January Letterboxing

This has been a great month for letterboxing - I've practiced carving a bit, creating a couple stamps that I feel good enough to share.  They're still pretty crappy, but I love being a part of postals, so I'm working on my carve-man-ship as much as I can.  I went out last weekend and the weekend before, looking for plants.  Hit the 80 mark, most of them being "drive-bys," though a few were "strolls."  Next weekend is the Tucson gathering, which I'm pretty excited (and nervous!) about.

My numbers as of 1/31/16

P1 F80 X20

HH 3F
Postals 4P 26F 4C
LTCs 1P 9F 1C
Event Boxes 4F

Totals for January:
New carves:  
Quisp - Desert Morning (which I rip and distress and turn into the above)

Poet's Tree by Shel Silverstein for IR's Newbie Postal Tracker

Also a sugar skull, which I'm not sure what I'm going to do with yet:

Plus:
Finds:
7 - (all drive-bys)

Postals
16 - most in the Favorite Books Ring,
the first two in the Scenic Drives Ring
Gnome Place Like Home micro
Hang Ten, Puka

I've Been Cooking - Salsa Chicken Casserole

(Recipe calls for an 8x8 pan - I don't think that would be big enough.  I used my biggish casserole dish.  You want it to be deep enough to immerse the chicken.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dump into casserole dish:

1 c. uncooked Basmati rice
1 c. froz corn, thawed (I threw in the whole bag)
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 16-oz jar Salsa
1 c. chicken broth
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken (I used thighs)
      Make sure the chicken is immersed in the liquid.

Cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 1 hr.
(Rice was not yet cooked all the way and chicken didn't look ready, either.  I added another 45 minutes.  Rice, by then, was a little mushy - but I used regular white rice instead of Basmati.  However, a bit mushy or not, it was delicious.)

The recipe adds: take it out of the oven, cover with 1 c. shredded cheese and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes for the cheese to melt.  Since, I'm not particularly fond of cheese, I skipped this step.

I found this recipe when someone shared it on Facebook.  It comes from a website called TipHero.

2016 CRAFT Challenges

Completed:
Brendan's Maine Woods Quilt

New Pattern to use and Kits to complete!
Charlie's Rag Quilt
Row by Row:  Simply Stashing (Littlestown, PA)
Row by Row:  Bittersweet Fabric (Boscawen, NH)
Row by Row:  The Yardstick (Cobbleskill, NY)
Row by Row:  Ivy Thimble Quilt Shop (Victor, NY)
Row by Row:  Country Treasures Quilt Shop (Brockport, NY)
Row by Row:  Sew What? Quilt Shope (Amherst, NY)
Row by Row:  Log Cabin Quilt Shop (Bird in Hand, PA)
Row by Row:  Stitch in Time (Greencastle, PA)
Row by Row "The Ninth Row":  Stitch in Time (Greencastle, PA)
Butterfly House Braggin Pole (Vertical License Plate wall hanging) by Patch Abilities
Fat Quarter Pop-Up (Came with the wire) by the Fat Quarter Gypsy
Fabric License Plate Tote by Cut Loose Press
Mini Alphabet Quilt by Primitive Gatherings
Pieced Pincushions (easy) by Indygo Junction
Feed Sack (with jelly roll) by Fig Tree & Co.
The Quilter's Advent Calendar by Meadow Lily Bridge
Arizona Postcard by Zebra
Goblin Hat (slouchy) with yarn bought in Rockland, ME
2 3-yd lap quilts
pajama bottoms
place mat (pattern bought in NY)

UFO Challenge 

Cacophony Quilt
Dede's picnic quilt
Josh & Julie's wedding quilt
Brian's Maine Lap Quilt
My window quilt (Suzi)
Brian & Heather's Burgundy & Green Bed Quilt
B & W & Bright Colored diagonal half-squares
Aqua Kokopelli tote
Heather's two rag pillows

Let's Use Up All Those Scrappy Strips!

Yup, decided to start a scrappy strip quilt.  I've got a huge basket of them.  I'm pulling out little strings and kids' fabrics to save for baskets and a baby strip quilt and chucking anything that is just too teeny tiny.  I've got to stop saving every little scrap!

I've decided on a couple of things:
8/5 inch blocks: I can use my leftover 8.5 x 11 printed-on-one-side scrap paper to make the foundation pies.  Easy peasy.

Center strip of a white (any white) 2-inches wide so that some sort of design will play out when I start putting the quilt together.

Size?  Not too big - must decide who this is being made for!  But it's fun and easy.

I have the iron on a towel to the right of my machine so that I can iron each piece as I add it, with my iPod reading me a book (The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths right now) I can make one or two before getting bored and going on to something else.

Number of squares made yesterday and today:  6

3. The Fifth Wave - Rick Yancey

#1 The Fifth Wave
read on my iPhone
2013 G. P. Putnam's Sons
457 pgs.
YA Dystopia/SciFi
Finished 1/30/16
Goodreads rating:  4.17
My rating: 4.5
Setting: Contemporary Ohio, after the world's been taken over by aliens

First line/s:  "Aliens are stupid.  I'm not talking about real aliens. The Others aren't stupid.  The Others are so far ahead of us, it's like comparing the smartest human to the dumbest dog.  No contest.  No, I'm talking about the aliens inside our own heads."

My comments:  This was definitely an edge-of-your-seat book, which I read in anticipation of the movie; this is one I wanted to read before I saw.  Entertaining.  Somewhat suspenseful.  Heavy.  And as much as part of me wants to run right out and see the movie - today - another part of me is definitely not ready.  I couldn't put it down, yet I didn't want to pick it up.  That's TRULY mixed feelings, about a book that really gets to you.  This one did. (When I ask myself why I gave it a 4.5 instead of a 5, I realize the violence factor was a little too much for me, which is what edged it down to the 4.5)

Goodreads synopsis:  After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
          Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

MOVIE - Burnt

R (1:40)

Wide release 10/30/15

Viewed 1/228/16 at Kolb Century Gateway

RT Critic: 29   Audience:  48
Critic's Consensus:  Burnt offers a few spoonfuls of compelling culinary drama, but they're lost in a watery goulash dominated by an unsavory main character and overdone clichés.

