Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

This is the thread where we ask questions, discuss, and make suggestions for the challenge.


Special thanks to the members who regularly stop by at the Suggestions Thread and share their input. It definitely helped me a lot when I put together the monthly categories. Thanks, guys.

1. July: Read a book whose author’s first or last name starts with “J”

2. Birthday: Read a book from a July B-day celebrant. (http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...)

3. Geography: Read a book whose author, setting or character is from Minnesota.

4.World UFO Day: Read a book set in another planet or involves space travel or has aliens in it.

5. Fourth of July: Read book which cover is predominantly red, or blue, or white; or a book that has an American flag on the cover.

6. Disney Inspired Read a book that has a princess or prince as a character; or a book inspired by a fairytale.

7. Food Delight Read a book which has some kind of food on its title or on its cover.

8. Romance Genre: Read a time-travel romance.

9. Of Lists and Shelves:International Joke Day Read a book from the first five pages of any of the following shelves:
Funny Romance
Humorous Romance
Popular Funny Books

10. Reader's Choice

Challenge Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2010

Author suggestions for books based in Minnesota

*Laveral Spencer's books are about MN
*Lorna Landvick novels are based in MN

Man...this is going to be a difficult one for me. I'm trying to use only books from my TBR...

I think The Frog Prince count for 'Disney Inspired', right? I mean, it doesn't have a prince but the whole plot is as fairy tale like a it's going to get, right?

And would Sweet Talk count for the Food category? It doesn't have food in the title, but the 3 sisters have a bakery?

the Queen Betsy series by Mary Janice Davidson is set in MN

Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson series is set in Minnesota

For #5, would red, white AND blue work?

For the Funny books for #9....

first link has zero books listed
second link has over 400 so that's okay
third link has only 5 books listed

and so far... a majority of what's on list two is all Sophia Kinsella and Janet Evanovich. If you don't like either, and I don't.... not much to choose from. :(

Briansgirl "Master Book Sale Huntress" wrote: "For the Funny books for #9....

first link has zero books listed
second link has over 400 so that's okay
third link has only 5 books listed"

Wow...that's is strange. Thanks for pointing it out.

When I was doing this earlier, each shelf has over 25 pages.

EDIT: It's fixed now. Links should be working.

Yz the Whyz wrote: "Wow...that's is strange. Thanks for pointing it out.

When I was doing this earlier, each shelf has over 25 pages. "

That is odd. Wierd. I found something on page 6 of the second link so going to use that, if that's okay.

Time Travel Romance list

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/42...

Great list and Yeah! for Minnesota. It's not a romance, but John Sandford's latest Lucas Davenport is calling from my TBR stack.

For #4. World UFO Day. I read Gini Koch's Touched by and Alien and loved it. Aliens on Earth plot. Kitty is leaving the courthouse and sees an angry man suddenly transform into a huge winged monster. Instead of running away, she puts her Mont Blanc pen to good use and takes care of the problem. The heroine is snarky but doesn't get on your nerves. I'm pretty sure this is the first in a series and I would definitely buy more of Koch's books.

For UFO Day (all erotica):
Victorious Star
Planet X
Alien Overnight
Ceremony of Seduction
Binding Krista
Planet Mail
Undercover
Abiogenesis

also for Space

Of course, I went through a ton of my books and the only Minnesota author I could find was the one who wrote the book I was going to read for my time travel romance. And it's her first book. Figures, huh? :)

But here it is, if anyone else is interested--fits for #3 and #8:

Blue Bells of Scotland by Laura Vosika

Yz would - work for the disney challenge (i'm reading it for another group and trying to get as many to co-work as possible...)

Delicious Dee the book slut wrote: "Yz would - work for the disney challenge (i'm reading it for another group and trying to get as many to co-work as possible...)"

The title sounds very fairy-tale like to me. :)

sweet!! lol!!

Dee I've read this one and really enjoyed it. I've read others in the series but this one is still my fav.

Any help with Minnesota would be great, especially if it's PNR. :)

Lists of Minnesota authors...
http://www.duluth.lib.mn.us/PopLib/MNAuthors.html
http://www.metronet.lib.mn.us/MNAuth/author.php
http://www.northernlightswriters.org/Members.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Writers_from_Minnesota

Here's one set in Minnesota by a MN author:

Angie wrote: "Any help with Minnesota would be great, especially if it's PNR. :)"

Anya Bast is from MN - definitely PNR. The first half of the first book in the Elemental Witches series also takes place in Minnesota.

And if any Prince fans are feeling in the mood for UF, check out War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. :)

thanks - i'm using it for a fairy tale challenge in another group and its been in my TBR pile for ages!

Danielle wrote: "Dee I've read this one and really enjoyed it. I've read others in the series but this one is still my fav."

more funny chick-lit with vampires is the Queen Betsy series by Mary Janice Davidson - starts with Unwed an Undead

Angie wrote: "Any help with Minnesota would be great, especially if it's PNR. :)"

Awesome Beth. I have War for the Oaks on my challenge list for this month, but I'm going to go see if I can plug something else in there for this month and use it for MN. Thanks!

Thanks everyone!

I've never read the book before, would you classify The Time Traveler's Wife as a romance?

