Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster Challenge - Finished

2014 Chubby Chunkster Challenge hosted by Romance Readers Reading Challenges on Goodreads.

I have now finished this challenge and my goal was to read: Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 8 chunksters OR 3 tomes of 800 pages or more.

I completed this goal twice. I have read 16 books for this challenge.

List of books at the bottom of this post.

Duration:January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

They're large. They're in charge. And they're calling your name. They are the big mommas of your TBR, the mountain more than the molehill - these busty babies have been waiting for you to crack them open and take a nice, long perusal of their contents. If you've been waiting and delaying your chunkster reading, this challenge is for you!

1. Definition of a Chunkster:

- A chunkster is 450 pages or more of fiction or nonfiction. A chunkster should be a challenge.
- If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

[NOTE: if you read e-books, check the hardcover/paperback page count here on GR, it will give you the idea if the book counts]

If the book is ebook-only with NO PRINT EQUIVALENT. then the following rules apply:

1. For the ebook-only book, please check Amazon for its estimated page count. Usually underneath the description, there is a drop-down button (online-stores) for Get a copy. Select Amazon from that and it will lead you to the version on Amazon. Check the estimated page number there.

2. If no Amazon page count exists, THEN you can use GR page count and add 50 pages due to its unreliable reputation.

3. If no Amazon page count and GR page count exists, then the book cannot be used for this challenge.

Please ask any questions if you have any doubts. You can also post the book title in this thread if you have any trouble and I'll check for you.

2. The Rules:

- Audiobooks count.
- Re-reads are fine, as long as you don't skim or skip sections.
- Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
- Books may crossover with other challenges.
- You can join in anytime, but you have till the end of the year to read it all.
- You don't need to list your books ahead of time.
- Once you pick a level, that's it...you're committed to that level!
- When you post your updates, put page count by each chunkster.
- If you completed a level before the end of the year and you want to sign up again, you're more than welcome to do so.

3. You must pick a level of participation:

- The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who has a couple of large tomes on their TBR list, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. Three books is all you need to finish this challenge.
- Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - This option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 5 Chunksters over the remainder of the year.
- Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 8 chunksters OR 3 tomes of 800 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.
- Too Big To Ignore Anymore - this option is for those chunksters on your TBR list. You may select any number of books over 450 pages but you must LIST THEM ahead of time.


List of books round 1: (finished post on Goodreads)

1. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison (453 pages)
2. Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison (501 pages)
3. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison (528 pages)
4. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (592 pages) 
5. One Sweet Moment by Maggie Craig (452 pages)
6. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison (512 pages)
7. The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (528 pages)
8. Hotter Than Hell edited by Kim Harrison (491 pages)

List of books round 2: (post on Goodreads)

1. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (552 pages)
2. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (487 pages)
3. Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond by Kim Harrison  (513 pages)
4. Angel by L.A. Weatherly  (507 pages)
5. Dragonsblood by Todd J. McCaffrey (452 pages) 
6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt  (629 pages)
7. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (490 pages) 
8. The Magician by Michael Scott (496 pages)

The Magician by Michael Scott

After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Lights. Home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Perenelle is still locked up back in Alcatraz and Paris is teeming with enemies. Niccolo Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He's after them, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenelle. For every day spent without the Book of Abraham the Mage, they age one year-their magic becoming weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophecy is becoming more and more clear.
It's time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there's only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel's old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain-alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world's only hope-if they don't turn on each other. From Goodreads.




This is my kind of book, though it is more than twice as long as my last book it felt shorter. The twins Josh and Sophie together with Nicholas Flamel and others are fighting mythical creatures. We know who the bad guys are but then again it is not all black and white. Also Josh is having a hard time accepting that Sophie has been awakened and he hasn't. I am looking forward to continuing this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Crazy Challenge Connection - Oktoberfest
Crazy Challenge Connection - Bookshelf Battle Team Challenge #4
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SSS
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

As the War of the Rings builds in intensity and the dark minions of Sauron look to extend their evil influence over Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam edge ever closer to Mount Doom. Desperate to avoid the watchful eye of the Dark lord and the treacherous betrayal of Gollum, the two noble hobbits struggle through the Land of Shadow in an attempt to destroy the One Ring of Power and end Sauron's evil reign forever. From Goodreads.

