March's Reading Challenges Wrap Up

I'll put up a wrap up post every month or early the next month for all of my 2013 reading challenges. Some books, I posted reviews on the blog, some are on goodreads, there may be one or two without reviews, especially books I edit or that are put out by my publisher.

I had mixed success in March with my challenges. In addition to my regular challenges for the year, I participated in Kimba the Caffeinated's Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge. I focused on books for that challenge during March. For the results of that challenge, see here.

Book Chick City's 100 Books in 2013

For this challenge, I am not counting any children's books, unless it's YA, nor am I counting books that I edit. I am also doing goodreads' reading challenge and I'm counting everything for that one, but not tracking here on the blog. :D

1. The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page
2. Blood and Fire by Shannon McKenna
3. Written in Stone by Ellery Adams
4. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
5. Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle
6. Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham
7. Clan Rathskeller by Kevin Hearne
8. Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack
9. A Test of Mettle by Kevin Hearne
10. Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox

Total to date: 28

Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013 - Goal 13 or more 

1. The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page 
2. Written in Stone by Ellery Adams
3. Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle
4. Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham
5. Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack

Total to date: 9

2013 Ebook Challenge - Goal 25 


1. Clan Rathskeller by Kevin Hearne
2. Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack
3. A Test of Mettle by Kevin Hearne
4. Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox

Total to date: 14

Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2013 - Goal 1 A Month 

1. Clan Rathskeller by Kevin Hearne

Total to date: 3

Not too shabby, I'm chugging along and getting books read. I'm currently 7 books behind on my goodreads reading challenge but I have time to make those up.

Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge March 2013 Wrap Up

Well, the challenge is over. I achieved 9 books that counted for the challenge though I read 14 in all for the month of March. I also went through my TBR shelf on goodreads and updated it. I marked as read some books I missed, removed some I was no longer interested in, and moved all books that I didn't actually own but want to read and put them on a wishlist shelf. Of course, I've added books, mostly for review. My current TBR shelf is at 739 and my wishlist is at 171. I still have too many books to read but I'm getting there. 

 When I posted my goals I had the following books that I hoped to get read. The ones I actually read are listed after.

 Written in Stone by Ellery Adams (library)

Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle (library)

Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham (library)

Flawless by Carrie Lofty (won)

Unmasking Kelsey by Kay Hooper (library) 

Daybreak by Ellen Connor (won)

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (library) 

The Frog Prince by Deanna Wadsworth (won)

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (won)

The Janus Affair by Philippa Ballantine & Tee Morris (won)

The Man Who Dreamed of Elk-Dogs & Other Stories from the Tipi by Paul Goble (won)

Dark Water by Chynna T. Laird (won)

Wicked Circle by Linda Robertson (won)

Scent to Her Grave by India Ink (library)

The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page (library)

The Books I actually read for the challlenge:

The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page 

Blood and Fire by Shannon McKenna

Written in Stone by Ellery Adams

Etiquette & Espionage by Cail Carriger

Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham

Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

Clan Rathskeller by Kevin Hearne

A Test of Mettle by Kevin Hearne

Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack

I knew I wouldn't make it all the way through my reading list but I had hoped to do better. Ah well, at least I made some progress.

Review of Blood and Fire by Shannon McKenna

Publisher: Brava Romantic Suspense
Series:  McClouds & Friends #8
Format Read: Trade paperback
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

Restless and impulsive, Bruno Ranieri has the temperament to fit right in with the McClouds. And just like the McCloud brothers, Bruno has a dangerous past to contend with - one that's about to come crashing back into his life...Bruno Ranieri has always lived at a chaotic pace, and that goes double lately.

Since his uncle's untimely demise, Bruno is working himself to the bone, trying to keep his nose clean and save the family business. Not easy when the nightmares that plagued his childhood are hi-jacking what little rest he gets. So when exotically beautiful Lily Parr sashays into his all-night restaurant, claiming to be on the run from mysterious assassins, Bruno starts to wonder if sleep deprivation is finally getting to him. Especially when Lily implies that Bruno is involved. But the violence that accompanies her arrival is no illusion. Nor is the blisteringly hot, completely inconvenient desire that explodes between them.

