December - Pick It For Me Challenge

[Carolyn F.]

I started my pick last night and it's kind of disturbing right now. I've heard it gets better.

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim)]

It does. I liked it even though it is a bit dark.

[Lady Allison]

It's an amazing series, Carolyn, I promise you'll be hooked by the end. It is violent, but incredibly well written.

Rossy & Delicious Dee: LM is my absolute FAVORITE of the whole series!!! I hope you two enjoy it! JM makes me swoon ;)

[~Megan~]

Gail,

I finished Pleasure Unbound and Eternal Kiss of Darkness! I liked the first, but loved the second. Thanks for the awesome recommendations!

I haven't started our read-it-together book yet, but I will still try to fit it in this month!

[Sue]

Annie,

I should have posted sooner, but I've been working a lot of over time these past couple of weeks. Luckily I am now off until January 3rd! Anyhow, I finished Dangerous Highlander last week. While I liked the idea of the story, I gave the book an average rating. It could just be my mood though. But I'm thankful for your recommendation.

Now that I have time, I'm ready to read Ceremony in Death. Just let me know if you have time to read it with me. I know I waited long time to get started with all of the holiday obligations coming up as well.

[Regina]

Lili wrote: "Regina wrote: "Hi Lili!

Loved your shelves! Here are my recs. Hope you find something you like!

A - Ghost of reading Past..."

All right Regina, I just finished Hot in Here a..."


Glad you liked it Lili!

I`m reading The Hunger Games right now and it´s very good!

[Annie]

Hi Sue!

I was planning on posting today, too.

Thanks for the rec for Grimspace - I thought it was just-the-right-amount of challenging, and non-traditional 'romance' H&H. Oh, and science-fiction!

I've just finished Ceremony in Death - thought I'd better get it done! Hopefully you, too, will make it by the end of the year. :)

Still have a few to read before the end of the year, and a lot of stuff to do.

~ Annie

[Debbie]

KimKirt
Finally got and read Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor I really enjoyed it (kind of knew I would). What a great feel good holiday story, thanks for the recommendation, that was just enough to get me to read it at the right time.

[Tatiana]

Just finished my pick - Evil Under the Sun. A great mystery to curl up with on a Christmas morning!

[Ashley♥Alexis]

FINISHED! So.... for my Reading Future:
I read Midnight Crystal I found it so interesting how Castle/Kentz/Quick intertwines her characters through different series. She even distributes them between Pseudonyms. At first I found that confusing now it just makes sense. I love love love the world of Harmony so i hope theres another in the Harmony Saga and I like the Arcane Society, because it's never dull. So, I thought this novel was really nice weaving together 3 different series.

For the Tiny Tim Factor: I readThe Wild Child I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. I felt like the over all story was resolved too easily but eh, it's fiction.

[Gail]

Megan wrote: "Gail

So happy to be picking for you! We seem to have similar tastes in what we like to read, so I hope I found something you might be interested in!

The Ghost of Reading Past:
1. [book:Lord..."
Hi Megan I decided to switch my pick to The Warrior . Its all ready the 26th and we are leaving for vacation today. I may not get As sure as the Dawn finished so I better choose another. It will be an easier book to carry in my purse and read it on the plane.

[~Megan~]

That's great Gail...I think you'll like it! Have fun on vacation!

[Regina]

Just finished The Hunger Games - but I read the Brazilian version Jogos Vorazes.

Loved it! Now I want to read the next ones...

[Ari]

Sara,
I began Neverwhere but didn't finish it yet. A bit different than expected. I found myself to not be in much of a fantastical mood. Though, I plan to hopefully finish it (I think I just need to sit down and read the first hundred pages). I also read some of the one where the female dresses up as the male (Name escapes me right now...) and I love it. I think I might read it by my heater during the break. Thanks for the picks! Really good reads. Did you get to anything? I know with the holidays reading is sometimes put on hold...

[KimKirt]

Debbie wrote: "KimKirt
Finally got and read Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor I really enjoyed it (kind of knew I would). What a great feel good holiday story, thanks for the recommendation, that was..."

Glad you liked it, I wish it had been longer and more indepth but o-well! Supposed to be a series, we'll see how the others are. Thanks again for the rec this month!

[Carolyn F.]

Gigi - I finished The Hunger Games and it was so good I read Catching Fire right after it. Great recommendation!

