Rawk: Get Ready for Autumn! Finished

Get Ready for Autumn! hosted by Rawk-A-Tiers on Goodreads.

This wasn't too difficult and I managed to complete it.

September 1- September 30

This challenge is brought to you by YANG House

☯ You have one month to complete your level for 9 points.
CR Level = 3 tasks
RR Level = 6 tasks
PR Level = 9 tasks

☯ If you aren't quite ready for summer to be over and can't finish all of your tasks before the end of the challenge, you may score your points as follows
CR = # of tasks x 3
RR = # of tasks x 1.5
PR = # of tasks x 1

☯ BONUS +1 point for each book you read (maximum of 3) that fits more than one option under the task. For example, if for your Halloween task, you read a black book with Horror on the main page, you get an extra point

Remember: each task can only be done one time so you can only get 1 bonus point per task for a MAXIUM of 3 bonus points. So maximum score for the challenge would be 12 points

Back to School:
• Read a book that has a main character who is a student
The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (Ethan is a student though he is a bit busy so he doesn't go to school every day)
• Read a book that has a main character who is a teacher or someone who works at a school (Principal, Guidance Counselor, Coach, Janitor, etc)
• Read a book with a "subject" as genre on the main page (Math, Science, Literature, Art, Music, etc)

Football
• Read a Sports Book
• Read a book that has a main character who is an athlete
• Read a book where the main character "catches" something (a disease, a criminal, a life-partner...be creative)

Harvest time
• Read a book about a farm/farmer or ranch/rancher
Rasmus - Tales of a Utah Cowboy by Jay Anderson and Beth M. Stephenson
• Read a book with a fruit and/or vegetable on the cover
• Read a book that has genre "Western" on the main page

Halloween x 2
• Read a book with a predominantly orange or black cover
Fire Country by David Estes 
• Read a book with a main page genre of "Horror"
• Read a book where a character dresses up as someone else (costume party, goes undercover, etc)
Fire Country by David Estes (dresses up as a boy when trying to escape)

Leaves are Changing
• Read a book with leaves on the cover
• Read a book set in the New England States of the US (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island) where the people flock to see the fall colors
• Read a book who's color(s) are made up of fall leaf colors: red, yellow, purple, and brown.

Thanksgiving
• Read a book where there is a celebration or feast
• Read a book that has a main page genre of "Holiday"
• Read a book that was first published in November of any year
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig (first published November 26th 2007)

TV Pilot Season
• Read a book that's the first in a series (must be identified as a series on Goodreads)
• Read a book who's main character is someone who is associated with the TV industry (actor, writer, cameraman, news anchor, etc)
• Read a book that's been turned into a TV show

Autumn is a Time for Transition and Change x 2
• Read a book where a main character makes a transition or change (job, personal life, changing schools)
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts (visits Ireland and decides to stay instead of going back home)
• Change what you normally read, and read a book outside your comfort zone (state how this book is unusual for you)
• Read a book by an author that goes by another name (JD Robb/Nora Roberts, Stephen King/Richard Bachman)
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts

It's Not Fall in the South! x 2
• Read a book set in the Southern Hemisphere
• Read a book where two main characters are opposite
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (Male MC 500 year old vampire, female MC 22 year old student)
• Read a book with main page genre "Travel" or where the main character travels a great distance (different country, hemisphere, continent)
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter (goes from USA to Europe) 

Rawk: I Spy Finished

I Spy hosted by Rawk-A-Tiers on Goodreads.


I only found 17 of the 25 items/actions/places for this challenge but luckily we got points for using a certain number of book so I didn't do to badly as I used more than enough books for this challenge.
 
September 1 - 30

OBJECT
Find as many of the following items/actions/places in your reading this month as possible.

RULES:
1. Standard Rawk-A-Tiers book requirements apply.

