Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Wrap-Up

Hi, everyone. I can't believe that May is over and June is here already. I participated in the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Angela's Anxious Life last month. I did better than I thought I was going to do since I am notoriously bad at reading challenges. Of course, I didn't actually write full reviews on most of these yet but, well, one step at a time.

I found that I really had to keep myself on task to read ARCs and not other books. I think it's hard, too, because most of my ARCs are e-books and I can't really see those. I am much more likely to pick up one of my physical books and forget about all of the e-ARCs that I have. This was a good exercise though because it make me go through my ARC folder on my Kindle when looking for a new read. So these are the ARCs that I read last month.

Reaver by Larissa Ione
Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
The Last Good Knight Parts 1 - 5 by Tiffany Reisz
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkowski
When The Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries

Not too shabby, especially since I only read about 5-8 books a month. Thanks to Kimba and Angela for hosting this challenge. I did a lot better than I thought I'd do and am glad to have gotten these off of the TBR pile.

Bout of Books Wrap Up

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week.  Be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 

Hello! This wrap up is coming a bit late. Last week wasn't the best for me reading-wise. I did alright though I did not meet my goal. But I did alright, considering my limited reading time.

I ended up finishing Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon and The Kraken King Part V by Meljean Brook.

Total pages read: 411
Total books read: 1 + 1 novella

I had a fun time watching everyone's progress and hope that I can do a little better next year. Did you participate? Did you meet your goals? Happy reading, everyone!

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The Bout of Books Read-a-thon

Hi, everyone. Seems I am in a joining mood today so I've decided to try and do the Bout of Books read-a-thon. I seem to be doing OK in reading this month and figured a little extra motivation could not hurt.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 

I am not sure what books I want to read for the read-a-thon yet but will update later tonight hopefully will more specific goals. 

Time Devoted to Reading
I will be reading during the week probably in the evenings and the weekend. 

Books to Read

1. Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

2. Sublime by Christina Lauren

3. Saga Vol 1
4. X-23 Vol 1

Updates

Monday
Number of pages read: Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon p. 1-72

Tuesday
Number of pages read: The Kraken King Pt 5 by Meljean Brook p. 1- 102

Wednesday/Thursday
Number of pages read: Super busy and did not read much. I read a little but didn't keep track.

Friday:
Number of pages read: Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon p. 112 - 132

Saturday - Sunday
Number of pages read: Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon 132- 309

Total pages read: 411
Total books read: 1 + 1 novella

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Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Update

This is my first check in for the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Angela's Anxious Life. The challenge begins May 1 and ends on May 31. I am actually doing much better than I thought I would be.

These are the books that I have read so far and I have more planned. 

1. The Last Good Knight Parts I-V by Tiffany Reisz (reviewed)

2. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
3. Reaver by Larissa Ione (currently reading)

Hoping to read:
What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
Don't Look Back by Michelle Gagnon
Fools Gold novel by Susan Mallory
Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington (audio)

I have a good feeling about this one so let's keep the momentum going!

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Clean Sweep ARC Challenge May 2014

Hi, guys. My ARC pile is getting out of control (both the physical and the e-pile) and even though I have my own Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge going on, I figured it could not hurt to get a little more motivation. So I signed up for the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Angela's Anxious Life. The challenge begins May 1 and ends on May 31. I don't have a set list of books I want to read just yet and am just going to try to read as many review books as possible during the month.

Wish me luck. My reading has been so slow lately due to my work schedule and I am hoping that this will get my butt in gear. If you're interested, you can still sign up here.

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Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge 2014

Happy New Year! We're kicking off 2014 with a new round of the Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge. This is going to run the challenge for the whole year. I really need to get my review pile down to a more manageable level and hope that this challenge will motivate me. Same rules as before. Feel free to download and use this button or make your own. We hope you will join us. :)

Does looking at your ARC pile stress you out? Do you suffer from NetGalley or Edelweiss Guilt? Have you gotten so behind in your ARC reading that older ARCs have gotten pushed aside? Well then this challenge is for you. The Windy Pages, Nite Lite Book Reviews and The Reader's Antidote have all teamed up and we are challenging ourselves to whittle down that ARC pile. This challenge will run from January 1st - December 31st, 2014. The rules are simple:

• Goal: to get through those review books that are giving us review pile anxiety, and hopefully write reviews for those books.

• Books may be physical ARCs or digital ARCs.

• For book to qualify, release date must be at older than 6 months (release date earlier than July 1, 2013).

• Give yourself a true challenge! Read at least 12 ARCs that fit in the category of being released before July 1, 2013 and then so on as the months continue (AKA, on February 1, 2014, they can be released before August 1, 2013; on March 1, 2014, they can be released before September 1, 2013, etc.). (This is just my goal - you can have a bigger or smaller goal as you prefer)

• Please try to do a wrap up post at the end of each month so we can check your progress. 

• And if you are participating, there may be a prize at the end so keep a look out!

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Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge November Check-In + Giveaway

Hi guys! Just a quick check in for the Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge. I did pretty bad last month. I hardly read anything in November for the challenge. Even though I was on vacation for two weeks, I was having a hard time focusing.  I am really hoping to do better in December.

November

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (physical ARC, Jan 2012)

Previously read, now reviewed

Dead Man Walking by Jocelynn Drake (Edelweiss, May 2013)

October
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon (physical ARC, Sept 2012)
The Bro Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logstead (NetGalley, started by not finished)

I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing. Are you kicking but or are you going to have to try and catch up next month like me? Leave a comment telling me about your progress or leave a link if you do a wrap up post. Thanks and keep going - we have one more month left! For added incentive, Kimberly at The Windy Pages is hosting a giveaway for all Better Late Than Never participants. So join up and fill out the Rafflecopter form below. :)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge Oct Check-In

Hi guys! Just a quick check in for the Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge. I haven't been doing too well on this challenge so far, but I still have a couple of months left. I just get distracted by all the new, shiny things but promise I'll try to be better this month. 

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis
The Bro Magnet by Lauren - STARTED
The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark
Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder
Touch Me by Callie Croix
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Scarlet by AC Gaughen
The Agency: Traitor in the Tunnel by A.S. Lee
Code Name Verity by Elzabeth Wein

Newly added
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon - READ and REVIEWED
Arcadia by Lauren Groff - READ

Read but need to review:

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
The Marquess Who Loved Me
Bound by Night by Larissa Ione
Dead Man Walking by Jocelynn Drake
How To Dance with a Duke by Manda Collins


At least I read a couple of things, right? I really need to review some of the books I've actually already read. That's my progress so far. For all the other participants, let me know how you're doing in the comments below or make your own check in post. I'll check in again at the end of the month. Happy reading!

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Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon Begins!

It's time for the Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon hosted by My Shelf Confessions. The goal is to try to read as much as possible and whittle down that TBR pile. I am hoping to combine this with my ARC Challenge and gets some of my older ARCs read. It doesn' help that I just checked out about 8 book from the library this week....

No list for this challenge. We'll just play it by ear and hope that I get a lot of reading done. If you want to sign up, it's not too late. Just check out My Shelf Confessions and sign up. 

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Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge Kick Off!

Hello! Today is the official kick-off day of the Better Late Than Never Challenge. I am challenging myself to read ARCs that are older than 6 months old. Sadly I have a large list of titles that qualify. I went through my list of e-ARCs and picked the ones that I am most interested in reading. I also have a list of ARCs that I have already read but haven't had a chance to review yet. I am making my own challenge within a challenge to get myself to write those reviews and get those off my plate. I usually suck at challenges but I am hoping that this will motivate me. If you are interested in joining the challenge, you can get more info and sign up at this post.

