May 2014 Update

I just haven't read as much in May, it seems I have been in quite a reading slump. I have only read 12 books which totals 3502 pages. I hope my reading will pick up in June, I have a few good books ready.
All posts from May are HERE.

List of books:

1. Death on the Aegean Queen By Maria Hudgins
2. Boneland by Alan Garner
3. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 
4. Pieces of Eight by Melissa Wright
5. A Gift of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey 
6. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
7. The Breeders by Katie French
8. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
9. From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint  
10. Dragon's Kin by Anne McCaffrey 
11. Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond by Kim Harrison 
12. Along Came A Demon by Linda Welch

Along Came A Demon by Linda Welch

I'm told the dead are all around us. I wouldn't know about that, I see only the violently slain. They can be victims of hit-and-run, innocents caught in a cross-fire, the murdered. They whisper to me and they never, ever, forget the face of their killer. I've learned to live with my uncanny ability, in fact I've made a career out of it.
The departed aren't the only supernaturals I see. No, they're not vampires or werewolves or fae - those things don't exist. We live side by side with what some call the Otherworldy. That's too much of a mouthful for me, I call them demons. If you saw them as I do, you'd know why.
Right now I'm trying to track down a missing six year-old boy whose mother was murdered. Or maybe she wasn't. To further complicate the case, Clarion PD gave me a partner I'd rather shoot than work with.
I can't tell them he's a demon.
They'd think I'm crazy.
I'm Tiff Banks. Welcome to my world.
WHISPERINGS. Paranormal mystery with a splash of humor and dash of romance. From Goodreads.

Again a free Kindle book that was better than expected. Tiff can see and talk to the dead, only the ones that died an violent death. She can also see "demons" or that is what she calls them, beings from another dimension. She has to help solve the case of a missing kid and she gets paired with a demon. It is despite the killing and torture also quite humorous when she discusses things with the two ghosts that live in her house.
It was close to a 4 star book but ended as a high 3 instead. I might get the next in the series, I like it when free books reel me in.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (W-wolf)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #5

Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014

Sub-Genre Challenge - 2014 hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

SUB-GENRE CHALLENGE
DURATION: June 1, 2014 – May 31, 2015

We all have our favorite genres, but have we really explored all the different sub-genres out there? Should you decide to accept our challenge, you’ll get a chance to do just that!

You get to choose your own books for this challenge, but within these parameters:
* You must read a minimum of 30 books over the course of the challenge.
*You will choose which genres and sub-genres you wish to read, but you must choose at least 3 DIFFERENT genres, and at least 4 SUB-GENRES for each of those genres.
* You may only read 1 BOOK per sub-genre, so you will need to choose a minimum of 30 sub-genres in order to complete the challenge.

How you distribute those sub-genres is up to you. You can choose 3 genres with 10 sub-genres each; you can choose 6 genres with 5 sub-genres each; you can choose 2 genres with 9 sub-genres each and 3 genres with 4 sub-genres each, or any other combination that adds up to 30 different sub-genres. Keep in mind that you need to read at least 4 sub-genres for each genre you choose.

There are lists all over the internet with genres and sub-genres, but they vary widely, so we’re going to leave this to your own judgment. If it’s a mystery book and you think it fits the hard-boiled sub-genre, then feel free to use it for that sub-genre.

CHALLENGE RULES:
♦ If you want to participate in this challenge, sign up by telling us which genres you’re going to read. If you know the sub-genres, you can post those too, or you can fill the in as you read. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.
♦ Books must be at least 150 pages long and may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged : )
♦ For each book you read, please indicate the title, the author and the date you finished reading it. Be sure to tell us the genre AND sub-genre for each book!
If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title or author, see the instructions here
♦ If you want the challenge moderator to verify those books as you post them, please copy/paste your update into a new message. If you do this while you still have the Edit window open, it will copy all of your formatting, etc. too. We don’t have time to scroll back through the entire thread looking for "message #15," or to follow links back to an original post.
♦ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read :) If you don’t repost your list, your name will not be added to the list of those who have completed the challenge. 

I am taking part in another challenge. This is about reading sub-genres. I will of course choose some of my favourite genres and add some sub-genres to them.
I have added extra sub-genres but I only need to read 30.

Genres and sub-genres:

Fantasy:
✔1. Epic ➜ The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Coming of Age
3. Heroic
4. Military
✔5. Dark ➜ Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
✔6. Mythical ➜ Monsters by C. Gockel
7. Romantic
✔8. Urban ➜ Skin Game by Jim Butcher
9. Alternate History
✔10. Young Adult ➜ Prince of Hazel and Oak by John Lenahan
✔11.  Fairy Tale ➜ A Place Beyond The Map by Samuel Thews
✔12. Paranormal ➜ Ever After by Kim Harrison
✔13. Crime ➜ Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf

Paranormal:
✔1. Angels ➜ Legions by Karice Bolton
✔2. Demons ➜ The Witch with no Name by Kim Harrison
✔3. Fairies ➜ Blood Faerie by India Drummond
4. Ghosts
✔5. Mermaids ➜ Evergreen by Brenda Pandos
✔6. Shapeshifters ➜ Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
✔7. Vampires ➜ Your Guardian Angel by Skyla Madi
✔8. Witches ➜ The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Young Adult:
✔1. High School ➜ The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
✔2. Fantasy ➜ The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
3. Dystopia
✔4. Paranormal ➜ True of Blood by Bonnie Lamer
5. Romance
✔6. Coming of Age ➜ The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
7. Religion

Science Fiction:
✔1. Aliens ➜ Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein 
✔2. Cyberpunk ➜ Moxyland by Lauren Beukes
✔3. Dystopia ➜ Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
✔4. Steampunk ➜ Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
5. Apocalyptic

Romance:
1. New Adult
✔2. Contemporary ➜ The Way They Were by Mary Campisi
3. Holiday
✔4. Paranormal ➜ Drip Drop Teardrop by Samantha Young
5. Amish
6. Historical
✔7. Chick Lit ➜ If the Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair
✔8. Humour ➜ Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance by Penny Reid
9. Military
✔10. Suspense ➜ After the Storm by M. Stratton
✔11.  Western ➜ Texas Secrets: The Gallaghers of Morning Star by Jean Brashear

Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #5

Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #5 hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

June is just around the corner, and that means it's time for another CCC Read-a-Thon :) Our next RaT will begin at 12:01am on Thursday, May 29, and end at midnight on Tuesday, June 3, a total of six days. (Use your local time for start/end times.) We're hoping that this will help you finish your May reading lists/challenges and get a head start on next month's reading!

Again, our goals for this RaT will be to:
(1) complete any challenges ending in May that you haven't finished yet and start on June's challenges (when appropriate) and/or
(2) work on that pile of library or borrowed books that's waiting for your attention and/or
(3) read anything you want to read, just because!

If none of these goals suit your reading this month, create your own goal and let us know what you hope to accomplish :) As you read, be sure to check in here and let us know what you've read, what you think of the book, and anything else you want to tell us about it!

What do you "need" to read? And what do you *want to read? If you want to set a goal -- books finished, pages read, time spent reading -- you can do that too :)  

I haven't been reading as much as I have wanted lately. I hope this RaT will help me get back into it.
I think my goal will be 1000 pages. I won't say number of books as my books range from 180 to over 700 pages.

As usual I have a long list of books that I may or may not read:

1. Along Came A Demon by Linda Welch
2. Drifting Home: A Family's Voyage of Discovery Down the Wild Yukon River by Pierre Berton
3. Run by Patti Larsen
4. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
5. A Place Beyond The Map by Samuel Thews
6. It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot
7. Quinn Checks In by L.H. Thomson
8. The Keepers by Donna Augustine
9. Moon Spell by Samantha Young

Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond by Kim Harrison

A true queen of urban fantasy - the New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular series featuring bounty hunter witch-turned-daywalking demon Rachel Morgan - the phenomenal Kim Harrison explores the Hollows more deeply than ever before in Into the Woods, her first collection of short stories. Rachel is here, as are Jenks the pixie, elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, and an unholy host of vampires, demons, shapeshifters, ghosts, and other assorted supernatural beings, friends and foes. Into the Woods combines original work, including a new Hollows novella, as well as all of Kim Harrison's previously published short fiction gathered together in one volume for the very first time. No true Hollows aficionado will want to pass this up.
Including:
The Hollows
The Bespelled
Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel
Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil
Dirty Magic
The Bridges of Eden Park
Ley Line Drifter
Million Dollar Baby
Beyond the Hollows
Pet Shop Boys
Temson Estates
Spider Silk
Grace
From Goodreads.

