December - Pick it For Me! Challenge

[Amanda]

Thank You for the picks Penney. I will start off reading Lisa Kleypas . Yeah this year I have been really bad at reading books out of order but in my defense I didn't know I was reading them out of order until I was halfway done b/c I would just grab a book from the store without reading the back of it. LoL

Penney wrote: "Hi Amanda! I finally grabbed a few minutes to sit in front of the computer, so here it goes...

NICE:
1. Winter Solstice ~ The shortest book on your list happens to be written by an author I enjoy..."

[Amy J.]

Jojo wrote: "
I just bought Visions of Heat last week so will be reading that soon and I've only held off on reading Envy because it would be so long to the next one. I'm also going to study the list and read at least a couple of the others if not more!
..."

Does that mean you want to buddy read Envy this month?

[Larissa]

Polina wrote: "Hi, Larissa! First I have to say that you have great taste in book (similar to mine ;)) so it was real fun to pick for you. Have a great challenge this month and happy holidays!

Winter Solace - ..."

Hey! Thanks for the amazing picks! Do I have a great taste? Haha, back at you ;)
I think I'll stick with Lover Mine, since I was already planning to read it this month and Beautiful Disaster, but who knows? I have great options and I always make up my mind of what to read in the last moment possible. As for the buddy read, I'd love to read with you Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor. Perhaps next week? Let me know what is better for you. :D

[Dee]

wow, you guys are awesome - I only have 2 people who haven't done their recs yet!

[Nancy H]

Finished my first book - Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard - very funny satire on Jane Austen's characters!

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

I finished Wake yesterday. I'm not a big fan of YA in general, so I probably wouldn't have picked this to read if it weren't for the facts that: 1. I needed a YA book for my monthly challenge, 2. It was available from the library in audio, and 3. It's short. That being said, I did enjoy the story - didn't LOVE it, but liked it enough to consider continuing with the series. I would recommend to anyone thinking about reading it to actually read it rather than listen to the audio if you have the option though, because the writing style didn't translate very well to audio in places.

Thanks for the recommendation, Fran! I still have several more that I'm planning on reading this month.

[Fran, Moderator]

~KarenH~ wrote: "I finished Wake yesterday. I'm not a big fan of YA in general, so I probably wouldn't have picked this to read if it weren't for the facts that: 1. I needed a YA book for my monthly..."

Karen,
I really enjoyed the second and third books in the trilogy, I hope you continue! I never listened to them on audio so I'm not sure how they would translate to that medium. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I hope you like the next two better if you decide to continue with the series :)

[Valerie]

Hello Lorena,

Here are my picks for you. I hope you find something you like.

Nice

1. Winter Solstice - Glimmerglass

2. Summer Solstice - Outlander

3. Series Clean-up - Nauti Nights

Naughty

4. Many yearly challenges - Storm Born

5. Favorite Book of the Year - Delirium

6. A read that made you blush - Wicked Ties

Buddy Read

7. Book Buying - The Smoke Thief

8. Christmas Read - Christmas In Ardmmore / Christmas With The Quinns; Excerpts From The Villa (this might only be available electronically from Nora's website)

[Mimmy]

Cathy wrote: "Roxy,

Here are my recommendations for you. I hope you find something of interest. If not just let me know.

Nice

1. Winter Solstice
Surrender by Pamela Clare (355 pages)
[book:Hard ..."

Hi Cathy,

Thanks for the picks! I'm absolutely going to read Hard Bitten, so that I can get to the latest book. I get a little twitchy if I read things out of order.

Do you want to read One Grave at a Time as a buddy read? Or Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor?

[Valerie]

Cacophony wrote: "Hi Valerie!
I hope you can find something here for December!

1. Winter Solstice
Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
2. Summer Solstice
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss This has been re..."

Thanks for the great picks. I think I will take this opportunity to catch up on the Psy-Changeling series.

Thanks again.

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Fran wrote: "Karen,
I really enjoyed the second and third books in the trilogy, I hope you continue! I never listened to them on audio so I'm not sure how they would translate to that medium. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I hope you like the next two better if you decide to continue with the series :)
"

I'm sure I will continue with it at some point (although probably not right away), if for no other reason than it's a short YA that I can get from the library. Since I don't tend to like a lot of YA, it's nice to have an option for challenges, etc. that is short, free, and that I figure I will like at least enough to not feel like I've wasted my time reading/listening to it - and who knows, I might like the 2nd and 3rd books even better than I did the first!

As far as the translation to audio goes, the constant date/time references were a little strange, but there was also one conversation between Janie and Cabel that sounded in the narration like it was written more along the lines of a script or screenplay:
Cabel: blah, blah, blah
Janie: blah, blah
This got really annoying after a while. I don't know if it was actually written that way, or if it was something the narrator did (although I know they generally read things exactly as written), but whatever it was it wasn't good. Fortunately that was just one conversation near the end of the book, but it made an impression!

[Jojo]

Amy J. wrote: "Jojo wrote: "
I just bought Visions of Heat last week so will be reading that soon and I've only held off on reading Envy because it would be so long to the next one. I'm also going to study the li..."