Lily Parr has been a fugitive ever since her father's death a month ago in a mental hospital. Officials claimed it was suicide, but Lily's gut - and the savage murder attempt she barely escaped afterwards - say different. Snippets of information led Lily to Bruno's door...and his magnetic charisma compelled her right into his bed. But there are cold-blooded killers on her heels, with resources as limitless as their cruelty.

Bea's Thoughts:

I originally won this from the publisher but before I could read it, my brother gave it away (he was "helping" me clean *eye roll*) but I still wanted to read it. It took me a while to get around to it but I finally got it from the library. 

Once I started reading it, I enjoyed it although it was definitely over-the-top and the author has some odd word choices and an unfortunate tendency to indulge in purple prose. There were two word choices that pulled me right out of the story - early on the hero, Bruno, refers to his penis as a prong. WTF? That was an uncomfortable and disturbing image. I shared on facebook and someone commented that she thought it might be an old British term but still, eewwww. The other odd word choice was 'bimbo' used in reference to a toddler. The character speaking is originally from Italy, speaking the Calabrese dialect, and I thought child was bambino but an Italian acquaintance, when I asked for her input, replied

As for the word "bimbo", that's italian (sic), not a particular dialect, and it's short for "bambino", which is "child". "Bimbo" is male, singular, "bimba" is female, singular, "bimbi" is male (or if there are both males and females), plural, "bimbe" is female, plural. I have no idea if in Calabrese they often use "bimbo", but I think the Calabrese term for it would be something along the way of "picciddo" or "picciriddo": these are Sicilian terms, and Sicily is very close to Calabria, but as I said every region has its own dialect, so the Calabrese equivalent could be very similar or completely different.

 Still, while it may be linguistically correct, it's a skeezy word choice and hearing a grandmother refer to a toddler as a bimbo took me right out of the story. I did pick it back up again several hours later and continued reading. Things happen quickly and it's action packed; the book never feels padded despite being 503 pages long.

Lily has had a hard life; her mother died giving birth and she's spend most of life, starting in her teens,  parenting her father who is suicidal. Bruno's mother was killed when he was young and twenty years later he still has nightmares. He's made a successful life for himself and he is close to his aunt, Zia Rose, and his adopted brother Kev. Kev has recently found and reconnected with his biological family, the McClouds, and now Bruno feels left out. Lily and Bruno meet when Lily's father dies after babbling nonsense about people named Magda and Bruno. Bruno of course is our hero; Lily hares off to find him and things heat up quickly between them. Although the sex is great, Lily's tale sounds crazy to Bruno and he thinks she needs psychological help. Then they are attacked and the pace really picks up.

I haven't read any of the previous books in this series and at times, I was a little confused. There are a lot of McCloud brothers, most of whom have apparently had a book already. The book works as a stand alone but I think it might be best to read in order. The villain in this book is over-the-top and judging by references to other characters and their stories, over-the-top would seem to be McKenna's norm. However I enjoyed the storyline and would have liked to see it continued in future books but that seems unlikely now given the ending, which also over-the-top.

The story has insta-love, a big misunderstanding (though it occurs late in the story), a diabolical villain who needed more fleshing out but was interesting, a hot hero, a gutsy heroine, lots of purple prose, sexy love scenes, occasionally gory action, humor, interesting and fun secondary characters, a slightly implausible sci fi plot and it's all lots of fun. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, even though it was telegraphed early on, but overall I enjoyed the book and will probably pick up more in the series.

I borrowed this from the library.