2. Items must be found in reading, not in title, on cover, caption text or pre/post matter.

3. No limit on number of items found in a book, but to get full point credit, you must use the minimum books required by your BPW level.
CR level = 4 books
RR level = 10 books
PR level = 16 books

4. In your post, list TITLE, PAGE #, and SENTENCE where the item can be found, for ebooks, provide location #.

5. Audiobooks are acceptable provided you can give the information required in #4 above.

SCORING
5 points ~ if you meet your BPW level requirement
+ # of items x 0.25
+ bonus: # books over BPW x 0.50  

Items just need to be mentioned in book
Scarf
The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yoko Ogawa
Pg: 80 ➨ My brother-in-law's parents came to visit, and they brought along an odd-looking package wrapped in a scarf.

Doughnuts
Iced Under by Nadine Doolittle
Loc: 1255 ➨ And Doughnuts.

Cowboy Hat

Tractor
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
Pg: 314 ➨ His new tractor's the best modern technology's come up with.

Sunglasses
A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews
Loc: 2349 ➨ And I must hesitate or something, as he peers at me over the top of his sunglasses and says, We are OK, aren't we?

Typewriter

Helmet
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Loc: 13461 ➨ The wood bounced off the man's helmet, but the blow was powerful enough to daze him, so Lukel followed it with a solid blow to the face.

Badge
Touch of the Goddess by Maria Hammarblad
Loc: 3622 ➨ Up until finding the badge, Olga nutured hope that someone from her family survived.

Luggage/Suitcase
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
Pg: 52 ➨ Shannon was grateful her hands were gripped on the luggage cart

Home Landline Telephone or Answering Machine
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig
Loc: 391 ➨ The answering machine played its message and another female voice came on the line.


Actions by MC must see MC perform these actions
Art/Craft Making (pottery, paint, knit, etc) MC must actually make something:
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
Pg: 126 ➨ Hello, Murphy. She continued to paint as he came to the wall that separated them.

Rides on public or hired transportation:
Rasmus - Tales of a Utah Cowboy by Jay Anderson and Beth M. Stephenson
Loc: 796 ➨ I stepped on the train and waved, clenching my jaw to keep emotion where it belonged

Plays a team sport

Jogs or runs
Fire Country by David Estes
Loc: 3931 ➨ I run for miles and miles, never slowing.

Rides a Motorcycle
Fire at Twilight by Lila Ashe
Loc: 509 ➨ The motorcycle paused, slowed, and then stopped in front. (the rider of the motorcycle is the male MC)

Reads poetry

Flowers--sends or receives

Mixes a Drink -- alcoholic or non

Mails a letter

Gets caught outside in the rain:
A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews
Loc: 1515 ➨ The fine pitter-pattering soon turns to pelting rain. The sky blackens and the temperature drops. In here, Noah says. Let's shelter.

Places must see MC enter these places
Elevator:
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig
Loc: 280 ➨ Lacy got in the elevator, her face shielded by green sprigs of baby's breath.

School:
The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
Pg: 40 ➨ The next day at school was fairly uneventful. I parked close to the school building, right outside the principal's office window, to prevent further ambushes in the parking lot. I kept my head down in class, only engaging teachers if spoken to first.

Courtroom

Library
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
Loc: 436 ➨ In fact, Beatrice felt like she ran all day, and by the time she got to the library at four o'clock, she was ready to collapse.

Hotel
The Wild by Christopher Golden
Pg: 122 ➨ Jack burst through the hotel's front doors. There was no one at reception.

The Wild by Christopher Golden

The world knows Jack London as a writer who lived his own thrilling, real-life adventures. But there are parts of his life that have remained hidden for many years, things so horrifying even he couldn’t set them down in writing. These are the Secret Journeys of Jack London.
We meet Jack at age seventeen, following thousands of men and women into the Yukon Territory in search of gold. For Jack, the journey holds the promise of another kind of fortune: challenge and adventure. But what he finds in the wild north is something far more sinister than he could ever have imagined: kidnapping and slavery, the murderous nature of desperate men, and, amidst it all, supernatural beasts of the wilderness that prey upon the weakness in men’s hearts. From Goodreads.

