R2: ♪ Team Red

[Melissa]

Carrie that is just insanity! I haven't even defiantely picked my book yet. I don't think I'm joining up next round. I found that this challenge has me reading too many books that I didn't enjoy enough. I think I'm gonna skip challenges for at least a month or two and stick with reading what I want. Like a good zombie book or maybe a historical book. Something other than jerky boy meets stuck up girl.

[Carrie]

Hehehe, yeah I've read a few flops over a few of my challenges, but I can't stop doing them lol.

[Jennifer H]

Melissa wrote: "Carrie that is just insanity! I haven't even defiantely picked my book yet. I don't think I'm joining up next round. I found that this challenge has me reading too many books that I didn't enjoy e..."

Yeah, that's the thing about doing songs they all have to with the mechanics of love (ie. falling in love, cheating, breaking up). Which elimanates a lot of science fiction, mystery/crime, horror and what I like to classify as PNS books (paranormal sex books).

[Manvir]

Lol I think you've just had some bad luck picking books. Sometimes though you find a really great book/series that you never would have read otherwise. That's the main reason that I love doing challenges, they sometimes force me to try something new.

I can understand taking a break from challenges and just reading without any pressure though.

[Melissa]

Manvir, LOL that's why I'm going to try M/M book for this week. I've never read one before so hoping I'll find a new genre for me.

[Carrie]

This week's cheat sheet:

Cover:
(link to lyrics) – armour; battleground; fire; person running.
(link to video) - piano; burnt out car; man dressed all in black; abandoned building; woman in black lingerie; red sheets.
Plot: One of the main characters is getting over a relationship where they have been cheated on; one of the main characters is a widower or lives in a haunted house.

Title:
A book with the words WAR or ZONE in the title or series name.

Name:
Any of the following names for characters or author name or surname: SIVA, JAY, NATHAN, MAX, TOM.

Setting:
battle ground / warzone; a book written or set in 2011.

[Manvir]

That's sweet Melissa. I'm still working up to trying a M/M book. It is something that I want to try once though.

[Vi]

Sorry, RL is so getting in the way. I have my in-laws visiting. I have no time to check GR or read.

I don't know what book I'm good to read this week yet. Nothing really interests me!! I'll put up the review for last week by today!

[Lauren]

Melissa wrote: "I found that this challenge has me reading too many books that I didn't enjoy enough. I think I'm gonna skip challenges for at least a month or two and stick with reading what I want."

I know what you mean. In the past I've read books that I did not enjoy just so that I could complete a challenge. That is why I made sure that I only read books that I already had on my TBR for this challenge, no matter how many points.

The only book that wasn't on my TBR, turned out to be the best read of the lot -

I've decided to cut out all the monthly challenges this year. I simply was not enjoying the books I was reading for them.

[Jennifer H]

♬ Week 7:Warzone by Wanted ♬



Divergent by Veronica Roth
Finished:2/19
Rating:★★★★

Review:
When you hit a certain age, you are expected to make a choice that could change your life forever and it's time for Beatrice to make that choice. The world that Beatrice lives in is divided into five factions:

Abnegation - the selfless
Amity - the peaceful
Candor - the honest
Dauntless - the brave
Erudite - the intelligent

After completing her aptitude test, Beatrice is told that she falls into more than one faction. That she is in fact, Divergent. At the time, this information doesn't mean much to her but she is told that being Divergent is a danger in and of itself and that she shouldn't tell anyone, not even her family.

At the choosing ceremony, she is forced to make a decision. Should she stay with her family in Abnegation? Or should she choose another faction? As you can imagine, the factions and how they view each other is key here. Beatrice, after making her decision changes her name to Tris and then realizes that she is in the middle of a much larger plan.

This book is pure fun. It's well-paced with characters you can relate to. It's not over-the-top dramatic as some young adult books can be and it rates low on the violence scale which is odd for a dystopian novel. I sat down to read a few chapters and ended up reading it almost straight through.

