2014 Reading Challenge Update!

My final update of 2014 for my Reading Challenges.

Goodreads Challenge: COMPLETE 66/65 books

BINGO Challenge: Incomplete :( 

I didn't complete a full card but I did complete 3 columns! Really struggled with the TBR & New Release columns. 

Here is the final 2014 BINGO Scorecard:

Here is what I read for each square:

Finished Squares:

1. One Book in TBR The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2. Two Books in TBR Heart of Steel and My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

3. Three Books in TBR Her Mad Hatter and Gerard's Beauty by Marie Hall, 

The First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

6. Non Fiction Joss Whedon by Amy Pascal

7. Classic The Hero & the Crown by Robin McKinley

 8. ReRead Hidden Star by Nora Roberts

9. Free Square Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

10. Contemporary The Heist by Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg

11. One Book in a Series Captive Star by Nora Roberts

12. Two Books in a Series Down London Road and Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

13. Three Books in a Series Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals, 

and Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

14. Four Books in a Series Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, 

and Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

15. Five Books in a Series Divergent by Veronica Roth, Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke, Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews, The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper, Blood Magic by Nora Roberts

16. Fantasy Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster   

17. Free Square  How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

18. Historical Fiction Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

19. Mystery Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts

20. Romance On Dublin Street by Samantha Young                    

21. One New Release The Chase by Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg

22. Two New Releases Shattered by Kevin Hearne, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su & Kate Rorick

Incomplete Squares:

4. Four Books in TBR Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews, Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews, Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews

5. Five Books in TBR 

23. Three New Releases Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham, Forged by Desire by Bec McMaster

24. Four New Releases The Job by Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg

25. Five New Releases

Top 5 Wednesday

Books I'd Recommend for Halloween 

I'm not a huge fan of scary movies & even less of scary books. 

But I do read all around the fantasy & supernatural genres.

Which is where my recommendations are from.

So after putting this list together I realize I read a lot of series, vampire, & steampunk books & series.

1.  Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep

 There are 12 books in the series starting with Spider's Bite, and around 13 or so novellas. They're pretty quick reads & I really like the ones I've read so far.

2. The Immortal Empire Trilogy by Kate Locke

This is a steampunkish supernatural trilogy. The mythos in this series is one I haven't read before or since. I have loved Xandra since the first book, God Save the Queen.

3. Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger

I started this series & marathoned the first three books and then stopped. I really need to finish this series & the find out how it concludes. There are five books in this series, starting with Soulless.

4. London Steampunk Series by Bec McMaster

I picked up Kiss of Steel, the first book, from the library & thoughly enjoyed it. I immediately read the next two & the fourth is on my immediate TBR!

5. Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

 I have been binge reading (listening) to this series. Seriously the last 5 books added to my read bookshelf on Goodreads is from this series. I have to say Magic Bites, the first book, isn't the best in the series, but it is still enjoyable & it only gets better.

Top 5 Wednesday

Favorite Titles

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This title just intrigued me & I wanted to know what it was all about.

2. Trapped by Kevin Hearne

How are they trapped? Will they get out of it?

3. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

This title seems to be such a contradiction & peaks my curiosity.

4. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

This title just fits the characters in the story. Love it!

5. The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke

This title made me say what? Why is the queen dead?

What are your favorite titles?

Reading Challenge Update: Uh-Oh!

Uh-Oh! I may not complete my Bingo Card!!

So I'm updating my reading challenge & I'm noticing a trend. I've a lot of books to read in the New Releases squares. I started looking at my TBR & the books I've been getting or reading lately & all the new releases are books 4 & 5 in series I'm not up to date in! 

HELP! 

I have one book which will be released on November 18th I want to read. But! It still leaves me with 10 new releases to find & read read in 2 months! What should I pick up and read?

Onto the update:

I finished a column!!!

Finished Squares:

1. One Book in TBR  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2. Two Books in TBR Heart of Steel and My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

8. ReRead Hidden Star by Nora Roberts

9. Free Square Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

10. Contemporary The Heist by Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg

11. One Book in a Series Captive Star by Nora Roberts

12. Two Books in a Series Down London Road and Before Jamaica Lane

by Samantha Young

13. Three Books in a Series Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals, 

and Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

14. Four Books in a Series Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, 

and Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

16. Fantasy Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster   

17. Free Square  How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper                                           18. Historical Fiction Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

19. Mystery Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts

20. Romance On Dublin Street by Samantha Young                    

21. One New Release The Chase by Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg

22. Two New Releases Shattered by Kevin Hearne, 

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su & Kate Rorick

In Progress Squares:

So you may notice I have taken off what I had planned on reading for each square with the exception of two books. I have a hard time following a reading plan, so to take some pressure off I removed "the plan."

