St. Charles City - County Library District is ready to Conquer the MO Book Challenge!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Mistress of the Revolution/Catherine Delors/451 Pages
Into Thin Air/Jon Krakauer/397 pages
Jon Krakauer writes a descriptive account of his trek to Everest in the face of bad weather. You can actually almost feel what it was like- the howl of the wind, the blazing sun, the frigid landscape and the beauty of the highest mountain peaks in the world. Only to have it end in terrible tragedy when the worst cast scenario happens and many fingers are pointed.
I couldn't imagine what would drive anyone to want to risk their life and go through horrible altitude sickness, belowing freezing temperatures, windchills and treacherous climbs just to reach the top of a mountain.
Of Mice and Men/John Steinbeck/107 pages
Urban Affairs/Elaine Viets/206 pages
A Decadent Way to Die/McKevett/290 pages
The Mephisto Club / Terri Gerritsen / 468 KB
Scary, does evil exist in the form of demons amongst us? You decide.
Arkadians / Lloyd Alexander 272 p.
1996 ALA Notable Children's Books
1995 Parents' Choice Awards - Story Books
Thursdays at Eight / Debbie Macomber 298 p.
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes / Chris Crutcher / 216 pages
ALA Best Book for YA
The Sledding Hill / Chris Crutcher / 230 pages
A Turn in the Road/Debbie Macomber/ 400 p
The King of Attolia / Megan Whalen Turner / 385 pages
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation/ by Simone Elkeles/ 234 pages
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have/ by Allen Zadoff/ 311 pages
Ice Cold / Tess Gerrisen 322 p.
What Happens in London / Julia Quinn 450 p.
2010 RITA Winner for Best Regency
2010 Reading List (RUSA)
One Scream Away / Kate Brady 443 p.
2010 RITA Winner for Best First Book
Too Good to Be True / Kristan Higgins 379 p.
2010 RITA Winner for Best Contemporary Single Title
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Foreign Body/ Robin Cook/ 436 pp
Friday, February 25, 2011
It Had to Be You / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / 376 pages
RITA Award 1994
Soldier's Secret Daughter / Cindy Dees 217 p.
2010 RITA Winner for Best Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure
Runaway/ Wedelin VanDraanen/ 281 pages
Winnie the Pooh/A.A. Milne/161 pgs
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Inheritance/Tamera Alexander/374 pp
A wonderful story of faith and love.
2010 RITA winner Best Inspirational Romance
A Not-So-Perfect Past / Beth Andrews 251 p.
2010 RITA Winner for Best Contemporary Series Romance
What I did for Love / Susan Elizabeth Phillips 404 p.
2009 Library Journal Best Romance Books
Dead Girls Are Easy / Terri Garey / 372 pages
RITA Award 2008 - Best First Book
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Lightkeeper's Ball/Colleen Coble/ pp 288
Whale Talk / Chris Crutcher / 298 pages
Senior The Tao Jones puts together a swim team of misfits totally dedicated to the sport, and in the end, to each other.
Tragedy has followed T.J. all his life and is inescapable in the present. T.J.'s dad suggests that whale talk could empower and improve the human race.
ALA Best Book for YA
A Secret Gift/Ted Gup/355p
I Beat the Odds/ by Michael Oher/ 250 pages
Stork Raving Mad/Donna Andrews/309 pgs
Mostly Harmless/Douglas Adams/240 Pages
Arthur ends up on a planet with few occupants and becomes their sandwich maker. Trillian goes on to be a newscaster throughout time and space, and Ford finds a new copy of the hitchhiker's guide with disaster-causing potential. Along the way, Arthur finds out he has a daughter, Random, from DNA donations, and that the mother is Trillian. Together, they all end up back on earth in another dimension, only to find out that this one will be destroyed, too.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away / Joyce Carol Oates / 292 pages
Told in first person point of view, the story describes Jenna's path to recovery: in the blue - a Demerol induced haze, in the raw - feelings and thoughts are raw and hurtful as knife blades; rehab; not re-establishing relationship with her absentee father and his new wife and family; moving in with her Aunt Caroline's family; starting a new school; meeting Gabriel Saint-Croix - Crow; and getting involved with drugs. Jenna describes her life in 2 voices - before the wreck and after the wreck. Crow helps Jenna come to terms with her accident, her father, and her new life.
Soup / Robert Newton Peck 96 p.