The final book in the trilogy The Lord of The Rings. The part I miss in the film is the return of the hobbits to the Shire. It seems in the film that the Shire has not been affected by the war at all. This is not correct, I can see why it is not in the film but I miss it none the less as it is one of my favourite parts of the book.
If you have only seen the films, try reading the books. As with most books to film there is a lot more happening in the books.

This book qualifies for:
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet R-vulture)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill. From Goodreads.

I am not sure what to think about this book. It is a murder / mystery but in the way that we are told right away who did it, then the next 620 pages tells why. Richard, the person, who is telling the story is part of a group of 6 college students who study Greek but as a newcomer he is also set apart from the group.
I didn't really like any of the characters in the book but it was still a strangely compelling read.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
What’s In A Name 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster
Crazy Challenge Connection - Bookshelf Battle Team Challenge #4
The Challenge Factory - R4: Team Challenge SSS
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Dragonsblood by Todd J. McCaffrey

Never in the dramatic history of Pern has there been a more dire emergency than that which faces the young dragonrider Lorana. A mysterious fatal illness is striking dragons. The epidemic is spreading like wildfire . . . and the next deadly cycle of Threadfall is only days away. Somehow, Lorana must find a cure before the dragons-including her own beloved Arith-succumb to the sickness, leaving Pern undefended.
The lyrics of an all-but-forgotten song seem to point toward an answer from nearly five hundred years in the past, when Kitti Ping and her daughter Wind Blossom bred the first dragons from their smaller cousins, the fire-lizards. No doubt the first colonists possessed the advanced technology to find the cure for which Lorana seeks, but over the centuries, that knowledge has been lost.
Or has it?
For in the distant past, an aged Wind Blossom worries that the germs that affect the fire-lizards may one day turn on larger prey-and unleash a plague that will destroy the dragons, Pern's only defenders against Thread. But as her people struggle to survive, Wind Blossom has neither the time nor the resources to expend on a future that may never arrive-until suddenly she uncovers evidence that her worst fears will come true.
Now two brave women, separated by hundreds of years but joined by bonds transcending time, will become unknowing allies in a desperate race against sickness and Threadfall, with nothing less than the survival of all life on Pern at stake. From Goodreads.

I really like the Dragonriders of Pern series. Originally written by Anne McCaffrey but the later ones written by her son Todd.
I enjoyed this, it was interesting how the present was tied in with the past. Lorana was a perfect heroine and Wind Blossom an interesting person.
I will continue reading this 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
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

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

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

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

Hotter Than Hell edited by Kim Harrison

Beyond the boundaries of the everyday is an unseen realm where anything you imagine is possible. Your demon lover is waiting for you in the shadows, ready to fulfill your secret wishes and most dangerous fantasies. Here passion has a face and form both titillating and terrifying--and love has teeth and claws. Get ready to give in to your craving for something exquisitely dark . . . and different.
Hotter Than Hell gathers together a baker's dozen of today's boldest and best authors of supernatural fiction and paranormal romance in a breathtaking anthology that blends black magic with red-hot desire. From the tantalizing tale of a conflicted psychic vampire driven by a powerful, savage love to the strange saga of a Greek warrior woman battling to save the world, these are stories outside the limits, as hypnotic as the full moon . . . and hotter than the sun. From Goodreads.




Unfortunately this was just okay. I read it for the Kim Harrison story but even though it is part of the Hollows series I didn't get the connection. I liked them but they were nothing special.

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 (491 pages)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (H-jellyfish)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon (491 pages)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #3

The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison

When you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line...
In the Hollows, where the natural and the supernatural co-exist - not always peacefully - desperate times often call for unorthodox measures. But bounty hunter-witch Rachel Morgan did the absolutely unthinkable to save the lives of her friends: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now her sins have come home to haunt her.
As Rachel hunts for the truth behind a terrifying murder, the discovery of a shocking family secret is about to throw her entire life into question. And the long-lost ancient knowledge she seeks resides in the demonic ever-after. But there are some lines that should never be crossed--like the one Rachel Morgan's stepping over...again! From Goodreads.

