SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Finally - some place to gather all the challenges that catch my fancy. I know that I've already forgotten some. :-)

Urban Fantasy discussion BOOK READING CHALLENGES > 2014 A to Z Yearly Challenge
A (hopefully) simple yearly challenge, with two different levels. Fill in each letter of the alphabet using the first letter of the first word in the title of a book or the first letter of the author’s first OR last name. For an extra challenge, fill the alphabet in twice: one time using book titles and a second time using author’s names.

A few simple rules:
Please disregard the words A, An, and The as the first word in book titles.
Each book can be used for only one letter. If you use the book title you may not also use the authors name for another letter.
You may use the same author’s name multiple times if you read multiple books by the same author.
For the letter X, I will accept that letter anywhere in the title or author’s name, not just as the first letter. (For example, author Ja x Garren, and title ‘E x treme Measures’

Duration of challenge: January 1 – December 31, 2014

A to Z title:
A: Arcanum 101
B: Black as Blood
C: Clean Sweep
D: Deadtown
E: Etiquette & Espionage
F: A Fantasy Medley 2
G: The Ghosts of Bourbon Street
H: Hexed
I: The Immortal Circus: Act One
J: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor
K: Kicking It
L: Lirael
M: A Murderous Yarn
N: Never Knew Another
O: On the Edge
P: Play Dead
Q:
R: Raven Cursed
S: Seven Kinds of Hell
T: Trail of Dead
U: Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron
V: Voices from Beyond
W: The Weller
X: In a Fix
Y: The Younger Gods
Z:

A to Z author:
A: Kevin J. Anderson
B: Jim Butcher
C: Charlaine Harris
D: Dana Cameron
E: Ernest Cline
F: Faith Hunter
G: George Mann
H: Nancy Holzner
I: Ilona Andrews
J: John Levitt
K: Angela Knight
L: Scott Lynch
M: Mercedes Lackey
N: Neil Gaiman
O: Nnedi Okorafor
P: P.N. Elrod
Q:
R: Rosemary Edgehill
S: Seanan McGuire
T: Tamora Pierce
U: Michael Underwood
V: Victor Kloss
W: Jaye Wells
X: Garth Nix
Y: Yanni Kuznia
Z:

Love or Hate @ FIRST Sight Read 2015
Duration: July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015

Did it suck you in and leave you breathless for more? Or leave a hole in the wall after you chucked the sucker across the room? Join us as we check out and share our favorite, and not-so-favorite, new series!


*Read 12 books that are the first novel in a new-to-you series.
*Read one book per calendar month (that means, can't read and count 3 new ones in ONE month...)
*Make a MAIN post. This is for your full year list. Please UPDATE this list, not re-post it! Thanks! (links to each Participants' MAIN Lists below).
*Post monthly updates (new posts, please!) on your great/not-so-great "first" read.
*Prequels, "half numbers" (i.e. 1.5 by GR numbering) and anthologies are not allowed; they're just appetizers, not the "first course"!


For MONTHLY updates, include the following:

**Blatantly stole borrowed Steph's & Lethal Lovely's new series write-ups~THANKS!....If you haven't peeked, pop on over to the members' threads to check them out! **Warning, do not read when consuming liquids~LL's especially~unless your PC is insured...**

COVER (#)

Title/Author:
Series:
Read: (Date)
Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★✩ / ★★★✩✩ / ★★✩✩✩
First time author?
To-Be-Continued?
Review: (Just a sentence or so of what you thought about it!)

Also Read: (feel free to add other firsts you enjoyed each month with ratings, etc. optional)

July 2014

Title/Author: The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
Series: Tao
Read: 7/6/2014
Rating: ★★★★★
First time author? Yes
To-Be-Continued? Absolutely!
Review: Like reading an action movie! Roen is the absoulte average, blah, nice guy going nowhere that everyone fears ending up as, who through sheer chance ends up playing a pivotal role in the secret fight for the history & future of the world. Roller-coaster ride of a read.

Also Read: (feel free to add other firsts you enjoyed each month with ratings, etc. optional)


Possibles I own:


Possibles from the library:


Possibles to acquire:

SOS USA Cover Hunt Challenge
☄ Happy 4th of July! Thank you to all who serve! ☄

Duration: 7/1 - 7/31/14
Rules: Read 2 books with the following items found on their covers; Be sure to post your book covers

COLOR: Red, white and/or blue cover
ITEM #1: Fire (fire; fireworks; fireman; fire ability)
ITEM #2: Alien; space; spaceship

Genre Juice Mini-Challenge
☄ Happy Independence Day! ☄

Duration: 7/1 - 7/31/14
Rules: Read 3 books - one in each of the following genres

Genre Juice Flavors
1. PNR -or- UF
2. SCIENCE FICTION (SFR or SFF; aliens; etc)
3. FIREWORKS (multi-colored cover [more than 2]; fireworks on cover; "fire" in title or series; character type - fireman or fire abilities)

Urban Fantasy
2014 Creature Challenge

Another fun yearly challenge. Read five books that include creatures in any or all of the below categories. You can try for all 14 categories, or just pick a few, or even make up your own category.