Books I am hoping to read before Dec 31, 2013:

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis
The Bro Magnet by Lauren
The Demon Lover
Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder
Touch Me by Callie Croix
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Scarlet by AC Gaughen
The Agency: Traitor in the Tunnel
Code Name Verity by Elzabeth Wein

Read but need to review:

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
The Marquess Who Loved Me
Bound by Night by Larissa Ione
Dead Man Walking by Jocelynn Drake
Jennifer Haymore short story
How To Dance with a Duke by Manda Collins

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Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge Sign Ups

Hello again! I am super excited to announce a little challenge that a few of my friends and I have been cooking up. As book bloggers we are often very lucky in the fact that we are able to get ARCs of great new books. However, I have found recently that I am really behind in my ARC reading and have a whole stack (and e-reader) full of ARCs I haven't had time to get to. This challenge is a way for us to get some of those books off our plate. This challenge is specifically for ARCs whose book release date was at least 6 months ago. We want to get some of those older books read and reviewed. If you're interested in joining up, all the details are below. I am will post on the start day with my list of books I am planning to read for the challenge. Happy reading!

It's the Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge! Does looking at your ARC pile stress you out? Do you suffer from NetGalley Guilt? Have you gotten so behind in your ARC reading that older ARCs have gotten pushed aside? Well then this challenge is for you. The Windy Pages, Nite Lite Book Reviews and The Reader's Antidote have all teamed up and are challenging ourselves to whittle down that ARC pile. This challenge will run from Oct 1 - December 31, 2013. The rules are simple.

Read as many older review books as you can, making way for the new year and new books!

Books may be physical ARCs or digital ARCs.

For book to qualify, release date must be at older than 6 months (release date earlier than May 1, 2013)

Please do a wrap up post at the end of each month so we can check your progress.

And if you are participating, there will most likely be a chance at a prize at the end so keep a look out!

Endless Summer Read-A-Thon Wrap Up

The Endless Summer Read-A-Thon ended yesterday and, unsurprisingly, I did not get as much reading done as I'd hoped. I did manage to finish one full book (The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook) and about a quarter of the way through Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler. That's not too bad for me. There were definitely a couple of days in there where I did not read as much as I was planning. But that's OK with me. Thanks to Nicole over at The Reader's Antidote for hosting this fun little read-a-thon. Hope you're all having a great start to the fall. :)

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Endless Summer Read-A-Thon

Summer is drawing to a close which means it's time for me to try and finish up my summer reading list. I've joined up with the Endless Summer Read-A-Thon hosted by my friend Nicole at The Reader's Antidote. No real theme except to make a goal for yourself and try to stick to it. The read-a-thon runs from Sept 2 - 7. I don't know how many books I can realistically read in that time but I am going to do my best. Here are the books on my read-a-thon list.

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
God Save The Queen by Kate Locke

I usually suck at challenges but I do like to try, so wish me luck. If you want to join in the challenge, head on over the The Reader's Antidote to get more details. Happy reading!

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Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Mini-Challenge + Giveaway

Thanks for coming by for my mini-challenge for the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge. I had a pretty hard time figuring out what kind of challenge to do. In the end, I decided to keep it pretty simple. I'd like to know what fictional characters you would invite to a dinner party and why. There's no limit on guests and they can be alive/dead. It's pretty loose here so just tell me who you think would make a great guest list

So here is who I would invite to my fictional dinner party:

Kate Daniels/Curran from Kate Daniels series - Not a huge surprise since I went through a big Kate Daniels binge a couple of weeks ago. With Kate and Curran around, you can always be sure that the party will be lively.

Adrian Ivashkov & Sydney Sage from Bloodlines - OK another non-surprise here. I may have to keep an eye on Adrian to make sure he doesn't drink all the liquor but I think he'd be a fun dinner guest. He's funny and smart and easy on the eyes. And Sydney would keep him on his toes. 

Ron, Hermione & Harry Potter from Harry Potter series - Of course I had to bring in the HP kids. What fun is a party without them? Also, I am hoping that Hermione can conjure up a feast so I don't have to do all the cooking.

Cinder from Cinder - I know she's on the run and all but everybody's gotta eat. Would love to chat with this kick ass heroine and see what she has planned next. 

