**Spring Challenge - 1/9/16 - 30/11/16**

[Karen]

I haven't even finished my 5 book September challenge, and here some of you guys are with yous Spring ones done (or almost done) already! You guys are crazy!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Thanks Michelle :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Haha! Karen :)

[Zoey]

Update for Spring so far - 3/12 completed


R - A Cotswold Mystery by Rebecca Tope 4★
E - Naming Jack the Ripper by Russell Edwards 2.5★
J - Jilted by Rachael Johns AA
U - Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
V - V Is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton 4.5★
E - Tamed by Emma Chase
N - A Netball History in Tasmania - The Sequel by Pauline Barker AA
A - Awakened by Brenda K. Davies
T - Through the Stones: A Companion Guide to the Novels of Diana Gabaldon by Diana Gabaldon
I - I Came to Say Goodbye by Caroline Overington AA
N - Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar AA
G - The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

[Linda]

Moving right along on this one. Three complete!

C - Peter Corris, Beware of the Dog


Beware of the Dog
Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

H - Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla


Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway
Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I - Conn Igguldson, Conqueror


Conqueror
Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Onward to
C
H
I
C - Ceridwen Dovey, Only the Animals
K - Karl Ove Knausgard, My Struggle
(S) - Matthew Reilly, Scarecrow

[Steve]

I have finally finished C of HATCHLING, Cephrael's Hand, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is G, Grave Mercy, and here's hoping I can get through it quickly.

[Janine]

Finished my 9th - G of SPRING CLEANING
The Grazier's Wife by Barbara Hannay(AA) 4*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Brenda wrote: "Finished this challenge :) With my last "O" of BLOSSOMING - On the Blue Train by Kristel Thornell 5★s

Review to follow after the read-a-thon is complete :)..."

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

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Brenda wrote: "Finished my 8th - "N" of BLOSSOMING - Never Smile at Strangers by Jennifer Jaynes 5★s

Review to follow after this read-a-thon weekend :)"

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

[Michelle_Mck]

I have finished my 6th book of the challenge, have 3 to go, maybe should chose another word :-)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Michelle wrote: "I have finished my 6th book of the challenge, have 3 to go, maybe should chose another word :-)"

Maybe wait until you get closer to finishing so you don't put yourself under pressure :)

[Christy]

Yikes, I've been so busy reading I forgot to post my list :)

F - Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

L - The Last Dance by Fiona McIntosh - 5*

O - Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - 5*

W - The Witnesses by James Patterson - 4*

E - The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud - 1*

R - The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza - 5*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Nice list Christy - I've linked you at the beginning :)

[Christy]

Brenda wrote: "Nice list Christy - I've linked you at the beginning :)"

Thanks Brenda!! I love when I choose books that turn out to be sooo good!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Yes it's a definite bonus isn't it!

[Carolyn]

I've finished my second book (need to get my skates on!) Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher 4★ review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tien]

I can't believe it, I've done it :)

B -Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater -Read 16/09 ★★½
L - Charlie Lovett: First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen -Read 08/09 ★★★
O - Ovidia Yu: Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge (Singaporean Mystery #3) -Read 28/9 ★★★½
S - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: In the First Circle: The First Uncensored Edition -Read 27/09 ★★★½
S - Sight Unseen (Kendra Michaels #2) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen -Read 04/09 ★★★★
O - The Omega Scroll by Adrian d'Hagé* -Read 13/09 ★★
M - Melina Marchetta*: Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil -Read 14/09 ★★★★★
I - In the Middle of Nowhere by Terry Underwood* -Read 22/09 ★★★
N - Peter Newman: The Vagrant (The Vagrant #1) -Read 09/09 ★★★½
G - Geoffrey McGeachin*: D.E.D Dead! (Alby Murdoch #1) -Read 05/09 ★★★★

*Aussie

COMPLETED on 28/09

[Tien]

Am going to attempt a second word... Random pick:

