May Challenge - Reduce your TBR list!

[Monica Lamperd]

Trina, Mish, Brenda - thanks for sharing your opinions! Always fascinated to hear what others have thought of books I've recently read :)

[Sharon]

I have finished
1. The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
2. Crushed by Clifford Riley
3. Turbulence by Clifford Riley
4. Ignition by Clifford Riley
5. Hunted by Clifford Riley
6. Invasion by Clifford Riley
7. Fireworks by Clifford Riley
8. The Coming of the Whirlpoolby Andrew McGahan

Books 2 - 7 were all short stories.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

David wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Here are my May reads so far...

1. Frantic by Katherine Howell
2. The Darkest Hour by Katherine Howell
3. Final Crossing: A Novel of Suspense by Carter Wilson
4. Dead Heat by Bronw..."

Yours is on my bedside table David. I am enjoying it slowly, every now and then I'll have a little read, I'm making notes you know:)

Say hi to Helene for me...hopefully I'll catch up with her in August! I just finished my ARC copy of Burning Lies a few days ago...it was brilliant!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sharon wrote: "I have finished
1. The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
2. Crushed by Clifford Riley
3. Turbulence by Clifford Riley
4. Ignition by Clifford Riley
5. Hunted by Clifford Riley
6. Invasion by Cl..."

Well done Sharon!

[Davina]

Sharon wrote: "I have finished
1. The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
2. Crushed by Clifford Riley
3. Turbulence by Clifford Riley
4. Ignition by Clifford Riley
5. Hunted by Clifford Riley
6. Invasion by Cl..."

Wow Sharon all those sound really interesting. Did you review any? Would love to see what you thought.

[Sharon]

Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I have finished
1. The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
2. Crushed by Clifford Riley
3. Turbulence by Clifford Riley
4. Ignition by Clifford Riley
5. Hunted by Clifford Riley
6. ..."

No I haven't reviewed any of them other than giving them a star rating as I am hopeless at writing reviews. I know how I feel about the books I read but always end up scrapping any reviews I start.

[[deleted user]]

Brenda wrote: "David wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Here are my May reads so far...

1. Frantic by Katherine Howell
2. The Darkest Hour by Katherine Howell
3. Final Crossing: A Novel of Suspense by Carter Wilson
4. Dead..."

I will say G'day for you brenda, & the only way to read a book of poetry is slowly to absorb the feeling within the words...(-:

[Davina]

Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I have finished
1. The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
2. Crushed by Clifford Riley
3. Turbulence by Clifford Riley
4. Ignition by Clifford Riley
5. Hunted by Cli..."
I have trouble too Sharon. I figure no one really reads mine except me but they are usually pretty short because I have trouble articulating what's in my head.

[Sharon]

Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I have finished
1. The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
2. Crushed by Clifford Riley
3. Turbulence by Clifford Riley
4. Ignition by Clifford Riley
5..."

I know what you mean. It always sounds brilliant in my head because I know what I mean but when putting it down "on paper" I start to second guess myself. In future I'll try to do reviews.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I know what you mean. It always sounds brilliant in my head because I know what I mean but when putting it down "on paper" I start to second guess myself. In future I'll try to do reviews. "

You only need start off with a few words, then as you get more comfortable, you'll find you write a little more...I hadn't written a review in my life until about 8 months ago!

[[deleted user]]

The Book Thief*****Finished- 4 stars
The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes*****Finished- 3 stars

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Mickey wrote: "The Book Thief*****Finished- 4 stars
The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes*****Finished- 3 stars"

Well done Mickey!

[Davina]

Brenda wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I know what you mean. It always sounds brilliant in my head because I know what I mean but when putting it down "on paper"..."

Did you start with the aussie authors challenge last year too. That's when I started because it was part of the rules otherwise I still don't think I would have done it.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Davina wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I know what you mean. It always sounds brilliant in my head because I know what I mean but when putting it ..."

I think I did Davina...I know I had no idea what to write, and I agonised over the first ones I did for ages! It just got a little easier the more I did...I'm glad I did it now, as I can look back at my reviews, and they remind me of the story! It's an 'aha' moment...lol

[Davina]

Brenda wrote: "Davina wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Davina wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I know what you mean. It always sounds brilliant in my head because I know what I mean but w..."

Yes. I love those aha moments.

[[deleted user]]

Just finished this collection of short stories:Kindling Finely crafted writing, modern Scottish? Anyway, I loved them! 5 stars. Really worth reading.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Gina!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Mine now:)

1. Frantic by Katherine Howell
2. The Darkest Hour by Katherine Howell
3. Final Crossing: A Novel of Suspense by Carter Wilson
4. Dead Heat by Bronwyn Parry
5. Dead Scared by S.J. Bolton
6. Burning Lies by Helene Young
7. Cold Justice by Katherine Howell
8. BoomBust by Lisa Chappel
9. Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
and I have just started...
10. Violent Exposure by Katherine Howell

[Blue Eyed Vixen]

Well done Brenda!

My list, though not as grand and has not done much to chip into my TBR pile, is this....

Hell Island by Matthew Reilly.
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.
Breath by Tim Winton.
Shopaholic and Baby by Sophia Kinsella.
Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong.
and should have finished by the end of May...
Blood by Tony Birch.

I do feel a bit lighter with those out of the way :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Blue Eyed Vixen wrote: "Well done Brenda!

My list, though not as grand and has not done much to chip into my TBR pile, is this....

Hell Island by Matthew Reilly.
[bookcover:The Buddha in the Atti..."

Thanks Vix! You have done extremely well with yours!

