LaurLa’s Comments (group member since Nov 30, 2016)

LaurLa’s comments from the Pick-a-Shelf group.

Shelf Bender🚦Genre: Cultural
January - December 2024

My Shelf Bender Cultural Genre (msg 22)

Shelf Picks



✅The Kite Runner🚦cultural page 1🚦04.05 ★★★★
✅The Hippopotamus Pool🚦egypt page 1🚦10.02 ★★★★
✅Beyond the Thistles🚦scotland page 13🚦05.06 ★★★★★

Next Picks



✅3. Object on cover
🚥book used: The Kite Runner🚦object: domed building
🚥Garrison's Creed🚦01.30 ★★★★

✅4. Best of
🚥book used: Beyond the Thistles🚦list: #197 Best Books of 2023
🚥Encore in Death🚦06.04 ★★★★

✅5. Wacky Shelf
🚥book used: The Hippopotamus Pool🚦word: pool page 15
🚥The Awakening🚦09.14 ★★★★

I have a clarification to ask as I see other people talking about a book not showing up on the first 25 pages for a particular genre list. Does it have to be on those 25 pages? Or can we search the book's actual shelf/tags for the genre tag and note how many times tagged and the page? I hope my question makes sense. It seems unfair to limit to the first 25 pages of the genre list since many many books don't get tagged enough to hit page 25 but it might actually be on the book's main page as a top shelf.

Seriously Serial '24
January - December 2024

My Seriously Serial '23 Challenge (msg 38)

Books read🚦24



✅7🚦Hearts of the South🚦Fall Into Me🚦12.07 ★★★★
✅3🚦Carolina Magnolia🚦Rebel Charm🚦08.23 ★★★
✅3🚦Big Girl Panties🚦Addy And The Smart Guy🚦07.12 ★★★★
✅6🚦Miss Fortune🚦Soldiers of Fortune🚦05.11 ★★★
✅4🚦SEAL Brotherhood🚦SEAL The Deal🚦09.24 ★★★
✅4🚦Assassins🚦Falling for the Backup🚦06.07 ★★★
✅4🚦Titan🚦Savage Secrets🚦08.11 ★★★★
✅2🚦Wilmot Sisters🚦Better Hate than Never🚦06.06 ★★★★



✅8🚦Dakota Hearts🚦Dakota Cowboy🚦03.23 ★★★
✅1🚦Heirs of Damon🚦Seducing the Enemy🚦05.04 ★★★
✅2🚦Off-Limits🚦The Boy Next Door🚦02.29 ★★★★
✅3🚦SBC Fighters🚦Hard To Handle🚦07.06 ★★★★
✅8🚦Amelia Peabody🚦The Hippopotamus Pool🚦10.02 ★★★★
✅9🚦Scanguards Vampires🚦Cain's Identity🚦02.12 ★★★
✅2🚦Wedding Dare🚦Baiting the Maid of Honor🚦01.07 ★★★★
✅9🚦SEAL TEAM Heartbreakers🚦Building Strength🚦11.29 ★★★★



✅5🚦Undead🚦Undead and Unpopular🚦07.169 ★★★★
✅6🚦Hearts of the South🚦Hearts Awakened🚦07.15 ★★★★
✅2🚦Titan🚦Garrison's Creed🚦01.30 ★★★★
✅4🚦Heirs of Damon🚦Stripping the Billionaire🚦08.02 ★★★
✅3🚦Eternal GuardiansTempted🚦07.07 ★★★★
✅3🚦Laurel Snow🚦You Can Die🚦07.17 ★★★★
✅7🚦Dakota Hearts🚦His Dakota Heart🚦01.02 ★★★
✅5🚦Lost and Found🚦Embattled Ever After🚦04.15 ★★★★

Trim That TBR
January - December 2024

My Trim That TBR Challenge (msg 16)

Books Read🚦22

✅1. How many?!🚦Take the last digit of your TBR total and read that many books off your TBR



small tbr shelf (in calibre) = 547
🚥Little White Sins🚦05.02 ★★★
🚥Cause for Alarm🚦01.11 ★★★★
🚥[[book:Loving Tessa|205363792]🚦02.27 ★★★
🚥Turnagain Love🚦03.19 ★★★
🚥Dixie Rebel🚦02.19 ★★★★
🚥Now You See Her🚦06.24 ★★★★
🚥7th Heaven🚦08.20 ★★★★

✅2. Share the love🚦Sort your TBR by date published and read:

🚦

a. Books with the most recent date published
🚥Nov 2023🚦Inheritance🚦06.11 ★★★★
🚥Nov 2023🚦Recipe for Second Chances🚦02.03 ★★★★
🚥Oct 2023🚦Warrior's Hope🚦02.21 ★★★★
🚥Dec 2023🚦The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan🚦01.07 ★★★★
🚥Sept 2023🚦Better Hate than Never🚦06.06 ★★★★
b. Books with the oldest date published
🚥June 1950🚦A Murder Is Announced🚦03.25 ★★★
🚥Jan 1980🚦Catch Me If You Can🚦03.10 ★★★

✅3. Monstrosity🚦Read 1 (one) of the 5 thickest books on your TBR



🚥684 pp🚦Wild and Free🚦03.11 ★★★★

✅4. Catch Up🚦Read that last book in the series! Or at least, catch up to the latest instalment



🚥Baker Street #2🚦Complicated Girl🚦10.19 ★★★
🚥Big Girl Panties #3🚦Addy And The Smart Guy🚦07.12 ★★★★
🚥Domestic Gods #3🚦Breakfast in Bed🚦05.30 ★★★★
🚥Line of Duty #5🚦Staking His Claim🚦02.28 ★★★★
🚥Blacktop Cowboys #10🚦Spun Out🚦06.12 ★★★★
🚥Blood Brothers #3🚦Twisted Truths🚦05.12 ★★★★
🚥K2 Team #5🚦Only Her🚦07.22 ★★★★

Moving Mountain - 2024
January - December 2024

My Moving Mountain Challenge (msg 25)

Level🚦26 Letters🚦Books Read🚦26



✅Nine of Clubs
🚥author initial I🚦Guardians of Eternity series
🚥Darkness Returns🚦06.05 ★★★★

✅Five of Hearts
🚥author initial R🚦34,983 ratings
🚥Beard Science🚦11.19 ★★★★

✅Two of Spades
🚥author initial B🚦standalone
🚥Husband Material🚦02.22 ★★★

✅Queen of Spades
🚥author initial L🚦stand alone
🚥Dangerous Flirtation🚦12.06 ★★★

✅Eight of Diamonds
🚥author initial H🚦GR Choice Award Nominee for Best Romance (2023)
🚥Love, Theoretically🚦04.25 ★★★★

✅Ace of Spades
🚥author initial N🚦standalone
🚥Love, Magic & Misfortune🚦01.31 ★★★★★

✅Seven of Spades
🚥author initial G🚦standalone
🚥Their Last Resort🚦05.14 ★★★★

✅Queen of Clubs
🚥author initial L🚦Improbable Meet-Cute series
🚥The Exception to the Rule🚦03.05 ★★★★

✅Four of Hearts
🚥author initial D🚦22,603 ratings
🚥Undead and Unreturnable🚦02.02 ★★★



✅Three of Diamonds
🚥author initial P🚦GR Choice Award Nominee for Paranormal Fantasy (2010)
🚥Silver Borne🚦03.28 ★★★★

✅Ten of Clubs
🚥author initial J🚦Off-Limits series
🚥The Boy Next Door🚦02.29 ★★★★

✅Five of Spades
🚥author initial R🚦standalone
🚥Finding Kate Huntley🚦07.28 ★★★

✅Ace of Hearts
🚥author initial A🚦59,071 ratings
🚥Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake🚦03.10 ★★★

✅Four of Hearts
🚥author initial Q 🚦23,831 ratings
🚥The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy🚦02.18 ★★★★

✅Nine of Clubs
🚥author initial V 🚦Kitty Norville series
🚥Kitty Raises Hell🚦04.10 ★★★★

✅Five of Spades
🚥author initial R🚦standalone
🚥Hideaway🚦07.30 ★★★★

✅Eight of Clubs
🚥author initial H🚦Fiona Gavelle Mysteries series
🚥Not Safe for the Bank(er)🚦08.27 ★★★

✅Ace of Hearts
🚥author initial N🚦39,330 ratings
🚥Inheritance🚦06.11 ★★★★



✅Three of Clubs
🚥author initial P🚦Amelia Peabody series
🚥The Hippopotamus Pool🚦10.02 ★★★★

✅Two of Clubs
🚥author initial O🚦Blueberry Springs series
🚥Champagne and Lemon Drops🚦01.11 ★★★

✅Seven of Diamonds
🚥author initial T🚦Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Humor (2014)
🚥Passion & Ponies🚦01.18 ★★★