[Gigi]

Carolyn F. wrote: "Gigi - I finished The Hunger Games and it was so good I read Catching Fire right after it. Great recommendation!"

Oh good! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I have to read it myself! I've heard great things about it!

[Carolyn F.]

It starts out really depressing, and - well it stays pretty depressing but it was so good Gigi. You'll love it.

[Gigi]

I think that is why I've been putting it off (depressing part). However, I'm going to make sure I add it to the 2011 reading list.

[Joyce]

Hi Jackie

C. The Ghost of Reading Future
1) The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It's a lot different than her Twilight series but still really great!

I finished your pick for me. I wound up reading The Host I really loved it. I could not put it down. I started it a bit late because I started reading another pick Dark Lover but I did not have it with me one day and started the other book. Now back to reading Dark Lover which I am really enjoying too.

[SandyC]

Kami, I am so sorry! I am about 100 pages into Touch the Dark and I just can't continue. So, I went back to your recs and decided I am going to read Club Dead instead.

I am so glad you're enjoying the Vampire Academy series!

[Kami]

Hey Sandy, sorry you couldn't get through Touch the Dark. I thought it got pretty good later in the book. Sorry it didn't work out for you. It was my least favorite of my suggestions for you. The Vampire Academy series is so good though. I feel like I let you down. Boo. Maybe I will have better luck with my January picks.

[SandyC]

Kami, oh my gosh you shouldn't feel that you let me down! Sometimes one person's 5 star book is another person's DNF. It happens! I've already made progress in Club Dead and I am really enjoying it. :-)

[Rebecca]

I am almost done, I'll post a full description of what I thought on Thursday. I had some wonderful recommendations Thankyou.

[Gail]

I am finished my challenge book. I decided to read The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor. It was a great read and I loved the story line. I will be getting the rest of the books in the series. Thanks Megan

[SandyC]

OK Kami, I have finished Club Deadand I really enjoyed it. I am loving Alcide and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in the series.

By the way, I WILL finish Touch the Dark eventually! I have it for a couple of other long-term challenges. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it right now.

Happy reading to you!

[Kami]

Cool Sandy. Yeah, I like Alcide a lot too. Touch the Dark was the first book in the series, so that may explain some of the problems you had with it. I thought it was kind of slow to get to the sexy stuff. I haven't read the next book in the series but I probably will get around to it some time. It was kind of violent in parts which I found disturbing, but I thought it was an interesting read, though not one of my favorites.

[Emily]

Rebecca,

Finished The Summoning for C, WOW, you were right very good. Need to order the next one.

Finished A and C.

[Pam]

AshleyAlexis-
Started late yesterday and finished Halfway to the Grave today. Could not put it down for the last half which meant I did nothing today. I loved Bones but was a little annoyed at the ending--I would have left whiney mom behind. And now it means I will have to continue to keep reading the series. Laughed out loud at a couple of points. Thanks for the rec.

Still hope to get the rereading of The Wild Child but my son is having unexpected surgery tomorrow. I have not gotten anywhere near the Holiday break reading done that I normally do but at least I got one done under the wire!

[Rebecca]

DRQ thanks for the recs,

A. The Ghost of Reading Past, 1) Lover Eternal I absolutely loved this story. The story is interesting,erotic, rich with twists and turns,packed with action and breathtakingly moving romance. The characters with unbelievably intriguing, deep personalities and handsome. What was well written was Mary's fears about her illness and what caring for her would do to Rhage in the long run. 5 stars
2) The Shack I quite enjoyed it , but found some of the religious ideas difficult to fathom, but some I did empahisise with, and it helped me to answer partly the question-why does God allow all that suffering to occur, and how can parents reconcile their childrens' murder to a belief in God?
Worth reading, if only to get you thinking and trying to answer the questions that are prompted in newspaper headlines about some horrific death of a child. 3 stars
B. The Ghost of Reading Present, 1) Cry Wolf still am not totally happy with my understanding for what an Omega actually is!? Where do they come from and why is everyone so excited about them and why are they so rare? I will concede that Ms Briggs "flirted" with the answers however she needed to give me a bit more to go on to keep me as compelled. 2 stars
C. The Ghost of Reading Future Lady Sophia's Lover There are several things that I liked about this novel. Sophia was justified in wanting revenge., I have read novels where women wanted revenge for much pettier reasons such as stealing a lover or something else sex-related. Plus, Lady Sophia quickly realizes that she does not really want revenge and she essentially forgives Ross before she decides whether or not to tell him the truth. In the other novels that I have read, the characters continue on their petty quest for revenge throughout the entire novel. 3 stars
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I found the beginning of the book a bit slow and almost put the book down, all of a sudden, it got a grip and I found that I was most reluctant to put it down! I found the book most entertaining, evoking many differing emotions... suspense, disgust, intrigue, and some laughs also. A little caution may be needed for people who are upset by some graphic details of violence against young people.However, it is not sensationalised, and is in keeping with the story. I am looking foward to the sequels. 4 stars
D. The Tiny Tim factor Once Bitten, Twice Shy I felt so much more could have been done to make this a bettter read. 2 stars

