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Reading Challenges! > Pick It For Me Challenge: Jan/Feb 2016

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message 1: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Ok, sign ups are now closed! Here are your partners:


Karen and Andrea
Jen and Madison
Drishti and Esther
Ashley and Joycedale
Jenny and Oda

Shelves:


1. Karen--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
2. Jenny--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
3. Ashly--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
4. Jen--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
5. Drishti--https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
6. Joycedale--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
7. Madison--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
8. Esther--https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4...
9. Oda--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
10. Andrea--https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
***If you do not have access to your partner's shelf, please send a friend request to your partner!***

You now have one week to decide amongst yourselves how many books you will pick for each other, and to make those choices.

You can chat with your partner either here or by PM- PREFERABLY BY PERSONAL MESSAGE SO THAT THIS BOARD IS NOT CLUTTERED UP.

Either way, all of you MUST do a post on here this week that is similar to the example that I did on the first post:


My name: Jenny
My partner: Sarah
The books picked for me: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) by Marissa Meyer The Hunt (The Hunt, #1) by Andrew Fukuda
Cinder (read 3/16/2015)- 4 stars. Intriguing premise, great characters, and a really cool retelling that was unfortunately plagued by predictability.
The Hunt (read 3/28/2015)- 4 stars. The Hunt had lots of suspense, admirable lead characters, and kept me scared and nervous.

Note that you have until the end of February to read the books and edit/fill in the information/short review at the bottom.
Have fun!



message 2: by ☆Joycedale☆ (last edited Jan 29, 2016 02:53PM) (new)

☆Joycedale☆ | 310 comments My name is Joycedale
My partner is Ashly
Books picks for me:
Heart of Light by T.K. Leigh ★★★★
The Three by Sarah Lotz ★★★
Red Hill (Red Hill, #1) by Jamie McGuire


message 3: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (last edited Mar 22, 2016 05:50AM) (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
My name is Jenny
My Partner is Oda
Books picked for me:
Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger The Bronze Horseman (The Bronze Horseman, #1) by Paullina Simons Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices, #1) by Shelley Adina Biggest Flirts (Superlatives, #1) by Jennifer Echols

Thanks, Oda! I'm really excited to read these!

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger 4 stars
This was a fun read! Absolute hilarity, a steampunk vibe, with supernatural creatures and a little romance sprinkled in!

Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices, #1) by Shelley Adina 4 stars
This was a fun read! I loved the idea of the MC being more of a "modern, thinking woman" during a time when all that was expected of woman was to marry a rich man. I especially loved it when she met all the orphan children, and starting hatching crazy plans that somehow worked!

Biggest Flirts (Superlatives, #1) by Jennifer Echols 3.5 stars
3.5 stars

Even though our MC was a train wreck, I actually grew very fond of Tia and her sarcastic humor. I really liked Will. The teen flirting and romance as times made me roll my eyes a bit, but it was cute and funny! I wish there had been more with her Dad, or any parent really...all these teenagers just roaming around parent-free didn't seem realistic. Also, FYI, this is OLDER YA, as some of the sex scenes get a bit graphic, and there's lots of smoking, booze, and drugs throughout.

The Bronze Horseman (The Bronze Horseman, #1) by Paullina Simons 4 stars.
The historical background, especially the blockade on Leningrad was my fave thing about it. I enjoyed the romance, too, although it did get a bit heavy by the end. A heartbreaking romantic read!


message 4: by Karen’s Library (last edited Jan 11, 2016 11:12AM) (new)

Karen’s Library | 11320 comments Mod
My name is Karen
My partner is Andrea
Books picked for me: Under Different Stars (Kricket, #1) by Amy A. Bartol Contagious (The Contagium #1) by Emily Goodwin


message 5: by Ashly (last edited Mar 06, 2016 09:07PM) (new)

Ashly (ashlyh) My name is Ashly
My partner is Joycedale
Books picked for me: Violence Begets... by P.T. Denys Rump The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Violence Begets... (read 1/24/16) - 4.5 Stars. Great Writing, Dark, Sad ending which I hated. *cries*

Rump (read 3/6/16) - 2.5 Stars. it didn't WOW me, and how everything was solved in the end was confusing. The way he learned his name was out of nowhere, he could of figured that out months ago. The adventure was boring, he just went to his aunts and stayed their for months doing nothing not even trying to learn what his name was. I thought the author would talk about Red a little more. I thought she would of joined Rump on his adventure. I think a little more infomation on some stuff would of been good.


message 6: by Andrea (last edited Jan 11, 2016 07:28AM) (new)

Andrea (alexandra14) | 218 comments My name is Andrea
My partner is Karen
Books picked for me: The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1) by Rae Carson and The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #1) by Amy Engel


message 7: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (last edited Jan 11, 2016 01:17PM) (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Jen, did you send a message to Oda? I messaged her and she said she got another message from another Jen and she was confused. I have you down with Madison.


message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

My name is Oda
My partner is Jenny

My picks: A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing, #1) by Rhiannon Thomas
Court of Fives (Court of Fives, #1) by Kate Elliott


message 9: by Jen (new)

Jen (jenwesner) | 1222 comments Jenny wrote: "Jen, did you send a message to Oda? I messaged her and she said she got another message from another Jen and she was confused. I have you down with Madison."

