In My Mailbox: Here's what I got in my mailbox last week
MONDAY
Monday, September 30, 2013
In My Mailbox- September 30, 2013
In My Mailbox: Here's what I got in my mailbox last week
MONDAY
Sunday, September 29, 2013
The Sunday Salon- September 29, 2013
I haven't done one of these in a while since I've been so busy lately and couldn't get a book finished! Sorry about that!
I finished and reviewed the following books last week:
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie StiefvaterI fulfilled items in the following challenges last week:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 48
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 27
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 37
I am currently reading Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally and up next will probably be a tour book!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Book Review- The Dream Thieves
I finally finished reading The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater.
From Goodreads:
The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES
bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...
At the end of the review of my first book in the series, I said that I wasn't sure if I would pick up the second one. I wish I hadn't. I could NOT get into this book. But as I've said before, I'm one of those people who have to finish what they started. So it took me 18 days to finish. Sigh.
I just had such a hard time following along with the story line. Why things were happening and who was who and what was what. I felt like it jumped around a lot and I just couldn't keep up. And it just wasn't interesting me.
And like in the first book, the characters didn't do anything for me. I didn't really care about any of them although I think the Gray Man had the most dimensions.
Oh well.
I gave this book a rating of 2/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 48
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 27
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 37
FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from a friend
From Goodreads:
The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...
At the end of the review of my first book in the series, I said that I wasn't sure if I would pick up the second one. I wish I hadn't. I could NOT get into this book. But as I've said before, I'm one of those people who have to finish what they started. So it took me 18 days to finish. Sigh.
I just had such a hard time following along with the story line. Why things were happening and who was who and what was what. I felt like it jumped around a lot and I just couldn't keep up. And it just wasn't interesting me.
And like in the first book, the characters didn't do anything for me. I didn't really care about any of them although I think the Gray Man had the most dimensions.
Oh well.
I gave this book a rating of 2/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 48
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 27
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 37
FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from a friend
Monday, September 23, 2013
In My Mailbox- September 23, 2013
MONDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Monday, September 16, 2013
In My Mailbox- September 16, 2013
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
Monday, September 9, 2013
In My Mailbox- September 9, 2013
MONDAY
THURSDAY
The Sunday Salon- September 8, 2013
The Sunday Salon
This was a week of playing catch-up. And I have an extremely busy two weeks coming up too. The only evening I have free is next Wednesday!
I finished and reviewed the following books last week:
I fulfilled items in the following challenges last week:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 47
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 26
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 36
2013 Standalone Reading Challenge: 9
I am currently reading The Dream Thieves (Raven Boys #2) by Maggie Stiefvater and up next is The 100 by Kass Morgan.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Book Review- The Infinite Moment of Us
I just finished reading The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle.
From Goodreads:
For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high
school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now... not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?
Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.
And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.
For some reason I seem to be reading a lot of books with explicit sex in them. The other ones I didn't mind since they were labeled as new adult. This book is labeled as young adult. And while I get that teens are having sex and sex in a teen relationship is a reality, I don't think a young adult novel should be as graphic as this one was. Twelve and thirteen year olds read young adult and I don't think they should be reading words that were in this book.
That being said, I think the story would have worked if I had liked the characters more. And on the surface I did. Perfect girl Wren and tough-life (turn family life) Charlie. Wren's parents were super-strict and expected her to do and think certain things. Charlie had a rough start to life with his biological mother and foster parents but ended up in loving home. This should have been an interesting relationship. But it just felt flat to me and cheesy. Wren was completely selfish. She didn't understand when Charlie couldn't spend every last second with her because he was working or helping out with his disabled brother (who might have been my favorite character). She also thought he should give up everything he'd worked toward (scholarship to a great college) to go to Guatemala with her. Sel-fish! Charlie was likeable. Except for his friendship with the seedy girl, Starla. He knows its toxic yet does nothing to fix it. I get that he's protective of her but he really just needs to tell her that she needs to shape up if she wants to stay friends.
