Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge - Finished

Chinese New Year Challenge hosted by Crazy Challenge Connection on Goodreads. 

I have now finished this challenge and it was a very interesting challenge and not that easy. List of tasks and books at the end of this post.

 CHINESE NEW YEAR CHALLENGE
Duration: January 31, 2014 - October 31, 2014

Get out your noisemakers and fireworks! It's time to celebrate the Chinese New Year! This year is the Year of the Horse. Just like the traditional zodiac calender, the Chinese Zodiac calender, features twelve different animal signs. You determine your sign by the year in which you were born.

This challenge will have several options:
Option Series: You will notice that each sign below is numbered to correspond to the twelve months in the Chinese Zodiac. Read a book from a series that corresponds with the sign's number. For example, the rat is #1 so read the first book in a series. You may choose to start a new series and read the first twelve books, or you can mix and match different series. You don't have to do the series in order. For example, you may read a book #9 before reading a book #1.

Option Tasks: After each sign's description, two to three tasks are listed. Complete one task for each sign.

Option Compatibilities: Each participant will figure out their sign and post this in their challenge template. (I will then set up a list by signs). For this option, look at the two signs who are said to be compatible with a given sign. Read ANY book from a participant's shelves who fits one of the compatible signs. You may choose someone from either of the signs; you do not have to do both!

Option ALL: For each sign, read a book in a series that corresponds to the sign's number, read a book from the sign's tasks, and a read a book from a participant's shelves for the compatible signs.

You may choose one of the options above; however, there will just be the 'single' options (Series, Tasks, Compatibilities) or the ALL option. There is no option to do two of the 'single' options (i.e. Series and Compatibilities)

See below for a listing of the Chinese Zodiac signs. Find your birth date and list your sign in your initial post. When signing up, please let me know which option you would like to complete.

WHEN YOU SIGN UP, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHICH OPTION YOU WILL DO AND WHAT YOUR ZODIAC SIGN IS!!

CHALLENGE RULES

♣ When you sign up for the challenge, please post a challenge template so we have a post to which to link your name; post #2 will list participant links which can then be used for making challenge updates.

♣ For each book you read, please indicate the title, 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.

♣ 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!

♣ If you want the challenge moderator to check your progress as you make updates, please copy/paste your update into a new message . We don't have time to scroll back through the entire thread looking for "message #15," or to follow links back to an original post.

♣ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you've read. If you don't repost your list, you won't be included in the list of those who have completed the challenge.


List of tasks:
 
✔ 1. Rat
3/3 ✔ •Series #1: Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh - Guild Hunter # 1 ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book labeled “humor” or read a book about friendship or read a book with a curious character. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams ✔ ☯Compatible with Dragon or Monkey. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Pigletto's bookshelf, she is a dragon
 
✔ 2. Ox
3/3 ✔ •Series #2: Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs - Temperance Brennan, #2 ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book with a character described as unusually large and/or strong or read a book in which a character finds themselves isolated (i.e. death of a loved one, divorce or separation, outcast). From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint   ✔ ☯Compatible with Snake or Rooster. Angel by L.A. Weatherly - Angie2's bookshelf, she is a Rooster
 
✔ 3. Tiger
3/3  ✔ •Series #3: Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch - Peter Grant #3 ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book whose cover depicts a tiger or the word “tiger” is in the title or read a book where a character demonstrates good leadership. The Tiger Princess by Sarah Renee ✔ ☯Compatible with Horse or Dog. An Unlikely Match by Barbara Dunlop - Connie's bookshelf, she is a Horse
 
✔ 4. Rabbit
3/3  ✔ •Series #4: WitchHunt by Emma Mills - Witchblood #4 ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book whose title contains the word “hope (variations such as hopeful etc. are okay),” OR read a book about an event planner or caterer OR read a book in which family is important. The Highlander's Hope by Cali MacKay ✔ ☯Compatible with Goat or Pig. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - Chaitra's bookshelf, she is a pig
 
✔ 5. Dragon
3/3  ✔ •Series #5: For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison - The Hollows #5 ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book a dragon on the cover or “dragon” in its title OR read a book in which a character is energetic and/or charismatic OR read a book with any winged creature on the cover. A Gift of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey ✔ ☯Compatible with Monkey and Rat. Heartbroken by Lisa Unger - Laurie's bookshelf, she is a rat

  ✔ 6. Snake
3/3  ✔ •Series #6: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels, #6 ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book in which herbs play a role OR read a book with a character who is sneaky or dangerous OR read a book with a character who is any type of money professional (i.e. banker, accountant, financial analyst). A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes ✔ ☯Compatible with Rooster or Ox. Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec - AndaM's bookshelf - she is an ox 
 
✔ 7. Horse
3/3  ✔ •Series #7: White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book whose cover shows a horse OR read a book in which a horse is the main focus OR read a book with a character you consider a “free-spirit.” Texas Secrets: The Gallaghers of Morning Star by Jean Brashear ✔ ☯Compatible with Dog or Tiger. Two Weeks with a SEAL by Theresa Marguerite Hewitt - Amy's bookshelf - she is a dog 
 
✔ 8. Goat
3/3  ✔ •Series #8: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book with a creative character OR read a book labeled “romance” OR read a book with a character who is in the beauty / fashion industry. What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte ✔ ☯Compatible with Pig or Rabbit. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews - read by Sonia who is a rabbit.
 
