Monthly Challenge November 2021

Challenges

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2021
Number of books: 11
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

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Duration:
November 1st – November 30th

How it Works:
Ten books each month is a lot, so there will be 5 different levels. 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

1. November 1, 1848 was when the first medical school for women was opened in Boston. Read a book with a female doctor or read a book set in Boston. – What We Find by Robyn Carr

2. November 5 – Guy Fawkes Day in Britain. Read a historical romance, or read a book with a mask on the cover.

3. November 11 – Veteran’s day. Read book with a MC and/or love interest in the military or read a dystopia.

4. November 7 – Hug a Bear. Read a book with a bear shifter or read a book with a cute creature you’d like to hug. – Cowboy and the Captive by Lora Leigh

5. November 12- Chicken Soup for the Soul. Read a book by an author that always makes you feel better or a book you would suggest to a friend. – The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Kay O’Neill

6. November 13 – World Kindness Day. Read a book with a kind MC or a book that inspires you to be a better person. – Dawn’s Awakening by Lora Leigh

7. November 16 – National Tolerance Day. Read a book with diversity and/or read an lgbtq book.

8. November 20 – Universal Children’s day. Read a book with an MC that has children, or read a book with a child character you like. – Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

9. November 23 – Dr. Who/Tardis day, this is the anniversary of the first ever transmission of Doctor Who. Read a science fiction book, or read a book with someone who travels to another country/time period. – The Answer to the Riddle is Me by David Stuart MacLean

10. November 26 – Buy Nothing Day. Read a free book from a friend, or a free book online.

Bonus
Read a book with something you are grateful for and find it on the cover. Do this as many times as you wish! – Hot Summer Nights by Jaci Burton, Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy & Jessica Clare

Night Spawn Bingo November 2021

Challenges

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2021
Number of books: 9
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

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Welcome to Night Spawn BINGO. Each month a new BINGO game will be posted with new tasks to complete. Get three in a row (Horizontal, Vertical, or Diagonal) to receive your Vampire Heart.

Rules:
Complete three tasks to get the vampire heart
All genres welcome
Rereads welcome
No minimum page count
One book per task

Read 3 books that have one of the following (Must be in a Horizontal, Vertical, or Diagonal pattern).

Top Row:

Read a book with a title starting with a letter found in GRATITUDE~ Dawn’s Awakening by Lora Leigh
Read a book with a character who is given a second chance (In love, life, health, etc)~ What We Find by Robyn Carr
Read a book with a character who helps someone who is in trouble.~ Your Coffin or Mine? by Kimberly Raye

Middle Row:

Read a book with an author’s first or last initial is found in FAMILY~ Cowboy and the Captive by Lora Leigh
Read a book where the MC is a single parent ~
Read a book where a family comes together to celebrate an event (Holiday, Wedding, Birthday, etc)~ The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Kay O’Neill

Bottom Row:

Read a book with a character whose name starts with a letter found in THANKSGIVING~ Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh (Honor)
Read a book where a family shares a meal ~ The Answer to the Riddle is Me by David Stuart MacLean
Read a book set in the Fall~

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Moonlight Serenade November 2021

Challenges

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2021
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

Duration: 1 – 30 November

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

1. Listen to a book with a firefighter or police officer as the MC
2. Listen to a book with a character who is pregnant or gives birth – Cowboy and the Captive by Lora Leigh
3. Listen to a book with a character who has a psychic ability – Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh
4. Listen to a book where the MC works in the food industry or with food on the cover
5. Listen to a book where the MC is some type of criminal or does something illegal
6. Listen to a book with an MPG of sports

Day of the Dead

Challenges

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2021
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

Day of the Dead
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Duration
November 1st – 30th

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

description

1. Read a book where the MC has a deceased family member
2. Read a book with a colorful cover
3. Read a book with a skull on the cover or all the letters of SKULL in the title
4. Read a book with a flower(s) on the cover – What We Find by Robyn Carr
5. Read a book published on November 1st or 2nd
6. Read a book with one of the four elements (wind, water, fire or earth on the cover) – Hot Summer Nights by Jaci Burton, Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy & Jessica Clare

All’s Fair in Love and War

Challenges

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2021
Number of books: 3
Hosted by: Bookworm Bitches

November 2021 – All’s Fair in Love and War
Duration: 11/1/2021 – 11/30/2021

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.

