I've Started, So I'll Finish (or at least catchup)

[Christine]

I guess I'm just too easily tempted by shiny new-to-me series....

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Well that's why my tbr tottering tower is over 1700 books. LOL.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

SOS I've Started, So I'll Finish
Enabler: Charlotte
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012

8/23 Completed

Kara Gillian
1. Blood of the Demon 27/2/12 ★★★★★
2. Secrets of the Demon 14/3/12 ★★★★★
3. Sins of the Demon


Mageverse
4. Master of Fire
5. Master of Smoke
6. Master of Shadows
7. Master of Darkness


The Edge
8. Bayou Moon 19/3/12 ★★★★
9. Fate's Edge


Talions
10. Dark Warrior Unbroken
11. Dark Warrior Untamed


Breeds
12. Tanner's Scheme 21/2/12 ★★★★
13. Styx's Storm 18/3/12 ★★★★
14. Navarro's Promise 4/4/12 ★★★
15. Lawe's Justice 3/5/12 ★★★★
16. Stygian's Honor



Guardians of Eternity
17. Embrace the Darkness 6/4/12 ★★★★
18. Darkness Everlasting
19. Darkness Revealed
20. Darkness Unleashed
21. Beyond The Darkness
22. Devoured by Darkness
23. Bound By Darkness

[Judithe, Soap Operas never end....]

Agh! I forgot that one. I've been reading on it, but need to get all my reviews written! Thanks for mentioning it, Charlotte!!!

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

Here to help Judithe!

[D.G.]

Christine wrote: "I guess I'm just too easily tempted by shiny new-to-me series...."

Yup, that happens to me too. Also, I actually like to give some room in between books in the series (i actually don't like to read them back to back) so I don't feel like catching up on series I have more than 3 or 4 books to read.

[Christine]

D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~ wrote: "Christine wrote: "I guess I'm just too easily tempted by shiny new-to-me series...."

Yup, that happens to me too. Also, I actually like to give some room in between books in the series (i actually..."


Before I got hooked on reading challenges I used to read all the books in a good series back to back. On the good-but-not-great series I might take a break between books. But now, thanks to reading challenges I've got so many different series started that I could easily fill a month (or two) just reading one in each series. And then there are all the new releases in series that I am up to date on. But I just can't resist a good challenge. And now I've got plenty of options to choose from!

[D.G.]

SOS - 2012 I've Started So I'll Finish
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012
1/8 Series Completed: 6/19 Books Read

I. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (#6-7)
#6 -Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 1/21 ★★★★★
#7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 1/26 ★★★★★


II. Matthew Shardlake by C.J. Sansom (#4-5)
#4 - Revelation
#5 - Heartstone

III. Sylph by L.J. McDonald (#2-3)
#2 - The Shattered Sylph
#3 - Queen of the Sylphs

IV. Turner by Courney Milan (#2-3)
#2 - Unclaimed - 2/23 ★★★½
#3 - Unraveled


V. Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne (#3-4)
#3 - Hammered - 4/9 ★★★★
#4 - Tricked


VI. Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs (#2-3)
#2 - Hunting Ground
#3 - Fair Game

VII. Faith, Love & Devotion by Tere Michaels (#2-3)
#2 - Love & Loyalty
#3 - Duty & Devotion

VIII. Dark Angel by Mary Balogh (#3-7)
#3 - The Famous Heroine - 4/1 ★★★½
#4 - The Plumed Bonnet - 4/2 ★★½
#5 - The Ideal Wife
#6 - A Precious Jewel
#7 - A Christmas Bride

[D.G.]

SOS - 2012 I've Started So I'll Finish
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012
1/8 Series Completed: 7/19 Books Read

I. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (#6-7)
#6 -Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 1/21 ★★★★★
#7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 1/26 ★★★★★


II. Matthew Shardlake by C.J. Sansom (#4-5)
#4 - Revelation
#5 - Heartstone

III. Sylph by L.J. McDonald (#2-3)
#2 - The Shattered Sylph
#3 - Queen of the Sylphs

IV. Turner by Courney Milan (#2-3)
#2 - Unclaimed - 2/23 ★★★½
#3 - Unraveled


V. Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne (#3-4)
#3 - Hammered - 4/9 ★★★★
#4 - Tricked


VI. Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs (#2-3)
#2 - Hunting Ground - 4/15 ★★★½
#3 - Fair Game


VII. Faith, Love & Devotion by Tere Michaels (#2-3)
#2 - Love & Loyalty
#3 - Duty & Devotion

VIII. Dark Angel by Mary Balogh (#3-7)
#3 - The Famous Heroine - 4/1 ★★★½
#4 - The Plumed Bonnet - 4/2 ★★½
#5 - The Ideal Wife
#6 - A Precious Jewel
#7 - A Christmas Bride

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Challenge ''I've Started, So I'll Finish (or at least catchup)''
Duration: 1st January - 31st December 2012
Completed series: 2/6 , Completed: 13/24

Walker Papers series by C.E. Murphy



3.Coyote Dreams
4.Walking Dead
5.Demon Hunts
6.Spirit Dances
7.Raven Calls

Night Angel series by Brent Weeks, DONE



1. The Way of Shadows Read ★★★★★
2. Shadow's Edge 02/02/2012 ★★★★★
3. Beyond the Shadows 02/03/2012 ★★★★★
4. Perfect Shadow: A Night Angel Novella 24/03/2012 ★★★★

Connor Grey series by Mark Del Franco



2. Unquiet Dreams , 08/02/2012 ★★★★
3. Unfallen Dead , 15/03/2012 ★★★★
4. Unperfect Souls , 07/04/2012 ★★★★
5.Uncertain Allies
6.Undone Deeds

Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones



2. Second Grave on the Left , 16/02/2012 ★★★★
3.Third Grave Dead Ahead
4.Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

The Blades of the Rose series by Zoe Archer



3. Rebel , 30/03/2012 ★★★
4.Stranger

The Tairen Soul series by C.L. Wilson
Mind you, I am no serial reader but this one was too good to stop.


1. Lord of the Fading Lands , 29/03/2012 ★★★★★
2. Lady of Light and Shadows , 03/04/2012 ★★★★★
3. King of Sword and Sky , 10/04/2012 ★★★★★
4. Queen of Song and Souls , 10/04/2012 ★★★★★
5. Crown of Crystal Flame , 13/04/2012 ★★★★★

[Barbara ★]

1st Series: Wing Slayer Hunters - Jennifer Lyons
#3 Night Magic 4/20/12
#4 Sinful Magic


2nd Series: Weather Wardens - Rachel Caine
#2 Heat Stroke
#3 Chill Factor
#4 Windfall
#5 Firestorm
#6 Thin Air
#7 Gale Force
#8 Cape Storm
#9 Total Eclipse


3rd Series: The Keys to the Kingdom - Garth Nix COMPLETE
#3 Drowned Wednesday 1/10/12
#4 Sir Thursday 2/2/12
#5 Lady Friday 4/23/12
#6 Superior Saturday 4/26/12
#7 Lord Sunday 5/5/12


4th Series: The Dark Forgotten - Sharon Ashwood
#2 Scorched
#3 Unchained
#4 Frostbound


5th Series: Carpathians - Christine Feehan
#21 Dark Peril
#22 Dark Predator


6th Series: Dark-Hunters - Sherrilyn Kenyon
#18 Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18) 3/21/12
#19 No Mercy 4/19/12
#20 Retribution


7th Series: In Death - J.D. Robb
#30 Fantasy in Death 1/7/12
#31 Indulgence in Death 1/21/12
#32 Treachery in Death 5/4/12
#33 New York to Dallas
#34 Celebrity in Death

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

I think I will have to take the Fallen series off my list, totally not motivated to finish it after picking up so many good books! At least I've finished one series but I guess I will be adding some new series to my challenge soon :D

Christine wrote: "D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~ wrote: "Christine wrote: "I guess I'm just too easily tempted by shiny new-to-me series...."

Yup, that happens to me too. Also, I actually like to give some room in between ..."

You know it's a good series when you have to read it back to back, I think that's the best way to read a series! Unless it's a really long one, and you need to take a break from it.

[Christine]

Jeann wrote: "You know it's a good series when you have to read it back to back, I think that's the best way to read a series! Unless it's a really long one, and you need to take a break from it. "


I used to (almost) always read a series back to back. And then I got hooked on challenges and ended up starting a whole bunch of new series to complete different challenges. At least now I've got a wide range of different series to chose from when it's time for a new book! I've got a few series I've purposely put off starting because from what I've heard I think I'll want to read them back to back once I start, but I need to clean up some other series first.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

Challenges are great to guide you with your reading, but I wouldn't want to be stuck reading a bunch of different series without knowing what happens next. Unfortunately it seems that these days publishers have caught on to the profitability of series and every new release seems to be a series these days. I'm lucky with the newer books that most of them don't have a sequel yet, which means I can knock off some older series off the to-read series before I start new ones :)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

SOS I've Started, So I'll Finish
Enabler: Charlotte
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012

9/23 Completed

Kara Gillian Completed
1. Blood of the Demon 27/2/12 ★★★★★
2. Secrets of the Demon 14/3/12 ★★★★★
3. Sins of the Demon 17/5/12 ★★★★★


Mageverse
4. Master of Fire
5. Master of Smoke
6. Master of Shadows
7. Master of Darkness


The Edge
8. Bayou Moon 19/3/12 ★★★★
9. Fate's Edge


Talions
10. Dark Warrior Unbroken
11. Dark Warrior Untamed


Breeds
12. Tanner's Scheme 21/2/12 ★★★★
13. Styx's Storm 18/3/12 ★★★★
14. Navarro's Promise 4/4/12 ★★★
15. Lawe's Justice 3/5/12 ★★★★
16. Stygian's Honor



Guardians of Eternity
17. Embrace the Darkness 6/4/12 ★★★★
18. Darkness Everlasting
19. Darkness Revealed
20. Darkness Unleashed
21. Beyond The Darkness
22. Devoured by Darkness
23. Bound By Darkness

[D.G.]

SOS - 2012 I've Started So I'll Finish
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012
1/8 Series Completed: 12/21 Books Read

I. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (#6-7)
#6 -Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 1/21 ★★★★★
#7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 1/26 ★★★★★


II. Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs (#2-3)
#2 - Hunting Ground - 4/15 ★★★½
#3 - Fair Game


III. Old Kingdom by Garth Nix (#2-3)
#2 - Lirael - 5/31 ★★★½
#3 - Abhorsen


IV. Turner by Courney Milan (#2-3)
#2 - Unclaimed - 2/23 ★★★½
#3 - Unraveled


V. Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne (#3-4)
#3 - Hammered - 4/9 ★★★½
#4 - Tricked - 5/5 ★★★★


VI. Faith, Love & Devotion by Tere Michaels (#2-3)
#2 - Love & Loyalty
#3 - Duty & Devotion

VII. Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy (#2-5)
#2 - Live Bait - 1/10 ★★★★½
#3 - Dead Run - 2/7 ★★★★½
#4 - Snow Blind - 4/27 ★★★½
#5 - Shoot to Thrill


VIII. Dark Angel by Mary Balogh (#3-7)
#3 - The Famous Heroine - 4/1 ★★★½
#4 - The Plumed Bonnet - 4/2 ★★½
#5 - The Ideal Wife
#6 - A Precious Jewel
#7 - A Christmas Bride

[D.G.]

I switched around my series a bit because I wasn't making any progress with the ones I picked at the beginning.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

You're doing great DG!!!

