrant, but the tables are turned when sedative-laced darts, mysteriously delivered flowers, and creepy email messages make it clear that Plum has become the prey in a strange, deadly game. Review: For some reason I felt this book lacked something the others had; I'm not sure what it was, though. Maybe supporting characters? This one didn't have many. It also wasn't as funny. "The game" was a bit too much like Saw for me but it was a unique take on this as far as these books go. Stephanie and Joe are back together again which was happy. Stephanie "goes through" things every book (i.e. looses/ruins a large number of something whether it be cars, guys or handcuffs) - this time it was bodyguards which was extremely amusing - they all kept getting hurt in the weirdest ways.

73. Ten Big Ones By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 27, 2006 Length: 320 pages Series: 10 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Bumbling New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum witness a gang member rob a convenience store and attempt to bomb it with a Molotov cocktail, which hits Stephanie's car instead. Stephanie gets a good look at the man, making her a key witness and a target for a nasty gang called the Slayers. Review: Somehow this one didn't seem as .. exciting or funny as the other ones, but I thought it was really good. I love that whole thing about Stepanie staying in Ranger's apartment. Sally comes back and is hilarious as he tries to quit cussing. He is definitely one of my all-time favorite supporting characters from this series. This book is not at all of a mystery compared to the others but it has some good dialogue, an interesting plot and is just as entertaining as the rest!

74. Eleven on Top By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: August 28, 2006 Length: 368 pages Series: 11 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie Plum is having a career crisis, and quits her bounty hunter job to try other jobs, most of them don't even last a full working day. This plunges Stephanie back into the always seedy, often dangerous, and always colorful world of fugitives who'd rather flee than face their day in court. Review: Janet tried to make this one different by making the Stephanie quit her bounty hunting job, which was a surprise. I actually liked that because Stephanie not only had interesting adventures trying to get other jobs but she ends up doing a lot of bounty-hunter work anyways so it's not like it was any less exciting than any of the other books. We get to learn more about Ranger's company which was neat - slowly but surely the mystery of Ranger unravels. :P

75. Anansi Boys By Neil Gaiman Rating: Finished: August 30, 2006 Length: 416 pages

Summary: Charlie leads a normal, boring existence in London. When he calls to invite his estranged father to his wedding, he learns that the man just died. At the funeral, Charlie not only discovers a brother he didn't know he had, but also learns that his father was the West African trickster god, Anansi. Charlie's brother, who possesses his own magical powers, later visits him at home and spins Charlie's life out of control. Review: I adore all of Neil Gaiman's books and this one was certainly no exception. I liked it better than American Gods but not as much as Neverwhere. I really liked the characters (Spider! :D) and the plot in this one, it wasn't at all confusing like American Gods was at times. It was very entertaining yet not that predictable. I absolutely adored the ending, it was perfect. It was funny, very well written and an overall excellent book.

76. Valley of the Kings By Cecelia Holland Rating: Finished: September 5, 2006 Length: 231 pages

Summary: The heretic Pharaoh Akhenten's religious reforms had been defeated by the power of the Priests of Amun, and the young boy King, Tutankhamun, had been placed on the throne. There was a famine in the land, and ongoing deadly intrigue in the Court as different factions maneuvered to gain control of Egypt. Nearly thirty-five hundred years later, in the 1920s, a young British archaeologist named Howard Carter becomes obsessed with finding Tutankamun's tomb. Review: At first I thought this book was going to be boring, but it was actually quite interesting. The author divided the book up into two sections - the first was all about how Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered and who discovered it and that sort of thing. The second half of the story was all about Tutankhamun and his wife, and the history surrounding his death. It's written like a story, and some of it was historical and some was fictionalized. Overall, very entertaining, and a fun book about Egyptian history!

