The Lost Challenges discussion

What movie did you see, Zina?

I'm reading the same book as Lauren as well! :)

The croods. With 4 grand kids. Age 7 to 4. Was fun. Was 3d.

Zina wrote: "The croods. With 4 grand kids. Age 7 to 4. Was fun. Was 3d."

I can't remember the last time I was in a movie theater.

So, the three of you are reading ...Great!

I may switch my meager 7 point book to another 7 point book :/

I've got a book my library actually has that is worth 14 points but I won't be able to pick it up until Monday or Tuesday.

It's

I do have to give props to Heather for finding it though. I searched for so long today I'm surprised I didn't come across it :)

Week 4 - Cheers



Read: 3/30/13
Rating: 4 stars

Review

This was my first book by this author, but it certainly won't be the last! The book kept a fast pace most of the time, although it did drag occasionally for me. I was completely surprised by who was behind everything, so that's always a plus for me. I also loved all the characters and can't wait to read the books featuring more of them.

Points
Shelf - Guilty Pleasures (1 point)
Plot - Sam works in a restaurant at the beginning (3 points)
Name - Sam (5 points)
Setting - Boston (6 points)

Total - 15 points

Well Done, Steph Ann!

I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

Done with my book. Review will be up soon.

Week 4: Cheers



Book: Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire
Finished: March 31st
Rating: ★★★★
Review: A well-developed suspense story and a sweet romance although Zach and Sam aren't as compelling as some of St. Claire's other couples.

Zach is physically and emotionally scarred after his experiences as an army ranger. While his vulnerabilities do engage the reader on a certain level, the tortured hero vibe is lacking. Moreover, his behavior toward his adoptive family and toward Sam make him appear sullen and churlish. He does manage to recognize the error of his ways and redeem himself by the end.

Sam is also a conflicted heroine. On the one hand, she stands her ground with Zach and calls him on his past behavior rather than falling straight back into his arms after he broke her heart. On the other hand, she has lost confidence in herself and seems incapable of making any decisions whether right or wrong.

The best aspect of the book is the plot revolving around an assassin targeting Sam after she witnesses a murder. The action scenes are tense and exciting and the villains a diverse lot. St. Claire is skilled at misdirection and Edge of Sight is no exception. Apart from one or two co-conspirators, the villains caught me by surprise, especially the assassin. The motivation for the original crime is a little unclear but does not detract from the overall reading experience.

The Rossi/Angelino family dynamics is another highlight - they love, they fight and they eat. Zach's snarky sister Vivi and FBI cousin Marc each have their own books and I look forward to reading them soon.

Total points: 15

Shelf: Guilty Pleasures (1 point)
Plot: Heroine works in a restuarant (3 points)
Name: Heroine's name is Sam (5 points)
Setting: Set in Boston (6 points)

Wtg, Lauren!

I really wish my library had this book. It is getting such good reviews :)

Thanks Jennifer.

I knew it would be good before I read it because I'm a huge fan of Roxanne St. Claire's books.

I just picked my book from the library and will be starting it soon.

Week 4:Cheers



The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Finished:4/3
Rating:♥♥

Review:
This book wasn't fabulous. It wasn't horrible. It just wasn't my cup of tea. The biggest weakness is that there were just too many characters. If Valdes-Rodriguez had four main characters instead of six, the book might have been better. There just wasn't enough character development to really get interested in the lives of the six. Usnavys, I felt, was very undeveloped. They were also stereotyped characters in a way. There's a token lesbian, a token victim of spousal abuse. Sara and Usnavy could easily be left out, spend more time on the other four, and the book would be a lot better.

I came away from this book not loving it and not hating it. I didn't feel like the time I spent on this book was wasted, but then again, I was reading it for this challenge. I may not have finished it otherwise.

