Monday, June 30, 2014

June 2014 Update

My reading this month has been a lot better than last month. I have read 19 books for a total of 5616 pages. I went into a reading frenzy for a week when I realized that I needed to finish quite a few books for a challenge. I managed it but only just.

All posts for June are HERE.

List of books:
  1. Prince of Hazel and Oak by John Lenahan 
  2. It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot 
  3. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson
  4. A Place Beyond The Map by Samuel Thews
  5. The Way They Were by Mary Campisi 
  6. I am Legend by Richard Matheson 
  7. Made to Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong
  8. Skin Game by Jim Butcher
  9. Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong 
  10. My Sweet Valentine by Jill Sanders
  11. Ever After by Kim Harrison 
  12. Rise of The Seven by Melissa Wright
  13. Evergreen by Brenda Pandos 
  14. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 
  15. Drifting Home by Pierre Berton 
  16. The Keepers by Donna Augustine 
  17. Angel by L.A. Weatherly 
  18. The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien 
  19. The Cold Moon Run by L. Filion

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It! - Team Challenge - Finished


 

This  challenge has now finished and my team came in on a shared second place. This was a fun challenge, thanks to Nothing but Reading Challenges on Goodreads for hosting it.

TEAM ARLECCHINO

Winners of UNCOVER IT!

Team              Points    Ranking
Arlecchino         540         1
Moretta            505      Equal 2nd
Medico della Peste 505      Equal 2nd
Volto              500         4
Pantalone          480         5
Bauta              405         6
Colombina          160         7



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.


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)

Friday, June 27, 2014

The Cold Moon Run by L. Filion

Olivia Preston is a smart, beautiful woman on the verge of living the life she had meticulously planned out; college, law school, working in her parents’ law firm and marrying her high school sweetheart. Shane Jaxon is her sexy, mysterious neighbor who isn't concerned with anything other than bedding women. However, once he meets Olivia, a fire is ignited within Shane and he sets out to win her heart and fulfill his destiny. But a new rivalry threatens his plans. Will Shane win her over enough to reveal his true self to her? And what will happen to her perfectly planned life if she lets him in? From Goodreads.





Unfortunately this book just wasn't very good. According to genre this was about werewolves and yes it was. They lived in tribes on reservations. Basically an adaptation of the native Americans.
I don't usually notice editing mistakes but I did in this which means there were quite a few. I am glad this was a free book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (O-fox)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Thursday, June 26, 2014

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a fully continuous and stand alone story, the epic tale of The Children of Húrin will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, eagles and Orcs, and the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings, and the story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.
In that remote time Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves.
Their brief and passionate lives were dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bore them as the children of Húrin, the man who had dared to defy and to scorn him to his face. Against them he sent his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire. Into this story of brutal conquest and flight, of forest hiding-places and pursuit, of resistance with lessening hope, the Dark Lord and the Dragon enter in direly articulate form. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulated the fates of Túrin and Nienor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, and the curse of Morgoth was fulfilled.
The earliest versions of this story by J.R.R. Tolkien go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed; but long afterwards, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he wrote it anew and greatly enlarged it in complexities of motive and character: it became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention.
From Goodreads.

This is darker than the Lord of The Rings and there is no hope for the future. It starts with the curse of Hurin and his children and the rest of the book is the curse running it's course.
Even though it is so dark I still enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect but it is a brilliant tale of a family's downfall.
If you haven't read any of Tolkien's books I would suggest starting with The Hobbit as that is a gentler introduction to Middel-earth.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Monday, June 23, 2014

Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly roll # 19

Monopoly hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

Roll #19






B&O RAILROAD: Read a book set at least 50 years in the past OR a book by an author whose first or last name begins with B or O OR a book set in Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana or Illinois (states the B&O went through).

Cart Before the Horse by Bernadette Marie

Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge - Finished

Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge hosted by  Paranormal Addicts & Newbies on Goodreads.

This has been a fun challenge. Apart from one book I had no problem finding the books as most of my books has some kind of paranormal element.

List of books at the bottom of this post.

This is all posts for this challenge.

Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge

This challenge is worth up to 10 Points, with the possibility of another 3 Bonus Points! For this challenge, read a book with each type of creature featured in it. (It does not need to be the main character by any means.)