I didn't realize till just before I read this that it actually contained a lot of previously published short stories.
This wasn't a problem though as I still enjoyed them all including the ones I have only just read earlier this year.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the non Hollows short stories.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (I-jellyfish)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Dragon's Kin by Anne McCaffrey and Todd J. McCaffrey

Young Kindan has no expectations other than joining his father in the mines of Camp Natalon, a coal mining settlement struggling to turn a profit far from the great Holds where the presence of dragons and their riders means safety and civilization. Mining is fraught with danger. Fortunately, the camp has a watch-wher, a creature distantly related to dragons and uniquely suited to specialized work in the dark, cold mineshafts. Kindan’s father is the watch-wher’s handler, and his son sometimes helps him out. But even that important job promises no opportunity outside the mine.
Then disaster strikes. In one terrible instant, Kindan loses his family and the camp loses its watch-wher. Fathers are replaced by sons in the mine–except for Kindan, who is taken in by the camp’s new Harper. Grieving, Kindan finds a measure of solace in a burgeoning musical talent . . . and in a new friendship with Nuella, a mysterious girl no one seems to know exists. It is Nuella who assists Kindan when he is selected to hatch and train a new watch-wher, a job that forces him to give up his dream of becoming a Harper; and it is Nuella who helps him give new meaning to his life.
Meanwhile, sparked by the tragedy, long-simmering tensions are dividing the camp. Far below the surface, a group of resentful miners hides a deadly secret. As warring factions threaten to explode, Nuella and Kindan begin to discover unknown talents in the misunderstood watch-wher–talents that could very well save an entire Hold. During their time teaching the watch-wher, the two learn some things themselves: that even a seemingly impossible dream is never completely out of reach . . . and that light can be found even in darkness.

This is the first book in the Pern series that has not been solely written by Ann McCaffrey, Her son Todd has been part of it.
I really liked this book that is more about the watch-whers than about dragons. I also liked the twist the main characters close to the end.
I have already ordered the next book Dragonsblood from the library.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014 
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-polarbear)
CCC-Read your age
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint

In the early 1990s, Charles de Lint wrote and published three dark fantasies under the name "Samuel M. Key." Orb is now reissuing them under de Lint's own name, beginning with 2002's Angel of Darkness. In From a Whisper to a Scream (1992), years after the death of a notorious child murderer, children begin dying again, and a crime photographer begins to suspect he has the one true clue that connects the events.
"The [Newford] books have all been written in such a way that you should be able to pick up any one and get a full and complete story. However, characters do reoccur, off center stage as it were, and their stories do follow a sequence." From Goodreads.

This is the third book in the Newford series but it is nothing like the others. There is always a dark element in the books fighting the evil from the spiritworld but this is more about the evil in human nature and that makes it a lot scarier.
This is a very dark disturbing book. It contains paedophilia, violence and several kinds of abuse.
We follow at least 3 lots of people and they all end up together in the end, fighting the horrific ghost that is killing young women.
It ends as well or better than expected.
I have some time ago decided to read all of the Newford series but I think I need to wait a bit with the next book as that is also supposed to be rather scary.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-impala)
CCC-Read your age
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in). From Goodreads.

I liked this book although I have read it before, many years ago. I enjoyed Bill Bryson's talk of buying the gear as I know it can be quite scary to buy new gear. Though his stories about the people he met on the trail were humorous they were also a bit belittling and I don't remember him approving of anybody he met, even though he himself was very ill prepared for hiking the trail.
Still I am impressed by how much both he and Stephen Katz managed to hike.
What I especially liked was the description of the areas he walked through. I could almost close my eyes and see it.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Full House Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014 
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (B-umbrellabird)
CCC-Read your age
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Challenge Factory - June 2014 Dusty Book Challenge

June 2014 Dusty Book Challenge hosted by The Challenge Factory on Goodreads.