 ✔ 9. Monkey
3/3  ✔ •Series #9: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison  ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book you consider “upbeat,” OR read a book in which a party takes place OR read a book with a character who is “vain” or “self-absorbed.” The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky  ✔ ☯Compatible with Rat or Dragon. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - Pigletto's bookshelf, she is a dragon
 
✔ 10. Rooster
3/3  ✔ •Series #10: A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book with any time-keeping device on the cover OR read a book with a character you consider “practical, resourceful, or analytical” OR read a book with any kind of paranormal activity. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch  ✔ ☯Compatible with Ox or Snake. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh - AndaM's bookshelf - she is an ox
 
✔ 11. Dog
3/3  ✔ •Series #11: Ever After by Kim Harrison   ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book with a dog on the cover or in the title OR read a book in which a character has a dog(s) as a pet OR read a book in which the main character has a good head for business / runs a successful business: Skin Game by Jim Butcher ✔ ☯Compatible with Tiger or Horse. Speechless by Hannah Harrington - Joanne♥~Bookworm Extraordinaire's bookshelf, she is a tiger
 
✔ 12. Pig
3/3  ✔ •Series #12: The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison ✔ ✤Tasks: Read a book in which a character “enjoys the finer things in life” OR read a book that takes place in academia OR read a book with a “piggy-pink” colored cover (soft, peachy pinks – no bright pinks or magentas!) Macaron Murder by Harper Lin ✔ ☯Compatible with Rabbit or Goat. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness - Shan's bookshelf, she is a goat.
 
List of books:

1. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
2. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
3. The Highlander's Hope by Cali MacKay 
4. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
5. What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte
6. Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews 
7. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness 
8. Speechless by Hannah Harrington
9. Two Weeks with a SEAL by Theresa Marguerite Hewitt
10. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 
11. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
12. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 
13. WitchHunt by Emma Mills
14. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams 
15. Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec
16. Heartbroken by Lisa Unger
17. An Unlikely Match by Barbara Dunlop 
18. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison
19. Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs 
20. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch 
21. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs  
22. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison 
23. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison 
24. A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes  
25. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman  
26. A Gift of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey 
27. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
28. From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint   
29. Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong 
30. Ever After by Kim Harrison 
31. Angel by L.A. Weatherly 
32. The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison
33. The Tiger Princess by Sarah Renee
34. Texas Secrets: The Gallaghers of Morning Star by Jean Brashear
35. Macaron Murder by Harper Lin  
36. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a freshman.
And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.
Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. From Goodreads.



This wasn't as good as I had hoped. It touches a lot of difficult issues like rape, abuse, abortion, suicide, drugs and more but some of the topics are just mentioned and it does not seem to have influenced the people it happened to very much. I am not sure I will read more from this author.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Let's Play Jeopardy!
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Macaron Murder by Harper Lin

French native Clémence Damour returns to Paris after traveling around the world for two years. She’s dog-sitting for her parents in the posh 16th arrondissement and overseeing the family patisserie, a famous franchise known for their delectable gourmet pastries and sweets in Paris and around the world.
To get off on the right foot with la gardienne, the caretaker of the apartment building, Clémence gives her a box of their luxury macarons. The next morning however, the half-eaten box of macarons is found near la gardienne's dead body. An incompetent inspector accuses Clémence of being the killer, which prompts her to clear her name and solve the case herself.
Join Clémence and her friends as they solve murder cases, bake macarons and other treats, and fall in love in The City of Lights. From Goodreads.




This was okay, a light cosy mystery. It was a very short book and only took a few hours to read. If I found more of this series for free I would read them.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
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 (L-seal)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Texas Secrets: The Gallaghers of Morning Star by Jean Brashear

Up-and-coming chef Maddie Collins finds out that her father’s life was a lie when she is bequeathed a family homeplace she never knew existed–by the husband of the only woman her father ever loved.
Rugged horseman Boone Gallagher arrives back in Texas to discover that the father who drove him away has struck one last blow. The only place he’s ever thought of as home now belongs to a woman who doesn’t want it, and he must keep her there for thirty days–or it will be lost to them both. From Goodreads.

