R9: Team TENacious. (10)

[Linda C]

I'm still on track for the point for using no alternatives, whenever that can be claimed

[Plethora]

I think the rules said the week before last?

[Elena]

I can find a book for number 6 but to be honest moving to 70 is my preference as well :)

I think you're right, Plethora. Does the team that reaches 100 first still have to read for that week?

[Cait S]

Yes, I believe they do. If they were to not all get their reviews in, it's not a completed space.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

I'm good with whatever everyone wants. I just need to find a book. LOL

[Joyce]

ok lets go to 70

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

Ok I'm good with that :)

[Linda C]

I will read A Zoo in My Luggage - a stand alone

[Cait S]

Awesome! I'm going to do Brutal Youth, a stand alone.

[Elena]

Hi guys! I updated our current position. I'm sorry it's taken me a while, weekends don't fully belong to me sometimes :)

I think I'll read I, Robot by Isaak Azimov for this week, it's 0.1 in Robot series.

[Linda C]

Week: 10
Spot: 70
Book: A Zoo in My Luggage
Author: Gerald Durrell
Qualification: 0=stand alone
Finished: 8/6/2017
Pages: 162
Rating: ★★★★
Review: Gerald Durrell spent 10 years collecting animals for British zoos and then in 1957 decided to start his own zoo concentrating on rare and endangered species. He planned to show them and breed them in order to replenish the species. The book covers his trip to British Cameroon to collect the animals and his hunt for a zoo location when he returned. The book includes some hilarious anecdotes about catching and handing the animals. This man truly loved living and working with the animals. Very enjoyable.

[Cait S]

Week: 10
Spot: 70
Book: Silent to the Bone
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Qualification: Stand alone novel
Finished: 8/8/2017
Pages: 272
Rating: ★★
Review: It was a little long winded for the outcome being something I mostly suspected all along. I found the dialogue to be jarring too, how no one really seemed to speak or act their age. But I liked it enough to finish it so I guess that's something. For the most part it was just too slow paced for me.

[Plethora]

Completion Post

Week: 10
Spot: 70
Book: Fetch the Devil: The Sierra Diablo Murders and Nazi Espionage in America
Author: Clint Richmond
Fits: Standalone
Rating: 4 - 4.5
Rating: Fascinating look into one of the first murders that sent a shock through the country due to the nature of the Murders and the subjects of the murder. The first majority of the story was a very easy read for those that might shy away since this is non-ficticon. Towards the end some might get lost in the amount of details shared about Nazi activities in the US.

[Joyce]

Completion post

Week 10
spot 70
Book: Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
how it fits: Stand alone book for the 0
Rating: 4
Finished 8/8/2017
pages: 768
Review: This was a wild book. I didn't know where it was going halfway through. The main character Peter Lake who is a burgler falls in love with Beverly who is in the house he is robbing. She dies very young as she has consumption. The book follows her family through the different eras, falling in love and everyday life. Bringing in others from other places. By the end it alls ties up nicely but you really need to pay attention to the connections.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

Completion post

Week 10
spot 70
Book: Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich
how it fits: Stand alone book for the 0
Rating: 3.5
Review: It was a cute book to read. I understand why Chris was so uneasy in getting involved with someone like Ken but he was just too much fun and sweet not to.

[Elena]

Week: 10
Spot: 70
Book: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Qualification: book 0.1 in Robot series
Finished: 8/8/2017
Pages: 225
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
A collection of 9 short stories centered around robots in different stages of robot evolution and featuring a few recurring human characters, some of whom are Doctor of Robopsychology Susan Calvin and engineers Greg Powell and Mike Donovan. Each story presents a problem created by various interpretations of the Three Laws of robotics and diverse and often creative ways to solve those problems. Even though the writing feels dated at times the stories are very readable, highly entertaining and thought-provoking. I enjoyed this book and will be interested in continuing with the series.

[Elena]

Team TENacious Week 10 Book Report

Roll: 9, Spot: 68 + 2 bonus points = 70 - standalone, book 0, 7 or 70 in series/ alt. - Space Opera

✔ Elena - I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) | Isaac Asimov - Review
✔ Joyce - Winter's Tale (standalone) | Mark Helprin - Review
✔ Cait S - Silent to the Bone (standalone) | E.L. Konigsburg - Review
✔ ☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ - Hero at Large (standalone) | Janet Evanovich - Review
✔ Plethora - Fetch the Devil: The Sierra Diablo Murders and Nazi Espionage in America (standalone) | Clint Richmond - Review
✔ Linda C - A Zoo in My Luggage (standalone) | Gerald Durrell - Review

[Elena]

Week 11
Roll: 7
New Spot: 77 - book 7 or 77 in series or
Alternate - Multi-Colored Cover (3 or More Colors)

[Linda C]

I will read Tea Cups and Carnage (A Tourist Trap Mystery #7) - Lynn Cahoon

[Cait S]

I'm going to read The Candymakers for multi colored cover.

[Joyce]

I am going to read Kiss of Darkness #7 in series

[Cait S]

Week: 11
Spot: 77
Book: The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Qualification: Multi colored cover
Finished: 8/16/2017
Pages: 453
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
This was so much more than I thought it was going to be. It's not just a book about a candy competition. There are surprises and twists and genuinely heart warming moments. It's funny and magical enough to keep your attention while also actually meaning something. I wasn't expecting that but I loved it. A super fun book that I think anyone of any age would enjoy but would be an especially great read a loud book for kids.