JUNE 2014 Dusty Book Challenge

Please post your shelves but add NO COMMENTS in this thread please. After I post the pair, it will add a link to the shelf, and then you can add discussion comments.

How It Will Work:
1) Please only post no more than 10 books that you would like to read this month.
*I would say minimum 4 books.

2) An assigned person will pick TWO books from your posted shelf.

3) You have one month: June to try to read one of the chosen books. You can read both if you would like (*if you don't read your book this month, it's okay because this challenge is for YOUR ENJOYMENT)

4) Please try to select for your pair ASAP as we all get excited and waiting is torture to some.

TIMELINE
May 19 -22, 2014: Participants will Post their shelves
*If you do not list a shelf, I will not pair you with anyone
**Cutoff on May 22: 12noon CST

May 22-28: Pairs will be posted & then Selection of TWO BOOKS for your pair
*Again, as I said earlier, please try to select for your pair ASAP.

May 29: Re-picks

I have joined this challenge as it is just about reading 1 book for the month of June and I think I should be able to do that.  

We all had to choose 10 books, of these another person would pick 2 and we have to read one of these.

My 10 books were:

1. The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
2. Moon Spell by Samantha Young
3. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
4. Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder
5. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
6. The Keepers by Donna Augustine
7. Run by Patti Larsen
8. It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot 
9. Omens by Kelley Armstrong
10. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

Sheila chose two books for me:

1. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
2. The Keepers by Donna Augustine

Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers Bring May Flowers Finished

April Showers Bring May Flowers hosted by Nothing but Reading Challenges on Goodreads.

I have now finished this challenge and spelled the flower Daffodil.

For this challenge I thought I'd throw a little educational information into the mix.

If you've read historical novels of the Victorian-era there is a good chance you've come across a book where flowers were used to symbolize how an individual felt about another. The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a means of communication in which various flowers, colors, and even the way the arrangement was worn or presented held secret meaning, allowing individuals to express heartfelt emotions and feelings which otherwise might have gone unspoken. The nuances of the language are now mostly forgotten and tend to vary by source.

For this challenge you may read:

Option 1 - a combination of books that spell out a type of flower: can use 1st letter of title (or of the next word if a, the, an, etc are first word), 1st letter of a character's name who is in the book, or the first letter of the author's first or last name
Option 2 - a combination of books that mention flowers in them
Option 3 - a combination of books that use floriology in the book
Option 4 - a combination of books that have characters with floral names
Option 5 - a combination of books that mention a flower in the title
Option 6 - a combination of books that have covers that are the color of your favorite flower
Option 7 - any combination of the above

This challenge starts April 1st and goes through May 31st.

Levels:
Easy - 3 to 4 books.
Moderate - 5 - 7 books.
Difficult - Read 8+ books.

The following list was gotten from iflorist ( http://www.iflorist.com/t-meaning.aspx ). It was my favorite from all I could find:

My posts for this challenge.

List of books: 

1. D: Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (Dina, Main character)
2. A: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (Adam, Mercy's mate)
3. F: Pieces of Eight by Melissa Wright (Frey, Main character)
4. F: The Breeders by Katie French
5. O: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
6. D: The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan
7. I: White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (Ivy, Rachel's room-mate)
8. L: Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch (Lesley, Peter's fellow apprentice)

2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge - Finished

2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge hosted by Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf.

Challenge Rules:

• This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014. I will be posting a place to link up a sign-up post (below), reviews and a wrap-up post. (Note: You do not have to review the books to participate, but only those who link up reviews will be entered for the prize)
• Grab the reading challenge button (code & button below) and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate- you could track your progress and post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, etc.
• Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements counts. They may be fiction or non-fiction. However, they should not be reference books which are not read cover to cover-I will leave this to your discretion.
• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
• When you sign up in the linky put the direct link to your post about joining the 2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge, not just a link to your blog.
• You can move up levels, but no moving down.
• Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
• Have some Witchy Good Fun !!!