✅Ace of Diamonds
🚥author initial A🚦GR Choice Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction (2023)
🚥Check & Mate🚦04.30 ★★★★

✅Eight of Spades
🚥author initial H🚦standalone
🚥Now You See Her🚦06.24 ★★★★

✅Nine of Spades
🚥author initial V🚦standalone
🚥Something Unexpected🚦10.05 ★★★★

✅Six of Diamonds
🚥author initial S🚦GR Choice Award Nominee for Best Romance (2015)
🚥Deep🚦03.02 ★★★★

✅Queen of Clubs
🚥author initial Y🚦Highlands series
🚥Beyond the Thistles🚦05.06 ★★★★★

LOST 2024
January - July 28

My LOST 2024 Challenge (msg 31)

Lost completion🚦10



✅added March 2013🚦Cause for Alarm🚦01.11 ★★★★
✅added March 2013🚦Little White Sins🚦05.02 ★★★
✅added March 2013🚦Shot of Tequila🚦02.26 ★★★★
✅added April 2013🚦A Date With The Devil🚦02.17 ★★
✅added April 2013🚦Dixie Rebel🚦02.19 ★★★★
✅added April 2013🚦Finding Kate Huntley🚦07.28 ★★★
✅added April 2013🚦Let's Make It Legal🚦04.01 ★★★
✅added April 2013🚦Loving Tessa🚦02.27 ★★★
✅added April 2013🚦The Rancher🚦05.29 ★★★
✅added April 2013🚦Turnagain Love🚦05.19 ★★★

Woo! Finished exactly - December goal 8 and read 8!! Oh boy, I was sweating it 😅 Thanks for putting this together for us, Tien!!
Updated post for the year: My By the Month Challenge (msg 26)

one to go.... and it's short, so I should get it! (Edit: AND Finished!)
Updated post: My LOST and FOUND 2023 Challenge (msg 12)

Challenge complete - thanks, Tien!!
Updated post: My Moving Mountain Challenge (msg 22)

Level🔹26 Draws🔹Books Read🔹26



✅Four of Hearts
💟51.8% yellow🔹11,652 ratings
💟Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand🔹02.25 ★★★★

✅Six of Diamonds
💟64.4% blue🔹Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2022)
💟Hook, Line, and Sinker🔹12.12 ★★★★

✅Ace of Clubs
💟green, blue, black, red, yellow, brown🔹Cemetery, Indiana
💟The Honeymoon Cottage🔹07.10 ★★★★

✅Six of Spades
💟76.6% blue🔹standalone
💟Instant Karma🔹05.21 ★★★★

✅Four of Spades
💟61.6% yellow🔹standalone
💟The Seven Year Slip🔹11.05 ★★★★

✅Four of Clubs
💟64.6% yellow🔹Body Movers
💟10 Bodies Lying🔹06.04 ★★★

✅Three of Hearts
💟51.3% orange🔹13,993 ratings
💟By Any Other Name🔹07.16 ★★★★★

✅Three of Clubs
💟60.2% orange🔹Honeybee Mysteries
💟The Buzz Kill🔹04.01 ★★★

✅Three of Diamonds
💟53% orange🔹Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) for Best Book of the Year (2014)
💟Sweet Filthy Boy🔹05.24 ★★★★




✅Ten of Hearts
💟53.5% grey🔹64,072 ratings
💟The 6th Target🔹11.18 ★★★★

✅King of Diamonds
💟blue, green, violet, brown, orange🔹RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Nominee for Best Contemporary Romance (2014)
💟Home to Whiskey Creek🔹03.12 ★★★★

✅King of Hearts
💟blue, red/orange, white, brown/cream, green🔹79,098 ratings
💟Devil in Winter🔹07.20 ★★★★

✅Jack of Spades
💟red, grey🔹standalone
💟Ours is Just a Little Sorrow🔹01.17 ★★★★

✅Jack of Diamonds
💟black, red, tan🔹RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Nominee for Erotic Romance (2017)
💟Ravenous🔹03.23 ★★★★

✅Seven of Spades
💟54.7% brown🔹standalone
💟Role Playing🔹07.30 ★★★★

✅Queen of Spades
💟orange, blue, violet, black🔹standalone
💟Stuck on You🔹09.22 ★★★

✅Jack of Clubs
💟violet, yellow, grey🔹Imperfect
💟Imperfect Chemistry🔹01.08 ★★★★

✅Queen of Diamonds
💟violet, pink, black, brown/tan🔹Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2019)
💟The Wallflower Wager🔹09.17 ★★★★