I like fantasy but it was not what I expected of this book and that is the reason it doesn't get a higher rating. I wanted more of the adventure and hardship in the cold climate around the Yukon river which was what the first part of the book was like. It became too mythical with the Wendigo and Lady of the forest. Just the thought of Yukon though makes me look forward to next summer when I am going back there to paddle the Yukon River.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer cAMMP BINGO
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mysterious manuscript he's hunted for over five hundred years. He never expected a young student librarian could be the key to unlock its secrets, nor could he have predicted the danger she would attract.
Now he and Beatrice De Novo follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, though the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation hundreds of years in the making. From Goodreads.

An interesting vampire story. Though in this one most of the myths of how to kill a vampire don't work and the vampires also have different powers connected to earth, wind, water and fire. It is centred around books and the search for 500 year old books that has been thought destroyed. I might return to this series at a later date.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Touch of the Goddess by Maria Hammarblad

Drinking and flying is a bad combination. Stephan Forks learns this the hard way when he rams another ship in spite of the vastness of space. A moment later, a strange woman stands on his bridge, looking around with a frown. She's clearly a figment of his imagination. Nothing in his colorful past of smuggling and smaller crimes prepared him for people appearing out of nowhere.
Maria Callaway has carried more names and appearances than she can keep track of, and she's bored beyond belief. When she runs into Stephan, he seems to be an amusing pastime. He's interesting, disorganized, pursued by pirates, and handsome. A little too handsome, actually. Maybe she should leave?
Neither of them can foresee the chain of events set in action from their meeting. Adventure and danger go hand in hand during the upcoming days, and the collision resonates not only through their own lives, but changes the destiny of the world as they know it.
"Touch of the Goddess" is the first book in a series of three, mixing mythology, science fiction, and romance. from Goodreads.

This was quite funny, a 2000 year old goddess who falls in love with a 40ish year old genetically engineered human. Stephan wants to protect Maria but a 2000 year old goddess really doesn't need a lot of protection. This is their adventure. I might just continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Iced Under by Nadine Doolittle

Stunned by the abrupt end to her marriage, Sara Wolesley abandons her comfortable life in Toronto and with her two daughters, takes possession of a rundown cottage in Quebec. A frozen lake stretches outside their door like green-black cellophane, ice as clear as rain. They can look down to air bubbles frozen in perfect milky orbs and reeds blowing beneath their feet.
But this new secluded life and the cottage do not offer Sara the relief she was seeking. Unable to find a job or keep the plumbing from freezing, she is broke and close to a breakdown when she falls while crossing the ice. In despair, Sara decides to let the cold take her when she sees something moving in the water below.
They got lucky, the police said later. One of them, the older one, said the ice hadn't been that clear in twenty years. He knew Hennessy Lake pretty well but they got lucky. If there'd been snow they might never have found her body.
But they did find her even after Sara lost her bearings and couldn't remember exactly where she saw the little girl floating beneath her feet. They found her caught in a reed bed, her blonde hair drifting about her head, her eyes open and her mouth parted as if to say something. Her name was Oralee Pelletier and she had been missing for five months. From Goodreads.

This was okay but no more. The main character is just too naive and I just didn't connect with her. The most interesting character was Gil Hennessy, a recluse who is rumoured to have killed his entire family decades ago.
The answer to the mystery of the missing girl is basically given 50% into the book and all there is left to uncover is the details. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 201
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Elantris was built on magic and it thrived. But then the magic began to fade and Elantris began to rot. And now its shattered citizens face domination by a powerful Imperium motivated by dogged religious views.
Can a young Princess unite the people of Elantris, rediscover the lost magic and lead a rebellion against the imperial zealots?
Brandon Sanderson's debut fantasy showed his skill as a storyteller and an imaginer of baroque magical systems to be fully developed from the start. From Goodreads.