I'm so sorry! I must have glanced at that quickly and thought you meant me. Duh! Nobody calls me Jenny these days unless they're my family, so I guess I just had a brain malfunction -

I had Madison back in July/August, so maybe that was why? Anyway I'll check with Madison again go from there. Sorry!


message 10: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
It's ok Jen! Glad we got it figured out!


message 11: by Jen (last edited Mar 02, 2016 06:06AM) (new)

Jen (jenwesner) | 1222 comments I'm Jen
My partner is Madison (finally got that figured out)

Books she picked for me:
Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals, #1) by Eleanor Herman Departure by A.G. Riddle Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed Taking Chances (Taking Chances, #1) by Molly McAdams Patient Zero (Joe Ledger, #1) by Jonathan Maberry All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed 3 ***
Departure by A.G. Riddle 3 ***
Taking Chances (Taking Chances, #1) by Molly McAdams 0 *** (DNF'd)
Patient Zero (Joe Ledger, #1) by Jonathan Maberry Just can't do gross zombies right now : (
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Decided to skip this one on the recommendation of a fellow AudioBookTuber
Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals, #1) by Eleanor Herman This is on hold for the time being

I guess I didn't do so well on this one - : (


message 12: by Kela Esther (last edited Jan 13, 2016 07:45PM) (new)

Kela Esther | 101 comments My name: Esther
My partner: Drishti
Books Picked for me: A White So Red by Krystal Jones Reborn (Shadow Falls After Dark, #1) by C.C. Hunter Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls, #1) by Tera Lynn Childs


message 13: by Madison (last edited Jan 12, 2016 06:26AM) (new)

Madison (ramblingbookreader) I'm Madison
My partner is Jen :)
Books picked for me:
Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1) by Elizabeth Wein The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick Ness The Professional (The Game Maker, #1) by Kresley Cole Only Everything (True Love, #1) by Kieran Scott Glitch (Glitch, #1) by Heather Anastasiu Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2) by Patricia Briggs

I love all my picks! Thanks Jen! :)


message 14: by Andrea (new)

Andrea (alexandra14) | 218 comments Madison wrote: "I'm Madison
My partner is Jen :)
Books picked for me:
Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1) by Elizabeth WeinThe Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick NessThe Professional (The Game Maker, #1) by Kresley Cole[bookcover:Only Eve..."


I really liked Code Name Verity. It's a good one


message 15: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Karen wrote: "My name is Karen
My partner is Andrea
Books picked for me: Under Different Stars (Kricket, #1) by Amy A. BartolContagious (The Contagium #1) by Emily Goodwin"


I am loving the Kricket series, I hope you like it too!


message 16: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Andrea wrote: "My name is Andrea
My partner is Karen
Books picked for me: The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns, #1) by Rae Carson and The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #1) by Amy Engel"


The Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of my faves!


message 17: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Jen wrote: "I'm Jen
My partner is Madison (finally got that figured out)

Books she picked for me:
Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals, #1) by Eleanor HermanDeparture by A.G. RiddleWritten in the Stars by Aisha Saeed[bo..."


I recently read Patient Zero and it was so good!


message 18: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Madison wrote: "I'm Madison
My partner is Jen :)
Books picked for me:
Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1) by Elizabeth WeinThe Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick NessThe Professional (The Game Maker, #1) by Kresley Cole[bookcover:Only Eve..."


Code Name Verity and the Knife of Never Letting Go!! Great picks!


message 19: by Drishti (last edited Feb 13, 2016 07:07AM) (new)

Drishti (drishti_ohri) | 20 comments My name is Drishti.
My partner is Esther.

Books picked for me:
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
My rating: ★★
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Stand-Off (Winger, #2) by Andrew Smith

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) by James Dashner

Eclipse (Twilight, #3) by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: ★★
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Under the Dome by Stephen King


message 20: by Karen’s Library (last edited Jan 13, 2016 10:02PM) (new)

Karen’s Library | 11320 comments Mod
I see so many really incredible books that were picked! This is going to be a great PIFM challenge for everyone!!


message 21: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Drishti wrote: "My name is Drishti.
My partner is Esther.

