Jan- April 2011 Summary

I am doing great reading this year! So excited...well I guess that most of my "reading" has been audio, but hey to me that counts! It also helps that so far work has been very light. I have been doing well with my challenges too! Yeah!! I might finish a bunch this year! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Here is the list of books completed so far:
1. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
2. Search - Nora Roberts
3. Night Fairy - Lara Amy Schlitz
4. Private - James Patterson
5. Caught - Harlan Corbin
6. Little Bee - Chris Cleave
7. Where the God of Love Hangs Out - Amy Bloom
8. Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary Pearson
9. Maybe This Time - Jennifer Cruise
10. Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
11. Bloodroot - Amy Green
12. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
13. Nanny Returns - Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
14. Great House - Nicole Krauss
15. Room - Emma Donoghue
16. Half Broke Horses - Jeannette Walls

My favorites were Room, Bloodroot, and Mockingjay...
Least Favorites Little Bee, Major Pettigrew, Where the God of Love Hangs Out, and Nanny Returns

Read-a-Thon April 2011 - 4:30am EST

The Wake of Forgiveness has pulled me in...and I already know a friend who would love it! I am about 80 pages in - on my second cup of coffee and am now in the company of my 4 year old - who is a morning person like me...but 4am...geez. :) She is watching Carebears and I am going back to reading. :) I so love read-a-thon days!! Just wish they came more often!

Last few hours of the Read-a-thon

It's 2:16am EST and I am here for a few hours of reading...whoo hoo! I am reading Wake of Forgiveness....at the beginning trying to figure out if I like it or not :)

Read-a-Thon April 2011

Read-a-thon day is here!! Yes I look forward to the 2 read-a-thons with great anticipation. I did this one as well...unfortunately I am not going to get to read until probably 9pm EST. We have a storage area at our old city that needs to be moved. Since my Mom is here to watch the kiddos we are moving it this weekend. The great thing is all of our stuff is at the new house - the very bad thing is I am missing a lot of the read-a-thon. I will be there in spirit and I will be listening to an audio book so I am trying. :) I am reading Room by Emma Donoghue and am enjoying it. I am at a good part so I really want to finish it! :) So I will see you all at 9 and I am hoping to participate the whole time in the fall read-a-thon!

Show Me the Free Reading Challenge

Missy at the Unread Reader is hosting the Show me the Free Reading Challenge

Guidelines:
Read 12 ebooks that were obtained for Free

The List (not sure if I will read them all or even some others that I get through the year)
1. Wish - Alexandra Bullen
2. Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy - Abigail Reynolds
3. Lydia Bennet's Story - Jane Odiwe
4. Mr & Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy: Thow Shall Become One - Sharon Lathan
5. Mr Darcy's Diary - Amanda Grange
6. Other Mr Darcy - Monica Fairview
7. Pemberley Chronicals - Rebecca Ann Collins
8. What Would jane Austen Do? Laurie Brown
9. Mr Darcy Takes a Wife - Linda Berdoll
10. Darcys & the Bingleys - Marsha Altman
11. Eliza's Daughter - Joan Aiken
12. Lonestar Sanctuary - Collen Coble
13. Troblesome Creek - Jan Watson
14. Fireflies in December - Jennifer Erin Valent
15. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

New Author Challenge

Jackie is hosting a New Author Challenge.

Guidelines:

• Authors New to Me (can be from other challenges)
• Pick 15, 25, or 50...

I am doing the 15 Author Challenge, my selections so far are:

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
Girl with the Dragon Tatoo - Stieg Larsson
Hand that First Held Mine - Maggie O'Farrell
Revolation - Jennifer Donnelly
Irresistable Henry House - Lisa Grunwald
Rock, Paper, Tiger - Lisa Brackmann
Wake of Forgiveness - Bruce Maehart
Before I fall - Lauren Oliver
Velma Still Cooks in Leeway - Vinita Hampton Wright - REMOVE
The Friday Night Knitting Club - Katie Jacobs
Scarlet Thread - Francine Rivers
Case History - Kate Atkins

COMPLETE
1. Room - Emma Donoghue
2. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
3. Great House - Nichole Krauss
4. The Night Fairy - Laura Amy Schlitz
5. Little Bee - Chris Cleave
6. Where the God of Love Hangs Out - Amy Bloom
7. Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary Pearson (unplanned)
8. Bloodroot - Amy Green (unplanned)
9. Half Broke Horses - Jeannette Walls (unplanned)

Amazon's Best of 2010

Kelly of Reading with Martinis is hosting a Amazon Best of 2010 Reading Challenge.

Rules
Pick 10 books from the Editors Favorite List
Pick 10 books from Customer's Favorite List
Books from 2 list cannot overlap
Previous books read cannot be counted
Books can be used in other challenges

Here are some of the books I like (not sure which 10 I will read and I still have a couple of overlaps but I will clean that up when I figure out where I need more books. :) One thing that was interesting to me - I had more that I was interested reading from the Editor's favorites vs Customer Favorites.

Editors Favorites
The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
Freedom - Jonathan Franzen
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson (duplicate Editor/Customer)
Revolution - Jennifer Donnelly
Irrestistible Henry House - Lisa Grunwald
Rock, Paper, Tiger by Lisa Brackmann
The Unnamed - Joshua Ferris
Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver


COMPLETED
1. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson - COMPLETE
3. Room - Emma Donoghue (duplicate with customer) - COMPLETE
3. Maybe This Time - Jennifer Cruise - COMPLETE
4. Bloodroot - Amy Greene - COMPLETE
5. Great House - Nicole Krauss - COMPLETE
6. Where the God of Love hangs Out - Amy Bloom - COMPLETE
7. The Night Fairy - Laura Amy Schultz - COMPLETE
8. The Wake of Forgiveness - Brue Machart

Customer Favorites
The Girl Who Kicked the hornet's Next - Stieg Larsson (duplicate)
Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer
Freedom - Johnathan Franzen (duplicate)
Immoral Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot (duplicate)
Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
House Rules - Jodi Picoult
Heart of the Matter - Emily Griffin

COMPLETED
1. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins - COMPLETE
2. The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan - COMPLETE
3. Caught - Harlan Corben - COMPLETE
4. Room - Emma Donoghue (duplicate) - COMPLETE
5. The Search - Nora Roberts - COMPLETE


Room - will only count for 1 category, but I haven't decided which one yet...