Vampire (Can be Out in Daylight) 
Vampire (Out at Night Only) 
Werewolf
Shifter (Non-Wolf)
Fae 
Angel/Demon 
Magic User/Witch 
Descendant/Deity
Zombie 
Ghost

*Bonus*
 
Dragon 
Clairvoyant
Troll/Pixie/Elf/Gnome

Time Frame: April 1st - June 30th (Books must be started on or after April 1st and must be done by June 30th.)


List of books:
  1. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (Shifter (Non-Wolf)
  2. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (Werewolf)
  3. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch (Magic User/Witch)
  4. The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan (Descendant/Deity)
  5. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (Ghost)
  6. Baehrly Breathing by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Dragon)
  7. Baehrly Bitten by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Vampire (Out at Night Only)
  8. Baehrly Alive by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Zombie)
  9. How (Not) to Kiss a Were Bear by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Fae)
  10. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (Vampire (Can be Out in Daylight)
  11. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (Troll/Pixie/Elf/Gnome)
  12. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison (Angel/Demon)
  13. Angel by L.A. Weatherly  (Clairvoyant)

Angel by L.A. Weatherly

Angels are all around us: beautiful, awe-inspiring, irresistible.
Ordinary mortals yearn to catch a glimpse of one of these stunning beings and thousands flock to The Church of Angels to feel their healing touch.
But what if their potent magnetism isn't what it seems?
Willow knows she's different from other girls. And not just because she loves tinkering around with cars.
Willow has a gift. She can look into people's futures, know their dreams, their hopes and their regrets, just by touching them. But she has no idea where she gets this power from.
Until she meets Alex…
Alex is one of the few who know the truth about angels. He knows Willow's secret and is on a mission to stop her.
The dark forces within Willow make her dangerous – and irresistible.
In spite of himself, Alex finds he is falling in love with his sworn enemy.
From Goodreads.

An interesting take on angels. They are not from this world and are here to exploit humans. I liked Willow who was quite different. She had been looking after her mother since she was very young and is able to see people's future. I like that she doesn't just see one future but a lot of different ones as the future changes with the choices people make. Another book where I might read the next in the series.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge 
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-kestrel)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Challenge Factory - June 2014 Dusty Book Challenge - Finished

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

For this challenge 2 books were chosen for me and I had to read at least one of these. I completed this. I read The Keepers by Donna Augustine.

Books Chosen for me:
  1. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
  2. The Keepers by Donna Augustine

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. 

Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly roll # 18

Monopoly hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

Roll #18






KENTUCKY AVENUE: Read a book with a mostly red cover OR a book whose title starts with K or A OR a book in which horses can be found OR a book by an author whose first or last initial can be found in “KENTUCKY”

Angel by L.A. Weatherly

The Keepers by Donna Augustine

Two days ago, Jo Davids was a waitress by night and a college kid by day, with the unnerving problem of things floating around her.
One day ago, Jo's sexy boss, Cormac, noticed her for all the wrong reasons when she witnessed a man transform into a monster in the basement of his casino.
Today, Cormac ordered her shot. If he's real lucky, she won't die. Because if she does, all hope is lost.
From Goodreads.





This was better than expected. Jo has never known her parents and lived in foster homes all her life. She has been different and done all she could to hide it, now it saves her life. She then has to help save earth. I might continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-quail)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
The Challenge Factory - June 2014 Dusty Book Challenge

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly roll # 17

Monopoly hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

Roll #17






ST. JAMES PLACE: Read a book with a mostly orange cover OR a book whose title starts with J or P OR a book set in Europe OR a book by an author whose first or last initial can be found in “STJAMES”

The Keepers by Donna Augustine

Drifting Home by Pierre Berton

In the 1970s, Pierre Berton and his family recreated the trip down the Yukon made by his father, Francis George Berton, in 1898. This compelling story of the later journey is a valentine from son to father, a magical tale of a family adrift, and a poetic exploration of the region’s rich history. In experiencing this great wilderness, Berton and his family discover their deep connection to nature — and each other. From Goodreads.





