Autumn Reading Challenge*1/3/16-31/5/16*

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Congratulations Chloe! I see you're not particularly fond of Denise Mina's work either...I've read 2 - tried the second after not enjoying the first, and still didn't like it. So I won't be reading her again. The plot always sounds great; I don't know if it's her writing or what...anyway - too many good books out there ....

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

We might have to make the Winter Challenge harder:)
Well done everyone who has already finished. I still have one to go.

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

We sure have some fast readers in the group Phrynne! We could always double the criteria;)

[Mary]

I've been pacing myself! I have two to go but I've been reading other books first because there are still two months to go. :-)
But don't make the challenges too hard, I need time to knit!

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

LOL! We won't Mary;)

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

Yes I was just joking:)
Many of us do other challenges as well plus it is always nice to have some challenge free time so you can read anything you like:)

[Chloe]

Brenda wrote: "Congratulations Chloe! I see you're not particularly fond of Denise Mina's work either...I've read 2 - tried the second after not enjoying the first, and still didn't like it. So I w..."

I know - I was disappointed. It was my first book of hers and don't think I'll be bothered reading more.

Too many other books :)

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

The blurbs always read enticingly don't they... bit different inside!

[Kerri_M]

I've finished my 3rd - Strange Objects by Gary Crew

I liked the structure of the book. 2.5

[Aimee]

Here is mine :)

USA - Déjà Dead
UK - Now You See Me
Sweden - The Ice Princess
Australia - Hades
New Zealand - Cut and Run
Scotland - The Blackhouse

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Great list there Aimee!

[Aimee]

Chloe wrote: "This challenges sounds so cool!!

I'm off to choose some books! (I love this part :) )

1. Australia - Beyond Fear READ 5 ★
2. US - Sweetheart READ 4 ★
3. Italy - [bo..."

Hi Chloe,

Could you tell me how I cross out the books that I have read? I'm still learning how to use Goodreads :)

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

< s >the words you want to cross out< /s >

without the spaces :)

[Carolyn]

I've finished my second, #6 Ireland I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty 4★

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mary]

Finished number 5 - Japan- The Cloud Pavillion by Laura Joh Rowland.

[Tien]

I've just joined the group & thought I'd count the books which fit this challenge I read in March... I've done quite well for myself, it seems ;)

Have read 4 and I've planned 3 to-read :)

1. USA – Run For Your Life (Michael Bennett #2) by James Patterson -Read 07/03 ★★★½
2. Australia – A Few Right Thinking Men (Rowland Sinclair #1) by Sulari Gentill -Read 10/03 ★★★½
3. UK – Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Emmuska Orczy -Read 11/03 ★★★
4. France – Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola -Read 10/03 ★★★★★
5. Spain – The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #3) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón -Read 19/04 ★★★
6. Singapore – Aunty Lee’s Deadly Specials (Singaporean Mystery #2) by Ovidia Yu -Read 11/05 ★★★★
7. Japan – Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama -Read 17/05 ★★★

[Janine]

Challenge Completed
Sweden - The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz 3*
Australia - Kakadu Sunset by Annie Seaton 4*
USA - Speak No Evil by Allison Brennan 4*
UK - Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George 2*
Mexico - A Dangerous Harbor by R.P. Dahlke 2*
UAE - Rotten Gods by Greg Barron 4*

[Mary]

Challenge completed! I've just finished India, The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall. Well worth reading, and expanded my knowledge of modern India and the caste system. Lots of yummy food too - perhaps I'll have to go out to an Indian restaurant soon!

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

Tien wrote: "I've just joined the group & thought I'd count the books which fit this challenge I read in March... I've done quite well for myself, it seems ;)

Have read 4 and I've planned 3 to-read :)

1. USA ..."

Welcome to the group Tien and great that you are doing so well with the challenge:)

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

Congratulations Janine and Mary!!!!
I still have one (thick) one to go:)

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Tien wrote: "I've just joined the group & thought I'd count the books which fit this challenge I read in March... I've done quite well for myself, it seems ;)

Have read 4 and I've planned 3 to-read :)

1. USA ..."

Welcome Tien:) And great list of books!

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Well done Janine and Mary! Great effort:)

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

Finished:)

1. America. Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb5 stars

2. England. Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch 4 stars

3. Scotland Broken Skin by Stuart MacBride 5 stars

4. Ireland. The Likeness by Tana French 4 stars

5. Australia. St Kilda Blues by Geoffrey McGeachin 3 stars

6.South Africa. Dead Before Dying by Deon Meyer 5 stars

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Congratulations Phrynne! Great job:)

[Odette]

Finished four books for this challenge so far - two to read next month:

1. Russia - Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland
2. Sweden - A Death in Sweden by Kevin Wignall
3. United Kingdom - Silent Scream by Angela Marsons - 4★
4. United States - The Legend of Devil's Creek by D.C. Alexander - 3★
5. South Africa - Shooting Butterflies by T.M. Clark - 4★
6. Iceland - Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson - 4★

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Well done Odette!