◆Creatures do not have to be the main character, simply play some role in the story.
◆Each book may be used only once. If multiple creatures are present, you have to decide which category to place it under (but you can always change it later).
◆You may change your list at any time.

Duration of challenge: January 1 – December 31, 2014

Categories:

Vampires
1. Raven Cursed
2. Dead Spots, Melissa Olson
3. Sell By Date, Melissa Olson
4. Midnight Crossroads, Charlaine Harris
5. Kicking It

Werewolves
1. Death's Rival
2. Seven Kinds of Hell, Dana Cameron
3. Trail Dead, Melissa Olson
4. Etiquette & Espionage (also vampires)
5. Hair Raising, Kevin Anderson

Shifters (non-wolf)
1. Jane Yellowrock book
2. Black as Blood, Seanan McGuire
3. On the Edge, Ilona Andrews
4. Dark and Stormy Knights
5. Moonshifted, Cassie Alexander

Dragons
1. Hexed, Ilona Andrews, ed.
2. Cursed, Benedict Jacka
3.
4.
5.

Ghosts
1. Ghosts of Bourbon Street, Seanan McGuire
2. Indexing, Seanan McGuire
3. Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire
4. Ghost of a Dream, Simon R. Green
5.

Aliens
1. Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews
2. Only You Can Save Mankind, Terry Pratchett
3. The Lives of Tao, Wesley Chu
4.
5.

Demons
1. Never Knew Another, J.M. McDermott
2.
3.
4.
5.

Angels
1. Skin Game (Dresden Files) - also demons
2. Happy Hour in Hell (Bobby Dollar) - also demons
3.
4.
5.

Fae/Elves
1. Immortal Circus, A.R. Kahler
2. London Falling, Paul Cornell
3. A Fantasy Medley 2, Yanni Kuzina
4. Once Upon a Curse
5. Naked City

Witches/Wizards
1. Dirty Magic, Jaye Wells
2. Unleashed, John Levitt
3. Chapel Perilous, Kevin Hearne
4. Arcanum 101, Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edgehill
5. Attach the Geek, Michael Underwood

Psychics/Mediums/Telepaths
1. Half-Off Ragnarok, by Seanan McGuire
2. Blackbirds, Chuck Wendig
3. Shield and Crocus, Michael Underwood
4. Games Creatures Play
5. Dead Man's Hand

Zombies
1. Deadtown, Nancy Holzner
2. Stakeout at the Vampire Circus, Kevin Anderson
3. Affinity Bridge, George Mann
4. Mountain Dead, Jason Sizemore
5. Unnatural Acts, Kevin Anderson

Gods/Goddesses
1. Shattered, Kevin Hearne
2. In the Hand of the Goddess, Tamora Pierce
3. Odd and the Frost Giants
4.
5.

Other (whatever doesn’t fit in the above categories.)
1. Alchemystic, Anton Strout - gargoyles
2. In a Fix, Linda Grimes - human chameleon
3. Monster Hunter Nemesis - frankenstein's monster - also angels, demons
4. Hex Appeal - bigfoot
5. Fated, Benedict Jacka - Arachne (giant, sentient, seamstress spider)

WYA Hello/Goodbye Challenge July 2014
Each month you can read a new language for hello and/or goodbye.

Rules: This is a spelling challenge, so use the authors first or last name or the title or series title that starts with that letter. If you use the series title, please make sure to include that in your book list. You can choose Either Hello Or Goodbye Or do both.

This month is French, celebrating Bastille Day, July 14th.

French ~
Hello ~ Bonjour
Goodbye ~ Au revoir

B - Happy Hour in Hell(Bobby Dollar, #2)
O - Oath of Fealty
N - Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier, Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
J - Jack Templar, Monster Hunter, Snow White Sorrow by Cameron Jace, The Janus Affair
O - The Lady Astronomer by Katy O'Dowd, Order of Saint Michael
U - Urban Necromancer, Rise of the Corpses(The Undertakers, book 1), Necropolis by Xina Marie Uhl
R - Persephone's Orchard by Molly Ringle

A - The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner, Acorna: The Unicorn Girl, Alien Blue, The Dragon Business by Kevin J. Anderson, The Alchemist of Souls
U -
R - Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier, Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy, The Rizzoli Bag
E - The Emperor's Soul, The First Pillar(Everville series)
V - Disenchanted & Co. by Lynn Viehl
O
I - The Immortal Circus: Act Two, Insanity, Indexing, The Flatey Enigma by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson
R

A:

B:

E:

I:

J:

N:

O:

R:

U:

V: