#29 Bridget Jones's Diary: The First Columns by Helen Fielding

My Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

This was an interesting look at how Bridget Jones first started out. I think it kind of worked out to be like a first draft for the book, as she used a lot of the same events that happened to Bridget, though there were a few additional characters I didn’t recognize from the book. I think there were some mistakes too. Like on page 12, she talks about Tina’s relationship with Richard, who turns out to be Vile Richard, whom in the books is Jude’s on-again, off-again guy. And in this scene, Jude, who’s acting more like Shazzer, is going on about what emotional fuckwits men are. Later in the book, though I forget what page, it’s Jude who’s with vile Richard, more like in the books, but Jude also dated Bridget’s dad or something… something that didn’t happen in the books. I’m not sure if anyone else noticed this discrepancy with the Richard thing.

See the BookCrossing journal page for this book for more reviews and information. See more progress on: read 100 books in 2006.

#28 Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

My Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

I enjoyed this cute little cozy mystery, and am looking forward to reading the rest in the series. I’m curious to try out some of the the cookie recipies, which I’m going to copy and save from the book. A few times while I was reading I had to go and grab some Milano’s because the way she was describing some of them had my mouth watering. :p

I offered this and Strawberry Shortcake Murder, the second in this series, on the Cozy Mystery Swap so they’re heading to sunlightbub after I’ve finished the second one. I can’t wait to see what recipes are waiting for me in that one! See more progress on: read 100 books in 2006.

#27 Blow Me Down by Katie MacAlister

My Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

This was an okay read. The author often went a little too heavy on the quips and trite phrases, which she openly admitted to in the afterword, but it had me gagging at times. I remember her doing this in her vampire books too. I liked the idea of the virtual reality game based on pirates, but wish there was a little less love and romance in the book overall. This book reminded me why I don’t like romances that much. I think were it not for the pirate VR aspect of it, I’d have put it aside without finishing it… I’ve got a huge stack of other stuff to read and almost felt this wasn’t worth my time, but like I said, the pirate VR aspect made it more interesting and kept me reading.

BTW, the quiz on the web site said I was most like Joy from the Vampire series. Hmmmm… I always thought she was super annoying. I guess I’ll have to watch myself to make sure I really don’t become like her!

See the BookCrossing journal page for this book for more reviews and information. See more progress on read 100 books in 2006.

#26 I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton

My Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

I found this story a bit of a disappointment after the previous two, because Kinsey was back to her previous detached and impersonal demeanor.

Kinsey has been assigned a case previously started by longtime friend and mentor, Morley Shrine, who dropped dead on Sunday after dinner. She’s asked to collect the required evidence, and serve subpoenas, for a wrongful death civil trial attempting to prove the guilt of David Barney, a man previously aquitted of the 6 year old murder of his ex-wife. But was Morley’s death really the result of his sloppy lifestyle and bad heart? Or was he getting a little too close to the truth?

See the BookCrossing journal page for this book for more reviews and information. See more progress on read 100 books in 2006.

#25 H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton

My Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

I really enjoyed this one too. I think it’s because Kinsey is showing us even more of her personal side.

In order to solve a case of insurance fraud, Kinsey befriends Bibianna Diaz, under the guise of “just another gal in the neighborhood”. After following her to a local night club, a showdown ensues between two other people also on Bibianna’s tail, who attempt to abduct her and bring her back to LA to her former fiance, Raymond Maldonado. Kinsey, now known to Bibianna as Hannah Moore, and Jimmy Tate, Bibianna’s new husband, an old friend of Kinsey’s, and former cop gone bad, are there when all this goes down, and Tate ends up shooting out the driver as they try to get away, who turns out to be Raymond’s brother Chago.

To help cement their friendship and hopefully get closer to the information she needs, Kinsey maintains her fake identity when the police show up, and sides with Bibianna while they end up spending the night in jail together. While there, Kinsey is approached by Lt. Dolan from the Santa Teresa P.D., who asks her to go undercover for them to help them get to Raymond Maldonado. As it turns out, Bibianna’s attempt to defraud is small potatoes in comparison to the huge fraud ring that Raymond is running.

The story progresses as Raymond is there to meet Bibianna when her and Kinsey are released from jail. But Bibianna is scared shitless of Raymond and insists that Kinsey not leave her. So now Kinsey is “in”, and the story that ensues is full of grinding action and hard to put down.

See the BookCrossing journal page for this book for more reviews and information. See more progress on read 100 books in 2006.

#24 Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand

My Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

Finished this a couple days ago. Some of the stories were pretty good and others were just plain dumb… but that’s just like urban legends in general, right? Many of these I’ve heard of before, in similar variations, and I liked seeing the slight changes from one version to the next, or how different parts of the story were changed or emphasized more than others depending on the time or location.

See the BookCrossing journal page for this book for more reviews and information. See more progress on read 100 books in 2006.

#23 Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

My Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

This is the 2nd book I’ve read by Crusie and though not my usual genre, I think I liked it better than Fast Women. It started off slow and the first chapter had a hard time holding my interest. I had just finished a cozy mystery, Owls Well Ends Well by Donna Andrews, and the slower pace of Temptation kept putting me to sleep. I almost thought I’d have to put it down before finishing the first chapter. Since I was traveling at the time, and at the 2006 BookCrossing Convention, I had my share of other books to choose from instead of starting this one. Fortunately, I kept at it though, and the pace picked up as additional characters were introduced.

See the BookCrossing journal page for this book for more reviews and information. See more progress on read 100 books in 2006.