S: Shadows of the Workhouse (The Midwife Trilogy #2) by Jennifer Worth -Read 30/9
U: Undine (Undine #1) by Penni Russon* -Read 28/10
N: Ned Kelly: A Short Life by Ian Jones* -Read 19/10
-: #SaveOzStories -Read 12/10
K: Young-Ha Kim: Your Republic Is Calling You - Read 30/09
I: Isobelle Carmody* : The Red Queen (The Obernewtyn Chronicles #7) -Read 24/10
S: Sarah Zettel: Playing God -Read 08/10
S: Some Prefer Nettles by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki -Read 03/10
E: Bret Easton Ellis: Less Than Zero (Less Than Zero #1) -Read 10/10
D: Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim #3) by Juliet Marillier* -Read 11/10

*Aussie

COMPLETED as at 28/10

[MichelleG]

Well done Tien :)

[Janine]

Finished my 10th - R of SPRING CLEANING
The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns 4*

[Sally906]

Janine wrote: "Finished my 10th - R of SPRING CLEANING
The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns 4*"

I've got that planned for next week when october starts :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Tien! Great job and good on you choosing another to start again :) I'll link your second post at the beginning for you as well! Happy reading!

[Steve]

Finished my second, G of HATCHLING, Grave Mercy, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is N, Neverwhere.

[Leonie]

Finished my second, the D of BIRDS, Dauntless by Jack Campbell 2.5 stars.

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

[Karen]

number 3 finished, perfectly in time to cross over with my September challenge :D
I'm not sure what the next one from this list will be yet since I seem to have picked up a bunch of others along the way.

RAINBOW
R Robert Jordan - The Path of Daggers ~2 stars
A A Confusion of Princes - Garth Nix * ~4 stars
I It - Stephen King ~4.5 stars
N The Novice - Trudi Canavan *
B Terry Brooks - The Sword of Shannara
O ??
W Winter's Heart - Robert Jordan

[PattyMacDotComma]

Another one down, and a great one it was. For me, it's the T in "fragranT".

The Whites by Harry Brandt is an absolute first-rate novel that happens to cover crime/police/mystery/families/despair/retribution/life/love/death. Have I missed anything much? Brandt certainly didn't.

FANTASTIC! 5★

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

[Valerie]

Second book finished, the F.

F - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ✔

R - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

A - The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

G - The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion AA

R - Paris by Edward Rutherfurd ✔

A - Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

N - The Secrets in Silence by Nicole Trope AA

T - Eyrie by Tim Winton AA

[MichelleG]

Hi all, Yay - I just got to the half way point :)

SPRING SPELL IT OUT CHALLENGE ~ Completed ~ 7/14

S - The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
P - The Perfumer's Secret by Fiona McIntosh (AA)
R - The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
I - Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
✔ N - Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix (AA). Rated: 3 stars
G - Gemina by Amie Kaufman (AA) *Released End October*

✔ C - Comfort Zone by Lindsay Tanner (AA). Rated: 2 stars
✔ L - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. Rated: 3 stars
E - Embrace by Jessica Shirvington (AA)
✔ A - Across the Wall by Garth Nix (AA). Rated: 2 stars
✔ N - Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken. Rated: 4 stars
I - In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower (AA)
✔ N - The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood. Rated: 5 stars
✔ G - Girl of Shadows by Deborah Challinor (AA). Rated: 5 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well in front Michelle :)

[Dree]

Word - NEWBORN

Subject to change they are :


Finished my first & second.

N - ✔ The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 3★
E - ✔ The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer 3.5★
W - White Noise by Don DeLillo
B - The Bees by Laline Paull
O - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
R - The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
N - The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (AA)

[Carolyn]

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Another one down, and a great one it was. For me, it's the T in "fragranT".

The Whites by Harry Brandt is an absolute first-rate novel that happens to cover crime/..."

Good to hear that Patty! I've got it to read in another challenge and had heard it was good.

[Leonie]

And here's my third review for this challenge.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

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

[Janine]

I have finished my 11th - C of SPRING CLEANING
The Wife's Tale by Christine Wells(AA) 3*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Brenda wrote: "Just finished my 5th - "B" of BLOSSOMING - Beautiful Maids All in a Row by Jennifer Harlow 5★s

Brilliant psychological thriller!