Cag:  4/ Liked it a lot

Directed by John Wells

The Weinstein Company

Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

My comments:  Bradley Cooper.  Yup, that's my comment.  Bradley Cooper.  No need to say more!  Set in London, this is the story of a man's regrets, pain, obsessions, dependency, and dealing with outwitting his own self-destructive ways.  Sounds heavy, and it was in places, but if watched with a smirk (Bradley Cooper!) the story is quite palatable and completely entertaining.

RT Summary:  Chef Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) had it all - and lost it. The former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene had earned two Michelin stars and only ever cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. To land his own kitchen and that third elusive star though, Jones will need to leave his bad habits behind and get the best of the best on his side, including the beautiful Helene (Sienna Miller). BURNT is a remarkably funny and emotional story about the love of food, the love between two people, and the power of second chances.

I've Been Cooking - COWBOY Stew

Cowboy Stew

1 lb. ground turkey, browned & drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
6 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 can diced tomatoes - undrained
diced garlic,
lots of chopped onions, green peppers, celery, mushrooms
salt & pepper.

Cook in crockpot on low for 7 - 8 hours.

NOTE #1:  I found that at 5 hours it was perfect to eat.  Perhaps my LOW is not exactly low?)
NOTE #2 - This, of course, made a huge amount.  I enjoyed it so much that I ate it almost every night for a week.  The last night I added a (drained) can of green beans.  YUM.

2. Small Wars - Lee Child

Jack Reacher #19.5
(1:30) on Audible
audio read by Dick Hill
2015 Transworld Digital
44 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery "short story"
Finished
Goodreads rating: 3.97
My rating:  4
Setting:  Georgia

First line/s:  "In the spring of 1989 Caroline Crawford was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.  She bought a silver Porsche to celebrate.  She had family money, people said, and plenty of it.  A trust fund, maybe.  Some eminent relative.  Maybe an inventor.  Her uniforms were tailored in D. C. by the same shop that made suits for the president.  She was held to be the richest woman in the army.  Not that the bar was high."

My comments:  Short and sweet...a short story, I guess.  Another interesting look at brother Joe.... It's fun to read (listen to) a shortie in between the regular book-length ones.  Decent story, too.

Goodreads synopsis:  A young lieutenant colonel, in a stylish handmade uniform, roars through the damp woods of Georgia in her new silver Porsche - until she meets a very tall soldier with a broken-down car.
       What could connect a cold-blooded off-post shooting with Reacher, his elder brother Joe, and a secretive unit of pointy-heads from the Pentagon?

1. Crime of Privilege - Walter Walker

audio cd back & forth from school January 2016
audio read by Stephen Hoye
11 cds/14 hours
2013 Random House Audio
432 pgs.
Adult mystery
Finished 1/22/16
Goodreads rating: 3.30
My rating: 3/ definitely kept my attention, got tired of the protagonist
Setting: Cape Cod, Massaachusetts

First line/s: "Almost everyone had heard of the family mansion on Ocean Boulevard, but very few had been there."

My comments:  It did seem like there were some cumbersome/drawn-on-too-long places, but overall, this was a very good read.  I never really liked the protagonist especially (maybe it was the way he was read) and although there were no real surprises, I enjoyed listening to how the story unfolded.  I know the story was a parody of the Kennedy family (I know there were all sorts of scandals and secrets) but I hated to put them in the place of this Gregory family, for some reason.  I guess I really like the Kennedy family....

Goodreads synopsis: A murder on Cape Cod. A rape in Palm Beach. 
All they have in common is the presence of one of America's most beloved and influential families. But nobody is asking questions. Not the police. Not the prosecutors. And certainly not George Becket, a young lawyer toiling away in the basement of the Cape & Islands district attorney's office. George has always lived at the edge of power. He wasn't born to privilege, but he understands how it works and has benefitted from it in ways he doesn't like to admit. Now, an investigation brings him deep inside the world of the truly wealthy--and shows him what a perilous place it is. 
Years have passed since a young woman was found brutally slain at an exclusive Cape Cod golf club, and no one has ever been charged. Cornered by the victim's father, George can't explain why certain leads were never explored--leads that point in the direction of a single family--and he agrees to look into it.
What begins as a search through the highly stratified layers of Cape Cod society, soon has George racing from Idaho to Hawaii, Costa Rica to France to New York City. But everywhere he goes he discovers people like himself: people with more secrets than answers, people haunted by a decision years past to trade silence for protection from life's sharp edges. George finds his friends are not necessarily still friends and a spouse can be unfaithful in more ways than one. And despite threats at every turn, he is driven to reconstruct the victim's last hours while searching not only for a killer but for his own redemption. 

MOVIE - Grandma

R (1:22)

Limited release 8/21/15

Viewed Friday 1/22/16 at Kolb cheapie theater

RT Critic:  92  Audience:  71
Critic's Consensus:  Boasting a stellar performance from Lily Tomlin and some powerfully empathetic work from writer-director Paul Weitz, Grandma is a dramedy that shouldn't have to ask you to visit.

Cag:  4 - Liked it a lot

Directed by Paul Weitz

Sony Pictures Classics
will be on DVD 2/9/16

Lily Tomlin, Marcia Gay Harden, Sam Elliot

My comments: Lily Tomlin was great, though I must say some of her "antics" were a little too over-the-top.  Many were right-on of course.  Grief, loss, love, disagreements, family sticky stuff were all examined, with a pretty decent resolution.  I totally enjoyed it, and the thinking that was provoked during and after.

RT Summary:  Lily Tomlin stars as Elle who has just gotten through breaking up with her girlfriend when Elle's granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing $600 bucks before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash as their unannounced visits to old friends and flames end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets

2016 Oscars

Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Best Director 
Adam McKay for The Big Short
George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Inarriut for The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson for Room
Tom McCarthy for Spotlight

Best Actor
Bryant Cranston - Trumbo
Matt Damon - The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara - Carol
Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Best Foreign Language Film
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)
Mustang (France)
Hungary (Son of Saul)
Theeb (Jordan)
A War (Denmark)

Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out - saw it, but didn't review
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

I've Been Cooking - Ramen Skillet

Ramen Skillet

I've adjusted the ingredients so that it has less meat (there was too much the first time) and more noodles (there wasn't enough the first time)!

