Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 - Finished

Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 hosted by My Reader's Block.

 I have now completed this challenge and it has been quite fun taking part. It has not always been as easy as I thought finding books with colours in the title but if this challenge is back next year I might take part again.

All posts for this challenge is HERE.

List of books at the bottom of this post.

Well, I put a poll up asking if folks were interested in giving the Color Coded Challenge another go.  I thought I'd run it till the end of the month and then see where we were.  But I've got a baker's dozen of interested readers out there already....and I've looked through my TBR stacks and found that I have books for every category, so here we go again.  Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2014.
Here are the rules:

*Read nine books in the following categories.

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc) in the title. 
2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgandy, etc) in the title.
3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) in the title. 
4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc) in the title.
5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc) in the title. 
6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc) in the title.
7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc) in the title. 
8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magneta, etc.).
9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).
* Any book read from January 1 through December 31, 2014 will count.

*Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

*Everyone who completes all nine categories will be entered in a year-end drawing for a book-related prize package.

*Please post about the challenge on your blog. Sign ups accepted until Nov 30, 2014.

List of books.

1. A book with "Blue": Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson
2. A book with "Red": Redwall by Brian Jacques
3. A book with "Yellow": Champagne and Lemon Drops by Jean Oram
4. A book with "Green": Evergreen by Brenda Pandos
5. A book with "Brown": The Bride wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump
6. A book with "Black": Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
7. A book with "White": White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
8. A book with any other color in the title: Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer
9. A book with a word that implies color: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Redwall by Brian Jacques

When Redwall was published in 1987 it catipulted author Brian Jacques to international stardom. And small wonder! This enthralling tale is jam-packed with the things we long for in a great adventure: danger, laughter, hairbreath excapes, tragedy, mystery, a touch of wonder, a truly despicable villain, and a hero we can take to heart.
That hero is Matthias, a young mouse who must rise above his fears and failures to save his friends at Redwall Abbey. The villain is Cluny the Scourage, one of the most deliciously despicable rats of all time. The unforgettable cast of supporting characters includes the stalwart badger Constance, an irrepressible hare named Basil Stag Hare, and the elderly wisemouse Brother Methuselah.
But most of all there is Matthias, seeking his true destiny in a journey that will lead through danger and despair to true wisdom. From Goodreads.



This was way better than I expected. I just didn't like the idea of mice and rats as main characters but it worked. I really liked Matthias, a clumsy but very brave mouse and it was a very good description of the horrible warlord Cluny the Scourage. I have the next two books and will definitely continue the series as some point.

This book qualifies for:
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III

Champagne and Lemon Drops by Jean Oram

One woman. Two men. One meddling small town.
Raised by her older sister in the small town of Blueberry Springs, all Beth Wilkinson wants is to create a family so big she’ll never be alone. Things are going great until her accountant fiancé, Oz, experiences a family trauma, forcing him to rethink everything from his own career to their nuptial plans—leaving Beth alone.
As Beth works to rediscover her former bold and independent self in hopes of reattracting Oz, she catches the eye of the charming new city doctor, Nash. Not only does he see her as she’d like to be seen, but he knows exactly what he wants from life—and that includes Beth.
Torn between the two men, as well as two versions of herself, Beth discovers that love and dreams are much more complicated than they seem. From Goodreads.





Pretty bad. I didn't like any of the main characters. Beth and Oz are engaged and Oz decides he needs them to have a break so he can find out who he is. Enter Dr. Nash who knows she is on the rebound but still ends up asking her to marry him. I will probably not read any more books by this author.

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

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

The Bride wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump

Life couldn’t be more perfect for Candace Woodrow. Her gourmet gift basket company is thriving, and she’s set to marry steady, dependable Barry. There’s just one wrench in the fairytale. Two weeks before her wedding she wakes up in the wrong man’s bed. Candace thinks she’ll be able to run out the door and forget all about Michael Vogler, but the Boston millionaire has other plans for the jittery bride.
As the wedding approaches, Candace’s life is further complicated by a thrill-seeking grandma and a meddlesome mother whose marriage track record rivals Elizabeth Taylor’s. She attempts to drown her sorrows in chocolate, but with a sexy bachelor appearing on her doorstep at every turn – she finds herself wondering if there’s enough of the sweet stuff in the world to stop her heart from racing every time he comes near.
The Sweet and Savory Romances will make you laugh, cry, and rev up your appetite with their hunky heroes. As a special addition, satiate your hunger—for food that is— with tried-and-true recipes written by the characters inside. From Goodreads.

This was okay. Very predictable and apart from a not very nice mother-in-law to be, all characters were nice. It is full of recipes that I don't think I'll try.  I will only read more from this series if they are free.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (S-muskox)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Dewey's Read-a-Thon April 2014

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches' conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.
But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.
For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight--freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her. From Goodreads.

