Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
2011 Challenge Archive
>
August - Pick It For Me! Challenge

@ AshelyAlexis Found

@ Dee Thanks for the site rec! They're awesome!
@ Katie Thanks for the coupon code! Got:



@ Fran I'd love to borrow it, but can I later in August if possible? I've got several books I have to get through ASAP to go back to the local library.
Thanks all for the recs!


The Help. I won't get to this one in August, but I've been thinking this would be great as an audiobook - will keep my eyes peeled for specials on Audible :)
Agnes and the Hitman. SCORE - just found the audiobook for this in my library. I've reserved a copy :)
Dead Witch Walking. I read the first chapter of this book online a couple of years ago and didn't like its' feel. But I'll check it out again sometime :)
Shadowfever. I was halfway through Faefever (yesterday) when I realised all the cliffhanger endings in front of me. I have Shadowfever on order in MMPB but it doesn't reach me until 1 Nov or somthing. So I've put it down again and will read the full series in Sept-Nov. :(
The Scarletti Curse or Magic in the Wind. I've been meaning to get to these at some point, particularly The Scarletti Curse.
Perfect Chemistry. Available from my library as an audiobook - very tempting! I've placed it on my library wishlist.
Desire Untamed. I have this on my wishlist at BOB - perhaps this is my excuse! ;)
This Lullaby. I haven't read any Sarah Dessen. Will check this out.
Some Girls Bite. I just ordered this last week! It should turn up within the next week.
So overall, I definitely read/listen to Agnes and the Hitman (my official pick). But I also think I might get Desire Untamed as I keep looking at it on my wishlist and doing nothing about it.
I'm not sure yet about my available time but are you interested in a buddy read of Some Girls Bite if we have time?

Here's your picks for this month, we have a very similar taste for our common books, but you rarely give 5 stars to a book :), so I hope you find something you like:
1- 1st place: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
2- Baby Names: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
3- New Blood: The Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follet
4- Rats And Mice In The Stud Shed: Destined for an Early Grave Night Huntress 4 by Frost Jeaniene
5- The Daily Routine: Anansi Boys by Gaiman Neil
6- Rotating Paddocks: The Razor's Edge by Maugham W.Somerset
7- Stud: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
8- Poddy Caff: Disgrace by J.M Coetzee
9- Breeding Stock: The book Thief by Zusak Markus
No matter what you choose or you don't, have a good reads!!




I like the promises series as well - yu might want to grab the other 3 while you can

I'm having a ball - just picking up a heap of Marie Hartes now, plus the couple of books Dee rec'd above. Off now to check out the promises series... Yay!!!

I have 10 ppl still waiting on their book list but I know Lili will get onto her selection after the weekend. Shellbelle will come into the mix though. I'll give the 'pickers' until 5pm AEST tomorrow (Monday 1 August) to put their lists up. (Sometime Monday morning - maybe very early ;), for the rest of you!) Then I'll reallocate.
In the meantime I'll send a PM to everyone this evening as a prompt.
Patience MountainKat and Dee :)


No, I'm not!!

Here are my tentative options (I'll try to get through as many as possible):
M..."
It took me awhile to find your response, but I finally did!
Just let me know when a good time will be for you to start the buddy read. I'll make a thread in the Dare You to Read folder that will have our discussion in it. We can either post as we read or have a break down of the book. PM me if you have any questions! :)


Where do you get the promo codes? - I used to buy heaps from them and always check their prices when I buy, but I rarely get any promo codes from them...



you're welcome!

I am on vacation, will be back tomorrow so I will see what I got and let you know, then we can start right away. And I totally agree with D.G. that's my trick with Jane Austen books.



