Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge Finished

Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge hosted by Nothing But Reading Challenges.

Goal: Travel the world alphabetically! From A - Z use different settings and locals to read the alphabet. You may use the names of cities, counties, states, Providences, countries, lakes, oceans, mountain range, islands, national parks, etc.

For hard to find letters, like "X" and "Z", you may use settings with with the letter within the name.

Yes, you may use fictional settings.

Duration: You set the pace.

Start date is today the 18th of August 2013. I will keep going till I have finished.
Well that "only" took me just over two years to finish. I have had trouble with X and Z as could be expected but got there in the end.

26/26 books read

A: Arizona: Unwind by Neal Shusterman (finished 20th of August 2013) 
B: Brockport, New York: Vegan, Virgin, Valentine by Carolyn Mackler (finished 12th of September 2013)
C: California: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (finished 12th of September 2013)
D:  Detroit: Unborn by Amber Lynn Natusch (finished 26th of October 2014)
E: Europe: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (finished 26th of February 2014)
F: Florence, Oregon: A Cowboy For Christmas by Kristen James (finished 30th of December 2013)
G: Great Britain: Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett (finished 17th of October 2013)
H: Hampshire, England: Watership Down by Richard Adams (finished 25th of August 2013)
I: Illinois: Buried Child by Sam Shepard (finished 24th of November 2013)
J: Jutland: Ønskebarnet by Eddie Thomas Petersen (finished 24th of November 2013)
K: Kilmihil: Born in Fire by Nora Roberts
L: London, UK: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (finished 14th of February 2014)
M: Manchester, UK: Elidor by Alan Garner (finished 15th of November 2013)
N: Natatoria: Everblue by Brenda Pandos (finished 29th of August 2013)
O: Oz: Dorothy: The Darker Side of Oz by Scott Stanford (finished 23rd of August 2013)
P: Pacific Ocean: Life of Pi by Yann Martel (finished 19th of August 2013) 
Q: Quebec: Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs (finished 31st of March 2014)
R: Rockville: A little Christmas Magic by Sylvie Kurtz (finished 2nd of January 2014) 
S: Sticklepond: Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley (finished 5th of December 2013)
T: Tucson, Arizona: How (Not) to Kiss a Toad by Elizabeth A. Reeves (finished 16th of October 2013)
U: Utah: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (finished 28th of September 2013)
V: Vegas: What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte (finished 16th of February 2014)
W: Wales The Owl Service by Alan Garner (finished 9th of September 2013)
X: Xanadu The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland
Y: Yorkshire: It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot (finished 4th of June 2014)
Z: Zambia Don't Waste a Minute - A Story of Africa by Marilyn Randall

The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland

Logan Wilde is accidentally drawn into the mysterious, dangerous world of the Menagerie when he discovers a griffin hiding under his bed . . . and it leads him straight to the weirdest girl in seventh grade, Zoe Kahn.
Zoe is panicking. Her family has been guarding the Menagerie for centuries. If they don't get the cubs back fast, the whole place will be shut down. To save the griffins' lives, she's willing to break all the rules, even if it means letting an outsider like Logan help. But the real mystery remains: Is someone trying to sabotage the Menagerie? From Goodreads.

This was a fun book full of mythical beings. I think it was a good book for the age group it has been written for. I borrowed it from the library but as of this time it doesn't seem like the library has the next book in the series but I will keep an eye on it.

This book qualifies for: (the 3 last are linked as there is not room in the tag line)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Dewey's Read-a-Thon October 2015
I love Library books 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges: 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly
Wacky Reading Challenges: Vampires, Witches & Ghosts, O My

Don't Waste a Minute - A Story of Africa by Marilyn Randall

Meet Lyn, a girl from the Welsh valleys who sets out for adventure in 1970's Zambia with her very young daughter and husband. What will happen on the way and when she gets there exceeds all her imaginings. All the content of this book is true with the exception of a few names and small insignificant details. Enjoy xxx. From Goodreads.

