May ~ 2011

78. A Discovery of Witches...Dorothy Harkness
I loved this book! I am so glad it is a trilogy, but I can't believe I have to wait until 2012 for the next one!

Quote:
It all begins with a lost manuscript, a reluctant witch, and 1,500-year-old vampire. Dr. Diana Bishop has a really good reason for refusing to do magic: she is a direct descendant of the first woman executed in the Salem Witch Trials, and her parents cautioned her be discreet about her talents before they were murdered, presumably for having "too much power." So it is purely by accident that Diana unlocks an enchanted long-lost manuscript (a book that all manner of supernatural creatures believe to hold the story of all origins and the secret of immortality) at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and finds herself in a race to prevent an interspecies war. A sparkling debut written by a historian and self-proclaimed oenophile, A Discovery of Witches is heady mix of history and magic, mythology and love (cue the aforementioned vampire!), making for a luxurious, intoxicating, one-sitting read.


79. Artifacts...Mary Anna Evans

Quote:
The shifting little isles along the Florida Panhandle-hurricane-wracked bits of land filled with plenty of human history-serve as the effective backdrop for Evans's debut, a tale of greed, archeology, romance and murder. The latest in a long line of courageous and resourceful women, Faye Longchamp can trace her mixed ancestry back to a slave and a once magnificent plantation house, Joyeuse, which she now claims by heritage and squatter's rights and whose very existence is a closely guarded secret. Faye ekes out a living by illegal "pothunting" and acting as an assistant on a legitimate archeological dig, but her discovery of a human skull and the subsequent murder of two archeology students threaten her precarious existence. While Evans stretches credulity with the sheer number of unlikely elements that make up the plot, including a mysterious Indian and a 19th-century diary, the rich setting and the lively characters that aid or bedevil Faye in her quest more than compensate. Readers should welcome this strong new heroine.


80. Relics...Mary Anna Evans

Quote:
Soon after archeologist Faye Longchamp joins a team in rural Alabama researching the "Sujosa," an isolated dark-skinned people with Caucasian features and an unusual resistance to AIDS, she discovers that the man in charge of the project has made a hash of the preliminary dig. Faye determines to prove her own worth by planning the excavation of a more likely site, but she gets sidetracked when an act of arson kills Dr. Carmen Martinez, an oral historian who was gathering old tales and songs to learn about the group's mysterious origins. The apparent suicide of an 18-year-old Sujosa boy deepens the puzzle.


81. Effigies...Mary Anna Evans

Quote:
In Evans's intriguing third mystery to feature archeologist Faye Longchamp (after 2005's Relics), Faye and her Native American assistant, Joe Wolf Mantooth, leave Joyeuse Island, Fla., for a dig in rural Mississippi at the site of a proposed highway. They arrive during the Neshoba County Fair, a weeklong celebration during which residents put aside their differences to honor the area's mixed-race heritage. But when the archeologists discover another important site on the property of Carroll Calhoun, a racist with ties to the KKK, he not only refuses to let them excavate but tries to bulldoze what might be a sacred Choctaw burial mound. In the ensuing clash, racial tensions hit the boiling point over who has rights to the mound. Calhoun is then found dead, his throat slit with an ancient Indian blade, and Faye investigates after suspicion falls on Joe and other area Native Americans. Though Evans has been compared to Tony Hillerman, her sympathetic characters and fascinating archeological lore add up to a style all her own.


82. Findings...Mary Anna Evans

Quote:
Faye Longchamp is overjoyed to be paid to do archaeological work she would have done anyway - excavating a site that was once her family's. That joy ends abruptly when intruders break into a dear friend's house and leave him dead among the scattered remains of Faye's artifacts. But the open wall safe is untouched, and choice artifacts are left in their cases.
There seems to be no motive at all for the vicious crime - unless the thieves were aware of the fabulous emerald he had been holding minutes before his death. But Faye had only uncovered it that very evening, and she had told no one.
When his widow asks Faye to organize the relics left broken on the floor, Faye realizes that something is actually missing - not an emerald nor a valuable painting, but her field notes.
Faye seeks out the story behind the mysterious emerald. How was her fieldwork connected to her friend's death? The key to all her questions must be buried in the field notes now held by the killers. Now, it is only a matter of time before they come for Faye.