This sixth book of The Hollows is full of surprises and secrets of the past. We learn a lot of new stuff about Rachel's parents and most of it is unexpected. Also the life of demons might not be as easy as it seems.
This book included a short story "The Bespelled" about how Ceri became Al's familiar. The Hollows # 6,1
I have book 7 + short stories 4,5 and 5,5 ready to read.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Vampire Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (O)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (528 pages)
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (O-coyote)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly

For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison

Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has always managed to stay just ahead of trouble...until now.
A fiendish serial killer stalks the Hollows, and no one living in or around Cincinnati - human, inhuman, or undead - is safe.
An ancient artifact may be the key to stopping the murderer - a mysterious relic that is now in the hands of Rachel Morgan, fearless independent bounty hunter and reckless witch. But revealing it could ignite a battle to the death among the vast and varied local supernatural races.
Rachel's been lucky so far.
But even she can't hide from catastrophe forever.
This mass market paperback edition includes the short story "The Bridges of Eden Park. From Goodreads.




This is the fifth book in the Hollows series and I am still enjoying it and have several more lined up to read. Life is still not easy for Rachel. Both her room-mate and boyfriend are vampires, she is part of a werewolf pack (very small) and an elf wants something she has.
There is not a happy ending in this book.
The short story at the end of the book was a nice wee story.
This series should be read in order as everything that happens is a continuation of earlier books.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Vampire Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (512 pages)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (series #5)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-dragonfly)
CCC-Read your age
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Book Buffs’ Battleship

One Sweet Moment by Maggie Craig

It's 1822 and Scotland's capital is a city of both splendour and squalor. Kate Dunbar is worked like a slave all day and preyed upon at night in the gloomy vaults that lurk under the Old Town's South Bridge but never gives up hope of a better life for herself and her beloved young brother Andrew.
When wealthy young medical student Richard Hope walks into her life, Kate knows that his interest in her could lead them both into danger. Yet it's not long before the two of them have fallen head-over-heels in love.
Others are watching the young lovers. Radical booksellers Peggy and Nathaniel Henderson have Kate and Andrew's best interests at heart. Their greedy and grasping uncle doesn't, and he soon soon starts laying his own evil plans.
Kate and Richard's passionate and poignant romance intertwines with the richly-imagined colour and pageantry of King George IV's historic visit to Edinburgh in 1822, and culminates in the heart-stopping drama of the Great Fire of Edinburgh of 1824.
Can their love affair have a happy ending or will fate, the evil that threatens them and the rigid rules of class and society allow them only one sweet moment of happiness? From Goodreads.

This is a very sad romance. I like the main character Kate a lot, she does what it takes to survive and care for her brother. Her uncle and aunt are awful but there are good people around. Richard, a wealthy medical student, finds out how the poor of Edinburgh live and finds love. Do not reed this if you only like books with a happy ending.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Read Scotland 2014
Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge 2014
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (O)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (452 pages)
Crazy Challenge Connection - Dr. Seuss
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (O-coyote)

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

It began with A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realise that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers... Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew once more in this stunning, richly imagined, epic tale. From Goodreads.

This book has been on my TBR pile for more than 1½ year. I bought it as soon as it was published on Kindle in July 2012 but then never got round to reading it.
I enjoyed it and it was interesting being back in 1590 Europe. It just wasn't as good as the first book. I am however looking forward to the final book coming in July.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (historical fiction)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (historical fiction)
2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge (award winning)
2014 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge (Night)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought on Amazon.co.uk 10th of July 2012)
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (D)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (592 pages)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Shan's bookshelf - she is a goat)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge (Europe)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (D-badger)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #2

A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to possess, bed, and kill her -- not necessarily in that order.
Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. And there are those who covet what Nick possesses -- savage beasts willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary.
Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule. And suddenly more than Rachel's soul is at stake. From Goodreads.





Rachel leaves Cincinnati to go rescue Jax, a pixi and her human ex-boyfriend Nick. Nothing goes as planned. Another book I couldn't put down. I now have to wait a bit before reading the next as I have to get it from the library. It will be soon though.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (F)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (496 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (F-fox)
CCC-Read your age (published 2006)
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2014

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

There's no witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, who's already put her love life and soul in dire jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring criminal night creatures to justice.
Between "runs," she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blood-drinking partner, keeping a deadly secret from her backup, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor.
Rachel must also take a stand in the war that's raging in the city's underworld, since she helped put away its former vampire kingpin - and made a deal with a powerful demon to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.
And now her dark "master" is coming to collect his due. From Goodreads.