The Levels:
Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books
Maiden: Read 6 – 10 Witchy Books
Mother: Read 11 – 15 Witchy Books
Crone: Read 16 – 20 Witchy Books
The Prize:
Witchy book of choice up to $10 from The Book Depository!
Participants who have officially signed up by linking up a sign-up post declaring their level will be given one entry for every review they link up. The more reviews you write and link up, the more entries in the contest! Link up your reviews on that month’s Review Link Up Post. Winner will be chosen on Jan 11th 2015 to give everyone a chance to link up their end of year reviews. All Challenge Posts can be accessed from my menu bar under my header!

I have now reached 22 books and finished this challenge. I will most likely end up reading a lot more witchy books but I have completed the challenge.
Thank you to Melissa for hosting this challenge, it is still one of my favourite ones.

All posts for this challenge are HERE.

List of books:

1. An Unlikely Witch by Debora Geary 
2. Saltwater Witch by Chris Howard
3. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
4. Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
5. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
6. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch 
7. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness 
8. WitchHunt by Emma Mills 
9. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison 
10. The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
11. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch  
12. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews 
13. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch 
14. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
15. Baehrly Breathing by Elizabeth A. Reeves
16. Baehrly Bitten by Elizabeth A. Reeves
17. Baehrly Alive by Elizabeth A. Reeves
18. How (Not) to Kiss a Were Bear by Elizabeth A. Reeves
19. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
20. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison 
21. Pieces of Eight by Melissa Wright
22. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

The Breeders by Katie French

Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything and they're hunting Riley.
When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family, Riley and her brother Ethan are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom? The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico. When Riley is forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother-a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out. From Goodreads.


A dystopian world where hardly any women are born. Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick has to pretend to be a bender, a genderless person, to avoid being caught by the Breeders. After her stepfather is killed and her mother has been sold to the Breeders, Riley with her 8 year old brother goes looking for her. She gets help from Clay who believes she is a bender.
This was a free book but it is good enough that I am considering buying the next book in the series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014 (dystopian)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-narwhal)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It! - Team Challenge

 UnCover It! - Team Challenge hosted by Nothing but Reading Challenges on Goodreads.

UNCOVER IT - A NBRC Team Challenge

Duration: Six weeks, starting May 16th - June 27th, 2014

Sign-Ups: Close May 12th, 2014. Thread is here.

As a player, you need to read at least a book a week. (Books read for this challenge need to be 160 pages or greater in length.)

The Basics:
• Each team is assigned a book to be “uncovered.” NOTE: You are NOT expected to read this book.
• Each week the teams ask a randomly selected team (their “opposing team”) one question OR they take a guess as to the identity of the other team’s book.
• Points are assigned each week based on choices made and books read (further explanation below).
• The “opposing team” changes each week (selected randomly).
• Winner is the team at the end of the 6 weeks that has the most points.

Books to be Uncovered.

Start of Challenge:
• Members are assigned to teams (probably 5-7 people per team including captain).
• Mods randomly assign the “uncover” book to each team.

Weekly:
• Mods will randomly determine for each team their “opposing team” for the week.
• Each team must select a genre they would give to the opposing team for a wrong guess (from the genre list used in Books Buffs’ Battleship*; each genre may only be used once by any team selecting throughout the challenge).
• Teams must ask a question of their opposing team for the week in a specified time period.
• NO SPOILER QUESTIONS (e.g. “Does the heroine die at the end?”). Please, no “open-ended” questions, only yes/no questions. In addition, you may NOT ask when it was BOM.
• Since all books have been past NBRC BOMs, there are discussion questions available for inspiration.

I saw this challenge and then forgot all about it. I was lucky enough that I was still allowed to join even though I was one day late in signing up.
This is all about asking the other teams questions about their book. If we get a no to our question we will be allocated a genre our team has to read, if we get a yes answer we decide the genre our selves.
The genres are the same as used for Book Buffs’ Battleship challenge.  In order for the book to be accepted it either have to have been tagged as the genre by more than 10 on Goodreads or the moderator for the challenge has to approve it.

