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R10: Team Furious 5 (5)


Book: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
How it fits: pink cover
Pages: 304
11/22/18-*****
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Spot 75
Selections
Joyce - After Image - Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 2 #7 - Review
Marty -

Lanelle - Shakespeare's Counselor - Lily Bard #5 - Review
Tara - Holiday in Death - In Death #7 - Review
Allison Ann - Blood Orange Brewing - A Tea Shop Mystery #7 - Review
Lexi -

Kayla - The Summer Hideaway by Susan Wiggs - Lakeshore Chronicles #7 - Review


Week 10 - Spot 75

Book: The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
How it fits: Cover Pink
Pages: 288
Finished: 11/26/18
Rating: Four stars
Review:
This was a strange little gem of a novel. I thought it would be a saccharine slog to read but it actually was very enjoyable. Fortunately, the author manages to avoid making this a soppy mother-daughter reunion/rediscovery story by creating a set of deeply flawed, mostly sympathetic characters. We never learn the narrator daughter's name and we never truly learn why her mother, Lily, pulled up stakes and ran away from her family, other than she was extremely young, irresponsible and unable to sustain adult relationships. The supporting characters are many shades of gray as well, including Lily's husband, Richard, the opportunistic photographer David and Sam, film industry employee who would like to be the narrator's lover/savior but is too young himself to provide the type of support she needs. I gave it four stars because there were a couple of plot twists that I thought were unnecessary.

Week 10 - Spot 75

Book: Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
How it Fits: In Death #7
Pages: 308
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: 11/24/18
Review: Another good installment in this series. Be forewarned, if rape is difficult for you to read about you need to avoid these books as it is a large part of the plot line and can be graphic at times. Overall though I enjoyed this one and don't know why I don't read more of these books, I seem to enjoy them. I like Eve and Roarke, and I felt like we got to see a little more of Peabody in this installment. Overall a good read that I enjoyed!



Completion Post
Week 10 spot 75

Book: After Image
Finished: 11/19/2018
How it fits: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 2 #7
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
Buffy and the scoobies have a new mystery to solve. Xander gets a new job at the drive in that has been renovated. Buffy keeps having weird characters show up to harass her only to have them disappear once she hurts them. Buffy thinks the drive in is connected but cannot figure out how. People are going into deep sleep comas for no good reason. This was a pretty good story. A bit different and enjoyable.

Week 10 Post 75
Book: The Summer Hideaway

How it fits: #7 in the Lakeshore Chronicles series
Finished: 11/29/18
Rating: 5 stars
Pages: 421
Review: Wow this was a great book in the series. There was so much mystery about all the main characters. Mystery between Ross and Claire, Claire and George, George and his brother Charles. Wow it kept me wondering through the entire book. Of course the book ended in happy but sad tears. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone!

Roll: 6 + 5 = 1
New Spot: 86
Options: #6 in series
#8 in series
#86 in series
Alternate - mystery/thriller
If we use the 4 bonus points we have earned, it will take us to #90 which will give us the extra bonus point for not reading alternates. However, we're pretty far behind the lead team, so it probably won't matter in the long run. It will just get us as far as possible. Any opinions?

Week 11 Information
Roll: 6 + 5 = 1
New Spot: 86
Using 4 bonus points
New Spot: 90
Options: Standalone
#9 in series
#90 in series
Alternate - Published 2018

Week 11 - Spot 90

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
How it fits: Southern Vampire Mysteries #9
Pages: 320

Spot 90
Selections
Joyce - Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr - Standalone - Review
Marty - The Chalk Pit - Ruth Galloway #9 - Review
Lanelle - Laurie's Painter - Standalone - Review
Tara - Bullseye - Michael Bennett #9 - Review
Allison Ann - Dead and Gone - Southern Vampire Mysteries #9 - Review
Lexi - How Long 'til Black Future Month? - Alternate published 2018
Kayla - He Sees You When You're Sleeping - Standalone - Review

Week 11 - Spot 90

Bullseye by James Patterson
How it Fits: Michael Bennett #9
Pages: 368

Selection Post
Week 11 - Spot 90

How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
Alternate - Published 2018
How it fits: Published November 2018
Pages: 400
There'll be one more roll after this - if the dice are good to you, you might have a chance to compete for the win next week! :)

Week 11 - Spot 90

Book: The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
How it fits: #9 in the Ruth Galloway Mystery series
Pages: 384
Gullveig wrote: "These books are unpublished in Italy! 😥"
Welcome to The Challenge Factory, Gullveig.
Welcome to The Challenge Factory, Gullveig.
Selection Post
Week 11 -Spot 90
Book: Laurie's Painter by Alice M. Roelke
How it fits: standalone
Pages: 166
Week 11 -Spot 90

Book: Laurie's Painter by Alice M. Roelke
How it fits: standalone
Pages: 166

Well that would be awesome! :D
I'm afraid I have to retract that statement - turns out the leading team could claim another bonus point and made it to a winning spot after all...

Completion Post
Week 11 -Spot 90
Book: Laurie's Painter by Alice M. Roelke
How it fits: standalone
Pages: 166
Date read: 12/4/18
Rating: a low 3 stars
Rating: There was nothing objectionable about the story, just nothing special either. It is all about a brother and sister alone in the world trying to care for each other. Along comes Laurie, who sees their need and rescues them. Laurie was the redeeming factor for the story. He had a wonderful personality.
Week 11 -Spot 90

Book: Laurie's Painter by Alice M. Roelke
How it fits: standalone
Pages: 166
Date read: 12/4/18
Rating: a low 3 stars
Rating: There was nothing objectionable about the story, just nothing special either. It is all about a brother and sister alone in the world trying to care for each other. Along comes Laurie, who sees their need and rescues them. Laurie was the redeeming factor for the story. He had a wonderful personality.

Week 11 - Spot 90

Bullseye by James Patterson
How it Fits: Michael Bennett #9
Pages: 368
Finished: 12/5/18
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I really enjoy the Michael Bennett series and this one was no different. There was a lot going on and I really enjoyed how it all came together and ended. While these books are no literary feats, I sure do find them to be fun escapism reading. So overall a pretty good installment in one of my favorite series.

Week 11 - Spot 90

Book: The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
How it fits: #9 in the Ruth Galloway Mystery series
Pages: 384
Finished: 12/5/18
Rating: Four stars
Review:
Another very readable mystery in this series. This time Ruth is dealing with cannibalized human remains, a colleague's missing significant other and her ongoing struggle with loving the married Chief Inspector Harry Nelson. The four stars comes in because I am getting a little bit weary of the Ruth/Harry/Michelle tug of war in the plots. I've never liked Michelle as a character, she's a pretty cold fish, and I don't really care for Harry either. Hopefully, the author will do something different with this love triangle in the next novel. I'd like to see Michelle and Harry written out all together but that's probably a vain hope given that Ruth had Harry's daughter. I also didn't much care for the depiction of the female commanding officer, she seemed too much like a ambitious-female-equals-bitch stereotype.



Week 11 - Spot 90

Book: Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr
How it fits: Stand alone book
Pages: 442 pages
Finished: 12/6/18
Rating: 4 stars
Review
The story is told of a bird named Dar Oakley telling his story to a human. You get the story of the world with a bird's eye view. This study very much reminds of Johnathan Livingston Seagull as there is a lot of introspection within the bird's mind and his interaction with the world.

Week 11 - Spot 90

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris - 12/06/18
How it Fits: Southern Vampire Mysteries #9
Pages: 324
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review : Sookie would never have made it as a paramedic. It's crazy how after who knows how long (Harris really isn't too clear on time frames) she is still so affected by violence and death. Guess I'm jaded. Anyway, lots happening with the fae this installation. The men in Sookie's life continue to be jackasses and hooking up with Eric wouldn't be my suggestion, but apparently Sookie needs her orgasms without mental stimulation. :) A good book. I will continue the series.


Ditto from me. This was a lot of fun. Happy Holidays to everyone!

He Sees You When You're Sleeping by Mary Higgins Clark
How it fits: Stand alone
Pages: 208
Rating: 4 stars
Finished: 12/7/18
Review:
What a wonderful book. It was absolutely nothing like I expected it to be. I have had this on my shelf for years and this was the perfect read. It was quick but sooo interesting to read. Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark worked on this book wonderfully together. They had sweet, suspense, as well as danger all built into one. It was a great read! I would recommend this to mystery readers for sure.

Books mentioned in this topic
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories (other topics)He Sees You When You're Sleeping (other topics)
Dead and Gone (other topics)
Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr (other topics)
The Chalk Pit (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephanie Perkins (other topics)Mary Higgins Clark (other topics)
Charlaine Harris (other topics)
Elly Griffiths (other topics)
James Patterson (other topics)
More...
Week 10 - Spot 75
Blood Orange Brewing by Laura Childs - 11/19/18
How it Fits: A Tea Shop Mystery #7
Pages: 304
Rating: 2 stars
Review : Another series that I previously enjoyed but which is now annoying me. The MC has become a ridiculous caricature of herself as a cozy mystery heroine. She is not just nosy and intrusive now, she is outright fighting with the police about who is doing a better job. And the police are fighting back, like kids, which is even worse. I own one more in this series, so I will give it one more shot, but it doesn't bode well.