What's in a Name?3 - Challenge completed

I have officially completed the What's in a Name? Challenge hosted by Beth F. at the dedicated challenge blog. I'm really excited to have finished this one because the challenge was, well, challenging and I think part of the fun was finding books that fit the categories.

Here are the categories and the books I read:
Food: Carbs & Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
Body of Water: Virgin River by Robyn Carr
Title: The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
Plant: Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
Place: Looking for Alaska by John Greene
Music Term: Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

Click HERE if you care to read reviews for the above books.

Carbs & Cadavers by J.B. Stanley

#1 Supper Club Mystery
Copyright: 2006
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 300
Challenges: What's in a Name?,  TBR
Author's Website
My rating: 2.75/5

Simple Description: 
James Henry is not where he thought he would be in life.  He's divorced and living at home. To be fair, he moved back to his small home town and into his childhood home after his Mom passed away, in order to take care of his Dad.  Still, he thought he would be somewhere else in life.  He's a shy man, a bit socially awkward.   He's also the town librarian.  He's also a bit over-weight.

Things begin to change for James when he joins a Supper Club.  They call themselves the Flab Five.  There are 5 of them, 2 men and 3 women. All of them have one goal, to start eating healthier in order to lose some weight.

The 5 of them really come together when a young man dies, and it's murder.  This sort of thing doesn't happen  in their small town.  When a girl they believe is innocent is arrested, the Flab Five begin to make some inquires into the murder themselves.  Lucy works in the Sheriff's department and wants to lose weight in order to take the Deputy physical (and pass).  Lucy wants to show the Sheriff and the other Deputies that she does have what it takes.


Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I thought this book was just ok.   I had a hard time relating to James, and he's the main character. I think because his character is supposed to be socially awkward, which means he was socially awkward to me. I just couldn't really connect with him.  I thought he got better towards the end, but still.

The story itself is good though. I liked the idea of the 5 people coming together, all are different, but they come together and decide to investigate this murder on their own in order to help one of their own supper club members and to help a young girl in the community.    The investigating wasn't over-the-top, I thought it was just right for a bunch of amateurs.

I also have to admit that one thing that bothered me about the book was the diet the members go on. I know, I know..it's really not something that should bother me, but it did.  As I've made changes to diet myself over this last year, as I've read more about processed foods and aspartame, etc, I've really educated myself on what is healthy and what people think is healthy but isn't.  Sugar-free items, low-fat, and diet soda are not healthy items.  These members start to eat more of that in their food and I just wanted to yell "Stop!" and take the items away.  I have no idea if this is something that kept me from liking the book more or not. I cringed every time I read it and it was very noticeable to me, it was something that jumped out at me.  I really don't think this is something that would bother others but I mention it here because I'm just not sure if it's one reason I didn't like the book as much or not.

I've talked to a friend who has read the first two books in this series and she said she liked the 2nd one more than the first.  I had planned to read the 2nd anyway and that just makes me much more interested in reading it.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: YA
Pages: 221
Challenges: What's in a Name, Young Adult
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5 stars

Simple Description: 
Miles Halter isn't the most popular guy, in fact, he doesn't even have any friends.  He has decided to make some changes with his life and that involves finishing highschool at a boarding school in Alabama.  His roommate, Chip, becomes his best friend.  Chip is incredibly smart and also dirt poor.  Chip introduces Miles to Alaska.  Alaska is also appears to be poor and very smart.  Both of these individuals become Mile's best friends.  Alaska and Chip are also into pranks and drinking and smoking.  Miles is being introduced to a lot at this boarding school and he loves it.   He is also falling in love with Alaska, even though she already has a boyfriend.

This book takes us through a school year for Miles.  Miles really grows this year, he is forced to in a way.

I really don't want to say more though, because I don't want to give anything away.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I thought this book was really really good.  I thought the writing was excellent.  The storyline flowed very well and kept my interest.  You couldn't help but really like Miles.  In fact, while Alaska's mood swings were a bit annoying (but oh so true for a teenage girl!), you loved all the main characters.  It actually made me wish that I had been sent to boarding school so I could experience this too.  Of course, living in dorms in college is probably the same thing.

