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

[Niamh]

Finished A of WARMER - Adaptation by Malinda Lo. 4★
I'm quite surprised but pleased with my reading pace on this one! I've gotten back into reading after a slump during winter!

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

[MichelleG]

Hi all, just a quick update :)

SPRING SPELL IT OUT CHALLENGE ~ Completed ~ 3/14

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)
L - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
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
G - Girl of Shadows by Deborah Challinor (AA)

[Deb]

Just finished a couple more: by Tracy Chevalier

Wow! Just wow... such an amazing book my review definitely does not do it justice https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And by E.C. Tubb and oold sci-fi series that I am intent on re-reading... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am powering through them, but I anticipate slowing down a lot when I hit the sagas, while they are rewarding they are anything but fast to read.

[Michelle_Mck]

I have just read my 4th book the U in Cloudless, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead a wonderful read 4.75 stars for me, full review to come.

Because of library holds all coming at once I have had to change my list around a little bit, adding more aussies to my list too

[Pam]

Deborah - I'm glad to hear that you liked Remarkable Creatures so much! I just started the audiobook and wasn't sure whether to continue with it. I think I will now!

[Pam]

I have read the first 2 books for my word DAFFODIL:

A: The Alchemist 4 stars
O: On the Beach 5 stars

On the Beach is set in Melbourne but written by a British author, Nevil Shute, who emigrated to Australia. I thought it was an excellent portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world, in which people remain civilized.

Next up are two letter Fs- Michel Faber's The Book of Strange New Things and Ken Follett's Fall of Giants. They are both very long books!

[Leonie]

I remember reading On the Beach years ago. It left me feeling shocked and saddened. I think it was because it was one of the first apocalyptic books I read set in Australia. It made it much more immediate.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

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 publication

[Anna]

one down :)

Spring Challenge - Spell It Out (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)

completed:

[Karen]

2 down, 5 to go! Why do I always have to choose so many long books though?

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

[Sally906]

Karen wrote: "2 down, 5 to go! Why do I always have to choose so many long books though?..."

Doing well - I have only read one book so far :)

[Janine]

Finished my 4th P of SPRING CLEANING
Sunset Shadows by Bronwyn Parry 4*

[Kira]

I finished my first book from the word SEASON yesterday. The Secret Years by Barbara Hannay. I haven't written my review yet, but I will do that over the weekend. In short, it was brilliant. 5✮

I'll probably finish another book today too End of Days by Susan Ee. Edited. I have finished. Am disappointed but not surprised. 2✮

[Trevor]

Finished my first book for the challenge, the very enjoyable and well written Our Young Man by Edmund White - 4★

G - The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
A - All Note Long by Annabeth Albert
R - The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
D - Funny Bone by Daniel W. Kelly
E - Fairyland by Sumner Locke Elliott
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

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Karen wrote: "2 down, 5 to go! Why do I always have to choose so many long books though?

RAINBOW
R Robert Jordan - The Path of Daggers ~2 stars
A [book:A Confusion of Princes|1345801..."

You don't seem to be enjoying The Wheel of Time very much. Are you going to keep going?

[Heather]

Finished my third of Rejuvenating

J - The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende 5 ★

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Heather wrote: "Finished my third of Rejuvenating

J - The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende 5 ★"

That was an exceptional book wasn't it Heather :)

[Karen]

Phrynne wrote: "You don't seem to be enjoying The Wheel of Time very much. Are you going to keep going?"

I'm at the slump part, apparently almost everyone agrees that books 7-9 are *reaaalllyyy* slow but it's worth continuing until the end! So I'm hoping to get through it (The Path of Daggers was book 8)

[Stef]

So this week I did R for

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

and

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

Both were five stars which does not often happen to me!

[Heather]

Brenda wrote: "Heather wrote: "Finished my third of Rejuvenating

J - The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende 5 ★"

That was an exceptional book wasn't it Heather :)"

It was - and I only got to read it as I picked it up at the first Melbourne get together

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Heather wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Heather wrote: "Finished my third of Rejuvenating

J - The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende 5 ★"

That was an exceptional book wasn't it Heather :)"

It..."

Oh nice!

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Finished my third, "R" - River Run by Nicole Alexander
Review to follow....

BIRDS

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

I - The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville ...AA

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

D - Dear Mother by Angela Marsons 5★s

S - Sisters by Drusilla Modjeska ...AA.
Or...The Separation by Dinah Jefferies

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Next up is: The Separation by Dinah Jefferies.

I goofed up whilst packing up all of my books and accidentally packed away my last two choices for the Spring challenge which were actual books, so I will have to adjust those choices with substitute...kindle...books. Hence my above choice for "S".