[KOMET]

I'm in the homestretch now. 73 MORE PAGES TO GO.

by Jane Gardam

[Michael]

I think I've made a huge dent in both TBR shelves this month. I would love to keep my TBR under 100 but I would live even more if I can get my To be read; on shelf one down to at least 20-25

[Nikki]

So for the first challenge I've ever done on here... in the month of May so far I have read


Don't Breathe a WordJennifer McMahon
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the BeastRobin McKinley
PassionLauren Kate
With My BodyNikki Gemmell
The ProphecyChris Kuzneski
DeadlockedCharlaine Harris
Daughter of Smoke and BoneLaini Taylor
And I have just started reading

The Secret CrownChris Kuzneski
which I should finish by Friday bringing my total to 8 books down on my TBR pile. Not bad considering I work 60 hour weeks :)

[KOMET]

FINISHED READING

[Mish]

Well done Nikky & Komet :)

[Mish]

Nikki wrote: "So for the first challenge I've ever done on here... in the month of May so far I have read


Don't Breathe a WordJennifer McMahon
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the BeastRobin McKi..."

Nikky did you enjoy With My Body? I've got this on my TBR list.

[Mish]

Michael wrote: "I think I've made a huge dent in both TBR shelves this month. I would love to keep my TBR under 100 but I would live even more if I can get my To be read; on shelf one down to at least 20-25"

Good on you Michael. I've really got to tackle my TBR on Shelf as well. It's sitting on 69 books

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Nikki wrote: "So for the first challenge I've ever done on here... in the month of May so far I have read


Don't Breathe a WordJennifer McMahon
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the BeastRobin McKi..."

Congrats Nikki! Well done:)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

KOMET wrote: "FINISHED READING "

Good on you KOMET!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Michael wrote: "I think I've made a huge dent in both TBR shelves this month. I would love to keep my TBR under 100 but I would live even more if I can get my To be read; on shelf one down to at least 20-25"

Well done KL!!

[Mish]

I've managed to read 3 book with a possible 4th

Fifty Shades of Grey
Mateship With Birds
What Alice Forgot

Nearly finished Ready Player One

Fifty shades put me a little behind in my reading for the month but the whole blogging experience was worth it. If anyone is thinking of becoming a guest blogger....do it. It was such a blast :D

[Trina]

I've almost got another one to add to my list. This is the most books I think I've ever read in a month, and this challenge actually makes me think about how many books I read.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Mish and Trina! It's great to knock them down a bit isn't it!

[Trina]

1. Fifty Shades of Grey
2. The Midwich Cuckoos
3. Fifty Shades Darker
4. The Great Gatsby
5. The Lucifer Code
6. Cosmos
7. The Full Spectrum edited by David Levithan and Billy Merrell

[Mish]

Thanks Brenda

@Trina that it alot of books there...good on you:)

[Nikki]

Mish wrote: "Nikki wrote: "So for the first challenge I've ever done on here... in the month of May so far I have read


Don't Breathe a WordJennifer McMahon
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the B..."

Mish, I loved With My Body. But then again I am a pretty big fan of Nikki Gemmell, so I would love anything by her. Her writing is raw and beautiful and it really doesn't seem to matter what she's writing about, it's her style that I adore - short chapters, life lessons and that incredibly intimate connection with her characters. Hope that helps you :)

[Trina]

Mish, The Full Spectrum was easily my favourite. It's a collection of short essays by young GLBTQI people about their experiences. The writing wasn't always perfect, but the stories were heartbreaking and uplifting and the collection is put together really well.

[Mish]

Trina wrote: "Mish, The Full Spectrum was easily my favourite. It's a collection of short essays by young GLBTQI people about their experiences. The writing wasn't always perfect, but the stories were heartbreak..."

I really like your review Trina - sounds very moving. I've added it to my TBR. Thanks :)

[Mish]

Nikki wrote: "Mish wrote: "Nikki wrote: "So for the first challenge I've ever done on here... in the month of May so far I have read



Nikki thanks...that's good to know.

I don’t know a lot about Nikki Gemmel’s books as I’ve only read one book of hers - The Bride Stripped Bare - confronting story but I also found her writing honest and raw too…so this was very helpful

[Trina]

Where abouts do you live Mish? I'm not opposed to lending it to you and mailing it, just as long as you send it back!

[Mish]

Trina wrote: "Where abouts do you live Mish? I'm not opposed to lending it to you and mailing it, just as long as you send it back!"

That is so nice - I've sent you a pm :)

[Sharon]

Have just finished by Dodie Smith. I really enjoyed this book. It's weird to think that the author also wrote , but then both books are full of quirky characters.

Davina I have finally written a review, not great but a start. My review for I Capture The Castle - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Janine]

I have just finished my 10th book for May and have only bought 7 this month so have reduced my TBR pile of nearly 300 by 3 so I suppose that is a start.

[Mish]

Janine wrote: "I have just finished my 10th book for May and have only bought 7 this month so have reduced my TBR pile of nearly 300 by 3 so I suppose that is a start."

that's quite a number of books you've read Janine - that's excellent :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Janine and Michael:)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Just over 24 hours everyone, to finish up your final book for this May challenge!!! A wonderful effort by everyone!

[Trina]

I'm so not going to finish my 8th! Started On The Road two days ago, but I just haven't done any reading!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Trina wrote: "I'm so not going to finish my 8th! Started On The Road two days ago, but I just haven't done any reading!"

You've got over 24hrs Trina....read into the night;D

[Trina]

I can't! I have an exam on Tuesday :(

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Trina wrote: "I can't! I have an exam on Tuesday :("

Ok then Trina....priorities:D Book comes second....but you'll enjoy it even more after the exam is over! Good luck with it:)