All posts by skyebjenner

Party

Duration: 1st June – 30th June 2020
Number of books: 3
Hosted by: Bookworm Bitches

June 2020: Party
Duration: 6/1/2020-6/30/2020

There are 3 tasks, you only need to read three books to finish this challenge. Or pick one task and read 3 books for that one task.

June- Celebration
1. Read a book featuring a large event (birthday, wedding, bbq, etc.) – Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr
2. Read a book featuring a holiday – That Holiday Feeling by Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods & Robyn Carr (Christmas)
3. Read a book with good news (birth of a baby, character gets a new job, etc.) – Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr

Rules
~Books must be read during the selected time period.
~Post the date you finished the book.
~All books read for challenges can be used for more than one challenge.
~Books can be either Fiction or Non Fiction. Your choice.
~At the end of the challenge, it will be closed for commenting and moved to the archives folder
~Use the add book/author tool to tag your book within your challenge.

Scavenger Challenge – June 2020

Duration: 1st June – 30th June 2020
Number of books: 7
Hosted by: Crazy Challenge Connection

US States Named After European Kings and Queens
Duration: June 1 – 30, 2020

As I was cleaning my apartment, I found a deck of “Can You Name Them All?” cards. I found this interesting topic and since there are 7 states, it seemed perfect for a monthly challenge.

7/7 Complete

1. Georgia named for England’s King George II
Read a book that takes place in Georgia OR read a book that has a main character or author named George (reasonable variations okay –Georgia, Georgette, etc.) – Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

2. North Carolina named for King Charles I of England:
Read a book that takes place in North Carolina OR read a book that has “NORTH” in its title or author name (does not have to stand alone – i.e. Northcutt would work)Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs (Charlotte)

3. South Carolina also named for King Charles I of England
Read a book that takes place in South Carolina OR read a book that has “SOUTH” in its title or author name (does not have to stand alone – i.e. Southlake)Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

4. Louisiana named for King Louis XIV of France
Read a book that takes place in Louisiana or France OR read a book that is 14th in a series or published in 2014. – Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

5. Virginia named for Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen”
Read a book that takes place in Virginia OR read a book in which someone loses their virginity; tell us who. – Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr (Shelby)

6. West Virginia also named for Elizabeth I
Read a book that takes place in West Virginia OR read a book whose author’s or main character’s name is Elizabeth (reasonable variations okay – Beth, Betsy, Lisa, Eliza) – Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr (Liz)

7. Maryland named for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England
Read a book that takes place in Maryland OR read a book whose title contains a compound word. – Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh

CHALLENGE RULES
See this thread for more detailed rules for all CCC challenges.

♣ If you want to participate in this challenge, please sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.

♣ For each book you read, please indicate the title, the author and the date you finished reading it. If a challenge task gives several options, please make it clear which option you’ve chosen. If the task calls for an item on the cover, include a link to the book cover.* If it’s not obvious from the book title or cover, be sure to explain how your book fits the task. If you don’t, you won’t get credit for completing that task.

♣ Unless otherwise noted, books must be at least 150 pages long. (See the link above for rules regarding graphic novels.) Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged 🙂 Re-reads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book. You must read at least half of the book AFTER the challenge begins in order to count it for this challenge.

♣ Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged!

♣ If you want the challenge moderator to check your progress as you make updates, please copy/paste your update into a new message . We don’t have time to scroll back through the entire thread looking for “message #15,” or to follow links back to an original post.

♣ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read. If you don’t repost your list, you won’t be included in the list of those who have completed the challenge.

*If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title or cover, see the instructions here: Link Instructions

Monthly Challenge – June 2020

Duration: 1st June – 30th June 2020
Number of books: 11
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

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Duration
Starts: June 1
Ends: June 31

How It Works
Ten books each month is a lot, so there will be 5 different levels. So pick which level you want to do and that’s how many items you will need to check off.

Levels:
Transitional – 2 books
Fledgling – 4 books
Vampire – 6 books
Master – 8 books
Vampire King or Queen – 10 books

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Summertime Bucket List

1) First on the list: Some R & R, after all that is what summer is all about.
Read a book that is set during a vacation. – That Holiday Feeling by Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods & Robyn Carr (Christmas)

2) Second: Road trip!!!
Read a book where the MC takes a road trip or travels. – Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

3) Third: Party!!!
Read a book where the MC hosts a party or attends one. – Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr (Rick’s welcome home and Abby’s baby shower)

4) Fourth: Learn something new. It is after all the longest vacation.
Read a book where a character learns something new or gets a new hobby. – Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh (Noah and his fidelity – described as a bit of a hobby / vice)

5) Halfway through the list: Is it a fling or is it real?
Read a book where the main MPG is romance. – Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr

6) Sixth: Random pick from the bucket.
Read a book that a friend recommended or from a group read. – Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire (past group read for MVBO)

7) Seventh: The time of outdoor concerts and festivals.
Read a book with a parade or festival. – A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu

8) Eighth: Watch the sun set.
Read the last book in a series or a standalone.Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

9) Ninth: SUMMER TIME MADNESS.
Read a book that starts with any letter from SUMMER. – Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

10) The last: Remember the good old times.
Re-read an book author you enjoyed a few years ago. – White Hot by Ilona Andrews

11) Bonus Book-
Read anything you want! You can use this option to reach your goal if you’re finding it difficult to get a book to suit the other tasks. – Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

Summer Solstice

Duration: 1st June – 30th June 2020
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

description

Summer Solstice, sometimes known as Midsummer, Litha, or St. John’s Day, occurs in the middle of June. It is a celebration of the longest day of the year and the beginning of Summer. It has been a grand tribal gathering time since ancient times. The Goddess manifests as Mother Earth and the God as the Sun King. Colors are Yellow, Green, and Blue. It is a festival of community sharing and planetary service.

Rules
Complete at least 2 tasks to get the heart
All genres welcome
Rereads welcome
No minimum page count

description

Stay up all night on Solstice Eve to welcome the rising Sun
Read a book all night or at least during the night. – Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr

Keep a Sacred Fire Burning
Read a book with fire or flames in the story or on the cover.White Hot by Ilona Andrews

Burn your Yule Wreath in the Sacred Fire
Read a book you borrowed or don’t officially own (like from KU or Scribd) – A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu (ARC)

Eat a Festive Feast
Read a book with a food theme or a feast in the story. – The Goblin King by Shona Husk

Sing and Dance with Friends
Read a book one of your friends has read. – Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews (my sister)

Exchange a Magical Gift with Friends
Read a new to you book. – Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

description

April 2020

April Programming Focus — DRIVE Fitness

April was the serious beginning of quarantine in Australia. It was also the point at which I ceased being a PhD student… it was insane, intense and weighed heavily on everyone’s mentality.

Poems

Series

Short story collections

Standalones – Novels

Standalones – Novellas

Standalones – Short stories

Image source: DRIVE fitness

O For a Fiery Gloom and Thee by Brian Stableford

Overview
Image result for sirens and other daemon lovers book cover

Title: O for a Fiery Gloom and Thee
Author: Brian Stableford
In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae
Dates read: 30th April 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: EOS
Year: 1998
5th sentence, 74th page: Like the rough-hewn roads of myth and history, the many roads of England were not at this time wont to run straight.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

A classic styled tale of the fae and the passions that are ignited.

Thoughts

There was something completely beautiful and stunning about the language used in this story. It had that great lyrical value that doesn’t often show it’s face in contemporary writing. The story felt somewhat familiar, as it would to anyone who has an obsession with tales of the fae. I loved that this felt both familiar and new as the gorgeous lyricism of the story evolved.

One of the things that come up again and again for me in tales of the fae is that theirs is a passion that I don’t quite understand. Which is beautifully illustrated in this short story. Not only does it highlight that they are untenable. But also subject to their own whims and desires…

I look forward to rereading this story in the future – there is something beautifully lyrical about it that just screams to be read again. The style of the prose is of the sort that I know I will read this again and again in a journey of constant self-discovery.

<- The Eye of the StormThe Light That Passes Through You ->

Image source: Goodreads

Our Turn Too Will One Day Come by Brian Hodge

Overview
Image result for the monstrous ellen datlow book cover

Title: Our Turn Too Will One Day Come
Author: Brian Hodge
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 30th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Noelle leaned against my back, her freshest tears on my shoulder.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

You don’t want to get a call in the middle of the night. Especially not one that involves your sister asking you to bring a shovel… but what happens next is FAR FAR worse.

Thoughts

This was a very intense, family-secrets way too real kind of story. But it was brilliant. And gorgeous. And seriously put me in my happy place. Again, not going to delve too far into the fact that a freaky story with a pretty twisted family secret puts me in my happy place… there are just some questions we probably shouldn’t ask.

One of my favourite aspects to this story is that the big, bad family secret is handed down through the women in the family line. Although the men, and the voice of this story, know that there is something untoward going on. It is up to the women to harbour, and nurture their secrets. And then, when it is all finally revealed… well, I can’t say it was a comfortable moment… but it was an intriguing one.

After finishing this story, the question that kept popping up in my mind was… what price do we pay? What price is paid for money and wealth and security? For a lineage that we want to honour and love. What prices do I pay for my daily life? Definitely nothing as drastic in this story… but still, I keep wondering…

<- Catching FliesGrindstone ->

Image source: Amazon

Last Rites by Louise Cooper

Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of dark magic book cover

Title: Last Rites
Author: Louise Cooper
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Death, Fantasy, Magic
Dates read: 30th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1994
5th sentence, 74th page: Again the warning gesture, but now the sly humour was back.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

They’re in a world surrounded by chaos. And their leader is about to pass on… who will perform the last rites?