1. Read a classic or a book you’ve been meaning to get to – Your Coffin or Mine? by Kimberly Raye
2. Read a book with some form of conflict – What We Find by Robyn Carr
3. Read a book that relaxes you – Hot Summer Nights by Jaci Burton, Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy & Jessica Clare

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.

September 2021 Reading List

List, , ,
20 Interesting Facts About September | The Fact Site

September was an interesting month – I got to feel my babies constant kicks and got a job promotion. Which, of course meant that I was seriously distracted from actually reading much. But, you know, it was all good distractions.

Series

Standalones – Novels

Image source: The Fact Site

Hopcross Jilly by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly : Briggs, Patricia, Hoskin, Rik, Garcia, Tom: Amazon.com.au: Books

Title: Hopcross Jilly
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #7.5, Mercy-Verse #23
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Graphic novels, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 30th September 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: Dynamite
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: No cops ever come out this way!

Synopsis

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifting coyote and honorary member of the Tri-Cities werewolf pack. When the pack stumbles upon the buried bones of numerous dead children, she shapeshifts into a mystery of the legendary fae – a mystery that draws Mercy’s stepdaughter Jesse into the fray! The supernatural romance series Mercy Thompson continues in this all-new, original story by New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs, exclusively created for the comic book medium!

Thoughts

I’ve been hanging to get to this graphic novel since I bought it. But, since I was trying to do a full Mercyverse reread in order, I kept refraining. Well, I finally got up to it in my reread list. And wow. It was worth the wait. Not only is the storyline amazing, the graphics beautiful, and the pace fast. But this also features Jesse in a much stronger manner.

Jesse is slowly showing up more and more in the Mercedes Thompson books – I mean, it makes sense, since they’ve become a family unit. But there isn’t much that strongly features her by herself. Although this story isn’t just about Jesse, she is smack bang in the middle of the drama. And it just reminds me why I love her and want to see her more in the Mercedes Thompson books.

I love that this storyline shows Jesse in her difficulties at school. I mean, school is tough and kids are cruel. But more than that it shows how tough and honest she is in her ability to rise above all of the crap that is thrown at her.

This is a story that features the next fae that goes bump in the night. The next step in the escalating paranormal war that is sure to be filling the next few Mercyverse books. It highlights the difficulties that the pack face, but more than that it shows how being good can assist in overcoming the evil in the world. Or at least, that’s how I felt about Jesse and those around her.

<- RedemptionNight Broken ->

Image source: Amazon

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

Title: Dead Heat
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha & Omega #4, Mercy-Verse #22
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Dates read: 19th – 30th September 2021
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Unable to resist, she lent her song to his.

Synopsis

Transporting readers into the realm of mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham, Patricia Briggs’s Alpha and Omega novels have been praised for being “the perfect blend of action, romance, suspense, and paranormal.” Now a pleasure trip drops the couple into the middle of some bad supernatural business…

For once, werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal. Or at least their visit starts out that way…

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The fae have started a cold war with humanity that’s about to heat up – and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.

Thoughts

This is one of those series that I always wonder if it’s actually not quite as good as I remember. It is WAY better. Each and every time. I mean, the hype in my mind is nowhere near equivalent to the hype and the amazingness of reading one of these books. And, I’m finally at that point in my reread when I’m up to the books that I haven’t actually read yet. Which of course meant that even though I read the prologue and then put this aside, I ended up reading pretty much the whole book cover to cover in one night. It is THAT amazing.

Charles is a beautiful enigma – and I like that this book explores some more of his past. Particularly the fact that it brings forwards some of his past friendships and relationships. Ones that are rare and far between. Friendships are so important, and it always breaks my heart that Charles really doesn’t have any in the Mercyverse. There were moments of tragedy throughout that did pluck at your heartstrings (which is always good in a book), but it was also really sweet and endearing to see the past and some joy in Charles’ life.

It was incredibly interesting that this story starts with Anna trying to figure out why Charles is resistant to the idea of children. I happen to be pregnant while reading this, and they’re discussions that are somewhat familiar. I love that throughout all of the mayhem and magic in this story, Anna slowly starts to untangle his resistance and his feelings. Feelings that even Charles doesn’t know that he has. It’s such a familiar discussion and wonder. Such a familiar untangling of emotions that I was driven by this alongside the actual action to find out the resolution.

The stories I’ve always loved of the fae are those which feature the… less kindly… of the fae. I’ve never really enjoyed tales which try and portray them as benevolent. That’s never really happened in the Mercyverse, but it’s now been taken one step further – with the purposeful release of all the not-so-kindly things that go bump in the night. It perfectly describes and portrays the fae in the ways that I think of them. And, more than that, it is perfectly setting up the next looming war on the horizon.