Much better than the last one. There is still a lot of politics in it but a lot more fighting. As usual when Rachel has to help protect Trent he doesn't tell her everything so this time they are fighting a new demon, assassins and the witches who are still trying to get rid of Rachel. The next book is ready for me in the library.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
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 (K-muskox)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter - and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind...until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment - at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.
It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price. From Goodreads.

This is the book I have liked the least of this series till now. Rachel has been shunned by the witch community and now the witch council wants to put her in witch-jail for using black magic. I think what I don't like about this is that it is political. The main witches of the council want to control Rachel and use her for their own agenda and they don't care who they have to sacrifice to do that. I like the plain good versus bad fight better.
I will continue this series and hope it turns back to Rachel fighting the bad guys with the help of her friends and others whose help she doesn't really want.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (487 pages)
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
The Challenge Factory - R2: Team Challenge SS?
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-leopard)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison

Confusion reigns for characters and readers in the complicated seventh urban fantasy outing (after 2008's The Outlaw Demon Wails) for witch detective Rachel Morgan. Rachel's reputation is in tatters—to save humanity, she used powers that are considered evil—and she's still devastated by the mysterious death of her boyfriend six months earlier. Her attempts to solve his murder bleed into a case involving an emotion-sucking banshee, and soon Rachel has to bring in her PI partners—Ivy, a bisexual vampire, and Jenks, a pixie in existential crisis—along with empathic psychiatrist Ford and the banshee victim's father, Federal Inderland Bureau captain Edden. Harrison's unique vampire mythology unduly complicates world-building, and newcomers will be desperate for a glossary, but the nearly nonstop action nicely plays off the poignancy of Rachel's difficult life. From Goodreads.




This series just keeps getting better. Rachel and her life is as complicated as can be and she has to fight both enemies and so-called friends this time around. I am now glad I read the short story "Dirty Magic" in Hotter than Hell as the story about the banshee now makes sense. It is also a very good idea to read the short story "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" from Holidays are Hell as that helps clarify another major theme in this book.
Of course Rachel finds herself in love again in this book.
I have the next two books in the series on loan from the library ready to read.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (best so far 2014)
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
Vampire Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (W-narwhal)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Abby, 13, is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence. From Goodreads.

Another free book that was way better than expected. The scary part of this book is the description of how they survive. The group the book follows on Castine Island is a good group. Most of the group want to work together to help each other, but that is not the case on the mainland where it is survival of the fittest or in other words the worst. 

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (188 pages)
Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge 2014 (lives by a body of water)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (dystopian)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (less than 200 pages)
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought 10th of September 2013)
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (S-jellyfish)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge (Maine)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2

Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson

California teen Sadie James thinks her life couldn't get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she's rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won't even tell her his name. Each time the boy appears, Sadie's unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her, but as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day...why does Sadie need one? As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn't as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all. From Goodreads.




I really enjoy it when I like a free book enough to buy the next books in the series right after reading it and I have done that with this book. Sadie is a likeable teen and I am looking forward to read the next books in the series.

This book qualifies for: 
2014 Ebook challenge
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014 (young adult)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (Paranormal)
Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 (blue)
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge (set in USA, I live in Denmark)
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge (secret)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought on Amazon.co.uk 28th of August 2013)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.co.uk 28th of August 2013)
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (C)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (C-coyote)
Bout of Books 9.0

Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 Sign Up

Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014 hosted by My Reader's Block.

Well, I put a poll up asking if folks were interested in giving the Color Coded Challenge another go.  I thought I'd run it till the end of the month and then see where we were.  But I've got a baker's dozen of interested readers out there already....and I've looked through my TBR stacks and found that I have books for every category, so here we go again.  Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2014.
Here are the rules:

*Read nine books in the following categories.

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc) in the title. 
2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgandy, etc) in the title.
3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.) in the title. 
4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc) in the title.
5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc) in the title. 
6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc) in the title.
7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc) in the title. 
8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magneta, etc.).
9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).
* Any book read from January 1 through December 31, 2014 will count.

*Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

*Everyone who completes all nine categories will be entered in a year-end drawing for a book-related prize package.

*Please post about the challenge on your blog. Sign ups accepted until Nov 30, 2014.

This is an interesting challenge. My goal is to complete the challenge and read all 9 books.

List of books.

1. A book with "Blue": Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson
2. A book with "Red": Redwall by Brian Jacques
3. A book with "Yellow": Champagne and Lemon Drops by Jean Oram
4. A book with "Green": Evergreen by Brenda Pandos
5. A book with "Brown": The Bride wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump
6. A book with "Black": Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
7. A book with "White": White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
8. A book with any other color in the title: Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer
9. A book with a word that implies color: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison