Book Blogger Hop!

I just joined the Book Blogger Hop!  It's hosted by Crazy-for-Books.com and is a really great way to find new, interesting book blogs to follow! :)

Midterm Season

It's midterm season again, but that's not the reason why I haven't posted all week.  I just haven't...because I've actually been quite busy.  I have dance practice 3 nights a week, until pretty late.  And then I had homework due this past Thursday, so I was working on that.  Then I also had a doctor's appointment.  But I didn't do any studying yet...

That will be for this week, since all my midterms are this Thursday.  I don't think I'll be getting any leisure reading done this week.  At least not until Friday...But I may post a review or two, since I have some that I'm writing up/working on.

Then, I'm also thinking of joining even more challenges. HAHAHA I just really like them, because they give me somewhere to start when looking for new books to read.  So here are some I'm interested in:
- The Royal Mistress Challenge
- French Historical Challenge
- Stephanie Plum Challenge
- Jean Plaidy Challenge
- The Debutant Ball Challenge


That's all for now~

Recap: Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2010

Currently Reading
- On the Brightside, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God
- The V Club

Books Read
- N/A

Books Added to TBR Pile
- N/A

Books Added to Wishlist 
- Hex Hall

Books Reviewed
- Executive Privilege
Note: I've got lots of books waiting to be reviewed...I hope that I'll be able to work on those reviews starting next week...Just that, I don't always have time to write them right after I finish reading and then I forget exactly what I was thinking/feeling about it and have to reread it again, so I can give the best review I can.  And that takes more time...xD

Challenges Completed
- N/A

Challenges Joined
- Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge
- What's in a Name? Challenge

On My Wishlist #001

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme that allows us to share the books we haven't bought yet but are waiting to be bought and devoured. If you are anything like me then your wishlist is getting longer by the day! If you would like to take part and have your own 'On My Wishlist' post then you can find more info here. (This post was inspired by the fab In My Mailbox by Kristi at The Story Siren)"

 I always have so much on my wishlist!  Here's just a few:

Title: Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye
Series: Psychic Eye Mysteries
Author: Victoria Laurie
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Signet
Buy @ Amazon
Other Books in the Series:
2. Better Read than Dead
3. A Vision of Murder
4. Killer Insight
5. Crime Scene
6. Death Perception
7. Doom With a View
8. A Glimpse of Evil

Title: What's a Ghoul to Do?
Series: Ghost Hunter Mysteries
Author: Victoria Laurie
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Signet
Buy @ Amazon
Other Books in the Series:
2. Demons Are a Ghoul's Best Friend
3. Ghoul's Just Haunt to Have Fun!
4. Ghouls Gone Wild

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Paranormal YA
Publisher: Hyperion
Buy @ Amazon

MYSTERY: Executive Privilege

Title: Executive Privilege
Series: n/a
Author: Phillip Margolin
Genre: Suspense
Publisher: Recorded Books
Format: Audio Book
# of pages: 10 discs = 11.5 hours
Source: Library

Summary: 

"Hired by a prestigious D.C. attorney and Presidential confidant, ex-cop turned private eye Dana Cutler shadows campaign volunteer Charlotte Walsh--documenting the lovely political science major's whereabouts with pictures and voicemails.  The boring surveillance becomes interesting one night when Charlotte has a clandestine meeting with the President of the United States.  After the 19-year-old's body mutilated body is found the next day, police conclude Charlotte's the latest victim of the D.C. Ripper.  But Dana has evidence that implicates someone in the White House.  Hoping to stay alive long enough to prove it, she hops on her Harley and roars away." - Back Cover

Review: This was the first audio book I ever listened to.  At first, I wasn't sure I liked it, but as I got further along into the story, I couldn't stop listening.   It was also the first Phillip Margolin book that I've ever read.