✅Five of Spades
💟66% green🔹standalone
💟Window Shopping🔹12.08 ★★★★

✅Ace of Hearts
💟black, red, grey/silver, green, blue🔹105,478 ratings
💟Bone Crossed🔹02.07 ★★★★

✅King of Clubs
💟blue, green, black, grey, brown🔹Blacktop Cowboys
💟Racked and Stacked🔹05.09 ★★★★

✅Ace of Spades
💟violet, blue, green, yellow, grey🔹standalone
💟Nightwork🔹09.09 ★★★★

✅Queen of Clubs
💟orange, yellow, black, grey🔹Adair Family
💟Always You🔹03.31 ★★★★

✅Seven of Hearts
💟57.6% brown🔹16,627 ratings
💟The Last Camel Died at Noon🔹08.06 ★★★

✅Queen of Hearts
💟black, grey, brown🔹332,157 ratings
💟Storm Front🔹01.03 ★★★

✅King of Spades
💟red, yellow, white, blue, black🔹standalone
💟Precious and Fragile Things🔹08.26 ★★★★

Finished for 2023 (calendar year, that is) - I know it's off but I think some of us wait to start this with the calendar year each year and work on it that way. I hope that's still okay!
Updated post: My Trim That TBR Challenge (msg 18)

Books Read🔹28

Challenge complete! Off to see what madness Tien has come up for us for next year! JK - Tien makes the best challenges!
Updated post: My Seriously Serial '23 Challenge (msg 20)

Books read🔹32

COMPLETE - Prompt 15: Happy 15th!!


My Prompt 15 Plan (msg 25)

Prompt ➖ Read a total of 15 books across different PAS challenges

By the Month

💟Master of the Dark Side ➖ 05.02 ★★★★
💟Avenge Me ➖ 05.07 ★★★★
💟Sweet Filthy Boy ➖ 05.24 ★★★★

LOST 2023

💟Her Perfect Stranger ➖ 09.17 ★★★★
💟Precious and Fragile Things ➖ 08.26 ★★★★
💟All Good Things... ➖ 09.03 ★★★

Moving Mountains - 2023 Ed

💟The Honeymoon Cottage ➖ 07.10 ★★★★
💟The 6th Target ➖ 11.18 ★★★★
💟Racked and Stacked ➖ 05.09 ★★★★

Seriously Serial '23

💟Deeper Than The Ocean ➖ 08.22 ★★★★
💟Secret Obsession ➖ 07.21 ★★★★
💟Lucas ➖ 05.27 ★★★

Trim That TBR (2022)

💟A Scandal in the Headlines ➖ 05.06 ★★★
💟Ice Cold ➖ 06.19 ★★★★
💟Lethal Nights ➖ 11.04 ★★★★

COMPLETE - Prompt 12: Monthly Shelves


My Prompt 12 Plan (msg 22)

Prompt🔹Read 12 books as determined by the Wheel & list of past shelves




Spin 1🔹2014🔹Contemporary🔹pg 5🔹tagged 959 times
💟Hook, Line, and Sinker🔹12.12 ★★★★

Spin 2🔹2021🔹greece🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 3 times
💟Frayed🔹10.10 ★★★

Spin 3🔹2010🔹Dystopia🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 45 times
💟Beyond Innocence🔹05.07 ★★★★

Spin 4🔹2019🔹1990s🔹pg 1🔹tagged 189 times
💟Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets🔹04.24 ★★★★

Spin 5🔹2015🔹gothic🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 3 times
💟Faefever🔹05.07 ★★★★

Spin 6🔹2016🔹must-read🔹pg 13🔹tagged 39 times
💟Book Lovers🔹03.23 ★★★★

Spin 7🔹2009🔹realistic-fiction🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 75 times
💟Homecoming King🔹05.01 ★★★★

Spin 8🔹2022🔹chick-lit🔹pg 21🔹tagged 114 times
💟Grin and Beard It🔹07.22 ★★★★

Spin 9🔹2017🔹diversity🔹pg 21🔹tagged 68 times
💟The Bride Test🔹04.05 ★★★★

Spin 10🔹2011🔹anthology🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 1 time
💟Off the Grid🔹12.14 ★★★

Spin 11🔹2013🔹animals🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 9 times
💟Sit, Stay, Love🔹05.15 ★★★★