This was okay but no more. Lyn was one minute scared of everything around her, the next she would stand up to official people in a very stupid way. Also when she becomes involved with the animal shelter she takes weird chances. During the whole book she seems to be handling herself in this erratic manner. The reason to be in Zambia was her husband's work and what she did was all as a volunteer. He did not seem supportive of her and every time he wanted to do something it seemed that's what they did.
The only reason this book is 3 Polar Bears is that the stupid things Lyn was doing actually were humorous in between.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
FrightFall RaT 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Breast Cancer
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge 

Born in Fire by Nora Roberts

Maggie and Brianna Concannon are very different. The calm and gentle Brie seems able to weather any storm, even the constant criticism that rains down on them both from their mother, but Maggie is a passionate and fiery artist whose temper is as bold as her art. Their mother's bitterness is a mystery to the sisters. until secrets from the past challenge everything they've come to believe.
It's Maggie's skill as a glass blower that brings Rogan Sweeney, the international gallery owner, to her small cottage in County Clare. 
His interest in her is purely professional, until their personalities clash and sparks begin to fly... As her career takes off, how will Maggie cope with the heat of the spotlight and feelings for Rogan that she would rather ignore? From the back of the book.




This was very good, not just a quick romance. There is a lot about family and what makes Maggie who she is and why she has decided never to marry. The relationships with her father, mother and sister are all very interesting. Rogan is a successful businessman and thinks he can keep business and private life separate but of course that is impossible. I will try to get the next in the series from the library. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Novel Books & Reading Challenges Tower Teams III
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: December-January Mini Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: January Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Face Off
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Spring Fling
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: 2015 Reading Challenge!
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue round 4
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Read your age
A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon 2015

Unborn by Amber Lynn Natusch

Born into mystery. Shackled to darkness....
Khara has spent centuries discovering everything about the Underworld―except her place in it. But when she is ripped from her home, solving the riddle of her origins becomes more important than ever. With evil stalking her through the dark alleys of Detroit, she finds salvation from an unlikely source: a group of immortal warriors sworn to protect the city. Khara needs their help to unravel the tangled secrets of who and what she is — secrets many seem willing to kill for. But time is running out, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer necessity binds her to an arrogant fallen angel.
Can their shaky alliance withstand that which threatens her, or will her soul fall victim to the unholy forces that hunt her―those that seek the Unborn? From Goodreads.





I needed a book by an author with N for last name. I found this on Kindle unlimited and liked that I could listen to it. This is full of mythology. Khara is, like the group of immortal warriors she meets, a child of Ares. She has lived all her life, which is centuries, half the year with Hades and half the year with Demeter. This book is about finding out who / what she is and how she deals with it. It was interesting enough that I will look out for the next book that has not yet been published.

This book qualifies for:
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (U-vulture)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot

How on earth did James Herriot come to be sitting on a high Yorkshire moor, smelling vaguely of cows? James isn't sure, but he knows that he loves it. This second hilarious volume of memoirs contains more tales of James' unpredictable boss Siegfried Farnon, his charming student brother Tristan, animal mayhem galore and his first encounters with a beautiful girl called Helen. 'He can tell a good story against himself, and his pleasure in the beauty of the countryside in which he works is infectious' - "Daily Telegraph". 'Full of warmth, wisdom and wit' - "The Field". 'It is a pleasure to be in James Herriot's company' - "Observer". From Goodreads.

This is a very humorous book. I remember watching All Creatures Great and Small - the TV-series adapted from the books James Herriot ( pen name for James Alfred Wight).
It was very clearly not an easy job but the stories he tells make it seem worth all the trouble.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and might read more in this series at a later date.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Read Scotland 2014
2014 Full House Reading Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Build a House
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (I-quail)
CCC-Read your age
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #5

Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs

Assaulted by the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, the American-born Dr. Temperance Breman, Forensic Anthropologist for the Province of Quebec, digs for a corpse where Sister Elisabeth Nicolet, dead over a century and now a candidate for sainthood, should lie in her grave. A strange, small coffin, buried in the recesses of a decaying church, holds the first clue to the cloistered nun's fate. The puzzle surrounding Sister Elisabeth's life and death provides a welcome contrast to discoveries at a burning chalet, where scorched and twisted bodies await Tempe's professional expertise. Who were these people? What brought them to this gruesome fate? Homicide Detective Andrew Ryan, with whom Tempe has a combustive history, joins her in the arson investigation. From the fire scene they are drawn into the worlds of an enigmatic and controversial professor, a mysterious commune, and a primate colony on a Carolina island. From Goodreads.