[Rebecca]

Thanks for the picks Emily,

A. The Ghost of Reading Past, 1) Kiss of Midnight I am almost finished this and so far its an enjoyable read.
2) Cry Wolf 2 stars
B. The Ghost of Reading Present, 1) When Darkness Falls I have not started this yet as it will not be recognized on my e-reader but I will get the paperback and look foward to reading it.
2) The Historian There are some brilliant moments, the entombment of Rossi and Dracula is eerie, but the ending is abrupt and too clean - whatever happended to the librarian? and what did we ever learn about him? Its implausible in places, from the comings and goings through eastern block countries in the cold war to the Mills and Boon portrayal of Rossi and Helens' mother romance. Though the book has a tendency to ramble, Elizabeth Kostova melds history and myth in rare style. 3 stars
C. The Ghost of Reading Future 1) Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley It is extremely detailed and often difficult to work out who is who with so many characters entering the plot. However the author writes superbly and manages to tie up this immense level of detail in a highly readable manner. It is extremely well researched and very careful in it's dealings with highly biased source material. 4 stars
2) Beastly I found the book which was written in the Beasts point of view to be an enlightening read, as readers were taken on a journey.
At the beginning I found myself believing he kind of got what he deserved with the curse, but after a while I found myself forgetting who the old Kyle was and hoping Adrian did get his true loves kiss.
I think that Kyle's character development was extraordinary and this book has definitely found its way to my favourites. 4 stars
D. The Tiny Tim factor 1) The Summoning . The plot was great, characters were great and I would reccomend this book to people who want a light fantasy read. 5 stars

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Rebecca wrote: "DRQ thanks for the recs,

The Ghost of Reading Present, 1) Cry Wolf still am not totally happy with my understanding for what an Omega actually is!? Where do they come from and why is everyone so excited about them and why are they so rare? I will concede that Ms Briggs "flirted" with the answers however she needed to give me a bit more to go on to keep me as compelled. 2 stars ..."

There is a prequel in this anthology that explains it all. One of my favorite short stories.

[Katie]

hey miss, i ended up squeezing in Lover Eternal. i love this series and can't wait to read the next one :) thanks!

[Ashley♥Alexis]

Pam wrote: "AshleyAlexis-
Started late yesterday and finished Halfway to the Grave today. Could not put it down for the last half which meant I did nothing today. I loved Bones but was a littl..."

I KNOW!!! I love Bones *girly scream* Sadly ive only read the first and second book I really really need to get my hands on the rest of that series. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim)]

Last day! Still time to squeeze it in if you haven't yet.

[Freya]

Thanks Jim and Rachel
A bit late but finished all three.
Nation
Brokeback Mountain
Key of Light

Thank you for the recommendations. I loved them :)

[~Sara~]

Ari,
I was about a quarter of the way through Jane Eyre and realized there wasn't a chance I was going to make it (I work in the mall so my work schedule gets crazy the last few weeks of the year) so I switched to Vegan Brunch instead. It was fantastic!!! I've tried 2 recipes so far (banana rabanada and I can't remember the other right now) and they were both delicious. I loved the banana one in particular since french toast is my favourite breakfast treat but my boyfriend hates eggs, so this was a perfect compromise! I got the book from the library but plan on buying it ASAP so I can work my way through the recipes. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read Neverwhere either but it's getting closer to the top of my TBR so hopefully this month I'll get a chance to read it. I hope you find time to finish it as well - I've heard so many good things about it!
Thank you again for the fantastic recs - both mine and my boyfriend's stomachs thank you!!! :)

[Miss]

Katie wrote: "hey miss, i ended up squeezing in Lover Eternal. i love this series and can't wait to read the next one :) thanks!"


Great Katie, I'm really happy you found a new series. BDB is great!