Books read so far this year.

These are the books I have read so far this year, which count towards my 2012 100 books reading challenge.In 2011 I only managed 32, so this is quite a big jump! So far I'm on track at one book ahead, hopefully I can keep it that way!

1. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe by Sandra Gulland.                                                                   Historical fiction in the form of Josephine Bonaparte's diaries. The entries feel really authentic, and really capture the time and place. Very interesting to read as  this is a topic which I am unfamiliar with. The book begins with the marriage of Josephine and Napoleon, and follows their trials and tribulations up to him being made Emperor of France. This is book two of a trilogy.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89034.Tales_of_Passion_Tales_of_Woe
2. Impatient with desire by Gabrielle Burton.                                                                                                 Another historical fiction, also presented in diary format. This is the story of Tamsen donner and her family as they travel across America to California. They choose to take a shortcut rather than the established trail. They end up trapped in the mountains through winter. Snowed in and living in a cave, enduring the harshest conditions, Tamsen Donner records her thoughts in a journal and in the form of letters to her sister , which may never reach her. Some of the entries are flashbacks explaining how they got to this point, most are of the moment. I really enjoyed this book I bought it straight away after reading about it on a blog. I'm fascinated by pioneer stories, which I'm sure stems from my childhood and reading Laura Ingalls Wilders books. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8679504-impatient-with-desire
3. The Taker by Alma Katsu                                                                                                                     This was an historical fiction story with a supernatural element. We meet Lanny in present day Maine where she is treated by Dr Luke Findlay. She has been arrested for murder. In order for Luke to help her she tells him her improbable story which begins two hundred years earlier. We follow Lanny and Luke on their journey of escape from the present situation. This is interlinked with Lanny's story of the last two hundred years, and how she came to be what she is now. This is very intriguing and well written, the story sucks you in from the start. There is some violence of a sexual nature which is not for the faint hearted or the younger reader. These bits can easily be skipped if they make you feel uncomfortable. This is the first book in a trilogy. I hope to read the next in the series.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11078546-the-taker
4. Death Comes to Pemberley. by P.D.James                                                                                                                This is an historical murder mystery set a few years after Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It contains various characters from Pride and Prejudice including Elizabeth and Darcy, and Wickham and Lydia amongst others. The novel begins on the eve of the Darcy's anuual ball, when a murder occurs. I quite enjoyed this, although many reviews are not so favourable. It is the first time I have read a P.D.James novel and it is many years since school when I read Pride and prejudice. Perhaps I didn't come to it with the same high expectations as other readers, especially fans of Austen and James. It was a gentle mystery story, which I did kind of solve, but there was an extra twist at the end.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12692571-death-comes-to-pemberley
5. The Seventh Sister by Z.L Arkadie                                                                                                                   I read this book on kindle via my iphone and laptop. This was a free kindle book from Amazon. This book didn't feel like it was a full length novel. It is a young adult novel, involving high school age children. The main character is Zillael who has some extra physical powers. She starts to experience some unusual things and people turn out not to be who she thought they were including herself.  I can't say too much about this book as its so short it would give to much away. Basically there is some vampire action , a guardian/ protector and the start of a potential love triangle. This sets the scene for the rest of the series.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12407812-the-seventh-sister
6. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood                                                                                                      A dystopian novel set in the future. Snowman/ Jimmy is the only human left after a biological disaster wipes out the human race. The only company he has are the Crakans a genetically engineered race who are very different humans. The novel looks at how Jimmy came to be in this situation through a series of flashbacks, set in a futuristic world, that is not too hard to imagine from our present point in time. I enjoyed this novel once it got going, the first hundred pages were a bit of a struggle but after that I flew through it. It has interesting dual aspects of Jimmy's day to day survival, as well as the flashbacks building up to the point of disaster.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/856096.Oryx_And_Crake