2022 April Pick-it-for-me Challenge

[Fran, Moderator]

2022 April PIFM Challenge

What is the Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?

The Pick-It-For-Me Challenge (PIFM) is a reading challenge where each participant gives and receives book recommendations based on a given a set of rules. The assignment method and book selection rules change each month so it’s always new and always different.

The idea of the PIFM challenge is that you will get new-to-you books and authors selected for you as well as a push to read some books that have been lingering on your shelves. You may not be interested in the new books recommended, which is why you also get a minimum of four books from your shelf.

You only have to read ONE book to complete this challenge!

After signups are closed, your names and any extra info will go into the super secret PIFM randomizer and it will select someone for you to recommend books to and someone to give you recommendations. This list will be posted along with any specific picking rules for the month.

In order to participate you need to either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable), or friend the person giving you recommendations. PLEASE NOTE: if you choose to keep your profile private, it is your responsibility to send a friend request to the person picking for you as soon as possible after the matchups are posted. Whether your profile is private or not, it is also very important that your profile be set to receive Private Messages (PMs) in case anyone needs to reach out to you (mods, organizer etc.)

Everything gets done in this thread so be sure to come back often!!!

Repicks:
You can ask for repicks if:
✱ The books picked for you are not yet released.
✱ If you have already read the chosen book(s) and they are on your ‘read’ shelf.
✱ If you did not receive four picks from your ‘to-read’ shelf, with at least one from your preferred shelf.

You may NOT ask for repicks because:
✱ A book is not available at your library.
✱ A genre or author you don’t enjoy.

INFORMATION NEEDED TO SIGN UP
No sorting this month but to enter answer the below question:

✱✱What is your favorite type of music to listen to?✱✱

✱✱ If you have a preferred shelf, please list it along with your pick! ✱✱

IMPORTANT DATES
Sign ups will remain open until March 24 ( 7 pm US EST)

You’ll have until March 29 ( 7 pm US EST) to make your recommendations.


Please do not start reading your book(s) until the first of the month. You then have the entire month to read your pick(s) and give some feedback.

If you’re new please read the PIFM Guidelines and FAQ . If you have any questions that are not addressed there, please feel free to ask!


✱Please note that late sign ups will be included at the host's discretion and no one will be included after re-picks are assigned!✱

[Fran, Moderator]

TIPS TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE!


Pickees
✱ To help your picker understand the type of books you like or are currently reading, please make sure your ‘read’ shelf is up to date. You can create shelves for books you DNFed (Did Not Finish) or authors that don’t work for you as well as favorite books and authors. In addition, you might consider updating your profile. You can include info about your favorite books, authors, genres, themes or tropes (or themes/tropes you dislike – i.e. secret baby).
✱ Please do not specify likes/dislikes in the sign-up thread. This information will not be included in the pairings and your pickee may not see your message and does not need to rely on that information when making picks.

Pickers
✱ Please remember this is primarily a romance readers group. Thus, most, if not all, of your picks should be romance. There are various sub genres within the romance category - Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Erotica, M/M, Urban Fantasy. If your pickee reads a wide variety, you could add a non-romance as a choice.

✱ You will be using 8 picking rules to select books for you pickee. Choose at least 4 new titles for your pickee. These can be brand new to them (not found on any of their shelves) or a book found on their shelves if they've never read any of the author's work previously. The remaining 4 titles should come from your pickee's tbr, with a minimum of one from their preferred shelves if provided. Be sure to pick at least one book for each picking rule, but please limit your picks to no more than two books per rule as sometimes having too many options is worse than too few.

✱ Please remember when you are giving new recommendations, you are not limited to titles that you have read. You can choose books that are new releases, on your tbr, or titles you looked up on Goodreads or Amazon that you think your pickee would enjoy.

