Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
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2010 Challenge Archive
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January - Pick It For Me! Challenge
Signed up:Katherine
Tosca
Yz
Photojim
Michelle
Kasia
Ahrcadia
Lenore
Rossy
Mary
LibraryLass
Cathy
Jan
Annvelwis
Amanda
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~*
Mrs. Soule
Annie (a mad hamster)
Ari
Melissa (So Cal Gal)
Debbie
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Rossy picks for Katherine
Yz picks for Tosca
Mary picks for Yz
Annie picks for Photojim
Ahrcadia picks for Michelle
Jan picks for UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~*
Debbie picks for Ahrcadia
Michelle picks for Lenore
Mrs. Soule picks for Rossy
Amanda picks for Mary
Photojim picks for LibraryLass
Ari picks for Cathy
Annvelwis picks for Jan
Melissa (So Cal Gal) picks for Annvelwis
UniquelyMoi picks for Amanda
Tosca picks for UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~*
Lenore picks for Mrs. Soule
LibraryLass picks for Annie (a mad hamster)
Kasia picks for Ari
Cathy picks for Melissa (So Cal Gal)
Katherine picks for Debbie
January Recommendations: Rossy recommended for Katherine: Kiss of Midnight
Yz recommended for Tosca: Parallel Attraction
Mary recommended for Yz: Midnight's Daughter
Annie recommended for Photojim: His Majesty's Dragon
Ahrcadia recommended for Michelle: In the Serpent's Coils
Jan recommended for UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~*: Night Falls Darkly
Debbie recommended for Ahrcadia: Any Given Doomsday
Michelle recommended for Lenore: Slave to Sensation
Mrs. Soule recommended for Rossy:
Amanda recommended for Mary: Vampire Academy
Photojim recommended for LibraryLass:
Ari recommended for Cathy: Evil Without a Face
Annvelwis recommended for Jan: Soulless
Melissa (So Cal Gal) recommended for Annvelwis: Almost Human
UniquelyMoi recommended for Amanda: Dangerous Highlander
Tosca recommended for UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~*: Must Love Hellhounds
Lenore recommended for Mrs. Soule: Once Bitten Twice Shy
LibraryLass recommended for Annie (a mad hamster): I Am Not Esther
Kasia recommended for Ari: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Cathy recommended for Melissa (So Cal Gal):
Katherine recommended for Debbie: Slave to Sensation
I would like to try this. I've never done on of these before.
Et moi aussi - me, too, please and thank you :)
Here's a challenge I can always get behind. Pick me! Pick me! Don't make me be the last one on the kickball team. Please!
tosca wrote: "Et moi aussi - me, too, please and thank you :)"Tosca,
I just want you know I didn't forget about your Dec. pick for me. I'm reading it now.
I'd like to participate too.
I cannot resist a reading project or challenge. I'm in. :)
Me too. I want to try this one. :)
I'd love to give this a shot!
Is it too late for me to jump in on this one? I hope not, I would really like to join! :)
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Ari, I have 2 recommendations for you at the moment: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - I just finished it and it's absolutely delightful - funny, fastpaced, heartbreaking. (In tone it reminded me a little of I Capture the Castle) If you're into audiobooks, I listened to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day narrated by Frances McDormand and it was perfection.
Another one is Soulless, because I think you're into period pieces. It's a fun gripping read. Both of those books are.
That's all I've got for now, I'll try to think of some more and get back to you...
LenoreAfter looking at your shelves, I'm hoping you might find at least one of these interesting:
1. Fallen by Lauren Kate
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Lament The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
4. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Let me know if none of those work for you. I took that compatability test and scored pretty high so I'm sure I can find something for you :)
Wow Yz, I got paired up with you, talk about pressure LOL! I did notice that (shockingly) there are a few titles that I've read and enjoyed that are not on your list. I don't know if it's because they just aren't your thing, or if you just haven't gotten around to them yet. I do tend to lean more towards UF these days, so if nothing here twirls your beanie let me know and I will try again. :)
The Dorina Basarab series by Karen Chance, starting with (the prequel) Buying Trouble, then (book 1) Midnight's Daughter. Death's Mistress (book 2) is due out Jan 5th. You're not required to have read the entire Cassandra Palmer series to enjoy this spin-off, but I see you've read a few of them already.
I see you haven't yet explored Faith Hunter. I've enjoyed her Thorn St. Croix series to date, starting with Bloodring A Rogue Mage Novel. Also, the first book in her Jane Yellowrock series, Skinwalker, was awesome. The second book, Blood Cross, is also due out Jan 5th.
I noticed you've started Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series. You might also like her Dark Swan series, starting with Storm Born.
And I will also suggest C.E. Murphy's Walker Papers series, starting with Urban Shaman.
Library Lass, I'm visiting family in Pennsylvania and have VERY LIMITED internet time for the next couple of days. I'll be home on Friday and will have a recommendation for you then. sorry for the delay.However, if you would like one to start in the meantime, I'd go with Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie. Fun and light.