Spin 12🔹2019🔹fantasy🔹beyond pg 25🔹tagged 260 times
💟Into the Fire🔹05.16 ★★★★

COMPLETE - Prompt 7: "Lucky Seven"


My Prompt 7 Plan (msg 6)

Prompt🔹Read 7 books featuring 'Seven'

Riding Hard series🔹7 primary books



Book 1🔹Adam🔹01.31 ★★★★
Book 2🔹Grant🔹05.21 ★★★
Book 3🔹Carter🔹07.07 ★★★
Book 4🔹Tyler🔹08.08 ★★★★
Book 5🔹Ross🔹09.30 ★★★★
Book 6🔹Kyle🔹12.02 ★★★
Book 7🔹Ray🔹12.08 ★★★

COMPLETE - Prompt 3: Third time's the charm


My Prompt 3 Plan (msg 26)

Prompt🔹Read 3 books of 1 author

Series mini binge is ok but the intent behind this is to read an author's works other than their most popular/well-known series etc.

author🔹Rebecca Zanetti



Laurel Snow🔹You Can Run🔹02.11 ★★★★
Blood Brothers🔹Lethal Lies🔹01.15 ★★★★
Scorpius Syndrome🔹Shadow Falling🔹09.10 ★★★★

Always creative, Tien!! My first take was at least 6 Nonfiction books???!!!??? Then I read the Q&As and realized the prompt books don't have to be the genre from which they are generated. Whew. I might could handle 3 nonfictions. Not sure about sequential art but I'll try it.

Finished!!

I made some ground up in November with 6 books read. That leaves me with 7 rollover so my December goal is 8. Higher than I'd like but I have high hopes that I added a good number of books LAST December that I haven't read yet... 😁🧑‍🎄

LOST and FOUND (Lost 2023, #3)
September 23 - December 2023

My LOST and FOUND 2023 Challenge (msg 12)

Lost completion ➖ 09.22.23

➖ ➖

LOST Books
✅condition 1: Heather Graham | pubbed Jan 2012 ➖ Crimson Twilight ➖ 12.30 ★★★
✅condition 3: April 2013 ➖ Play for Me ➖ 11.16 ★★★
✅condition 1: Cherry Adair | pubbed Nov 2013 ➖ Ricochet ➖ 12.18 ★★★

FOUND Books
✅condition 4: added Oct 2023 | pubbed Sept 2010 ➖ Married with Zombies ➖ 11.02 ★★★
✅condition 4: added Nov 2023 | pubbed Dec 2014 ➖ Royal Blood ➖ 11.07 ★★★
✅condition 4: added Nov 2023 | pubbed June 2023 ➖ The Seven Year Slip ➖ 11.05 ★★★★

LOST or FOUND Books
✅condition 3: added April 2013 ➖ Catch Me if You Can ➖ 12.15 ★★★★
✅condition 4: added Nov 2023 | pubbed May 2017 ➖ All Systems Red ➖ 11.17 ★★★★
✅condition 2: Paige Tyler | added June 2016 ➖ To Love a Wolf ➖ 10,31 ★★★★
✅condition 4: added Nov 2023 | pubbed Feb 2012 ➖ Most Eligible Bachelor ➖ 11.19 ★★★

FOUND (LOST 2023, #2)
September 23 - December 2023

My FOUND 2023 Challenge (msg 28)

Lost completion ➖ 09.22.23



☑️added May 2023 | pubbed June 2015 ➖ The Werewolf Meets His Match ➖ 10.26 ★★★★
☑️added August 2023 | pubbed Sept 5, 2023 ➖ The Grave Robber ➖ 10.26 ★★★★
☑️added August 2023 | pubbed June Oct 2020 ➖ In a Holidaze ➖ 09.25 ★★★★
☑️added August 2023 | pubbed May 2022 ➖ Inheritance ➖ 10.15 ★★★
☑️added Sept 2023 | pub Jan 1992➖The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog➖09.27 ★★★★
☑️added Sept 2023 | pubbed Feb 2012 ➖ Lingus ➖ 09.27 ★★★★
☑️added Sept 2023 | pubbed May 2011 ➖ Accidental Abduction ➖ 09.26 ★★★
☑️added Oct 2023 | pubbed April 2019 ➖ The Mummy Trap ➖ 10.06 ★★★
☑️added Oct 2023 | pubbed July 2021 ➖ All Fired Up ➖ 10.29 ★★★
☑️added Oct 2023 | pubbed Dec 2014 ➖ Her Secret Agent ➖ 11.04 ★★★★