I'd love to read Envy with you - just let me know when you can start

[Lauren]

Finished - I enjoyed the way the story arc is developing.

[Lorena]

Hi Valerie, thanks for the picks!

I'm going to try and read Delirium and Wicked Ties this month.

[~Leslie~]

There seem to be several of us who are reading for this challenge. Does anyone want to do it as a buddy read?
I have started a thread if anyone wants to join the discussion.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
This is my first time starting a thread, so if I did it wrong, let me know :}

[~Leslie~]

Lethal Lovely, just finished and realized about halfway through that I had read it before a long time ago. I finished it anyway and liked it so much more than I remember, since I had recently read the first one. I used to not care about the order in which I read books, but that is changing. I love how the author includes a deeper theme in her novels- the first one had an autistic character, this one deals with grief. But I also appreciate the fact that Mac loves Isabella throughout the whole story. Openly and enthusiastically. Great pick!! I'm glad I got a chance to reread even though I didn't know I was rereading. Good surprise.

[Dee]

I believe and correct me if i'm wrong, that EVERYONE who originally signed up has their picks...so PM me if you don't...I went though all the posts and marked them off my list, and it was all green when I was done

[Becky]

How cool!!

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Very impressive!

[Dee]

I have 3 late comers and 1 person that I missed (slaps my hand), and i'll get their pairings up tomorrow (just on the off-chance I missed someone)

[Christine]

Dee wrote: "I have 3 late comers and 1 person that I missed (slaps my hand), and i'll get their pairings up tomorrow (just on the off-chance I missed someone)"

Yeah, Us!

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim)]

I picked up the Naked Werewolf book today. So I guess I'll be reading that first,.

[Dee]

don't sound so excited jim...it is cute

[Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim)]

My wife started it last night and is nearly halfway done already. She said it's all first person POV but fun. I am looking forward to it as it has been recommended a couple of times now.

[Dee]

i listened to it, but i def. laughed out loud in a few places

[booklovinrn]

Regina


Thanks for the picks. I plan to read 2 of the books:


Raziel by Kristina Douglas
Divergent by Veronica Roth

[D.G.]

Dee - Weren't you going to put Flame for the re-picks? Or did somebody else pick for her?

[Victoria]

Oh, the repicks are up? Sorry, I've been really really busy, barely had time to come online!

[Suzanne]

Will the repicks list be on the first page of forum?

[Dee]

no, repicks aren't up...Flame is the one I forgot!

but yes, they will be in msg two when I get them up

[Victoria]

Ok sure thanks Dee!

[Tuğçe]

Dee, If you need anyone for the re-picks, I can help ...

[Fran, Moderator]

Pam,

I finished The Adoration of Jenna Fox this morning. I loved it, thanks so much for the recommendation. Once I started it, I couldn't stop. thought-provoking and fast-paced. Thanks again for the great pick :)

[Dee]

re-picks are posted in msg 2...since everyone offically got their pick (except for Flame who I missed), and there were 3 latecomers, they are picking between themselves...but thanks (like always) to the volunteers

[Pam]

Fran wrote: "Pam,

I finished The Adoration of Jenna Fox this morning. I loved it, thanks so much for the recommendation. Once I started it, I couldn't stop. thought-provoking and fast-paced. T..."

Wow, finished already! Good for you. I agree it was very thought-provoking. I should probably mention that Sue recommended it to me in March. Thanks Sue!

[Vi]

Hi Iris thanks for the picks. unfortunately, i'm accessing the net from my phone and I am not able to.go through my picks properly. I will go through them again when i'm back home.

[Melanie (Moviemavengal)]

Alyssa,

Here are some picks for December!

Nice - since we should always be nice and try to stick with our to-read piles ;) (yeah, right!)

1. Winter Solstice - Sister of the Bride is a novella, I think. Sounds short.

2. Summer Solstice - Lover Awakened. I think you're up to number three in the series!

3. Series Clean-up - Lover Awakened again, or Touch of Surrender

Naughty - because buying books is naughty (for most of us)

4. Many yearly challenges - Twenties Girlor Burning Up

5. Favorite Book of the Year - When Beauty Tamed the Beast , possibly my favorite of the year.

6. A read that made you blush - Flat-Out Sexy because of the younger man fantasy!

Buddy Read
7. Book Buying - recommend a book you bought recently (that you maybe shouldn't have) that you would like to read - Just the Sexiest Man Alive

8. Christmas Read - pick a christmas-y book to buddy read with your partner - Holiday Hideout is on my wish list, and I just saw someone else recommend a novella that's coming out next week by a contemporary author I like, Shannon Stacy: Mistletoe and Margaritas. The title is awesome!

[Suzanne]

Hi Flame!! Here are your picks for December!!