Book 3 of the Hollows. This series is a very enjoyable read, there is something happening all the time and I just can't put the books down. Demons are as usual tricky to deal with, vampires are not much easier. Rachel is a brilliant protagonist and I am continuing this series right away.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (E)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (501 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014 (E)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (E-badger)
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2014

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison

Rachel Morgan, sexy witch, independent bounty hunter, prowls the downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night. She can handle leather-clad vamps and a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is an ancient, implacable evil that threatens her very soul. From Goodreads.

Another series where I really liked the first book but just never got back to the series. I am glad I am back. Things just don't get easier for Rachel in this and a lot of things actually go badly. I read this book in a day starting at 3 in the afternoon and with a few breaks thrown in finished at 6.30 the next morning which for me makes it a very good read.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (more than 400 pages)
Vampire Challenge 2014
2014 Women Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (G)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster (453 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Ten Book Author Train Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (G-badger)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge (cincinnati - Ohio)

Romance Readers Reading Challenges: 2014 Chubby Chunkster Challenge

2014 Chubby Chunkster Challenge hosted by Romance Readers Reading Challenges on Goodreads.

Duration:January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

They're large. They're in charge. And they're calling your name. They are the big mommas of your TBR, the mountain more than the molehill - these busty babies have been waiting for you to crack them open and take a nice, long perusal of their contents. If you've been waiting and delaying your chunkster reading, this challenge is for you!

1. Definition of a Chunkster:

- A chunkster is 450 pages or more of fiction or nonfiction. A chunkster should be a challenge.
- If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

[NOTE: if you read e-books, check the hardcover/paperback page count here on GR, it will give you the idea if the book counts]

If the book is ebook-only with NO PRINT EQUIVALENT. then the following rules apply:

1. For the ebook-only book, please check Amazon for its estimated page count. Usually underneath the description, there is a drop-down button (online-stores) for Get a copy. Select Amazon from that and it will lead you to the version on Amazon. Check the estimated page number there.

2. If no Amazon page count exists, THEN you can use GR page count and add 50 pages due to its unreliable reputation.

3. If no Amazon page count and GR page count exists, then the book cannot be used for this challenge.

Please ask any questions if you have any doubts. You can also post the book title in this thread if you have any trouble and I'll check for you.

2. The Rules:

- Audiobooks count.
- Re-reads are fine, as long as you don't skim or skip sections.
- Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
- Books may crossover with other challenges.
- You can join in anytime, but you have till the end of the year to read it all.
- You don't need to list your books ahead of time.
- Once you pick a level, that's it...you're committed to that level!
- When you post your updates, put page count by each chunkster.
- If you completed a level before the end of the year and you want to sign up again, you're more than welcome to do so.

3. You must pick a level of participation:

- The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who has a couple of large tomes on their TBR list, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. Three books is all you need to finish this challenge.
- Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - This option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 5 Chunksters over the remainder of the year.
- Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 8 chunksters OR 3 tomes of 800 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.
- Too Big To Ignore Anymore - this option is for those chunksters on your TBR list. You may select any number of books over 450 pages but you must LIST THEM ahead of time. 

My goal will be: Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 8 chunksters OR 3 tomes of 800 pages or more.
As the duration of this challenge is all of 2014 I will do a second round. Same goal.

List of books round 1: (finished post on Goodreads)

1. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison (453 pages)
2. Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison (501 pages)
3. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison (528 pages)
4. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (592 pages) 
5. One Sweet Moment by Maggie Craig (452 pages)
6. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison (512 pages)
7. The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (528 pages)
8. Hotter Than Hell edited by Kim Harrison (491 pages)

List of books round 2: (post on Goodreads)

1. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (552 pages)
2. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (487 pages)
3. Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond by Kim Harrison  (513 pages)
4. Angel by L.A. Weatherly  (507 pages)
5. Dragonsblood by Todd J. McCaffrey (452 pages) 
6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt  (629 pages)
7. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (490 pages) 
8. The Magician by Michael Scott (496 pages)