I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting story about a family trip down the Yukon river. It describes how it looked in the 1970s when this trip takes place but also about the thriving place it was in 1898 when Pierre Berton's father made the trip for the gold rush.
I am looking forward to see some of the places described in this book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - UnCover It
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (D-leopard)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

"If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) - if you do not already know all about these things - much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period."
"For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise.
"
From Goodreads..

I have read and reread this book umpteen times. For the first time I now listened to the audio version. I think


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Sequel Spring Reading Challenge • March 20th-June 20th - Finished

Sequel Spring Reading Challenge hosted by Words In A Teacup.

My goal for this challenge started at 10 sequels but as I finished them quite early on I decided to read 30 instead. Unfortunately my reading slowed down a lot in April and May and beginning of this month I was far from 30.
This last week I have been reading sequels like mad and I have reached my goal

THIS is all posts for this challenge.

List of books at the end of the post.

Sequel Spring • March 20th-June 20th Reading Challenge


Sequel Spring 

Series! We love reading books in a series. There’s something about getting to know a character over several books and reading more of their adventures. However, unfortunately, sequels have a tendency to take over one’s TBR list. You read the first book in a series and enjoy very much, but then you realize that the series has been running for years and you have eight more books to add to your reading pile! And you mean to read them, but then you see that your favourite author has just published the first book in a new series, or your friend recommends you this other book that you simply have to read now… You get the picture. So here at Words in a Teacup we’ve decided that it’s time to do some spring cleaning in our TBR list! The rules
  • This challenge will run from the beginning to the end of spring: March 20th to June 20th 2014.
  • The goal is to read as many sequels as possible.
  • A “sequel” is any book that is part of a series, apart from the first one. So prequels and midquels would also count. Anything goes, the only restriction is no standalone novels and no first books in a series.
  • If we start a new series during the challenge period, the second (and third, and fourth…) book in that series will count for Sequel Spring.
Audience participation time?!
  • You can join whenever you want and you can read as many (or as few) sequels as you want.
  • Books read for other challenges also count. Audiobooks also count.
  • You don’t need a blog to participate. If you’re not a blogger you can link to your Goodreads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, Tumblr, Facebook… anything!
  • If you have a blog, it’d be cool if you created a challenge page, or grab a button and link back.
List of books:
  1. The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (The Hollows # 6)
  2. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan #2)
  3. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch(Peter Grant #3)
  4. Hex Appeal edited by P.N. Elrod (The Dresden Files, #11.9 - 60 pages)
  5. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs  (Mercy Thompson, #8)
  6. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch (Peter Grant #4) 
  7. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (The Hollows # 7)
  8. A Highland Home by Cali MacKay (Contemporary Highland Romance #2)
  9. A Highland Heist by Cali MacKay (Contemporary Highland Romance #3)
  10. Baehrly Bitten by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Goldie Locke and the Were Bears #2)
  11. Baehrly Alive by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Goldie Locke and the Were Bears #3)
  12. How (Not) to Kiss a Were Bear by Elizabeth A. Reeves (Cindy Eller #6 and Goldie Locke and the Were Bears #4)
  13. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (The Hollows # 8)
  14. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (The Hollows # 9)
  15. The Dreaming Place by Charles De Lint (Newford #2)
  16. Death on the Aegean Queen By Maria Hudgins (Dotsy Lamb #3)
  17. Boneland by Alan Garner (Tales of Alderley #3)
  18. Pieces of Eight by Melissa Wright (The Frey Saga #2)
  19. A Gift of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey (Pern # 16,5)
  20. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison (The Hollows # 10)
  21. From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint  (Newford #3)
  22. Dragon's Kin by Anne McCaffrey (Pern # 17)
  23. Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond by Kim Harrison (The Hollows # 10,1)
  24. Prince of Hazel and Oak by John Lenahan  (Shadowmagic #2)
  25. Made to Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong (Nadia Stafford #2)
  26. Skin Game by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #15)
  27. Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong (Nadia Stafford #3)
  28. Ever After by Kim Harrison (The Hollows #11)
  29. Rise of The Seven by Melissa Wright (The Frey Saga #3)
  30. Evergreen by Brenda Pandos (Mer Tales #2)

Evergreen by Brenda Pandos

A kingdom on the brink of war.
A king on the fringes of insanity.
A family running for their lives.