The Highs
1st Place - Memoirs of a Geisha
Baby Names - The Help The young girls name Mae Mobley (girls name).
The Host Very good. Much different than twilight saga. Jared (boys name.)
New Blood - Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner.
The Low
The Millennium Trilogy. You only have two more books!=D The Girl Who Played with Fire is next.
The Daily Routine
Daily Feed - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I think you should give this another try. =D It is at the end of its media days movie wise.
Rotating Paddocks - Into the Wild
Stud - Romeo and Juliet of course.
Spread the Love Buddy Reads
Poddy Calf -The Great Gatsby
Breeding Stock - I Never Promised You a Rose Garden A good title. =PThe Host

The Highs
1st Place - Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
Baby Names - A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. I've always liked the name Helen, don't know why.
New Blood - Devil's Bride BY Stephanie Laurens
The Low
Rats and Mice in the stud shed - Crazy Sweet by Tara Janzen
The Daily Routine
Daily Feed - The Caretakers by Jack Heath I saw you'd read his other books, and this newest one came out in April.
Rotating Paddocks - Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
Stud - Lord of the Flies by William Golding I loved this book in High School.
Spread the Love ~ Buddy reads
Poddy Calf - Shaken by Dee Tenorio
Breeding Stock - Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas










I'm so sorry for the delay, I was travelling and only got home now. Till the end of the day your picks will be posted!!

Stud Cattle Ranchers
The Highs
1st Place: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta or Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. One is a coming of age story of sorts & the other is a whimsical fantasy adventure. Both are equally awesome.
Baby Names: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Seriously, Katniss is such a kickass name, though I have a feeling any potential daughters I may have might not think so.
New Blood: Once and Always by Judith McNaught. I noticed you read some histoical romances. After reading this in another PIFM challenge, I'm eagerly trying to get my hands on any and all HR by this author.
The Low
Rats & Mice in the Stud Shed: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. You've started the trilogy so you should definitely finish it!
The Daily Routine:
Daily Feed: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas. You've read another book by Lisa Kleypas & I would highly recommend starting The Wallflower series. All the books are amazing.
Rotating Paddocks: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. So I noticed that you didn't have much in the way of Urban Fantasy on your shelves. I was apprehensive at first about reading this book, but it turned out to be really good.
Stud: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I wasn't sure which you'd prefer, but these two books were a staple of my high school reading & they really ignited my passions for reading.
Spread the Love - Buddy Reads
Poddy Calf: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. We've both read this author and seemed to enjoy her, so why not pick up another light fun read by her?
Breeding Stock: Reckless by Anne Stuart or The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. You've read the first & third in the House of Rohan series, but I wasn't sure if you read the second. If you have, I listed a back up!














1st Place: The Bride
Baby Names: A Lot Like Love
Since I named my dauhter Jordan this would definitely be the book I would recommend for this!!
New Blood: The Passage
This on your TBR but you have not read anything from him yet so that still makes him new to you!
Rats and Mice: One Grave at a Time
Dailey Feed: Agnes and the Hitman
This is my favorite book by her!!!!
Rotating Paddocks: Perfect Chemistry
Stud:
Popular Book: Mockingjay
Sexy Book: Slave to Sensation
Buddy Reads
Poddy Calf: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Breeding Stock: Wild Ride

So I will be reading Bloodlines and One Grave at a Time. Thanks for the picks!

I had a great time browsing through your shelves. We seem to both really like the PNR & UF books. I even added a few items to my TBR. I tried mixing books from your TBR with some that aren't. Let me know if you need me to redo anything.
The Highs
First Place I absolutely adore Gini Koch’s Katherine “Kitty” Katt series. Koch’s sense of humor shines through each of them and I recommend this whenever I can get away with it. The first book is Touched by an Alien. I also love Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. I recently gave high marks to #10, Kiss of Snow. Since it doesn’t look like you’ve read any of her books, I would definitely suggest starting Slave to Sensation. I've said it before, don’t let the pink cover fool you. Singh does a wonderful job of world building and drawing out the major conflict between the Psy and Changelings.
Baby NamesI saw Vision in White on your TBR and immediately thought of all the great characters Nora Roberts introduced us to and for some reason I just like the name Carter.
New BloodI have so many suggestions and I’m trying very hard to reign myself in. LOL. Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom series introduces a world where using magic always carries a price: headaches, sickness or memory loss are just a few. It’s illegal to Offload that price onto someone else, but that doesn’t always stop some people and it’s Allie’s job to track them down. I was fascinated by this concept and have really enjoyed the books I’ve read so far. Magic to the Bone starts off this fantastic series. Patricia Briggs’ Mercedes Thompson is another series I would highly recommend. Mercy is a coyote-shifter who just loves to annoy the werewolf next door. Briggs has created a world filled with Fae and vampires and things that go bump in the night with the first book Moon Called.