A few hints to help with book selection:
✱ Check the book’s publishing date. Select "date pub" from the checkbox selections and save.
✱ Check pickee's personalized shelves, especially their exclusive shelves. A personalized shelf is one the member has created. (e.g., 'to read next', 'favorites' ‘didn’t like’)
✱ Make sure the books you choose are not on their 'read' shelf. Just because it isn't rated doesn't mean it wasn't read.
✱ Look at your pickee's 'read' shelf and see what genres they have recently read or read the most. Reviewing their ‘read’ shelf might help you in choosing something they are interested in reading right now.
✱ If your pickee reads lots of books in a genre you are not familiar with (erotic romance, GLBT, YA, etc.) Contact the Mods or the month's organizer for guidance.
✱ Include a variety of books (e.g., shorter page count, new addition to their 'to-read' shelf, an older book on their 'to-read' shelf) This variety gives your pickee options when choosing the book or books they will be reading this month. Use the sort feature within their shelves to determine date a book was added, published or read; page numbers, ratings, etc.

If you want to volunteer to make repicks:
✱ We love that you want to help out, but please remember those who need picks have been waiting for a long time already. Please only volunteer if you are able to make the repicks within a few hours of the deadline. Thank you!

[Fran, Moderator]

**You do not need to include a preferred shelf if you would like to use your tbr shelf.

If you have a preferred shelf, PLEASE include the link with it when you post it in this thread. It really helps the hosts when listing the participants and pairings. Thank you!!

[Fran, Moderator]

2022 April PIFM Challenge - Participants

(view spoiler)[Fran- PIFM Shelf
LaurLa- 01 pick me please
Sonja- Sonja's PIFM Shelf
Stacie- want to read
KathyD- tbr-audios
Carina- pifm-3
NancyH
♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎- meet & greet
Bobbi- pofm
Mary-Megan- pick me
PrinzessBookDragon- urban-fiction-poc-authors‎
MountainKat- to-read-asap
Sassafrass- 2022-pifm
Chris
Darkness-11 (hide spoiler)]

[Fran, Moderator]

2022 April PIFM Challenge - Pairings

Pick for the person below you. If you are the last person on the list (Darkness) you choose for the first person (Stacie).

* = given picks

*Stacie- want to read
*Fran- PIFM Shelf
*Chris
*Carina- pifm-3
*KathyD- tbr-audios
*♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎- meet & greet
* NancyH
*Sonja- Sonja's PIFM Shelf
*Bobbi- pofm
*LaurLa- 01 pick me please
*Sassafrass- 2022-pifm
*Mary-Megan- pick me
* MountainKat- to-read-asap
PrinzessBookDragon- urban-fiction-poc-authors‎
*Darkness-11

*Fran picks for Stacie
*NancyH picks for Darkness

[Fran, Moderator]

2022 April PIFM Challenge - Picking Rules


As a nice musical tie- in to the Taylor Swift Quarterly, here are some recent song chart toppers- how many have your heard? How often? Many times it's too often!! The radio seems to repeat the same song list for so long!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
Recommend a Holiday or Tropical romance or a book with blue on the cover

2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
Recommend a book with family or secrets in it or a book with black on the cover (often represents secrecy)

3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
Recommend a book with royalty or a wealthy character or a book with the color gold or fancy clothes on the cover

4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
Recommend a Humorous story (hopefully we can find the humor in others bad habits!) or a book with a bad title (your interpretation- maybe it's too cheesy?)

5. Butter by BTS
Recommend a book with a character in the food or drink industry or who enjoys eating or cooking, or a book with yellow on the cover

6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
Recommend a Contemporary romance or a book with white on the cover (the most popular car color)

7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
Recommend a suspense or mystery story or a book with red on the cover (represents courage and strength)

8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
Recommend a Paranormal or sci-fi romance or a book with gray or orange on the cover (the colors of some cats)

Bonus- In honor of Taylor Swift, the subject of the Quarterly Challenge -
Recommend a Fairytale Retelling or a romance you read and thought was ultra romantic, in honor of her song, 'Today Was A Fairytale'

[Fran, Moderator]

*

[Fran, Moderator]

**If you sign up for this challenge you are committing to posting at least 8 recommendations to your pickee and you in return will receive 8 recommendations from your picker. Please remember to post your picks by the deadline. Everyone works hard to give great recommendations and of course everyone wants to receive some awesome picks. Please make sure you can get yours done if you sign up. Thank you and enjoy the challenge! This one is my favorite!**

[Fran, Moderator]

I will kick this month off- I'm in! (private profile, happy to friend anyone who chooses for me)

My favorite type of music to listen to is pop. I enjoy a fun, upbeat sound.

