Alternate Reads for Challenge

anHere's my list of Alternate Reads for the tbr_challenge...I want to read them all NOW!

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance
Dear Heart How Like you This? by Wendy Dunn
Sentimental Journey by Jill Barnett
Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones
The Sisters of Henry the Eighth by Maria Perry
The Skies of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
A Fine and Private Place by Peter Siegel
Proud Conquest by Carol Wensby-Scott
Enchantress From the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
Under an English Heaven by Robert Redmond


I'm currently reading Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer and I'm loving it! Spencer has now become my go-to author for when I'm in a slump. Her writing never fails to deliver.

~taminator40

Book Reviews on Amazon

Just to share....for approximately two years now, I've been reviewing almost all of the books I read on Amazon.com. I like doing this for several reasons:

• It makes me *think* about what I read
• It gives me practical writing practice
• I like seeing my thoughts posted on a well-known site
• It gives a good book a boost in the ratings, and warns others away from the stinkers
• I can share my opinions....something I'm very, very good at!

While I never profess to be a master writer, I do enjoy the reviewing process. I like forcing myself to come up with new adjectives...I tend to find myself in a rut using the words "engaged" and "characterization" over and over if I don't force myself to think and explore. I also like sharing the reviews with my online friends, who in general are quite supportive and give me lots of "yes" votes to stroke my ego, LOL. But I seriously would rather receive a "no" vote that's honest than a "yes" one just for the sake of seeing it. The only thing that really annoys me is when I review a YA novel and I receive a "no" vote based on what I perceive is my honest review not being appreciated by a rabid fan of the book. For example, any of the Princess Diaries books I've reviewed---invariably someone gives me a "no" and I can't help but believe it's because I didn't gratuitously give the book 5 stars. But then again, maybe they just didn't like it and I need to accept it!

Here's a link to my latest review for Beverly Swerling's City of Glory. Right this minute my review is the only one posted, though I know that will shortly change. Anyway, if you scroll down to the review by Tamela McCann (or taminator1), you'll see a link to "See all my reviews" that will let you look at some of the others I've done.

http://tinyurl.com/yfzowq

I try to be honest in what I write, and I don't faun unnecessarily. If my opinion is drastically different than the others posted, I may reevaluate where I was in my life when I wrote the review, but I never change my rating. It is what it is, and it reflects my taste.

TBR Challenge 2007

Here I am in 2007, ready to tackle Mt. TBR! I've joined a yahoogroup, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tbr_challenge/, that has as its aim for us to whittle down (at least a little bit) our out of control TBR piles (to be read piles for the uninitated!). Heaven knows I need help and encouragement. My father-in-law sheepishly admitted to me recently that he's got over 30 books in his house he hasn't read. Har! I *admitted* to over a 100, and if truth be told, with the YA/children's lit, it's probably closer to 300. I know I've got a problem walking on my side of the bedroom, and I'm having trouble deciding where to put those books that somehow found a home in my home. I've simply got to quit adding to the masses! With that in mind, I figured the challenge would be a good incentive. So, here, without further ado, is my list of TBR Challenge Books for 2007:



Morning Glory by Lavyrle Spencer
Limits of Enchantment by Graham Joyce
September Girls by Maureen Lee
Helen of Troy by Margaret George
The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper
She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb
Fearless by Lucia St. Clair Robson
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
There and Back Again by Sean Astin
City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith Pargeter

I may add some for extra credit later on, but these will make a nice dent in my pile. And most of them qualify for the chunkster challenge I've joined at:

http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/2006/12/you-asked-for-it-chunkster-challenge.html

This is the year I promise myself to quit ordering so many books and actually read some of the ones I already own. I'm seriously going to try to not order anything unless it's a sequel or it's by an author I adore. And I mean it. Seriously. :)

I also promise to try to stay more up-to-date on this blog. Four months is too long to go without posting! I will post some thoughts on our recent Hawaii trip soon.

Slainte'! Happy New Year!