1/2 lb. hamburger
2 pkgs. Ramen Noodles
1 bag frozen corn
2 cups water (or broth that matches the ramen flavor)

Brown the burger - I didn't use a skillet because I didn't have a cover, I used a very large saucepan that had a cover that fit.  Drain the grease off as well as you can.  I added everything else, covered, brought it to a boil, tested the noodles, and ENJOYED!

Of course, with a pound of burger and 4 pkgs. of noodles, it'll last all week!

MOVIE - Mustang

Nominated for Best Foreign Film, 2016 Academy Awards
PG-13

Wide release 11/20/15

Viewed 1/19/16 at the Loft with Sheila

RT Critic: 97   Audience:  89
Critic's Consensus:  Mustang delivers a bracing -- and thoroughly timely -- message whose power is further bolstered by the efforts of a stellar ensemble cast.

Cag:  5/Loved it

Directed by Deniz Gamze Erguven (a female!)

CG Cinema (at the end of the credits it said FRANCE, GERMANY, TURKEY

In Turkish with subtitles

Actors were AMAZING!

My comments:  It took place in Turkey and was in Turkish.  It told a great (though sad) story.  The acting was superb.  Getting a chance to glimpse a little bit Turkey once again was fantastic.  Watching it with a friend: extra special.  Loved this movie!

RT Summary:  Early summer in a village in Northern Turkey. Five free-spirited teenaged sisters splash about on the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are merely innocent fun, a neighbor passes by and reports what she considers to be illicit behavior to the girls' family. The family overreacts, removing all "instruments of corruption," like cell phones and computers, and essentially imprisoning the girls, subjecting them to endless lessons in housework in preparation for them to become brides. As the eldest sisters are married off, the younger ones bond together to avoid the same fate. The fierce love between them empowers them to rebel and chase a future where they can determine their own lives in Deniz Gamze Ergüven's debut, a powerful portrait of female empowerment.

A Sunday Drive (On Monday) and So Much More!

What an awesome "Sunday Drive" I had today - enjoyed my day off celebrating Martin Luther King and Civil Rights in this gorgeous desert.  I made a huge loop around the city, wandering around on the west side of the Tucson Mountains where I don't think there's more gorgeous terrain anywhere in the world.  So many cactus!

First, though, I went up to Sentinel Park and visited A Mountain.  It's sort of like going to the top of Cadillac (in Acadia) but with a completely different feel.  Since it's not part of the National Park system, it's not in pristine condition.  There's graffiti.  There's shining glass and ground-in litter in the parking areas.  The views are incredibly expansive - 360 degrees!  Granted, the view does not include ocean and lakes and incredible greenness, but the views of the city, with mountains, and cacti and beautiful blue skies are just as spectacular in their own way.  The cars parked up there - and there are many, many people enjoying the vies, sitting on the rocks and looking out over the expanse - are, for the most part, battered and old.  Mine included.  A free view.  Clean air.  What more could one want?

I found a letterbox up here, too, which was the reason I ascended, but became a plus.  I really enjoyed this trip.  The woman who planted the box let me know that she no longer comes to Tucson (her daughter was a student at the U of A when the mom planted it) and she's glad it's still safe and being found.

From there I hit Silverbell and headed north.  Hadn't been over here in years.  Stopped at Christopher Columbus Park where I found another plant by Desert Flower.  I was sure I was nowhere near where I was supposed to be, but followed the directions and VOILA!  There it was!

From there I headed north even more to go to the Picture Rocks area, meandering across the Tucson Mountains, along Sanderio Road, Kinney Road, and Gates Pass Road.  LOVE IT SO MUCH OVER THERE!

I found my last letterbox of the day along the side of Wade Road, in a desert setting, in the midst of all sorts of cacti.  The letterbox was called "Cactus Village."  Cactus Village to be sure!  Two different kinds of cholla, barrel, prickly pear, and saguaro plus a whole lot of creosote bushes and small palo verdi trees - just gorgeous, just sitting there.  With the letterbox sitting innocently a hundred feet or so from the edge of the road.

As a side note, I checked my altimeter reading at the top of Gates Pass and it was 3150 feet.  I don't usually drive from west to east over Gates Pass and I missed the view going the other way.  It was still pretty darned breathtaking.....

Pickin' Away - Found Three on Saturday

When I headed out Saturday it was to do a few errands, but ended up hunting for ... and finding ... three letterboxes.  The first was at El Corral Restaurant, just west of where I work, on River Road.  The parking lot was empty so I was a bit conspicuous, but I tromped up the hill and easily found it under a tree.  So much fun!

From there I headed to La Encantada for a fabulous carving - parking and walking along a somewhat busy intersection at the north of the shopping center.  I often wonder what people think when they see a rather large older woman picking her way through the cacti in the middle of nowhere, heading for a rock.....

My last find was at the Holy Hope Cemetery on Oracle.  I LOVE the directions for this one, "find Jesus in the roundabout" !! There was a perfect hole in the junction of some branches in a tree.  For all three I could hop back into the car and enjoy my stamping with not time constraints.

So much fun!

MOVIE - The Intern

PG-13

Wide release 9/25/15

Kolb cheapie theater, Wed. 1/13/16

RT Critic: 60   Audience:  76
Critic's Consensus:  The Intern doesn't do enough with its timely premise, but benefits from the unorthodox chemistry of its talented leads.

Cag: 4,5 Liked it a whole lot

Directed by Nancy Meyers

Warner Bros. Pictures

Robert DeNiro, Anne Hathaway

My comments:  I looked forward to this for months, and was not disappointed.  Because age (mine) is seriously starting to bother me....people make me feel so old.....this was a huge boost, full of positivity and chemistry between the two marvelous protagonists.  It got a bit smarmy in a place or two, gave me some great laughs, and was a real pleaser!