I read this with a couple other ladies, one of which doesn't really read YA's, and we all loved this book.  Definitely one that I recommend.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

Genre: fiction
Pages: audio
Challenges: What's in a Name?3, audio book
Author's Website (it's in french though), here's a website for Sarah's Key
My rating: 3.75/5


Simple Description:
Julie Jarmond is an American living in France and married to a French man.  She is a journalist for an American magazine.  She is assigned an article on the Vél' d'Hiv' roundup that occurred in France 60 years ago.   The roundup occurred during WWII, in 1942.  French police rounded up many Jewish families in one night and the parents ended up being deported to Auschwitz while the kids went to a camp in France.   Julie soon learns that the apartment she is about to move in to, that has been in her family for 60 years, was once inhabited by one of these Jewish families.


Julie researches this family.  She finds that Sarah was an 11 year old girl who survived.  She wants to know what happened to Sarah, what is Sarah's story, is Sarah still alive?    


In between learning about Julia and what she is going through, such as a cheating husband, a pregnancy in her 40's, and learning more about herself, we also get Sarah's story.


On the night that Sarah's family was taken into custody her little brother was left in the apt, locked in a cupboard.  Sarah thought she would be going back later that night to let him out, if only she had known this wasn't the case.  We relive the terrible weeks when Sarah was separated from her family and sent to a concentration camp, and how she escaped.  We learn what happened to Sarah after she escaped and how she is tied to Julia's French family.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
I thought this was a wonderful book.  I enjoy reading about books with a WWII theme and this one was different than others I've read because it deals with the roundup in France, something I have never heard of before.  I liked how the story goes back and forth between Julia and Sarah.  We get Julia's perspective of an American living in France..wondering how it is the French she asks don't usually remember learning about this.  How could they just forget something like this happened? I thought it was an interesting struggle for Julia.  Not only does she wonder how it is most French don't remember this, but she has to deal with her own family not wanting to talk about it or even being interested in it.    We get Sarah's story..during the roundup and after it.  We learn what she had to go through and you can just imagine what the kids who really went through it must have felt.   I just can't imagine.

There were some parts where I wished we didn't get so much info about Julia and what she was going through, but I also know that Julia is important to the story and part of this story is seeing how learning about Sarah changes Julia.

I think this is going to be one of those books that I think about for several days after finishing it.  I did look up the Vel' d'Hive roundup online and found this website that has more info.

I did listen to the audio version of this book.  Polly Stone is the narrator. I thought she was a wonderful pick for Julia.  It was very easy to understand her, she appeared American, however she could pronounce all the French words and names with an accent that made the story that much better - as if Julia really was telling me this story.  


This audio book was rented from my local library.

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Fiction
Pages: audio
Challenges: What's in a name (plant), Year of the historical, audio book
Author's Website 


Simple Description:
When Mary Alsworthy learns that her new brother-in-law, the man she was supposed to elope with, is going to help finance her last season, she decides to take Lord Vaughn up on his offer.  He offered her money in exchange for her help to flush out the Black Tulip.  While Mary would love to actually "catch" Lord Vaughn, he does have a lot of money after all, Lord Vaughn does not want to be married again.  He had all he could take from his first wife.  However, it appears that while neither one of them wants to admit it, they are falling in love with each other.

Lord Vaughn only takes Mary to one meeting before she is contacted by the Black Tulip.   When she meets him, he claims that he doesn't know if he should trust her to work for him.  He sets up another meeting with her, where he will give her instructions on how to prove her loyalty to him and France.    When Mary finally learns what she has to do, it's the last thing in the world she does want to do.

So the saga continues....will we find out who the Black Tulip is in this novel?  Will we learn more about the British spy ring?


Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I just adore this series.  The books are so much fun.  I love how, so far, each book revolves around two people we met in previous books and how (of course) they don't really like each other but end up falling in love.  We get more answers in this one, we do find out who the Black Tulip is, but there is still some mystery surrounding the Black Tulip at the end.

This is definitely a series that you have to read in order (at least I think it is).  It's a great series though, one of my favorites.


 This audio book was rented from my local library.

Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 386
Challenges: What's in a Name?3 (body of water)
Author's Website


Simple Description:
Mel needs a change.   She is a nurse in LA and things were going great, until her husband was murdered.  She is having a very hard time getting over his death and needs a change of scenery.  She decides to accept a job in a little town called Virgin River.

When Mel gets to Virgin River she finds that it's not even close to what she expected.  The house she is supposed to stay in rent free hasn't been cleaned in years, the porch collapses the first night she is there, and the town Dr. doesn't think he needs a nurse or anybody's help for that matter.

The only good thing is the handsome man who runs the bar, Jack.

Then the first morning she is there, she finds a baby who was abandoned.  Mel's calling is delivering baby's and working with them and new mother's.  She decides to stay until a home can be found.  The once that is taken care of, she decides to stay for a patient who is going to give birth soon.  

Soon it looks like Mel might stay for awhile, between the babies and Jack, things are picking up.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
I absolutly loved this book!  Virgin River is the first in the series and I'm dying to read the rest.  Doc doesn't want Mel there and he doesn't try to hide it, but Mel doesn't let him get away with his old time ways either.  You want Jack and Mel to get together, they seem perfect for each other.  There's also a teenage boy who doesn't make the right choice but you want him to be ok because he's basically a good kid.  

This is the type of book where you fall in love with the characters and you want to move to Virgin River so you can hang out with them.



This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

I am an Amazon Associate. 

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

Copyright: 2004
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 500
Challenges: What's in a name (title), Year of the Historical, TBR
Author's Website



Simple Description:
Hannah Green has been running for her life. She is Spanish and her mother was burned at the stake because she is Jewish. Hannah and her father finally escape to England where they try to keep some of the Jewish traditions alive, but also go to church and make sure they are "practicing" the faith of England. Hannah's father owns a bookstore/printing press and one day when two men come to visit, Hannah see's a vision, a third man that the other two men quickly call an angel. Hannah is asked to come to court and the King likes Hannah because she is truthful and makes her his Holy Fool. Soon the King dies and Hannah becomes part of Queen Mary's court.

England is not at peace. Mary is Catholic and Elizabeth is Protestant. Mary becomes Queen because she is older and the first Tudor heir. Mary wants Elizabeth to be her friend and sister and in line for the next heir. However Elizabeth wants to be Queen now and comes up with plots to over-throw Mary. Hannah is caught in the middle.

Hannah is betrothed to another Jewish man. However she isn't ready to marry yet. She does lust after Lord Robert Dudley, one of the men that came to her father's shop. Unfortunately he becomes branded a traitor and it looks like Hannah is, again, caught in the middle.

Soon Hannah must decide if England is still safe for her. She is under the protection of the Queen, but is the Queen even safe?

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
The Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn) is only the second book I have read by the author, but wow, quickly becoming one of my favorites. I think I enjoyed this book better than The Other Boleyn Girl, but not so much because of the story but because I was used to the author's writing style and flow of the story.

I can't say how accurate the historical "facts" are, but I don't really care. haha! I enjoyed the story, I liked that it revolved around real historical individuals and yet the main character was fictional. I think this is perfect because it gives the author room to really create a story.

Definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction. Heck, I was so engaged in the story that I read instead of playing New Super Mario Bros, something that I've done almost every single day for the last couple of months (wow - it sounds so bad when I admit that out loud! I guess know you all know why I haven't been reading as much).

This is actually the 4th in the Tudor series by the author. Somehow I have read the 2nd and now the 4th. I'm not sure if I want to read the 1st and 3rd now or not. I already know what happens to the royal family, afraid I'll get bored by it, but also think I would still find it interesting. What do you guys think? Have any of you read them out of order and still enjoyed them?

This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

I am an Amazon associate. 

What's in a Name? 3 Challenge

This is probably going to be the most challenge for me to finish, but that's kinda why I'm giving it a try this year. I'm intrigued by it. I'm interested to see just how well I can do with it.

This challenge is being hosted by Beth Fish Reads, She has a dedicated blog for the challenge.

The rules:

So here's how it works: Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
4. A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
6. A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

I don't have to create a list ahead of time, which is awesome. It's going to be a surprise to my readers and myself!