Book #32 - Your Coffin or Mine? by Kimberly Raye

ISBN: 9780345492180

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 306 pp

Pub. Date: September 25, 2007

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: #3 in Dead End Dating series

Borrowed from Laura (CTGMOM)

From the Publisher

For Lil Marchette, the owner of Manhattan's premier dating service for vampires (and a dazzling denizen of the dark herself), death is all in a night's work. Unfortunately, it's going to take more than matching up vamps to pay the bills and fund Lil's cosmetics addiction. Dare she add actual humans to the mix? Eager to diversify, she signs up for a popular dating show, Manhattan's Most Wanted (MMW), to pitch her expertise to the perfect target audience - eligible women looking for eligible men.

Of course Lil is trying to forget the one man she'd love to sink her own teeth into: Ty Bonner, the ultraseductive vamp who broker her heart after she gave him the hottest night of his afterlife. Problem is, she and Ty have an intense mental connection and she's sensing he's in deep trouble. Even worse, she soon finds herself heading for MMW's grand finale (cameras are so not a vamp's best friend). The race is on as Lil struggles to save Ty (and herself) before all hell breaks loose.

My Opinion of the Book

Still loving this series... Lil is great fun! I can't wait to see what adventures she gets into next and to find out if anything more becomes of Ty as he's so vampelicious. ;) This series is getting to be even more fun than MaryJanice Davidson's Undead series... though I love it as well. There are just too many great vampire books out nowadays... I need more time to read!!!

Book #31 - Elrod McBugle on the Loose by Jeff Strand

ISBN: 9780759943254

Format: Trade Paperback, 133 pp

Pub. Date: March 1, 2007

Genre: Teen Comedy

Not part of a series

Bought straight from Jeff Strand for $7.77 and autographed!!!

From the Publisher

A comedy for kids...and adults who were warped as kids!

The students at Greenwater Junior High have said they'll never forget this year, and Elrod McBugle is the reason. He's not a bad person. He doesn't TRY to get in trouble, cause mayhem, and occasionally blow things up...it just happens. And it's going to happen again and again!

Share Elrod's hilarious adventures as he faces the wrath of the Slurpy Gulp Beverage Company, tries to become a millionaire selling homemade bubble gum, survives a wild squirrel attack, tries to find out if his math teacher is an axe murderer, and much, much more!

Watch out, everyone...Elrod McBugle is on the loose!

My Opinion of the Book

Jeff's done it again! This one isn't quite as slap-sticky (is that a word?) and corny as HOW TO RESCUE A DEAD PRINCESS, but it's full of laughs and stupid jokes... what else would you expect from the infamous Jeff Strand though? His books entertain me to no end and are some of the few books that I can read no matter my mood. I tend to save his books for when I'm upset about stuff because it guarantees me a mood lift. I highly recommend his books to anyone looking for a good laugh... or complete gross out! (depending on which book(s) you pick)

Book #30 - Shakespeare's Christmas

ISBN: 0440234999

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 242 pp

Pub. Date: March 1, 2005 (reprint)

Genre: Mystery

#3 in the Lily Bard Series

Bookring started by Amberkatze... sent to me by Maurean... next to innae!

From the Publisher

Lily Bard is going home for the holidays. More comfortable in baggy sweats than bridesmaid's frills, Lily isn't thrilled about attending her estranged sister's wedding. She has moved to Shakespeare, Arkansas, to start a new life, cleaning houses for a living, trying to forget the violence that once nearly destroyed her. Now she's heading back to home and hearth - just in time for murder.

The town's doctor and nurse have been bludgeoned to death at the office. And Lily's detective boyfriend suddenly shows up at her parents' door. Jack Leeds is investigating an eight-year-old kidnapping and the trail leads straight to Lily's hometown. It just might have something to do with the murders... and her sister's widowed fiance. With only three days before the wedding, Lily must work fast to clean up the messy case before her sister commits... marriage!

My Opinion of the Book

Still loving this series and unfortunately don't know where I have put books 4 & 5... ack!!! I hope they show up soon! Lily is a great character and I'm really loving her boyfriend, Jack, as well. I hope that Harris continues on with this series beyond book 5 in addition to her other series.

Book #29 - Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris

ISBN: 0425213102

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 206 pp

Pub. Date: December 5, 2006 (reprint)

Genre: Mystery

#2 in the Lily Bard Series

Bookring started by Amberkatze... sent to me by Maurean... next to innae!