I enjoyed this more than I expected. I really liked Maddie. It was a quick, easy, predictable read.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (M-umbrellabird)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon

The Tiger Princess by Sarah Renee

Ten years ago, a devastating fire took the lives of Queen Karenisha and King Makero, leaving a young Saderia orphaned. Nobody knows how the fire was started but it ignited quickly. Too quickly. In ten years the truth has never been discovered...
Saderia is a curious 10 year old tiger Princess who feels things deeply. Her Aunt Cia and Uncle Jash have taken over the duties of Queen and King and raising Saderia since her parents died in the fire. Her aunt and uncle don't understand Saderia, which she resents.
But Saderia starts having dreams about the past; dark, disturbing dreams. She has to know the truth. Could her parents have been murdered? Then she finds herself surrounded by more secrets when she discovers a dangerous, ancient royal secret relating to her ancestors.
At the same time, strange things start happening in the usually peaceful forest. Hard times and disappearances create fear and desperation. Out of the shadows comes a dark, mysterious lion named Dastarius to offer his services and play the hero. But his past is just as shadowed and uncertain as the King and Queen's sudden fiery death.
Saderia doesn't know who or what to trust but she is desperate to find the truth about the past. She's willing to do anything to get it. From Goodreads.

This was a cute read, very much good versus evil. The tiger princess has to show both courage and bravery and all ends well. Read this as the middle grade book it is and it is very good.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-raven)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Supernatural superhero Rachel Morgan must counter a strange magic that could spell civil war for the Hollows in this sexy and bewitching urban fantasy adventure in acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's Hollows series.
Witch and daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever-after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now, strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering. Rachel must stop this dark necromancy before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and all-out supernatural war breaks out.
Rachel knows the only weapon to ensure peace: ancient elven wild magic, which carries its own perils. And no one knows better than Rachel that no good deed goes unpunished . . . From Goodreads.

I really like this series by Kim Harrison a lot. In this book Rachel of course has to save the world again, mostly the undead vampires. Take on an entity and also figure out her feelings for Trent. I am a bit sad that it sounds like the next book is going to be the last at the same time I think it is the right time.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year 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 (U-quail)
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

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

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

From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint

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

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

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

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

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

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

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

A Gift of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey

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

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

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

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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





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

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

A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes

Bubble... Bubble...
June Heal has nothing to lose when she relocates her homeopathic cure shop, A Dose of Darla, from the flea market booth in her home town, to a quaint shop in the cozy but unusual little town of Whispering Falls, Kentucky. Or so it seems.
Cures and trouble...
Whispering Falls has a lot of secrets. From talking snow globes to whispering animals not to mention a few sprinkles of fairy dust, June realizes Whispering Falls is more magical than she thought. . .literally.
Magic stirs...
June discovers she was born into a family of psychics, and her homeopathic cures truly are magical. Unfortunately, they are not magical enough to save her from being the number one murder suspect when a member of the community that she had just had a disagreement with shows up face down in the lake with June’s lucky charm in the victim’s grasp.
And troubles double...
Add to that an attraction to her high school best friend, Sheriff Oscar Park and Mr. Prince Charming, her cat, is stealing charms from Belle’s Baubles, June is forced to clear her name in more ways than murder. After all, they don’t have cauldrons in jail. From Goodreads.

It was okay, a cute and cosy mystery. I hadn't actually figured out who had done it which is a plus. If there actually is a snack called Ding Dong, I hope the author gets paid to put it in her books as it is mentioned on just about every page.
Unfortunately another series I will only continue if they are free.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014
2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge
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

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 Broken by Patricia Briggs

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.
Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.
Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart. From Goodreads.



It was good to be back with Mercy and the werewolves. Christy, Adam's ex-wife is back and a huge problem for Mercy as she is good at manipulating people. They also have to fight an unknown supernatural and Mercy's "dad" turns up which always makes things more complicated. This is book 8 in the series and I hope Patricia Briggs will keep going.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Ebook challenge
2014 Full House Reading Challenge (published 2014)
Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014 (published 2014)
Shifter Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Pass The Parcel Team Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (#8)
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers (Adam)
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (P-impala)
CCC-Read your age (2014)
Nothing but Reading Challenges - 50 States Challenge (Washington)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch

A WHOLE NEW REASON TO MIND THE GAP
It begins with a dead body at the far end of Baker Street tube station, all that remains of American exchange student James Gallagher—and the victim’s wealthy, politically powerful family is understandably eager to get to the bottom of the gruesome murder. The trouble is, the bottom—if it exists at all—is deeper and more unnatural than anyone suspects . . . except, that is, for London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant. With Inspector Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, tied up in the hunt for the rogue magician known as “the Faceless Man,” it’s up to Peter to plumb the haunted depths of the oldest, largest, and—as of now—deadliest subway system in the world.
At least he won’t be alone. No, the FBI has sent over a crack agent to help. She’s young, ambitious, beautiful . . . and a born-again Christian apt to view any magic as the work of the devil. Oh yeah—that’s going to go well. From Goodreads.

I am enjoying listening to this series. Peter Grant isn't doing things quite like they should be done or as his superiors want but he gets there in the end. I like that Leslie is back and playing a bigger part again.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (fantasy)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (P)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (#3)
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-hawk)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #3

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

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