Amanda, I looked over your shelves and I have a few suggestions. I hope you'll find something there you like.1. For the Roses by Julie Garwood. I just finished this one and absolutely loved it!
2. The Bride also by Garwood. Another one I loved.
3. Dangerous Highlander which just came out yesterday. It's book 1 in a new series.
4. To the Edge by Cindy Gerard is book 1 of her romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards.
5. Just for fun, I love the Uppity Women series. Each book is filled with stories about women who actually lived and their actions...not conforming to societies expectations, have given them the honor of being considered uppity.
Uppity Women of Medieval TimesUppity Women of Ancient TimesUppity Women of the RenaissanceUppity Women of the New World
Annvilwise,I see you really like vampire themed books (I love the Sookie Stackhouse ones), so I did a little research on some that have had good reviews and you may enjoy and came to these few:
Almost Human - Volume 1 - Fatal Infatuation (there are actually 3 books in this series)
Cirle Trilogy by Nora Roberts
Hi Photojim - hope you are having / had fun with the family.I get to return the favour!
It was so hard sticking to just a few books. As I live in New Zealand, it's hard to know what books you might be able to track down. Instead, I've gone with 3 books in 3 different categories. As I do this, I realise how much I love Regency period books!
Fantasy:
Beguilement by Lois Mcmaster Bujold. First in a series. Fantasy and romance and great world-building.
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik. Napoleonic War naval battles with dragons!
Overtime by Tom Holt. Comic fantasy starring Blondel, Richard the Lionheart's minstrel, and Guy, a World War Two pilot.
Historical romance:
Second Sight by Amanda Quick. First in the Arcane Society series. The series moves from Victorian England to modern day (those ones are written under Jayne Ann Krentz). The Arcane Society is for people with paranormal abilities.
The Lady Killer first in a trilogy about women working undercover in the Napoleonic Wars.
The Pretender by Celeste Bradley. Regency spies, yet again.
Georgette Heyer:
I didn't see any Georgette Heyer's on your shelves - and thought I'd nag you to at least think about reading one. She is the doyenne of historical romances. Great writing, good characters - but no sex, of course.
Here are my top three picks:
The Toll-Gate - Napoleonic War veteran meets strong-willed female in the midst of murder and chaos.
These Old Shades - the ultimate, I suppose. His Grace the Duke of Avon is stunning.
A Civil Contract - out of the ordinary. An arranged marriage between poor nobleman and daughter of a wealthy 'cit'. What I love is the way the relationship grows and develops, although it wasn't a love match.
So - I've broken the rules - but hopefully there's something here you can find - and like!
Hi Kasia! Those both sound really fun. I think I'll try the first one, it's gotten good raves it looks like. Then I can watch the movie, have you seen it? (If so, what is it like??) I also love the idea of Soulless so I might pick that up from the library too. Thanks for the ideas!Cathy:
I looked on your profile page, and noticed that you really enjoy suspense and paranormal. So here are a few books I found. They also got pretty good reviews.
First book is...
Evil Without a Face by Jordan Dane. It is a thriller and romantic suspense with tons of action.
Then there is Untraceable by Laura Griffin. This is more of a mystery suspense.
And lastly, a paranormal book that looks to possibly be apart of a series:
How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks. Some people found it to be kinda funny.
If none of these books work out, let me know. I'm happy to find something else!=D
Photojim wrote: "Library Lass, I'm visiting family in Pennsylvania and have VERY LIMITED internet time for the next couple of days. I'll be home on Friday and will have a recommendation for you then. sorry for th..."No worries about the delay PhotoJim. I can't source the Welcome to temptation book which is a bumma cos it sounds good!
Katherine, it seems like you enjoy paranormal so i'm recommending one not on your TBR shelf. 1. Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian
I have also recommended other genres in case you want to try something new. Let me know if you're in the mood to read something else and i'll think on other options.
2. Saffron Skies by Lesley Lokko
3. Watermelon by Marian Keyes
4. Twisted Creek by Jodi Thomas
5. It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Hey LibraryLass! We Kiwi librarians get to stick together!
Mary, I enjoyed looking through your shelves. I really enjoyed all of these suggestions and I hope you'll find something you like. Happy New Year!Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Amanda, I looked over your shelves and I have a few suggestions. I hope you'll find something there you like.1. For the Roses by Julie Garwood. I just finished this one and absol..."
Thanks for such wonderful suggestions! I think I'll probably go with one of the Julie Garwood books, but the rest are going on my to-read shelf too. :)
Amanda wrote: "Thanks for such wonderful suggestions! I think I'll probably go with one of the Julie Garwood books, but the rest are going on my to-read shelf too. :)..."Oh, good! I'm glad you like the choices. I can't wait to hear what you chose and what you thought.