I enjoy Brandon Sanderson's fantasy books and this is no exception. Both Sarene and Raoden are very likeable characters. I liked that even though their marriage was arranged for political reasons they had communicated a lot and were looking forward to meeting each other. All the characters are interesting and have hidden traits and secrets. Even Sarene's dad who seems like a good king has secrets and he is just a small side character.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Big Books Bonus Club
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick One For Me
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016 

Fire at Twilight by Lila Ashe

Grace is a fixer. She's good at it, too. In her acupuncture practice, she fixes the community of Darling Bay, and in her personal life, she's rescued her sister too many times to count. Her love life, though . . . Grace doesn't think she needs help, especially not from a man whose very nickname is unhealthy.
Tox Ellis is the hazmat expert at the Darling Bay Fire Department, and he knows about harmful substances. He knows what gases to keep apart to prevent explosions. Why, then, can't he seem to stay away from Grace, the woman who seems to think he needs fixing?
Is Darling Bay ready for the chemical reaction Grace and Tox generate whenever they're in the same place at the same time? And who will be standing by to put out the flames?
From Goodreads.





This was okay and also funny in places. I wasn't wild about Grace who seem to think she needs to fix everybody that includes telling them what is healthy or not all the time. She pushed both her sister and Tox away before she finally realised she had to let them live their own way.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer Games
A Million More Pages: Summer Song Shuffle
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun 
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

IN THE REAL WORLD, WHEN YOU VANISH INTO THIN AIR FOR A WEEK, PEOPLE TEND TO NOTICE
After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.
But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. From Goodreads.


I enjoyed this. I feel a bit sad about the way Keirran is turning out but I guess you always need a bad guy. I like the way Ethan and Kenzie's relationship is slowly getting stronger and how Kenzie is quite strong despite of or maybe because of her illness.
I am looking forward to reading the next book when it comes out in November.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Summer cAMMP BINGO
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7 
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016 
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Rasmus - Tales of a Utah Cowboy by Jay Anderson and Beth M. Stephenson

Enjoy the true and less true adventures of a real wild west cowboy, Rasmus Anderson. As a Mormon boy forced into manhood before his whiskers sprouted, he lived at the end of his rope. Whether herding wild mustangs or defending life and limb, his lasso was his lifeline. So curl your bedroll around the campfire and settle in for some yarn spinning like you never had the sense to hope for. From Goodreads.

I wasn't that taken with these cowboy adventures and it was also a bit too religious for my taste. In the epilogue it states that these stories are fiction but they are written around a real person, Rasmus who was a second-generation pioneer. The most interesting for me was that the family originated from Denmark.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
A Million More Pages: Summer Games
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Fire Country by David Estes

In a changed world where the sky bleeds red, winter is hotter than hell and full of sandstorms, and summer's even hotter with raging fires that roam the desert-like country, the Heaters manage to survive, barely.
Due to toxic air, life expectancies are so low the only way the tribe can survive is by forcing women to procreate when they turn sixteen and every three years thereafter. It is their duty as Bearers.
Fifteen-year-old Siena is a Youngling, soon to be a Bearer, when she starts hearing rumors of another tribe of all women, called the Wild Ones. They are known to kidnap Youngling girls before the Call, the ceremony in which Bearers are given a husband with whom to bear children with.
As the desert sands run out on her life's hourglass, Siena must uncover the truth about the Wild Ones while untangling the web of lies and deceit her father has masterfully spun. From Goodreads.


I like the way this was written from Siena's point of view but it was a well-known male dominant world. Girls and women are treated whichever way the man of the house decides and at a call they are given to whoever the village elders, who are all male, decide. It is also about wanting to do anything to stay alive and in power and not in a good way.
I liked it but I am not convinced I will continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages: Summer Song Shuffle
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7 
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016

Rawk: I Spy

I Spy hosted by Rawk-A-Tiers on Goodreads.

September 1 - 30

OBJECT
Find as many of the following items/actions/places in your reading this month as possible.

RULES:
1. Standard Rawk-A-Tiers book requirements apply.