Week 1: No  = History ➜ I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Week 2: Yes = Fantasy ➜ I read Along Came A Demon by Linda Welch (which was banked)
Week 3: special = Young Adult  ➜ I read Prince of Hazel and Oak by John Lenahan
Week 4: Yes = Fantasy ➜ I read A Place Beyond The Map by Samuel Thews (which was banked)
Week 5: Yes =Thriller ➜ I read Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong
Week 5: Extra ➜ I read Ever After by Kim Harrison (which was banked)
Week 6: No = Non Fiction ➜ I read Drifting Home by Pierre Berton
Week 6: Extra  ➜ I read The Keepers by Donna Augustine (for New Adult)

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.
She's faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet. From Goodreads.

I am still enjoying this "The Hollows" series which has now reached number 10. In this book Rachel finally accepts her demon part.There are lots of different groups in this. I.S. the paranormal police, FIB the human police, HAPA a human group who wants to kill all paranormal beings and then a new group without a name. I think we will meet HAPA and the new group again in the next books.
Still interesting and a lot going on.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (P-leopard)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

A Gift of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey

For more than thirty years, Pern has conjured visions of brave men and women mounted upon the backs of dragons. As anyone knows who has been touched by the storytelling magic of Anne McCaffrey, to read of the exotic world of Pern is to inhabit it—and to experience its extraordinary dragons is to soar aloft with them and share their dazzling adventures.
Now, A Gift of Dragons brings together three beloved stories and a thrilling new tale of Pern in a single volume illustrated with beautiful artwork by Tom Kidd. In “The Smallest Dragonboy,” Keevan is the youngest dragonrider candidate, determined to impress a dragon when the next clutch of eggs hatches. But what transpires will surprise everyone—Keevan most of all. In “The Girl Who Heard Dragons,” a young girl’s rare ability to communicate with dragons puts her family in danger and will bring her face to face with her greatest fears—and with her most secret desire. The “Runner of Pern” is a girl named Tenna, who follows family tradition by delivering messages—and who will find her destiny on the mossy traces that runners have used for centuries under the dragon-filled sky. And finally, a very special gift: an exciting new Pern adventure, published here for the first time, fresh from the imagination of Anne McCaffrey. From Goodreads.

I really enjoyed being back on Pern. This contains four stories but I like "The Girl Who Heard Dragons" and “Runner of Pern” best. They also very clearly show what I dislike about short stories namely that I would have liked to have read full length novels about both of these characters. I have read just about all the Pern books that Anne McCaffrey has writtten and I have now decided I will try both the ones she has co-written with her son Todd and the ones he has written himself.
I have just ordered Dragon's Kin from the library.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-narwhal)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Pieces of Eight by Melissa Wright

After revealing a dark past, Frey is forced to join with a group of strangers whose pasts seem to intertwine with her own. She struggles to regain her memories, her full power, only to find there is more danger on the other side. And now, there is no turning back. From Goodreads

As it is about 9 months since I read the first book, it took me a bit of time to get all the characters sorted.
Frey was bound which meant she had no memory of her previous life or her powers. During this book she slowly regains both. It becomes obvious that her previous self was a complete different person to the one she is now and I am looking forward to see how she copes with that in the next book.
Frey and her companions have to kill the council members that bound her in order to free her memories and powers.
She has some very loyal friends. But as she now starts to remember things again, and remember her friends together with her enemies, she is unsure of their loyalty. They can't tell her too much as her brain can't cope and she keeps fainting when it gets too much.
I am glad I finally got round to reading this sequel.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (F-jellyfish)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014 - Finished

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014 hosted by Michelle @ the true book addict.

As I predicted in the midweek update I did not reach 5 books for this challenge. I read 3 books and that is still okay. I finished: Death on the Aegean Queen by Maria Hudgins (mystery), Boneland by Alan Garner and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman  (horror)

I knew I wasn't going to read much over the weekend as I had to go to Copenhagen to see off some friends.

