# 31 -- Treachery in Death

I LOVE J.D. ROBB! Okay, I know it's Nora Roberts and honestly, I've never read anything else she's written except the J. D. Robb books, but maybe that will change.

I love her writings about Detective Eve Dallas and have read ALL 32 books she's written in the series! I've mostly listened to them via my iPod because the woman who narrates them, Susan Ericksen, is AMAZING! She does all the voices and you believe there are different people speaking when she goes from character to character.

I'm going to branch out and read some Nora Roberts and I think I'll look into some of the other books that Susan Ericksen has narrated as well. Both should be enjoyable!

# 30 -- Assassin

I think I would have done better to read this book instead of listen to it. My husband has read most of Ted Bell's books, I think and he really enjoys them. I think there was just so much going on and so many subplots that I had a hard time following all the characters and story lines. That happens sometimes with very action-filled plots. I didn't expect to end up where we did, based on the beginning of the story.

I might read another by Ted Bell, but I'll get the print copy to see if it reads easier.

#29 -- Queen and Country

Really interesting book! I love most things British and the monarchy is one thing I find fascinating. I love watching the History channel movies about the royal family and I enjoyed the Christmas address from the Queen when we were in London for the holidays (see below).

This book takes you from the first moments of Elizabeth's succession after her father's death to her Golden Jubilee. It covers most of the major events we've seen as Americans and some we didn't see. She is an incredible woman.

#28 -- Chasing Lincoln's Killer

I've actually had this book beside my chair in the living room for a couple of months. I knew I wanted to read it, but I kept putting it off, reading other titles that came across my desk. This weekend, I decided to just go ahead and open the cover. To my surprise, it read very quickly and had some wonderful pictures and documents that support the story of Booth's assassination of President Lincoln. I finished it in less than 24 hours.

I think most people are familiar with the story, but I thought the whole event took a day or two, with Booth being chased into a barn and captured right after he's shot Lincoln. This is not the case and the events actually span about 12 days or so. There was so much more to the story, I'm glad I read the book and learned about the entire conspiracy. Really interesting!

#27 -- Blindsided

Blindsided, by Priscilla Cummings, is an outstanding book about a teenager who has to face the fact that she is losing her sight. She goes through the denial, depression, frustration and hope that anyone would experience given the circumstances.

This is something I think about on a regular basis. I have had problems with my vision since 1st grade. I wore a patch over one eye to strengthen the one that was weak, I've worn glasses as long as I can remember, have had two holes in my retina repaired by laser surgery and fight the larger floaters and torn membranes inside my eye that obscure my vision daily. I don't fear blindness necessarily, but I think about the possibility of it in my future. My brother may have the same thoughts. He has had two retina detachments and had surgery to correct both. We inherited some crazy genes somewhere along the way. It can be very frustrating.

Reading this book, gave me hope that if something happens to my vision in the future, there are options available. I need only to have the strength and determination to make the change if need be. Until then, I thank God everyday that I still have my sight.

# 26 -- Dirty Little Secrets

Dirty Little Secrets, by C. J. Omololu, is a novel that covers a topic that until recently was totally behind closed doors.

Hoarding is a compulsive disorder that causes people to keep so much "stuff" that it takes over their homes and their lives. There are hoarders that are "organized" (with boxes and everything stacked in neat rows to the ceiling) and there are those that walk on top of the items they have accumulated and can't see the floor. Hoarding has become a topic of discussion lately because of the television show on A&E, but you still might not know if the person you work with or the kid in your class lives in those conditions.

This novel is told from the perspective of a teenager forced to keep her mother's hoarding a secret and will go to great lengths to do so. I found myself hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, and was totally taken by the ending.

# 25 -- Happily Ever After

I just recently found out that Amazon gives away different Kindle titles for free. It's not always the same book, and the list changes often, so if you went to pick this title it might not be $0.00 now. I got it for free, however, and loved it!

It's a Christian fiction novel (the 1st in a series) and I really enjoyed it. Cute story, neat characters, interesting setting. I'll be looking for the others in this series.

In the past, I've thought that if the books were "free" they might not be very good, but I'm not finding that to be true with the digital editions. Barnes and Noble and Borders give away free titles as well. Makes it nice to have several titles waiting on me that I didn't have to pay for. One of my friends said, "I feel rich when I have 4 or 5 titles waiting for me." I would totally agree!