Nice

1. Winter Solstice:
The Defiant Lady by Samantha Garman
Captive Surrender by Linda Mooney

2. Summer Solstice:
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
So Worthy My Love by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

3. Series Clean-Up:
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

Naughty

4. Many Yearly Challenges:
Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

5. Favorite Book of the Year:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

6. Read a Book That Made you Blush:
Beyond Eden by Kele Moon

Buddy Read

7. Book Buying:
A Man for All Seasons: The Texas Ranger\Garden Cop by Diana Palmer

8. Christmas Read:
Holidays Are Hell by Kim Harrison

[Stormy]

D.G.,

Finished Hot Head today and really, really LOVED it. Thank you so much for the recommendation!!! Griff was so sweet and Dante was so...NYC italian. I just loved the whole story. An easy 5 star read for me.

On to Perfect Chemistry next!

[Iris]

No big deal, Vi. Let me know if you want to do a buddy read with any of the picks or if you would like me to repick any for you.

[Macwolf01 [Elise]]

Thanks Kate, I`m in for the buddy read and for sure and the others all add to my TBR list.

Let me know if you want to do the Buddy read and when THX again E

[Lady Jaye]

Cathy,

I read The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and... wow. I have never seen so much spanking in one novel before. But I thought the writing was horrendously bad, though. I can't believe Anne Rice wrote this. But still...what a book!

[Lady Jaye]

Lady Jaye wrote: "Cathy,

I read The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and... wow. I have never seen so much spanking in one novel before. But I thought the writing was horrendously bad, though. I can't beli..."

I'm going to go ahead and also read The Hunger Games

[D.G.]

Kerste wrote: "D.G.,

Finished Hot Head today and really, really LOVED it. Thank you so much for the recommendation!!! Griff was so sweet and Dante was so...NYC italian. I just loved the whole ..."

I'm so glad you liked it, Kerste! Yup, the author really got the NY Italian thing. I was PIMP!

Hope you enjoy Perfect Chemistry!

[Jojo]

Hi Amy J

I finished Bubba and the Dead Woman it was pretty good, Bubba and his mother were really entertaining and his dog stole the show - I love it when free Kindle books from Amazon turn out to be decent reads, it just means I'll have to read the next in the series soon.

I started Visions of Heat this morning and I'm about 25% of the way through already so that won't be long.

[Amy J.]

Jojo wrote: "Hi Amy J

I finished Bubba and the Dead Woman it was pretty good, Bubba and his mother were really entertaining and his dog stole the show - I love it when free Kindle books from A..."

Glad you're enjoying your picks. I can probably read Envy with you starting Wed or Thurs of this week. Could that work for you?

[Jojo]

Amy J. wrote: "Jojo wrote: "Hi Amy J

I finished Bubba and the Dead Woman it was pretty good, Bubba and his mother were really entertaining and his dog stole the show - I love it when free Kindle b..."

That's great - I should have plenty of time - school plays are this week so kids will at school for a couple of hours every evening - yay!

[Victoria]

Suzanne wrote: "Hi Flame!! Here are your picks for December!!

Nice

1. Winter Solstice:
The Defiant Lady by Samantha Garman
Captive Surrender by [author:Linda Moo..."

Hey Suzanne! Thanks! The picks look great! I'll definitely read Captive Surrender, hopefully I'll get to read the two Rick Riordan books! As for the others, well, it looks really good! I can't really decide... I'll try to read as many as I can from there! I may try new stuff like Water for Elephants and The Help! I haven't read those type of books before so I don't know what to expect! And oh well, I'll probably make myself read Dragonfly in Amber even though Outlander killed me. I mean, I really want to know whether they'll have their HEA!

[Victoria]

Hi Moviemavengal,
here are your picks! Hope you enjoy them! :D

1. Winter Solstice

Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn

I was addicted just from the blurb. It looks really good!

2. Summer Solstice

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden

You have sooooo many awesome books in your TBR. I chose this because I remember 3-4 years ago, I wrote it down somewhere that I wanted to read it. And though I never did, I think it made a really big impact on me! So maybe you could try it, and tell me whether I should read it! :P Heh, just joking! :D

3. Series Clean-up

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

For City of Ashes, it’s the 2nd book, I did enjoy it and really wanted to read the 3rd book because of that. For Vampire Academy, its really really addictive. I mean, I kinda didn’t study for my exams just to read… Oops! Well, for that book I love the guy. He’s like……………….. The girl, not so much… You don’t seem to really read YA, and so do I, but this was a YA that I really enjoyed.

4. Many yearly challenges

His Mistress for a Million by Trish Morey

Really loved this book, only complaint was with the ending, a bit too short for my tastes! Oh well, but overall, it was of the best Harlequins I’ve read!

5. Favorite Book of the Year

Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught
Once and Always by Judith McNaught
Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey

In your profile, you mentioned you enjoy Regency romances. So do I actually! So well, I picked some of my favourite Regencies by my favourite authors! And all these books kinda ranked top this year? It did last year too:P There’s so many I want to write!

6. A read that made you blush

Strangers by Barbara Elsborg

Hmm, this was quite a difficult choice, given that I don’t really blush when reading certain scenes in books anymore! :P

Buddy Read

7. Book Buying

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

8. Christmas Read

Sweet Magik by Penny Watson

[Alyssa]

Suzanne Indiana I didn't get to work on your picks yesterday cause I was travelling almost all night when I got the notice I was able to participate. I'm working on your picks now and will get them up asap!