Challenge: 50 Books discussion

This is my first post of the new year so it's a longer list than usual. I reread some favorites when I wasn't able to go grab new books. Then I had to take a huge break while moving from Connecticut to Arizona. It's catch up time but I'm loving having time to read again!

1) Haunted Lily by Sydney Fox
- I reread this favorite as she is re releasing after making some edits and sent me a copy. I adore this book soooo much and highly recommend it! Rereading it will probably become a Halloween tradition, gets me in the spooky mood!

2) Twilight
3) New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
- I started rereading the series and got halfway into Eclipse when I started moving and needed to stop. Always a great read and I'm excited for the movie! lol

4) While They Slept by Kathryn Harrison
- this was a very hard read but really interesting. It reads like a college term paper and was real work to keep interested it.

5) Grave's End by Elaine Mercado
- true haunting written by the woman that lived through it. Very good easy read!

6) Tick Tock by Dean Koontz
- was not my favorite at all. If I didn't have a weird need about always finishing a book I would have tossed it.

7) At Graves End by Jeaniene Frost
- the latest in the series and sooo good! I met Jeaniene at Comic Con in NYC and she is almost ready with the next installment. So excited!

8) Marked by C.P. Cast
- first in the series and I was a bit surprised by the material and that this is a YA. I wouldn't let a YA under 16 read it personally. But it was ok, I haven't gotten any of the other books yet.

9) Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
- took some time getting into, and I'm still not uber excited about the series. BUT I already bought the entire collection thinking I'd love it, so looks like I'll be reading them no matter what!

10) Lily Dale: The Story of a Town That Speaks to the Dead by Christine Wicker
- it was really interesting and I liked it for the most part. The history of the town and people that had frequented it was the most intriguing. Fun read.

11) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- really enjoyed it, makes you think and at times laugh. I recommend it.

congrats on 10!

12) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- this is a fantastic book, very moving and thought provoking.

Thanks Mary! I'm glad to be getting back on track!

13) The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
- SO glad I finally finished this book! Difficult read as she gets really into detail so it drags on and on...the last 200 pages were very exciting though. I liked it!

14) Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
-rereading

15) Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
- finished rereading the series...so good even the second time around! :)

Welcome! Good list so far. I picked up Marked at a sale, so I am hoping to read it soon!

16) The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One)by Joe Abercrombie
- I haven't read a true fantasy before this so I wasn't sure what to expect or if I'd like it. I absolutely loved it. There is not one "good" character, they are all seriously flawed but I loved that. It was interesting and built up until my jaw hurt from squeezing my teeth together. I really enjoyed the layout of the book, each chapter coming from a different characters point of view. This bloody violent book was so much fun.

Cassidy, I strongly recommend the other two books in the First Law series. I thought the first book was the best but they are all great. The author has a new book coming out this summer that is set in the same world--I'm definitely going to pick it up!

17) The Shack - William P. Young

Took me a day to breeze through, really good read. It was very moving and opening. It's definitely a book to be shared and passed on.

18) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This was a fun quick read :)

19) 13 Bullets by David Wellington

I liked it, not the typical vamp book we see nowadays. I wrote a review so I'm not going to put it here too :)

20) The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith

Disappointing. Characters were shallow and under developed, I couldn't grow to like any of them. The vampire element is weak and also under developed. I think this has gained such popularity because people are clamoring to find another Twilight. This came out first but Meyers made it amazing.

21) The Fury and Dark Reunion (The Vampire Diaries, #3-4) by L.J. Smith

Was better than 1 & 2, I liked it more since it came from Bonnie's point of view. It is still irritating and disappointing, an "Eh" read I could take or leave.

22) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

The movie followed pretty closely, the book has a few things different or more detailed but still uber creepy and good. I'm glad I watched the movie first because I could hear all those creepy sounds and voices Regan made while reading and that totally made it more scary. lol

23) Midnight Sun (Twilight series #5; website draft)

I wasn't going to add this but decided to anyway, it was about 130 pages from what I remember. I read it in April and loved it so much I secretly read it at work just to finish, I was so addicted lol.
It was great to see Twilight from Edwards point of view, actually I found it more interesting.

24) 99 Coffins by David Wellington

Another good, gruesome and fun read, which I think was actually better than the first of Wellington's vampire tales.

25) Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker

Disappointing and not at all the horror you're promised. It's more a demonic satire that gets in it's own way of you liking it.

26) Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

I loved this book and recommend it strongly. I love classics and adding the little twist made it so entertaining! It's not outlandish or theatrical, it lightly hints at his secret and follows Lizzie's struggle to make sense if his odd behavior. I will definitely be reading more from her.

Cassidy,

Tell me more. How does this book relate to a classic (and which classic). I'm assuming Jane Austen because of the "Mr. Darcy", is that correct?
You've intrigued me. Karen

This is a continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, picking up on the day of their wedding and following them on their wedding tour through Europe. The paranormal twist is lightly hinted at as Mr. Darcy struggles to control himself to keep his secret and Elizabeth's struggle to understand his strange behavior towards her. It is very passionate and focused on their romance and how the twist effects it, no the twist itself. I really enjoyed the read, it was fun and energetic. I love when Elizabeth eats spaghetti for the first time and how she describes it.

Thanks! You've inspired me to reread Pride & Prejudice and then Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.

:) Great, I hope you like it!

27) Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Not what I was expecting; full of conspiracy and so intense I had a backache by the time I finished it. lol It was good but not one of my favorites. I hope the movie is really good.

28) From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

29) Shakespeare's Landlord (Lily Bard Mystery, #1) by Charlaine Harris

30) Grave Secret (Harper Connelly, #4) by Charlaine Harris