August - Pick It For Me! Challenge

[Pollyanna]

Lisa wrote: " Pollyanna
I am going to read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I would like to try to read Soulless by Gail Carriger (if I can get the book during this month)..for our..."

Hi I haven't got Vampire Crush yet, I am hoping to get it in a swap.

[Tuğçe]

~Megan~ wrote: ""Tugce Nida wrote:Ok, Divergent it is then! Let me know when you are ok to start."

How about Friday? Does that work for you as a start date?"

yes friday is fine :)

[Isabella]

~Sara~ wrote: "Isabella wrote: "Hello Sara

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:
..."

Well yeah that's a huge TBR you've got there :) One day I'll get there too ;)
I'm glad you liked the picks I made for you, I was really worried asking my self if I should put some more options for each category.
I found Anansi boys an interesting book on your TBR, and it joined my TBR books cause it made me curious about one of the rare authors that got 5 stars from you.
As for The Book Thief I've got it on pdf and I'll be glad to start the buddy reading next week. So if you don't mind I'll add you to my friends and we'll keep in touch.

[Liame]

Hi sana,

I just finished the first book "Perfect Chemistry" i thought it would be a "lighter" read but i really liked it because until the end, I really couldn't see how can they have a big happy ending ! It kept me reading !
One down more to go ! Falling under is next !

[Sana]

Liame wrote: "Hi sana,

I just finished the first book "Perfect Chemistry" i thought it would be a "lighter" read but i really liked it because until the end, I really couldn't see how can they have a big happy ..."

Yes, you're so right. It also kept me guessing till the end. Perfect Chemistry is one of my favorite books. BTW, there are two more books on the other two Fuentes brothers.
I am so glad you liked it! =)

Falling Under is a truly gore, but also a fascinating read. Have fun reading it!

[Larissa]

MountainKat,

I'm so glad you liked them!

As for Shaken, i'm not sure if I'll be able to accomplish with you, but please go ahead and enjoy yourself. :)

Happy Reading!

[Gigi]

Katie wrote: "Gigi wrote: "Katie

I hope you find something you like.

The Highs
1st Place: Menage by Emma Holly
Baby Names: Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone (love the name Lindsa..."

Katie, sorry for the late reply. I've been having computer probs this month! Anyway, I'm soooo thrilled that you picked Lord Ian. Wait until you read about him, hes so dreamy! LOL

[Gigi]

Coffeentea wrote: "Gigi, I had fun going through your TBR shelves. For the most part, I tried to limit my recommendations to books on your TBR shelf. Hope you find something you like to read.

The Highs

1st P..."

Hi Coffeentea! I'm so sorry for the late reply- computer issues. Anyway, I love my recs! They're awesome. I'm stumped as to what to read.
However, since I own Mr. Perfect, I think I'll go with that one. Love Linda Howard! Thanks again.

[Joyce]

♥Shellbelle♥ wrote: "Joyce's August Picks

The Highs
♥1st Place: 1.)A Hunger Like No Other (#2Immortals After Dark) by Kresley Cole, You have Hunger Like No Other in your TBR, and this series is my fav...."

I don't know what to choose! I love them all. I think I'll start with Soulless and move up from there. I want to read all of them but I've been curious about Soulless and I downloaded the Kresley Cole novella to read next. I might keep it on my phone so that if I get stuck without a book I have something to read. LOL Must never be without a book.

[Debbie]

Sana wrote: "Liame wrote: "BTW, there are two more books on the other two Fuentes brothers.
I am so glad you liked it! =).."

I didn't know that. I just read this one last month and would love more on them. Have to check it out - Thanks for the info.

[Lili]

Hey Becky, thanks for waiting. Happy to report All is well and on its way to get better... but keep your fingers crossed, just in case!

I love your TBR, looks like you're an expert in historical romance so I picked some of your books. I tried to make your list good and since you've been waiting long enough, here it is... hope you find something you like, if not, let me know and I'll come up with something else (promise I won't be tied up trying to discover the wheel again).



Stud Cattle Ranchers

The Highs
1st Place - Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning. This is a great 5-book series, I just inhaled the 3rd one and can’t wait to start the 4th. It starts a little slow but once things start happening… man!

Baby Names - Kartsa. Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I like different names so Katsa’s name really caught my eye. This book was on my TBR forever but when I finally got to read it I was amazed, it is just wonderful!, I’m not a YA fan but when a book is good, you like it no matter what.

