2019 Challenges

Outdo Myself Challenge

Where Have I Read?

2019 First Book

2017 Challenges

2017 Challenges

First Book of 2017

Outdo Myself Challenge 230/237

Where Am I Reading? 41/50

Favorites 2017

Goodreads 230/236

2011 Reading Challenges

I completed or exceed in my of my challenges.  I fell short in 6 challenges and totally failed in only 1 challenge!  Overall I am happy with my participation for 2011.

2011 Reading Challenges:

2nds Challenge - 5/3

50 States Challenge - 40/50 *

A to Z Challenge - 52/52

AudioBook Challenge - 39/6

Awesome/New Authors - 87/75

Book Blogger Recommendation - 5/5

Chunkster - 13/6

Criminal Plots - 6/6

Dystopia Challenge - 11/5

Fantasy Fiction Challenge - 13/3

Foodie's Challenge - 4/3

Four Month Part 5 - 185/250 *

Four Month Part 6 - 220/250 *

Four Month Part 7 - 185/250 *

Gothic Reading - 4/1

Historical Challenges - 21/5, 12/7

I Want More - 5/4

Into The Old World - 13

Ireland Reading - 8/2

Mystery & Suspense - 35/12

Nordic Challenge - 5/2

Okra Picks - 2/1

Outdo Yourself  287/305 *

Pub Challenge - 12/11

Read 100+ - 287/100

Regan Arthur (perpetual) 6 in 2011

RIP VI - 3/2

Romance Challenges - 30/27

South Asian - 4/1
Support Local Authors - 7 in 2011

Support Local Library - 50+/50

Take A Chance 3 - 10/10

The Three Rs - 16/6

Twenty Eleven - 22/20

War Through the Generations - FAIL *

What An Animal IV - 10/6

What's In A Name 4 - 4/5 *
YA Debut Authors - 12/12

YAs of the 80s and 90s - 4/3

Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up

Even though we are still experiencing fall like weather, Fall Into Reading hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days has come to an end.

Originally I had 34 books on my stacks with a lofty goal to read 77 more books before the end of the year. I read 21 books from the stacks and an additional 43 books for a total of 64 books for the challenge. I do not think it is possible for me to read 13 more books in 9 days, but we'll see what happens!  I read 10 new to me authors.  Favorite Books read during the challenge: 
ShadowFever by Karen Marie Moning
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

Audios:
Iron House by John Hart (Scott Sowers)
You're Next by Greg Hurwitz (Scott Brick)

Thank you Katrina for hosting this annual challenge.

RIP VI Challenge Completed

Thick as Thieves by Peter Spiegelman

Carr—ex-CIA— is the reluctant leader of an elite crew planning a robbery of such extraordinary proportions that it will leave them set for life. Diamonds, money laundering, and extortion go into a timed-to-the-minute scheme that unfurls across South America, Miami, and Grand Cayman Island. Carr’s cohorts are seasoned pros, but they’re wound drum-tight—months before, the man who brought them together was killed in what Carr suspects was a setup. And there are other loose ends: some of the intel they’re paying for is badly inaccurate, and one of the gang—lately, Carr’s lover—may have an agenda of her own. But Carr’s biggest problems are yet to come, because few on his crew are what they seem to be, and even his own past is a lie.

A page-turning thriller that has you suspicious of every character, wondering if there is a double/triple cross happening that keeps you guessing right to the end. 

The White Devil by Justin Evans

American Andrew Taylor arrives as an exchange student at Harrow, the legendary school where England’s elite have been educated for centuries. When the first friend he makes dies suddenly from a severe pulmonary illness—followed by a spate of similar illnesses among the students—Andrew is promptly branded as a Typhoid Mary, and becomes a pariah among his classmates. Then he begins to fear he is losing his mind when the specter of a pale, strange boy begins to visit him at night.

Andrew’s only solace comes from a friendship with Piers Fawkes, a poet who is attempting to revive his declining career with a play about one of Harrow’s most famous students—Lord Byron. Andrew’s physical resemblance to the Romantic poet lands him the lead role.

As Andrew loses himself in the part, learning about the violent and squalid Harrow of Byron’s time, events in the play begin to mirror Andrew’s contemporary experience, tangling him in a centuries-old literary mystery that will take him and a few loyal friends to the edge of darkness.

This book made me want to do research to find out how much of the story about Lord Bryon was true. There are many characters, but they are easy to keep track of as the mystery of the ghost is revealed .

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.

It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.

The cover of this book grabbed my attention and then I read that the authors are being compared to Steig Larrson (which is unfair) so I picked it up. Right away we are thrown into the grisly crime and once Dr. Bark becomes involved things go from bad to worse. Joona Linna is intriguing and I look forward to delving into this character as he will be back in future books.

White Heat by M.J. McGrath

Half Inuit and half outsider, Edie Kiglatuk is the best guide in her corner of the Arctic. But as a woman, she gets only grudging respect from the elders who ruled her isolated community on Ellesmere Island. When a man is shot and killed while out on an "authentic" Arctic adventure under her watch, the murder attracts the attention of police sergeant Derek Palliser. As Edie sets out to discover what those tourists were really after, she is shocked by the suicide of someone very close to her. Though these events are seemingly unrelated, Edie's Inuit hunter sensibility tells her otherwise. With or without Derek's help, she is determined to find the key to this connection-a search that takes her beyond her small village, and into the far reaches of the tundra.

I am glad I listened to a recommendation to read this debut novel. The setting is interesting, I felt the cold, and the characters are engaging. The mystery surrounding the events is one that captured my attention and had me turning the pages until the end. 