<- Unappreciated GiftsBurn Bright ->

Image source: Goodreads

Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Dragon Keeper - F.R.R.E.E

Title: Dragonkeeper
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Series: Dragonkeeper #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chinese mythology, Dragons, Historical fiction, Young adult
Dates read: 5th – 29th September 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Black Dog Books
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: “Danzi will fight.”

Synopsis

Ancient China, Han Dynasty. A slave girl saves the life of an ageing dragon and escapes her brutal master. Pursued by a ruthless dragon hunter, the girl and the dragon make an epic journey across China carrying a mysterious stone that must be protected. This is the story of a young slave girl who believes she is not worthy of a name but finds within herself the strength and courage to make this perilous journey – and do what must be done.

Thoughts

This is the first book I’ve ever read that I sat up all night long to finish. So, as an adult, I wanted to see if I was just as hooked as the first time I read it. I wasn’t quite, but I was still very much in love and hooked. The journey is intense, Ping’s journey of self discovery is sweet and the creation of her relationship with Danzi, it was seriously enjoyable. That’s not even to mention the world building and story line that Wilkinson is able to weave.

Dragonkeeper is a great adventure story that will keep you on your toes. Ping and Danzi go on a very epic journey that takes them from mountain to coast. And you are just… swept along with them. The challenges and the difficulties that they face are scary and kind of intense at times. But, when push comes to shove, this is an incredibly G-rated book that, even though it talks about some horrible moments, is filled with a tempering of hope and growth.

I love that this book focuses on a young girl in a world that traditionally ignores girls. And that she is able to not only discover her name and destiny, but find her own strength and friendship. It’s a pretty typical young adult book in a lot of ways having this as a key feature. But it was the first such book I ever read like this. The first book that reminded me that as a girl, I had amazing power and strength. You kind of go on that journey of discovery along with Ping, particularly reading this as a young girl.

Although I didn’t sit up all night long reading this, I did still love it just as much as the first time I read it. The whole knowing what happens in the end made it a little easier to put this aside and actually go to sleep. But, it was still an amazing journey. And now I need to dig out the rest of the books in this series…

<- Dragon DawnGarden of the Purple Dragon ->

Image source: Weebly

Expecting Better by Emily Oster

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Expecting Better, Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster | 9781409177920 | Booktopia

Title: Expecting Better
Author: Emily Oster
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Medical, Non-fiction, Pregnancy
Dates read: 17th August – 25th September 2021
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text, Novel
Publisher: Orion Spring
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: In one study the miscarriage rate was 4.4 percent for women under 20, 6.7 percent for women 20 to 35 and almost 19 percent for women over 35.

Synopsis

Award-winning economist Emily Oster debunks myths about pregnancy to empower women while they’re expecting.

When Oster was expecting her first child, she felt powerless to make the right decisions for her pregnancy, so she drew on her own experience and went in search of the real facts – by using an economist’s tool.

In Expecting Better she overturns standard recommendations for:

  • alcohol
  • caffeine
  • sush
  • bed rest
  • miscarriage
  • induction

She also puts into context the blanket guidelines for antenatal testing, weight gain, risks of pregnancy over the age of thirty-five, and nausea, among others.

Thoughts

This was an incredibly unique take and spin on the whole pregnancy thing. Most of the time it out and out disagreed with what we see as the conventional wisdom. And, whilst I may not agree with everything in this, I was most definitely intrigued with the ideas and discussions set forth.

Although I didn’t necessarily agree with everything in this book, I did love how the evidence was presented. That, and the fact that as Oster pointed out, everyone has different cost / benefit analyses and so should be equally educated. It also made me feel better about the little bit of caffeine I consume every week in my one or two coffees… that alone made me incredibly happy.

I also loved that throughout this Oster used numbers to weigh up the evidence. I may not be great at doing statistical analysis, but I am good at understanding it and using this to weigh up my decision making. In fact, there’s been a few more controversial topics / decisions in my pregnancy which have used pretty much the same system.

All in all, I found this to be a very, very worthwhile buy. As I said, there were some things I just didn’t agree with, but as Oster points out, she looked at the numbers and made her decision. I (or her friends) look at them and make another choice. It certainly made me feel a lot more settled and comfortable in my pregnancy decision making.

<- More pregnancy booksMore medical books ->

Image source: Booktopia