Points:
Shelf:Guilty Pleasures (1 point)
Cover:Two Girls Drinking (2 points)
Name:Rebecca (5 points)
Setting: Massachusetts (6 points)

Total=14

Hey Zina, how it going? No hurry just checking in :)

Week 4:Cheers



Total points: 15

Shelf: Guilty Pleasures (1 point)
Plot: Heroine works in a restuarant (3 points)
Name: Heroine's name is Sam (5 points)
Setting: Set in Boston (6 points)

Read: 4/4/13
Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:
You know those books that make you want to read everything else the author has written? This is one of them. This was my first Roxanne St. Claire book, and I LOVED it!
I thoroughly enjoyed Roxanne St. Claire's Edge of Sight, the first in the series, Guardian Angelinos. St. Claire is an amazing storyteller, with a knack for combining humorous banter and clever dialogue with sexy fun romance while telling a compelling suspenseful adventure.
This book had me turning pages anxiously as I tried to figure out "whodunit" - and even though I had a pretty good idea of the villian about halfway through, there was still an interesting twist at the end that made it totally worth it, to me. The main characters, Samantha and Zach, were believable, flawed, funny, and had some major chemistry.

Nicely done ladies! I'm off to post our points :)

Week 5:South Park


Shelf: Just For Fun
Cover:Mountains, Bus, School, Cows, Aliens
Plot: Satire, Bizarre Adventures,
Title: South, Park
Name: Stan, Kyle, Eric, Kenny
Setting: Published 1997, Set in Colorado

Title Sequence

I've never seen this show :/ So, if you think of something else for plot let me know :)

My brother made me watch an episode when we were younger - definitely not my cup of tea.

Off to see what I've got on the shelf.

I think I might go with ...it has shelf, plot (either kids in school *checking on that* or bizarre adventures) and setting (published 1997). That would be 10 points.

This is what I have so far:

11 points for cover (mountains), plot (bizarre adventure/time travel) and setting (Colorado):



8 points for cover (mountains) and Setting (Colorado):


8 points for cover (mountains) and Setting (1997):

Go with the one you like the best Lauren :)

I think I'm going to go with . According to a couple other teams, it should at least get cover and setting points, and could also get plot points.

Great...here's hoping the book has some bizarre adventures...lol

Started reading and couldn't get into it. Somewhat mediocre version of Karen Marie Moning's Highlanders series but not as smexy.

Going to try the Debra Webb book instead. Maybe something bizarre will happen...

Finally found a book that is either a 11 or 8. Depending on plot. I didn't have anything do headed out to library with a few choices.

Happy reading this weekend.

Finished - not a bad light read. Unfortunately, nothing bizarre happened so its only worth 8 points.

Review will be up soon.

That's too bad Lauren. I started my book and I'm hooked and yup it will 11 points. I think humans that can fly is bizarre plot.

Happy reading to you too, Zina :)

Very quick Lauren...great job!

Great job, Lauren!!

I'm not going to be as fast as usual this time around. This weekend is crazy!

Week 5: South Park



Book: Secrets In Four Corners by Debra Webb
Finished: April 6th
Rating: ★★★
Review: Not a bad light read, however, neither the romance nor the suspense are sufficiently developed given the relatively short format of the Harlequin Intrigue books.

The basic premise involving the murder of an FBI agent has potential but it fails to truly engage the reader. This may be due to the fact that it is the thread that joins all the books in the Kenner County Crime Unit series together. Numerous characters related to the investigation are introduced but none are properly fleshed out and there is a lot of hinting and innuendo that will probably be explained in later books but right now is merely confusing.

The main couple, Bree and Patrick, are interesting but their chemistry is almost non-existent and their emotional responses to the events in the book (their shared past, the stalker and the big secret) are not that realistic.

Nevertheless, the mystery is intriguing enough to make me want to read the rest of the series sometime.

Total points: 8

Cover: Mountains(2 point)
Setting: Set in Colorado (6 points)

Wtg, Lauren!


I should be done with my book tonight.

Week 5 - South Park



Read: 4/7/13
Rating: 4.5 stars

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a little bit of everything: comedy, action, and of course romance. The characters were great and very entertaining. One of the things I liked most was that the book was (in my opinion) funny without trying too hard to be funny if that makes any sense whatsoever. I didn't want to put the book down and will be picking up book 2 as soon as I can!