Ahrcadia This was difficult, I noticed you liked Paranormal and Young Adult as well as Urban Fantasy, but you have most of the ones that I would normally recommend. I did come up with a few choices for you....Hush, Hush
Storms of Visions (1st of a series)
The Iron Hunt (1st of a series)
Any Given Doomsday (1st of a series)
American Gods
Thanks for the suggestions, Amanda! I've been eyeing the Demonica series for some time, so I think I will go with Pleasure Unbound. WOW, my January TBR shelf is looking pretty juicy with all the recommendations and challenges, I can't wait to dig in! If only I can finish my very last 2009 book in one more day. Happy reading, all! :)
Great suggestions, Debbie. Since I'm a series kinda girl, I think I'll be reading Any Given Doomsday, despite my hatred of the name Liz.
Michelle, I haven't read a lot of the things on your list, so I just based my recommendations on what I have read, and the descriptions for the rest. If you don't like my suggestions, then just hit me up for some different ones with a pointer in the right direction :)1. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz (Book 1, Blue Bloods)
2. In the Serpent's Coils by Tiffany Trent (Book 1, Hallowmere)
3. Wicked Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder (Books 1 & 2, Wicked)
4. The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
5. The Hidden Dragon by Irene Radford (Book 1, Stargods)
6. Awaken Me Darkly by Gena Showalter (Book 1, Alien Huntress)
7. The Long Fall by Walter Mosley (Book 1, Leonid McGill)
Ahrcadia ~(Fhantasie)~ wrote: "Michelle, I haven't read a lot of the things on your list, so I just based my recommendations on what I have read, and the descriptions for the rest. If you don't like my suggestions, then just hit..."Well, Ahrcadia I can tell you right now that all of your suggestions look good to me, so I plan to read them all at some point. I'll go the used bookstore to see if any of your suggestions are there and whichever one I can get my hands on first is the one I'll read this month. For the Blue Girl by Charles de Lint, is it part of series with the same characters each book? I see that its book # 15. Thanks!
Oohh I'm anticipating this will be an interesting month for Pick It For Me! Not only do I get to choose for UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* but Yz gets to select a title for me *squeals* I'm really looking forward to this :) Searching now...
Annie (a mad hamster) wrote: "Hey LibraryLass! We Kiwi librarians get to stick together!"Hey Annie, Happy New Year!!!! I've been having a browse through your shelves. What an eclectic collection you have! In keeping with that I've tried to give you a choice from a bit of everything:
YA- Fleur Beale either I Am Not Esther or End of the Alphabet Kiwi author, I enjoyed both of these.
Hist/Rom - Julia Quinn The Duke And I, start of a fabulous hist/romance series
hist/rom/pnr - Karen Marie Moning Beyond the Highland Mist - has a bit of everything time travel, historical, fantasy, romance.
pnr/urban fantasy - Patricia Briggs Moon Called. This is shapeshifter/werewolf which wasn't my thing until I read this short (so far) series.
contemp/rom/mystery - Suzanne Enoch Flirting With Danger. This is a light romantic mystery with some humour thrown into the mix.
So hope you find something out of that lot, if not I'll try again no worries. =)
Mary wrote: "Wow Yz, I got paired up with you, talk about pressure LOL! I did notice that (shockingly) there are a few titles that I've read and enjoyed that are not on your list. I don't know if it's because..."
Wow, Mary, lots of pretty good books here. I've added them all to my TBR list.
Now to choose which to read for the challenge. Decisions, decisions, decisions... :)
I'll let you know what I have decided upon a little bit later.
Jan,I hope you'll find something there you like.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Enjoy :)
tosca wrote: "Oohh I'm anticipating this will be an interesting month for Pick It For Me! Not only do I get to choose for UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* but Yz gets to select a title for me *squeals* I'm really lo..."Talk about pressure! :)
Ok, tosca, here are my recommendations for you:
I've noticed you haven't read any of Deidre Knight's works so I'm recommending Red Fire (about bad-ass Spartan warriors) or Parallel Attraction (with a sexy alien prince). Both books are first of a series with great characters, compelling plots and intense emotions.
If they don't interest you, how about books with witches and witch hunters? Try Jennifer Lyon's Blood Magic.
And just an extra thing, the most recent book that almost made me cry, Zusak's The Book Thief.
Hope at least one of these would have caught your fancy.
Happy reading!
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Romance Readers Reading Challenges
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What's a Pick-It-For-Me Challenge?
It's a group recommend a book thing - works just like a Secret Santa or Xmas Exchange, except that the gift is replaced by a book recommendation. Just like in Secret Santa, the givee-giver pairings are randomly assigned. So whomever you get, you recommend a book for them. Preferably it should be something new and unfamiliar to your givee, NOT a book from their to-read list - the point is to introduce new books and new authors. In return, you'll have a book recommended to you (sometimes you might get a few options to choose from). After you're done reading your Pick-It-For-Me book, a short post with some feedback - a mini-review of sorts would be appreciated.
For this challenge, you need either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable) or make the person who'd be doing the recommending to you your friend. On top of that, I strongly advise keeping your bookshelves updated, otherwise you might end up with a recommendation for something that you have already read.
Signing up period will remain open until the 29th. You'll have time untill ~the 2nd to make your recommendations