77. The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula By Roderick Anscombe Rating: Finished: September 8, 2006 Length: 416 pages

Summary: Laszlo, the 19th-century Hungarian Count Dracula, is an entirely human, socially prominent gentleman. He had a mad, dark side, however, and when he allows himself to explore his fascination with blood, sex, and death, he turns into a demonic murderer. Amazingly, as Laszlo recounts his violent story of lust and self-loathing, he emerges as a perverse but not entirely unsympathetic character. Review: This book doesn't actually have to do with vampires (at least the stereotypical, supernatural ones). The book is written in diary form, by Count Laszlo Dracula. The book essentially follows his personal journey from being a doctor at an asylum to becoming a vampire-like man who prays on young women. The book was not as intense as I had thought it would be, but it was still pretty dark. I didn't like the ending very much, though (seriously, I have issues with endings); a lot of loose ends weren't tied up and that bothered me. It is undeniably very well written, though; the characters were exquisitely developed and overall I thought it was excellent.

78. The Mask of Ra By P.C. Doherty Rating: Finished: September 9, 2006 Length: 288 pages

Summary: n 1479 B.C., Pharaoh Tuthmosis II returns in triumph to the city of Thebes after a series of victorious battles in the Nile Delta. But soon after his homecoming, he dies in the arms of his wife, at the foot of a statue of Amun-Ra. Tuthmosis's untimely death, caused by a snake bite, results in political chaos as the forces surrounding the throne coalesce into two camps: one supports the ascension of the pharaoh's illegitimate young son; the other, that of his widow and half-sister, Hatusu. Review: Another historical fiction about Ancient Egypt. :D I liked the story, characters and plot in general but I didn't like the author's writing style. He feels the need to describe everything in great detail and unfortunately he doesn't do it with enough elegance to pull it off. I did really like the historical part of the book, though. There were characters in the book - Pharaoh Thutmose II, his Queen Hathepsut, royal steward Senemut, etc. - that were very much real; the author takes their life stories and weaves some intrigue and plot around it. Which is definitely really interesting. :D The mystery aspect of the book was fun, too.

79. The Clan of the Cave Bear By Jean M. Auel Rating: Finished: September 11, 2006 Length: 480 pages Series: 1 of 5 from the Earth's Children series

Summary: When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan have little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health - a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Review: I read this a while ago and decided to reread it because I didn't remember most of it. The book itself is long, but I never got tired of reading it. It's very engaging, lots to keep the reader happy! I was amazed at how in-depth Auel's creation of this society was. She had every ritual, every custom, all layed out perfectly. It's like reading about a culture that really existed or something. Great book - though kind of sad.

80. In Her Shoes By Jennifer Weiner Rating: Finished: September 13, 2006 Length: 560 pages

Summary: Rose, a 33-year-old attorney with a secret passion for romance novels, and Maggie, her 28-year-old aspiring starlet sibling are forced into cohabitation, resulting in hilarious situations and a newfound sisterhood. The two women with nothing in common but childhood tragedy, shared DNA, and the same size feet, are about to learn that their family is more different than they ever imagine, and that they're more alike, than they'd ever believe. Review: The movie was fun so I thought I'd give the book a shot. It's surprisingly exactly like the movie, except the book has one extra part. It's a very easy book to read; basically mindless fun. I like that the book switches between the three main characters, until they all converge at the end, just like in the movie.

81. Twelve Sharp By Janet Evanovich Rating: Finished: September 24, 2006 Length: 320 pages Series: 12 of 15 from the Stephanie Plum series

Summary: Stephanie, who freely admits her failings as a hunter of fugitives, faces a growing work backlog that threatens the continued existence of her job. Stephanie's ambivalence toward the two men in her life becomes harder to maintain when one of them, the mysterious Ranger, is accused of kidnapping his own daughter. Review: Finally got my hands on a copy of the 12th book in this series, and loved it! It's one of my favorites. I thought it was particularly funny - especially the whole kidnapping scene was just hilarious. Plus, Sally is in this book and he rocks my world. Also, lots and lots of Ranger and Morelli. <3 Definitely can't wait for the 13th book!

