Samantha_kathy's 11 in 11 (or close to it)

I'm making the plunge and joining everyone here! I'm not setting a fixed number on any category. I'll just see where the year takes me.

My 11 in 11 categories:

1. Curling up in Front of the Fire – cozy mysteries

2. Afraid of the Dark – thrillers, spy novels, and more hard-core mysteries (can also include horror, should I ever read that)

3. Blast from the Past – historical books, including historical mysteries and romances

4. Love Me Tender - romance books

5. Early Bird – Early Review books and books published in 2011

6. Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies, oh my! – books featuring the supernatural, including magic

7. Travel the World – travel books and books I read for my Book Around the World challenge

8. Old Manuscripts and Papyrus Scrolls – books published before 1900

9. Where’s That on the Map? – books set in non-existent places (like Middle Earth)

10. Decidedly Dewey – non-fiction books

11. Not Quite a Novel – short story collections, plays, and everything that’s not a novel or non-fiction book.

If a book fits into more than one category, I'll choose which one fits best.

1. Curling up in Front of the Fire – cozy mysteries

1. A Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert
2. State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
3. Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs
4. Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler
5. Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle
6. Simon Said by Sarah Shaber
7. Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
8. Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
9. Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy
10. Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs
11. A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow

2. Afraid of the Dark – thrillers, spy novels, and more hard-core mysteries (can also include horror, should I ever read that)

1. God's Spy by Juan Gomez-Jurado
2. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
3. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
4. Monte Carlo by Stephen Sheppard
5. Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston
6. The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
7. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
8. The Moses Expedition by Juan Gomez-Jurado
9. Atlantis by David Gibbins
10. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
11. Term Limits by Vince Flynn

Overflow

12. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
13. The Third Option by Vince Flynn

3. Blast from the Past – historical books, including historical mysteries and romances

1. The Abyssinian Proof by Jenny White
2. Death at Daisy's Folly by Robin Paige
3. The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly
4. A Different Kind of Christmas by Alex Haley
5. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

4. Love Me Tender – romance books

1. Platinum Cowboy by Rita Herron
2. Security Blanket by Delores Fossen
3. Armed and Devastating by Julie Miller
4. Desert Ice Daddy by Dana Marton
5. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
6. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann
7. Baby Bling by Elle James
8. Priceless Newborn Prince by Ann Voss Peterson
9. Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann
10. Frisco’s Kid by Suzanne Brockmann
11. Everyday Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann

Overflow

12. Harvard’s Education by Suzanne Brockmann
13. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Suzanne Brockmann
14. The Admiral’s Bride by Suzanne Brockmann
15. Identity, Unknown by Suzanne Brockmann
16. Get Lucky by Suzanne Brockmann
17. Taylor’s Temptation by Suzanne Brockmann
18. Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann

5. Early Bird – Early Review books and books published in 2011

1. Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage
2. Vampire Dragon by Annette Blair
3. To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan
4. London: A Brief History by Charles River Editors
5. Slave by Sherri Hayes
6. Last Call by Jennifer Schmidt
7. Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

6. Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies, oh my! – books featuring the supernatural, including magic

1. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
2. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
3. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
4. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
5. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
6. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
7. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer

7. Travel the World – travel books and books I read for my Book Around the World challenge

1. Luxembourg & the Jenisch Connection by David Robinson
2. Alle Wegen Naar Rome by Jan Blokker Jr.
3. Zijdezacht Zand by Sandra Bakker
4. Khap Djaai by Sandra Bakker
5. The Elf of Luxembourg by Tom Weston
6. Beowulf by Caitlin Kiernan

8. Old Manuscripts and Papyrus Scrolls – books published before 1900

1. Ferguut by Anonymous
2. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
3. Van den vos Reynaerde by Willem

9. Where’s That on the Map? – books set in non-existent places (like Middle Earth)

1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

10. Decidedly Dewey – non-fiction books

1. Cleopatra by Carlo Maria Franzero
2. Introduction to Ecological Genomics by Nico van Straalen and Dick Roelofs
3. Prehistoric Cookery by Jane Renfrew
4. Hoe schrijf ik een biografie (How to write a biography) by Dik van der Meulen en Monica Soeting
5. Experience the Tower of London by Sarah Kilby

11. Not Quite a Novel – short story collections, plays, and everything that’s not a novel or non-fiction book.

1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
2. When Tony Met Adam by Suzanne Brockmann
3. The Affair at the Victory Ball by Agatha Christie
4. Daddy Die Hard by Isaac Sweeney

Hi Samantha, welcome to the Challenge! You have a good mix of categories and it looks like you are already making nice progress with this challenge.

