2010 April Monthly Challenge: Suggestions Thread

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

This is the thread where we ask questions, discuss, and make suggestions for the challenge.

1. April: Read a book which title starts with "A."

2. Birthday: Read a book from an April B-day celebrant.

3. Geography: Read a book whose author, setting or character is from Iowa.

4. Spring Theme: Read a book that has flower, flowers or garden on the cover; or has the word "flower", "flowers", or any type of flower as part of its title.

5. Earth Day: In the spirit of recycling, reread an old favorite or reuse a book that you have posted in a previous challenge but never got around to reading.

6. Creative Arts Theme: Read a book that has a character that is involved in any type of arts (music, dance, literature, etc).

7. With April as the fourth month, read a book that has received an average of 4 stars or more here in Goodreads.

8. Romance Genre: Read a fantasy romance.

9. Of Lists and Shelves: Read a book that is shelved within the first 10 pages of GR's romance shelf
(http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/r...)

10. Reader's Choice

[Mel W]

Members celebrating a birthday in April can be found in this thread ... message 5 :)

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Anybody looking for a fantasy romance, I would like to suggest C.L. Wilson's Tairen Soul series.

First book is Lord of the Fading Lands.

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Iowan Romance Novelists:

http://www.iowaromancenovelists.org/o...

Books set in Iowa:

http://www.mtmercy.edu/busselibrary/i...

[Lotte_ladybird]

Does anyone have any ideas for the fantasy romance or a list or any? That would be very helpful :)

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Lotte_ladybird wrote: "Does anyone have any ideas for the fantasy romance or a list or any? That would be very helpful :)"

Maybe this will give you more ideas.

http://fantasyromancewriters.com/

[Mel W]

Lotte_ladybird wrote: "Does anyone have any ideas for the fantasy romance or a list or any? That would be very helpful :)"

Here's some that I can think of off the top of my head :)

Shana Abe's Drakon series:

Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League series:

Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Island trilogy:

Nora Roberts' Irish trilogy:

[Lotte_ladybird]

Thanks Mel and Yz!

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim)]

I was wondering if I could get a special dispensation for the A book to use Falling For April. It does have the whole month name in the title after all. Thoughts?

[[deleted user]]

i want to sign up for the april challenge. picking my own books. how do I do this?

[Kasia]

Simply post the books you're planning on reading once you have them picked. That's it.

[Mel W]

Lotte_ladybird wrote: "Thanks Mel and Yz!"

Welcome, Lotte :) Apologies for them being all part of a series but I couldn't come up with any stand-alone books from memory. If I come across any, I'll try to remember to post them here.

[Dee]

Samhein publishing has a whole subsection called Fantasy Romance - and they have both ebooks and print books (and Amazon carries several of these authors also) - one name i found was Renee Wildes and the Guardians series

Lotte_ladybird wrote: "Does anyone have any ideas for the fantasy romance or a list or any? That would be very helpful :)"

[Dee]

not really a romance, but Dewey the small-town library cat is set in Iowa

[Annvelwis]

Mel W wrote: "Lotte_ladybird wrote: "Does anyone have any ideas for the fantasy romance or a list or any? That would be very helpful :)"

Here's some that I can think of off the top of my head :)

Shana ..."</i>

I'm confused... The League series by Sherrilyn Kenyon is set in, well, space: starships and other planets, different races and such. It's technology driven, not magic driven so if I had to classify the genre it would be sci-fi romance.

But you were close :) Sherrilyn Kenyon's (under [author:Kinley MacGregor name) Lords of Avalon series is definitely fantasy romance. Right now there are two books available:
Sword of Darkness
Knight of Darkness

_____
A bit more fantasy romance from my shelfs...

Elizabeth Vaughan:
Warprize, Warsworn, Warlord
Maria V. Snyder:
Poison Study, Magic Study, Fire Study
Storm Glass, Sea Glass
G.A. Aiken (Shelly Laurenston):
Dragon Actually, About A Dragon, What A Dragon Should Know

[AmandaG]

Thanks for the Iowa link! Definitely helped.

[Mel W]

Annvelwis, you make a valid point about The League series :). To me, sci-fi is fantasy (anything set in different worlds, really) so that's why I suggested it.

Another series I've just remembered ... Cheyenne McCray's Magic series:

[Annvelwis]

Stephanie wrote: "What about the Black Jewels from Anne Bishop? I have the first but haven't read it yet. Is it Fantasy?"

It's definitely fantasy :) I'm not so sure about the romance part, though... heh. I've read firs book of Black Jewels series so far and there is some love in the air vibe, but I wouldn't say it's a dominant plot.

[Annie]

Jean Johnson - Sons of destiny series. The first in the series is The Sword.

[ஐ Briansgirl (Book Queen)ஐ]

I'm stuck on an Iowa book. I learned Janet Daily and Max Allan Collins were born in Iowa, so that gives me alot of books right there. Jinx by Meg Cabot has the heroine from Iowa. Just wasn't in the mood to read any of those. Then a thought occurred to me. My mother wrote a book that I havn't read yet. Bit too religous for my taste but since my family is in every story including my kids in some (and me) I really need to read this. It's Windows on His World by Dora Hagge. My mom was born in Iowa, so it fits the category.

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

Wow, that sounds pretty cool, Kate. Reading a book that includes yourself and people you know.

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim)]

Yz, I don't know. It would really depend on what was being said. Even if I completely agreed with everything being said, there are things I don't want to share with everyone.

Then again, Kat, how can a book have been published by your mother two years ago and you have yet to read it?! I don't get that one at all.

[Yz the Whyz, Moderator]

LOL...Good point, Photojim. Come to think about it, I'm not so sure if I really want things about myself revealed to other people.

So, yes, Kate, why did it take you this long to read her book? Or is this a reread?