My 2016 Non-fiction Reading Challenge Sign-up

The Challenge:  Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult.

That's it. You can choose anything. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge.  

I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine:

Dilettante--Read 1-5 non-fiction books

Explorer--Read 6-10 

Seeker--Read 11-15

Master--Read 16-20

Since I am record-keepingly challenged, I will go for the lowest level (Dilettante 1-5 nf books) and hope for more.

Many thanks to Jen at The Introverted Reader blog for hosting this reading challenge!

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My 2016 Eclectic Reader Challenge Sign-Up

The Eclectic Reading Challenge is hosted by Shellyrae at Book'd Out.  Click the button to go to the sign-up.  Categories for 2016 are:

1. A book about books (fiction or nonfiction)
2.  Serial killer thriller
3.  Paranormal romance
4.  A novel set on an island
5. Investigative journalism (non fiction)
6. Disaster fiction
7. Steampunk sci fi
8. Any book shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
9. Psychology (non fiction)
10. Immigrant Experience fiction - Emigrating Home by Yasseen
11. YA historical fiction  - Murder Most Malicious by Alyssa Maxwell
12. A debut author in 2016

I will use this post to keep track of my choices and hopefully transfer the information to the page where I track all of my RC's together.

Are you a reading challenge addict like myself?  How many have you signed up for?

My 2016 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge Sign-Up

The 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge is hosted by Robin at the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks blog.  Read the rules here.  Sign up here.

My List:
(books without links attached have reviews that are scheduled for a future date.)

1.  Death of a Brooklyn Landlord by Susan Russo Anderson (read Jan 1; review to post Jan 20)
2.  Plain Dead by Emma  Miller (read Jan 1; review to post Jan 20)
3.  Elysium Dreams by Hadena James (read in January, review posted Jan 29)
4.  Murder Most Malicious by Alyssa Maxwell
5.  The Other Side of Life by Andy Kutler
6.  A Turtle Roars Through Texas by Russ Hall
7.  The Plans I Have for You Devotional and Journal by Amy Parker
8.  Mercy Row Retribution by Harry Hallman
9.  A Clue in the Stew by Connie Archer
10.  Coexist by Anna Tan
11.
...

Monday Bookish Posts - Dec 28, 2015

     

Hi!  My name is LuAnn and I am a bookaholic.  Here are the books I read/downloaded/reviewed last week:

READ

Sean and Sara are supposed to have a relaxing vacation in Vail, but it all goes up in a puff of powder when there’s a suspicious death on the mountain. And the deceased is not just anyone; it’s Adrian Blackwell, a two-time Olympic skiing gold medalist.

Rumor has it Adrian died in a skiing accident, but he was too skilled for Sara to accept that as fact. But she doesn’t want to disappoint Sean by ruining his ski trip, even though she’s convinced Adrian was murdered and she’s itching to find the killer.

Sean has never been able to say no to Sara, but this time he plans to. However, all it takes a call from their PI firm back in Albany to change his mind. A job’s come in to investigate Adrian’s death, and his agent is the one footing the bill, leaving Sean with more questions than answers.

Yet one major problem remains: their New York State PI licenses hold no legal authority in Colorado. They still can’t help but look into Adrian’s death on the sly, though. This case will definitely involve some underhanded tactics, all while trying to dodge the local police over the course of the investigation.

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My name is Izzy. I drink too much, am clumsier than a newborn foal, and my brain-to-mouth filter often malfunctions. My daredevil husband killed himself in a parachuting accident five years ago and my best friend Jack has decided it’s time I jump back in the dating pool. He’s perfectly happy to throw me in if I don’t listen. Just when things in the dating world start to heat up, my grandma dies. Only her knitting group of Jessica Fletcher wannabes is sure it’s murder. I’m not convinced but I’m always up for a bit of excitement as long as it doesn’t lead to a night in jail. Well, more than one night anyway. Will I miss my chance at love because I’m chasing imaginary killers? Did someone really kill grandma or am I and my merry band of geriatric thieves imagining things?

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On the night of her engagement, Rae Lynn Dobbs stumbles across a dead body on the beach of White Sands, Florida. Not only does she recognize the murder victim as one of the retirement-home residents where she serves dinner, but it looks increasingly likely that someone there also killed him.

To her fiancé's dismay, Rae Lynn launches her own investigation. Between the gossipy widows, the home's last surviving bachelor, and her coworkers, Rae Lynn doesn't have any shortage of suspects. But the more she learns, the more it seems anyone could be guilty. And if she doesn't find out "whodunit" quickly, her fiancé might just become fed up enough to leave.

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I’m having the suckiest day ever. First, my father, aka Mr. Grumpy Pants, calls to say his nurse just walked out on him. Likely story. I rush home to pack, only to walk in on my husband getting it on with his younger, skanky secretary. Unfortunately, my quick weekend trip home to fix Dad’s problems turns into a stay of a few weeks. Luckily, I’ve got Danny, the neighbor boy I’ve had a crush on since I was a dorky, braces-wearing, nose-buried-in-a-book teenager, and a brand-spanking new blog to keep my mind off things. Before I know it, I’m writing product reviews of vibrators and getting questioned by a store rent-a-cop at the world’s worst date ever. All while trying to figure out how to take things with Danny to the next level. Not to complicate things or anything, but my boss decides to give me an ultimatum—come back in four weeks or don’t come back at all. How in the world did my life get so complicated?