RT Summary:  70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

2016 Movie List

*6*  Awesome
5  Loved it
4  Liked it a lot
3  Liked it
2  It was okay
1  Nope

So Far in 2016 

62 Movies on the BIG SCREEN
1 Movie on the tiny screen
2015 - 37 movies
2014 - 46 movies
2013 - 48 movies
2012 - 37 movies
2011 - 54 movies

Why Him?  (4.5) Crass and a real hoot
Rules Don't Apply (4) Unsettling Hollywood Biopic
missing one - Century Gateway
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (4) HarryPotterish/Rowling Fantasy
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (4.5) Clever fantasy/time-travel
Moonlight (4.5) "Life" in three parts....
Keeping Up With the Joneses (3.5) Fun and funny, too
Arrival (5.5) A scifi wowzer film
Jane Got a Gun (4.5) Good western, strong leads
Doctor Strange (5) Special effects are AMAZING
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (4.5) Really well done
The Magnificent 7 (4)  The old west...lots of gunfights, as expected, but entertaining story
Bridget Jones's Baby (4) Much better than expected and very funny
Inferno (3) Confusing and disjointed
Masterminds (3.5) Stupidly hilarious
The Dressmaker (3) HATED it and loved it....
Denial (4) learned much about the British Judicial system
Mechanic:  Resurrection (3.5) Very entertaining once you get past the shoot-em-up stuff
Florence Foster Jenkins (4.5) A farce....based on a true story....
The Accountant (5.5) Brilliant, intertwining story with Ben Affleck and Ann Kendrick - one of my favorites so far this year.
Queen of Katwe (4.5) True story of a chess prodigy in contemporary Uganda
Bad Moms (3) funny - could have been funnier
Cafe Society (4) Woody Allen set in the 1930s
The Hollars (4) Dramady with great actors
Captain America: Civil War (4) Super Heroes at their best!
Snowden (9/20/16) Very Good Biopic (5)
Nerve
Star Trek Beyond (2) 80% boring 20% fun
War Dogs (4.5) "troubling" real-world stuff
Sully (5.5) Tribute to an "everyday hero"
Hell or High Water (6) One of the best in a long time...high cudos for acting and story
Secret Life of Pets (3) Somewhat watchable...but the kids liked it
Jason Bourne (3) All car chases and macho
Anthropoid (4) Learned a bit about Czecholslovakia during Hitler's reign
Nine Lives (3.5) Great fun, and a family movie to boot
Captain Fantastic (5.5) Wonderful...thought-provoking, funny AND sad
Ice Age (1) Tristan liked it...a little....
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (5) Delightful - a great family film from New Zealand
Finding Dory (8/2016) Saw it twice - and didn't mind.... (3.5)
Central Intelligence (3.5) Know it's stupid going in, and not disappointed - fun
Love and Friendship (3)
Me Before You (1.5) Nicholas-Sparks-like tear jerker
Criminal (4) fun-to-watch thriller with a happy ending
Deadpool (4) Crass, funny, and violent
Dough (4) Jewish baker in London
A Hologram for the King (5) another Tom Hanks winner
The Hateful Eight (4) Bloody and gory and funny
Risen (4) Great historical fiction set in 33 AD
Midnight Special
Hello, My Name is Doris (2.5) Left me incredibly depressed
ET
London Has Fallen (3.5) Ridiculous and violent...but entertaining
10 Cloverfield Lane (2) Not particularly "thriller" or "smart" IMHO
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (5) really interesting and fun to watch
Triple 9 - (4) Gritty and bloody, but mesmerizing
Eddie the Eagle (5) A true event feel-good story
The Lady in the Van (6) Maggie Smith's most marvelous movie!
Burnt (4)  Bradley Cooper playing a chef....
Grandma (4) Lily Tomlin and lots to think about...
Mustang (5) In Turkish with subtitles, five incredible actresses playing sisters
The Intern (4.5) Delightful, about friendship between different aged people
Brooklyn (5.5) An almost-perfect movie
Star Wars Episode 7:  The Force Awakens (4.5) Great story, wonderful actors

WOW Movies of 2016
The Arrival (5.5)
The Accountant (5.5)
Sully (5.5)
Hell or High Water (6)
Captain Fantastic (5.5)
The Lady in the Van  (6)
Brooklyn (5.5)

REALLY GOOD Movies of 2016 (4.5 & 5)
Why Him?  (4.5) Crass and a real hoot
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (4.5)
Moonlight (4.5) "Life" in three parts....
Jane Got a Gun (4.5)
Doctor Strange (5) Special effects are AMAZING
Florence Foster Jenkins (4.5)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (4.5)
Queen of Katwe (4.5)
Snowden  (5)
War Dogs (4.5)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (5)
A Hologram for the King (5) 
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (5)
Eddie the Eagle (5)
The Intern (4.5)
Mustang (5)
Star Wars Episode 7:  The Force Awakens (4.5)

Good/Fun Movies of 2016 (3, 3.5, and 4)
The Hollars (4)
Rules Don't Apply (4)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (4)
Bridget Jones's Baby (4)
Keeping Up With the Joneses (3.5)
The Magnificent 7 (4)
Inferno (3)
Masterminds (3.5)
The Dressmaker (3)
Denial (4)
Mechanic:  Resurrection (3.5)
Captain America: Civil War (4)
Bad Moms (3)
Cafe Society (4)
Jason Bourne (3)
Anthropoid (4)
Nine Lives (3.5)
Finding Dory (8/2016) Saw it twice - and didn't mind.... (3.5)
Secret Life of Pets (3)
Central Intelligence (3.5)
Love and Friendship (3)
Deadpool (4)
Dough  (4)
Hello, My Name is Doris (2.5)
Criminal (4)
The Hateful Eight (4)
Risen (4)
London Has Fallen (3.5)
Triple 9  (4)
Burnt (4)
Grandma (4)

Not-so-great Movies of 2016 (Mediocre & Just Plain DIDN'T LIKE)
Star Trek Beyond (2)
10 Cloverfield Lane (2)
Ice Age (1)

MOVIE - Brooklyn

PG-13 (1:51)

Limited release 11/4/15

Viewed Tuesday, 1/12/16 at ElCon

RT Critic:  98  Audience:  90
Critic's Consensus:   Brooklyn buttresses outstanding performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen with a rich period drama that tugs at the heartstrings as deftly as it satisfies the mind.