83. Floodgates...Mary Anna Evans

Quote:
Faye and her team are excavating a plantation site outside New Orleans, next to the battlefield where Andrew Jackson's army defeated the British in 1815. When students doing post-Katrina cleanup find the remains of what appears to be a drowning victim from the hurricane, a dumbbell resting atop the pelvis suggests foul play to Faye. The police ask Faye and her fiancé, Joe Wolf Mantooth, to assist in what becomes a murder investigation, the victim having been identified as a fellow archeologist, Shelly Broussard, who worked with rescue teams after the storm. Passages from a book about the Katrina disaster by a local author and extracts from the memoirs of a 19th-century military engineer provide insights and historical perspective. Faye's landlady, a part-time voodoo-mambo or priestess, adds spice.

Yay! I found another great series! I'm just waiting on the last one from the library!



84. A Throne of Fire...Rick Riordan
I haven't decided if I like this series or the Percy Jackson series the best. Growing up, I loved mythology and Greek and Egyptian were my favorite, so it's fun revisiting them in a whole new way. The books kind of remind me of Neil Gaiman's book, American Gods. It is sad to see how the gods are forgotten and seem to sort of fade away or become ridiculous parodies.

Quote:
In this exciting second installment of the three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them.



85. The Paleo Solution...Robb Wolf
Not much new information than what you can find in any similar book. I like his writing style, but if he said "Buttercup" one more time, I was going to scream!



86. The Unusual Suspects...Michael Buckley
87. The Problem Child...Michael Buckley
88. Once Upon a Crime...Michael Buckley
89. Magic and Other Misdemeanors...Michael Buckley
More cute books in the Sisters Grimm series. I'm making my nieces read these this summer!


90. Oceans of Blood...Darren Shan
Another book in the prequel series to the Cirque du Freak series (Turtle is loving that series.) This one is okay, not as good as the others.


91. Cate of the Lost Colony...Lisa Klein
I would have loved reading this when I was younger; I was obsessed with the Lost Colony. This may have rekindled my interest - I need to find some non-fiction books now.

Quote:
Cate, 14, is a maid for Queen Elizabeth until her emotions get the best of her. When a romance develops between Cate and Sir Walter Ralegh, the jealous queen declares, "He. Is. Mine" and sends her to the Tower.However, the smooth-talking Ralegh is able to convince the queen that the young woman should be sent to America, thinking that he will eventually join her. Clearly this forbidden relationship doesn't evolve, and Cate's life becomes consumed with surviving in Roanoke with hostile Natives threatening to attack. She enlists the help of Manteo to learn their language and, predictably, a romance grows from that. Chapters containing Ralegh's writings and memorandums alternate with those about Cate and Manteo, who is educated in English and charged with negotiations with the Natives. While the writing is smooth and easy to follow, only true American-history enthusiasts will find this novel interesting enough to read in its entirety.



92. Fresh Quilting...Malka Dubrawsky
93. Quilting for Dummies...Cheryl Fall
94. Ultimate Quilting Bible...Marie Clayton
Thinking about taking up quilting again; it's been many, many years since I've done any!


95. In the Blood...Fay Sampson
Okay (I'll definitely read more in the series), but not as good as Rett MacPherson. I didn't mesh with the characters as well.

Quote:
Suzy Fewings is an avid genealogical researcher, and she is thrilled when she discovers that one of her ancestors, one Thomas Loosemore, a church warden in the sixteenth century, had the same name as her son, Tom. But the discovery loses its fascination when further research reveals that Loosemore was most likely a murderer. Her research into the past takes a backseat, however, when a modern-day murder takes place. A 16-year-old local girl, Julie Samuel, is found brutally slain, her body left in a drainage ditch. Even more horrifying is the fact that Tom, who dated Julie in the weeks before her murder, suddenly becomes a suspect in the investigation. Shocked, Suzy begins to wonder if the sixteenth-century Thomas Loosemore could have passed down a curse to her own Tom. As the investigation progresses, Suzy's happy family begins to unravel, as Suzy and her husband think the unthinkable--that Tom is Julie's killer. The conclusion is as surprising as it is tragic. A gripping story and a believable depiction of how a family can be destroyed by guilt and doubt make this a fine read for crime fans.