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

[MaryG2E]

At present I seem to have a largish backlog of TBR books on my bookshelves at home, and I definitely want to tackle the pile. Sadly, only a few of the titles match up with the lists for this appealing Spring Challenge.

I've decided to tackle the EASY level, with 5 books, that can be taken from my existing resources, to form the word CHICK. If I find I have both time and opportunity, I can always take on another word...

C: A Tattooed Heart by Deborah Challinor (AA)
H: The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir by Anh Do (AA)
I: Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell
C: Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
K: The Waiting Room by Leah Kaminsky (AA)

[Sarah-Jane]

I will accept this challenge but not sure what I will choose right now. I will come back to it later.

[BooksByDano]

I am starting with Spring Cleaning

S Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
P Pure by Jennifer L Armentrout
R Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I I Like It Like That by Cecily Von Ziegesar
N New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
G Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

C
L Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephaine Perkins
E Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
A The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas
N Nobody Does it Better by Cecily Von Ziegesar
I I Will Always Love You by Cecily Von Ziegesar
N Nothing Can Keep Us Together by Cecily Von Ziegesar
G

[Kerri]

I love Spring. My word is BLOSSOMING
9/10
B Broken Harbour by Tana French
L Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
O Outside the Lines by Amy Hatvany
S A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
S Letters to my Husband by Stephanie Butland
O One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
M My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan
I I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
N A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
G The Girl Before by Rena Olsen

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Carolyn wrote: "I'm choosing POLLINATED as my word:

P Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
O Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
L The Lake House by [autho..."

Well done Carolyn :) You have given yourself an extra book there ;)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Irene wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Irene wrote: "Okay. I chose to be difficult
B - Blood on the Bones by Geraldine Evans
E - Emma by Alexander McCall Smith
G..."

I haven't heard good reports on 10 Irene!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

BooksByDano wrote: "I am starting with Spring Cleaning

S Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
P Pure by Jennifer L Armentrout
R Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I [book:I Like It L..."

Not sure if there are any Aussie authors there BooksByDano? The couple I checked weren't anyway :) You need at least one :) I apologise if I've missed them ;)

[Carolyn]

Brenda wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I'm choosing POLLINATED as my word:

P Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
O Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
L [book:The Lake House|211..."

So I have Brenda! I really want to read that last one so I might leave it there if that's Ok?

[MichelleG]

Carolyn, I loved The Lake House and Lirael ... I hope you do too :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Carolyn wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I'm choosing POLLINATED as my word:

P Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
O Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
L [book:The..."

Of course! Not a problem :) Enjoy!

[Leonie]

I think I'll see if I can manage a short one :)

B The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks
I Ice by Trevor Booth
R Red Rising by Pierce Brown
D Dauntless by Jack Campbell
S The Swan Book by Alexis Wright

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Glad you're joining us Leonie :)

[Leonie]

Now I just have to get my act together!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

LOL! That you do ;) You still have a couple of weeks to psych yourself up though ;)

[BooksByDano]

Brenda wrote: "BooksByDano wrote: "I am starting with Spring Cleaning

S Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
P Pure by Jennifer L Armentrout
R Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard..."

Hey Brenda,

Hence why i left a few spots. Trying to knock off a few on my tbr before searching for aussie authors that fit in.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

No problems :)

[Kelly]

B- Breath
L- Lone Wolf
O- Oryx and Crake
S- The Silmarillion
S The Slap
O- Oedipus Rex
M- Me Before You
I- Impossible
N- Night
G- The Golem and the Jinni

[Andrea]

My word is SEASON

S - Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India 3.5★
E - Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River 3.5★
A - A Field Guide to Happiness: What I Learned in Bhutan about Living, Loving, and Waking Up 4★
S - Salt Creek 4★
O - Our Souls at Night 3★
N - Miss Timmins' School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy 3.5★

[Jane]

I have chosen SUN-KISSED:

S - The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver 4*
U - Ultimatum by Simon Kernick 4*
N - No Second Chance by Harlan Coben 5*
K - The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter 5*
I - If I Tell You... I'll Have to Kill You by Michael Robotham AA 3*
S - Shatter by Michael RobothamAA 5*
S - Suspect by Michael Robotham AA 5*
E - The Emperor's Revenge by Clive Cussler 4*
D - The Dry by Jane Harper AA 4.5*



OK maybe a bit over board on the Michael Robotham books but I've found an Aussie thriller writer I like so I think I'll stick with him and do my bit for the Aussie authors!

[Rosie]

I am in. My word is flower.

Books read 1 of 6

F A Field of Red 3 Stars
L Lavender Beach 4 stars
O The One That Got Away 3 stars
W Wattle Creek 3 stars
E Nikki Edwards Critical Condition 4 stars
R Rachael Johns The Art of Keeping Secrets 5 stars

[Chris]

I've taken the Easy Challenge and my word is:


G Golden Earrings by Belinda Alexandra swapping this for The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 4*
R The Tournament by Matthew Reilly Really enjoyed this one. 4*
A Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton swapped to The Art of Keeping Secrets byRachael Johns 4*
S Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella Laughed out loud. 4*
S Bellagrand by Paullina Simons 3*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great you're looking forward to getting to them Christina!