PIFM shelf- https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[LaurLa]

I'm in with classic rock! And well, 80s pop....
01-pick-me-please

[Sonja]

I'm in for sure! Sonja's PIFM shelf

I don't really have a favorite type of music. It really depends on my mood! Cooking? Jazz it is! Driving? If the kids are in the car it's Kid's Bop or Disney. If I happen to be alone in the car, house-working and am not in the middle of an audiobook, it's either I'm reliving my glory days in the 80s/90s or Country! I do love Dave Matthews Band and piano instrumentals when I'm working or taking a bath! See? Everything! And yes I will sing along! :D

[Stacie]

My favorite type of music is indie so I guess rock? Please use my want to read shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[☘KathyD☘]

i listen to classic rock and oldies...tbr-audios

[Carina]

My favorite music is rock.

Use https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Fran, Moderator]

updated to here- Welcome Everyone!

[Nancy H]

Mine would be soft rock, oldies, and show tunes.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

I like to listen to oldies
Meet & Greet

[Bobbi]

What is your favorite type of music to listen to?

Depending on my mood, my favorite is either hard rock or classical


Please choose from my POFM shelf.

[Mary-Megan]

I like pop and soft rock. In the right moments I also like instrumental music, like soundtracks or instrumental covers of popular songs

Please use: pick me

[🐉 PrinZessBookDragon 👑🌶️]

i want to do it
(private profile, happy to friend anyone who chooses for me)

hard rap, pop, techno

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

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Me please! I rarely listen to music anymore, I always have an audiobook going. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

But when I do, it would either be Country, Classic Rock or Folk. 🤠🤩✌🏻

Please use my to-read-asap shelf - thanks!

[Fran, Moderator]

updated to here :)

Thanks for sharing your musical preferences everyone!

[Sassafrass]

I'm in! And I guess I'm by myself here, but I'm all about the Hip Hop and R&B.

my preferred shelf: 2022-pifm‎

[Chris]

I'm in! Metal, rock and sometimes electronica

to-read self

[Fran, Moderator]

updated to here :)

Pairings and Rules will be posted in 7 1/2 hours!

[Darkness]

can I still sign up?

I don't have fav type of music I listen to everything

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

[Fran, Moderator]

Darkness wrote: "can I still sign up?

I don't have fav type of music I listen to everything

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list..."

You made it!

[Fran, Moderator]

Sign Ups are closed. I will be back in a few minutes with posted Pairings and Picking Rules!

[Fran, Moderator]

Pairings and Picking Rules posted in messages 5 and 6 above.

Have fun!!

Please post your picks by March 29th at 7 pm EST.

[Sonja]

Woohoo! Will work on yours tomorrow, Bobbi!
(Maybe tonight if I have the energy... )

[Sonja]

OMG Fran, I just saw the rules! TOO funny! I hear half of those all. the. time!

[Fran, Moderator]

Sonja wrote: "OMG Fran, I just saw the rules! TOO funny! I hear half of those all. the. time!"

Me too Sonja! They become imbedded in my brain and I almost feel like they are on a constant loop in my head!

[Stacie]

Hey Fran!! I tried to focus on some of your older books and then some of my recent likes. Hope you find something you like, happy reading!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
Recommend a Holiday or Tropical romance or a book with blue on the cover
TBR: Attracting Aubrey (set on a cruise ship so probably tropical and there's blue)
NEW: Duke, Actually (Set at Christmas, I thought it was cute!)