[Kerri_M]

Progress report - getting there :)

1. SWEDEN - The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz - finished - disappointing :(
2. ENGLAND - Close Your Eyes by Michael Robotham - finished - 3* - would have been 4 but lost it a bit at the end.
3. AUSTRALIA - Strange Objects by Gary Crew - Finished - 2.5* stars - liked the structure but the writing lost me sometimes. Found myself reading without listening in places.
4. USA - Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb - finished - One of the better books in this series for some time 4*
5. SCOTLAND - Coffin Road by Peter May - 4* - loved this book. Now I want to visit Lewis.
6. CANADA - Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

[Trevor]

Progress report:

Scotland - The Novel Habits of Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith - 3★
Italy - The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
USA - The High Window by Raymond Chandler - 3★
France - Moon in a Dead Eye by Pascal Garnier - 3★
Australia - The Low Road by Chris Womersley - 2★
England - Shoot to Kill by James Craig - reluctant 2★

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

You're almost finished Trevor - but you haven't had much reading joy this quarter by the looks:( That's a shame...

[Trevor]

Brenda wrote: "You're almost finished Trevor - but you haven't had much reading joy this quarter by the looks:( That's a shame..."

The 3 star books were good reads, the other two though were poor, certainly won't be reading another one by James Craig in a hurry. I was disappointed with the Chris Womersley book, as I had previously enjoyed Cairo and enjoyed it.

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Sometimes that happens between books with the same author. No idea why - perhaps change of subject matter and he doesn't understand it fully or research properly. Don't know....

[Carolyn]

Finished my fourth book for this challenge, Scotland: The Blackhouse by Peter May 5★

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Carolyn]

Finished my fifth book for this challenge: Italy Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon 3★. Won't be rushing to read any more in the series, although it is quite popular.

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

One more to go, Let The Dead Lie by the excellent Malla Nunn.

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

Malla Nunn is an excellent author but a slow writer. I don't think she has published anything since 2013:(

[Carolyn]

Good thing I'm a slow reader then, but I do hope she's going to write in more in this series. It's so very good!

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

I'm pretty sure you are NOT a slow reader:)

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

And I don't think she's going to write anymore in this series either...I read that somewhere I think.. very sad:(

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

I remember that now. We talked about it a while back. It's a shame.

[Kerri_M]

Finished my last book for the challenge The Cruellest Month Louise Penny. This one had been on my list for a while, as I read the first two in the series a couple of years ago. It moved up the list because I needed another country (Canada). Very glad it moved up the list. Enjoyed the book, and it filled in some of the back story for the series, but even better, had one of those experiences when reading fiction that you come across a concept that immediately strikes a chord, and gives you something to think about for weeks to come. In this case, it was the concept of the "near enemy". Thanks to the designers of the challenge for moving this one up my reading list. 4.5*

[Phrynne, Mystery lover!]

Kerri wrote: "Finished my last book for the challenge The Cruellest Month Louise Penny. This one had been on my list for a while, as I read the first two in the series a couple of ..."

Good because I still have to read that one for another challenge:)

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Congratulations Kerri! Great job:) A good one to finish on too...

[Odette]

I just finished my last book for this challenge A Death in Sweden by Kevin Wignall. The story started and ended in Sweden, and in between moved between Sweden and other European countries.

The most outstanding read for me was Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson. From the author's description, I could imagine the bleakness of the setting in winter, enjoyed the descriptions of places and really felt I was transported to a different country.

1. Russia - Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland - 4★
2. Sweden - A Death in Sweden by Kevin Wignall - 3.5★
3. United Kingdom - Silent Scream by Angela Marsons - 4★
4. United States - The Legend of Devil's Creek by D.C. Alexander - 3★
5. South Africa - Shooting Butterflies by T.M. Clark - 4★
6. Iceland - Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson - 4★

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Congratulations Odette! Great job:)

[Tien]

Completed my last 3 :)

5. Spain – The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #3) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón -Read 19/04 ★★★
6. Singapore – Aunty Lee’s Deadly Specials (Singaporean Mystery #2) by Ovidia Yu -Read 11/05 ★★★★
7. Japan – Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama -Read 17/05 ★★★

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

Congratulations Tien!

[Tien]

Thanks! Will we doing a winter challenge too? ;p

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

We sure will! Only a matter of days until it's published :)

[Tien]

Awesome! :D

[Brenda, Suspense lover!]

I agree :)

[Jane]

All finished - took me longer than I would have liked but got a few challenges on the go! Actually some really good books in my choices - not one bad one in the lot!

1.In the Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride (Scotland) 4.5*
2.The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell (Sweden) 4*
3. Deep Fathom by James Rollins (Underwater - all over the world) 4*
4. The Leopard by Jo Nesbø (Norway) 4.5 *
5. A Killing Frost by John Marsden (Australia) 4*
6. Denial by Peter James (England) 4*