New Blood -
Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy. This series is about stock-car drivers and I really liked this book because it’s about a young guy dating a not-so-young widow with 2 kids, I mean, she’s not 50 but I think it’s interesting when it’s not a 40-year-old man with a 20-year-old-girl.
Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. This is one of my all-time-favorite books, soooo sweet and sexy and funny…

The Low
Rats and Mice in the stud shed - Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole. I see you’re a big fan! and haven’t read the last one, so even though this one is good, I’m just gonna say this: You need to be ready for Lothaire!

The Daily Routine
Daily Feed - Something About You by Julie James. My favorite contemporary romance author!. I see you read and liked Just the sexiest man alive so you should try this one, pay attention to the other characters because I think James just made it a series.

Rotating Paddocks - One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. Oh my God!, this is an amazing series, there’s no other author who makes me actually laugh out loud when reading a book.

Stud -
Roarke. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. I know he’s taken but a stud is a stud. The In death series is close to 35 books right now and it’s really good, this is just the first one but that’s all it took for me to get hooked.
Curran. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. Oh oh oh… this is just the perfect example of an alpha male… grrrr!!

Spread the Love ~ Buddy reads
Poddy Calf - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I see you read The hunger games, I really liked it too and if you want, we can continue the series this month.

Breeding Stock - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. I noticed you liked the first one and so did I. Now… this is a big book so if you want to go for it as a buddy read, let me know so I can get really comfortable since I couldn’t put Outlander down until I was done.

[Lili]

Thanks for all your hard work Jane and sorry for the delay.
Happy reading to everyone!!

[Shellbelle]

Joyce wrote: "♥Shellbelle♥ wrote: "Joyce's August Picks

The Highs
♥1st Place: 1.)A Hunger Like No Other (#2Immortals After Dark) by Kresley Cole, You have Hunger Like No Other in your TBR, and this..."

Glad you were able to find books you were interested in! I'll be curious to see what you think about Souless, it's been on my TBR list for awhile. And I don't think you'll be dissapointed in the Kresley Cole series! Every book just gets better than the last:-)

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

'Yay Lili!

This means my work here is done... well, it's done for a little while anyway - a change is as good as a holiday! ;)

Enjoy your reads!

[Tuğçe]

I have finished Secrets of a Summer Night yesterday and I enjoyed it a lot. I have been wanting to read a book from Lisa Kleypas for so long but don't know what was keeping me. I am glad I finally did and I liked her way and will read the next book soon. :) Now I am reading The Bride by Julie Garwood. Thank you once again Megan!

[Sana]

Debbie wrote: "Sana wrote: "Liame wrote: "BTW, there are two more books on the other two Fuentes brothers.
I am so glad you liked it! =).."

I didn't know that. I just read this one last month and would love more on them. Have to check it out - Thanks for the info. "

No problem! The third book is releasing in the middle of this month. Can't wait!

[~Megan~]

Tugce Nida wrote: "I have finished Secrets of a Summer Night yesterday and I enjoyed it a lot. I have been wanting to read a book from Lisa Kleypas for so long but don't know what was keeping me. I am g..."

Yay! I'm glad you liked it...she is one of my favorite authors! I hope you enjoy The Bride!

[~Megan~]

Mountain Kat,

I finished Hotter than Wildfire yesterday and loved it! I started listening to The Help on audio yesterday and I am really enjoying all the different voices so far. Thanks again for the great recommendations!

[Lisa]

Pollyanna wrote: "Lisa wrote: " Pollyanna
I am going to read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I would like to try to read Soulless by Gail Carriger (if I can get the book during this mo..."

I don't have it either, but the library has it and I am going to try to get it from there. Let me know when you get it and we can start after that

[D.G.]

Gigi wrote: "Hi Coffeentea! I'm so sorry for the late reply- computer issues. Anyway, I love my recs! They're awesome. I'm stumped as to what to read.
However, since I own Mr. Perfect, I think I'll go with that one. Love Linda Howard! Thanks again."

Coffentea recommended me that one in a past PIFM challenge and I loved it! Hope you enjoy it too, Gigi. ;)

[Sana]

Cheryl wrote: "Sana wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Hi Sana, I hope you can find something you like out of what I picked for you.

The Highs..."

I just finished reading Lessons From a Scarlet Lady by ..."

"I'm so glad you liked it. "

Hi Cheryl,

What date suits you best to start on the Buddy Read: Die For Me?

[Elke]

Pollyanna, Did you choose a book yet? If you did I am sorry, but I missed it!

Thanks

[Coffeentea]

Julie wrote: "Coffeentea,
It took me a while to comb through your massive TBR. Isn't it wonderful to have so many books to read? Never bored! You have quite a large paranormal collection. Since that is not a gen..."