Cag:  5.5 Just loved it, top quality, too...

Directed by John Crowley
Written by Nick Hornby

Fox Searchlight

Saoirse Ronan - who was absolutely wonderful!

My comments: A period story, (early 1950s) with excellent acting, lots of giggles, a few tiny sniffles, and wonderful costuming and hairstyles.  The storytelling was superb, not sappy, thoughtful, with a lovely, perfect ending.

RT Summary:  Eilis Lacey followed her sister, Rose's, plan to leave Ireland and find a better future and job in the US. She departs terribly, enduring seasickness and a terrible relationship with her cabin mates. A kind traveler gives her advice to live in Brooklyn, where many Irish immigrants live. Eilis settles in Brooklyn and becomes close to Father Flood, a Catholic priest. She gets a job in a department store and falls in love with an Italian boy named Tony. News from home sends Eilis back to Ireland, away from Tony.

MOVIE - Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens

PG-13 (2:16)

Wide release 12/18/15

Roadhouse Cinemas Friday 1/8/16

RT Critic: 93   Audience: 90
Critic's Consensus:   Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series' former glory while injecting it with renewed energy. 

Cag:  4.5 Liked it a great deal

Directed by J. J. Abrams

Walt Disney Pictures

Harrison Ford

My comments:  This was excellent storytelling that somewhat paralled the first episode - I loved the story, the actors, and was totally able to follow the plot the first time (unlike others in the series).  Very enjoyable, with a great deal of humor.

RT Summary:  They've done a great job about keeping the plot under wraps so that no spoilers leak out to people that haven't seen the movie yet:  The Star Wars saga continues with this seventh entry -- the first under the Walt Disney Co. umbrella. The film will act as the start of a new trilogy set after the events of Return of the Jedi. 

A Little New Year's Eve Letterboxing

What a great way to end the new year - and fill the last page of my current logbook - than spending the day with a best friend and visiting a new library  (I can't believe what a tiny library the big town of Brewer, Maine has). I love these clever, inside-a-book letterboxes, and this one certainly did NOT disappoint!

See the slender red volume?  It has no shiny cover, and would probably not be picked up by anyone to look over....it sits there so innocently!

Fran opened it up to read the page below:

Then, snuggled into a cut after turning this page:

So COOL!

Thanks On the Corner!

You can check this letterbox out on Atlas Quest here.

2016 Reading Challenges

2016 Reading Challenges

16 Challenges for 2016

1.  Published in the Current Year - 2016

(except Picture Books, which are outlined below)

1.  The Opposite of Everyone  by Joshilyn Jackson ADULT CRF

2.  Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard YA

3.  Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor YA

4.  The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza ADULT Myst

5.  Hard Light bt Elizabeth Hand ADULT Myst

6.  Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld ADULT CRF
7.  The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shohan CHILD

8.  Lizzie and the Lost Baby by Cheryl Blackford CHILD
9.  Summerlost by Allie Condie
10.  Raymie Nightingale by Kate diCamillo CHILD

11.  Wolf Lake: A Novel by John Verdon ADULT Myst
12.  Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo

13.  Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven YA
14.  The Female of the Species, by Mindy McGinnis YA

15.  Family Tree by Susan Wiggs ADULT CRF
16.  The 13th Continuum by Jennifer Brody YA Dystopia
17.  The Body Reader by Anne Frasier ADULT Myst
18.  The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan MID

2.  Written Before 2006 
(making the book over 10 years old)
1.  Desert Shadows - Betty Webb, 2004
2.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2005
3.  Where There's Smoke - Sandra Brown, 1993
4.  Sugar Skull - Denise Hamilton, 2003
5.  Darkscope - J. Carson Black, 1990
6.  Die Trying - Lee Child, 1998

3.  One-Word Titles
1. Conversion
2.  Wonder
3.  Deadline
4.  Eligible 
5.  Summerlost 
6.  Darkscope
7.  Suspect
8.  Suspicion

4.  Where in the World?
1.  The Janus Stone Norwich, England
2.  Silent Scream W. Midlands, England
3.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Sweden
4.  The Girl in the Ice London, England
5.  The Fifth Gospel Rome, Italy & Vatican City, Italy
6.  Hard Light England
7.  Lucifer's Tears Helsinki, Finland
8.  Lizzie and the Lost Baby WWII Yorkshire, England
9.  The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox Scotland
10.  Career of Evil London, England and vicinity
11.  Six Impossible Things Australia
12.  Suspicion England
13.  Seeking the Dead England
14.  Evil Games England

5.  Arizona or Maine?
1.  Girl in the Glass (Portland, ME)
2.  Desert Shadows (Phoenix, AZ)
3.  Darkscope (Bisbee, AZ)
4.  Empty Houses  (Bisbee, AZ)
5.  Water Castle (ME)
6.  Bad Little Falls (ME)

6.  YA
1.  The Fifth Wave
2.  Cruel Beauty
3.  Conversion
4.  The Age of Miracles
5.  Glass Sword
6.  Into the Dim
7.  A Shade of Vampire
8.  AA Shade of Blood
9.  Article 5
10.  Holding Up the Universe
11  The Female of the Species
12.  Snow Like Ashes
13.  Six Impossible Things
14.  The 13th Continuum
15.  Suspicion
16.  City of Glass

7.  Mid Grades
1.  11 Birthdays
2.  Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight (actually, way younger than Middle Grade, I think....)
3.  Wonder
4.  My Life With the Liars 
5.  Water Castle
6.  Summerlost 
7.  Raymie Nightingale
8.  The Map Trap
9.  The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
10.  Lizzie and the Lost Baby
11.  The Poet's Dog