Ash and Fin’s only desire is to be together and dive into their happily ever after, though their conflicting worlds work to pull them apart. Neither is ready to convert to the other’s life: become a human or a mer. Little do they know that somewhere in Natatoria a secret holds the fine fabric of everyone’s lives together. If the truth is discovered, Ash and Fin will no longer have the luxury of waiting. They’ll be forced to choose. But will it be for loyalty or love? Or will someone else make the choice for them if they can’t decide?
Enter the watery world of treachery, greed, and the binding mer kiss as the story continues with Evergreen, book two of Mer Tales.
From Goodreads.




I really liked the first book so this was a disappointment. The first 60% of the book is extremely slow and boils down to two teenagers constantly calling each other to say "I love you".
I am glad I kept going though as it picked up in the last 40% to what I remember from the last book. A lot of action, betrayal and interesting twists.
As I already have the last book in the series I will read it and hope it is better than this second book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-jellyfish)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Rise of The Seven by Melissa Wright

Memories and magic recovered, Frey is restored to the throne. But as she works to regain control of the North, a small silver dagger nearly brings her end. She raises the Seven of her guard and proves her abilities in order to secure her position. But another attempt on her life, from what appears to be fey, reveals not all are pleased with her return. If she could only figure out the force behind the attacks, she might be able to relax enough to decide what to do about her other problem... Chevelle. From Goodreads.





The last book in the Frey Saga; I enjoyed this. Her seven companions are loyal and now need to help her hold on to her position against the council and rough groups from the north that don't accept her as their Lord. Last book she had learned to use her powers, she now needs to learn how to harness all the extra power she got end of the last book.
She also has to work out what to do about Chevelle, i.e. be with him or not.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-polarbear)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Ever After by Kim Harrison

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Ever After!
The ever-after, the demonic realm that parallels our own, is shrinking, and if it disappears, so does all magic. It's up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to fix the ever-after before the fragile balance between magic users and humans falls apart.
Of course, there's also the small fact that Rachel is the one who caused the ley line to rip in the first place, and her life is forfeit unless she can fix it. Not to mention the most powerful demon in the ever-after—the soul-eater Ku'Sox Sha-Ku'ru—has vowed to destroy her, and has kidnapped her friend and her goddaughter as leverage. If Rachel doesn't give herself up, they will die.
Forced by circumstance, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack—a partnership fraught with dangers of the heart as well as betrayal of the soul—to return to the ever-after and rescue those she loves. One world teeters on the brink of interspecies war, the other on the brink of its very demise—and it's up to Rachel to keep them both from being destroyed.
 
From Goodreads.

I am really into this series by Kim Harrison. I like both Rachel and her sidekicks Jenks and Ivy. Ivy is not in this one a lot but instead, Trent the elf, is a main character. They have known each other most of their lives but have not always seen eye to eye.
I like this series so much that I will now buy the next book in the series as it is not available in any library in Denmark.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Build a House
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (E-kestrel)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Challenge Factory - ♦R2: Team Challenge SS♦ - Finished

R2: Team Challenge SS (SS= Super series) hosted by The Challenge Factory on Goodreads.

This is a team challenge that will require one book a week. The object of the game is to roll the dice (there will be a link to the website to roll) and move along the board. The first team to pass the finish line wins the game. 

This challenge has now finished and unfortunately my team did not win. It has been quite fun having to find books that fit the corresponding numbers on the board.

I have read eight books for this challenge.

THIS is all the posts for this  challenge.

List of books:
  1. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (place 12 - alternate: Title: B)
  2. The Bride wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump (place 18 - #1)
  3. Pieces of Eight by Melissa Wright (place 25 - #2)
  4. The Breeders by Katie French (place 31 - #1)
  5. From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint (place 38 - #3)
  6. Along Came A Demon by Linda Welch  (place 46 - alternate: published 2009)
  7. Prince of Hazel and Oak by John Lenahan  (place 52 - #2)
  8. A Place Beyond The Map by Samuel Thews  (place 61 - standalone)