[D.G.]

Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "You're doing great DG!!!"

Thanks, Charlotte. This year I've been working hard on catching up on series but in some of them I don't seem to be making much progress. That's why I had to switch things around a bit.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

I'm doing better than I thought I would...this year I started so many new series so I'm more of crossing those off my hit list than continuing ones that I have started already!

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

I got to get moving on this one - unfortunately though while trying to finish a challenge in another group I've now run into the juggernaut that is Fifty Shades of Grey. I think that's going to completely derail my reading while I bash through this trilogy!

[Christine]

I've been doing terribly on this one lately. But I've been doing fairly well at making progress on new series I've started since the beginning of the year.

[Barbara ★]

1st Series: Wing Slayer Hunters - Jennifer Lyons
#3 Night Magic 4/20/12
#4 Sinful Magic 5/30/12


2nd Series: Weather Wardens - Rachel Caine
#2 Heat Stroke
#3 Chill Factor
#4 Windfall
#5 Firestorm
#6 Thin Air
#7 Gale Force
#8 Cape Storm
#9 Total Eclipse


3rd Series: The Keys to the Kingdom - Garth Nix COMPLETE
#3 Drowned Wednesday 1/10/12
#4 Sir Thursday 2/2/12
#5 Lady Friday 4/23/12
#6 Superior Saturday 4/26/12
#7 Lord Sunday 5/5/12


4th Series: The Dark Forgotten - Sharon Ashwood
#2 Scorched 6/3/12
#3 Unchained
#4 Frostbound


5th Series: Carpathians - Christine Feehan
#21 Dark Peril
#22 Dark Predator


6th Series: Dark-Hunters - Sherrilyn Kenyon
#18 Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter, #18) 3/21/12
#19 No Mercy 4/19/12
#20 Retribution


7th Series: In Death - J.D. Robb
#30 Fantasy in Death 1/7/12
#31 Indulgence in Death 1/21/12
#32 Treachery in Death 5/4/12
#33 New York to Dallas
#34 Celebrity in Death

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

SOS I've Started, So I'll Finish
Enabler: Charlotte
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012

10/23 Completed

Kara Gillian Completed
1. Blood of the Demon 27/2/12 ★★★★★
2. Secrets of the Demon 14/3/12 ★★★★★
3. Sins of the Demon 17/5/12 ★★★★★


Mageverse
4. Master of Fire 7/6/12 ★★★★
5. Master of Smoke
6. Master of Shadows
7. Master of Darkness


The Edge
8. Bayou Moon 19/3/12 ★★★★
9. Fate's Edge


Talions
10. Dark Warrior Unbroken
11. Dark Warrior Untamed


Breeds
12. Tanner's Scheme 21/2/12 ★★★★
13. Styx's Storm 18/3/12 ★★★★
14. Navarro's Promise 4/4/12 ★★★
15. Lawe's Justice 3/5/12 ★★★★
16. Stygian's Honor



Guardians of Eternity
17. Embrace the Darkness 6/4/12 ★★★★
18. Darkness Everlasting
19. Darkness Revealed
20. Darkness Unleashed
21. Beyond The Darkness
22. Devoured by Darkness
23. Bound By Darkness

[Lis]

Well I'm only finished with 6 out of 16 I targeted for this challenge. I was hoping to be half way there by now... I am struggling with a couple of these series and in a reading funk. At one point I liked them, bought most of the books in the great Borders hoarding frenzy. Now I'm feeling guilty since I've made the investment and it's a chore to push thru them. I MUST check them off my list, but so easily distracted with other shiny covers.

[Christine]

Lis wrote: "Well I'm only finished with 6 out of 16 I targeted for this challenge. I was hoping to be half way there by now... I am struggling with a couple of these series and in a reading funk. At one po..."


Been there. Done that. I'm sure plenty of us can relate. But I always hope that someday some of those series will appeal to me again. Maybe?