The Low
Rats and Mice in the stud shedI noticed you only gave Magic Bites 3 stars, but they do get better and I love this series so much. I would definitely recommend giving it another try with Magic Burns. For a second choice, Hunger Untamed came out earlier this year and you enjoyed the rest of the books in Pamela Palmer’s series.


The Daily Routine
Daily Feed
You rated a couple of Jennifer Crusie’s books 5-stars, so I would recommend Faking It from your TBR. Isn’t Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series fantastic? She wasn’t able to give much “screen time” to them, but she revisited a few of the MacKelter clan. I would suggest reading their stories from the Highlander series. The first couple may start out a little slow for your taste, but this is her earliest work and they quickly improve. Beyond the Highland Mist is the first one.
Rotating PaddocksIt doesn’t look like you read historicals much. Jennifer Ashley’s The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie was a wonderful read. Beth is a strong, grounded female character and the perfect match for Ian, who is flawed but lovable.
Stud Cynthia Eden’s entire Midnight series is dark and sexy and well worth the read. Hotter After Midnight is the first book. Larissa Ione’s Demonica is another hot series and Pleasure Unbound is the first book.





Spread the Love
Poddy Calf I’ve been wanting to start Kresley Cole’s series for quite a while now and I noticed you have The Warlord Wants Forever on your TBR. I’d be willing to do a buddy read any time in August.
Breeding Stock I never met a series I didn’t like. Well. Not true, but I’m always willing to give a new one a try. LOL. Kristin Douglas’s new The Fallen series looks interesting and I saw Raziel on your shelf. I would be willing to try it out. I’ve also really wanted to try out Meljean Brooks’ The Iron Duke for quite some time also. It seems to be quite popular and I enjoyed the prequel she published in the Burning Up anthology.




I am reading Causing Havoc for featured author , let me know what you thought about it.

1st Place - Congratulations - You've just won Champion Cow at the district agricultural show!: recommend a book that you rated 5 stars. – Vampire Academy – You totally should give it a try, it’s a very refreshing and addictive version of vampires.
Baby Names - Naming your prize cattle: recommend a book whose H/h has a name that you love. – A Season of Eden – The name Eden is not easily find… and well, it’s a very strong name – or at least I think so. Besides, although the name James Christian separately is common, together they form a combustion.
New Blood - Artificial insemination time: recommend a new to them author - City of Bones – Cassandra Clare writing is just evolving and not boring at all. You’ll be tangled in Shadowhunter world in no time.
The Low
Rats and Mice in the stud shed - Let's clean them up: recommend another book in a series that they have been reading, preferably one that is close to being finished. – The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf or This Side of the Grave – both great books.
The Daily Routine
Daily Feed - the highlight of any beast's day: recommend a book from an author that they rate highly. – You seem to love Nora Roberts, so I’m going to recommend Sweet Revenge.
Rotating Paddocks - mustering the cattle to new pasture: recommend a book from a genre they don't regularly read. – You haven’t read yet a book from Agatha Christie, and that’s a pity. Murder is Easy and Ordeal by Innocence are good ones.
Stud - Putting the bull in the paddock, and let's face it, he's popular: recommend a well-loved classic or a sexy book (we all know what he's doing out there!) -- Well, I’m going to go ahead and recommend the most sexy book I’ve read… Fifty Shades of Grey.
Spread the Love ~ Buddy reads
Poddy Calf - he/she's been abandoned by mother (what a cow!) and in need of care and attention: select a short book to read where the H/h needs love. – Shaken – Those two sure sound like they need a hell of love (not sure if I’ll be able to read this book with you, because this month will be a very busy one).
Breeding Stock - you're looking to improve the herd and need to select the best line: The Hunger Games – I already have the entire trilogy in my house, so I’m going to finally give it a try… I would be delighted if you wanted to join me.