Julie,
Thanks for your recommendations. I'll go with Hunting Ground, can't go wrong with Patricia Briggs.

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Stats Time!

We have a tie for most recommended author - Karen Marie Moning and Lisa Kleypas! We have some newcomers to the list (although Austen isn't usually considered a newcomer) - Elkeles, Stockett, Banks, Hart and Austen. Roberts continues to dominate with two pen names in the top.

1. Karen Marie Moning - 18
1. Lisa Kleypas - 18
3. J.R. Ward - 16
3. Suzanne Collins - 16
3. J.D. Robb - 16
6. Nalini Singh - 15
7. Nora Roberts - 13
8. Kresley Cole - 12
8. Richelle Mead - 12
8. Patricia Briggs - 12
11. Jeaniene Frost - 11
11. Susan Elizabeth Phillips - 11
13. Diana Gabaldon - 10
13. Simone Elkeles - 10
13. Kathryn Stockett - 10
16. Ilona Andrews - 9
16. Jennifer Crusie - 9
16. Julie Garwood - 9
19. Sarah Addison Allen - 8
19. Stephenie Meyer - 8
19. Julie James - 8
19. Maya Banks - 8
19. Megan Hart - 8
19. Jane Austen - 8

Total recommendations - 887

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Well, the top recommended books list will be a bit shorter than normal. The Help managed to take the top spot this month as the results were a bit more widespread than usual. Collins managed to get two titles in the top this month with the bookends of her widely popular trilogy. That classic category really added some new/old blood to the mix.

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - 10
2. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb - 9
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - 7
3. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning - 7
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - 7
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - 7
7. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh - 6
8. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews - 5
8. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - 5
8. Soulless by Gail Carriger - 5
8. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook - 5
8. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - 5

There are 14 books with 4 recommendations, so I'm stopping here.

[Dee]

i've only read 7 of the top 12, normally i've read more than that

[Cheryl]

Sana wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Sana wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Hi Sana, I hope you can find something you like out of what I picked for you.

The Highs..."

I just finished reading [book:Lessons From a Scarlet Lady|6..."

I'm just waiting for my copy from the library. If I can't get it soon I will go ahead and purchase it. How about we start on Monday Aug 8?

[MountainKat, Moderator]

~Megan~ wrote: "Mountain Kat,

I finished Hotter than Wildfire yesterday and loved it! I started listening to The Help on audio yesterday and I am really enjoying all the different voices so far. Thanks again ..."

I'm so glad you loved Hotter Than Wildfire! But didn't the ending just leave you dying for Nightfire to come out?! February can't get here soon enough for me!

I really enjoyed The Help in audio, I thought it was incredibly well done.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Thanks Diane :) Interesting mix of authors and books... Jayne Eyre kicked b*tt!!

[Vi]

Thanks for the stats, Diane.

A general question, is The Help better as an audio rather than ebook?

[Dee]

@ Vi - I did it in audio - I think the narration really brought the women to life - because 3 different people narrated it - one for minnie; one for abilieen and one for ms skeeter

[Tuğçe]

Vi wrote: "Thanks for the stats, Diane.

A general question, is The Help better as an audio rather than ebook?"

I have been wondering the same thing Vi. I wanted to read this one for awhile but kept seeing mixed reviews and hesitated. Maybe audio will help it.

[~Megan~]

MountainKat wrote: "I'm so glad you loved Hotter Than Wildfire! But didn't the ending just leave you dying for Nightfire to come out?! February can't get here soon enough for me!"

Totally!! I couldn't believe there was a cliffhanger in an LMR book, and I can't wait to find out more!

I was telling my sister last night that I don't think I'd enjoy The Help quite as much if I'd been reading it instead of listening to it. If you like audiobooks, then I definitely recommend doing this one in that format.

[D.G.]

Great stats, Diane!

I've read 10 out of the top recommended books. :)

[Vi]

Hm, I haven't listened to an audiobook at all.. I figure I'll fall asleep. Will the Help be a good audio book for a beginner?

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Vi wrote: "Hm, I haven't listened to an audiobook at all.. I figure I'll fall asleep. Will the Help be a good audio book for a beginner?"

What makes or breaks an audiobook is the narration and the narration is excellent in The Help!! I use audiobooks when I am driving, running errands or doing rather mindless work around the house -think dishes, cooking or yard work. I rarely listen while just relaxing. I only do that when I only have a little bit left after getting home and don't want to wait until I get back in the car again to finish.