I keep having to tell myself that the TV-series Bones is only loosely based on this book series. The Dr. Temperance Brennan is a very different woman than on TV. She is an ex-alcoholic, mother and quite emotional. I still enjoyed the book and I am definitely going to continue reading this series.

This book qualifies for:
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (mystery)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (crime)
Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (#2)
Crazy Challenge Connection - Dr. Seuss
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (K-kestrel)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Book Buffs’ Battleship
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #3

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

What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte

Bored administrative assistant, Tessa Golden, is trapped in a life of lousy weather, irritating bosses, and mind-numbing secretarial work. Her dreams of being an artist have rapidly deteriorated into building things out of paperclips while on hold with tech support. To make matters even worse, the love of her life has gone off and married another woman.
So when Tessa is suddenly transferred to the Las Vegas branch of her company - playing wingwoman to her freshly divorced boss, juggling a client from hell, and catching the eye of one very eligible coworker - will her life finally be shaken up enough to straighten itself out? From Goodreads.

I enjoyed this more than expected and there were quite a few funny elements in it. Her best friend and love of her life, that she can't have as he is married, seems nice but turns out to be a jerk. Of course the story is predictable but that is okay.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge (194 pages)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (chick lit)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
2014 Women Challenge
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
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (L)
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (W-hawk)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

London constable and apprentice Peter Grant suspects sorcery when Soho area musicians drop dead, their brain scans showing magical draining. Victim Cyrus left girlfriend Simone, who beds Peter. His dad "Lord Grant" taught him jazz, but master mage DCI Nightingale still recuperates, and a Pale Lady bites off essential bits for an animal chimera slave ring. From Goodreads.

I read the first book in this series over 6 months ago and finally got around to reading this one now. It continues where the first one stopped, meaning Peter's friend Lesley and his boss are still recuperating after their injuries. I like Urban fantasy and Ben Aaronvitch does it well. Just when you think you know the plot and answers there is a twist. I already have the next book in this series.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (urban fantasy)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought 24th of August 2013)
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (P)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (Paranormal activity)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge (London)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (B-badger)

A Little Christmas Magic by Sylvie Kurtz

The only way Beth Lannigen can get through the holidays is by staying too busy to cry. So she adds her new surly neighbor to her long to-do list. For Christmas, she'll make Logan Ward smile.
But Logan Ward is punishing himself. Guilt ridden over the loss of his young daughter, the ex-cop wants the cold isolation of his new dilapidated house. Hard work and sweat will see him through Christmas.
Until the brightest woman he's ever seen shows up at his door, her small son and an abandoned dog in tow.
Around mother and child, Logan discovers the hero he'd once been hailed. But Beth is wrong: life can't simply go on after losing a dear one.
Beth isn't prepared for Logan to become more than a project. She'd loved her husband with her whole heart. There's no room for another man.
Then disaster strikes, giving Beth a chance to expand her heart and Logan a few short hours to honor his daughter's memory by convincing Beth's small son that Santa hasn't forgotten him. From Goodreads.

This was a sweet and sad but happy-ending story with a lot of Christmas spirit. Just what is needed in a Christmas story. I enjoyed it and might look at more books from Sylvia Kurtz.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Quick fix Challenge(256 pages)
Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge 2014 (mother)
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (romance)
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (free)
2014 What An Animal Reading Challenge VII (dog on cover and part of story)
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge (bought on Amazon.co.uk 9th of January 2013)
2014 Women Challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.co.uk 9th of January 2013)
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  (L)
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
CCC Winter Seasonal Spell Challenge 2013-2014
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
CCC-Read your age (published 2001)
Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2013
Crazy Challenge Connection RaT #19

A Cowboy For Christmas by Kristen James

When her estranged brother passes, Missy is suddenly an unwanted co-owner to Ocean View Stables by Florence, Oregon. Missy wants to start over somewhere new after her old boss burned her. She's jobless and has a wrongly ruined reputation, so this works out perfectly . . . until she meets the cowboy running the place. Brent built his dream with determination and his two hands; he's responsible for everything that happens there. Secretly, he feels responsible that his former partner died. He also doesn't hide his belief that Missy won't stick around. Women tend to take off on him so why would she be any different? They both have a past that can ruin their future. Can he trust her to stay? Can she trust him with her heart? From Goodreads.

