Briansgirl wrote: "I'll keep the book in mind as I need to fill slots this summer. If my Illinois books stinks, I think someone said this book qualifies for that category."

Yeah, it's set in Chicago.

Thank you Nichole! that's honest and more objective than what I was saying. But I do still feel like and asshole... That hasn't changed ;(

And my mother could handle the content of this book easy, (I wouldn't recommend it to her though, cuz she's very into mystery and thrillers...) And yes, there was some heavy shit going on in TTTW but I still got the love-conquers-all vibe. Maybe that's why I got so aware of my doucheness... LOL

ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS (June 21st - Sept 21st)

challenge ended

Option #1:
Around the World in 80 Days:
Read a book set somewhere on each continent (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia).

1. Beauty and Sadness (Asia: Japan)
2. Bel Canto (South America)
3. Icebound* (Arctic)
4. Geek Love (North America: Portland, USA)
5. Crap at the Environment (Australia)
6. Half of a Yellow Sun (Africa)
7. Welcome To The Real World (Europe: UK)

Option #2:
Tour the Continent: (Europe excluding the UK, Ireland, and Iceland)
Read books set in 7 countries scattered around Europe.

1. Story of the Eye (Spain)
2. Venus in Furs (Austria)
3. Necroscope (Romania)
4. Night (Hungary/Poland)
5. A Hunger Like No Other (France)
6. For the Good of the Cause (Russia)
7. Bluebird: A Memoir (Bosnia)
8. A Farewell to Arms (Italy) (BONUS)


____________________________________________________________________
* Arctic instead of Antarctica

2009 A-Z Character Challenge July 01, 2009 (December 31, 2009)

DONE!

A - Arturo the Aqua-Boy (Geek Love)
B - Bones (Destined for an Early Grave)
C - Catherine (Catherine Called Birdy)
D - Dennis Barlow (The Loved One)
E - Eleanor (The Haunting of Hill House)
F - Faythe Sanders (Prey)
G - Golightly, Doc (Breakfast at Tiffany's)
H - Howl (Howl's Moving Castle)
I - Ida Mancini (Choke)
J - Joanne Baldwin (Cape Storm)
K - Kaylee (My Soul to Lose)
L - Lilith (Delta of Venus)
M - Mariam (A Thousand Splendid Suns)
N - Mr. Norrell (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell)
O - Olive (Ella Enchanted)
P - Portnoy (Portnoy's Complaint)
Q - Quentin (The Magicians)
R - Roe Teagarden (Dead Over Heels)
S - Sam O’Neill (The Likeness)
T - Tor (The Hero and the Crown)
U - Ueko (Beauty and Sadness)
V - Verne (The Lonesome Gods)
W - Will Trent (Undone)
X - Xenie (Blue of Noon)
Y - Yidl (Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began)
Z - Zachary (Beautiful Lies)

September (10 read)



1. S for September....................Spindle's End
2. B-day book...........................Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (colleen)
3. Canada..................................Neuromancer (Gibson is American-Canadian)
4. Editors and Writers..............Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
5. GR author.............................Wicked Lovely (Melissa Marr)
6. Labor Day.............................Triptych (car wash worker)
7. Hispanic culture...................Blue of Noon (Spain)
8. Animal on the cover..............The Enormous Crocodile
9. Historical Fiction..................Half of a Yellow Sun (Civil war in Nigeria)
10. Pick It For Me.....................Blue Bloods

wow

Hi Keagan! Welcome to the group ;)

well thanks im glad to be welcome

I noticed your comment on Prey, I'm patiently waiting on mine to arrive. Was it better than the last book?

Yes, I liked it better. There's still room for improvement, I still have problems with several things. But definitely it was less annoying this time... Anyways, not my favorite series, as you can tell, but decent enough to keep on reading.

October (9 read)


1. O for October..................Of mice and men
2. B-day book.....................Catching Fire (me!)
3. Michigan.........................Middlesex
4. Halloween.......................A Touch of Dead
5. 2 Authors........................On the Edge
6. Mystery-Crime................Fractured
7. UN..................................Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet (Tibet, China, UK)
8. Sea..................................The Shipping News
9. Paranormal.....................Deerskin
10. Pick It For Me...............Dragon's Bait

Welcome back, Kasia! Hope your vacation energized you.

Thanks Yz, I had a great time and I do feel fresh and relaxed, although the whole experience was physically straining, we were trekking mountains every single day. Good times. Luckily, aside from one day, the weather was just splendid.

November (4 read)


1. N for November................................Nip the buds shoot the kids
2. B-day book........................................The Color Purple (Tara's shelf)
3. Geography: New York.......................What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (NYC marathon)
4. Fall Theme........................................Vulnerable
5. DST Change: Time............................[b:]
6. Native American Heritage Month.....Plague of Doves
7. One author two names (Book #1)......[b:]
8. One author two names (Book #1)......[b:]
9. Romantic suspense...........................[b:]
10. Pick It For Me.................................Night Shift

It's A Jungle Out There! Challenge (Sept 1 - Nov 30)



1. dogs: Sharp Teeth
2. cats: Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
3. other mammals: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America Along the Appalachian Trail
4. fish: Trout Fishing in America
5. birds: The Maltese Falcon
6. reptiles: The Enormous Crocodile
7. amphibians: Beastly (Frog character in the book)
8. insects: The Shrinking Man
9. mythical creatures: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Bonus (human hybrid): Hunting Ground (werewolf)

December (6 read)



1. D for December: The Double
2. Birthday Book: Paper Towns (Kristen)
3. Ohio: Riders of the Purple Sage
4. Winter Themed: Snow Falling on Cedars / March
5. Christmas Themed: ???Winter's Tale or One Man's Bible
6. Children's Day: Enna Burning
7. May-December: Bonjour Tristesse
8. Another Challenge: The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (Read the month December)
9. Romance: The Vampire Queen's Servant (Berkley Trade)
10. Pick-It-Form Me: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

My TBR Challenge:

1. The Shipping News
2. Stranger in a Strange Land (from alternate list)
3. A Handful of Dust
4. Dracula

Alternate/Back-up List:

1. My Side of the Mountain
2. Black Magic Woman
3. The Color Purple
4. White Oleander

7 XI 2009 - 6 XI 2010



1) Jack the Page Ripper (15 books):

5: ???
4: ???
3: ???
2: (Shifters, #6 & #7) by Rachel Vincent
Shift & Alpha
1: (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows, #8) by Kim Harrison
Black Magic Sanction

2) Una-book-bomber (5 books):

chick-lit: Changeless (Parasol Protectorate, #2) by Gail Carriger
romance: ???
mystery: Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, #1) by Seanan McGuire
urban-fantasy: Night Shift (Jill Kismet, #1) by Lilith Saintcrow
young adult: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5) by Richelle Mead

3) Spree Series Killer (1+ book): (new author)

1. Vulnerable (Little Goddess, #1) by Amy Lane <--disappointing
2. The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light & Shadow, Arc 1, #1) by Janny Wurts

4) Author-ican Psycho (1 book) DONE
Fire by Kristin Cashore (prequel to Graceling)

5) Dr. Hannibal Lecturer (1 book): (everybody wants me to read it)

Foundation (Foundation, #1) by Isaac Asimov

6) The Book Strangler (1+ books): (whole series)

Steven Erikson - Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)
(not sure about this one, it's already 9 books long and still going...)

7) 3rd Degree (3 books): (trilogy)

Daughter of the Forest (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, #1) + the 2 following