These books complete the RIP VI Challenge.

SRT Wrap-Up

Spring Reading Thing 2011 has come to an end.  I love that this challenge is easy to complete and it is what started it all for me four years ago.  Hosted by Katrina of Callapidder Days. 

 When I signed up for the challenge I has some specific books that I needed to complete (which I did) and a stack that I hoped to get through.  My initial post is here.

This Spring has been exceptional for reading.  Since I read many books, it would be impossible to pick a favorite.  So here are few random facts about my reading:

Total Books Read: 81

New to Me Authors: 43

Debut Authors: 9

Non-Fiction Books: 3

Young Adult Books: 24

Audio Books: 8

Surprised By:  The Radley's by Matthew Haig

Disappointed In:  Indelible by Kristen Heitzlmann

2010 Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

I participated in 45 reading challenges in 2010 and completed all but 4 with only one that I completely failed at.  Many of the challenges I will participate in again in 2011.  I have been looking for some totally new ones as well.  Overall, I am pleased with my challenge results.

10/10/10

451 Challenge - failed

A to Z Challenge

American Civil War

Audio Books

Awesome Author

Bibiliophilic Books

Book Blogger Recommendation

Celebrate The Author

Chunkster Challenge

Colorful Reading Challenge

Countdown Challenge 50/55

Cybils Awards

Debut Authors

Fall Into Reading

Fantasy Challenge

Finish That Series

Four Month Pt. 2

Four Month Pt. 3

Four Month Pt. 4

Historical Challenges

Lost

New Author Challenge

Once Upon A Time

Read 100+ Books

Reading Through The Seasons - 3/4

Romance Challenges

Spring Reading Thing

SRR's Outlander 2010

States 2010 40/50

Support Local Authors

Support Local Library

Take Another Chance

Take The Journey

The Historian Read-a-Long

Thriller/Suspense

Twenty/Ten Challenge

Typically British

What In A Name? 3

Winter Reading Challenge

Wish I'd Read That

YA Challenge

YA-D2

Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up

One of my favorite challenges to participate in is Katrina's of Callapidder Days Fall (Spring) Into Reading.  Fall Into Reading ended December 21st.  With all of the holiday preparations and celebrations, I am behind on the wrap up. 

I did not have a huge stack of books (initial post) for this challenge because shortly after it began I left for a three week vacation to Washington State. 
I did finish the audio books as well as 6 of the books.  When I returned I replenished my library stack and have read 42 additional books.

It is too hard to choose a favorite from over 50 books, but a few of them I highly recommend:  Audios: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner and The Brave by Nicholas Evans.  Print: Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson, The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen, Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag, Falling Home by Karen White, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Conner McNees and Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.

I look forward to Spring Into Reading!  Thanks Katrina.

SRT Wrap-Up

June 21st marked the end of the Spring Reading Thing challenge hosted by Katrina of Callapidder Days.   Wow, I was surprised to learn that I read 67 books during this challenge.  From my original stack of 25 books I read 20 of them with an additional 47.  My other goal for the challenge was to keep up-to-date on reviews, which I was able to do. 

I read a variety of genres in the adult and young adult catagories: thriller/suspense, christian fiction, historical fiction, romantic suspense, horror, sci-fi, steampunk, women's fiction, fantasy, and a couple of humorous.

It is always hard to choose a favorite.  Of the adult fiction some of my favorites were Indivisible, Healer, Ransome's Crossing, and South of Broad. Of the young adult: Marcelo in the Real World, Blue Plate Special, Mockingbird and Candor.

Thank you Katrina for hosting this fun reading challenge. 

09 Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up

Yesterday, the first day of Winter, marked the end of Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge.

In my initial post, I had 8 YA books on my stack, of which I read 7.  The one I did not get to had a hold on it so I could not renew it, but I have it on my TBR list for 2010.

Four of the YA books were excellent: Catching Fire, Shiver, Hate List and Willow.  I highly recommend them.

On the adult fiction stack I had 13 books and I read 7 of those books.  Two of them I did not finish, both of which just did not interest me.  One was a second book in a series and the other three had holds and cold not be renewed. Of those that I read I, of course, loved Drums of Autumn and enjoyed The Wet Nurse's Tale, Summer On Blossom Street, and The Girl From Junchow.

I read an additional 57 books during the challenge.  I got off to a great reading start and continued it right before Thanksgiving when our family had a couple of scary incidents that took away from reading (all is better now). 

Thirty-five were "new to me authors" and I have completed most of my reading challenges for the year.  There are two challenges that I will not finish this year. 

Thank you Katrina for hosting this fun reading challenge!

Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up

My Fall Into Reading Wrap-Up is here.

July Blowout Wrap-Up

The July Book Blowout hosted by Blue Archipelago has come to an end and its time for the wrap up post. My stack at the time of the challenge looked like this:
I read all but three of these books and added others. I did not read three of them because they were due back at the library and were not renewable.

Mrs.S asks a few wrap up questions:

1. Did you discover a new author?
Three authors were new to me and I will be reading more of their books. Julie Lessman, Deborah Raney and Kathy Herman

2. Where was the most unusual place you found yourself reading?
I drive my husband nuts when I read while watching TV and can keep track of both.

3. Did you read more than usual?
No, summertime is my heavy reading season

4. Did you give up anything in order to read more?
House cleaning, laundry, cooking

5. If you won the Amazon voucher what would you spend it on?
More books!

6. Would you like to see a 2009 Book Blowout?
Yes