Then the ending. Pretty much a cliffhanger. I feel like the story just ended. And I don't see anything that shows that there's going to be a sequel. I did read an ARC so maybe that's the issue and in the real book there's a definite ending.
I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 47
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 26
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 36
2013 Standalone Reading Challenge: 9
FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from a friend
From Goodreads:
For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high
Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.
And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.
For some reason I seem to be reading a lot of books with explicit sex in them. The other ones I didn't mind since they were labeled as new adult. This book is labeled as young adult. And while I get that teens are having sex and sex in a teen relationship is a reality, I don't think a young adult novel should be as graphic as this one was. Twelve and thirteen year olds read young adult and I don't think they should be reading words that were in this book.
That being said, I think the story would have worked if I had liked the characters more. And on the surface I did. Perfect girl Wren and tough-life (turn family life) Charlie. Wren's parents were super-strict and expected her to do and think certain things. Charlie had a rough start to life with his biological mother and foster parents but ended up in loving home. This should have been an interesting relationship. But it just felt flat to me and cheesy. Wren was completely selfish. She didn't understand when Charlie couldn't spend every last second with her because he was working or helping out with his disabled brother (who might have been my favorite character). She also thought he should give up everything he'd worked toward (scholarship to a great college) to go to Guatemala with her. Sel-fish! Charlie was likeable. Except for his friendship with the seedy girl, Starla. He knows its toxic yet does nothing to fix it. I get that he's protective of her but he really just needs to tell her that she needs to shape up if she wants to stay friends.
Then the ending. Pretty much a cliffhanger. I feel like the story just ended. And I don't see anything that shows that there's going to be a sequel. I did read an ARC so maybe that's the issue and in the real book there's a definite ending.
I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 47
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 26
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 36
2013 Standalone Reading Challenge: 9
FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from a friend
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Sweet Legacy Blog Blitz and Giveaway!
I'm so excited to take part in the Blog Blitz for Sweet Legacy by Tera Lynn Childs! Sweet Legacy was released today!
I'm going to share with you some Fast Facts about Tera Lynn Childs!
1) She went to the same high school as Brad Pitt
2) She almost trained as an Olympic gymnast
3) She has had a rabbit, a turtle, two hamsters, a bunch of fish, and three dogs as pets (so far)
4) She was born three weeks late (and has been making up for it ever since)
5) Her first three years of school were all in French
I love random facts about people!
Want to know more about the book?
Greer has always known she was privileged, though she had no idea how special her second sight
made her, even among her triplet monster-fighting sisters. But when a god starts playing with her mind, can Greer step up in her pretty high heels to prevent anything from stopping her sisters’ mission?
Grace loves her adopted brother, Thane, but now that he’s back and has joined her sisters’ team, it’s clear his past is full of dark mysteries. She wants to trust him, but will Thane’s secret put the girls in even more danger?
Gretchen knows she can rely on her sisters to help her stop the monsters. But after getting to know some of the beasties in the abyss, she finds her role as a huntress comes with more responsibility than she ever imagined. How can she know what her birthright demands of her now?
The girls cannot hesitate as they seek the location of the lost door between the realms, even as monsters and gods descend on San Francisco in battle-ready droves. In this exciting conclusion to the Sweet Venom trilogy, these teenage heirs of Medusa must seek the truth, answer the ancient riddles, and claim their immortal legacy.
Prizes are complete set of TLC books, 3 complete Sweet Venom trilogies, 6 copies of Sweet Venom, 6 copies of Sweet Shadows, 6 copies of Sweet Legacy so lots of winners!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'm going to share with you some Fast Facts about Tera Lynn Childs!
1) She went to the same high school as Brad Pitt
2) She almost trained as an Olympic gymnast
3) She has had a rabbit, a turtle, two hamsters, a bunch of fish, and three dogs as pets (so far)
4) She was born three weeks late (and has been making up for it ever since)
5) Her first three years of school were all in French
I love random facts about people!