2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
Recommend a book with family or secrets in it or a book with black on the cover (often represents secrecy)
TBR: Tall, Tatted and Tempting (family)
NEW: Payback's a Witch (black and family and secrets)



3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
Recommend a book with royalty or a wealthy character or a book with the color gold or fancy clothes on the cover
TBR: A Gentleman in the Street (wealthy character, fancy clothes on cover)
NEW: The Princess Problem (royalty, the 2nd one is better but if you do this one first, you get the full picture)



4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
Recommend a Humorous story (hopefully we can find the humor in others bad habits!) or a book with a bad title (your interpretation- maybe it's too cheesy?)
TBR: Chef Sugarlips (I can't stop laughing at this tile)
NEW: The Ex Talk (rom com)



5. Butter by BTS
Recommend a book with a character in the food or drink industry or who enjoys eating or cooking, or a book with yellow on the cover
TBR: A Summer Escape and Strawberry Cake at the Cosy Kettle (food or drink)
NEW: Legends & Lattes (romance light but it's there, my new comfort read, MC opens a coffee shop)



6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
Recommend a Contemporary romance or a book with white on the cover (the most popular car color)
TBR: Beginner's Luck (contemporary, white on cover)
NEW: Hana Khan Carries On (contemporary)



7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
Recommend a suspense or mystery story or a book with red on the cover (represents courage and strength)
TBR: The Deeper Game (MPG suspense)
NEW: You Had Me at Hola (red)



8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
Recommend a Paranormal or sci-fi romance or a book with gray or orange on the cover (the colors of some cats)
TBR: Riding Red (paranormal)
NEW: P.S. I Spook You (paranormal and gray)



Bonus- In honor of Taylor Swift, the subject of the Quarterly Challenge -
Recommend a Fairytale Retelling or a romance you read and thought was ultra romantic, in honor of her song, 'Today Was A Fairytale'

-- really this whole series but this one was my favorite and is centered around a male MC who loves romantic movies.

[Sonja]

Fran wrote: "Sonja wrote: "OMG Fran, I just saw the rules! TOO funny! I hear half of those all. the. time!"

Me too Sonja! They become imbedded in my brain and I almost feel like they are on a constant loop in ..."

LOL Same! If I hear Bruno one more time.... Though funnily enough, the song from this list that stuck in my head now is Fancy Like... but I only know the chorus! LOL
Also, I saw Taylor Swift has a new song out that coincides with the release of the movie adaption of Where the Crawdads Sing, coming in July! Been dying to share that news with SOMEONE since I saw the trailer last night!
And Bridgerton Season two starts TOMORROW! *squirmy squirmy*

[Sonja]

Sonja wrote: "Fran wrote: "Sonja wrote: "OMG Fran, I just saw the rules! TOO funny! I hear half of those all. the. time!"

Me too Sonja! They become imbedded in my brain and I almost feel like they are on a cons..."

And Yellowstone Season 4 is finally available on Peacock on Monday! Guess who won't be getting any reading done this weekend??? >.<

[Fran, Moderator]

I'm definitely starting Bridgerton tomorrow!!

I need to check out Taylor's new song!

[Fran, Moderator]

Stacie wrote: "Hey Fran!! I tried to focus on some of your older books and then some of my recent likes. Hope you find something you like, happy reading!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
Recommend a Holiday or Trop..."

Thank you so much Stacie! You new picks look great, I don't know where to start! I have reserved several from my library online so let's see what comes in first :)

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Hi PrinzessBookDragon, here are your picks!

1. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
NEW: Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon
TBR: An Ounce of Decorum by AshleyNicole

2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
NEW: Long Hard Ride by Lorelei James
TBR: Dirty Kisses by Kenya Wright

3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
NEW: Lick by Kylie Scott
TBR: Bad for the Boss by Talia Hibbert

4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
NEW: The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune
TBR: How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

5. Butter by BTS
NEW: Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec
TBR: Blurred Lines by K.D. Williamson

6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
NEW: The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks
TBR: This Fire Down in My Soul by J.D. Mason

7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
NEW: The Dom Who Loved Me by Lexi Blake
TBR: Beyond Measures by Kimberly Brown

8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
NEW: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
TBR: The Midnight Wife by L.G. Davis

Happy Reading

[Chris]

Soo Carina here are some picks, I hope you like at least one of them! Happy Reading!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
TBR: How to Keep a Secret (Blue Cover)
NEW:Christmas in Quincy (Holiday Romance)

2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
TBR: The Secret She Kept (Secret)
NEW: Sinful Hands (Secret)

3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
TBR:Blue Collar Billionaire (Wealthy Character)
NEW: Under Locke (Wealthy Character)

4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
NEW: Shacking Up (Humor)
TBR: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (Questionable Title)