82. Circus of the Damned By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: October 16, 2006 Length: 336 pages Series: 3 of 17 from the Anita Blake series

Summary: The third novel of Hamilton's Anita Blake series has the petite necromancer fighting a giant cobra and a rogue vampire, Alejandro, who wants her for his human servant. Anita's reluctant involvement in the odd goings-on at the supernatural Circus of the Damned introduces her to Richard, the werewolf of her dreams, and Larry, her powerful but nervous partner in zombie-raising. Review: It took me a while to start this book just because I've been so busy but I finished it really quickly. It's definitely contending with Guilty Pleasures as my favorite book, I really liked it a lot. :D No zombies - just hot vampires! Yay! Anita is starting to bug me but otherwise I loved all of the characters. The plot was a lot more interesting and I totally didn't guess the whole ending bit. I loved the whole thing with the snakes for some reason as well. But yeah, loads better than the second.

83. Lunatic Cafe By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: November 4, 2006 Length: 384 pages Series: 4 of 17 from the Anita Blake series

Summary: Anita has a neatly typed list of eight missing lycanthropes given to her by Marcus, the leader of the local werewolf pack, who wants her to find them. The trouble is, Anita's occasionally furry boyfriend Richard is locked in a power struggle with Marcus. To top it off, Anita has to solve some horrific murders and keep her bounty-hunting friend Edward from killing Richard and Jean-Claude. Review: This was another favorite from the Anita Blake series - again, no zombies! The main focus in this book were shapeshifters, who I think are really cool. Lots of werewolves, wererats, weird snake people, etc. Lots of fun. :D Also this one was not very predictable which was fun. I'm not sure how I feel about Anita and Richard yet but the whole thing with Anita and Richard vs. Anita and Jean-Claude is lovely.

84. Seduced by Moonlight By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: December 6, 2006 Length: 409 pages Series: 3 of 7 from the Merry Gentry series

Summary: Meredith Gentry, half-mortal Sidhe princess, is engaged in a contest to produce a child before her cousin Prince Cel does. The stakes are high: the winner will be heir to Queen Andais and the throne of the Unseelie Court. A powerful artifact mysteriously appears, and Merry becomes a trigger for the goddess Danu to restore long-lost powers of Celtic godhood to the Sidhe. Review: I was not happy with the second book but this one was much more enjoyable, plot-wise. Some things still seemed a bit streched in terms of logic and explanations, but this one was more interesting and focused more on the faeries again instead of weird monsters like the second one did. Some of the characters (i.e. Frost and Rhys) are really starting to grow on me.

85. Men of Bronze By Scott Oden Rating: Finished: December 8, 2006 Length: 483 pages

Summary: In 526 B.C., the kingdom of Egypt is decaying, threatened by treachery from within and by a massive Persian invasion. Hasdrubal Barca, a Phoenician mercenary in service to the pharaoh, has sworn to protect Egypt's eastern border from Bedouin marauders and foreign invaders. Fueled by a secret, personal tragedy, Barca is merciless and cunning in battle, feared by enemies and his own men alike. Review: This book took me forever to finish - I started reading it in August and only just now finished. The universe seemed to have had a personal vendetta against letting me finish the book - one thing after another, heh. But I finally finished! It was pretty good, I'll have to go back and reread it in a smaller amount of time in the future because I don't remember most of what happened during the first half of the book. It's historical, about the ancient Egyptians and Romans - my favorite time period! The characters were interesting (though very predictable). The story was good but ended up being a little depressing, which I should have seen coming. Damn endings!

86. A Stroke of Midnight By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: December 21, 2006 Length: 416 pages Series: 4 of 7 from the Merry Gentry series

Summary: After a barely thwarted assassination attempt, Meredith Gentry decides to hold a press conference inside the fairy mounds. As the session is ending, two dead bodies are discovered -- one sidhe, one human. While police and FBI agents swarm the area, Merry's cadre of hunky sidhe guardians must not only track down the killer or killers and pacify the temperamental Queen. Review: This one was okay; I liked the third book slightly better. The plot of this one was slightly confusing because the characters - and stories - split up into three groups and it was hard to keep track of them. That's a problem with these books; there are so many characters I always get a few confused, especially since there are more with each book. The fact the characters were split up did make the plot less monotonous and more interesting, though.