[Nicola]

Will I never learn? All well and good to write my list and start reading, but must do the post as well!
My choice is Blossoming....
B - The Blood of The Fifth Knight / E.M. Powell
L - The Lincoln Myth
O - One Little White Lie / Loretta Hill
S - The Secret Chord / Geraldine Brooks
S - The Skeleton Road / Val McDermid
O - The October List / Jeffery Deaver
M - The Book Thief / Markus Zusak
I - The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime / Miles Harvey
N - Napoleon's Last Island / Thomas Keneally
G - The Girl on the Train / Paula Hawkins

[Janine]

I have finished my 5th - 1st of the 3 Ns in SPRING CLEANING
Not Quite Nice by Celia Imrie 2*

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Finished my 6th - "I" of BLOSSOMING - In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones 5★s (Thanks Jools!)

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

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Brenda wrote: "Finished my 6th - "I" of BLOSSOMING - In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones 5★s (Thanks Jools!)

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

Glad you liked it Brenda, it is an exceptional debut novel.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I can't wait for her next one :)

[Michelle_Mck]

Finished my 5th book for the challenge, the D of cloudless Dark Matter by Blake Crouch what a great read

[Janine]

Finished my 6th - 2nd N of SPRING CLEANING
Spencerville by Nelson DeMille 3*

[Jenn]

So far I have finished from SPRING CLEANING..

S Sugar Rush by Sawyer Bennett 4 stars

R Runaway Lies by Shannon Curtis 5 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

I Indigo Storm by Fleur McDonald 4 stars

N No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It by Celia Kyle 5 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Looks like all have been great reads too Jennifer!

[Niamh]

I have finished my third of six! At this rate, I might need to add a second word!
One of the R's from WARMER - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling (and others). I give it 4★

[Heather]

Finished my fourth of Rejuvenating
E - Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes 5 ★

[MichelleG]

Hi, I just finished the second books of the Convict girls series, and I absolutely loved it, many thanks to everyone who recommended it :)

SPRING SPELL IT OUT CHALLENGE ~ Completed ~ 4/14

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)

C - Comfort Zone by Lindsay Tanner (AA?)
L - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins ~ Currently reading
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
✔ G - Girl of Shadows by Deborah Challinor (AA). Rated: 5 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

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

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

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Such a great series isn't it Michelle!

[MichelleG]

Brenda wrote: "Such a great series isn't it Michelle!"

It is! :). Thanks for the recommendation ;)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

You're very welcome!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Brenda wrote: "Finished my 4th - "O" of BLOSSOMING - Once Confronted by Lynne Stringer 5★s

Review to follow closer to publication"

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

[Niamh]

Finished my fourth - E of WARMER
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston, which I rate 5★

I'm breezing through these books much faster than I thought I would, so I have added another 6 books to my list, using FLOWER (this list has also been added to my original list on Page 2):

F - Firstlife by Gena Showalter
L - United as One by Pittacus Lore
O - Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
W - A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
E - Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
R - The Rapture by Catherine Jinks (AA)

I set myself the challenge of using books I have in print rather than on my Kindle, and 5 of the 6 books on this list I have in print :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Wow good on you Niamh :) You're doing well!

[Janine]

Finished my 7th - A of SPRING CLEANING
Southern Ruby by Belinda Alexandra(AA) 4*

[Janine]

Finished my 8th - I of SPRING CLEANING
Canal Dreams by Iain Banks 2*

[MichelleG]

Hi, just a quick update.

SPRING SPELL IT OUT CHALLENGE ~ Completed ~ 5 / 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)

C - Comfort Zone by Lindsay Tanner (AA?)
✔ 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
✔ G - Girl of Shadows by Deborah Challinor (AA). Rated: 5 stars

[Valerie]

Finished my first for the challenge, a whopper, and loved every minute of it. Edward Rutherfurd weaves historical facts into the fictional stories of six Parisien families from the 13th to the 20th centuries. The characters were terrific and I have learned so much about Paris, the history of the construction of the Eiffel Tower was particularly fascinating.

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 5☆

A - Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

N - The Secrets in Silence by Nicole Trope AA

T - Eyrie by Tim Winton AA

[MichelleG]

Well done Valerie :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Wow Valerie! Well done :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

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 :)


My books read for Spring


My word choice is BLOSSOMING

10/10

B - Beautiful Maids All in a Row by Jennifer Harlow 5★s
L - The Lying Planet by Carol Riggs 5★s
O - On the Blue Train by Kristel Thornell 5★s AA
S - The Scent of Murder by Felicity Young 4.5★s AA
S - The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong 3.5★s AA
O - Once Confronted by Lynne Stringer 5★s AA
M - The Middle Child by Angela Marsons 5★s
I - In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones 5★s
N - Never Smile at Strangers by Jennifer Jaynes 5★s
G - The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner 4★s

[MichelleG]

Well done Brenda :)