[Valerie ~ Val Hall ~]

Lis wrote: "Well I'm only finished with 6 out of 16 I targeted for this challenge. I was hoping to be half way there by now... I am struggling with a couple of these series and in a reading funk. At one po..."

I hear you. I think what helped me a bit reading the old ones is the balance reading challenge. It really drive home how many new book in a month rather than take down my existing TBR pile. Mind you it has not helped me in this challenge either.

[Lis]

Didn't join that one.

But... I look at a paperback version of Jaz Parks, then ohhhhh... Val just added some freebie kindle books I can download, with shiny covers too. And off I go!

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

I just spent the last week reading the Fifty Shades books - completely de-railed everything else. But now that's out of my system I should be back to clearing out some old books!

[Christine]

I'm better since Borders closed. I used to just have to use those weekly coupons on something. So I've got several series in which I own four or more books and I haven't even read the first one yet! And then there was the liquidation sale. It would take me years to read just the books I already own. But the new stuff looks so good....

[Lis]

I still miss Borders. I was good until I got my Kindle for Christmas. Hitting that little button is just too easy. The buddy reads are helping too.

[Christine]

Yes, the buddy reads have gotten me to start several series I've had sitting around for years. Love the buddy reads. Of course, while they're great for starting new series, so far they've been bad for finishing old series.

[Christine]

Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "I just spent the last week reading the Fifty Shades books - completely de-railed everything else. But now that's out of my system I should be back to clearing out some old books!"

I just got the notice from my library that my copy of the first book is ready for pick up. I'm convinced I'm not even going to like it, but we'll see...

[Lis]

Its kind of a nice break from vamps, shifters, demons, etc. I read them about a month ago and they were a fast read. 2nd book gets better.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

Be interested to know what you think Christine. It helps to have the second book ready when you finish the first.

[Christine]

From the various reviews I've read, my concern is the writing style. I've read books that people rave about and give five stars and then I read it and think "Really? This is five star writing to you?" And then I think I'm even more critical because of all the praise. But since I'm going in not expecting much, hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised. Hopefully.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

The writing's not great (on a par with Twilight, but then it started out as Twilight fanfict), but Christian is soooooo worth it. I gave each of the books 4/5.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

I second, Charlotte's thoughts. The writing is not going to win awards, but Christian is pretty hot (troubles and all).

[Julianne]

Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "The writing's not great (on a par with Twilight, but then it started out as Twilight fanfict), but Christian is soooooo worth it. I gave each of the books 4/5."

I wouldn't consider it equal to Twilight, but maybe that's because I read Twilight so long ago that I rate it higher than I would today.

I actually got about 8 chapters into 50 Shades of Gray and had to put it down for a while. I do plan to finish it, but I was consiously aware of the weak writing. In the book's defense, I had just read a scathing review that tore apart the chapter I had just read and when I went back to the book the complaints of the review were all I could hear in my head. (I'm not usually one to care much what a review says) (And I already knew it was bad writing, the review pointed out some other flaws)

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

The style is very similar - as it is based on Twilight

The reviews that I've seen have been one extreme to the other, people either hate them or love them. You have to stick with them though - Christian goes on a real journey (reminded me a lot of Z in BDB) and of course he has Edward Cullens stalker tendancies (seeing as he is based on Edward).

[Christine]

Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "The style is very similar - as it is based on Twilight

The reviews that I've seen have been one extreme to the other, people either hate them or love them. You have to stick with them though - Ch..."


Please tell me the heroine doesn't have Bella tendencies. I have a lot of issues with Bella.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

She grows a backbone eventually - but you'll be so caught up in Christian you probably won't care.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

I've crossed off two out of the 6 series on my list so far, I think that's pretty good. Although I can't see myself picking up anytime soon with so many other interesting PNR/UF reads out there! Might change over some of the series I have listed to some other ones I want to knock off.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

Good work Jeann.