87. Bloody Bones By Laurell K. Hamilton Rating: Finished: December 22, 2006 Length: 384 pages Series: 5 of 17 from the Anita Blake series

Summary: When Anita Blake's boss at Animators, Inc., informs her that she's expected to raise 300-year-old zombies from a field of jumbled bones just to settle a land dispute, she's understandably annoyed. A psychotic sword-wielding vampire starts committing multiple murders, and Anita must call on Jean-Claude for help. Review: I loved this book! The focus was mainly vampires but also some faerie stuff - kind of mixing Merry's world into Anita's. Richard is fine and all but it was nice having a book without him. I adore Jean-Claude and loved having him as the main guy in this book instead of Richard. Plus, I'm kind of fond of Jason and he's Jean-Claude's "pet" so he had a big role in this book as well. I liked all of the supporting characters and this book had particularly interesting villans. Even though he is easily one of the top most twisted villans, Xavier was definitely a favorite .. Janos was intriguing as well. All in all, another excellent installment - definitely enjoyed this one.

88. Stardust By Neil Gaiman Rating: Finished: December 24, 2006 Length: 288 pages

Summary: Tristran Thorn falls in love with the prettiest girl in Wall and makes her a foolish promise: that he'll go find the falling star they both watched streak across the night sky. She says she'll marry him if he finds it, so he sets off, leaving his home, and heads out into the perilous land of faerie, where not everything is what it seems. Review: I've been meaning to read this book; I love Neil Gaiman's books and this is also in that fantasy-type genre I tend to like. It was a quick read, but I just love Neil's writing style! It's so eloquent and pretty to read. :D Very visual. The story itself was really sweet .. incredibly predictable, but fun nonetheless. Apparently it's being made into a movie with all sorts of interesting people so we'll see how that is. :3

89. Undead and Unwed By MaryJanice Davidson Rating: Finished: December 27, 2006 Length: 288 pages Series: 1 of 6 from the Undead series

Summary: Betsy Taylor wakes up after being flattened by a small SUV in a tacky coffin wearing knock-off shoes. Her mother is glad she is back, albeit as a vampire, but her stepmother is enraged that Betsy has reclaimed her designer-shoes. With a wealthy best friend and a newly acquired doctor pal, Betsy sets out to right wrongs and is abducted by Nostro, a tacky 500-year-old vampire who rules the undead. Review: This book was a bit painful to read - it was like Anita Blake but extremely girly and fashion-conscious. The plot revolves around a woman who dies (gets hit by a truck) and wakes up to find that she's a vampire. She spends most of the book worrying about her wardrobe or her huge shoe collection and only agrees to become the new vampire queen of the city or something if she gets some Prada shoes. There were a few funny bits but overall it was just too weird to really enjoy. Yeah, I'm not going to finish the series.

90. Everything is Illuminated By Jonathan Safran Foer Rating: Finished: December 31, 2006 Length: 288 pages

Summary: A young Jewish American named Jonathan Safran Foer travels to the Ukraine in the hope of finding the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He is aided in his search by Alex Perchov, Alex's grandfather, and a flatulent mongrel dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. On their journey through Eastern Europe's obliterated landscape they unearth facts about the Nazi atrocities and the extent of Ukrainian complicity that have implications for Perchov as well as Safran Foer. Review: I tried reading this book last year but for some reason could not get into it. After watching the movie and everything I decided to give it another try. It was EXCELLENT, I absolutely loved it - even more than the movie! I loved that there were two stories, and am disappointed they didn't have much if any of Brod/Safran's story in the movie. The characters were all wonderful and it's amazing how Foer managed to have three such distinct writing styles to separate the different parts of the stories. I would highly recommend this!