I really hope that you can find at least one book enjoyable... and again, I'm sorry for the delay. Happy reading!





Well, it sure was a huge coincidence for you to get to pick for me this month! Thank you for all your recommendations, I honestly don't know from where to start. Loved them.
As for the buddy read, I don't really know if I'll have the time for it... but I liked both suggestions and am utterly interested in reading Leaving Paradise... who knows? I'll keep you informed, just in case I have a breach.
Thank you again!


No problem Thenia. I never went back through and entered tons of books that I read before I started GR. I think the first few days I did maybe 100-200 books from my backlog. Otherwise, I've been adding as I read them or if they come up in conversation and I remember much about the book. Like now I wouldn't put in all the Series of Unfortunate Events books because I don't remember enough specifics about each one to rate it on it's own. But it's all good as I am pretty sure I'm reading the girls vamp book.

The Highs
1st Place - Nation by Terry Pratchett. It's a YA, SF, coming of age, paranormal, alternate reality, ghost, love story - sort of. In any event, something in this struck a chord with me and I LOVED it. 5,500 + ratings on GR and above a 4.0 should tell you something as well.
Baby Names - Just For Kicks by Susan Andersen is a light fun romance. But with a name like Wolfgang Jones, the hero is someone that makes me smile. Perhaps a better choice for you though is One Foot in the Grave. You read the first and didn't jump right into the second? Surprising in its own right. Catherine is the main character. What's so special about the name Catherine? She is all kinds of kick-ass wrapped up in a 'don't F with me coating' and calls herself Cat. Most everyone else knows her as the Red Reaper. But to her vampire lover she is known as 'Kitten'. Having her called 'Kitten' just makes me chuckle.
New Blood - You've read a fair smattering of erotica. One name I didn't see from your list was Opal Carew. I've only read two so far but both were VERY hot reads. Blush and Six both deal with multiple partners and about as much sex as you can fit in a book and still have some semblance of a story.
You've also read a fair bit of suspense. I'm surprised to not see any James Patterson. The Alex Cross series starts off with Along Came a Spider. Give it a shot and you'll quickly become a fan. Of that I'm sure.
The Low
Rats and Mice in the stud shed - Read the In-Death series. I think much of Nora Roberts' work is by the numbers with too perfect characters and unoriginal plots. But something about her J.D.Robb work screams to me. I love these characters and have fun every time a new one comes out. You are obviously enjoying the series so keep at it.
The Daily Routine
Daily Feed - This is a tough category for you. JR Ward - you've read them all. Christine Feehan - I've never read and thus can't really recommend. Gena Showalter - the only one I read I hated. Jeanine Frost - I recommended above (Really, read the Cat and Bones series.) Oh, wait! I see that you rated a Neil Gaimon book with five stars. It just so happens that I just read Neverwhere about a month ago. It is certainly an interesting read and I'd like to get your thoughts on the book. I think if you liked American Gods you will like Neverwhere.
Rotating Paddocks - What don't you normally read? Of your 471 books on your 'Read' shelf, 104 are PNR and 77 are Contemporary Romance and 1 is SF. I'm thinking the SF needs to feel a little love too. I'll recommend three SF books to give you some ideas. First is Slave by Cheryl Brooks. It's campy and cheesy and a little bit sexy. But if nothing else it is a whole bunch of fun. Moving on is Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy. I read this for a book club selection a few weeks back and liked it. I'll be reading the sequel to this duology in the next couple of weeks. Modern SF for sure. Finally we'll get to 'real SF'. Peter F. Hamilton writes some of the best new hard SF stuff out there. His Commonwealth Saga (two book duology doesn't really make a saga but I'm not complaining too much). I loved it. It starts with Pandora's Star.
Stud - I'll go with two from completely different directions. First is Stranger by Megan Hart. Not the sexiest thing in my mind, but there is a lot of sex in the book. You've read other Megan Hart and know what I mean by a non-traditional story line. Good book. It also happens to be filled with sex. The second is more sexy to me but not as good of a story. Voyeur by Lacey Alexander certainly has a good heat quotient.
Spread the Love ~ Buddy reads
Poddy Calf - It's hard to pick a buddy read about someone who's been abandoned. How do we know they've been abandoned if we haven't read it yet? And if we've read it, why are we recommending it to read it again? Going through your reading lists, I see that you've never read a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. All I can say is shame on you for six weeks. There are two that I have yet to read. My wife tells me I should read Kiss an Angel. It seems to be about a woman that is abandoned by her family when she is forced into an arranged marriage. 2,400 + ratings and over a 4.0 average is certainly promising. I'm game if you are.
Breeding Stock - something that will add a bit of variety that I think you will love? How about Hounded. Humor and a good story. Light and fun. Not a romance, but a great read. I think you'll love it. If you choose this one, I'll continue the series by getting the next one in line and reading that.
sorry for the delay in the edit. All done now.