I counted all books read in 2011, even though I only joined in now.

Hi there. Nice selection.

My reviews for Khap Djaai and Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox are now up.

I've also finished The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett for my Afraid of the Dark category. Brilliant book! I cannot describe how much I loved it.

Also for my Afraid of the Dark category is The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman. I liked this book and if the series gets better as is said in most reviews, that’s a very nice bonus when I’m reading the rest!

Both of these books have also been reviewed.

I read my first historical mystery of the year: The Abyssinian Proof by Jenny White. Also a first for my Blast from the Past category.

Also read Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer, another one for my Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies, oh my! category.

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Not quite sure what I'm going to read next. I've got a book nudge thread up here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/115290

All books there fit in one of my categories. The Shadow in the River is a Travel the World book, My Enemy's Cradle is a Blast from the Past book, as is Minx. Contract with God and Seven Ancient Wonders are both Afraid of the Dark books. Not that that's helping me choose. So please, go and give me a nudge!

Added the first three books to category 4. Love Me Tender. Reviews are yet to come, but here they are:

1. Platinum Cowboy by Rita Herron
2. Security Blanket by Delores Fossen
3. Armed and Devastating by Julie Miller

Finished Introduction to Ecological Genomics for 10. Decidedly Dewey - non-fiction books. 5 stars, my review is up.

Finished The Moses Expedition by Juan Gomez-Jurado, another for my Afraid of the Dark category. Desert Ice Daddy was a quick, enjoyable read for the Love Me Tender category.

State of the Onion will be going into the Curling up in Front of the Fire category, which is woefully empty looking, considering my normal literary fare.

Just finished Atlantis by David Gibbins for the Afraid of the Dark category. 4 star book and I am greatly anticipating reading the rest of the series. My only hope is that in later books the flow and amount of information is a little better, as sometimes it overshadowed the story a bit - especially in the beginning.

Review London: A Brief History by Charles River Editors

London: A Brief History is brief indeed, and more of a collection of facts about London than a story of its history. But this lightning fast overview of London is interesting nonetheless. It was a quick read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in London, but this is not the book if you are looking for a story of London throughout the ages.

Not the greatest book ever, only 3 stars, but it sure managed to wet my appetite for a real book about London's history. Perhaps a good idea to find one to take with me to London in December? Anyone got a good rec?
Added to my Early Birds category.

Slave by Sherri Hayes (sorry, touchstone isn't working)

Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death. As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Darren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how. But Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing. Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?

I started this book with equal amounts of anticipation and trepidation. This kind of storyline can make for a really good book, or one riddled with clichés and bad writing. But this book was even better than I had anticipated. I couldn’t put it away and the story pulled me in completely.

What I liked most about this book was how the author never went for the easy solutions. There was no magical cure for Brianna, Stephan made mistakes – some which he realized and some which he didn’t (want to) see. The secondary characters were well rounded, none were completely vilified, something that could have easily happened with Richard’s character. He doesn’t approve of Stephan’s lifestyle, but loves his nephew enough to keep trying, and he does have a valid point about Brianna, even though Stephan refuses to hear it.

What I also really liked in this book was the way the lifestyle was depicted. No hard-core BDSM just for the sake of it, no BDSM fairy tale where everything is always candies and roses and nothing ever goes wrong, but no vilifying it either. But I was most impressed by the fact that the author never drew a line in the sand between submission and voluntary slavery where submission was the ‘right’ choice and slavery the ‘wrong’ choice. Considering this was a book about a girl rescued from forced slavery, such a distinction could have easily been made but never was. In fact, the author showed that neither submission nor slavery is wrong, as long as all parties agree to it.