Books picked for me:
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas
Stand-Off (Winger, #2) by Andrew Smith
[bookcover:The Maze Runner|..."


I loved Crimson Bound!


message 22: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Karen wrote: "I see so many really incredible books that were picked! This is going to be a great PIFM challenge for everyone!!"

Agreed!


message 23: by Madison (new)

Madison (ramblingbookreader) I finished Glitch (Glitch, #1) by Heather Anastasiu yesterday. It was different than a lot of young adult books and it was refreshing because of that. But the last 10 or so chapters had me getting irritated because things weren't going my way.... in the end it was a semi cliffhanger but at least I was happier by the end. I give it a solid 4 stars.


Karen’s Library | 11320 comments Mod
Madison wrote: "I finished Glitch (Glitch, #1) by Heather Anastasiu yesterday. It was different than a lot of young adult books and it was refreshing because of that. But the last 10 or so chapters had me getting irritated bec..."

That looks good, Madison. :)


message 25: by Madison (new)

Madison (ramblingbookreader) Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1) by Elizabeth Wein apparently I am not a historical fiction person..... I am about bored out of my mind at 82 pages in. I so wanted to like this book :(. Its like its not you its me....apparently this is not my type of book


message 26: by ☆Joycedale☆ (new)

☆Joycedale☆ | 310 comments Finished my first one The Three by Sarah Lotz it wasn't what I expected. It was a documentary book inside a book. Had quite the ending though.


message 27: by Brigid ✩ (new)

Brigid ✩ | 738 comments @Madison - Aww sorry you don't like that one, it's one of my favorites! Although if it makes any difference, I remember being kinda confused/bored at the beginning but becoming really hooked later on in the book. I understand how it's not for everyone, though. :P


message 28: by Ashly (new)

Ashly (ashlyh) finished my first book, Violence Begets... by P.T. Denys . Gave it 4.5 Stars.


message 29: by Jen (new)

Jen (jenwesner) | 1222 comments Madison wrote: "I finished Glitch (Glitch, #1) by Heather Anastasiu yesterday. It was different than a lot of young adult books and it was refreshing because of that. But the last 10 or so chapters had me getting irritated bec..."

I'm glad to hear your review of this - I have the trilogy and have meant to read it for a long time now. Now I know what to expect.


message 30: by Madison (new)

Madison (ramblingbookreader) Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity, #1) by Elizabeth Wein I couldn't do it. I tried and tried but I would literally get to the point I would dread trying to read it. So it's not the book for me unfortunately. and Jen I really liked Glitch I would love to have the others.


message 31: by Madison (new)

Madison (ramblingbookreader) Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2) by Patricia Briggs I finished this last night and I have to say this is one of my favorite urban fantasy series so far. I went and bought book 4 and 5 after reading this one since I already had book 3. I gave it 4 stars :)


message 32: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
I've started Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger and so far I'm liking it!


Karen’s Library | 11320 comments Mod
I just finished Contagious (The Contagium #1) by Emily Goodwin .

3.5 rating. This was an ok read. It was an odd zombie apocalyptic story. There just didn't seem to be enough people, or zombies... If there were only a few survivors, where were all the zombies? The survivors had some encounters, but not enough. Everything was a little too easy. It did keep my interest, which was good. But, that cliffhanger ending... Grrrr...


message 34: by ☆Joycedale☆ (new)

☆Joycedale☆ | 310 comments Finished Heart of Light by T.K. Leigh amazing story about a victim of human trafficking trying to escape. 4 stars


message 35: by Karen’s Library (last edited Jan 31, 2016 11:52AM) (new)

Karen’s Library | 11320 comments Mod
I finished Under Different Stars (Kricket, #1) by Amy A. Bartol last night and give it 4 stars (maybe a little more!) Loved the world building in this and definitely adore Kricket. She’s got some great one liners so the humor makes it fun! Kricket is kidnapped and taken back to her home world where she finds she's actually a priestess and everyone is fighting for her! Great concept! I decided to listen to this one on audio because it's narrated by Kate Rudd who I love as a performer! All around really good book!

Thanks for picking this for me, Andrea! I started listening to the 2nd book today!

And I may have read the pick I gave to Andrea! ;) I devoured The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #1) by Amy Engel and the sequel The Revolution of Ivy (The Book of Ivy, #2) by Amy Engel


message 36: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Karen, I listened to Under Different Stars and Sea of Stars on audio too, LOVED it in audio! I haven't read the last one yet. And Book of Ivy is def on my TBR!!


Karen’s Library | 11320 comments Mod
Jenny wrote: "Karen, I listened to Under Different Stars and Sea of Stars on audio too, LOVED it in audio! I haven't read the last one yet. And Book of Ivy is def on my TBR!!"

I won a signed copy of Darken the Stars (Kricket, #3) by Amy A. Bartol so really wanted to read the first 2 so I can get to it! :)


message 38: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Finished
Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger 4 stars
This was a fun read! Absolute hilarity, a steampunk vibe, with supernatural creatures and a little romance sprinkled in!


message 39: by [deleted user] (new)

Jenny wrote: "Finished
Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger 4 stars
This was a fun read! Absolute hilarity, a steampunk vibe, with supernatural creatures and a little romance sprinkled in!"


Yeay, high five, new pp fan :D(parasol protecorate). You have many books to look forard to now! :)


message 40: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Woot!

Getting ready to start Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices, #1) by Shelley Adina


message 41: by Jen (new)

Jen (jenwesner) | 1222 comments Finally finished one - Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
It was ok - kind of scary, actually. It really reinforced to me just how much freedom we women have here in the US. It was well written but the ending tied up a bit too neatly. An important story, though.


message 42: by Madison (last edited Feb 02, 2016 09:59AM) (new)

Madison (ramblingbookreader) The Professional (The Game Maker, #1) by Kresley Cole I am currently reading this and I admit I had high hopes because I love Kresley Cole's the Arcana Chronicles. I am 140 pages in and there is barely a storyline.... and lots of BDSM which I had no idea about.....I am not sure I will finish it because it is basically erotica....Yeah I read about 8 more pages and I am done. It might just be me but not a fan.


message 43: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
I finished Lady of Devices (Magnificent Devices, #1) by Shelley Adina 4 stars
This was a fun read! I loved the idea of the MC being more of a "modern, thinking woman" during a time when all that was expected of woman was to marry a rich man. I especially loved it when she met all the orphan children, and starting hatching crazy plans that somehow worked!


message 44: by Kela Esther (new)

Kela Esther | 101 comments Just finished A White So Red by Krystal Jones . 3 stars :(


message 45: by Andrea (new)

Andrea (alexandra14) | 218 comments Karen wrote: "I finished Under Different Stars (Kricket, #1) by Amy A. Bartol last night and give it 4 stars (maybe a little more!) Loved the world building in this and definitely adore Kricket. She’s got some great one l..."

So glad you liked it!

I will be starting with The Book of Ivy next week


message 46: by Drishti (new)

Drishti (drishti_ohri) | 20 comments Esther wrote: "Just finished A White So Red by Krystal Jones. 3 stars :("

I'm so sorry that it didn't work for you. =(


message 47: by Jen (new)

Jen (jenwesner) | 1222 comments Brief update beyond my original post and ratings -
Taking Chances (Taking Chances, #1) by Molly McAdams - Had to DNF this one. Ugh! Instalove, cliches, overdone tropes, a plot twist that I spoiled myself for intentionally but didn't care about anyway. The main character starts out one way and immediately (like within 48 hours) becomes the total antithesis of what she originally was. No thanks. I read too much good NA to put up with that.
Departure by A.G. Riddle - This one could have been mind-blowing amazing, but fell a bit short of that. It was good, but average. It's a time-traveling sci-fi story that has a slight hint of a romance, so it checked all my boxes. But in the end it just devolved into a maniac vs. maniac story (albeit one with great action). It tied up its own loose ends, which was nice because it didn't end after the big climax. It turned out to be a good book overall, just not an amazing one. And it's kind of boring in the beginning. If you can push through, it's worth it.
Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed This is a really good book in terms of highlighting an issue. It's a debut and while written well, it has its limitations. It's more of an important book rather than a good book. The ending is a little too neat for me, even though it carried a good impact. I think its job was to highlight the custom of arranged marriages and it did that well.
Planning on starting Legacy of Kings next.


message 48: by Jenny, Always smiling! :-D (new)

Jenny (juliababyjen) | 12932 comments Mod
Jen--I managed to finish Taking Chances, but barely. It doesn't get any better. Plus, adding to all the things you mentioned, the writing just isn't very good! Way too many run on sentences! I have no interest in reading anything else by Molly McAdams.


message 49: by Kela Esther (new)

Kela Esther | 101 comments Drishti wrote: "Esther wrote: "Just finished A White So Red by Krystal Jones. 3 stars :("

I'm so sorry that it didn't work for you. =("


Drishti, It wasn't a bad book. It just had too many gaping holes in plot for me to really fall in love with it.


message 50: by [deleted user] (new)

I finished A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing, #1) by Rhiannon Thomas HIGHLY recomended! 5 stars.

will start the court of fives next week.


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