• Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Wading Through...

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Love Finds You in Hershey Pennsylvania by Cerella D. Sechrist

Title: Love Finds You in Hershey Pennsylvania

Author: Cerella D. Sechrist

Publisher: Summerside Press 2010

Genre: Christian Romance

Pages: 347

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; A to Z - L; What's in a Name - City; 52 Books - W2; New Author

Chef Sadie Spencer is living the sweet life, running a successful eatery in the charming town of Hershey. That is, until a handsome stranger arrives with plans to open a competing restaurant. Will Sadie melt under the pressure…or find a love that's simply icing on the cake?

Not impressed by this one.  I enjoyed the first half of the book.  Sadie and Jaspar were an interesting couple and I love them getting together.  And then the book took a huge turn and I just wanted to slap Sadie. Ugh!  Not a fan of that character at all.  Her obsession with the dessert competition wasn't an interesting challenge, it was neglectful. I just couldn't stand her at all. My major dislike of the main character permeated my reading experience for the rest of the novel. I finished it, but wasn't excited at all.

tags: 3 stars, 52 books in 52 weeks, a to z, Bout of Books Readathon, Christian, library, New Author, romance, What's in a Name
categories: Book Reviews
Monday 01.05.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Title: Midnight in Austenland (Austenland #2)

Author: Shannon Hale

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2012

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library; A to Z - M; Seriously Series

When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

A lovely little breezy book to start off the year right.  I didn't love this one as much as the first in the series, but it was still a treat.  We get to see some familiar characters (Miss Charming, Colonel Andrews, and of course Mrs. Wattlesbrook), plus some great new ones.  Miss Gardenside was my favorite.  I figured her twist out right away, but she was a nice character to follow.  My main issue was with the main character.  I wasn't huge fan of Charlotte, but grew to like her more as the story progressed.  The murder mystery was a bit forced at times, but was still enjoyable.  A nice companion novel to Austenland.

 Austenland:

  • #1 Austenland
  • #2 Midnight in Austenland
tags: 4 stars, a to z, library, Seriously Series, Shannon Hale
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 01.04.15
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2012 Reading Challenge Round-Up -- Failed Edition

I hear 2013 calling my name.  I think it's time to call 2012 quits and start my end of the year posts.  In total I entered 27 reading challenges this year.  Let's see how I did...  Failed challenges edition.

Wow!  Two years in a row I wanted to read this series and two years in a row I utterly failed...

  1. Outlander (1991)
  2. Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
  3. Voyager (1994)
  4. Drums of Autumn (1997)
  5. The Fiery Cross (2001)

So close!  Yet, I didn't complete it in time.  Those Us and Xs are very hard to find.  And I cheated a bit with the Q.

  • A — American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout (2/2/12)
  • B — Bad Doings and Big Ideas by Bill Willingham (4/23/12)
  • C — Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (1/12/12)
  • D — Doctor Who: Through Time and Space (2/22/12)
  • E — The Boys Volume 10 by Garth Ennis (6/7/12)
  • F — Frostbite by Richelle Mead (6/22/12)
  • G — A Gentleman Always Remembers by Candace Camp (2/7/12)
  • H — Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (1/8/12)
  • I – Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon (6/29/12)
  • J — The Joy of Scrapbooking by Lisa Bearnson (1/30/12)
  • K — Wonderland by Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew (5/23/12)
  • L — A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp (1/23/12)
  • M — The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (2/11/12)
  • N — Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli (6/1/12)
  • O — Slanted and Enchanted by Kayla Oakes (9/16/12)
  • P — The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (5/7/12)
  • Q — Social Q’s by Philip Galanes (12/4/12)
  • R — Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (2/1/12)
  • S — Fables: Super Group (2/2/12)
  • T — Timeless by Gail Carriger (3/18/12)
  • U —
  • V — The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (4/20/12)
  • W — Fables: Witches by Bill Willingham (1/6/12)
  • X –
  • Y — The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (2/26/12)
  • Z — Zombie Blondes by Brian James (2/4/12)

Failed, but a pretty decent showing considering my goal.