My Sweet Valentine by Jill Sanders

Sara Lander was back in town. She had big plans for her inheritance along with her freshly printed business degree and years of experience in some of Seattle’s finest bakeries, she has a rich idea for Pride. Sara's Nook is going to be the next biggest thing to hit town. All she needs now is to steer clear of the hunky ex-Navy SEAL who is hell bent on taking all her focus away from starting her own business.
Allen Masters has been living in Pride for several years. Setting up a new branch of the Coastguard and training all the new recruits took years of skill and all his patience. But when he sees the black-haired beauty, who had come back into town, he realized she was the one he'd been searching for. Taking one taste of her sweets, he knew he'd be in for a sinful time, but losing his focus while flying into the eye of a storm was the last thing he could afford.
From Goodreads.





An okay romance. It starts very fast as they meet and that is it. There are never any doubts about their relationship. The suspense in the book is about who is stalking her and attempts to kill her.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Build a House
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-jellyfish)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Monday, June 16, 2014

Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong

Ex-cop Nadia Stafford has a dark secret. After taking the law into her own hands she was kicked off the force... and entered the shadowy world of guns for hire. She has her own strict code - works only for one crime family, only kills the really bad guys. But when a hit goes tragically wrong, Nadia is devastated. Is it time to leave the business for good?
Before she has time to decide, Nadia discovers that her own life is under threat. And worse - that terrifying events from her past may have triggered the attacks. With the help of Jack, her enigmatic mentor, Nadia is forced to upon a dark path - towards the truth and towards her final destiny.
From Goodreads.





Another excellent book from Kelley Armstrong. I remember not liking the first book in this series so much but it might have been the missing paranormal aspect in it. Now having gotten used to that I really like Nadia, an ex-cop turned lodge owner and assassin. In this book it all goes back to when she was 13 and horrible things happened to her and her cousin. Nadia is a strong likeable heroine. I hope Kelley Armstrong writes more of this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-polarbear)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….
Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.
He doesn’t know the half of it….
Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.
It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.
Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance….
From Goodreads.

I have been waiting for this book and it did not disappoint. It is quite difficult for Harry being the winter knight as it often works against his own ethics and now he also has a psychic parasite in his head that will kill him. 
Mab, the winter Queen, threatens him to work for a fallen angel to pay of a debt she owns him.
I like that Karrin, Michael and Butters are back, all with quite important roles to play. 

This is a fabulous series that I recommend to anyone who likes fantasy or paranormal books.  

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge

2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge 
2014 Full House Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon 

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Crazy Challenge Connection - 1000 Member Celebration!

1000 Member Celebration hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads.

A challenge to celebrate that the group Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads have reached 1000 members, I couldn't keep away.

This is a very mixed challenge. Some spell it out and a lot of using Goodreads to sort through different shelves and members to find books.

I think this is going to be fun

1000-MEMBER CELEBRATION CHALLENGE
DURATION: June 12 - December 14


1 – Southpaw was the group’s founder and very first member, but she has since left the group. Since then, Barb, Angie, Suzanne, Chaitra and Connie N. do their best to keep the group fun and running smoothly. Read one book from any of their Goodreads shelves. Tell us who you chose, and which shelf the book is on.
NOTE: There's one Barb, one Connie N. and one Chaitra in the group, but there are two Angies and three Suzannes. If you're using their shelves for any of the tasks in this challenge, make sure you're looking at the member who's a mod :)

2 – Read a book whose number of pages is evenly divisible by 10 or has a 10 somewhere in the total pages (610, 1038) OR read TWO books between 100-110 pages long. Tell us how many pages are in the book/s

3 – Read a book with a single-digit number in the title. The number can be spelled out or represented as a digit, but cardinal numbers only -- 3, 4, 5 -- not third, fourth, fifth.
NOTE: Stand-alone numbers only! Compound numbers (203, 84, 1776) will NOT be accepted.

4 – In the upper right corner of our group’s main page, click on Members. Sort by “num comments.” Read one book from any shelf of any member (other than the mod you chose for task #1!) who has posted more than 1000 comments. Tell us which member you chose, how many comments they've made in the group, and which shelf the book is on.

5 – Maureen was member #600, ღ εїз ќατιε εїз ღ (Katie) was #700, Michele was #800, Liora was #900, and Courtney was #1000. Read a book in which the first letter of EVERY WORD (ALL words count!) can be found in one of their names: MAUREEN, KATIE, MICHELE, LIORA or COURTNEY (minimum two-word title).
NOTE: Choose ONE name for this task, not a combination of names

6 – Read a book originally published in a year that has a 10 in it (must include both numbers, in order -- only "10" will be accepted). Tell us when the book was originally published.

7 – Go to your To-Read list on Goodreads. Sort by author, A-Z , then read the 10th book on your list.
If the 10th book is in the middle of a series that you're reading, you can read the next book in the series instead of this specific title. Also, if the 10th book is shorter than 150 pages, read book #9 or #11 on the list instead.

8 – Go to your To-Read list on Goodreads. Sort by title, Z-A, then read the 10th book on your list.
If the 10th book is in the middle of a series that you're reading, you can read the next book in the series instead of this specific title. Also, if the 10th book is shorter than 150 pages, read book #9 or #11 on the list instead.

9 – Go to your To-read list on Goodreads, set it to show 100 books per page. Sort by Random, then read book #10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100 on that list. 


10 – Read a book by an author whose first AND last initials can be found in ONETHOUSAND.

11 – Read a book by an author who has written 10 or more books. Tell us how many books the author has written

Spell out THOUSAND. Use the first letter of the first word of the book’s title (do NOT count A, An or The), or the author's first or last initial (NO middle names/initials).
12 – T –
13 – H –
14 – O –
15 – U –
16 – S –
17 – A –
18 – N –
19 – D –

Read ten books from a series (do NOT have to be from the same series, nor do they have to be consecutively numbered).
NOTE: For those who absolutely do not read ANY series, read ten books recommended by friends/family or co-workers. Tell us who recommended each book.
20 –
21 –
22 –
23 –
24 –
25 –
26 –
27 –
28 –
29 –

30 – Read a book that has more than 1,000 ratings on its main Goodreads page. Tell us how many ratings it had on the day you started reading it.

CHALLENGE RULES: :
♦ If you want to participate in this challenge, please sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.

♦ Unless otherwise noted, books must be at least 150 pages long. Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged :) Re-reads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book and not simply skim through it.

For each book you read, please post a link to the title, and indicate the author and the date you finished reading it. If a challenge task gives several options, please make it clear which option you’ve chosen. If the task calls for an item on the cover, include a link to the book cover.* If it’s not obvious from the book title or cover, be sure to explain how your book fits the task. If you don’t, you won’t get credit for completing that task.
    * If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title, cover or author, see the instructions here: Add a link to the book title, book cover and/or author

♦ If you use books that are in a language other than English, please translate those titles into English for the purposes of our challenges, unless you plan to use that language for the entire challenge. If you do use another language for the whole challenge, please remember that the translations of exempt words/phrases -- for example, A, An and The in most spelling challenges -- would be exempt as well.

♦ 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 do this while you still have the Edit window open, it will copy all of your formatting, etc. too. If you don’t repost your list, your name will not be added to the list of those who have completed the challenge.  


Books:

1 – Southpaw was the group’s founder and very first member, but she has since left the group. Since then, Barb, Angie, Suzanne, Chaitra and Connie N. do their best to keep the group fun and running smoothly. Read one book from any of their Goodreads shelves. Tell us who you chose, and which shelf the book is on.
NOTE: There's one Barb, one Connie N. and one Chaitra in the group, but there are two Angies and three Suzannes. If you're using their shelves for any of the tasks in this challenge, make sure you're looking at the member who's a mod :)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is on Angie's to-read bookshelf

2 – Read a book whose number of pages is evenly divisible by 10 or has a 10 somewhere in the total pages (610, 1038) OR read TWO books between 100-110 pages long. Tell us how many pages are in the book/s:
The Tiger Princess by Sarah Renee (340 pages)

3 – Read a book with a single-digit number in the title. The number can be spelled out or represented as a digit, but cardinal numbers only -- 3, 4, 5 -- not third, fourth, fifth.
NOTE: Stand-alone numbers only! Compound numbers (203, 84, 1776) will NOT be accepted.