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Fire chief Stella Griffin has been put in charge of judging the annual recipe contest, but Eric—her resident ghost and true culinary genius—has vanished. Before she can track down his latest haunt, she’s called in to investigate a local moonshine distillery that was set ablaze, making her realize there’s more than pies and cakes cooking in Sweet Pepper.

As rumors of a revived whiskey war ignite, Stella turns to the town’s elders to help her find answers. The past might have some clues as to what has sparked the present fires. But when following a lead lands her in buried rubble, Stella realizes she must extinguish this case fast or she might be going down in flames.

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REVIEWS

Ack!  I didn't post a single review this week!  Looks like I've got my work cut out for me in between Christmas and New Year's Day!

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DOWNLOADED

(There are too many of these in the last week to put pictures of them all up.  I am addicted to free downloads on Amazon.  I do try to - eventually - also download another title for the author.  Links here go to GoodReads.  I don't read erotica, so some of these may become DNFs.)

My Little Pet Dragon by Scott Gordon
Lawful Deception by Pamela Samuels Young
The Billionaire Boyfriend Trap by Kendra Little
Baby, I'm Back! by Laurie Kellogg
His Captive Bride by Shelly Thacker
The Use by D. L. Carter
Catch Me When I Fall by Vicki Leigh
The Helios Rain by Peter Glassman
Mystery: Perfect Crime by Varun Vashist
Song at Dawn by Jean Gill
Ties that Bind by Carolyn Arnold
(I will be reviewing her new title, City of Gold, on February 4, 2016)
Spectre Rising by C. W. Lemoine
Christmas Romances 2015: Places to See by Jennifer Conner
Daughter of Earth and Water by Gerson Noel Bertram
(author's name appears in several ways)
Marked by Kim Richardson
Primal Unleashed by Jack Silkstone
Wanted by You by Stephen Nuss
Taste for Trouble by Susan Sey
The Trouble With Being Wicked by Emma Locke
Fin Gall by James L. Nelson
Emissary by Thomas Locke
Lingering Echoes by Erica Kiefer
Lahn's Edge by Chuck Driskell
Heart Raider by Sophia Knightley
Charlotte's Summer by Annie Lane
Beginnings by Lori King
Tutti Frutti by Mike Faricy
Rachel's Folly by Monica Bruno
Trusting the Boss by Mallory Crowe
The Warrior's Game by Denise Domning
Bowl of Fruit (1907) by Panayotis Cacoyannis

2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge #kickoff Post

1. Write a blog post about joining the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge on your blog. For those of you who would like to participate but don’t have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Twitter.
2. In your post, please include: the button, a link back to the sign up page, a link to both  Somewhere Only We Know and Words Fueled by Love, the level you hope to achieve, and (optional) a list of the series you hope to complete.
3. Place the button for the challenge in your sidebar (use the “grab this code” at the bottom of the post here).
4. Link up in the linky using the direct link to your post/tweet/etc.

Levels: (how many series enders you are planning to read)

Level 1: 1 – 5
Level 2: 5 – 10
Level 3: 10 – 15
Level 4: 15+

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Many's the time this past year, 2015, that I've added 5+ books to my TBR list because the book I read for review was part of a series.  (I believe my record is adding 17 new books, but don't quote me on that.)

So, I'm starting out with Level 1, and going for the bottom end of the scale of 1 series ending book.  I've seen some of the other participants with lists they already know they're going to read in 2016.  As most of the series I have read this past year (and maybe all) are open-ended, I cannot therefore say that "x" installment is the series ender.

That will be my first challenge.  Suggestions of series not more than R-rated would be most appreciated!

Are you doing any reading challenges in 2016?

Framed and Burning by Lisa Brunette - #review

The Dreamslippers are a family of private investigators who solve crimes by using their ability to 'slip' into your dreams. But that isn't easy. In Framed and Burning, they have to defend one of their own. Someone sets fire to Mick Travers’ art studio, killing his assistant, and Mick won't give an alibi. His sister is convinced he's innocent, but her granddaughter and the police aren't so sure.

The Body in the Landscape by Larissa Reinhart - #review #giveaway

When Cherry Tucker’s invited to paint the “kill portrait” for the winner of Big Rack Lodge’s Hogzilla hunt, it seems like a paid vacation. Back home in Halo, a Hatfield-McCoy-style standoff builds between Luke and Cherry’s families. She’s ready for a weekend away, hobnobbing with rich and famous hunters, where she can forget her troubles and nobody knows her name.

As Georgia sunshine turns to bleak December rain, Cherry’s R&R goes MIA when she finds a body in the woods. While the police believe the local drunk took an accidental spill, Cherry has her doubts, particularly when a series of malicious pranks are targeted at the rifle toting contestants. With loyal companions at her side—sort-of-ex-husband Todd and a championship bayer named Buckshot—Cherry tracks suspects through a forest full of pitfalls and perils. And all the while, a killer’s stalking the hunt party with a bead on Cherry.