Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin

I am a picky reader. By this I mean, I may love a genre, but certain types of books in that genre do not appeal to me. I love a good fantasy novel. My favorite fantasy novels are generally urban fantasies and my least favorite is the very in depth, intricate fantasy (for an example, I have never been able to finish The Silmarillion by Tolkien). So when I picked up Magic Lost, Trouble Found, I wasn't sure where it would fall on the spectrum. Three days later, after putting it down only for necessary reasons (i.e. work, sleep & kids), I can tell you that it's a keeper. Magic Lost, Trouble found is a very well written, fast paced fantasy novel that will definitely remain on my "to read again" shelf. I cannot wait to read the next one in the series.

The main character, Raine, is a witty, kick butt sorceress of mediocre talent. I love the whole cast of characters in this book and I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. Raine finds herself as the very unwilling keeper of a beacon that will lead her to a very dangerous artifact. I don't want to give too much away for those of you who might read this book. If you like fantasy and humor, I highly recommend Magic Lost, Trouble Found. Now I'm off to find the second book......

Magic Lost, Trouble Found
Lisa Shearin
A

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

First, let me say that I am not a big fan of murder mysteries. In fact, the only ones I do read are the ones by Rita Mae Brown with Sneaky Pie Brown and JD Robb. So, in truth, I wasn't prepared to enjoy this book much but I figured that it wasn't actually a challenge if I didn't read anything that challenged me. Not so amazingly, I did enjoy the book. Hercule Poirot is a neat, amusing little character. He reminds me of the character, Sidney Wang (played by Peter Sellers) in Murder By Death. The book was well written and very easy to read. I loved how Christie kept me guessing until the very end. I admit, as is my habit, I had already predicted several suspects. Then, as the book would go on, I'd change my mind. Again and again. I don't want to give any spoilers so I won't say much more, but I will concede to all of those murder mystery lovers out there....Agatha Christie was very skilled at her chosen genre. I may even check out a few more of her books in the future.

Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie
B

Simply Divine by Wendy Holden

Here was another quick read (I wonder if this says anything about my attention span?) that was light, funny and relatively predictable. I am a big fan of chick lit, primarily because I don't have to think while reading it and it almost always has a happy ending. This book did not disappoint on either front.

Poor Jane has a typical chick lit existence with her rather useless (and then nonexistent) boyfriend, her dead-end job, her concern over her weight and her crummy flat. The icing on the rotten cake is when she gets saddled as a sort of a ghost writer for Britain's newest, brashest and most obnoxious socialite, Champagne D'Vyne. The story follows Jane as her life goes through its various ups and downs. A lot of the book isn't very realistic (i.e. Jane getting dumped via phone by her live-in boyfriend and it's barely a blip on her radar), but this is chick lit and who expects realism from that?


This is a cute, popcorn fluffy type read that would be perfect on the sort of day where you've forgotten your purse at home, spilled coffee on yourself, accidentally hung up on a customer and then gotten a speeding ticket on your way home.



Simply Divine
Wendy Holden
B-

Seal Island by Kate Brallier

First, I will start by admitting that I am already on my third book for the Fall into Reading challenge. I just wasn't sure how the reviews were done so I wanted to wait until I saw one on someone else's page. :) Yes, this means that I read WAY too much. I know, it's an addiction. To be fair though, the first three have been very easy reads. That being said, on to the review....

This was an extremely quick read that didn't require much, if any, thought at all. The writing style itself was extremely repetitive. I stopped counting how many times the author used the word lugubrious after I hit eight. Brallier definitely went overboard on the adjectives. Beyond the writing, the plot itself was fairly predictable. The big "surprise" was obvious to me within the first few chapters and I already knew "whodunit" well before I reached the end. All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book and it's not likely to encourage me to search out any of the author's other works.

Seal Island
Kate Brallier
D

My Fall into Reading 2008 List

Since I'm completely addicted to reading, my list is 20 books long. :) Here's to hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can chew!

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie-I've never been big into murder mystery type books but I recently read a fictional book club book in which they read this and it actually seemed pretty interesting. I've never seen the movie either so I won't know the ending, which I hear is a surprise.

Dracula by Bram Stoker-I've recently realized that there are several classics out there that I have neglected to read and I need to remedy that. Considering it's fall and near Halloween, I thought I would go with Dracula. I've seen the movie in its many incarnations but I've never picked the book up.

(The Keep by Jennifer Egan-This is not a horror novel but it seems like it will be another good Halloween read with its gothic environment and creepiness. I've never read any Egan but I'm trying to expand my repertoir. I tend to find an author I love and then read all of their books. )*

The Shack by William P. Young-I'm definitely intrigued by this one....it is based on the diary of the author which he then fictionalized. It's about his journey to God.

The Queen's Bastard by C.E. Murphy-I've read all of Murphy's other books (see above, about falling in love with an author) and this one seems like it will be right up my alley. It's supernatural mixed in with court intrigue.

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin-Fantasy, a weakness of mine.

Seal Island by Kate Brallier-This one is a mystery/love/supernatural story.

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult-I love her writing and the fact that she takes such controversial topics and makes you look at every side of them. She can make you feel pity for the supposed "bad guys" and anger at the "good guys". I'm trying to finish all of her books (again, see above).

Beyond Left & Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politcs by Amy Black-Our pastor recently recommended this book while doing a series on voting biblically.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris-I'm sad to admit that I've never read this or seen the movie.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield-I picked this one up from the library before because I always love a good ghost story, but somehow I never had the time to read that. It's time to remedy that.

Imaginary Men by Anjalii Banerjee-A well rounded reading list for me always needs to have some chick lit on it!

Doesn't She Look Natural? by Angela Hunt-And one step better than chick lit is Christian chick lit.

Finding Anna by Christine Schaub-This is the first in a music series where Schaub gives a story behind certain hyms. This is based on one of my favorite hymns, It is Well with my Soul.

Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin-This is a fictionalized account of the Old Testament.

Simply Divine by Wendy Holden-British chick lit.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry-A little bit of love, a little bit of suspense. It takes place in Salem, MA.

The Beach House by Jane Green-Green is another one of the authors that I have fallen in love with.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff-This is a ficitionalized account of one of the many wives of Brigham Young and how she devoted her life to destroying the Mormon leader.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke-A young adult fantasy novel....it has always been on my list to read but it was recently moved to the top when I took my kids to the movies this weekend and saw that it has been made into a movie that will be coming out in January.

If you are interested in seeing what everyone else is reading, or in joining yourself, check it out: http://www.callapidderdays.com/2008/09/fall-into-reading-2008-time-to-read.html?showComment=1222089300000#c5547571690504590999

*I've removed The Keep from my list. I got about 80 pages in and I just could not force myself to go any further. I'm going to replace it with the second book in the Raine series by Lisa Shearin, Armed & Dangerous.