Kevin Smith - OK, so this is cheating a little since Smith isn't a fictional character. But he does write books about himself so I am allowing it. I just think he's really funny and interesting and he would definitely help keep the conversation going.

I could go on but I think this is a pretty good list. It's a pretty eclectic list, too. I am not sure who all of these characters would get along together but you can be sure that this dinner party would like no other. So now it's your turn. Tell me who you would invite to dinner. You can tell me just one person or list out the whole guest list with menu. Up to you. I'd love to see who you guys want over since I am sure I am missing some great guest ideas. Just tell me in the comments below and then fill out Mr. Rafflecopter.  And don't forget to stop by the other blogs who are participating for more chances to win. Thanks!

Giveaway Rules:

1. Open Internationally.
2. We are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items. 
3. One set of entries per household please. 
4. If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address. 
5. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends. 
6. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner. 
7. If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here. 
8. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge

Saturday May 4th

• 9am (EST) Barbara @ Basia's BookShelf
• 4pm (EST) Thuy @ Nite Lite

Saturday May 11th 

• 9am (EST) Kristen @ My ParaHangover
• 4pm (EST) Crystal @ Elegantly Bound Reviews

Saturday May 18th 

• 9am (EST)  Ali @ My Guilty Obsession
• 4pm (EST) Nicole @ The Reader's Antidote

Saturday May 25th 

• 9am (EST) Lola @ Lola's Reviews
• 4pm (EST) Jenn & Mary @ YA Book Twins

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The Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Begins!

Hi, guys. Today is the official kick off of the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge that is running May 1 - 21. If you know me, you know that I am pretty bad with keeping up with review books. What can I say? I read what moves me at the moment. But I am going to try really hard to get through some of my older ARCs and e-ARCs in the next few weeks. Thanks to  The Caffeinated Reader and The Windy Pages for hosting. 

Tune in on May 4, where I will be hosting a mini-challenge and giveaway on the blog for the challenge. Below is a schedule of the other blogs participating and hosting challenges as well. Be sure to stop by their stops to win some prizes. And if you want to join the challenge, go over to this post and sign up. Sign ups close May 15.

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge

Saturday May 4th

• 9am (EST) Barbara @ Basia's BookShelf
• 4pm (EST) Thuy @ Nite Lite

Saturday May 11th 

• 9am (EST) Kristen @ My ParaHangover
• 4pm (EST) Crystal @ Elegantly Bound Reviews

Saturday May 18th 

• 9am (EST)  Ali @ My Guilty Obsession
• 4pm (EST) Nicole @ The Reader's Antidote

Saturday May 25th 

• 9am (EST) Lola @ Lola's Reviews
• 4pm (EST) Jenn & Mary @ YA Book Twins
• 
  

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Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Sign Ups

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to let you all know about this great challenge going on in May. The Clean Sweep ARC Challenge is hosted by The Caffeinated Reader and The Windy Pages. It runs from May 1 - 21. It's such a great idea for all of us readers who have a backlog of ARCs to read. You can read physical or digital copies for this challenge. If you wan to sign up, please head on over to this post and sign up. Sign ups close May 15.

Since I am not the best at challenges, I am going to try to keep my list pretty small in the hopes of actually completing it. These are the books I hope to read during the challenge.

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Too Hot To Handle by Victoria Dahl

Soulbound by Heather Brewer

As you can see, most of these are older ARCs that I just never got around but still want to read. Check back in closer to May and I'll have more details up. I encourage you to sign up for the challenge. It's going to be a lot of fun!

 

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Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge

So...you know how I said I wasn't going to sign up for any challenges because I suck at them? Well, I signed up for one. I found out about the Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge over at She Wolf Reads. It just sounded like a really cool way to support female writers while broadening my reading pool. There are also a bunch of authors/books on the list that I already wanted to read this year and I figured this would be an additional motivation to read those books.

Basically you pick twelve authors from the list whom you've never read before. I think for each book you read, you can mark as read on your account with the site. If you actually write reviews for those books, you can be entered into some contests.  The 12 authors I've picked are:

• Kelley Armstrong
• Amber Benson
• Franny Billingsley
• Libba Bray
• Sarah Rees Brennan
• Rae Carson
• Kristen Cashore
• Alma Katsu
• Seanan McGuire
• Erin Morganstern
• Robin Hobbs
• Sarah Waters

I have books for each author pickd out as well though that might change. For Jan I think I am going to read Chime by Franny Billinsgley. I just go it so it might be good to read it soon.

This is the only official challenge I've signed up for this year. With me luck. Does anyone else suck at reading challenges like I do challenges quake in your presence?

 

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Krazy Kleypas Challenge Finish Line

Update on the Krazy Kleypas Reading Challenge 2012. This was the only big challenge I signed up for this year and I think I did really well. It does help that Lisa Kleypas has a large backlist and I love her writing. Earlier in the year I signed up with a goal of 4-8 books but soon changed it to the next level up with a goal of 8-12 books. Let's see how I did.

Original Goal
Category Two
Komfy with Kleypas
4-8 Books

NEW Goal
Category Three
Kaptured by Kleypas

8-12 Books

List of books I plan to read:
Seduce Me At Sunrise (The Hathaways #2)
Tempt Me At Twilight (The Hathaways #3)
Married By Morning (The Hathaways #4)
Love In The Afternoon (The Hathaways #5)
Sugar Daddy (Travises #1)
Blue-Eyed Devil (Travises #2)
Smooth Talking Stranger (Travises #3)

New books added to the list:
Lady Sophia's Lover (Bow Street Runners #2)
Worth Any Price (Bow Street Runners #3)
Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers #1)
It Happened One Autumn (Wallflowers #2)
Devil In Winter (Wallflowers #3)
Scandal In Spring (Wallflowers #4)
Love, Come To Me

That comes out to 10 books. While I didn't read all of the books I had planned, I did reach the challenge goal. Of course, I have only reviewed a small handful of these. Bad, blogger! Hopefully I can review them all next year because seriously, I loved a lot of them. Writing this post has given me an urge to read another Kleypas book so I may just try to squeeze in one more before the year ends.

Thanks to UTC for hosting such a fun challenge. If you haven't read a Lisa Kleypas book yet, you must! I love The Wallflowers and Hathaways series. Historical romance at its best!

 

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Review Copy Wipeout

Ahoy! there and happy Saturday. It's about a billion degrees in Los Angeles right now so I am trying to stay cool. A lot of my friends signed up for Bloggiesta this weekend. I thought about it but I didn't sign up because, well I have a fear of commitment. However, I might do it next time and am hoping to do my own unofficial Bloggiesta and get some things done on the blog this weekend.

One of the things I wanted to do was officially signed up for the Review Copy Wipeout hosted by The Book Monsters. I know, I just said I couldn't commit but this is something I can do and it spans several months, so I have time. It's basically just trying to read as many review copy books as possible before the end of the year. I still have tons of NetGalley books and books I got from ALA that I want to read. Hopefully this will motivate me. Sign ups are now and end on Oct 15. If you wanna join up, just visit the page here. 

I don't have any set agenda for the challenge but I will post periodic updates. Anyone else have a big review pile to get through? Let's do it together!

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ALA Summer Read-A-Thon Wrap Up

Yesterday was the last day of our ALA Summer Read-A-Thon. Unfortunately I did not meet my goal. However, I did finish Dark Companion by Marta Acosta and read about 100 pages of SEAL in Wolf's Clothing by Terry Spear. SEAL is actually really fun and I hope I can finish it tonight. 

Total Pages Read: 468

While this isn't the most impressive number, I am still happy that I finished one book off of my list. I had a lot of fun hosting with Crystal and Nicole, and maybe we will do another one before the end of the year. Thanks for stopping by. 

If you participated, how did you do?

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