Points:
Cover=2 Fire
Name=5 Max:One of the Dauntless leaders
Setting=6 Published originally in 2011
Bonus Word:Performance=1 ...rank you according to you performance...page 76

Total Points=14

[Vi]

Week 6:I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift (2012)

Book:What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor
Date Finished: 12 Feb 2013
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
Argh! I thought I had written a review but I can't seem to find it! So a super short review here

Jake Hayes, a senior high school student has been in love with Samantha Shay for years but he's never confessed. One drunken night, he and his friends get this brilliant idea to confess his love. Unfortunately, while drunk driving, they get into an accident and Jake lost his voice.

The bulk of this book is how Jake deals with this life changing event. His ambition to join Air Force is lost. He can never pilot a flight. But Jake deals with this admirably - too admirably. Although, this book is a refreshing change from the angsty YA where the MC becomes mad at the world, sometimes, I felt this book to be too nice and goody-goody. That is the only drawback. Maybe I need a break from YA - who knows?! But I would recommend this to anyone who wants a clear, sweet YA contemp. Not big on romance and it's not exactly deep. But it is a good way to spend some time reading.

Plot:
Cover - Blonde Girl with Bangs - 2 points
Plot - Recurring flashbacks - 3
Name - Author last name is Taylor - 5
Setting - Published in 2012 - 6
Total: 16 points

[Vi]

Week 6 - I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift (2012):
Carrie: My Favorite Mistakeby Chelsea M. Cameron - Review - [Shelf(1) + Cover(2) + Plot(3) + Name(5) + Setting(6) + Bonus Word =18]
Jennifer: A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean - Review - [Shelf(1) + Plot(3)+ Setting(6) + Bonus Word =11]
Vi: What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor - Review - [Cover(2) + Plot(3) + Name(5) + Setting(6)=16]
Judy: Hot Secrets by Lisa Renee Jones - Review - [Cover(2) + Setting(6) + Bonus Word =8]
Melissa: My Favorite Mistakeby Chelsea M. Cameron - Review - [Shelf(1) + Cover(2) + Plot(3) + Name(5) +Setting(6) + Bonus Word =18]

[Vi]

Sorry Team for being MIA for the past few days. RL is seriously kicking my butt right now. I've been traveling and I couldn't get to GR much.

For this week, I'm mostly going with Divergent. It's been on my TBR for a while. At least I can get it off now!

[Melissa]

Vi, don't worry about it. Hope things are getting better for you. I think we've all kind of silently agreed to take it easy for these last few weeks and read what we want without too much pressure on ourselves. I hope you like Divergent I adored it when I read it!

[Jennifer H]

Melissa wrote: "Vi, don't worry about it. Hope things are getting better for you. I think we've all kind of silently agreed to take it easy for these last few weeks and read what we want without too much pressure ..."

Divergent was a good read :)

[~Megan~]

I loved Divergent, but haven't been able to make myself read the second book...what's up with that? Maybe because I liked Divergent so much, I'm afraid I'll be let down?

[Melissa]

Megan I totally understand what you mean. That is why I haven't read Catching Fire. I loved Hunger games so much I didn't want to ruin it. I started the second book but never finished it.

[Carrie]

Week 7:Warzone by Wanted

Book:
Finished: Feb 21st
Rating: 4 stars
Review:So this book was great. When I first started it felt a little slow, but I must confess when I started reading I was rather tried so that might have played a slight role in the slowness of the book. Hence the 4 stars rather then 5.

I found the the information about alchemy fascinating, the whole story is so interesting. The descriptions of everything were perfect (to me at least). I can not wait to find out what happens next. I'm a excited and a little scared, not because the book is scary, I'm scared for Diana. And I want to know what Hamish meant, I want to know the secrets Mathew has yet to share.

One of my favorite characters in the book, is not really character per say, the Bishop house. I love that it seems to have mind of it's own and secrets of it's own too. I like that the ghost of family members of years past live there still.

I'm so looking forward to reading Shadow of Night.