Usually, I only read cozy mysteries, so this whole reading of a Suspense/Thriller audio book was a new experience for me.  I'm not sure if it was the narrator or the author's writing that made this one of those "can't put down" stories, but both definitely contributed.  The storyline was excellent, as was the narrator's reading of it.  This story simultaneously unfolds on separate sides of the country, with parts taking place in Washington D.C. and parts taking place in Oregon.  I found it to have a nice pace, with clues and details slowly being revealed and everything coming together nicely.  I usually figure out whodunnit by the halfway point in the novel, but I actually couldn't figure out the real person behind it all, until quite near the end.  Also, the characters were very real, with flaws and depths to their personalities.  I really liked that.

All in all, I give it four and a half stars, just because I was able to figure  out whodunnit.  But I still really liked this, and this will definitely not be the last Phillip Margolin book that I read.  Nor will it be my last audio book.

Rating:
Plot - ★★★★★
Characters - ★★★★★
Ending - ★★★★
Overall - ★★★★★

CHALLENGE: What's in a Name?

AND ANOTHER ONE! Because it sounds fun. :)

Find the challenge here: link

Timeline: January 1 and December 31, 2010

Challenge: Read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title.
2. A book with a body of water in the title.
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title.
4. A book with a plant in the title.
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title.
6. A book with a music term in the title.

Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge

I'm joining another challenge!  It must seem like that's all I do, haha.  I've got more I want to join too.  I just love these challenges because it opens me up to loads of new books.  Anyway...This challenge is, as the title says, the Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge.  This genre has many sub-genres, which you can view here.  The ones I mostly read are the cozy mysteries, but if you look at the list there are sooo many more.  Even though the challenge is to read 12 thrillers in 2010, I also want to challenge myself to try to read one from each sub-genre.




1. Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin - 04/09/2010 (Political Thriller)
2.
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12.

Recap: Apr. 04 - Apr. 10, 2010

Currently Reading
- N/A

Books Read
- Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin (audio)

Books Added to TBR Pile
- N/A

Books Added to Wishlist 
- Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
- The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
- The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner
- My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray

Books Reviewed
- N/A

Challenges Completed
- N/A

Challenges Joined
- N/A

WWW Wednesday: Apr. 7

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Currently reading The V Club by Kate Brian.

What did you recently finish reading?

I finished reading Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force last week.

What do you think you'll read next?

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison.  I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, lol.

In My Mailbox #001

Hello! I'm back from my trip!  I actually didn't get much reading done in the airports, because I actually didn't have to wait all too long.  And then I slept on the plane, lol.  But I LOVED Vancouver.  I'm definitely going back sometime in the future.

I'm kind of sad though, and not just cuz I had to start school again.  I'm sad because my dad gave away all my childhood books this past week, without asking me first!  Some of those I would've liked to keep to pass down to my children.  I guess I can always hunt them down somehow through ebay or whatever, but it's different...they won't be getting the copies that I read when I was a kid, you know?  It's just...different.  And I'm really upset with him for doing that.  My dad just doesn't understand my love of books.  (I get it from my mom.)

Anyway, it's a new month...enough about that.  I guess I'll get over it with time.  In the meantime, I've got many reviews to write and even more books to read.  And sooo, here's my first IMM (photo coming soon, too lazy...lol):

For Review:
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Goodreads First Read)
- The River Between (LibraryThing ER e-book)

From the Library:
- The V Club by Kate Brian
- The Last Time I was Me by Cathy Lamb
- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
- On the Brightside, Im Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison
- Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison
- The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
- Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot
- Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin (audio book)

Bought:
- Nancy Drew: The Mystery at Lilac Inn
- Marked: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast
- Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
- British Bad Boys by Nancy Warren

Recap: Mar. 28 - Apr. 03

Currently Reading
- N/A

Books Read
- Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye
- Line of Scrimmage by Marie Force

Books Added to TBR Pile
- N/A

Books Added to Wishlist 
- N/A

Books Reviewed
- N/A

Challenges Completed
- Read the Month: March
- Dare You to Read: Line of Scrimmage

Challenges Joined