Lars and Suzi with their 2 children Tiuri (7 years old) and Liva (5 years old) are going to sail from Copenhagen in Denmark to Istanbul in Turkey in two Hobie kayaks. They have set aside 14 months for the project as they can't sail that far every day if the children have to enjoy the trip too.
Follow their trip on their website: Life is GOOD follow us. and also on Facebook.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac - as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly's wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark - from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman.
It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond this world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.
His only defence is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang. From Goodreads.





I enjoyed this. It was scary. I really like this kind of fantasy where the creatures and other things from beyond this world mixes with this world and catches people unaware. Of course there is, as there should be, the good "creatures", the three women who help the boy.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014 
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (O- dragonfly)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014

Boneland by Alan Garner

A major novel from one of the country’s greatest writers, and the crowning achievement of an astonishing career, BONELAND is also the long-awaited conclusion to the story of Colin and Susan – a story that began over fifty years ago in THE WEIRDSTONE OF BRISINGAMEN…
Extract from book:
A woman was reading a book to a child on her knee.
“‘So the little boy went into the wood, and he met a witch. And the witch said, “You come home with me and I’ll give you a good dinner.”’ Now you wouldn’t go home with a witch, would you?”
Colin stood. “Young man. Do not go into the witch’s house. Do not. And whatever you do, do not go upstairs. You must not go upstairs. Do not go! You are not to go!”
Professor Colin Whisterfield spends his days at Jodrell Bank, using the radio telescope to look for his lost sister in the Pleiades. At night, he is on Alderley Edge, watching.
At the same time, and in another time, the Watcher cuts the rock and blows bulls on the stone with his blood, and dances, to keep the sky above the earth and the stars flying.
Colin can’t remember; and he remembers too much. Before the age of thirteen is a blank. After that he recalls everything: where he was, what he was doing, in every minute of every hour of every day. Everything he has read and seen.
And then, finally, a new force enters his life, a therapist who might be able to unlock what happened to him when he was twelve, what happened to his sister.
But Colin will have to remember quickly, to find his sister. And the Watcher will have to find the Woman. Otherwise the skies will fall, and there will be only winter, wanderers and moon… From Goodreads.

I was really disappointed in this book and wish I hadn't read it. In my opinion it belittles The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath. The dark fantasy is gone and instead we have a grown up Colin that is a brilliant scientist but also a psychiatric patient. He is crazy because of what happened in the first two books which he has now kind of forgotten but not completely which is why it haunts him.
What I did enjoy was the description of  Jodrell Bank and the whispering discs as I visited there just last summer.
I can recommend reading The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath but don't read this book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014

Death on the Aegean Queen By Maria Hudgins

George Gaskill, a car salesman from Indiana, goes missing from the stern deck of the Aegean Queen leaving only a pool of blood and a strange note behind. Ollie Osgood, the husband of Dotsy Lamb's best friend Lettie, is the last person to have seen him and one of three men who lost a bundle to George in a Texas Hold'em Poker game. Then the ship's photographer turns up murdered on the beautiful island of Mykonos.
Dotsy wants only to unwind and to renew her promising relationship with Marco Quattrocchi, the Carabinieri captain she met in Italy three years ago, but since Ollie is the prime suspect in George's disappearance and Marco is embroiled in the photographer's murder, she can't.
The Aegean Queen is a ship with a theme--archaeology. Dotsy strikes up a friendship with the ship's guest lecturer, famous archaeologist, Dr. Luc Girard, and introduces him to the ship's klutziest dancer, Sophie Antonakos. With the help of Lettie Osgood's amazing powers of observation, Dotsy, Sophie, and Luc discover antiquities in the ship's display cases that have been looted from museums or smuggled from their homelands.
The trails of murder and theft converge on the island of Crete where Dotsy finds herself dodging bullets from the gun of a man she doesn't even know. From Goodreads.

This was a mystery and there was quite a lot going on but it was easy to follow. I like Dotsy's friend Lettie who remembers everything she has seen. It was a cosy, easy read. This was the third book in the series and I have not read the two first ones but it wasn't a problem.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
What’s In A Name 2014
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-eagle)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014