8.  Historical Fiction
1.  Into the Dim (Time Travel)
2.  Lizzie and the Lost Baby

9.  CRF
1.  The Life List
2.  The Map of True Places
3.  The Opposite of Everyone 
4.  Wicked Ties
5.  The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
6.  Eligible 
7.  Raymie Nightingale
7.  The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
8.  The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
9.  Holding Up the Universe
10.  Family Tree
11.  Six Impossible Things
12.  The Poet's Dog, The (magical realism?)
13.  Summerlost 

10.  NonFiction (yuh, right...)
1.

11.  Poetry
1.  The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan VERSE novel

12.  Mystery
1.  Crime of Privilege Walker
2.  Small Wars - Child
3.  The Janus Stone -Griffiths
4,  Silent Scream - Marsons
5.  Girl in the Glass - Hayman
6.  Desert Shadows - Webb
7.  Blood Ties - Guild
8.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Larsson
9.  Deadline - Brown
10.  The Girl in the Ice - Bryndza
11.  The Fifth Gospel - Caldwell
12.  Hard Light - Hand
13.  Worth Dying For - Child
14.  Blood Oath - Farnsworth
15.  Dead Time - White
16.  Where There's Smoke - Brown
17.  Lucifer's Tears - Thompson
18.  Career of Evil - Galbraith (Rowling)
19.  Wolf Lake: A Novel - Verdon
20.  Bad Little Falls - Doiron
21.  Night and Day - Parker
22.  Evil Games - Marsons
23.  One Shot - Child
24.  Seeking the Dead - Ellis
25.  Among the Wicked - Castillo
26.  Sugar Skull - Hamilton
27.  Darkscope - Black (Falk)
28.  Empty Houses - Thornton
29.  Blackman's Coffin - de Castrique
30.  Suspect - Crais
31.  Once Shadows Fall - Daniels
32.  Suspicion - Monir
33.  The Body Reader - Frasier
34.  Against the Odds - Jacobs
35.  Die Trying - Childs

13.  Paranormal/Dystopia/Fantasy
1.  The Fifth Wave - Rick Yancey YA Dyst
2.  Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge YA Fant (Fractured Fairy Tale
3.  The Age of Miracles - Walker AD/YA Dyst
4.  Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight - Wendy Mass Child SciFi
5.  Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard YA Fant
6.  Into the Dim - Janet B. Taylor YA TimeTravel Fant
7.  The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins AD Fant
8.  Blood Oath  - Christopher Farnsworth AD Para Myst
9.  A Shade of Vampire - Bella Forrest YA Fant
10.  A Shade of Blood - Bella Forrest YA Fant
11.  Article 5 - Kristen Simmons YS Dyst
12.  Darkscope - J. Carson Black/Margaret Falk AD Ghost/Myst
13.  Snow Like Ashes - Sara Raasch YA High Fant
14.  The 13th Continuum - Jennifer Brody, YA Dyst
15.  City of Glass - Cassandra Clare, YA Dyst

14.  Audio Books
1.  Crime of Privilege (Walker)
2.  Small Wars (Child)
3.  Cruel Beauty (Hodge)
4.  The Age of Miracles (Walker)
5.  The Opposite of Everyone  (Jackson)
6.  Blood Ties (Guild)
7.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Larsson)
8.  Deadline (Brown)
9.  Worth Dying For  (Child)
10.  Blood Oath (Farnsworth)
11.  Dead Time (White)
12.  Where There's Smoke (Brown)
13.  The Map Trap (Clements)
14.  The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (O'Farrell)
15.  Career of Evil (Galbraith)
16.  Raymie Nightingale (diCamillo)
16.  Wolf Lake: A Novel  (Verdon)
17.  Holding Up the Universe (Niven)
18.  The Female of the Species (McGinnis)
19.  Among the Wicked (Castillo)
20.  Blackman's Coffin (de Castique) [partially read, partially listened]
21.  Suspect (Crais)
22.  Once Shadows Fall (Daniels)
23.  City of Glass (Clare)
24.  Die Trying (Child)
25.  Night and Day (Parker)
26.  One Shot (Child)
27.  Summerlost  (Condie)
28.  Bad Little Falls (Doiron)

15.  Books in a Series 
Sequels and Prequels
1.  Small Wars (Child) #19.5 Jack Reacher
2.  The Fifth Wave (Yancey) #1 The Fifth Wave
3.  Cruel Beauty (Hodge) #1 Cruel Beauty Universe
4.  The Janus Stone (Griffiths) #2 Ruth Galloway
5,  Silent Scream (Marsons) #1 DI Kim Stone
6.  Girl in the Glass (Hayman) #4 McCabe & Savage
7.  Desert Shadows (Webb) #3 Lena Jones
8.  Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight (Mass) #1 Space Taxi
9.  Wicked Ties (Black) Wicked Lovers #1
10.  Glass Sword (Aveyard) Red Queen #2
11.  Into the Dim (Taylor) Into the Dim #1
12.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millenium #1)
13.  Hard Light (Cass Neary #3)
14.  Worth Dying For  (Jack Reacher #15)
15.  The Girl in the Ice (DCI Erika Foster #1)
16.  Blood Oath (#1 Nathaniel Cade, President's Vampier)
17.  Dead Time (Alan Gregory #16)
18.  Lucifer's Tears (#2 Kari Vaara)
19.  Career of Evil (#3 Comoran Strike)
20.  Wolf Lake: A Novel (#5 Dave Guerney)
21.  Article 5 (#1 Article 5)
22.  Among the Wicked (#8 Kate Burkholder)
23.  Sugar Skull (Eve Diamond #2)
24.  Pleasure Extraordinaire series
25.  Empty Houses (#1 Kate Waters)
26.  Blackman's Coffin  (#1 Sam Blackman)
27.  Snow Like Ashes (#1 Snow Like Ashes)
28.  The 13th Continuum (#1)
29.  Suspect (they will appear again in Cole & Pike mysteries)
30.  Once Shadows Fall (Sturgis & Kale #1)
31.  Against the Odds (Anna Dawson, Las Vegas Gambler #1)
32.  City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
33.  Die Trying (Jack Reacher #2)
34.  A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1)
35.  A Shade of Blood, (A Shade of Vampire #2)
36.  Seeking the Dead (Joe Plantagenet #1)
37.  Night and Day (Jesse Stone #8)
38.  One Shot (Jack Reacher #9)
39.  Evil Games  (D.I. Kim Stone #2)
40.  Bad Little Falls (Mike Bowditch, ME Game Warden; #3)