Hey Amanda,
Thanks for the picks!
I will read Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas. I have only read Married by Morning, which I think is book 4 of the series.
Let's read The Peach Keeper ! Let me know!

you're welcome dg!

DANG GIRL, you have a wide variety of books that you read and to choose from, it was fun to dig my way through it. I tried to pull all books off of your TBR, but if you don't find anything you like PM me and I will pick some more.
First Place
A Hunger Like No Other Kresley Cole
New Blood
Ruthless by Anne Stuart
The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe
Dragon Actually by GA Aiken
Baby names
The Duke of Shadows (Emmaline) by Meredith Duran
Rats & Mice in the Stud Shed
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Drink Deep (Chicago land vampire) by Chloe Neill
Seduction in Death by JD Robb
Daily Feed
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Daring to Dream by Nora Roberts
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Rotating Paddocks
Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard
Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare (only book not from your TBR)
To the Edge by Cindy Gerard
Stud
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twaine
Poddy Calf
Going All In (Three of a Kind, #1) by Jess Dee
Breeding Stock
How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

1st Place - Congratulations - You've just won Champion Cow at the district agricultural show!: recommend a book that you rated 5 stars. – Vampire Academy – You totally sh..."
Thank you Larissa for the picks! So many to choose from! Shaken looks very interesting and I may read that even if we don't do a buddy read. I also hope to pick up The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf. I really want to read This Side of the Grave too, but I need to get through the two Night Huntress World books first as I understand they fall between the 4th and 5th Night Huntress books. Vampire Academy is one I want to try soon. And Fifty Shades of Grey is another that looks interesting. And Sweet Revenge is a book that has been taunting me for a very long time... See, so many choices!!
But I think I will commit to Shaken, if you want to read it together let me know!

so many decisions - I have Ruthless and Seduction in Death in audiobook, so i'll def. hit those up during the month on the commute to and from work; I'll also try The Duke of Shadows because I found it on the shelf the other day and might be up for a buddy read of the Jess Dee book late in the month (after the 20th) if you are interested

so many decisions - I have Ruthless and Seduction in Death in audiobook, so i'll def. hit those up during the month on the commute..."
Hit me up when/if u want to do the buddy read and I will see where I am. If I am caught up I would love to buddy it up!
Books mentioned in this topic
Nightshade (other topics)Die for Me (other topics)
Lessons From a Scarlet Lady (other topics)
The Hunger Games (other topics)
Candy Houses (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Andrea Cremer (other topics)Emma Wildes (other topics)
Julie Garwood (other topics)
Erin McCarthy (other topics)
Andrea Cremer (other topics)
More...
Stud Cattle Ranchers
The Highs
1st Place - Congratulations - You've just won Champion Cow at the district agricultural show!: Naked in Death..."
Thanks a lot Miss for these picks. This month I'm going to try to read:
1-Naked in Death
2-The Host
3-Rules of Attraction.
I also added the new one you recommended to my TBR.