[Elena]

Week: 11
Spot: 77
Book: The Coronation by Boris Akunin
Qualification: Erast Fandorin Mysteries, #7
Finished: 8/16/2017
Pages:
Rating: ★★★
Review:

The Coronation is the 7th book in Erast Fandorin mystery series by Boris Akunin. Each book in the series is stylized after a classic detective genre or trope, this one is a high society mystery with kidnapping and holding a hostage for ransom at its core. It’s set in late-nineteenth century Russia on the eve of the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II (the last of Romanoff dynasty) and features members of royal family as characters.

I have enjoyed reading this series very much but must admit I liked this one a little less than other books. The stylization and the historical parts were done really well, the protagonist wasn’t just simply narrating what was happening, he had a very distinct personality of his own. But the mystery fell a little short, I guessed the perpetrator very early on and was waiting for the rest of the characters to catch up which took away some of the pleasure of reading a suspense novel.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

Week 11
Spot 77
Book: Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Qualifies: Multi-Colored Cover (3 or More Colors)
Read: 8/15/17
Pages: 292
Rated: 3 🌟
Review: As I found this book entertaining for a younger audience it was still an enjoyable story. I quite liked how one kid changed the mind of others by showing them the wrong others were doing and did his best to protect the owls that a major company was ignoring because they wanted to build and didn't care what the cost was as long as they got the land. It was a powerful message being told here.

[Plethora]

Completion Post

Week: 11
Spot: 77
Book: The Diva Frosts a Cupcake
Author: Krista Davis
Fits: #7 in A Domestic Diva Mystery Series
Rating: 3.5
Rating: Good thing they invented cozy mysteries with lots of books in a series. :) These make great quick reads for challenges. This series seems to do a fairly good job of not making the killers identity and/or motive easily guessed. There is always a handful of people with really good motives that have enough suspicion cast about them. I still haven't figured out how this town can have so many cupcake stores all on one street, or very close to each other.

[Joyce]

Completion Post
Week 11
Spot 77
book: Kiss of Darkness by Heather Graham
How it fits: #7 in the Alliance of Vampires series.
Rating: 3.5
Review:
I read this series out of order so when the plot jumped I was not ready for it. Up until about halfway it didn't matter and even after they explained a lot. But I am intrigued enough to go back a book or two in the series. Rave parties are being set up by vampires to feed on. It seems the Master vampire is actually trying to get the main character Jessica's attention. She got away from him many times over the years and he will kill all those she loves to get to her. The romance is fairly predicable and so is the story but a fun read nonetheless.

[Linda C]

Completion Post
Week 11
Spot 77
book: Tea Cups and Carnage - Lynn Cahoon
How it Fits: #7 in the Tourist Trap Mystery series
Read: 8/17/17
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
Jill Gardner, coffee shop owner, is extra busy running a Food Truck annex to her shop at the Summer Festival. A new specialty tea shop is under construction across from Jill's and brings Texan, Kathi Corwin to town. Soon other members of her family arrive and they are not all family friendly. When Kathi's cousin is murdered Jill tries to figure out the family dynamics while assuring her boyfriend, police chief, Greg King, that she is staying out of the investigation. A next door store owner leaves town mysteriously and Jill's shop has some missing money issues. A good cozy.

[Elena]

Team TENacious Week 10 Book Report

Roll: 7, Spot: 77 - book 7 or 77 in series/ alt. - Multi-Colored Cover

✔ Elena - The Coronation (Erast Fandorin Mysteries, #7) | Boris Akunin - Review
✔ Joyce - Kiss of Darkness (Alliance Vampires, #7) | Heather Graham - Review
✔ Cait S - The Candymakers (alternate) | Wendy Mass - Review
✔ ☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ - Hoot (alternate) | Carl Hiaasen - Review
✔ Plethora - The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (A Domestic Diva Mystery, #7) | Krista Davis - Review
✔ Linda C - Tea Cups and Carnage (A tourist Trap Mystery, #7) | Lynn Cahoon - Review

[Elena]

Week 12
Roll: 7
New Spot: 84 - books 4, 8, 84 in series or
Alternate - Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)

[Linda C]

I will read - Sarah Graves #4 in the Home Repair is Homicide series.

[Joyce]

I think I am going to read Alternate theme

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

I think I'm going to do a re-read of Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet I love Charley and I need to get going on the rest of the books :)

[Cait S]

The game ended today with Team 2 winning. Congrats to them! I won't be reading our last book since it doesn't count for anything and I have nothing to fill the spot anyway.

I've enjoyed teaming up with you all! Hopefully we'll meet again in another team challenge some day <3

[Elena]

Congratulations to the winners!

It was so much fun playing with all of you and you guys made being your captain super easy! Thank you, ladies!

[Plethora]

Oh. Didn't realize we were close to the end... Lol

Well i guess we weren't per say, but that the someone was at the doorstep.

[Linda C]

Congratulations to the winners.
Great being on the team with you all. Hope we get together on another challenge.

Just finished my book so I'm putting it here as a final read.
Repair to Her Grave - Sarah Graves
Read: 8/19/17
(A Home Repair is Homicide mystery, #4)
4 stars

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

Oh wow, ok I didn't realize it either Plethora, hehehe.

Well it was a lot of fun ladies. Hope we're together again in another team challenge :)

Congrats to the winners!!!

[Joyce]

I guess now I can concentrate on scattegories. That's a time eater LOL and getting ready for Clue