Challenge: 50 Books discussion

New year, new challenge. Looking forward to seeing what everyone enjoys this year.

Donna wrote: "New year, new challenge. Looking forward to see what everyone enjoys this year."

Best wishes for the new reading year.

Thanks, and back at you!

Donna wrote: "New year, new challenge. Looking forward to see what everyone enjoys this year."

Good luck! I'm looking forward to what you read, as well.

Book the first:
1. The Ruin of a Rogue, Miranda Neville. What a surprise, a romance.

"Supposing he persuaded - or tricked - Anne into wedding him. Supposing he made her unhappy, as miserable as his own mother had been. He had to let her go. A pity, because he thought he might be able to love her. But he couldn't wager her future against the slim chance that he might not be his father's son."

2. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, Olivia Judson. Evolutionary biologist Judson lets out her alter ego to amaze and amuse us with the strange but true stories of non-human reproduction. Definitely not a romance.

"Chapter 6

How to make love to a cannibal

Rule number one: Never get eaten during foreplay."

3. Screwdrivered, Alice Clayton. A romance told with her usual humor. Plus, Librarian hero. LIBRARIAN!!! WITH ELBOW PATCHES!
4. Saga, Volume 4, Brian Vaughan, art Fiona Staples. Epic last page. Epic.
5. Razed, Shiloh Walker. adding a new category: Tattoo romance

6. Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover, Sarah MacLean.

"You know," Bourne said. "I once heard you described as a genius." He looked to Cross. "Except, for a genius, he is something of a lummox."

"Well, to be fair, He's in a situation where intelligence does rather go out the window," Cross said."I have a theory that women actually siphon off our cleverness during the courtship phase, and keep it for themselves. Which is why they always seem to see the endgame before we do."

Adequate explanation of why West couldn't figure out the obvious. New drinking game for every rumination on Georgiana's many faces. Precocious beyond belief nine year old. Wonderful good read.

7. I Know I've Seen That Face Before, Steve Taravella. Disappointing biography of one of my favorite character actresses.

8. Lady Windermere's Lover, Miranda Neville.

9. Sweet Filthy Boy, Christina Lauren. Ridiculous title, but really sweet read.

10. Trust No One, Jayne Ann Krentz. Good book noise. Why? Lines like this after the main character gets the last word in a confrontation:

"The door closed softly on the still-life-with-bathroom-fixtures in the ladies room."

And this salient bit about the heroine's employment prospects:

"Here's a little inside job-hunting tip - if you're only willing to work for people who inspire you, you're going to discover that you're looking at a very small group of potential employers."

So glad JAK has gone back to her classic style.

11. Night Diver, Elizabeth Lowell. Two classic faves in a row.

12. Libriomancer, Jim C. Hines. Surprise, surprise. Valentine's Day and I'm posting a NON-romance. I'm going to be adding more Magic ex Libris to my tbr list. All magic comes from books. Didn't we all know this? The man took a copy of Peter Pan into battle! And a fire spider. And one of 47 versions of Excaliber. So entertaining. And I know I'm not the only one who's had some version of this conversation:

"...As for mirrors and such, they come preprogrammed for another world. Take Tokien's palatir, for example." I stared at their blank faces and sighed. "It's a crystal ball. Didn't you people at least see the movies?"

And now a word from ours sponser:
13. A Grave Matter, Anna Lee Huber. Scored through the FirstReads Program, eliciting an undignified happy squee. Highly recommend this series.

14. The Kraken King and the Scribbling Spinster.
The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm.
The Kraken King and the Fox's Den.
The Kraken King and the Inevitable Abduction.
The Kraken King and the Iron Heart.
The Kraken King and the Crumbling Walls.
The Kraken King and the Empress's Eyes.
The Kraken King and the Greatest Adventure. A serialized book by the incomparable Meljean Brook in which Archimedes Fox's oft abducted sister gets more adventure than she could ever have imagined.