[Anna]

I am in :) obviously. But have to work some stuff out before picking stuff

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great Anna! Enjoy your "stuff" - ;)

[Steve]

I am in. Hoping to get back into reading after a rather disastrous previous challenge, I'm daring myself to go all in with:

9/9

H ★★★★★
A ★★★★★
T ★★★★★
C ★★★★☆
H ★★★★☆
L ★☆☆☆☆
I ★★★☆☆
N ★★★★☆
G ★★★★★

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Welcome back Steve :)

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Good to see you back in the challenges Steve:)

[PattyMacDotComma]

I'm in with a nicely scented working list:

FRAGRANT

F - The Gentleman by Forrest Leo READ 5★

R - River Run by AUSSIE author Nicole Alexander READ 4★

A - A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness READ 5★

G - The Fly Strip by Gwen Banta READ 5★ Loved it!

R - You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse by Ross Petras READ 4.5★

A - The Birdman's Wife by Melissa Ashley READ 4.5★

N - Nutshell by Ian McEwan READ 3.5★

T - The Whites by Harry Brandt READ 5★ (terrific)

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Ok here's me, just going for a short one this time :)


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

[Paget]

I am in
SWIMMING

S - Melinda M. Snodgrass -finished
W - Robert Charles Wilson
I - H.G. Wells -finished
M - John Marsden -finished
M - Vonda N. McIntyre -finished
I - Markus Zusak -finished
N - Jo Nesbø
G - Kerstin Gier -finished

[Anna]

Brenda wrote: "Great Anna! Enjoy your "stuff" - ;)"

haha thanks Brenda :)

[Lucinda]

V - Vada Faith by Barbara A. Whittington
E - Either Side of Midnight by Tori de Clare
R - Rain and Revelation by Therese Pautz
D - The Devil's Fool by Rachel McClellan
A - Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
N - Nefertiti's Heart by A.W. Exley
T - The Twelve by Justin Cronin

[Sarah-Jane]

I'm choosing an easy word, GRASS with the link being that each book contains an artist.

G Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
R Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
A Brett Whiteley: Art, Life and the Other Thing - Ashleigh Wilson
S The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant
S Lust For Life - Irving Stone

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Clever! That's like setting up your own personal challenge:)

[Anna]

Alright... going to go for easy as I am trying to complete all the challenges I signed up for this year by the end of the year.

LEVEL: EASY

G Geena Leigh - Call Me Sasha (Aussie Author)
R Rachel Amphlett - Look Closer (Aussie Author)
A Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
S Sofie Laguna - The Eye of the Sheep (Aussie Author)
S Sherrie Wouters - Life Lived Twice (Aussie Author)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

All Aussie so far Anna! Great :) But your "A" doesn't work as the title starts with W ... sorry!

[Katrina]

Count me in! I am going to try for two words - Rainbow and Fragrant.

Here are a few i have picked so far:
R The Road Back by Di Morrissey
A
I
N The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
B Between The Vines by Tricia Stringer
O
W What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

FThe Last Dance by Fiona McIntosh
R The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
A
G something by Kerry Greenwood
R The Promise by Naomi Reed
A
N
T Safari by Tony Park

Rest to come later....great challenge idea :)

[Anna]

Brenda wrote: "All Aussie so far Anna! Great :) But your "A" doesn't work as the title starts with W ... sorry!"

i was reallllly tired! for some reason authors name in my head was alice moriarty not Lianne.
Silly Brain

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Anna wrote: "Brenda wrote: "All Aussie so far Anna! Great :) But your "A" doesn't work as the title starts with W ... sorry!"

i was reallllly tired! for some reason authors name in my head was alice moriarty n..."

Never mind :) As long as another one comes to mind ;)

[Niamh]

I'll stick with an easier reading load, seeing as I won't be able to finish the Winter Challenge and that only had 9 books in it :/

I choose "Warmer" as my word.

*Aussie Authors
12/12 Read

W - What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe 5★
A - Adaptation by Malinda Lo 4★
R - The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness 4★
M - I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak* 3.5★
E - Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston 5★
R - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling 4★

EDIT: Wow, I'm breezing through these books so fast that I've decided to add a second word to my list! This time, the word is FLOWER.

F - Firstlife by Gena Showalter 4★
L - United as One by Pittacus Lore 5★
O - Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver 5★
W - A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron 5★
E - Everlost by Neal Shusterman 4★
R - Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 5★

[Michelle_Mck]

I'm choosing CLOUDLESS for my word.

9/9 books complete

C Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave 4.5 stars review to come

L The Lost Swimmer by Ann Turner 3.5 Stars

O On the Blue Train by Kristel Thornell *aussie author 3.75 Stars

U The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 4.5 Stars

D Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 4.75 stars

L The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
E Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 5 Stars

S Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 4 stars My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

S Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

[Anna]

List complete

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Yay! Ten days and we can start :)

[Melanie]

I am going to go with Blossoming this quarter.

B- Blasphemy: A Memoir: Sentenced to Death Over a Cup of Water by Asia Bibi
L- The Lost Journal by Chris Blewitt
O- Outback Midwife by Beth McRae
S- The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister by Nonna Bannister
S- Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
O- Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman
M- The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian by David Dyer
I- In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long
N- No Good Deed by M.P. McDonald
G- The Girl With No Name: The incredible true story of a child raised by monkeys by Marina Chapman

Read: 0/10

Aussies authors:
Beth McRae, Thomas Keneally and David Dyer.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Nice choices Melanie :)

[Melanie]

Thanks Brenda. I have a few library books to read and also added a few Ebooks for when we're on holidays.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Those ebooks are great for holidays aren't they!

[Melanie]

They are. I've had these books for years so finally getting around to reading them.

Just ordered myself a kindle paper white.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Oh lovely! I have one and love it!

[Melanie]

That's great, I haven't found anyone else that has one.

I have an older style kindle but it isn't backlit and I find it really hard to read off so have been using a tablet with the kindle app.

However it drains the battery so much.