From the Publisher

When Lily stumbles upon the well-built corpse of a local body builder-his neck broken by a barbell-the town's underlying racial tension begins to boil over. The white victim was somehow connected to two unsolved murders of black residents of Shakespeare-and a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. But it is Lily herself who may have to decide whether to stay and fight for justice, or run away one more time.

My Opinion of the Book

Yet another great Harris book! This book ended up more interested than I had assumed it would from the prologue as it ended up being based around a much bigger problem then just one murder. Again, Harris continues with a lot of character advancement (though I've also come to terms with the fact that Lily is quite the little nympho... LOL!!!) I do like the "new guy" though. I think he's much better than Marshall and Claude. I can't wait to find out what becomes of him come book 3. Shakespeare's Christmas, which I will be starting VERY soon!

Book #28 - Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

ISBN: 0440224187

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 245 pp

Pub. Date: July 7, 1997

Genre: Mystery

#1 in the Lily Bard Series

Bought at New Albany Library booksale for 50 cents

From the Publisher

To Lily Bard, the sleepy town of Shakespeare, Arkansas was the perfect place to hide from the violence that nearly destroyed her life years before. Today Lily is strong, confident in the martial arts she studies, her looks disguised by her closely cropped hair and baggy clothes. Working as a housecleaner, Lily comes and goes without anyone noticing - until she witnesses a murder.

What Lily Bard saw on that dark night has stripped away her anonymity and earned her the unwanted attention of a homicide detective and a suspicious community. And with her intense, married karate instructor showing a passionate interest of his own, Lily's plan of a private, well-ordered life is coming unhinged. The killer of an unlamented landlord is lurking close by. And while Lily knows the inside dirt on her neighbor's dust, drawers, and private lives, she must admit to a secret of her own: that in the shadow of a brutal murder, she is coming alive again...

My Opinion of the Book

Harris is one of my favorite authors. Her Sookie Stackhouse series is her best series, (though I'm also partial to vampires so that might make me a bit biased *grin*) but I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the Lily Bard series. There were many twists & turns in the book that kept me guessing on who the killer was and I never did figure it out. I also love the way Harris does her character development throughout the books. Poor Lily has been through so much, even before coming to Shakespeare, but yet she still manages to get in the midst of all the trouble. I admire her... she is one strong gal! Looking forward to learning more about Miss Lily! :)

Book #27 - The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

ISBN: 0743298853

Format: Hardback, 339 pp

Pub. Date: November 7, 2006

Genre: Fantasy

Not part of a series

Borrowed from New Albany Library

From the Publisher

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book... The Book of Lost Things.

An imaginative tribute to the journey we must all make through the loss of innocence into adulthood, John Connolly's latest novel is a book for every adult who can recall the moment when childhood began to fade, and for every adult about to face that moment. The Book of Lost Things is a story of hope for all who have lost, and for all who have yet to lose. It is an exhilarating tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.

My Opinion of the Book

I had been wanting to try this author out for a while now and am so glad that I did. I really enjoyed this particular book due to all the fairy tale twists Connolly included. He re-wrote some of the old fairy tales and based the whole story around some others. I've always loved reading different takes on fairy tales so that aspect was really cool! The character development with the main character was absolutely wonderful. I loved how David "grew up" throughout the story and learned more about what life is about and his part in it.

I will definitely be tracking down more of Connolly's works... I'm especially interested in his book, Nocturnes, since it has a paranormal theme to it.

Book #26 - Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

ISBN: 0618723927

Format: Hardback, 311 pp

Pub. Date: October 2, 2006

Genre: Teen Fiction

Not part of a series

Borrowed from New Albany Library

From the Publisher

Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning
out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their
favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark
side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy's new little brother or sister.

Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he's been working
on without telling anyone, a graphic novel that he is convinced will
lead to publication, fame, and—most important of all—a way out of
the crappy little town he lives in and all the
people that make it hell for him.

When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous,
cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for
jocks and bullies. Fanboy can't resist someone who actually seems
to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her
advice—to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.

My Opinion of the Book

I heard good things about this book so checked it out from my local library. I did really enjoy the book and could tell the author was very familiar with the comic industry. The only thing I didn't care for about the book was how abrupt the ending felt. It would be nice to see him come out with a follow-up book that talked about what happened after this book, but I don't think that is in the works. I'll have to keep my eyes open just in case.

If you want to learn a little more about this book (and hear the intro), you should go to this link and watch the video about it on YouTube:

Fanboy and Goth Girl Video