This Book Is Overdue; How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save the World / Marilyn Johnson / 272 pages
Phantom Tollbooth / Norman Juster/ 256 pages
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Double-Jack Murders: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery by Patrick McManus pp. 240
Deep End / Chris Crutcher / 310 pages
Freaky Green Eyes / Joyce Carol Oates / 341 pages
Gateway Reader Award 2005-2006
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett- pp 179
The Scorch Trials- James Dashner- pp.361
This is book 2 in the Maze Runner Series. I listened to this on eaudio. The narrator did a great job of keeping this excitement and suspense of this series. The group has escaped the maze but now have to deal with a dying planet. There is also a second group that is working on the same goals as the first.
This is an interesting read since you do not know what is reality or what is the cause behind certain actions in the book.
The author does a great job of leading the reader to the last book which should give the groups a final choice on their actions.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner- pp 375
Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid/Bill Bryson/ 270 pp
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption/Laura Hillenbrand/473 pgs
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Something Wonderful/Judith McNaught/418 pp
"Something Wonderful" by Judith McNaught begins like many historical romances -- a young, plucky, but poor, commoner meets the handsome, jaded nobleman. He's drawn to her dispite their difference in status ... she falls hard ... but the plot doesn't follow the normal pattern. There's a killer on the loose and all evidence points to the heroine. How does true love find it's way when you aren't sure who to trust? This book kept my attention to the end.
Whisper a Warning / Laura Griffin / 369 pages
RITA Award 2010
Steel Trapp: the Challenge / Ridley Pearson / 324 pages
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes / Eric Litwin
Keep walking along and singing your song!
Friday, February 18, 2011
At Home: A Short History of Private Life / Bill Bryson / 497 p.
Queen of Attolia / Megan Whalen Turner / 279 pages
Night Before Christmas / Brenda Novak, Day Leclaire, Molly O'Keefe
Brenda Novak's On a Snowy Christmas tells the romance that blossom between two adversaries while campaigning for the same Senate seat in the aftermath of a plane crash in the high Sierras.
In Day Leclaire’s The Christmas Baby, Carrie Manning is having a bad hair year culminating with a baby left on her doorstep. Three couples find a healing of old hurts.
Molly O’Keefe won the 2010 RITA for Best Romance Novella for The Christmas Eve Promise. Merrieta Monroe finds romance when she returns home to Webster, Missouri, to work in her parent’s diner at Christmas time. It’s really the about reconnecting with family and past loves.
2010 RITA for Best Romance Novella
Whisper of Warning / Laura Griffin 369 p.
2010 RITA Winner for Best Romantic Suspense.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
If I Stay / Gayle Forman / 199 p.
While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weights whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.
Trial by Desire / Courtney Milan / 360p.
The Confession/John Grisham/418 pgs
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
First Lady / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / 376 pages
RITA Award 2001
Dream a Little Dream / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / 390 pages
RITA Award 1999
What the Night Knows / Dean Koontz / 442 pages
Not Quite a Husband / Sherry Thomas 341 p.
2010 RITA Winner Best Historical Romance
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lucy & Desi / Warren G. Harris 641 p.
The Good Good Pig - the extraordinary life of Christopher Hogwood/Sy Montgomery/228 pgs
Bliss to You - Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life/Trixie Koontz as told to Dean Koontz/158 pgs
The Darkest Evening of the Year/Dean Koontz/354 pgs
I Have Lived a Thousand Years/ Livia Bitton-Jackson/ 224 pages
Building Block Nominees
Tick Tock/James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge/387 pages
Bill Peet: an Autobiography/Bill Peet/190 pages
Call Me Irresistible / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / 385 pages
Monday, February 14, 2011
Forget me not/336p/Hinze
A mysterious woman finds herself brought to the Crossroads Crisis Center
by a good Samaritan. When she wakes she finds herself dealing with amnesia with some crazy killers on her tail. Beaten and dealing with memory loss, she finds herself staring at what she believes is her own portrait hanging on the wall of the Center.
The woman in the portrait happens to be the dead wife of the Crisis Center owner, Benjamin Brandt. Ben can't believe it when the center calls and tells them that they have a woman at the center that resembles his deceased wife Susan. At first Ben finds himself angry at the young woman who so resembles his dead wife. He has been mourning the loss of Susan and his young son and feels like this woman is hiding something from him. They both agree to work with one another to unravel the truth behind how his wife and this woman are connected. Susan's look alike has a strong belief in God but will her faith be enough to keep her out of harm's way? Be prepared to lose track of time while you try to figure out the twists and turns in this story. Forget Me Not makes a great book discussion pick if you like Christian suspense and even includes a wonderful set of discussio questions. For a similar author you may like to try in DiAnn Mills.
