Summer 2016 Reading Challenge: Try Three New Authors

[A.L.]

Lucinda wrote: "I looked through my Kindle and I read a lot of authors that I've read before. I need to branch out a little.
I'm a romance reader (contemp, historial, etc) and I like sweeping stories. Any recs?"

Some group members have listed favorite contemporary romances here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
and historical romances here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
You could always look through past Whitney finalists, too, for ideas. And I'm sure some other group members can give you more recommendations.

I'm kind of the same way--I tend to read authors I've read and enjoyed before because then I know the book won't be a waste of time. But it's good to branch out as a reader, because so often I find new authors that I enjoy. It's also useful as a writer to branch out--see how other authors do things. (Sometimes it's how I don't want to do things, but that can be useful too.)

[Kim]

Alisa wrote: "I finished my three books! I read:

by Braden Bell (Brandon Gray)

by Sally Johnson

[bookcover:Beth..."

Great job Alisa!

[A.L.]

I finished #2: The Lady and the Minstrel by Joyce DiPastena

And started #3: No Peace with the Dawn: A Novel of the Great War by E.B. Wheeler

I'll try to fit in a fourth by the end of August, because #3 isn't out yet (I have an early copy), so it only kind of counts.

[Lucinda]

One more new-to-me author and book:

[Charissa]

Here are my 3 new authors read. Waiting for Patience by Stephanie Adams , The Secret Life of Daydreams by Lucinda Whitney , and the story by Regina Scott in Summer House Party

[A.L.]

Well done, Charissa!

[Lisa]

I finished my three books for the challenge, I read A Date with Danger, The Time Key, and Keepers of the Sword!

[Charissa]

Lisa wrote: "I finished my three books for the challenge, I read A Date with Danger, The Time Key, and Keepers of the Sword!"

Good job, Lisa. Did you have a favorite?

[Lisa]

Charissa wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I finished my three books for the challenge, I read A Date with Danger, The Time Key, and Keepers of the Sword!"

Good job, Lisa. Did yo..."

I think it was A Date With Danger, the Time Key is pretty close. Both are great books. I wasn't as impressed with Keepers of the Sword. (I'm sure there are others out there who would love it.)

[A.L.]

Lisa wrote: "I finished my three books for the challenge, I read A Date with Danger, The Time Key, and Keepers of the Sword!"

Awesome, Lisa! (Glad you found two you liked.)

[A.L.]

Still a few days left in the challenge? How is everyone doing?

[Melanie]

Oh goodness, I still have one left. Any suggestions? I read Swan and Shadow: A Swan Lake Story and Sigil in Shadow, both great.

[Lucinda]

I started Gladly Beyond by Nichole Van.

[A.L.]

Melanie wrote: "Oh goodness, I still have one left. Any suggestions? I read Swan and Shadow: A Swan Lake Story and Sigil in Shadow, both great."

Me too. I started The Paper Magician yesterday.

As far as suggestions, it you like to read the same genre you write, you could look through the time-travel thread. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And there are always the Whitney lists.
http://whitneyawards.com

[Melanie]

A.L. wrote: "Melanie wrote: "Oh goodness, I still have one left. Any suggestions? I read Swan and Shadow: A Swan Lake Story and Sigil in Shadow, both great."

Me too. I started [..." thanks! The paper magician looks intriguing!

[A.L.]

I've been playing around with the Goodreads Group Challenge feature and I think I've got it mostly figured out. In addition to the discussion here, we now have an official challenge. You can find it on the group homepage and at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

I think the feature is fun--it keeps track of how many books the group reads for the challenge, and makes it easy to browse through what everyone else read.

Here's how it works:
-Join the challenge.
-Goodreads will ask you how many books you want for your goal.
-Goodreads will also ask you what shelf you will put the books on. As far as I can tell, this must be a new shelf. You name it, and Goodreads will create it for you. (You can always delete it when the challenge is done if you don't want so many shelves.)
-When you finish a book for the challenge, add it to the challenge shelf and mark the book read, with a date. (I've used just month and year and that worked.)
-If Goodreads doesn't automatically update your entry, you can go to the challenge and click "update my entry."

I've never used the challenge feature before, so if anyone else is more familiar with it, please jump in and educate the rest of us! I thought we'd try it out for this and the fall challenge. If we like it, we can keep using it. If not, we can drop it.

[A.L.]

Finished The Paper Magician on Monday to finish off the challenge. Nothing like the final few days for getting in that last book!

[Julie]

I read perfect timing by Michelle Ashman Bell. This book is one I had read before. I like the story about a returned missionary who thought her future was all planned, with a boyfriend whom she would marry when she got off her mission. I have a daughter who came home early from a mission to Peru because of illness. I have tried to be supportive of her and let her figure out what she wants to do with her decisions about her future she has had to make. Heavenly Father has a plan for us, we may have a hard time seeing the reasons some things turn out the way they do but we need to have faith that it is for our good.