16.  Authors New-to-Me
1.  Walter Walker Crime of Privilege (3)
2.  Rick Yancey The Fifth Wave (4.5)
3.  Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty (1)
4.  Angela Marsons, Silent Scream (5)
5.  Lori Nelson Spielman, The Life List (4)
6.  Karen Thompson Walker, The Age of Miracles (2) Gorgeous writing, depressing plot
7.  Shayla Black - Wicked Ties (2)  If I try another of this genre, it'll be with another author....
8.  Janet B. Taylor - Into the Dim (5) What a great debut novel!
9.  Stieg Larrsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Unfortunately, deceased, but there are two more to go, phew!
10.  Datarina Bivald - Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend (3) Quirky characters & plot
11.  Caela Carter - My Life With the Liars  (5) Main premise is what got me....
12.  Scott Hawkins - The Library at Mount Char (5) Wow....an incredible imagination!
13.  Sandra Brown - Deadline (4) I'm sure I read her before I started this blog, but I can't remember specifics, so I'll include her on this list.
14.  Sittenfeld, Curtis (female, despite the male-ish name) Eligible  4.5 Definitely will try another of hers
15.  Robert Bryndza - The Girl in the Ice Good
16.  Christopher Farnsworth - Blood Oath Interestingly different
17.  Stephen White - Dead Time Psychologist's "angle" into mystery detection - good stuff
18.  Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, The MUST try some others!
19.  Simmons, Jennifer - Article 5 Hard-to-believe actions and reactions of characters
20.  Jennifer Niven - Holding Up the Universe hard-to-believe characters....
21.  Mindy McGinnis - The Female of the Species great storyteller, sad stuff happens
22.  Mark de Castique - Blackman's Coffin  more, please!
23.  Susan Wiggs - Family Tree good romance writer, but not my cuppa tea when it comes to genre
24.  Sara Raasch - Snow Like Ashes Strong female warrior lead
25.  Fiona Wood - Six Impossible Things  Australian. A real find!
26.  Jennifer Brody - The 13th Continuum, The  Very readable
27.  Robert Daniels - Once Shadows Fall Looks like the start of a great new mystery series
28. Alexandra Monir - Suspicion, a take on DuMaurier, would read her again
29.  Anne Frasier - The Body Reader, fantastic writer, must read more
30.  Mara Jacobs - Against the Odds , knows her way around Vegas, great characterization
31.  Laura Shovan = The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, great characterization in verse
32.  Bella Forrest = A Shade of Vampire NO!
33.  Kate Ellis - Seeking the Dead very decent mystery writer
34.  Megan Frasier Blakemore - Water Castle Maine setting, so-so

4.5 or 5 Stars
1.  The Fifth Wave  - Yancey (4.5) YA Dyst
2.  Silent Scream - Marsons (5) AdMyst
3.  Into the Dim - Taylor (5) YA TimeTravel
4.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Larsson (5) Ad Mystery
5.  My Life with the Liars - Carter (5) Mid CRF
6.  The Library at Mount Char - Hawkins (5) Ad Fant
7.  Hard Light - Hand (5) Ad Myst
8.  Eligible - Sitterfeld (4.5) Ad CRF
9.  The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - O'Farrell (5) AdCRF
10.  Raymie Nightingale - diCamillo (4.5) Mid CRF
11.  Empty Houses - Thornton (5) Ad Myst
12.  Six Impossible Things - Wood (5) YA CRF
13.  The Body Reader - Frasier (4.5) AdMyst
14.  Summerlost  - Condie (4.5) MidCRF/Myst

Short Stories Read in 2016
1.  Joyce Carol Oates - Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?

I Love Picture Books
1.  Knit Your Bit, (Hopkinson/Guarnaccia) 2013
2.  Last Stop on Market Street (delaPena/Robinson) 2015
3.  This Is Not My Hat (Klassen) 2012
4.  The Artist and Me (Peacock/Classon) 2016
5.  Secret Tree Fort (Farley) 2016
6.  Will's Words:  How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk  2016 
7.  Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems (Paschkis) 2015
8.  What are you Glad about?  What are you Mad about?  (Poetry by Judith Viorst and  illustrated by Lee White) 2016
9.  The Stamp Collector (Lanthier/Thisdale) 2012
10.  Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay (Hood/Comport) 2016
11.  The Night Gardener (Fan Bros.) 2016
12.  Every Day Birds (VanDerwater) 2016
13.  A Year of Borrowed Men (Barker/Benoit) 2015 Canada, 2016 USA
14.  If I Had a Gryphon (Vansickle/Atkinson) 2016
15.  A Child of Books (Jeffers & Winston) 2016
16.  Mr. Wayne's Masterpiece (Polacco) 2014
17.  I am Lucille Ball (Meltzer) 2015
18.  Dorothea's Eyes (Rosenstock) 2016
19.  I am Rosa Parks (Meltzer) 2014

