Melissa's comments (member since Jan 12, 2009)

Melissa's comments from the Romance Readers Reading Challenges group.

5/10 Completed


1. N for November - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper* * * * *
2. November B-Day (mine!) - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews* * * * *
3. New York - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly* *
4. Fall theme - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands
5. DST change - Before Midnight A Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey* * * * *
6. Native American - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
7. Author Name 1 - Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
8. Author Name 2 - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
9. Romantic Suspense - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
10. Pick-it-for-me - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel*

4/10 Completed


1. N for November - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper* * * * *
2. November B-Day (mine!) - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
3. New York - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly* *
4. Fall theme - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands
5. DST change - Before Midnight A Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey* * * * *
6. Native American - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
7. Author Name 1 - Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
8. Author Name 2 - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
9. Romantic Suspense - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
10. Pick-it-for-me - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel*

3/10 Completed


1. N for November - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
2. November B-Day (mine!) - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
3. New York - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly* *
4. Fall theme - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands
5. DST change - Before Midnight A Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey* * * * *
6. Native American - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
7. Author Name 1 - Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
8. Author Name 2 - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
9. Romantic Suspense - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
10. Pick-it-for-me - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel*

In the book, when they climaxed together, she pulled back from "going into the light" so that she could have more time to love him, but he didn't, so he died. She then ate candles to ignite the flames he started in her and she died so she could join him in the afterlife. That is what I believe burns everything down. I was okay with her moods and emotions affected the food. I was okay with most of the magical stuff, but the end was just too much. That and her sister riding off into the sunset having sex in the saddle.

I didn't mind the family dynamics. I understood it for the time they were living in that that was the way things were. That was the only part I enjoyed. I liked getting behind the main character and getting angry for all of the bad things that happened to her.


I have to give the book credit for making me think about it so much! And look at all of the discussion! I'm definitely going to see if I can borrow the movie from the library.

Well, in the book, everyone throws up after the cake! It was disgusting in the book. Is that how the movie ended? With them bursting into flames?

BJ Rose wrote: "Melissa wrote: "challenge duration Nov 6, 2009 to Nov 5, 2009..."

Umm, Melissa, you may want to change the finish date of your challenge?!
"

Oh! Good catch. I mean, I'm a fast reader, but not that fast!

Now I feel like I have to see the movie, just to compare. It's like a train wreck, I can't look away! "Disturbing" describes the book as well, Yz.

So, I just finished Like Water for Chocolate and I'm sorry to say, it just wasn't my cup of tea. It had a sort of fairy tale telling going on, but it was a bit confusing at times and the recipes were a bit distracting. I was doing okay with the story though until the very end and it just went over the top. Has anyone seen the movie made based on this book? After reading this, I'm not sure I'd care to relive it, live and in color though.

2/10 Completed


1. N for November - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
2. November B-Day (mine!) - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
3. New York - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
4. Fall theme - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands
5. DST change - Before Midnight A Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey* * * * *
6. Native American - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
7. Author Name 1 - Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
8. Author Name 2 - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
9. Romantic Suspense - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
10. Pick-it-for-me - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel*

challenge duration Nov 6, 2009 to Nov 5, 2010


Jack the Page Ripper
...Dante Valentine series
...Cassandra Palmer series
...Warriors of Poseidon
...Rachel Morgan series
...Sirantha Jax series

Una-book-bomber
...chick-lit...Bobbie Faye series
...romance...Epic of Palins series
Better Read Than Dead...mystery...Psychic Eye Mystery series
...sci-fi...Sirantha Jax series
...young adult...Strange Angels series

Spree Series Killer
...Mercy Hollings series

Author-ican Psycho
...Dog Days series

Dr. Hannibal Lecturer
...Black Dagger Brotherhood

The Book Strangler
...Nightwalkers series

3rd Degree
...Hank Thompson trilogy

bonus...Bloody Mary
...Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series

1/38 completed

*I know I only needed one book for the "Dr. Hannibal Lecturer category, but I'm thinking I won't be able to stop after just one BDB book so I figured I'd add them all to the list*

First, bravo Kasia, hats off to you for being so clever and creative. Second, I'm so in, too. I have literally over 200 unread books on my bookshelves here that I have been neglecting for far too long and I have recently been dusting them off and forcing myself to stay away from the library until I have made a serious dent in reading my own books. I will make my list and post soon. This will keep me on track and I can stop feeling guilty for buying all these lovely books, but never reading them.