  • 0-99 — This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson (9/1/12)
  • 100-199 — Haunts of San Jose by David Lee (9/1/12)
  • 200-299 — The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (2/26/12)
  • 300-309 — Click edited by J. Courtney Sullivan and Courtney Martin (12/7/12)
  • 310-319
  • 320-329 — Liberty Defined by Ron Paul (9/3/12)
  • 330-339 — The Green Book (12/11/12)
  • 340-349 — Active Liberty by Stephen Breyer (12/10/12)
  • 350-359
  • 360-369
  • 370-379 — Change.edu by Andrew Rosen (9/16/12)
  • 380-389 — On Target by Laura Rowley (9/19/12)
  • 390-399 – Social Q’s by Philip Galanes (12/4/12)
  • 400-499 — Words Words Words by David Crystal (12/5/12)
  • 500-599
  • 600-699 — The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (4/18/12)
  • 700-709 — Slanted and Enchanted by Kayla Oakes (9/16/12)
  • 710-719
  • 720-729
  • 730-739 – Minigami by Gay Merrill Gross (12/11/12)
  • 740-749 — Blue by Lisa Cregan (12/10/12)
  • 750-759 — Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun by Gita May (9/21/12)
  • 760-769
  • 770-779 — The Joy of Scrapbooking by Lisa Bearnson (1/30/12)
  • 780-789
  • 790-799 — Harry Potter Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley (1/29/12)
  • 800-899 — Readings on Shakespeare’s The Histories (3/25/12)
  • 900-909 — The Lost Millennium by Florin Diacu (9/12/12)
  • 910-919 — Paris in Love by Eloisa James (5/16/12)
  • 920-929 — Not Quite What I was Planning (12/3/12)
  • 930-939 — Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History by Patrick Hunt (9/18/12)
  • 940-949 — Sprezzatura by D’Epiro and Pinkowish (12/6/12)
  • 950-959
  • 960-969 — A History of Egypt by Jason Thompson (12/7/12)
  • 970-979 – Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (6/17/12)
  • 980-989
  • 990-999

Another overly ambitious goal, but I gave it a try anyway.

  • 1982 — Blade Runner / Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (11/27/12)
  • 1983 –
  • 1984 –
  • 1985 –
  • 1986 –
  • 1987 –
  • 1988 — The Sandman Volume 1 Preludes and Nocturnes (6/4/12)
  • 1989 –
  • 1990 — The Sandman Volume 2 the Doll’s House (6/6/12)
  • 1991 — Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (1/8/12)
  • 1992 — The Sandman Volume 4 Season of Mists (7/2/12)
  • 1993 — The Sandman Volume 5 A Game of You (7/5/12)
  • 1994 —
  • 1995 — The Dark Compass by Philip Pullman (8/12/12)
  • 1996 — The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (4/20/12)
  • 1997 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
  • 1998 — Reading’s on Shakespeare’s The Histories (3/25/12)
  • 1999 — HP 2 by J.K. Rowling (2/22/12)
  • 2000 — The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (8/20/12)
  • 2001 — Sprezzatura by D’Epiro and Pinkowish (12/6/12)
  • 2002 –
  • 2003 — HP 5 by J.K. Rowling (5/29/12)
  • 2004 — Persepolis: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi (7/4/12)
  • 2005 — The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (4/8/12)
  • 2006 – Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (6/17/12)
  • 2007 — Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster (1/29/12)
  • 2008 — Hatter M Vol. 1 (1/15/12)
  • 2009 — The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks (1/7/12)
  • 2010 — Fables: Witches (1/6/12)
  • 2011 — Jack of Fables: The End (1/6/12)

This one was a bit of a joke.  I think I knew signing up that I wouldn't complete it.  Oh well!

1. Blue — Blue by Lisa Cregan (12/10/12)

2. Red — Fables: Rose Red (1/10/12)

3. Yellow —

4. Green — The Green Book (12/11/12)

5. Brown — Choclate by Shara Aaron and Monica Bearden (12/4/12)

6. Black — Blackout by Mira Grant (10/17/12) 7. White — The White Pearl by Kate Furnivall (12/13/12)

8. Other Color —

9. Word that implies color —

This one was a seasonal challenge with interesting qualifies.  And yet I only finished 9 out of the 14 categories.

  1. Read a book chosen for the U.S. 2012 World Book Night.
  2. Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted.
  3. Read a memoir or narrative nonfiction book. – Paris in Love by Eloisa James
  4. Read a book in one calendar day. – The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults by Stephen Mitchell
  5. Read a book that you’ve always wanted to read but haven’t gotten around to yet. – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
  6. Read a pair of books that have antonyms in the titles. – Beauty by Robin McKinley and
  7. Read a book that is set in a place you’ve never been but want to visit. – The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Salem, Massachusetts)
  8. Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare. Or find a movie released the year you were born that was based on a book. Do the same thing.
  9. Go into a bookstore or library. Pick any bookshelf. Read the third book from the left on the fourth shelf from the top
  10. Read a book about which you’ve heard bad things. – Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
  11. Read a trilogy (or any three consecutive books in a series). Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages. – A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray; Rebel Angels by Libba Bray; The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
tags: a to z, colors, My Years, nonfiction, Outlander
categories: Reading Challenges
Saturday 12.29.12
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2012 A to Z Reading Challenge

 I'm trying this yet again.  I failed last year, but just barely.  I'm going to try and seek out some new authors to fill these spots.  I'm going for a combined list of Authors and Titles. 

  • A -- P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
  • B -- Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
  • C -- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  • D -- Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts
  • E --
  • F -- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
  • G -- Hand of Isis by Jo Graham
  • H -- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • I --
  • J -- Zombie Blondes by Brian James
  • K -- King Lear by Shakespeare
  • L -- The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
  • M -- The Maiden's Hand by Susan Wiggs
  • N --
  • O -- One Goot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
  • P -- The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
  • Q -- Queen of Light by Jennifer Armintrout
  • R -- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
  • S -- A Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
  • T -- This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • U --
  • V -- Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
  • W -- Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster
  • X --
  • Y -- Year Zero by Jeff Long
  • Z --
tags: a to z
categories: Reading Challenges
Thursday 12.29.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2011 A to Z Reading Challenge

Another Great Challenge.  This one from A to Z Challenge.

January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...
Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.
Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.
Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books
How strict is the 26 or 52? I know it isn't always easy to find those difficult letters. The thought of finding the X's (for example) might scare folks away. It shouldn't! I'm a merciful host! (Ask anyone!)
If you want to give the X's a go... For authors, try to find an X in the first name, middle name, or last name. For titles, it doesn't have to be the starting word. Try to find an X somewhere in a title, and it'd count in my book.
Still can't find a book for the letter you need? I'll take your word for it. I've been there. I know. If your library doesn't see the need to order books just because it starts with an X, then I don't blame you for not wanting to special order a book that you may or may not enjoy. You gave it your best, don't feel bad. You can still make this challenge work for you.

I've decided to do this challenge with author last names.  Here are my tentative choices (with any cross listings):

A -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galazy by Douglas Adams (Science Fiction; TwentyEleven: Back in the Day; Pages to Screen)

B -- The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (Science Fiction)

C -- Souless by Gail Carriger (Steampunk)

D -- Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz (YA)

E -- The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Ephron

F -- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Fantasy; YA)

G -- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia (Fantasy)

H -- The First Princess of Wales by Kathleen Harper (Historical Fiction)

I -- Which Witch by Eva Ibboston

J -- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (TwentyEleven: Slim Pickings)

K -- Fallen by Lauren Kate (YA)

L -- Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov (Amazon's Best of 2010: Customer Favorites)

M -- Steamed by Kate MacAlister (Steampunk)

N -- One Day by David Nicholls (Amazon's Best of 2010: Editor Picks)

O -- The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell (Amazon's Best of 2010: Editor Picks)

P -- Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti (Steampunk)

Q -- Personal Reserach by Cari Quinn (Contemporary Romance)

R -- The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch (Amazon's Best of 2010: Customer Favorites)

S -- Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris (Amazon's Best of 2010: Customer Favorites)

T -- Shaken by Dee Tenorio (Contemporary Romance)

U -- Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

V -- Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer (Steampunk)

W -- The White Mare by Jules Watson (Historical Fiction)

X -- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (TwentyEleven: Back in the Day)

Y -- Love Me If You Must by Nicole Young

Z -- Keeping Katherine by Susan Zimmerman

With every book read, I will definitely post reviews.

tags: a to z
categories: Reading Challenges
Wednesday 01.05.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
Newer / Older

Powered by Squarespace.