Review to follow closer to public..."

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

[PattyMacDotComma]

My "F" for FRAGRANT. A delightfully funny 5★ ridiculous romp of a book about a poet who thinks he's lost his muse because he's married for money instead of love.

Mind you, the fact that his wife is drop-dead gorgeous, young, and charming seems to have escaped his notice. He meets the Devil, complains about his wife, and then . . . she vanishes. YIKES!

A hoot! For Python and Pratchett lovers and anyone who enjoys the absurd.

Forrest Leo's new novel

The Gentleman

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

[Chris]

I have finished my second for the challenge Bellagrand. I found Harry and Gina to be extremely frustrating characters. So much so that I nearly put the book down.

[Deb]

Hi there Good Readers. This challenge and most other things are going on hiatus for me: I have been on a waiting list for surgery for about a year and my ticket has reached the head of the queue.

I'll be going into hospital on Friday for a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction, thanks to those nasty BRACA genes.

My reading is likely to suffer for a while but I'm hoping to pick it up in the next couple of weeks and may yet complete the challenge.

I only have two to go and but they are both heavier reads so I'll just see how I go.

[Steve]

I have finished N of HATCHLING, Neverwhere, with my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Up next is Inkspell.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Deborah wrote: "Hi there Good Readers. This challenge and most other things are going on hiatus for me: I have been on a waiting list for surgery for about a year and my ticket has reached the head of the queue.
..."

Good luck and best wishes Deborah :) We'll all be thinking of you and wishing you a swift recovery. Take good care. xx

[Jenn]

Deborah wrote: "Hi there Good Readers. This challenge and most other things are going on hiatus for me: I have been on a waiting list for surgery for about a year and my ticket has reached the head of the queue.
..."

Good luck I hope everything goes well. :)

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Have completed this Spring challenge, a short one for me due to time constraints. Also, I had to change two of my original choices due to lack of availability.

All very good enjoyable reads, it's been a great challenge :)

BIRDS

B - All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood 5★s

I - I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson 5★s

R - River Run by Nicole Alexander ...AA. 4★s

D - Dear Mother by Angela Marsons 5★s

S - The Separation by Dinah Jefferies 4★s

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congratulations Jools! You've done well :)

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Brenda wrote: "Congratulations Jools! You've done well :)"

Thanks Brenda, I really enjoyed all of those. Now I can read some totally random books for a little while ;)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

☼♄Jülie  wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Congratulations Jools! You've done well :)"

Thanks Brenda, I really enjoyed all of those. Now I can read some totally random books for a little while ;)"

And I hope you enjoy them as well!

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Brenda wrote: "☼♄Jülie  wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Congratulations Jools! You've done well :)"

Thanks Brenda, I really enjoyed all of those. Now I can read some totally random books for a little while ;)"

And I ho..."

Oh I'm sure I will :D

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

:D

[Trevor]

Finished my third book for the challenge, the very enjoyable All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★

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

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert - 4★
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
D - Funny Bone by Daniel W. Kelly
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott - 3★
N - Love on the Jersey Shore by Richard Natale
E - Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★
R - Work Boots and Tees by Jo Ramsey

[Jenn]

Just finished another book...Ink and Bone. This was a great book very different from the stories the author normally writes but I loved it. 5 stars.

I have almost finished this challenge now with only 4 books to go.

My word choice is Spring cleaning 10/14

S Sugar Rush by Sawyer Bennett 4 stars
P Purple Roads by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
R Runaway Lies by Shannon Curtis 5 stars
I Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine 5 stars
NNotes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
GGrave Memory by Kalayna Price

C Crimson Dawn by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
L Love at First Roar by Celia Kyle 4 stars
E Emerald Springs by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
A All Roar and No Bite by Celia Kyle 4 stars
N
I Indigo Storm by Fleur McDonald 4 stars
N No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It by Celia Kyle 5 stars
GGrave Visions by Kalayna Price

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Doing well Jennifer! I also loved Ink and Bone :)

[Janine]

I have finished my 12th - L of SPRING CLEANING
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty 3*