2. Items must be found in reading, not in title, on cover, caption text or pre/post matter.

3. No limit on number of items found in a book, but to get full point credit, you must use the minimum books required by your BPW level.
CR level = 4 books
RR level = 10 books
PR level = 16 books

4. In your post, list TITLE, PAGE #, and SENTENCE where the item can be found, for ebooks, provide location #.

5. Audiobooks are acceptable provided you can give the information required in #4 above.

SCORING
5 points ~ if you meet your BPW level requirement
+ # of items x 0.25
+ bonus: # books over BPW x 0.50  

Items just need to be mentioned in book
Scarf
The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yoko Ogawa
Pg: 80 ➨ My brother-in-law's parents came to visit, and they brought along an odd-looking package wrapped in a scarf.

Doughnuts
Iced Under by Nadine Doolittle
Loc: 1255 ➨ And Doughnuts.

Cowboy Hat

Tractor
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
Pg: 314 ➨ His new tractor's the best modern technology's come up with.

Sunglasses
A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews
Loc: 2349 ➨ And I must hesitate or something, as he peers at me over the top of his sunglasses and says, We are OK, aren't we?

Typewriter

Helmet
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Loc: 13461 ➨ The wood bounced off the man's helmet, but the blow was powerful enough to daze him, so Lukel followed it with a solid blow to the face.

Badge
Touch of the Goddess by Maria Hammarblad
Loc: 3622 ➨ Up until finding the badge, Olga nutured hope that someone from her family survived.

Luggage/Suitcase
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
Pg: 52 ➨ Shannon was grateful her hands were gripped on the luggage cart

Home Landline Telephone or Answering Machine
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig
Loc: 391 ➨ The answering machine played its message and another female voice came on the line.


Actions by MC must see MC perform these actions
Art/Craft Making (pottery, paint, knit, etc) MC must actually make something:
Born in Shame by Nora Roberts
Pg: 126 ➨ Hello, Murphy. She continued to paint as he came to the wall that separated them.

Rides on public or hired transportation:
Rasmus - Tales of a Utah Cowboy by Jay Anderson and Beth M. Stephenson
Loc: 796 ➨ I stepped on the train and waved, clenching my jaw to keep emotion where it belonged

Plays a team sport

Jogs or runs
Fire Country by David Estes
Loc: 3931 ➨ I run for miles and miles, never slowing.

Rides a Motorcycle
Fire at Twilight by Lila Ashe
Loc: 509 ➨ The motorcycle paused, slowed, and then stopped in front. (the rider of the motorcycle is the male MC)

Reads poetry

Flowers--sends or receives

Mixes a Drink -- alcoholic or non

Mails a letter

Gets caught outside in the rain:
A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews
Loc: 1515 ➨ The fine pitter-pattering soon turns to pelting rain. The sky blackens and the temperature drops. In here, Noah says. Let's shelter.

Places must see MC enter these places
Elevator:
Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig
Loc: 280 ➨ Lacy got in the elevator, her face shielded by green sprigs of baby's breath.

School:
The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
Pg: 40 ➨ The next day at school was fairly uneventful. I parked close to the school building, right outside the principal's office window, to prevent further ambushes in the parking lot. I kept my head down in class, only engaging teachers if spoken to first.

Courtroom

Library
A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
Loc: 436 ➨ In fact, Beatrice felt like she ran all day, and by the time she got to the library at four o'clock, she was ready to collapse.

Hotel
The Wild by Christopher Golden
Pg: 122 ➨ Jack burst through the hotel's front doors. There was no one at reception.

Divorced, Desperate and Delicious by Christie Craig

Live . . . Laugh . . . Read . . . with New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig . . .
“Readers who enjoy Jenny Crusie and Janet Evanovich will fall head over heels for Divorced, Desperate and Delicious . . .” —New York Times Bestseller Dianna Love
Ever since photographer Lacy Maguire caught her ex playing Pin the Secretary to the Elevator Wall, she's been content with her dog Fabio, her three cats, and a vow of chastity. But all of that changes when the reindeer-antlered Fabio drags in a very desperate, on-the-run detective who decides to take refuge in her house—a house filled with twinkling lights and a decorated tree. (Okay, so it's February, but she has a broken heart to mend, a Christmas-card shoot to do, and a six-times divorced, match-making mother to appease.) For the first time in a looooong while, Lacy reconsiders her vow. Because sexy Chase Kelly, wounded soul that he may be, would be an oh-so-delicious way of breaking her fast. Now, if she can just keep them both alive and him out of jail . . .  From Goodreads.