3. Three Books in TBR Her Mad Hatter and Gerard's Beauty by Marie Hall

4. Four Books in TBR 

 5. Five Books in TBR

6. Non Fiction

7. Classic 

15. Five Books in a Series Divergent by Veronica Roth, Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke, Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews, 

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

23. Three New Releases Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts  Forged by Desire by Bec McMaster, The Job by Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg

24. Four New Releases

25. Five New Releases

Review: Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) by Ilona Andrews

4/5 Stars on Goodreads

Magic Bleeds is the fourth book in a series of seven (so far). I made a mistake and started reading (listening) to this series on book 5.5, Gunmetal Magic, Andrea's book. I loved it. Fell in love with the world and wanted more. I read book one, it wasn't enough. Read book two, how do I get more? Read book three, OMG what happens next? You left us hanging with the bet! Brings us to book four, Magic Bleeds & I'm taking a breather to write this and going back to Kate Daniels.

Magic Bleeds took a few days for me to finish, due to I couldn't stay awake to listen any longer! It is longer than the others I had read (I'm going to keep saying read instead of listen, deal with it!) clocking in at 13 hours and 7 minutes. I really loved how they have brought in the details of Kate's family, we are learning about her background as she does. It makes it more action based than info dump. This one gets a little more romance in it as Kate's relationship with Curran takes a huge step forward. I love these characters & will continue to read them. Though I have a feeling I'm going to catch up before book 8 is out. 

Top 5 Wednesday

I've been following the Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads group for awhile. This week's topic is Top 5 Books You Weren't Expecting to Like But Did. I'm not actually going to do this topic (I know I'm a rebel).

I'm going way back to July & doing a topic from then.

 Top 5 Books I've Read So Far in 2014

1. Shattered by Kevin Hearne

 I was looking forward to this book since June 2013. I love this series & it makes work go so fast when I'm listening to the audio books. 

2. The Secret Diary of Lizzy Bennet by Kate Rorick

Not only did I love this book, I loved the web series. I didn't watch it when it first came out & was able to marathon every episode. :)

3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I listened to this on a trip home & at work, mistake! This book makes you feel everything. I found myself very grateful that I was alone at work & no one could see me! I read this in preparation for the movie. 

4. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

My first Brandon Sanderson book! I loved it & have been anxiously waiting for Firefight! This book was quiet entertaining listen at work for a week. The characters & world were amazing and well done.

5. Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

I've read (listened to) Books 1-3, Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, & one of the companion novels, Gunmetal Magic. I am currently reading Book 4, Magic Bleeds. I can't get enough of this series or read them fast enough. Kate Daniels is an awesome character and I love the progression she is making throughout the series.

Into the Bonus Round: 

6. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

The third installment of the Heist Society series. I love this series mostly because it got me back into reading YA & other genres. This wasn't my favorite of the series, but I still loved it. I really enjoy seeing how the characters are growing up.

7. The Heist & The Chase by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

The first two books in the Fox & O'Hare series. I really enjoy this series. I've described it as a book cross over of White Collar & Leverage. 

There are more I could add to this list & I'm going to try and do a Top Reads of 2014 at the end of the year. 

What have been your favorite books you've read this year?

September Wrap Up

September is over. Sad I know, but hey its now time for the creepy. The month of orange & black, icky spiders & most importantly CANDY.

Since September is over I thought I'd do a wrap up for everything I read during the month.

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

This was the first book in the London Steampunk series. It has a really different take on vampires & werewolves. I immediately continued the series. I was lucky enough to listen to this one as an audiobook.

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

This is the second book in the Naked Werewolf series. I loved the strong female character & found this to be an easy & enjoyable read.

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Kate Rorick

LOVED THIS BOOK! I really enjoyed the web series & this was a great addition to it.

My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

Book 3 of the London Steampunk series. I loved this story & really liked the mystery involved.

Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl

This was a prequal to a series. I really liked it & hope to continue the series when I can get them from the library.

 On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

This is a first in a really sweet new adult series in Scotland. I really liked the characters in this one & was glad to see them show up in the next two books.








Sidekick by Auralee Wallace

I did not like this one at all. I don't really remember much of this one. I finished this one which is why there is two stars instead of one.

Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts

This was a reread for me. I liked it the first time & still enjoyed it the second time around.

Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

This was a good story though I did like the first one better.

Down London Road by Samantha Young

I liked the reoccurring of characters from the first novel. There were a few things about the characters I didn't care for but overall I did like it.










Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

This is the third book in the On Dublin Street series. I enjoyed this book, but I did find it full of tropes and did not like it as well as the first two.

The Curious Case of The Clockwork Menace
 by Bec McMaster

This is a book in between the third & fourth book. It is not a happy ending but you get an inside look at the next two characters in book four, Forged in Desire.

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

This is the book between books 4 and 5 of the Kate Daniels series. I really liked Andrea & was really frustrated to find out that I had read this out of order. I have this book as an audiobook & really enjoyed it.