Rise of The Seven by Melissa Wright

– In the upper right corner of our group’s main page, click on Members. Sort by “num comments.” Read one book from any shelf of any member (other than the mod you chose for task #1!) who has posted more than 1000 comments. Tell us which member you chose, how many comments they've made in the group, and which shelf the book is on. 
The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien - Amalia, 1171 comments, on her to-read (among others) bookshelf.

5 – Maureen was member #600, ღ εїз ќατιε εїз ღ (Katie) was #700, Michele was #800, Liora was #900, and Courtney was #1000. Read a book in which the first letter of EVERY WORD (ALL words count!) can be found in one of their names: MAUREEN, KATIE, MICHELE, LIORA or COURTNEY (minimum two-word title).
NOTE: Choose ONE name for this task, not a combination of names:
MICHELE
Illicit Magic by Camilla Chafer 

6  – Read a book originally published in a year that has a 10 in it (must include both numbers, in order -- only "10" will be accepted). Tell us when the book was originally published.
Angel by L.A. Weatherly (published 2010)

7  – Go to your To-Read list on Goodreads. Sort by author, A-Z , then read the 10th book on your list.
If the 10th book is in the middle of a series that you're reading, you can read the next book in the series instead of this specific title. Also, if the 10th book is shorter than 150 pages, read book #9 or #11 on the list instead.

Legions by Karice Bolton 

8 – Go to your To-Read list on Goodreads. Sort by title, Z-A, then read the 10th book on your list.
If the 10th book is in the middle of a series that you're reading, you can read the next book in the series instead of this specific title. Also, if the 10th book is shorter than 150 pages, read book #9 or #11 on the list instead.

As I can't get hold of Tomorrow, the Stars by Robert A. Heinlein I will read #9 and #11 on my list 
The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison 
andToby Streams the Universe by Maya Lassiter

 ✔  9 – Go to your To-read list on Goodreads, set it to show 100 books per page. Sort by Random, then read book #10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100 on that list. 
#10 Elfhunter by C.S. Marks
#20 My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
#30 The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
#40 Altered Soul by Karice Bolton
#50 Mother Nature's Man by Mary Jo Burke
#60 Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
#70 Promise by Kristie Cook (#1) (Devotion (#3) okay to read #1 instead)
#80 Madman's Dance by Jana Oliver
#90 Family Magic by Patti Larsen
#100 Reckless by Cornelia Funke 

10 – Read a book by an author whose first AND last initials can be found in ONETHOUSAND.
The Keepers by Donna Augustine 

11 – Read a book by an author who has written 10 or more books. Tell us how many books the author has written: 
Made to Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong (at least 26 + a lot of short stories)

Spell out THOUSAND. Use the first letter of the first word of the book’s title (do NOT count A, An or The), or the author's first or last initial (NO middle names/initials).
 
12 – T – Every Woman For Herself by Trisha Ashley
13 – H –  Macaron Murder by Harper Lin
14 – O – Champagne and Lemon Drops by Jean Oram 
15 – U – Untouched by Robert J. Crane
16 – S –  Drip Drop Teardrop by Samantha Young
17 – A –  After the Storm by M. Stratton
18 – N –  Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance by Penny Reid
19 – D –  Drifting Home by Pierre Berton 

Read ten books from a series (do NOT have to be from the same series, nor do they have to be consecutively numbered).
NOTE: For those who absolutely do not read ANY series, read ten books recommended by friends/family or co-workers. Tell us who recommended each book. 

✔ 20 – The Way They Were by Mary Campisi (That Second Chance #2)
21 – Skin Game by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #15)
22 – Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong (Nadia Stafford #3)
23 – My Sweet Valentine by Jill Sanders (The Pride #6)
24 – Ever After by Kim Harrison (The Hollows #11)
25 – Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk (Allie Beckstrom #1)
26 – Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (The Broken Empire #1)
27 –  If the Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair (Once Upon A Romance #1)
28 – Your Guardian Angel by Skyla Madi (Guardian Angel #1)
29 –  Reckless Nights in Rome by C.C. MacKenzie (Ludlow Hall #1)

30 – Read a book that has more than 1,000 ratings on its main Goodreads page. Tell us how many ratings it had on the day you started reading it:
Evergreen by Brenda Pandos(1077 ratings)