This was an okay romance. Apart from taking part around Christmas there is no Christmas theme in it.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
CCC Winter Spell 2013-14
2013 Ebook Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2013
2013 Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.uk 27th of December 2011)
Crazy Challenge Connection RaT #19

Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley

A wonderful warm festive treat from Sunday Times bestseller Trisha Ashley.
The perfect gift isn’t always under the tree…
Single mum Cally’s life is all about her little girl Stella. She’s resigned to the fact that the only romance she’s going to get is from the rom-coms she watches, and with her busy job and her daughter, she doesn’t have time to even think about love.
But life gets very tough when Stella gets sick. Balancing her job as a recipe writer and looking after Stella is all consuming, so when Cally meets handsome baker Jago the last thing she wants to do is fall in love, especially when she’s been badly burned by a Prince Charming from her past.
Can laid-back, charming Jago unlock Cally’s frozen heart and help her find true love and magic under the mistletoe? From Goodreads



Trisha Ashley is one of my favourite chick-lit authors. This book didn't disappoint. It felt good and cosy being back in Sticklepond where  several of her previous books take place. I like this book a lot more than Good Husband Material.
One of the things I have liked since the first Trisha Ashley book I read is the interesting side characters. This time it is Miss Honey, the 102 year old that owns the place Jago wants to buy.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
2013 Ebook Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
A Book A Day Keeps the Boredom at Bay Reading Challenge
Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2013

Buried Child by Sam Shepard

A newly revised edition of an American classic, Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize—winning Buried Child is as fierce and unforgettable as it was when it was first produced more than twenty-five years ago.
A scene of madness greets Vince and his girlfriend as they arrive at the squalid farmhouse of Vince’s hard-drinking grandparents, who seem to have no idea who he is. Nor does his father, Tilden, a hulking former All-American footballer, or his uncle, who has lost one of his legs to a chain saw. Only the memory of an unwanted child, buried in an undisclosed location, can hope to deliver this family. From Goodreads.

This is one weird and absurd play. I am not sure how much I liked it but I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next and that is what got it 3 Polar Bears instead of just 2. This play has not made me want to read more by Sam Shepard.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
2013 Ebook Challenge
2013 Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon
2013 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
A Book A Day Keeps the Boredom at Bay Reading Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge

Ønskebarnet by Eddie Thomas Petersen

Da Mikkel må aflyse skiferien med vennerne og i stedet rejse til Skagen for at ordne sin fasters begravelse, bliver det en konfrontation med en ukendt kultur i en januarmørk og bundfrossen provinsby, som intet har til fælles med hans forventninger til det populære turistmål.
Han føler sig både ensom og isoleret i de kolde omgivelser, indtil det langsomt begynder at gå op for ham, at problemerne ikke blot er, at han er en fremmed. Det handler også om en historie. som alle i byen tilsyneladende kender, men ikke vil fortælle. En historie, som vedrører den afdøde faster.
For hvad har den facinerende unge pige, han mødte i toget på vej herop, med fasteren at gøre? Hvorfor har Mikkel en fornemmelse af, at nogen følger efter ham. Og hvorfor bliver de lokale ved med at tale om et forsvundet maleri, som har tilhørt den afdøde? From the back of the book.