Angie wrote: "Any help with Minnesota would be great, especially if it's PNR. :)"

Holding on to Heaven by Keta Diablo is set in MN. I think this one is historical erotica.

Daffodil wrote: "I've never read the book before, would you classify The Time Traveler's Wife as a romance?"

I would, personally. Maybe not in the trtaditional sense but it is absolutely a love story.

more Alien/UFO books--

Your Planet or Mine? by Susan Grant. Well, she has a LOT of books that fit this category.

Redline the Stars by Andre Norton yet another. And Ms Norton has mucho books that would fit this category.

If you want to combine Humour AND UFO/space things might I suggest Christopher Stasheff. He has 2 series that would work.

Yet another (oldie but goodie) Robert A. Heinlein's stories (now usually viewed as YA, but they were not when written. However, given their age, they are a little, well, simplistic.)

Jane's Warlord would classify, I think.

and, well, there are tons more.

Daffodil wrote: "I've never read the book before, would you classify The Time Traveler's Wife as a romance?"

Definitely. :)

Here are a few GR lists with food in the title or on the cover:

Food Related Fiction

Food in Book Titles

Food on the Cover

look for books by Joanna Fluke for food in the title...i.e. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Linnea Sinclair for space-themed books.

Australian author Kerry Greenwood also has a food-themed series starting with Earthly Delights - mystery with a little romance thrown in.

Woulld the Lord of the Fading Lands series work as another planet?

Penney wrote: "Woulld the Lord of the Fading Lands series work as another planet?"

Unfortunately, no.

But I love that book, so I would recommend it.

You might squeezed it to Disney-inspired, since Rain is a Fey Prince/King.

Thanks Yz, I'm moving on to the 2nd book so I'll make it work. :)

Here is a list that might help with the Disney inspire.

The Best Fairytales and Retellings List

Got a laugh with Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal making it to the fairy tales list. ;)

I'm reading it for the challenge anyway but as my funny book. :)

For #6, Kay Hooper did a series of Fairy Tale inspired stories for the Loveswept line and I know some of them have been reprinted since then.

Once Upon A Time Series
1. Golden Threads (Rapunzel)
2. The Glass Shoe (Cinderella)
3. What Dreams May Come (Sleeping Beauty)
4. Through the Looking Glass (Alice)
5. The Lady and the Lion (Beauty and the Beast, I think)
6. The Matchmaker (Not fairy-tale inspired, but a wonderful historical about the man responsible for getting the 5 other couples together)

Yz, I have a question and need a ruling sort of early in the day if you don't mind. For Disney inspired, could I use First Lady? After all the FLOTUS is our only true royalty we have here in the US. If not, I have a handful of probably crappy old Harlequins with the name prince or princess in the title. Ready to start reading so let me know.

Photojim wrote: "Yz, I have a question and need a ruling sort of early in the day if you don't mind. For Disney inspired, could I use First Lady? After all the FLOTUS is our only true royalty we hav..."

Hmm....not exactly sure how to handle this.

I guess we can justify it, if it has some kind of fairy-tale similarity to it.

Go ahead and read it. Just put in your explanation why you think it meet the criteria.

I trust you are creative enough to make it work. :)

That's cool. I started another book in the meantime. I don't know as though this will work for anything. Already know what I'll read for two of the three missing categories, but just can't think of anything for Disney yet. Any suggestions?

yeah, I looked through the link posted. Just nothing has caught my eye.

Jim, there are a lot of Historicals out there with Prince or Princess in the title and we all know how much you love those. ;)

Do you like Suzanne Brockman? Prince Joe
Susan Krinard has a few with Prince in the title. Prince of Dreams, Prince of Wolves, Prince of Shadows

what about Mercede Lackey - she writes romantic fantasys they are all contemporary (as far as I can tell) that are based on fairy tales - the Fairy Godmother is Cinderella (although come to think of it, it might be historical and we know how much you love those)

Photojim wrote: "That's cool. I started another book in the meantime. I don't know as though this will work for anything. Already know what I'll read for two of the three missing categories, but just can't think..."

Going through one of the bags of older Harlequin's my mother's friend gives her to give me, I'm looking at:

A Princess' Love
Prodigal Prince Charming
The Stone Princess
Secrets of a Pregnant Princess

Of these, Prodigal Prince is in the lead with Briansgirl, from my friends list giving it three stars . The second is Secrets but Arch, also from the friends list, has it shelved as can-not-finish. Maybe I'll just pick one at random. I guess I could assign a suit to each of the four books and draw a card from a deck of cards. I'd read the corresponding book.

I should read The Princess Bride, but it's not at the library now and I'm not allowed to buy any books this month.

Photojim wrote: "Going through one of the bags of older Harlequin's my mother's friend gives her to give me, I'm looking at:"

Photojim, I'd second the Lackey rec. I don't like historicals either (or fairy tale retellings, for that matter), but I've really enjoyed both of the Lackey books I've read -- The Fire Rose and The Serpent's Shadow. So if your library has either one of those, you might want to check them out.

I'll be there in the morning and will look then. (I could go online now, but I prefer a face to face with the library ladies. They usually like it when I take them chocolate anyway.)

Thanks for the help.