Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) discussion

FEBRUARY Key Words:

"Over, Edge, Rain, Blade, Red, Come, None, Glass"

--- Comment below with ---
(1) The name and author of the book you're reading for the challenge,
(2) CHALLENGE COMPLETE if you've finished reading the book.
(3) Did you like the book? What did you love (or not love) about it?!

Recommendations:

* All Systems Red by Martha Wells
* On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
* Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn
* The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I need more book suggestions for this month. Anyone have any good ones? I've read all of Tanya's suggestions (they were all really good.)

Here's some from my TBR and Read lists:
The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris
Rain Will Come by Thomas Holgate (uses two words!)
Harm None by Will North
Red War by Vince Flynn
The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, so I'm going to read that if it's available from Overdrive or Hoopla in February. My alternative is Girls of Glass by Brianna Labuskes (or maybe both!).
CHALLENGE COMPLETE: finished Evvie Drake Starts Over (key word: over) and was underwhelmed, but I finished it. Also finished The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg (key word: red). I'm so glad I read this! Although at times it was a bit disjointed jumping back and forth in time, any book that can make me cry like this one is a great read in my opinion!

I'm deciding between ...

Bangkok Wakes to Rain
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Redshirts

CHALLENGE COMPLETE
Red White and Blueberry Murder is the seventh book in the Donut Hole Mystery series by Susan Gillard

While I do own a few of the other books in the series, this was the first that I chose to read - because it fit well in a few of the categories of various reading challenges I am doing.

I was surprised at how quick it was to read this book. The storyline held my attention from start to finish. The synopsis of the story is this: Heather Janke owns a Donut Shop. One of her oldest and most faithful customers has been attacked. Heather and her dog, Dave, set about trying to determine who would want to hurt her friend. Her detective fiance is not pleased with her wanting to get involved in the case.

While this is the seventh book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. And now that I've read this one, I plan to go back and read the series from the start.

Some of the characters where rather quirky, but I think this makes the book a rather delightful read.

CHALLENGE COMPLETED
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this read. I have never seen the movie, but plan to do so now as well.

I expected a chaotic, somewhat pandering story. Not so.

I expected 'fluffy' content. Also, not so.

I will reread this book in the future. Very happy this book challenge opened the opportunity to read this story.

February Challenge completed.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

Can't say that I enjoyed the book. It's interesting, but the characters are mostly too flawed for my taste.

I am reading Haywood Smith The Read Hat Club for February read.

February: Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge
Key Word: Edge
Title: On the Edge Book 2 The Devlin Group
Author: Shannon Stacey
Challenge Complete

Review: This book was a romantic action-adventure.
This is the 2nd book in the series, The Devlin Group. It was a bit over done and really more of a novella than a book. I read the first two books in the series, because I can not stand to start in the middle of a series. I don't plan on finishing the series though.
I did love Shannon Stacey's the Kowalski Family series. I will most definitely read other books she has written,

I started to read Red Queen byChristina Henry

I finished Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. It was okay. I have enjoyed some of her other books more. It just felt disjointed and unfinished to me. I may try another keyword book for this month to keep my interest in the challenge going.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE
What Dreams May Come - Richard Matheson

I liked the book, not loved as most readers but liked. First half had a bit too much detail for me, I was interested in the relationship and love story more than details about music in afterlife. Glad I stuck with it though, the second half was worth.

Thanks for hosting this challenge, I wanted to read this book for years now since I watched the movie (which was awesome by the way)!

February challenge complete--The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I really appreciated the imagery and atmosphere Diamant created in the ancient setting. A great exploration of the bonds between women--mothers, daughters, and friends.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE
The Glass House by Eve Chase
I gave this book 2 stars. I thought by the blurb that this would be a good read, however I was very disappointed. I found it very predictable, there were no surprises. Think that's why it has taken me TEN days to finish.
I didn't dislike it enough to dnf it though.

I'm going to read The Winter Over by Matthew Iden for this prompt. Since we're getting snowed in as I speak, with single digit temps and below zero windchills, I might as well read a suspense/thriller/mystery set in Antarctica, right?

Nicole wrote: "I'm going to read The Winter Over by Matthew Iden for this prompt. Since we're getting snowed in as I speak, with single digit temps and below zero windchills, I mi..."

Lol - right!

Challenge Complete
Keyword: Come
Book: Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire - book 5 in the Wayward Children series.
This is a series of novellas about kids who've been to another World, but end up back in their own - and they want to find a way back. There's a school for kids like them. I'm really enjoying the series (I read 5 of them this month).

Monday’s Not Coming By Tiffany D. Jackson

Challenge Complete
Keyword: Come

This Coretta Scott King award winner was outside of my usual reading genre comfort zone. However, I was intrigued by the storyline of a girl and her best friend who went missing. I loved the way this book hooked me, and shared both stories of tragedy and love. There were several mysteries in this book. The ending was done well.

The only thing I didn’t like was I found the organization confusing. Each chapter was organized by month. Within each chapter, there was an intro, “the before”, “the after”, and “_ years before the before”. The order of the sections was not consistent, and some chapters had a section more than once. I understand why the book was formatted this way, but I felt confused about the layout and timing several times in the book.

February: Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge
Key Word: Red
Title: The Red Hat Club
Author: Haywood Smith
Challenge Complete
Quick enjoyable read about a group of women in Georgia who have been friend since high school and they meet monthly and share the ups and downs of life including no good husbands or soon to be ex-husbands. This book is laugh out load funny in parts and the characters are all so wonderful and different you cheer for each of them to find happiness and rise above their upbringing that taught them a women’s place is at the side of her husband.

(1) Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
(2) CHALLENGE COMPLETE
(3) I liked this book more than I thought I would....I'm not a huge romance novel kind of gal but this story had some aspects that made it more unique. The political background was well done and made me think more about current political landscapes in our country. The additional inclusion of the British royal family was fun too and again made me think about how the royal family might deal with any of the situations presented in the book. The characters are well developed, the story is an intriguing thought experiment and I'm glad I took the bait of my library Kindle page to pick it up!

Red rising

Key Word(s) - Rain, Come
Rain Will Come by Thomas Holgate
Challenge Complete
Not especially my favorite, but a fairly good mystery. Gave it 3 stars.
Review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Challenge Complete: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

I wanted to like this book so badly...but in the end the premise was a little to fantastic (First Son falls for the Prince of Wales). The characters felt underdeveloped at the beginning but the last 25% started to redeem the story for me a bit.

I completed and liked didn't love this one for "Red"

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg

https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


I also read and loved this biography for "Come" It restored my faith in human goodness

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede

https://titlesurfingwithtraci.blogspo...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Driving OVER Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia by Chris Stewart

In The Ghost Country: A Lifetime Spent on the EDGE by Peter Hillary

These are the books I read for the Challenge: Feb Key Words

I read The glassblower of Murano. I loved that it's set in Venice, it was as if I was transported there while reading it, walking the narrow alleys and taking the gondolas and the watertaxis with the main characters. It has two storylines, one set in the present and one in the 1600s, and the story alternates between them. This was interesting, though there was a bit too much blood and gore for me in the storyline in the past. The book could have done with a bit less death for me. Challenge complete

Challenge Complete. I read Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar. It took a few extra days to finish reading it because it really was difficult for me to read. The writing style, flow, and anecdotes were not to my taste. I chose it as I am also working on a memoir challenge this year and this filled both lists.

Cat on the Edge
Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Light reading, Joe Gray (cat) can understand and talk to humans, witnesses a murder and needs to save his human from being blamed. Fist in a series, not sure if I’ll continue with it.

Challenge completed

Key word - Come
Book - Come again by Robert Webb

4 stars - easy read and really enjoyable. Not full stars as pacing was a bit odd in places but thoroughly good read.


N.B. forgot to post in February

Challenge Complete - Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock -
Review is here - https://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot....

I read Head Over Heels for this one. Not my favorite, just OK.

I'll pick up the blade with The Blade Between. I hope it's not too sharp! lol

Ok for some reason I can't find any of my postings for any of the months 😔. These are my books: The red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg and Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis.

(Blade)
Rollerblade Crusade by Suzanne Weyn

Challenge Complete!

I read:

The Light Over London
The Edge of Lost
Red Rain
Sir John and the Brotherhood of the Blade
Red Water
Come From Away
And Then There Were None
Heiddeger’s Glasses


Most of this group was historical fiction. All were excellent. I had never read the Agatha Christie, but this may be my favorite!