Thoughts

This was a seriously tripped out story. I did enjoy it. But I can’t really remember much of what happened… I suppose many of the more trippy stories that I read are like that though. They have this ethereal quality that makes you feel like you’ve forgotten what you’ve read… even though you only just turned the last page. And it’s kind of suited that a story about chaos does this so well…

I think that this is one short story that I’m going to want to read again and again. It is intriguing and was most certainly enjoyable. But I felt like I was constantly missing things as I went through the story. There were so many symbolic moments interwoven throughout the story and tales of chaos. Moments that may have a little more clarity to them after I read through this story a second time.

Definitely an enjoyable short story. One that I look forward to reading again in the future. It is the kind of story that will intrigue and enthral. The world of chaos and the questions it raises at the end… well, it was really quite intense.

<- The Last WitchThe Eternal Altercation ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Overview
Amazon.com: Eldest (Inheritance Cycle, Book 2) (The Inheritance ...

Title: Eldest
Author: Christopher Paolini
Series: The Inheritance Cycle #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: DragonsMedieval fantasy
Dates read: 21st – 29th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Knopf
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: After dinner, Eragon and Saphira flew together.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .

Thoughts

I vaguely recalled reading this novel years ago. But, as I reread it… I seriously began to doubt my memories. There was just so much in this novel that I didn’t see coming and which completely pulled me in. There is just a great sense of intrigue and interest in this story… an amazing journey that doesn’t end the way you expect. Although, it does end in a great way. Now I can’t wait to read Brisingr… a book that I know I’ve never read before…

After Eragon’s rough entrance into the world of the Varden and the battles he must face in the future, there is a nice little period of quiet in his and Saphira’s lives. It was actually quite nice to start this book in a period of quiet before the storm. It helped to get to know a little more of the political ramifications of the storyline and characters in play. Which, I’m thinking is going to be seriously important for the rest of the series…

The world of the elves is one that completely reeled me in – which was probably why I enjoyed the downtime that Eragon and Saphira experienced there so much. A world in which trees are sung into buildings, pride is something that is a serious weakness and lives are lived for way too long… of course I’m going to love it. Particularly when Eragon is struggling to create a reality in which he is likely to survive and undergoing some of the harshest training he’s experienced thus far.

Yet, it is the very ending of this story that is the most intense and amazing. Not only is there the traditional, epic, final battle… but there is a great reveal. And a new Dragon Rider in the mix. It opens up a world of hurt for Eragon’s future and makes me seriously want to sink my nose into the next book… which I may just do as soon as I finish writing this review… like… right… now.

<- EragonBrisingr ->

Image source: Amazon

The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown by Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins & Mia Ryan

Overview
Image result for the further observations of lady whistledown book cover"

Title: The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown
Author: Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins & Mia Ryan
In: The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown (Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins & Mia Ryan)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romanceRegency romanceShort story collections
Dates read: 6th – 26th April 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: “I’ve never seen him like that.”

Synopsis

Lady Whistledown Tells All!

Society is abuzz when the Season’s most promising debutante is jilted by her intended—only to be swept away by the deceitful rogue’s dashing older brother—in New York Times bestseller Julia Quinn’s witty, charming, and heartfelt tale.

When the scandalous actions of his beautiful fiancée are recorded in Lady Whistledown’s column, a concerned groom-to-be rushes back to London to win his lady’s heart once and forever, in Suzanne Enoch’s enchanting romantic gem.

Karen Hawkins captivates with an enduring story of a handsome rogue whose lifelong friendship—and his heart—are tested when the lovely lady in question sets her cap for someone else.

A dazzling and delightful tale by Mia Ryan has a young woman cast out of her home by an insufferable yet charming marquis—who intends to take possession not only of the house… but its former occupant as well!

Thoughts

I figured that I would thoroughly enjoy this collection just because it was created by Julia Quinn and featured the character of Lady Whistledown in some way, shape or form. What I didn’t expect was how brilliantly each of these four stories related in to one another. Mostly I was expecting four separate novellas with Lady Whisteldown’s witty repertoire at the very beginning. What I didn’t expect was to find each of the characters from the novellas in each other’s stories.

This is a fantastic historical romance collection which features some amazing new authors. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some of their books! Each had that great sense of humour and wit that I recognise in the writings of Julia Quinn. Plus, each of the four women in these stories is strong in her own way. Strong and independent (in some cases, unusually so for this style of story). Not only does this make this collection fantastic, but it is a great hint of the type of women who filled the pages of this book with some wonderfully engaging words.

For anyone who loves regency romances, this is a fantastic short story collection. For people who have already fallen in love with Julia Quinn and her Bridgertons series…. it’s even more of a must have. There is just something about the unique voices of the four authors and the way they are able to so seamlessly intertwine their stories with each other… it is just amazing. And beautiful. Definitely a collection that I will be picking up again and again and again.

<- Thirty-Six ValentinesOne True Love ->

Image source: Goodreads