Points
Cover: guitar (2 points)
Plot: bizarre adventures (3 points)
Setting: Colorado (6 points)

Total: 11 points

Week 5:South Park



Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowlings
Finished:4/8
Rating:♥♥♥♥♥

Review:
This is my third time reading this book. The first time was to see what all the hype was about. The second was when I read it aloud to my son. And this time I let Jim Dale read it to me on audiobook. I love this book and this series because of the characters, the story and the magic. In my opinion, this book is what tipped the scales when it comes to young adult literature. I me half the books I read today are young adult and I think this book was the catalyst for that.
I enjoyed the audiobook very much, except I kept thinking "I definitely did Hermoine's voice better"...lol

Points:
Shelf: Just for Fun (1 point)
Cover: Mountain (2 points)
Plot: School kids having bizarre adventures (3 points)
Setting: 1997

Total: 12 points

finished my book and will have review up late tonight

Wonderful, Zina!

Week 5:South Park




Finished:4/11/2013
Rating:♥♥♥♥

Review:
This thriller, set near Boulder, Colorado, is built around a female veterinarian and a non-conforming male FBI agent. They discover a girl whose wings enable her to fly. That's right, wings with feathers. She turns out to be one of several flying youth who are the products of a secret genetic engineering program. The people behind the program kill to protect their research and the profits they expect to make from it. Their work also has produced mistakes, tragically deformed children who are left to die.
Yes, different from the brilliant suspense of the Alex Cross books but just as good. Fast-paced, suspenseful, thrilling, and even humorous. Still a great fan, no matter what genre he chooses to write!


Points:
Shelf: Just for Fun (1 point)
Cover: Mountain (2 points)
Plot: bizarre adventures (3 points)
Setting: SET IN COLORADO (6 points)

Total: 12 points

Nicely Done, Ladies!

This week's show:

True Blood 2008
Shelf: Supernatural
Cover: Cult related, smoke, Dancer, blood
Plot: Psycic, Mystery, Love Triangle
Title: True or Blood
Name: Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Jason
Setting: Louisianna or Pub in 2008

True Blood title Sequences

True Blood


Shelf: Supernatural
Cover: Cult related, smoke, Dancer, blood
Plot: Psycic, Mystery, Love Triangle
Title: True or Blood
Name: Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Jason
Setting: Louisianna or Pub in 2008

True Blood title Sequences

Bummer! I just finished Blood Bound, which would work for everything except setting. If anyone else is interested it works for shelf, cover (smoke)- , plot (mystery), title and Name (Samuel/Sam) - 15 points

That sucks!

I found another one worth 16 points:




Shelf: Supernatural (1 point)
Cover: Smoke ( 2 points)
Plot: Mystery (3 points)
Title: Blood (4 points)
Setting: Louisiana (6 points)

Unfortunately, I only have it on audio and it is just over 14 hours. There is no way I'll finish it by next Friday *sigh*

So, I'm going with , which is worth 12 points


Shelf: Supernatural (1 point)
Cover: Smoke ( 2 points)
Plot: Mystery (3 points)
Setting: Louisiana (6 points)

Sounds great!

I'm going to re-read , which should be worth a perfect score. :)

I'm hoping not to read a sookie book. Never have read any of that series.
Too easy for the points. But might have to just so we do get points. Dang it was hoping those books would be excluded so it would be more challenging.

You should read what you want Zina. There are others who are not reading Sookie books. I can't believe you haven't read any of the books though...lol.

Both me and Steph Ann will be getting 21 points, Lauren is getting 12 so I think we are covered :)

ok ladies went to the book sale here is my haul for $20.00


Phew...now I have no excuse for starting True Blood...so with that said I will read


for this weeks choice

What a sale! You hit the jackpot!

I'm sure you will enjoy the series and if you don't at least you didn't pay that much :)