Books Read in 2016
1.  Crime of Privilege (Walter Walker) 432 pgs.
2.  Small Wars (Lee Child) 44 pgs. (total 476 pgs.)
3.  The Fifth Wave (Rick Yancey) 457 pgs. (total 933 pgs.)
4.  11 Birthdays (Wendy Mass) REREAD 267 pgs. (total 1200 pgs.)
5.  Cruel Beauty (Rosamund Hodge) 352 pgs. (total 1552 pgs.)
6.  The Janus Stone (Elly Griffiths) 327 pgs. (total 1879 pgs.)
7.  Silent Scream (Angela Marsons) 307 pgs. (total 2186 pgs.)
8.  Girl in the Glass (James Hayman) 373 pgs. (total 2559 pgs.)
9.  Conversion (Katherine Howe) 402 pgs. (total 2961 pgs.)
10.  The Map of True Places (Brunonia Barry) 402 pgs. (3363 pgs.)
11.  The Life List (Lori Nelson Spielman) 368 pgs. (total 3731 pgs.)
12.  Desert Shadows (Webb) 280 pgs. (total 4111 pgs.)
13.  The Age of Miracles (Walker) 294 pgs. (total 4405 pgs.)
14.  Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight (Wendy Mass & Michael Brawer) 112 pgs,. (4517 pgs.)
15.  Wicked Ties (Black) 341 pgs. (4858 pgs.)
16.  The Opposite of Everyone (Joshilyn Jackson) 352 pgs. (5210 pgs.)
17.  Blood Ties (Nicholas Guild) 320 pgs. (5530 pgs.)
18.  Glass Sword (Victoria Aveyard) 444 pgs. (5974 pgs.)
19.  Into the Dim (Janet B. Taylor) 432 pgs. (6406 pgs.)
20.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 465 pgs. (6871 pgs.)
21.  Wonder  (R. J. Palacio) 415 pgs. (7286 pgs.)
22.  My Life With the Liars (Caela Carter) 288 pgs. (7574 pgs.)
23.  The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend (Katarina Bivald) 394 pgs.  (7868  pgs.)
24.  Deadline (Sandra Brown) 410 pgs. (8278 pgs.)
25.  The Girl in the Ice (Robert Bryndza) 396 pgs. (8674 pgs.)
26.  The Library at Mount Char (Scott Hawkins) 390 pgs. (9064 pgs.)
27.  The Fifth Gospel (Ian Caldwell) DNF though read over halfway; 215 pgs. (9279 pgs.)
28.  Hard Light (Elizabeth Hand) 246 pgs. (9525 pgs.)
29.  Worth Dying For  (Lee child) 400 pgs. (9925 pgs.)
30.  Eligible  (Curtis Sittenfeld) 492 pgs.(10,417 pgs.)
31.  Blood Oath (Christopher Farnsworth) 390 pgs. (10,897 pgs.)
32.  Dead Time (Stephen White) 397 pgs. (11,294 pgs.)
33.  Where There's Smoke (Sandra Brown) 417 pgs. (11,711 pgs.)
34.  The Map Trap (Clements) 144 pgs. (11,855 pgs.)
35.  Lucifer's Tears (James Thompson) 336 pgs. (12,191 pgs.)
36.  Lizzie and the Lost Baby (Cheryl Blackford) 181 pgs. (12,372 pgs.)
37.  The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary (Laura Shovan) 248 pgs. (12,620 pgs.)
38.  The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, (Maggie O'Farrell) 245 pgs. (12,865 pgs.)
39.  Water Castle (Megan Frazer Blakemore) 344 pgs. (13,209 pgs.)
40.  Summerlost (Allie Condie) 272 pgs. (13,481 pgs.)
41. A Shade of Vampire (Shade of Vampire Bk 1) (Bella Forrest) 154 pgs. (13,635 pgs.)
42.  Career of Evil (Comoran Strike #3) (Robert Galbraith) 492 pgs. (14,127 pgs.)
43.  A Shade of Blood (Shade of Vampire Bk 2) (Bella Forrest) 340 pgs. (14,467 pgs.)
44. Raymie Nightingale (Kate DiCamillo) (272 pgs.) (14,739 pgs.)
45.  Wolf Lake: A Novel (John Verdon) (Dave Guerney #5) 375 pgs. (15,114 pgs.)
46.  Bad Little Falls  (Paul Doiron) 310 pgs. (15,424 pgs.)
47.  Night and Day (Jesse Stone #8) (Robert B. Parker) 304 pgs. (14,728 pgs.)
48.  Evil Games  (DI Kim Stone #2) (Angela Marsons) 382 pgs.  (16,110 pgs.)
49.  One Shot (Lee Childs) 376 pgs.  (16,486 pgs.)
50.  Seeking the Dead (Ellis) 330 pgs. (16,816 pgs.)
51.  Article 5 (Kristen Simmons) (#1 Article 5) 362 pgs. (17,178 pgs.)
52.  Among the Wicked (Kate Burkholder #8 ) (Linda Castillo) 306 pgs. (17,484 pgs.)
53.  Sugar Skull (Eve Diamond #2) (Denise Hamilton) 304 pgs. (17,788 pgs.)
54.  Darkscope (J. Carson Black/Margaret Falk) 349 pgs.  (18,137 pgs.)
55.  Holding Up the Universe (Jennifer Niven) 400 pgs. (18,537 pgs.)
56.  Pleasure Extraordinaire 1 (Liv Bennett)  198 pgs. (18,735 pgs.)
57.  Pleasure Extraordinaire 2 (Live Bennett) 170 pgs. (18,905 pgs.)
58.  Empty Houses (Betsy Thornton) 224 pgs. (19,129 pgs.)
59.  The Female of the Species (Mindy McGinnis) 344 pgs.  (19,473 pgs.)
60.  Blackman's Coffin (Mark de Castrique) 255 pgs. (19,728 pgs.)
61.  Family Tree (Susan Wiggs) 368 pgs. (20,096 pgs.)
62.  Snow Like Ashes (Sara Raasch) 416 pgs. (20,512 pgs.)
63.  Six Impossible Things (Fiona Wood) 304 pgs. (20,816 pgs.)
64.  The 13th Continuum (Jennifer Brody) 416 pgs. (21,232 pgs.)
65.  Suspect (Robert Crais) 312 pgs. (21,544 pgs.)
66.  Once Shadows Fall (Sturgis & Kale #1) 352 pgs. (21,896 pgs.)
67.  Suspicion (Alexandra Monir) 296 pgs. (22,192 pgs.)
68.  The Body Reader (Anne Frasier) 289 pgs. (22,481 pgs.)
69.  Against the Odds (Mara Jacobs) 228 pgs. (22,709 pgs.)
70.  The Prayer Box, The (Lisa Wingate) read 125 out of 400 pgs. (22,834 pgs.)
71.  City of Glass (Cassandra Clare) 541 pgs. (23,375 pgs.)
72.  The Poet's Dog (Patricia MacLachlan) 88 pgs. (23,463 pgs.)
73.  Die Trying - Jack Reacher #2 (Lee Child) 552 pgs. (24,015 pgs.)