Points:
Plot: Mathew is a widower, Bishop house has ghosts = 3 points
Setting Published in 2011 = 6 points
Bonus Word: The result might have been a riveting performance, but each new role brought fresh challenges. (KL 249) = 1 point

Total points: 10 points.

[Lina]

Hi Team Red!! Hang in there!! Only one more week to go! I've updated your dance card in post #2.

[Carrie]

Week 8 - ♬ Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden (1997)

Possible Links
Lyrics: Click Here
Video: Click Here
Shelf: Reunion
Word: Shake

[Carrie]

I have no idea what I want to read for this song.

[Vi]

I finished for last week. It's worth 19 points. SO yay!

I'm still not sure what to read for this week. From the other teams, (of interest to me) are:

worth 13 points apparently
- which I was planning to read for another challenge worth 10 or 11.

I'm still debating which book to read. Not sure though. Have you ladies selected a book to read?

[Carrie]

I haven't, it doesn't look like I have many big points books, I'm still looking.

[Carrie]

I'm going to read it's 10 points.

Actually after looking, I may go with

[Jennifer H]

Week 8:Truly, Madly, Deeply by Sound Garden (1997)



Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Finished:2/24
Rating:♥♥♥♥

Review:
I wanted to read this, as I love the TV show, I was a little disappointed by the main character, she doesn't seem as smart in the books as she does in the show, maybe I need to read the others too. It was well written and a good story, but I kept wanting to slap her, as some of the things she did were pretty stupid. I am surprised she is still alive. After I get over my need to compare it to the TV show it was a good read. I do want to know if she hooks up with Luc Claudel, I liked him.

Points:
Name=5 Daniel
Setting=6 Published in 1997
Bonus Word:Shake=1 I tried to shake him going into...page 80

Total Points=12

[Carrie]

I haven't seen Melissa around in a while, I hope all is okay.

[Carrie]

Week 8:Truly, Madly, Deeply by Sound Garden (1997)

Book:
Finished: Feb 24th
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: I liked this book, you have long lost lovers reuniting, families becoming whole, a mad man who get's off on hurting people, revenge, attempted murder.

Mary and Nick haven't seen each other since the afternoon Nick had to go off to battle. They laid together for the first time, the same afternoon privately vow themselves to each other in an old church, the register signed in his blood. With child and not hearing word from Nick, Mary goes to a family offering her child, she lives as the child governess.

Many years later Nick, or should I say the Duke of Vail, hears a story about a Mary Winters who is on trial and with out protection, off he runs to save her.

There is plenty to be said between those two, why there was no word and contact. And that they have a child together. A child Mary will do anything to get back from the mad man who has taken him to be his own.

Song links:
Shelf: On shelf = 1 point
Plot: Mary and Nick reunite (second chance at love), there child is reunited it with them. = 3 points
Setting: Published 1997 = 6 Points
Bonus word: Shake- "Whatever the merchant had demanded was enough to shake this man whose raw courage he admired above that of all other men he had ever known. (Page 121) = 1 point

Total: 11 Points

[Lina]

Hey guys! Has the team captain tried to send a message to Melissa to see if she's ok? I haven't seen her post anything on GR since Feb 20th, so if everyone else has finished their reading, I'd be happy to work out Melissa's point as the team average, but that's as far as the game is concerned...

As far as Melissa herself is concerned, I'm with Vi, it's worrying that she's not on and would be great if we could contact her to make sure she's ok. I'll send my own message as well.

[Carrie]

I hope all is fine with her too, according to her page it says she was last active this month just hasn't posted anything since the 20th.

[Lina]

Carrie wrote: "I hope all is fine with her too, according to her page it says she was last active this month just hasn't posted anything since the 20th."

Oh good, that's not so worrying at least.

Did you guys want me to just average out the last week's score for Melissa's place?

[Vi]

Sorry, CaroB! I've been meaning to send her a PM but my RL is just plain crazy. I'll send her a PM today. I think I'll wait for Melissa to respond and then decide if we want to average out the score.