[Dee]

i use them for driving to work most days - because I'm not a fan of any of the radio stations in my area - I also find that i pick up on lots of little details in the audiobook that I normally might overlook when reading

[Vi]

Hm, I think I'll give it a shot with the audio book. I think my library should have the cds.

[D.G.]

MountainKat wrote: "What makes or breaks an audiobook is the narration"

Totally agree.

I listen to audiobooks all the time too...when I'm walking, exercising, at work when I'm doing mindless stuff and sometimes at night when I'm in bed and don't feel like holding a book, LOL!

[Sana]

Cheryl wrote: "Sana wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Sana wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "Hi Sana, I hope you can find something you like out of what I picked for you.

The Highs..."

I just finished reading"

All right, fine by me. We'll start on Monday then.

[Debbie]

D.G. ~Vile Temptress~ wrote: "I listen to audiobooks all the time too...when I'm walking, exercising, at work when I'm doing mindless stu..."

Me too, I love my audio players. So much better than music while walking.

[Dee]

Vi - something you can do, if you have a MP3 player - is that most programs allows you to combine the tracks from the CD into one adn then transfer to device - I use this quite often with my ipod

Vi wrote: "Hm, I think I'll give it a shot with the audio book. I think my library should have the cds."

[Dee]

ditto - I find I can always do the math on how long the song is and so I know how far i've gone - I tend not to do that with audiobooks

Debbie wrote: "D.G. ~Vile Temptress~ wrote: "I listen to audiobooks all the time too...when I'm walking, exercising, at work when I'm doing mindless stu..."

Me too, I love my audio players. So much better than ..."

[Debbie]

haha, I know, getting lost in the story I sometimes end up going so much longer than normal. Really looking forward to the weather cooperating so that I can walk outside again. I am missing my audio time :)

[Becky]

Lili wrote: "Hey Becky, thanks for waiting. Happy to report All is well and on its way to get better... but keep your fingers crossed, just in case!

I love your TBR, looks like you're an expert in historical r..."

Hi Lili,
What an awesome job you did choosing books:) I have been wanting to read Dreams of a Dark Warrior since it came out and I have heard great things about Magic Bites. So it is between those 2!

[Daffodil]

Tugce Nida

Started and finished yesterday, 8-3-11.

Thanks so much for the rec.

Usually I won't start a book with previously written about characters when I haven't read the other book(s). But, it sounded really interesting (and you recommended it). Since I hadn't read Fancy Pants, etc, I had no emotional investment in any of the characters. Even though I found both Meg and Ted borderline unlikable at first, I was drawn into their story and by the end of the book I cared about their relationship very much. On the other hand, certain townspeople I never learned to like or respect. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm definitely going to have to go back now and read some of SEP's previous novels.

[Vi]

Yep, that is what I'm planning to do. I'm going on trip soon. Waiting between flights should be a perfect time to listen. Btw, I totally agree with the walking thing :)

Dee wrote: "Vi - something you can do, if you have a MP3 player - is that most programs allows you to combine the tracks from the CD into one adn then transfer to device - I use this quite often with my ipod
..."

[~Sara~]

Isabella wrote: "~Sara~ wrote: "Isabella wrote: "Hello Sara

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 somethi..."

Sounds good!

[Tuğçe]

Daffodil wrote: "Tugce Nida

Started and finished yesterday, 8-3-11.

Thanks so much for the rec.

Usually I won't start a book with previously written about charact..."

Glad you enjoyed it Daffodil!. That's exactly what had happened to me, I usually never read a series out of order, this one was the first and now I am going back and reading the previous ones. SEP became one of the authors I like.

@ Dee & Vi, I drive a long way to work everyday so I love listening my audiobooks in the car, I started to enjoy the traffic jam ;) I also love listening while I am jogging/walking early in the mornings whenever I can drag myself out of bed to do so. ;) When I try listening in bed instead of reading I usually fall asleep pretty soon to remember what I heard :) Enjoy your vacation Vi.

[Tuğçe]

I have finished The Bride by Julie Garwood, I enjoyed it but I must admit I still prefer Honor's Splendour better. I think it kills the fun to read Julie Garwood books quite frequent, the stories are pretty similar so I started to get bored at some parts. Jamie (still like Madeleine more) made me laugh out loud quite a few times :) And I liked Alec (loved Duncan and Ian), but still the whole story made me feel like, it was forced a little. And Jamie was sometimes unrealistically naive :D Now moving on to Divergent for a buddyread with Megan.