Book #67 was The Grim Grotto, book the eleventh in Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. The back of the book reads:
Dear Reader,
Unless you are a slug, a sea anemone, or mildew, you probably prefer not to be damp. You might also prefer not to read this book, in which the Baudelaire siblings encounter an unpleasant amount of dampness as they descend into the depths of despair, underwater.
In fact, the horrors they encounter are too numerous to list, and you wouldn’t want me to even mention the worst of it, which includes mushrooms, a desperate search for something lost, a mechanical monster, a distressing message from a lost friend, and tap dancing.
As a dedicated author who has pledged to keep recording the depressing story of the Baudelaires, I must continue to delve deep into the cavernous depths of the orphans’ lives. You, on the other hand, may delve into some happier book in order to keep your eyes and your spirits from being dampened.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
These books just keep getting better. The Baudelaire children are even getting love interests! There was even very near death in this one. The storyline is really starting to come together. I’m almost sad that there are only 2 books left.
Book count: 67
Pages in book: 323
Page count: 27,231
Words in book: 48,526
Word count: 7,910,789
Book #68 was Letters from an Age of Reason, by Nora Hague. The back of the book reads:
n eloquent debut novel set amid two historical hotbeds of racial tension, moral hypocrisy, and shifting sexual convention
Miss Arabella Leeds, the high-spirited teenage daughter of a prominent New York family, and Aubrey “Brie” Paxton, the “high yellow” pampered house servant of wealthy French-American slave-holders, are destined to fall in love.
They are each bound for London, where their chance meeting will transform both of their lives. But before their paths can cross, they will experience high adventure, erotic awakening, and the discovery of long-buried family secrets amid the salacious underpinnings of corseted Victorian society. And as the Civil War drenches America in blood, it will be their passion, unstoppable and forbidden, that will challenge both Arabella and Brie to rethink what freedom means and what love costs . . . as their bond places them forever outside the mores and conventions of their time.
This was a very good book. The writing style was interesting — everything was in the form of letters and journal entries. Different fonts were used to indicate different authors. I got so wrapped up in the characters that I was dismayed when the story ended just as I felt it was beginning! I’m hoping her second book is a continuation.
Book count: 68
Pages in book: 656
Page count: 27,887
Words in book: 300,014
Word count: 8,210,803
Book #69 was The Deep, by Peter Benchley. The back of the book reads:
On a perfect day in Bermuda a honeymooning couple dives into the offshore reefs. They are looking for the wreck of a sunken ship. What they find is surprising. It lures them into a mysterious and increasingly dangerous encounter, a relentless struggle for survival. Now, open this book. Discover for yourself the action, the meance–the hidden underwater world of the Deep.
This was different from other Benchley books I’ve read. If you don’t recognize the name, this is the guy who wrote Jaws. His other books that I’ve read have all involved some sort of creature. The only evil creature in this book is man. Not a bad read — nice and quick. My only complaint is that I liked the main character better before any of his background was explained. Really, the guy was kind of a jerk.
Book count: 69
Pages in book: 291
Page count: 28,178
Words in book: 82,062
Word count: 8,292,865
1,000,000 words surpassed — 2/2/06
2,000,000 words surpassed — 2/14/06
10,000 pages surpassed — 3/10/06
3,000,000 words surpassed — 3/16/06
4,000,000 words surpassed — 4/3/06
5,000,000 words surpassed — 5/30/06
50 books surpassed – 6/12/06
20,000 pages surpassed — 6/29/06
6,000,000 words surpassed — 6/29/06
7,000,000 words surpassed — 7/21/06
8,000,000 words surpassed — 8/18/06