This was cute and a bit of fun. The description of Lacy and her animals in Christmas attire was hilarious. I think she took to Chase a bit fast but it was okay. It is a feel good book that of course ends well. I will read more books by Christie Craig.  

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer cAMMP BINGO
A Million More Pages: Summer Song Shuffle
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7  
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews

Grace has been best friends with Ella and Flick forever. The late-night chats, shared heartaches and good times have created a bond that has stood the test of time.
When Ella invites them to stay for a week in her cottage in South Wales, Grace jumps at the chance to see her old friends. She also hopes that the change of scenery will help her reconnect with her distant husband.
Then Flick arrives; loveable, bubbly, incorrigible Flick, accompanied by the handsome and charming Noah.
This is going to be one week which will change all their lives forever... From Goodreads.

I really liked this but because I think some of the ending was very clear in the beginning of the story it only made it up to 3 polar bears. I did like Grace and the way she did things and I absolutely loved the setting on the Welsh seaside. I intend to read more by Carole Matthews.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Yoko Ogawa

The first major English translation of one of contemporary Japan's bestselling and most celebrated authors. 
From Akutagawa Award-winning author Yoko Ogawa comes a haunting trio of novellas about love, fertility, obsession, and how even the most innocent gestures may contain a hairline crack of cruel intent.

A lonely teenage girl falls in love with her foster brother as she watches him leap from a high diving board into a pool--a peculiar infatuation that sends unexpected ripples through her life.
A young woman records the daily moods of her pregnant sister in a diary, taking meticulous note of a pregnancy that may or may not be a hallucination--but whose hallucination is it, hers or her sister's?
A woman nostalgically visits her old college dormitory on the outskirts of Tokyo, a boarding house run by a mysterious triple amputee with one leg.
Hauntingly spare, beautiful, and twisted, The Diving Pool is a disquieting and at times darkly humorous collection of novellas about normal people who suddenly discover their own dark possibilities. From Goodreads

 

Unfortunately I found these three novellas boring and uninteresting. I only finished them because they were so short. They stories are twisted but neither beautiful nor darkly humorous as described in the blurb. 

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Crazy Challenge Connection A-Z Locations - 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Rhyme Time
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Summer Games
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House
Crazy Challenge Connection: Read your age

Born in Shame by Nora Roberts

Three modern sisters bound by the timeless beauty of Ireland...
Shannon's life is rocked by an emotional earthquake when she learns the identity of her real father: Thomas Concannon.
Obeying her late mother's last wish, American Shannon travels to County Clare, Ireland, to meet the sisters she never knew she had. Warmed and comforted by the bond that grows between her and her sisters, her heart is lured by the charm of the Irish countryside and tempted by the attraction of horseman Murphy Muldoon.
Murphy takes one look at Shannon and knows that she is the woman he's waited for all his life. But Shannon is a practical woman. Will she open her heart and mind to the timeless, magical bond that connects them? Or will she reject fate's plan and leave Murphy to return to her life in America?
And amid the lush Irish landscape, she discovers the possibility of a love that is meant to be. From Goodreads.



I have really enjoyed this Born In trilogy of Nora Roberts. Shannon experiences the loss of her parents that she loved and the loss of her identity as her mother reveals that her father was not her biological father. I like that though these books of course have a happy ending, the characters have to struggle with loss and work their way through it. It also shows that you can get past the loss but it will always stay with you. 
Finally Murphy falls in love with the extremely lovely, nearly too nice, young man, who has been part of all the books. I will definitely read more of Nora Roberts' books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: I Spy
Rawk-A-Tiers: Get Ready for Autumn!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages: Summer cAMMP BINGO
Wacky Reading Challenges: Favorite Album - Away From the Sun
Wacky Reading Challenges: Book Tag Challenge #7
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick One For Me
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?