"And she’d seen that tattoo before. Not on a man, but in a letter that her brother had sent in the days when he’d still been smuggling weapons. The tattoo had belonged to one of the most powerful men in the Horde rebellion. Archimedes hadn’t known the man’s real name, only the name the others had called him—a man who was just as ruthless as the creature tattooed across his back, a man who became just as fixated when something attracted his attention, a man who never loosened his grasp.

This was far more adventure than she’d hoped for. She’d only wanted to see a little danger from a distance.

Instead she’d fallen straight into the clutches of the Kraken King."

There is no doubt that Brook owns the genre. Her characters are complex, the world building is amazing and just gets more so with every book.

15. Alys, Always, Harriet Lane.

16. Theft, B.K. Loren.

17. Dirty Rowdy Thing, Christina Lauren. While NA isn't always my thing this series has been very enjoyable. I do see a rather large hole in the HEA potential, but hey, they're fictional characters.

18. About Last Night, Ruthie Knox. The ladies at Smart Bitches Trashy Books never steer me wrong. Ruthie Knox is a find.

Which takes us to the first quarter round up:

Books read: 16

Nonfiction: 1, again, better than none
Fiction: 15
Of these:
11 romances
3 mystery/suspense
1 graphic novel
3 sci-fi/fantasy
4 by new to me authors
1 made me cry
3 made me laugh out loud
1 rated 5 stars

17. The Martian, Andy Weir. The definition of a good read. White knuckling the cover one minute, laughing hysterically the next. This was brilliant.

18. Funny Girl, Nick Hornby. Having nothing to do with the musical of the same name. Really need to read more Hornby.

19. The Diabolical Miss Hyde, Viola Carr. Interesting twist on the Jekyll & Hyde story. I don't know that Miss Hyde was particularly diabolical, but The Dr. Jekyll personality had some ISSUES.

20. Feeling Hot, Elle Kennedy. Well, I never have to do that again.

21. Indecent Proposal, Molly O'Keefe. Le sigh.

"He was scruffy and bloodshot and coming down the steps of her childhood home, where she'd dreamed vivid dreams about love and Prince Charming, and her solid and cold heart was not impervious.

It wanted him. Her stupid heart. Her stupid body - both wanted him. Thank God her brain knew better and was driving the ship.

I am my own damn Prince Charming."

22. The Liar, Nora Roberts. Always enjoy le Nora, but this was even more anjoyable than most.

23. Beautiful Beginning, Christina Lauaren.

"Who called today?" Henry asked. "Will? Was it you?"

Sure it doesn't look too funny just hanging there out of context, but I gotta tell you, I laughed my head off when I read it in context.

24. Tethered (Iron Seas 2.5), Meljean Brook. Insert fangirl blather here: ___

25. the Unleashing, Shelly Laurenston.

Before Kera could even finish, Brodie unfurled her wings and took to the air.
Stieg watched the dog and asked, "So your dog flies now?"
"Apparently."
Steig mulled that over for a few seconds before he shrugged and said, "Yeah, okay."

Yeah, okay, is a sentiment often voiced while reading Laurenston's books, and that's not a bad thing. You're on the crazy train and it's all good fun.

26. Garden of Lies, Amanda Quick.

27. This Dog For Hire, Carol Lea Benjamin. How could I deny myself a mystery starring a pit bull? A nice way to spend a rainy morning.

28. Three Weeks With Lady X, Eloisa James. Would've been a 5 star book if not for the impossibly precocious plot moppet.

29. The Vesuvius Club, Mark Gatiss.

30. The Darkest Touch, Gena Showalter. Utter crap. My review is posted at Smartbitchestrashybooks.com today.

31. Soulbound, Darkest London #6, Kristen Callihan. Not my favorite in the series but compared to #30, wonderful.

"I looked down at you, lying here upon the bed so very lovely, your hair unbound as a wife's might be, your eyes on me, so soft and beguiling. It felt as if you were mine...No," he amended. "It felt as though I were yours."

32. Can't Buy Me Love, Molly O'Keefe. Another 5 star outing.

Wow! Where have I been?

33. Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand And Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career, Carla Kelly. Enjoyable twofer.

34. Back To You, Lauren Dane.

35. Opening Up, Lauren Dane.

36. Silk Is For Seduction, Laura Chase. REally need to read more of her.

37. Shards Of Hope, Nalini Singh.

Which winds up the second quarter with:


Books read: 21

Nonfiction: 0 Oops.
Fiction: 21
Of these:
17 romances
1 contemporary fiction
3 mystery/suspense
1 sci-fi
2 steampunky fantasy
6 by new to me authors
2 made me cry
2 made me laugh out loud, ironically, not Funny Girl
4 rated 5 stars
1 craparootie waste of my time

32. Uprooted, Naomi Novik. A homage to the Baba Yaga myth by the creator of the Temeraire books.

39. The Other Side of Midnight, Simone St. James. Not to be confused with the Sidney Sheldon book.

40. Somewhere In France, Jernnifer Robson.

41. Night's Honor, Thea Harrison

42. Midnight's Kiss, Thea Harrison.

43. In For The Kill, Shannon McKenna.

44. I Am Pilgrim, Terry Hayes. Wonderful story telling.

45. Suddenly One Summer, Julie James. It's hot and humid in Chicago, the perfect time to read a Julie James romance.

46. Don't Chew Jesus; A Collection of Memorable Nun Stories, Danielle Schaaf. I have better nun stories of my own, or maybe I just tell them better.

47. Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee.

"The south is in its last agonizing birth pains. It's bringing forth something new and I'm not sure I like it. Men like me and my brother are obsolete."

Let us all be thankful that this ended up in a drawer and set Harper Lee on the path that led her to write To Kill a Mockingbird. It's interesting for those who like to study a writer's developing style, but wasn't truly engrossing until the last third, which was pretty darned good.

48. The Perfect Touch, Elizabeth Lowell.

49. Earth Bound, Christine Feehan.

Dum-da-da-dum!!

50. Armada, Ernst Kline. Is it as original as his Ready Player One? No. Does that mean I didn't enjoy the hell out of it? No, because it was a really good time, like a great popcorn movie.

Going into extra innings:

51. Nora Roberts Land, Ava Miles. This it the kind of book you pitch at the wall, into the trash, out a car window while driving over a bridge from sheer frustration at how bad it was. At one point one of the main characters opines that his deceased student, the campus drug dealer, would have made a great lawyer. WITH NO IRONY!!!!

52. Archangel's Storm, Nalini Singh. A reread, but I'm so far behind on this series I needed the refresher.

53. Archangel's Legion, Nalini Singh. Two down, two to go.

54. Archangel's Shadows, Nalini Singh.
55. Archangel's Enigma. Series # 2 up to date.
56. Beautiful Secret, Christina Lauren.

57. Crazy On Daisy, Lily Christine. A score from the GoodReads FirstReads giveaways. It was exactly as advertised by the author. An enjoyable little weekend read.

Third quarter recap delayed by unplanned trip to Nashville followed by miserable work week following trip to Nashville.

Books read: 20

Nonfiction: 1 better than none.
Fiction: 19
Of these:
13 romances
1 literary fiction
2 historical fiction
1 mystery/suspense
2 sci-fi/fantasy
7 by new to me authors
2 rated 5 stars
2 series backlog caught up
1 craparootie waste of my time
1 Jack Daniels cocktail consumed in Nashville
6 number of times people called me on saying y'all in Nashville
1 pulled pork sandwich eaten in Nashville
2 number of times I ate fried chicken in Nashville
14 number of times our tour guide mentioned Dolly Parton

58. Dark Wild Night, Christina Lauren.
The panel shows the girl, hands cupped, waiting for rain. He blocks her from the fever of the sun.
Perfect post vacation decompression read.

59. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned, Brian Vaughn. Color me hooked.