5. Butter by BTS
TBR: The Setup (Yellow On The Cover)
NEW: Summer Desserts (Chef MC)

6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
NEW: Vision in White (White on the Cover)
TBR: Somebody's Santa (White on the Cover)

7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
TBR: Their New Year's Beginning (Red on the Cover)
NEW: A Very Bossy Christmas (Red on the Cover)

8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
TBR: At Home In Stone Creek (Orange on the Cover)
NEW: Slave to Sensation (Paranormal Romance)

Bonus-
Beauty and the Beast Re-telling:
The Billionaire's Black Book
Amy DeLuca has many retellings and all of them are quite romantic.

[Fran, Moderator]

Hi Chris!
Here are your picks for April- I hope you find a gem or two you love!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
TBR: Junk Mail- blue on cover
NEW: Castaways- tropical

2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
TBR: It Takes Two- black on cover
TBR: Diamond in the Rough- black on cover

3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
TBR: Stroke of Midnight- wealthy character
NEW: Below Deck- wealthy character

4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
TBR: All Grown Up- humorous
NEW: Smut- humorous

5. Butter by BTS- food/drink
NEW: Chef Sugarlips
NEW: Waiting for Her

6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo- Contemporary
TBR: The Love Hypothesis- white on cover
NEW: Kissing Books- white on cover

7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
TBR: Dark Lover- red on cover
NEW: Lyric's Cop- red on cover
NEW: Surviving Harley- suspense

8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
TBR: Blindsided- orange on cover
NEW: The Devil in Disguise- pnr

Bonus-
Beauty and the Beast Re-telling: When Beauty Tamed the Beast

Happy Reading!!

[☘KathyD☘]

Hey Carmen...here are your picks for April. I hope you find something great here!

🎤 Heat Waves by Glass Animals
Things We Never Got Over, Lucy Score — blue cover (tbr)
The Last Letter, Rebecca Yarros — character is on vacation (new)

🎧 We Don’t Talk About Bruno by Encanto
Payback, Amy Daws — features family (tbr)
Fashion Jungle, Kathy Ireland & Rachel Van Dyken — includes secrets (new)

🎼 Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
Royally Rearranged, Emma St. Clair — features royalty (tbr)
Dragon Bound, Thea Harrison — features a wealthy character (new)

🎹 Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
A Not So Meet Cute, Meghan Quinn — tagged humor (tbr)
Flirtasaurus, Erin Mallon — bad/silly title (new)

🥁 Butter by BTS
Witch Please, Ann Aguirre — character is a baker (tbr)
Lethal Edge, Kaylea Cross — yellow cover (new)

🎷 Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo
The Start of Something Good, Jennifer Probst — tagged contemporary (tbr)
Bishop, Sawyer Bennett — white cover (new)

🎻 Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
Love in the City, Jen Morris — red cover (tbr)
Behind Closed Doors, Shannon McKenna — tagged suspense (new)

🎸 Kiss Me More by Doja Cat, featuring SZA
The Write Hook, Robyn Peterman — tagged paranormal (tbr)
Absolution, Sloane Kennedy — gray cover (new)

🎶 Bonus
Much Ado About You, Samantha Young — seems like a super romantic story (tbr)
Upon a Midnight Dream, Rachel Van Dyken — retelling of Sleeping Beauty (new)

[Mary-Megan]

MountainKat
I noticed on your selection list that half of it had already been read a couple of years ago, so I hope rereads are okay with you. Hopefully you find something there that tickles your fancy :)

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
TBR: The Date (Blue cover)
New: A Favor for a Favor (blue cover)


2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
TBR: State of Affairs (Family/black)
New: All You Need is Love (family)


3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
Recommend a book with royalty or a wealthy character or a book with the color gold or fancy clothes on the cover
TBR: Rules for a Proper Governess (fancy clothes)
New: His Lordship's True Lady (wealthy character/fancy clothes)


4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
TBR: The Mane Squeeze (bad title – cheesy)
New: The Rake Gets Ravished (bad title – cheesy)


5. Butter by BTS
TBR: Butterface (yellow on cover)
New: The Spinster's Guide to Scandalous Behavior (yellow on cover)


6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
TBR: How to Be a Normal Person (Contemporary Romance/White cover)
New: The Aussie Next Door (white/contemporary romance)


7. Save Your Tears by The Weekend
TBR: Strangers in Death (mystery)
New: Yes & I Love You (red cover)


8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
TBR: Blood Kiss (paranormal)
New: Baden(gray)


Bonus- In honor of Taylor Swift, the subject of the Quarterly Challenge -
New: If the Shoe Fits (fairytale retelling)


Happy reading!

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Mary-Megan wrote: "MountainKat
I noticed on your selection list that half of it had already been read a couple of years ago, so I hope rereads are okay with you. Hopefully you find something there that tickles your f..."

Thank you Mary-Megan!! And yes, rereads are more than fine! I recently decided to reread a few series and now the list is a mile long of stories I want to revisit! 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I see several that I am really excited about for next month and I still need to check out the new to me picks! The new ones don't always get read right away, but they do get on my short list for the future - who doesn't love finding new books?!

[Mary-Megan]

MountainKat wrote: "The new ones don't always get read right away, but they do get on my short list for the future - who doesn't love finding new books?!"

That's my favorite part of the challenge - seeing what new books get recommended. I also don't always get to the new ones right away, but I keep track of them. I've found some great authors through this challenge

[Sonja]

Hi Bobbi,
Here are your picks, hope you find something good!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
TBR: None Shall Sleep (blue cover)
NEW: The Unhoneymooners (tropical romance) Saw it on our shared books. This was a fun one, I thought!


2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
TBR: Kingdom of the Wicked (satisfies all three! :D) What?! I didn’t know Maniscalco has a new book out! I loved the Ripper series!
NEW: The Alice Network (secrets/black on cover) Saw you enjoyed The Nightingale. I did too and I read this one shortly after and really enjoyed it. It’s LONG, but good and based on a fascinating true story!


3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
TBR: To Have and to Hoax (fancy clothes/wealthy character) I’m hoping to start this series this month too!
NEW: Heartstone (wealthy character/goldish cover) Alright hear me out here. Saw in our comparison your average rating for the original P&P, but…. Dragons! Here, I found, was a unique take on the classic with a fantasy twist. The first book vaguely follows the P&P plot, but the rest is uniquely the author’s own. Highly recommend the audiobook if you do those and can get them. I can’t say enough how well I thought the narrator did with multiple accents and voices!


4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
TBR: Dark, Witch & Creamy (cheesy, funny title) Really enjoyed this book and want to keep up with the series! Alas, I have to read for free and the rest of the series isn’t there yet!
NEW: The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires (Humorous, silly title, though I think it could have worked for the food industry rule as well, but that’s my snarky sense of humor..) In all, this was a pretty funny book with entertaining characters. Though the overall series was only so-so for me, I definitely enjoyed this one.


5. Butter by BTS
TBR: Time Thief (yellow title)
NEW: The Last Werewolf (yellow on cover and morbidly, this character does enjoy eating, though he’s got complications about it! 😉 ) Every time I recommend this one it gets mixed reviews. I personally loved it and the whole series. The author writes with this satirical sense of humor that to some comes across as pretentious. Anyway, if you can, give this one a try. I really enjoyed it.


6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
TBR: The Lightning Thief (white writing/white on cover)
TBR/NEW: The Glittering Court (white on cover) Really enjoyed this whole series!


7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
TBR: The Collective (red cover/suspense)
NEW: Hunting Prince Dracula (suspense/mystery) Know you found the first book just okay, but may I suggest trying the next one? I enjoyed this one better.


8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
TBR: 24/7 (orange cover) And sounds like a thriller!
NEW: Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Paranormal and includes a Cat word so I’m counting it!) Surprised how much I enjoyed this book and not sure why I haven’t kept it up.


Bonus -Fairytale Retelling
NEW: Of Beast and Beauty (retelling/romantic) This one caught me by surprise. I picked it up because I love Beauty and the Beast vagaries and it such a unique retelling. It took a bit to understand the book’s culture, so stick with it if you can!

Happy reading!

[Sonja]

Fran I'm happy to help with repicks if you need them this month! :)

[Sassafrass]

Hi Mary-Megan!

I had fun looking through your shelves and I hope I was able to give you some variety in both your preferred books [TBR] and some new [NEW] recommendations that you may want to give a try for the month. Happy Reading!

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
[TBR] Christmas in Snowflake Canyon (holiday)
[NEW] His for the Holidays (sweet holiday romance)



2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
[TBR] The Keepsake Sisters (family and sounds like there are some secrets too!)
[NEW] The Simple Wild (family and secrets here for sure! This was recommended to my by Sonja for PIFM in February 2022 and I loved it.)



3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
[TBR] Duke Gone Rogue (not royal but close and he's likely wealthy)
[NEW] The Princess Trap (undercover royal - and I thought the main characters were interesting and not conventional)



4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
[TBR] Meet Cute (humorous)
[NEW] Love Next Door (by the same author and I thought it was adorable!)



5. Butter by BTS
[TBR] The Sweetheart Deal (food industry)
[NEW] Virgin River (sweet romance, food industry)



6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
[TBR] Maybe This Love (contemporary romance)
[NEW] All of Me (second chance contemporary romance that I enjoyed despite getting a bit frustrated with the H/h at times.)



7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
[TBR] A Stroke of Malice (mystery/suspense)
[NEW] Close to the Bone (mystery/susspense - this is a quick one but it's an interesting start to the series. Two friends coming together to solve a mystery)



8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
[TBR] House of Shadows
[NEW] Three Mages and a Margarita (such a great series. Has humor and some mystery as well.)



Bonus- In honor of Taylor Swift, the subject of the Quarterly Challenge -
[TBR] Part of Your World (fairytale)
[NEW] Make It Sweet (definitely swoon-worthy and very romantic)

[Nancy H]

Hi Sonja,
It was fun picking for you because there are so many on your list that I want to read now! I hope you find something you like here.

1. Heat Waves: Two from the tropics- The Layover and Meet Me in Paradise


2. We Don't Talk about Bruno: Secrets - Velocity of a Secret; Family - Well Matched


3. Fancy Llike: Two with wealthy characters - Flirting With Danger and How to Be a Wallflower


4. Bad Habits: Two stories with humorous situations - The Road Trip and My One and Only


5. Butter: Two with food themes - Deep Dish and Summer in Andalucía


6.Drivers License: Two contemporary romances - How to Fail at Flirting and I Owe You One


7.Save Your Tears: Red on cover - You Deserve Each Other; Mystery - A Perilous Undertaking (I love this series!)


8.Kiss Me More: Orange on cover - Good Girl Complex; A bit paranormal and really good - The Book Charmer


Bonus and one I thought was really romantic: One Night on the Island

Happy Reading!

[Bobbi]

Hi there, LaurLa. Hopefully you'll enjoy at least one of these.

1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals
The Love Hypothesis (blue)
(New) The Plot (blue)
Bad Cruz (tropical)

2. We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
Rent A Husband (secrets)
Lethal Balance (black cover)

3. Fancy Like by Walker Hayes
Duncan (fancy clothing)
Reckless In Love (wealthy character)

4. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
Hot Six (humor)
(New) Broken (humor)
Hot Buttered Yum (bad title but I'm sure it's a great book!)

5. Butter by BTS
Sweet Stuff (food industry)
A Tale of Two Dragons (yellow)

6. Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo
First Lady (Contemporary with white cover)
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells (white cover)

7. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd
(New) Rock Paper Scissors (mystery)
The Twelfth Night Bride (red on cover)
(New) An Anonymous Girl (red & mystery)

8. Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA
The Fire Still Burns (orange cover)
(New) The Darkest Touch (paranormal)

Bonus- In honor of Taylor Swift, the subject of the Quarterly Challenge -
As the Last Petal Falls (retelling of Beauty and the Beast)

[Bobbi]

Sonja wrote: "Hi Bobbi,
Here are your picks, hope you find something good!


1.Heat Waves by Glass Animals


TBR:
None Shall Sleep (blue cover)

NEW:
The Unhoneymooners ..."

Awesome picks, thank you!

Maniscalco actually has two books out in the Kingdom series. I stumbled across the series on Libby.