The Wizard of Seattle by Kay Hooper

I read this book for the Summer Challenge in 2009 for #4 Read a Title published before 2000 but am now just getting to posting my review. When I picked this book up I honestly didn't know what to expect. I knew I needed an older book and this was the first book I came across. I was very surprised by how much I liked this book.

Serena finds Richard when she is 16 and asks him to teach her how to use her budding powers as a Wizard. Richard does so and through the next decade or so she stays with him as a pupil only. Through the years Richard keeps a respectful distance from Serena even into adulthood.

As an adult she tends to be a little spontaneous when it comes to her magic and not disciplined as Richard has taught her. When her actions intrigue a news reporter things start to get hairy. What Serena doesn't know is that the Wizard Council is made up of men and only men. Women are prohibited from becoming Wizards and are stripped of all powers when they start to develope.

Since Richard is breaking all the rules to train Serena his life is also at risk so he decides that the only thing to do is to travel through time to go back to the very beginning. To the start of why women were banned from magic and why the men were so afraid of a woman with power.
So that is what Richard and Serena do. They create a magic time traveling spell and off to Atlantis they go. Oh, and they fall in love along the way.

I loved this book. Although it was written well over a decade ago it didn't feel completely dated to me. I tend to not care much for time travel books either but this one was very thought out. It doesn't rely on someone falling into a time traveling rabbit hole or an object when touched sending the subject back in time which to tell the truth never really made a lot of sense to me. This book often had the characters reminding each other that they were there to change one part of the history of Wizardry and nothing else as to not create issues with ancestors and such.

I loved the "history" of Atlantis that Hooper created. Richard and Serena were one the island around the time it was being destroyed.

As far as the romance goes I think it was pretty average. I didn't think that this part of the book was what stood out to me but I was ok with that. I tend to not really read a Kay Hooper book for the romance anyway. I love her paranormal woo-woo stuff and this is a book that you should check out, especially if you like to read books with magic in them.

A little warning though. The book opens with a rape scene. Some might find this type of situation not their cuppa.

Themed Reading Challenge 2010

Ok this is the last challenge that I will join for 2010....I swear. Caribousmom is hosting this challenge and I tend to like when my books connect so why not? I am going to do it. Technically I only need to read 5 books that connect so I figure it can't be that difficult LOL. So anyway, the title to this blog will link back to her original post on her blog. This is what Caribousmom's rules are.....

The Challenge.....

February 14 – August 14, 2010
I am once again hosting the Themed Reading Challenge for 2010. This is a six month challenge designed to help readers clear books from their to-be-read stacks which center around a common theme or themes. The “rules” have changed just a bit from last year. Here they are:
Readers may join at ANY TIME between now and August 14th.
Books should be chosen from the reader’s TBR pile (this may be an actual physical pile or a virtual pile).
The goal is to read AT LEAST 5 books linked by theme.
Overlaps with other challenges are allowed.
Readers may change their list of books OR their theme(s) at any time.
Readers may choose from three different levels of participation:
Read at least 5 books which share the same theme.
Read at least 5 books which share TWO themes.
Read at least 5 books which share MORE THAN TWO themes.
Themes can be geographic, genre, author, subject matter, or anything in between! Last year’s themes were wonderfully creative and varied…check out the sign up links from 2009 to see all the different themes which readers chose.

So there it is. Another challenge that I will join and complete. That's it for my joining though this year....maybe.

In Death Reading Challenge

What??? Do I really need to start another reading Challenge? Maybe not but I am going to. I found this little ditty over at Christine's blog at theromanticlife.blogspot.com. I have read many of the In Death books and very much enjoyed them. I haven't read one in a few years and decided that I just needed to start on them again. I had planned to read Imitation in Death sometime this year so now I will just try to read more then just that one. This is a perpetual challenge which means that since Nora Roberts seems to crank them out so fast readers might not ever actually catch up on them so the challenge will just keep going and going and going.

So anyway, this is what Christine says over on her website....