Tandem/312p/Bateman
the little town of Abbey Hills. Lauryn McBride, is dealing with the fast decline of a father with Alzheimer’s and preparing the Chisholm estate belongings for auction. Little does she know that some of the antiques in the Estate will bring evil to Abbey Hills. Amede Dastillion receives a package from Miss McBride and it draws her to Abbey Hills to explore what family secrets she might find in Abbey Hills. Amede lives in New Orleans, and has been searching for her sister Eden for many years. Both Amede and her sister Eden belong to a very old vampire covenant. Once Amede arrives in Abbey Hills strange things start happening again, animal carcasses turn up and people are found murdered. Both women are working through family issues and their relationships with God. The book is very intriguing but it does bounce around which could be confusing at times to the reader. I am looking forward to reading more of Bateman’s titles.
Incarceron / Catherine Fisher / 442 p.
Unveiled / Courtney Milan / 378 p.
101 Weight Loss Tips for Preventing & Controlling Diabetes/Daly, et al./123 pages
Secrets of Eden / Chris Bohjalian / 370 pages
Saving Max/van Heugten/376 pages
The Year of Magical Thinking/Didion/227 pages
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Strategic Moves / Stuart Woods / 285
Friday, February 11, 2011
All Things Bright and Beautiful / James Herriot 378 p.
Herriot continues the story of his day-to-day life as a small town veterinarian. We meet an unforgettable cast of characters including humans and animals: the brothers Siegfried and Tristan, Mrs. Donovan the local pet expert whom the townspeople consult, the widow Dalby who always gives Herriot special treatment even as she faces the loss of her herd and potentially her farm, and Granville Bennett, a small animal veterinarian who immobilizes Herriot with food and drink after a successful operation, and the goat has swallowed a pair of underwear belonging to the farmer. Herriot’s story of courting his wife warms the heart. And the story concludes with his call-up for WWII pilot training. One of my all-time favorites. Simple in story but deep in life's truths.
Rumpole on Trial / John Mortimer 243 p.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Crescent Dawn / Clive Cussler / 548 pages
2011 Missouri Building Block Award Nominees
Nobody's Baby But Mine / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / 376 pages
Romance 1998 RITA Award winner for Best Contemporary Single
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Crooked Letter Crooked Letter / Tom Franklin / 272 pages
What the Night Knows / Dean Koontz / 442 pages
Secrets to the Grave / Tami Hoag / 449 pages
Juliet / Anne Fortier / 444 pages
Mr Popper's Penguins / Florence & Richard Atwater / 138 pages
Fragile / Lisa Unger / 327 pages
Where's Your WOW / Robyn Spizman & Rick Frishman / 164 pages
The Edge / Jeffery Deaver / 397 pages
Trust Me on This / Jennifer Crusie / 291 pages
The Thief / Megan Whalen Turner / 219 pages
Dead or Alive / Tom Clancy / 950 pages
Tick Tock / James Patterson / 387 pages
Open Season / C. J. Box / 293 pages
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Room/ Emma Donoghue/ 321 pages
Columbine/ by David Cullen/ 417 pages
This Book Is Not Good For You/ by Pseudonymous Bosch/ 394 pages
If You're Reading This, It's Too Late/ by Pseudonymous Bosch/ 385 pages
Monday, February 7, 2011
MAD's Greatest Artists: Sergio Aragones: Five Decades of His Finest Works by Sergio Aragones 272pp
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Rat Trap / Michael Daley / 212 pages
Saturday, February 5, 2011
People of the Book / Geraldine Brooks/ 372 pp
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Order of Odd Fish / James Kennedy / 403 pages
Call Me Irresistible / Susan Elizabeth Phillips 387 p.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Ready for Anything/ Keiko Kasza
I read the 2011 Building block book nominees. My favorite was Ready for Anything because I have a soft spot for worried, paranoid animal characters. Raccoon obsesses about the dangers of going on a picnic. Duck "reframes" the outdoor experience possibilities for raccoon. This is a very good psychological technique that would be beneficial for anyone to learn at a young age. Positive self-talk rather than negative is always good. Set in this story, it is great; not didactic at all. (reminds me of Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt-another favorite of mine)
My next favorite building block book was Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli because it is very silly, and rhymes, and also shows that everyone needs that different sort of character around.
Smash Cut / Sandra Brown / 367p.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Maybe This Time/ Jennifer Crusie/ 478 pages
First time for me to read this author. Wow, such an interesting writing style and such quirky characters!
The 2nd page, she describes the ex-mother-in-law in terms of her ex-husband's desk which she evidently despised: "A lot of really big trees had died to make that desk. His mother had probably gnawed them down, used her nails to saw the boards, and finished the decorative cutwork with her tongue." Just say how you feel; no hostility there. It was great, and fun. This book has ghosts, children she describes as "Damien and the Bad Seed" and really strange characters. I would definitely read another even though it's far from my usual type of book.