60. Everything I Left Unsaid. M. O'Keefe. Inhaled in one sitting this morning. Can't wait for more!

61. The Murderer's Daughter, Jonathan Kellerman. Notable for a heroine who is quite a departure from the usual, though there was an Alex Delaware drive by.

62. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2: Cycles,Brian Vaughn and Pia Guerra. Wherein Yorick plays asshat, and someone takes a timely axe to the head.

63. Prudence, Gail Carriger.

64. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3: One Small Step, Brian Vaughn and Pia Guerra. Wherein Yorick redeems himself a bit and Natalia finally gets someone to listen to her.

65, Yes Please, Amy Poehler. Audiobook. I don't think I'd have enjoyed this as much if I had read it rather than listened. Some bits were a little self indulgent, but hearing these essays in her own voice made the drive to work much less stressful.

66. Stars of Fortune, Nora Robers. Well, that says it all. Standard paranormal fare from Roberts still more readable than a lot of what's out there.

67. Swerve, Vicki Pettersson.

"I really shouldn't have gotten so angry with you for running, for fighting." He tilts his head like we're engaged in an actual conversation, like my teeth aren't chattering in my skull. "I have to say that I learned so many things along this journey that I never would have if you'd simply gone along with the plan. You forced me to improvise and exercise patience and restraint. All of those things put me in an even better place than originally intended,

I'm still going to kill you, of course, because extinction of the faulty and the weak is a vital and necessary part of the natural evolutionary process..."

Creepy.

68. Y: The Last Man, Vol R: Safeword.
69. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 5: Ring of Truth, Brian Vaughn and Pia Guerra.

So good.

70. Mai Tai'd Up, Alice Clayton. Not my favorite of the series, but the main character opens a shelter for pit bulls, so what's not to love? Here's looking at you Ma Fan.

71. Last Call, Alice Clayton. The saga of Nightie Girl and The Wallbanger ends as you could expect, with a wedding.
"No one ever tells you to remember these moments, to photograph them in your mind, develop them into memories to have them easily accessible and on instant recall when you'd need them later, to try and replay and re-create the last time you see someone."

72. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, Sarah Vowel. Funny, informative and a little snarky. High school history would've been much more memorable if it had been more like this. For instance this: https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?h... would be pretty much my sole reference for all things General LaFayette prior to this book.

73. A Curious Beginning, Deanna Raybourn. Stellar. A heroine who defines intrepid and a reclusive naturalist join forces to solve the mystery of her birth and the murder of a mutual benefactor.

74. The Hook Up, Kristen Callihan. One of my favorite historical writers takes on one of my least favorite genres: NA/shifting first person narrative, and aces it.

75. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls. Would have been better if I'd been able to get my hands on Volume 6, but, oh well..

76. Y: The Last Man, Vol 8: Kimono Dragons. Wherein we learn about Dr. Mann's dysfunctional past.

78. Cold-Hearted Rake, Lisa Kleypas. Actually more interested in the sequel bait than the main characters.

79. Career if Evil, Robert Galbraith. J.K. Rowling's alter ego produces another great mystery.

Last books of the year!

78. Overruled, Emma Chase. Followed quickly by
79. Sustained, Emma Chase. Not something I thought I'd enjoy as much as I did. They're like potato chips.
80. Twelve Days, Teresa Hill. Abandoned children, a marriage falling apart, Christmas. Pretty much sums it up.
81. Saga, Volume 5, Brian Vaughn & Fiona Staples.

"As anyone who's ever been to one knows, family reunions can be complicated things."

Not to mention violent.
82. Good Eats 2: The Middle Years, Alton Brown. Has been on my currently reading thread for a long time, because a cook book isn't truly read until you make a recipe. In this case the Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies substituting orange extract for the peppermint. A winner.

Fourth quarter round up: 26
Nonfiction: 3, whoo-hoo!
Fiction: 23
Of these:
10 romances
4 mystery/suspense
9 graphic novels/comics
1 steampunk
4 by new to me authors

Yay! Congratulations on a great year!

Thanks, Tiffany!