Want to know more about the book?
Greer has always known she was privileged, though she had no idea how special her second sight
Grace loves her adopted brother, Thane, but now that he’s back and has joined her sisters’ team, it’s clear his past is full of dark mysteries. She wants to trust him, but will Thane’s secret put the girls in even more danger?
Gretchen knows she can rely on her sisters to help her stop the monsters. But after getting to know some of the beasties in the abyss, she finds her role as a huntress comes with more responsibility than she ever imagined. How can she know what her birthright demands of her now?
The girls cannot hesitate as they seek the location of the lost door between the realms, even as monsters and gods descend on San Francisco in battle-ready droves. In this exciting conclusion to the Sweet Venom trilogy, these teenage heirs of Medusa must seek the truth, answer the ancient riddles, and claim their immortal legacy.
Buy Links
- Indiebound (hardcover)
- Amazon (hardcover | kindle)
- Apple (ibookstore)
- Barnes & Noble (hardcover | nook)
- Books-a-Million (hardcover)
- Book Depository (hardcover)
Tera Lynn Childs Links
- website http://teralynnchilds.com/
- twitter http://twitter.com/teralynnchilds
- facebook http://facebook.com/authortlc
- Sweet Legacy http://teralynnchilds.com/books/sweet-legacy/
Prizes are complete set of TLC books, 3 complete Sweet Venom trilogies, 6 copies of Sweet Venom, 6 copies of Sweet Shadows, 6 copies of Sweet Legacy so lots of winners!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, September 2, 2013
In My Mailbox- September 2, 2013
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
The Sunday Salon- September 2, 2013
This last week was a week of ups and downs. On Tuesday afternoon, my grandmother passed away. I flew up to Virginia on Wednesday evening to be with my family and for the service. I flew back home on Thursday night, landing at midnight because I had to be back at the airport at 5am to fly out to Disneyland for a big race. And I celebrated my 33rd birthday on Sunday.
I finished and reviewed the following books last week:
I fulfilled items in the following challenges last week:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 45, 46
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 25
2013 Quick Fix Challenge: 21
I am currently reading The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle and if I don't get any more tour books, then I'll read The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater.
Book Review- Frigid
I finished reading Frigid by J. Lynn last week on the plane for an Around the World ARC Tour.
From Goodreads:
For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best
friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.
Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.
But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.
Wow. This book was a straight up romance novel geared toward a slightly younger crowd. There were so many sexual scenes and words. I was reading it on the plane and felt like I had to make sure no one could see the words in the book. But I did enjoy it!
This was a classic romance story--boy and girl have been best friends forever. They're in love with each other but don't know how the other feels. We get to follow along to see if they end up together.
I liked Sydney but she had some major issues. Her self-esteem was extremely low and she had trust issues. Although considering what a man-whore Kyler was, I guess I don't blame her. And did he really have to sleep with every female if he really had such feelings for her?
That being said, I liked their time together in the cabin where they figured out their feelings. There was a little mystery/danger thrown in, but I had it figured it out from the beginning.
Overall, if you want a romance novel with younger main characters, then this might be the book for you!
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
Frigid will be released on November 5, 2013.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 46
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 25
2013 Quick Fix Challenge: 21
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best
Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.
But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.
Wow. This book was a straight up romance novel geared toward a slightly younger crowd. There were so many sexual scenes and words. I was reading it on the plane and felt like I had to make sure no one could see the words in the book. But I did enjoy it!
This was a classic romance story--boy and girl have been best friends forever. They're in love with each other but don't know how the other feels. We get to follow along to see if they end up together.
I liked Sydney but she had some major issues. Her self-esteem was extremely low and she had trust issues. Although considering what a man-whore Kyler was, I guess I don't blame her. And did he really have to sleep with every female if he really had such feelings for her?
That being said, I liked their time together in the cabin where they figured out their feelings. There was a little mystery/danger thrown in, but I had it figured it out from the beginning.
Overall, if you want a romance novel with younger main characters, then this might be the book for you!
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
Frigid will be released on November 5, 2013.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 46
2013 ARC Reading Challenge: 25
2013 Quick Fix Challenge: 21
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Book Review- On the Island
I finished On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves last week before all my trips.
From Goodreads:
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his
family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.
T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.
Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter.
Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.
On the Island was an intriguing read. A little far-fetched but I enjoyed it none-the-less.
I travel frequently (in fact, I'm on a plane writing this review!) and so the idea of crashing terrified me. And yet the idea of surviving on an island interested me. I'm not sure that people could survive 3 years though. I also thought it was pretty coincidental that their stuff washed up on the island. In the book, they said there was something like 1200 islands so I think there would have been a bigger chance of their stuff washing up on some of the other islands.
I liked Anna. I could relate to her as a teacher and where she was in her life. And I liked TJ. At first, I thought there relationship was a little creepy, but TJ soon seemed like a man so it wasn't so weird.
I look forward to reading the novella!
I gave this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 45
FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend
From Goodreads:
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his
T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.
Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter.
Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.
On the Island was an intriguing read. A little far-fetched but I enjoyed it none-the-less.
I travel frequently (in fact, I'm on a plane writing this review!) and so the idea of crashing terrified me. And yet the idea of surviving on an island interested me. I'm not sure that people could survive 3 years though. I also thought it was pretty coincidental that their stuff washed up on the island. In the book, they said there was something like 1200 islands so I think there would have been a bigger chance of their stuff washing up on some of the other islands.
I liked Anna. I could relate to her as a teacher and where she was in her life. And I liked TJ. At first, I thought there relationship was a little creepy, but TJ soon seemed like a man so it wasn't so weird.
I look forward to reading the novella!
I gave this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5.
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2013 150+ Reading Challenge: 45
FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend
2013 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge- September Update
2013 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
Reading Challenge Details:
- Runs January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013 (books read prior to 1/1/2013 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
- The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2013 than you did in 2012. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down.
- Books can be any format (bound, ebook, audio).
- Novellas that are at least 100 pages in length, as well as full-length novels, will count for this reading challenge.
- Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
- Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.
Levels: Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books
I am not going to keep a list of the books I'm reading. I am just going to keep track of how many books I am up to for each month on the last day of the month. I read 93 books in 2012.
~I am going to try for the Getting My Heart Rate Up level first.
January: 7
February: 12
March: 19
April: 24
May: 29
June: 31
July: 38
August: 44
September:
October:
November:
December:
2013 Quick Fix Challenge- September Update
2013 Quick Fix Challenge
Challenge Details:
- The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
- Sign ups will be open until mid December.
- You don't have to be a blogger to participate. However, leave a comment and tell me what level you're aiming for.
- For bloggers, post up a challenge sign up post saying what level you've signed up for. Be sure to sign-up with your sign-up post in the linky.
- You don't have to review the books you read however if you do, you will be able to post your links to your reviews here. (I'll have a post up for reviews up in January.)
- Books have to have less than 300 pages to count.
- Books such as MG/YA, graphic novels/manga, audio, rereads, can count toward
your goal.
- *Updated* Anthologies and short stories count as well. (I can't believe I forgot about these.)
- Feel free to crossover the books you read for this challenge with other challenges.
(If you have any questions feel free to ask, I feel like I might be missing
something here, but I could be wrong.)
Now the Levels/It will hold with:
String: 5 books
Paperclips: 10 books
Duck tape: 15 books
Gorilla glue: 20+ books
~I am going to start off trying for the string level
~I finished the String level so now working on Paperclips level
~I finished Paperclips so now working on Duck Tape
~I finished Duck tape so now working on Gorilla Glue
~I finished the String level so now working on Paperclips level
~I finished Paperclips so now working on Duck Tape
~I finished Duck tape so now working on Gorilla Glue
- Crash (Visions #1) by Lisa McMann
- Dualed by Elsie Chapman
- Eternal by H.G. Nadel
- Shut Up by Anne Tibbets
- Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
- Poison by Bridget Zinn
- Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone
- The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
- The Returners by Gemma Malley
- Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
- Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance
- Disneylanders by Kate Abbott
- Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols
- With All My Soul (Soul Screamers #7) by Rachel Vincent
- Never to Sleep (Soul Screamers #5.5) by Rachel Vincent
- Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
- The Year of the Great Seventh by Teresa Orts
- The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Throne of Glass #0.1) by Sarah J. Maas
- Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell
- The Assassin and the Dessert (Throne of Glass #0.2) by Sarah J. Maas
2013 Mammoth Book Challenge- September Update
2013 Mammoth Book Challenge
2013 Mammoth Book
Challenge
Here are the challenge details:
1. This challenge will run from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
2. You can join the challenge at any time. All books read in 2013 count for the challenge, regardless of when you sign up.
3. This challenge can cross-over to your other reading challenges.
4. You do not need a blog to participate! If you are not a blogger, you can post your reviews at Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing and link them up here.
5. All formats of books are acceptable: Bound copies, e-books, and audiobooks as long as they meet the guidelines of Point #6 below!
6. Important Information About E-books and Audiobooks: If you are using an e-book or audiobook for the challenge, the bound format equivalent must be a minimum of 450 pages. Only unabridged audiobooks will count!
7. Both adult and children's literature are allowed: As long as it meets the minimum page count of 450 pages.
8. About large-print books: Same rules apply as noted in Point #6. As long as the regular-bound format equivalent is a minimum of 450 pages, this format will count.
9. No anthologies, short story collections, or poetry: Just novels.
10. There are four levels for the challenge:
a. Walrus: Read 3 mammoth-sized books.
b. Hippopotamus: Read 6 mammoth-sized books.
c. White Rhinoceros: Read 9 mammoth-sized books.
d. African Elephant: Read 12 or more mammoth-sized books.
11. When you write your sign-up post, you must choose your level. You can go up, but you cannot go down!
12. There will be a link-up for your reviews, which will be posted on THIS page.
13. There will be a link for your wrap-up post at the end of the year.
~I will start off trying for the walrus level
~Finished Walrus so trying for Hippopotamus
2013 Sophomore Reading Challenge- September Update
2013 Sophomore Reading Challenge
What books count towards the SRC?
Any second YA or MG book published by an author in 2013 counts – it can be the second in a series, a new series, or a standalone. The only requirement is that it is the SECOND book the author has published in the YA or MG realm (and it must publish in 2013 in your home country)! There is a Goodreads group for the challenge, which includes a selection of books that would count for the challenge – as you can see, there are probably many many books on that list you are planning on reading already :)
The list will be updated as I’m able, but please feel free to read ANY Sophomore book! It does not have to be the second book in a series, just the second YA/MG book the author has published, period.
When does the challenge run?
Books read before January 2014 count for this challenge. This includes books you may have access to now in ARC form!
Why should I join this challenge?
Reading debut novels is AWESOME. It is by far my favorite challenge – it allows me to find many new authors that I love. What better way to support these authors than to read their next published book?
What are the guidelines of the challenge?
Your challenge is to read 10 sophomore YA/MG novels in 2013. To officially participate, you need a Goodreads account or blog where you post reviews in English.
What should I do if I’m an author coming out with a sophomore novel?
I would love to feature you on my blog! Please e-mail me (shanynlee at gmail.com) and let me know if you’d like to be interviewed, featured, would like to offer a giveaway, etc.
How do I join?
Link your blog or Goodreads account below, and make a list of the sophomore novels you’re looking forward to :)
There will be prize packs given away to challenge participants throughout next year. You will receive an automatic entry for signing up to participate – options for additional entries will be announced at the time of the giveway.
