Category Archives: Bout of Books 16

2016 Monthly Status Update: June

Posted in 2016, Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Challenge, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges by

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Well. June wasn’t as productive as I’d hoped. I had a sort of mini-crisis mid-way through the month and had to make some hard choices. I only tend to have a couple hours of free time each night and I have to choose how to spend my time each evening between exercising, reading, and sleeping. And most of the time above everything else I choose reading. Which leaves not much time for taking care of my health. So long story short I turned June into health month. Which also meant I didn’t get much reading done for June. And since I had like 20 books on my TBR list for June I most definitely fell off path but that’s ok. Hopefully July I’ll get a little more reading done and I can learn how to balance reading time and exercise time. Anyways, here’s my progress for June.

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 7
# pages read this month: 2,110
# books read year-to-date: 64
# pages read year-to-date: 20,490

Favorite Books I Read:

The Wedding Sisters by Jamie Brenner – 4.5 stars
Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall – 4.0 stars

Books I Didn’t Particularly Enjoy: 

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid – 2.5 stars – I just didn’t really get it, I’m hoping one day someone can explain to me what happened

Other Posts this month:

Didn’t get to post anything else this past month, will be working on that for July hopefully!

Status of 2016 Reading Challenges:

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Checklist – 18/20 books read
Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge – 6/24 books read
Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Reading Challenge – 0/26 books read

July TBR list: 

Since I didn’t really make any progress on my June list so I’m pretty much going to work off of the list of books I didn’t read in June. And I’m not planning to read them in any particular order, I’m winging it for this month! I’m hoping to re-claim my reading spark in June and also find a way to balance my new exercise time with my reading time. Happy Fourth of July to everyone and Happy Reading!

2016 Status Update: May

Posted in 2016, Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Challenge, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges by

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MAY ROCKED! I got SO much reading done and I was able to participate in some great read-a-thon events, one of which I had never participated in before. May’s TBR list was intimidating but I think I really did a great job of keeping up with the schedule as much as I could. I gave myself a couple nights off to drink too much wine but having so many days off that I could devote to reading I think offset any breaks I took. And I had retreat for the last weekend of the month with pretty much two full days devoted to reading. Retreat was great this year and I loved spending time with my quilting ladies, be sure to check out my post about retreat below!

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 18
# pages read this month: 6,228
# books read year-to-date: 57
# pages read year-to-date: 18,380

Favorite Books I Read:

The California Wife by Kristen Harnisch – 4.75 stars
People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper – 4.5 stars
The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood – 4.5 stars
Lana and the Laird by Sabrina York – 4.25 stars

Books I Didn’t Particularly Enjoy: 

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I didn’t really like Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (2.75 stars). I just couldn’t really get into the story line on this one and it fell flat for me. I also didn’t particularly like Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (3.25 stars) which was a HUGE disappointment for me because I usually LOVE her novels in the Maiden Lane series.

Other Posts this month:

Tall Poppy Book Giveaway
Author Interview!  – Mary Waters-Sayer – Author of the Blue Bath
Bout of Books 16 – Read-a-thon, contests, giveaways, and more!!
Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 1
Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 2
Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 3
Bout of Books 16 Day 4 – If You Like This, Try This
Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 4
Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 5
Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 6
Bout of Books 16 Update Day 7 & WRAP UP
Reading Retreat! 2016
Reading Retreat Read-a-thon Wrap up!

Status of 2016 Reading Challenges:

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Checklist – 17/20 books read
Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge – 3/24 books read
Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Reading Challenge – 0/26 books read

June TBR list: 

-Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax (NetGalley) (rolled from April TBR – didn’t get to)
-The Good Kind of Bad by Rita Brassington (NetGalley) (rolled from April TBR – didn’t get to)
-Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis (The Reading Room)(rolled from May TBR – I haven’t received from the publisher yet!)
-I Take You by Eliza Kennedy (LibraryThing)(rolled from May TBR – I haven’t received from the publisher yet!)
-How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell (The Reading Room)(rolled from May TBR – didn’t get to)
-Frayed by Kara Terzis (NetGalley)(rolled from May TBR – didn’t get to)
-Quarter Life Poetry by Samantha Jayne (NetGallley)
-Anything For Her by Jack Jordan (NetGalley)
-The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell (NetGalley)
-The Girl Who Came Back by Susan Lewis (NetGalley)
-The Creswell Plot by Eliza Wass (NetGalley)
-The Wedding Sisters by Jamie Brenner (NetGalley)
-I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (NetGalley)
-The Girls by Emma Cline (NetGalley)
-If You Left by Ashley Prentice Norton (NetGalley)
-The Vintner’s Daughter by Kristen Harnisch (own – for Fiction Lover’s Book Discussion)
-Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (NetGalley)
-Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall (NetGalley)
-Thirty Days to Thirty by Courtney Peak (NetGalley)
-First Comes Love by Emily Giffin (NetGalley)
-All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda (NetGalley)
-The Killing Game by Nancy Bush (NetGalley)
-Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner (NetGalley)
-Stormswept by Sabrina Jeffries (NetGalley)
-Once a Soldier by Mary Jo Putney (NetGalley)

So that is the plan for June. Similar to my May TBR, June seems daunting with the amount of books I have on the list. I feel pretty confident in how well I did on the May list though, so I think June will (hopefully) be a successful month as well!

