Books 25-30/50
25) The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jenkins. 2009. This is a re-read but still an enjoyable book. Our heroine Nina is part of a support group for. vampires who act like most dysfunctional support made up of very disparate group of individuals from different time periods in Australia. And then one of the group is murdered and they must find the murderer before they are all killed off one by one.
26) What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland, Introduction by William Schuman. 1989. A good primer for lay people who want to learn more about classical music and it's history. Might work better with actual music so will re-read this with the suggested musical pieces next year maybe.
27) The Kings and Queens of England: A Tourist Guide by Jane Murray. 1074. Ms Murray does not mince words on the monarchs of England but she gives reasonable human histories on each monarch without being sentimental or hiding the more scandalous characteristics of these men and women. She goes from the current Queen Elizabeth II all the way back to Edward the Confessor. Her Index of People and Places adds more suggestions of locations and how much time an American tourist should spend their time on.
28) The Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper. 2005. This a juvenile series and the writing shows it at times but an OK time wasted if you like pirates and Vampire pirates. Our twin heroes are orphaned and rather than take the two awful options they sail out into a bad storm in which their boat sinks. They are separately rescued by different pirate ships and have to adapt to their new environments before they can be re-united. Part of a series.
29) Knight of the Demon Queen by Barbara Hambly. 2000. The sequel to Dragonshadow. John Aversin and Jenny Waynest and their son have t cope and heal from the different psychological damages from their encounters with and possessions by the fiendish demons. Ends on a cliffhanger. Have got book on hold with my local library.
30) Korea for Kids by Korean Culture and Information Service. 2009. A tourist book for kids. Covers some of the more popular areas of Korea to visit, especially from a child's point of view. Lot's of pictures, drawings, and folk stories.