1/10 Completed


1. N for November - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
2. November B-Day (mine!) - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
3. New York - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
4. Fall theme - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands
5. DST change - Before Midnight A Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey* * * * *
6. Native American - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
7. Author Name 1 - Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
8. Author Name 2 - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
9. Romantic Suspense - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
10. Pick-it-for-me - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Josie wrote: "Melissa,

I hope I was able to come up with something that may be of interest to you.

1. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

2. [book:Like Water for Chocolate A Nove..."


I'm going to go with Like Water for Chocolate. Millions of people can't be wrong so I will see what the fuss is all about! Thanks for the pick, Josie!

Okay, Tosca, I'm going to give you several choices because I see that you do not give out 5 stars often. Or many 4 stars even. I usually look at the star rating of the books you've read in order to find out what you like the most so this did not work for me this time!

Light, funny paranormal romance = Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson

Sci-fi with a bit of romance = Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Suspenseful, paranormal romance = Tiger Eye by Marjorie M Liu

Epic fantasy romance = Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

Epic fantasy/paranormal romance = Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

I hope you find something you'd like to read!

I'm calling it quits because I got caught up in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. I had read the first book five years ago and wasn't very impressed, but since then I have read all of her Merry Gentry books and loved them so I thought I would revisit the Anita books. Some of my friends and relatives have bought me the books in the series over the past few years so I actually own all of them through Blood Noir. Well, I'm hooked. I put one down and then pick the next one up immediately. They aren't even that fantastic, but I just can't stop reading! So, this has thrown me way off course and I know I won't get to the rest of these challenges books.


7/10 completed


1. Starts with O: On the Prowl by Karen MacInerney* * *
2. October B-day (Kasia): The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton* * *
3. Michigan author: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie* * * *
4. Halloween: The Eternal Prison by Jeff Somers* * * * *
5. Collaboration: Hunter's Moon by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
6. Crime Prevention: Thunderbird Falls by C.E. Murphy * *
7. United Nations:
8. Columbus Day: Distant Waves A Novel of the Titanic by Suzanne Weyn
9. Paranormal: Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead* * * * *
10. Pick-It-For-Me: Lover Beware by Christine Feehan* * * *

7/10 completed


1. Starts with O: On the Prowl by Karen MacInerney* * *
2. October B-day (Kasia): The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton* * *
3. Michigan author: Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie* * * *
4. Halloween: The Eternal Prison by Jeff Somers* * * * *
5. Collaboration: Hunter's Moon by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
6. Crime Prevention: Thunderbird Falls by C.E. Murphy * *
7. United Nations:
8. Columbus Day: Distant Waves A Novel of the Titanic by Suzanne Weyn
9. Paranormal: Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead* * * * *
10. Pick-It-For-Me: Lover Beware by Christine Feehan* * * *

0/10 Completed


1. N for November - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
2. November B-Day (mine!) - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
3. New York - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
4. Fall theme - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands
5. DST change - Before Midnight A Retelling of "Cinderella" by Cameron Dokey
6. Native American - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
7. Author Name 1 - Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow
8. Author Name 2 - Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
9. Romantic Suspense - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
10. Pick-it-for-me - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Cool, Yz! Thanks! I love her and have been meaning to get back to her books that are sitting here on my bookshelf, but as always, I blow off my purchased books for library borrows. I've been forcing myself to stay out of the library and read more from my own shelf and this will help me behave!

I love this one! I plan all my other challenges around this read the month!


N - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper* * * * *
O - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews* * * * *
V - Vampire, Interrupted by Lynsay Sands
E - Every Dead Thing by John Connolly* *
M - The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death A Novel by Charlie Huston* * * * *
B - Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie* * *
E - Eye of the Beholder by Shari Shattuck
R - The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter should work for the native american category. It's supposedly a dark urban fantasy. This also works well for anyone in the PNR group looking for a challenge book for X/Y/Z because the main characters name is Jane Yellowrock.

For the authors with different names, can I count Lilith Saintcrow and Lili St Crow? Her young adult book is under Lili but everything else is under her full name. It's a bit obvious it's her on both books, but I thought I'd ask!