This is meant to be a psychological thriller. But to me a book about several dysfunctional families, a few deaths and a lot of crazy people does not make a thriller.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
2013 Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon
2013 A-Z Reading Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge

Elidor by Alan Garner

Part folklore, part adventure and part fantasy, Alan Garner's Elidor is a modern children's classic. When Roland opens a door in a derelict church, he unleashes the wonders of Elidor and the grave challenges that this troubled world presents. Drawing on Welsh, Irish and English mythology, the book chronicles the trials and hardships of a group of young teenagers as they attempt to fulfill a prophecy from another world, and fight a terrible evil. From Goodreads

This is not as good as Alan Garner's Tales of Alderley series but it is still a good fantasy story and I enjoyed listening to it. And I kind of like the not so usual ending.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
Tower Teams Read 2013-2
2013 Audio Book Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge

Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett

One enemy spy knows the secret to the Allies' greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassin -- code name: "The Needle" -- who holds the key to ultimate Nazi victory.
Only one person stands in his way: a lonely Englishwoman on an isolated island, who is beginning to love the killer who has mysteriously entered her life.
All will come to a terrifying conclusion in Ken Follett's unsurpassed and unforgettable masterwork of suspense, intrigue, and the dangerous machinations of the human heart. From Goodreads.

I read this for my Literary Exploration challenge as my espionage book. This is not a genre I usually like to read but this was a pleasant surprise. I like us following "The Needle" for several years.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
Tower Teams Read 2013-2
2013 Ebook Challenge
2013 Mammoth Book Challenge
2013 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
Author Alphabet Reading Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge

How (Not) to Kiss a Toad by Elizabeth A. Reeves

Life isn't always sweet for magical baker, Cindy Eller. All her life she's been cursed-- every man she's ever kissed has turned into a toad. Love isn't likely to come her way, she knows.
If that weren't a big enough problem, her 'curse' has come to the attention of the Council of Magic and she may never be able to use her powers.
Enter the perfect man-- handsome, sweet, and loves food just as much as Cindy does. It would seem to be a match made in Heaven, or is it?
Cindy isn't the only one keeping secrets.
With toads, cupcakes, romance, magic and ice cream, life never has time to get dull! From Goodreads.

This is exactly what I like in a light read. It is funny, cute and romantic. This is one of those free books that makes me want to buy the next book in the series, which I have done.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
Tower Teams Read 2013-2
2013 Ebook Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge (witch)
2013 Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge (free on Amazon.uk 30th of April 2013)
2013 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
Stuck in a Rut Challenge

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

With language as colorful as a Canyonlands sunset and a perspective as pointed as a prickly pear, Cactus Ed captures the heat, mystery, and surprising bounty of desert life. Desert Solitaire is a meditation on the stark landscapes of the red-rock West, a passionate vote for wilderness, and a howling lament for the commercialization of the American outback. From Goodreads.

This was not a book for me. I was bored, basically I fell asleep every time I tried to read this book in the evening and when I like a book I can read far into the night. I felt he was just waffling and filled several pages with names of flowers and mountains.
If you want an interesting desert book do not read this book, read something by Michael Asher instead.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
Tower Teams Read 2013-2
2013 Ebook Challenge
Author Alphabet Reading Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
September 2013 Takeover Challenge

Vegan, Virgin, Valentine by Carolyn Mackler

Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A senior, a vegan, and her parents' pride and joy. She's neck-and-neck with her womanizing ex-boyfriend for number-one class ranking and plans to kick his salutatorian butt on her way out the door to Yale. Mara has her remaining months in Brockport all planned out, but the plan does not include having V, her slutty, pot-smoking, sixteen-year-old niece — yes, niece — come to live with her family. Nor does it involve lusting after her boss or dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches every night. What does a control freak like Mara do when things start spinning wildly out of control? With insight, authenticity, and a healthy dose of humor, Carolyn Mackler creates an evolving Type A heroine that every reader will recognize — and root for. From Goodreads.

I liked this more than expected. It had a dysfunctional family and it had the humour I need in a chick-lit book. I might have a look at Carolyn Mackler's other books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge
Serious Readers 2013
Tower Teams Read 2013-2
2013 Ebook Challenge
Author Alphabet Reading Challenge
Setting Alphabet Reading Challenge
September 2013 Takeover Challenge
A Book A Day Keeps the Boredom at Bay Reading Challenge (20)