So, all in all, I was very impressed with this book and I liked it very much. I was very sad to see the end of it. The ending itself is very open ended and after some checking on the author’s blog, it appears that this was the first book in a series about Stephan and Brianna. Now that I can get behind! I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

Added to my Early Bird category.

Four new additions to 1. Curling up in Front of the Fire – cozy mysteries:
1. Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs - 3.5 stars
2. Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler - 5 stars
3. Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle - 4.5 stars
4. Simon Said by Sarah Shaber - 4 stars (despite the abysmal editing my Kindle edition suffered from)

And one addition to 4. Love Me Tender - romance books: Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo - 4 stars

Finished Death at Daisy's Folly by Robin Paige, for 3. Blast from the Past – historical books, including historical mysteries and romances

I read Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann, 1st in the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series. Also read Baby Bling by Elle James, 3rd book in the Diamonds and Daddies series. Both belong in 4. Love Me Tender - romance books

Read quite a lot of books lately, all of them 4. Love Me Tender - romance books category (which is now COMPLETE!).

Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes & History by Jane Renfrew (2 stars)

Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes & History by Jane Renfrew is exactly as the title suggests. It’s a small, short book about the history of food and food preparation in prehistoric Britain which includes a few recipes. Text is brief and to the point, although parts of it read more as a long list of items than as an actual story. The research seemed solid and the author was honest enough to admit the uncertainty there still is about all of this, all points in favor of this book.

However, I do have two problems with the book. The first one is that the book claims to have adapted the recipes for the modern kitchen. The blurb on the back literally says: “The recipes, which have been adapted for the modern kitchen…” But I don't agree with that. A lot of the ingredients used, especially the herbs, are not easily available and no alternatives are given. Very few of the recipes could be cooked without needing to do some actual foraging in the wild or some complicated cooking method. So adapted for the modern kitchen is not a phrase I would use to describe these recipes.

Another problem I have is more serious, namely that there are no warnings for the use of some ‘uncommon’ herbs. Uncommon in this case means not available in most stores, if available in stores at all. For instance, one recipe calls for tansy, which can be a) toxic in too high substances and you need to know which leaves are safe to harvest to avoid this, and b) it is not safe to use if you are pregnant! No warnings for the use of these herbs, which we do not use today anymore and thus most people know nothing about, is not given at all. The Latin names are mentioned in the text, but not until after the recipes and it’s easy to overlook. Also, nothing is said about how to harvest them or how to deal with them in the kitchen. In contrast, she does warn about picking and eating mushrooms if you are not absolutely sure about what you do – the same goes for herbs, especially those you cannot find in stores (unlike most edible mushrooms which are readily available these days), yet she doesn’t say a word about it. I find this to be a very, very dangerous thing.

So, while the historical portion of this book is fine, if a bit dry at times, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. The recipes are simply unusable – and believe me, I tried some of the easier ones – without either changing them, leaving things out, or doing very complicated things. And that is without taking into account the possible dangers of the recipes that I find do not fit the ‘adapted to the modern kitchen’ moniker at all. All in all, I do not find this book worth my time – a great disappointment.

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Ah, well, at least it's another book for 10. Decidedly Dewey – non-fiction books

Another for the 10. Decidedly Dewey – non-fiction books is Hoe schrijf ik een biografie (How to write a biography) by Dik van der Meulen en Monica Soeting (5 stars).

For 2. Afraid of the Dark – thrillers, spy novels, and more hard-core mysteries (can also include horror, should I ever read that) I read The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (3.5 stars)

A fly-by addition:

Term Limits and Transfer of Power, both 2. Afraid of the Dark – thrillers, spy novels, and more hard-core mysteries (can also include horror, should I ever read that) which is now COMPLETE!

The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly (3. Blast from the Past – historical books, including historical mysteries and romances)



In a land of saffron sunsets and blazing summer heat, an Englishwoman has been found dead, her wrists slit, her body floating in a bathtub of blood and water. But is it suicide or murder? The case falls to Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands, who survived the horror of the Western Front and has endured six sultry months in English-ruled Calcutta. Sandilands is ordered to investigate, and soon discovers that there have been other mysterious deaths, hearkening sinister ties to the present case. Now, as the sovereignty of Britain is in decline and an insurgent India is on the rise, Sandilands must navigate the treacherous corridors of political decorum to bring a cunning killer to justice…knowing the next victim is already marked to die.

Set in the early 1920s in British India The Last Kashmiri Rose is the first book of the Detective Joe Sandilands series. And I’ll tell you, if the rest of them are as good as this one I’ll be a very happy girl. The plot is well thought out, the setting is crucial to the plot and, unusual for this type of book, the why of the murders is more important than the who, although for about half the book the killer’s identity isn’t known. This book scores very well on all fronts, plot, setting and characters are great and make this a page-turner despite the slow simmering of happenings.

But what I loved most about this book was the setting. India is described so vividly that I felt as if I were there. While Anglo-India is most prominent, something of the native people and culture is also shown in this book. The time period is also an interesting one. There is unrest simmering under the surface due to tension between the British and the natives, and an uprising resulting in a lot of casualties is not that long ago. Not to mention that World War I is only just over and nobody was left untouched by that. The early 1920s is also an interesting time for forensics and criminal psychology, which were just up and coming in being used in investigations, and of which Joe Sandilands is a fervent fan. But perhaps most striking of all did I find the gap between Joe, who hasn’t spent that much time in India, and the English living in India that he meets. Time is ‘behind’ in India, often Joe thinks ‘it could have been the 90s’ by which he means the 1890s. This contrast puts you even more in the 1920s frame of mind than mere descriptions of the time period could have done.

All in all I really liked this book and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended!

Sounds like that one will have to go on the wishlist. Good review!

The Last Kashmiri Rose has been on my shelves for a while, so I'm glad to see your positive review! Must try to get to it in 2012...

What a stunning book cover! Great and nice to add another historical fiction series to my reading list - not that I need another one but one should always have a back-up plan when tapping your toes waiting impatiently for the 'next in series' to be released.. ;-)

23: Thanks!

24: You really must! I found it to be a fairly quick read, but it was really good.

25: Yes, the bookcover is stunning indeed. I would have picked it up just for the cover if it hadn't been recommended to me. And you're right, a new series is a great back-up plan while waiting for the 'next in series' to be released :D.

Short Story Reviews (All for 11. Not Quite a Novel)

When Tony Met Adam – Suzanne Brockmann – 4 stars

This short story is part of the Troubleshooter universe of Suzanne Brockmann and was written in honor of the final repeal of DADT. I loved this story a lot, even though the end was a bit sudden. What I liked most was the fact that the teammates of the gay Navy SEAL were afraid of saying the wrong thing and thereby putting their teammate in an awkward position due to DADT. Highly recommended, even if you have no idea who these characters are!

The Affair at the Victory Ball – Agatha Christie – 3 stars

A short Hercule Poirot story that was mediocre compared to Agatha Christie’s usual brilliance. Still a solid little mystery, but easily solved by me early in the story – something that never, ever happens with Agatha Christie’s full sized novels. I also think Hercule Poirot doesn’t really work in a short story, but otherwise this story was a nice, quick read.

Daddy Die Hard – Isaac Sweeney – 2.5 stars

A short non-fiction story about the author using John McClane as a father figure after his own father leaves him and his mother alone. While I liked what little he said, I had expected more from this going by the description of the story. It left me rather dissatisfied and I think it could have been a lot better.

Also added Last Call by Jennifer Schmidt to 5. Early Bird

I've added Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie to 1. Curling up in Front of the Fire, A Different Kind of Christmas by Alex Haley to 3. Blast from the Past, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle to 9. Where’s That on the Map?.

Adding The Poisonwood Bible to 3. Blast from the Past

Added the last few books to the categories. I'm norwhere near 11 in 11, but I'm still pretty happy with what I accomplished.