[D.G.]

SOS - 2012 I've Started So I'll Finish
Duration: 1st January to 31st December 2012
2/8 Series Completed: 13/22 Books Read

I. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (#6-7)
#6 -Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 1/21 ★★★★★
#7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 1/26 ★★★★★


II. Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs (#2-3)
#2 - Hunting Ground - 4/15 ★★★½
#3 - Fair Game - 6/26 ★★★★½


III. Old Kingdom by Garth Nix (#2-3)
#2 - Lirael - 5/31 ★★★½
#3 - Abhorsen


IV. Turner by Courney Milan (#2-3)
#2 - Unclaimed - 2/23 ★★★½
#3 - Unraveled


V. Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne (#3-5)
#3 - Hammered - 4/9 ★★★½
#4 - Tricked - 5/5 ★★★★
#5 - Trapped


VI. Faith, Love & Devotion by Tere Michaels (#2-3)
#2 - Love & Loyalty
#3 - Duty & Devotion

VII. Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy (#2-5)
#2 - Live Bait - 1/10 ★★★★½
#3 - Dead Run - 2/7 ★★★★½
#4 - Snow Blind - 4/27 ★★★½
#5 - Shoot to Thrill


VIII. Dark Angel by Mary Balogh (#3-7)
#3 - The Famous Heroine - 4/1 ★★★½
#4 - The Plumed Bonnet - 4/2 ★★½
#5 - The Ideal Wife
#6 - A Precious Jewel
#7 - A Christmas Bride

[Ashley]

UPDATES

13/26

Aisling Gray, Guardian 0/2
3. Light My Fire
4. Holy Smokes




Night Huntress/ World 1/4
5. This Side of the Grave 6/30
6. One Grave at a Time
A. Eternal Kiss of Darkness
B. Once Burned



Soul Screamers 4/6
.5 My Soul to Lose 6/4
4. My Soul to Steal 4/18
5. If I Die 5/2
5.5 Never to Sleep
6. Before I Wake
A. Reaper 7/11




Mediator 5/5
2. Ninth Key 4/11
3. Reunion 4/19
4. Darkest Hour 4/27
5. Haunted 5/3
6. Twilight 5/31



Undead 3/9
3. Undead and Unappreciated 6/20
4. Undead and Unreturnable 7/2
5. Undead and Unpopular 7/15
6. Undead and Uneasy
7. Undead and Unworthy
8. Undead and Unwelcome
9. Undead and Unfinished
10. Undead and Undermined
11. Undead and Unstable

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

Doing well Ashley

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

SOS - I've Started So I'll Finish

1st January - 31st December

0/5 Series

1 - Black Dagger Brotherhood
Lover Mine - 1st July
Lover Unleashed
Lover Reborn
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide

2 - Jazz Parks (and 3 Short Stories)
Scouting Jasmine - 24th July
The Golem Hunt
An Evening for Vayl and Jaz
Bitten in Two
The Deadliest Bite

3 - Vampire Academy
Shadow Kiss - 29th April
Blood Promise - Currently Reading
Spirit Bound
Last Sacrifice

4 - Georgina Kincaid
Succubus Shadows
Succubus Revealed

5 - Chicagoland Vampires
Drink Deep - 10th July
Biting Cold

6 - Sookie Stackhouse
Dead in the Family - 10th June
Dead Reckoning
Deadlocked

7 - Lords of the Underworld
The Darkest Prison
The Darkest Angel
The Darkest Passion
The Darkest Lie
The Darkest Surrender
The Darkest Seduction


Updated my list to include the 3 Jaz Parks short stories on Kindle that were finally released in the UK this month - FINALLY

Over halfway through the year!!!!

[Belinda]

Is it too late to join this challenge? This is exactly what I'm doing at the moment!!

Finally caught up and finished the jaz parks series and have some other moved to the top of my too read pile...

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

No, not too late Belinda - still 4 months left!!!