- The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass
- Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo
- Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance
- Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
2013 Standalone Reading Challenge- September Update
2013 Standalone Reading Challenge
The Challenge Read 15 Young Adult or Middle Grade standalone novels in 2013 that are released in the United States between January 1s - December 31, 2013.
Eligible Books
- YA & Middle Grade standalone novels. This means that the book can not have an announced (sometimes sequels happen unexpectedly) sequel, prequel, follow up, etc. Adult novels and picture books do not count.
- This year companion novels count towards the challenge. Companion novels take place in the same world and time as a novel but usually follow a different character. It can be read independently from the book that came before it.
- Released between January 1 - Decemeber 31, 2013 in the United States. If a book was previously released in another country but is being releasing in the US for the first time, it is eligible. At the same time, if you live in a country where it was previously released, but it is being released in the states for the first time - lucky you- it counts.
- Must be read in 2013 (If you have an ARC and read it in 2012, it does not count)
- Can be read in any (legally) readable format: ARC, Paperback, Hardcover or e-book
- Audio books do not count towards the challenge.
Hafsah and I will be creating a list of eligible challenge titles to get you started towards your goal. It will be available soon.
Participation Perks
There will be a prize pack given away each month to a random participant. You gain entries into that month's prize pack by linking up to your challenge eligible reviews (Unfortunately, prize packs are US only). There will also be giveaways on the hosts' blogs to go along with special posts with authors. That's not even mentioning the random giveaways that we may throw in here and there! People who complete the challenge and fill out an easy form will be entered into another prize pack drawing.
- Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
- Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
- Poison by Bridget Zinn
- Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
- Furious by Jill Wolfson
- Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
- Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance
- Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols
2013 Embarrassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenges- September Update
2013 Embarrassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenge
RULES: To be considered a TBR book, you must own it prior to Jan 1, 2013. The book can count toward other challenges, as well. It can be fiction or nonfiction, poetry or play, audiobook–as long as it is a book. This is not a picky challenge–just about reading the riches we already own.
On the last day of each month I will post an entry where you can say how many TBRs you read that month, titles, and whether you liked them or not. Full-blown reviews not required. You can list them in comments or link back to your own blog or page where they are listed.
At the end of the year I will have pretty badges for all levels, and if I haven’t learned to create them by myself, hopefully somebody else will make them for me.
There are five levels of accomplishment (and a bonus challenge) in the Embarrassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenge.
Copper: Read 6 TBR books between Jan 1 and Dec 31 2013.
Bronze: Read 12 TBR books between Jan 1 and Dec 31 2013.
Silver: Read 24 TBR books between Jan 1 and Dec 31 2013
Gold: Read 36 TBR books between Jan 1 and Dec 31 2013.
Platinum: Read 50 TBR books between Jan 1 and Dec 31 2013.
Bonus Challenge! The same levels are also available for digital samples. If you are like me, you also have a quizillion samples you’ve downloaded onto your e-reader. Culling through samples and deciding whether to keep reading or not is a separate challenge with all five levels and the same year-end prize–a special badge.
~I am going to start off trying for the Copper level
- Pug Hill by Alison Pace
- Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone
- The Returners by Gemma Malley
- Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
- Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge- September Update
2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge
2013 YOUNG ADULT
READING CHALLENGE
January 1, 2013
- December 31, 2013
The Rules:
-Anyone can join. You don't need a blog
to participate. Posting on GoodReads or wherever you post your reviews is good
enough.
-Audio, eBooks, paper, re-reads all
count.
-No need to list your books in advance.
You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the
list if needed.
There are four levels:
The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12
Young Adult novels.
The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge –
Read 20 Young Adult novels.
The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge –
Read 40 Young Adult novels.
The Mega size YA Reading Challenge –
Read 50+ Young Adult novels.
Challenge begins January 1st, 2013
-December 31, 2013.
Books started before the 1st do not
count. You can join at anytime.
~I am going to start from the beginning trying for the Mega size
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