I've had an idea to set up this reading challenge for a while now, but recently decided to put it into action when I realized that the latest In Death novel by author J.D. Robb, Kindred In Death, was released the other day. Kindred In Death is the 35th(!) installment in the well loved and very successful In Death series by romance author Nora Roberts who writes this series under the J.D. Robb pen name. The In Death series is futuristic romantic suspense series that consistently delivers an interesting, quality murder mystery; plenty of danger, intrigue and action; futuristic forensic methodology; and most of all, a riveting look into the professional and personal life of NYPSD detective Eve Dallas and her enigmatic lover and eventual husband, Roarke, along with a colorful cast of secondary characters.

If I did my research correctly, there are now 35 In Death stories published--30 full length novels and 5 novellas, with a 6th novella expected later this month. Clearly, Ms. Robb is doing something right as she continues to write these stories and readers continue buying, reading, and loving her work.

At this point, I've only read the first four books in the series, and even then, that was almost two years ago that I did so. You'd think I should be able to read these stories at least as fast as Ms. Robb can write them, but it appears I fall even further behind with each new In Death release. So to help remedy my own state of remiss, perhaps help motivate other readers who are similarly way behind in this series or to inspire readers to even start this series in the first place, I've decided to create an In Death Reading Challenge. I think this challenge may even be fun for readers who are already caught up in their In Death reading as they either revisit past books or simply enjoy watching the rest of us fall for this books for the first time.

Keep in mind that many, many libraries have the In Death series on their shelves, so you may not need to buy them if you don't want to or can't afford to. In other words, there's no excuse not to try one just one In Death book. Come on! You know you want to!I will do this by myself if I have to, but would really love some company. So who's in?

So, if you are interested in joining, my title will take you to her original post where you can sign up. Hope you join me. These books are wonderful.

Winter Challenge 2009/2010

I have numerous challenges that I try to complete throughout the year and this is one of my favorite. It has it's own group site on Shelfari.com the link to that group site is http://www.shelfari.com/groups/25176/about. We also use a blog here at blogspot to add our reviews and such for the group. The link for that one is linked to my title up above. Every 3 months we have new prompts of 15 books. Here is the information.....

Winter 09 Challenge FAQ’s December 1 – February 28

A big Thanks to everyone for help in making this list!!!

RULES:

1. Select ANY number of books to read that fit the category.

2. Post your list on the discussion board and blog (Name’s Winter 09 Challenge List)

3. If you need title suggestions please use the Discussion titled WINTER TITLE SUGGESTIONS if you don't see it please search (to try and minimize number of discussions)

4. Once you have read a book please find the corresponding discussion by searching you can search by 09 Winter # and use the number that corresponds with the list. (one will be created for each number on December 1, again, to try and minimize number of discussions) and post the book and title you read and rating, and review.

5. It is not required, but if you could post your review on the blog that would be great.

6. Reviews on the blog please include labels list the rating, author, and # of challenge only.

7. Audio books are okay

8. Rereads are okay

9. You can change your list at anytime

THE CHALLENGE:

1. Read a book that was read in the Fall Challenge

2. Read a book with a cheesy cover

3. Read a Julia Quinn Book

4. Read a romance that starts as a friendship http://www.likesbooks.com/friendly.html

5. Read a book with “ICE” or “FIRE” in the title

6 Read a book that is a Cabin/Road Romance http://www.likesbooks.com/cabinroad.

7. Reader’s Choice (Author last name A-K)

8. Reader’s Choice (Author last name L-Z)

9. Read a book with a color in the title

10. Read a book that has a setting other than the U.S. or England

11. Read a book with a "magic" element (time travel, miracles, magic, psychic, angels...whatever this means to you!)

12. Read a book that is a stand alone (not part of any series)

13. Read a new to you author

14. Read a book that has a three word title

15. For Winter, Read a book that has a “W” word in the title

A-Z Wednesday

This is a fun meme hosted by Reading at the Beach
Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!
To join, here's all you have to do: Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments.
If you've already reviewed this book you can add it also.
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.(We all love comments, don't we?)
Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.
THIS WEEKS LETTER IS: "V"

My book choice is Virgin River. I am currently listening to this on my iPod and enjoying it very much. I hope to have it finished soon. This book has come very recommended and I can see why.