Happy reading everyone!

Bout of Books 16 Update Day 7 & WRAP UP

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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Day 7 was mostly spent traveling and visiting with family but I managed to read about 3 hours at night before bed. My Sunday’s progress is below followed by my wrap up of my overall Bout of Books accomplishments:

Updates

Sunday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 226
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,719
Books read today: I started Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Challenges: Sunday was a free day so there was no challenge

Time Devoted to Reading

My goal was to devote at least 2 hours a day to reading and I did that! I read about 27 hours over the course of the 7 days which was good. And I read over 1,700 pages which seems like a great accomplishment for one week!

My Goals

My goal for this read-a-thon was to learn the ropes and have fun! I posted a update every day on how the previous day went and I also did Monday, Tuesday and Thursday‘s “challenge” post.  I really had a lot of fun with Thursday’s “If You Like This, Try This” post!

Books to Read

Overall I think it was a successful week. I had a great time participating and I will definitely want to participate in another Bout of Books in the future!

Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 6

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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Day 6 was great because it was goal day! So I had a lot of devoted reading time although the tv was distracting me more than usual. I can usually keep the tv on while I’m reading and it isn’t a problem but this week that hasn’t been the case. So anyways, my Friday’s progress is below:

Updates

Saturday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 260
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,493
Books read today: I finished Troublemaker by Linda Howard
Challenges: I did not participate in the Saturday challenge, there just isn’t enough time in the day!

Today (Sunday) is the last day of the read-a-thon and I will be traveling a lot and visiting with my husband’s family so not sure how much reading I will get done, but I will try my best! Happy reading everyone!

2016 Book #47 – Troublemaker by Linda Howard

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Bout of Books 16, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges, Romantic suspense by

51nHA6Z+dQL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Troublemaker
Author: Linda Howard
Date finished: 5/14/16
Genre: Romantic suspense
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 10, 2016
Pages in book: 400
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Edelweiss NOTE: I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he’s ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who’s after the members of his elite squad—and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he’s determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.
The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian mountain town, Isabeau “Bo” Maran finally has her life figured out. She’s got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn’t need a mysterious man in her life—especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan.
The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he’s hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she’s willing to give. And when Morgan’s cover is blown, it might just cost her life.

My rating: 4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This is my fourth book that I’ve finished during the Bout of Books 16 read-a-thon and was the fourth one on my goals list. Also, this book will count towards my “PopSugar 2016 Checklist” reading challenge, marking off the “a book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy.” Linda Howard is one of my all-time favorite authors and this is the first book she’s published in a while so I knew I was going to to love it and since it was by my favorite author, that it would bring me joy. This book is about Isabeau “Bo” Maran, who is the chief of police in a very small town in West Virginia.She is surprised when she arrives home one day to discover a recently wounded man waiting in her driveway, Morgan Yancy. Bo’s jerk of a stepbrother, Axel, decided the best place to hide his best operative (Morgan) was in the middle of nowhere, which just happens to be where Bo lives. Bo is not exactly excited about having a house guest but she feels too bad for Morgan in his extremely weak state to send him away. So she lets him stay and recuperate at her house with her and her dog, Tricks.
Overall I really liked this book a lot! I haven’t seen anything new from this author in the last couple years so I was screaming like a fan girl when I found out about this release. They say that Linda Howard is the master of romantic suspense and I think that title still holds true. I was engrossed in this book and didn’t want to put it down. While it was suspenseful, it was also so very sweet. Bo’s small town is so welcoming to Morgan and so loving and supportive to Bo. There were a lot of really touching moments. Tricks was honestly one of the coolest pieces of the book, she was Bo’s dog and was a very interesting character. Bo and Morgan were great characters to get to know better and had great chemistry and tension in the book. I am so very glad that Linda Howard published a new book this year!

The bottom line: I am a huge fan of Linda Howard, she is probably one of my all-time favorite authors. This book was suspenseful and thrilling, I didn’t want to put it down. I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 5

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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Day 5 of my first Bout of Books and I have to say I thought things would move a little faster for me but I’m finding it really hard to concentrate sometimes. I read probably about 2 and 1/2 hours but I don’t think I made as much reading progress as I could have if I was concentrating. So anyways, my Friday’s progress is below:

Updates

Friday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 140
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,233
Books read today: I started Troublemaker by Linda Howard
Challenges: I did not participate in the Friday challenge, it had to do with posting something scary and I’m not so good at that.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the last day of the read-a-thon and I will be traveling a lot and visiting with my husband’s family so not sure how much reading I will get done, but I will try my best! Happy reading everyone!

Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 4

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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I had to go to an all day training on Day 4 so I didn’t get to read like I had been the previous days (all day) but I did read probably around 4 hours since I read most of the night once I got home. So my Thursday’s progress is below:

Updates

Thursday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 343
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,093
Books read today: I finished Every Bride Has Her Day (you can see my review here)
Challenges: I loved the Thursday challenge, “If You Like This, Try This” it was a really fun post and I’m pleased with my book ideas.

Today (Friday) I’m hoping to get some work out of the way this morning and then devote the afternoon and evening to reading! And tomorrow is Goal Day, which I am really looking forward to and will hopefully get a bunch of reading done! Happy reading everyone!

Bout of Books 16 Day 4 – If You Like This, Try This

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

So the challenge for Bout of Books 16 – Day 4 is a post about “If You Like This, Try This.” I liked this idea behind this post, though I didn’t end up doing what I had originally planned. So below are my suggestions for books by genre:

1. If You Like Romantic Suspense, then try:

Now You See Her by Linda Howard
Deadline by Sandra Brown
The Liar by Nora Roberts

2. If You Like Historical Fiction/Romance, then try:

The Vintner’s Daughter by Kristen Harnisch
Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt
MacKenzie Family series by Jennifer Ashley

3. If You Like Contemporary Romance, then try:

Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee

4. If You Like Epistolary novels, then try:

Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot
The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

 

If any of you have more suggestions, I am always looking for new things to add to my TBR list!

2016 Book #46 – Every Bride Has Her Day by Lynnette Austin

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Book series, Bout of Books 16, Contemporary romance, Magnolia Brides, Reading Challenges by

51QPwpNo3XL._SX303_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Every Bride Has Her Day
Author: Lynnette Austin
Date finished: 5/12/16
Genre: Contemporary romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablance
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Pages in book: 416
Stand alone or series: #2 in the Magnolia Brides series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE:I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Second in the Magnolia Brides series of charming, heartfelt Southern contemporary romance
Can love revive a wilting heart?
Cricket O’Malley can’t wait to plant roots back home in Georgia, where she’s returned to restore an abandoned flower shop to its former glory. The only blemish? Her neighbor’s house is even more neglected than her old flower shop, and its occupant seems as surly as he is darkly handsome.
Devastated body and soul after a tough case went south, New York City detective Sam DeLuca thought he’d have no trouble finding solitude in the quiet Georgia town of Misty Bottoms, but his bubbly neighbor seems determined to shine happiness into Sam’s life. Sam is equally determined to close himself off, but his heart says otherwise…

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This is my third book that I’ve finished during the Bout of Books 16 read-a-thon and was also the third one on my goals list. This book is about Cricket O’Malley, who is replacing the catastrophe that was the last florist to grace the town of Misty Bottoms. Cricket recently moved to town after her cousin, Beck, told her there was a job opening for a florist. Also recently arrived in town is Sam DeLuca, who conveniently inherited a house from his aunt across the street from Cricket. Sam has recently experienced some traumatic events back in his detective job in New York City. Cricket sees the sadness in Sam and wants to help him in any way she can. They begin to develop a fondness for each other, and though Sam tries to keep Cricket outside his walls, for some reason he can’t seem to keep her at arm’s length.
Overall I really liked this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series and when I saw that the second in the series was available on NetGalley I knew I wanted to read it. Cricket as a character was immensely sweet and had a never-ending wealth of cheer that was very endearing. Sam as a character was a tad too cranky/belligerent for my tastes but he turned it around in the end. Misty Bottoms is an endearing, if somewhat infuriating, town and all the secondary characters really make the story glow with warmth. I loved seeing Cricket’s business be built and flourish in the book, and Sam’s background story with regards to his aunt was touching. This book was really a light and romantic read and I greatly enjoyed it.

The bottom line: I really enjoyed this book and this series. This is a light read and just perfect for summer. It is heart-warming and romantic. I would definitely recommend this book as well as the first in the series, The Best Laid Wedding Plans.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 3

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, For the love of books, Reading Challenges by

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Well Day 3 went well. I spent most of the mornings at appointments and the night at a family gathering but I still managed to read about 3.5 hours and finished a book. So my Wednesday’s progress is below:

Updates

Wednesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 209
Total number of pages I’ve read: 750
Books read today: I finished Kill or Be Kilt and started Every Bride Has Her Day
Challenges: I didn’t do the challenge for Wednesday

I’m writing this at the end of Thursday and I haven’t made much progress today but I am hoping to have productive days the rest of the weekend.