Review of Written in Stone by Ellery Adams

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Series: Books By the Bay Mystery #4
Format Read: Paperback
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

When Munin Cooper, known as the Witch of Oyster Bay, warns Olivia Limoges that death is coming, neither of them realize that it is the older woman herself who will soon be found dead. And Olivia’s instincts tell her that something—or someone—more sinister than a mystical force is at play… Olivia has a lot on her plate preparing for the Coastal Carolina Food Festival. When she hears the news of Munin’s untimely death, however, finding the murderer takes priority. The witch left behind a memory jug full of keepsakes that Olivia knows must point to the killer—but she’s got to figure out what they mean. With handsome Police Chief Rawlings by her side, Olivia starts to identify some of the jug’s mysterious contents—and finds its secrets are much darker than she suspected. Now Olivia must enlist the help of the Bayside Book Writers to solve the puzzle behind the piece of pottery and put an end to a vengeful killer before any more damage can be done…

Bea's Thoughts:

Although this was my first book in this series, it's the second book by this author that I've read. I wasn't keen on that book but this was more my speed.

This book has more depth and more complexity than many cozies, and also more explicit sex. The latter wasn't a problem for me but it's unusual in a cozy so you've been warned. :) I hadn't read the previous books but for the most part that wasn't a problem; there were a few times when I was confused but that never lasted long as Adams deftly wove in backstory without too much info dumping. However, there were huge spoilers for previous books, huge spoilers, so consider reading in order.

I had trouble at first getting into the story but that was a mix of the story and me; I've found recently that I have trouble with the beginning of most books I'm reading and I'm not sure why. The book contributed by jumping write into Olivia reflecting on events from a previous book, presumably the last one. Once we moved past that and got into the story, I was engaged. There are actually several mysteries - one concerning Olivia's mother and relationship with the dead woman Munin, the death of Munin, one concerning Olivia's father, and the attacks on a pair of siblings, one of whom works for Olivia at one of her restaurants.

Once the story got moving, I enjoyed it and was curious where it was going. I didn't peg the killer nor did I catch onto the other mysteries except for the one involving her father. That one I saw very early on, it was neon-obvious. There are lots of twists and turns, and as I mentioned more depth than I associate with cozy mysteries. It took me a while to warm up to Olivia but eventually I did and I expect I'll read more in the series. 

I borrowed this from my local library.

Review of Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Series: Finishing School #1
Format Read: Hardcover
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Book Blurb from goodreads:

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
 
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.

Bea's Thoughts:

I very much enjoyed Carriger's Parasol and Protectorate series. I'm not a big YA reader so I wasn't sure if I'd read this series but the book trailer, the cover and the blurb sold me. I knew I had to give it a shot.

While I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it. It had moments of humor in the same vein as the Parasol Protectorate but it was missing something. The world building was adequate, I enjoyed seeing the younger Sidheag and Genevieve, but there were unlikely coincidences and a few too many predictable events. The resolution of the mystery was rushed, humorous, and a little too neat.

I did like the details Carriger used; if you haven't read the Parasol Protectorate series, you're not at a loss. Carriger fills in the details and fleshes out the world nicely. There are even more Steampunk elements (though the scene in the school's records room was over the top and unnecessary. A more typical filing system would have made more sense.) There's a definite British feel to the story and Carriger still has the knack for sending up customs and mores.

I enjoyed the character of Sophronia and seeing the changes in her though her type is nothing new - tomboy, free-spirited girl is thrust into social situation, ie finishing school, that she's not prepared for, makes enemy of popular girl, befriends the underdogs and people in low paces, etc. Still, she's interesting and enjoyable and so is the cast of characters. I liked that Carriger does us show more of what life is like for both the lower upper-class and the actual lower-class which we didn't really get in the Parasol Protectorate except for occasional glimpses of Ivy's life. I was also happy to see the inclusion of a person of color. Right now Soap (it's a nickname) is mostly cardboard but I have hopes he'll develop as the series goes on. I enjoyed this book enough that I'll definitely pick up the next book.

Some fun quotes:

"Mummy and Daddy want him to be an evil genius, but he has his heart set on Latin verse."..."Face it, Pill, you're disappointingly good." "Oh, I like that! And you're so evil? Why, you want to get married and be a lady." (Later we get references to levels of evil geniuses such as discourteous genius and spiteful genius.)

"We had lessons in knife-fighting from a werewolf." "Werewolf? Bully! We don't have any supernaturals here. It's quite a dearth in the deanship if you ask me. Any reputable school ought to have at least one vampire professor. Eton has three. You lot are only girls, you've a vampire and a werewolf. Jolly unfair, that's what I call it." 

"Algebra was far more interesting when it was a matter of proportioning out mutton chops so as to poison only half of one's dinner guests and then determining the relative value of purchasing a more expensive, yet more effective, antidote over a home remedy."

I borrowed this from my local library.

Review of Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham

Publisher: Midnight Ink
Series: An Animals in Focus Mystery #1
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Release Date: October 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Book Blurb from goodreads:

Dogs, cats, and murderous misdeeds. 

Animal photographer and dog show handler Janet MacPhail knows it’s the sure-footed, finely trained canine competitors that steal the attention in the obedience ring. But all eyes are on widely disliked star handler Abigail Dorn when she falls down dead at the drop on recall command with her border collie, Pip, an Obedience Trial Champion.

Janet suspects foul play when she uncovers a bitter rivalry between Abby and Suzette, the owner of Fly, Pip’s top-ranking competitor. Balancing her dementia-afflicted mother, threats aimed at her beloved pets, and a flirty-hunk dog handler, Janet investigates as another murder takes place. And her nosing around reveals an ugly scandal in the dog show circuit.

Bea's Thoughts:

If you aren’t a dog lover, this might not be the right book for you. I like dogs but I’m not a dog lover and at times the story dragged. We get an up close and detailed look at dog shows and their culture, as well as a look at breeding purebred dogs. Mixed in with the murder mysteries are a sweet budding romance and the travails of an aging parent.

Janet is likable; she isn’t a morning person, loves animals, has bills to pay, puts housekeeping low on her priority list (which actually works to her benefit later in the story), and has family problems. When a competitor and acquaintance, Abigail,  literally falls ill at a show, she rushes over to help but Abigail dies en route to the hospital. She helps Abigail’s husband by taking the dog, Pip, home to her house for a few days. That’s when the trouble begins. She is hounded by another competitor and Pip’s breeder to turn Pip over to them and the police keep questioning her. She gets drawn deeper and deeper into the investigation, unable to turn away.

Boneham pushes one suspect very hard; so hard that I became convinced that that person wasn’t actually responsible. There are other suspects and I thought I knew who it was. Boneham sprinkles clues and red herrings throughout the story, leaving the reader wondering just who the killer is. The ending was a bit cliched, and the dog details could get incredibly dry. The book goes on too long, it could have been trimmed by a quarter and been the better for it. The story was okay but I doubt I’ll bother with the next book.

This review first appeared at BookTrib.  I borrowed this book from my library.

Review of Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle

Publisher: Berkley
Series: Coffeehouse Mystery #12
Format read: Paperback
Release Date: December 3, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Book Blurb from goodreads:

Holiday time is party time in New York City, but after a sparkling winter bash ends with a murder, Village Blend coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi vows to put the killer on ice…

At the Great New York Cookie Swap, pastry chefs bake up their very best for charity. Clare is in charge of the beverage service, and her famous Fa-la-la-la Lattes make the gathering even merrier. But her high spirits come crashing down to earth, when she discovers the battered body of a hard-working baker’s assistant.

Police suspect a serial attacker whose escalating crimes have become known as “The Christmas Stalkings.” Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, finds reason to believe even more sinister forces are involved. Clare isn’t so sure—and when she finds a second bludgeoned baker, she becomes a target. Now Clare is spending the holiday season pouring over clues, and she’s not going to rest until justice is served.

Bea's Thoughts:

This is the second book I've read in this series and neither book worked for me. They're not bad, they just don't do it for me. I found Holiday Buzz to be long, occasionally dry, unnecessarily complicated, and just plain boring at times. Yet at other times, I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading. I  was continually torn between saying the heck with it and giving up and continuing to read to see who the killer was.

There are many candidates for the killer, lots of clues and red herrings and coincidences, almost too many. It felt at times as if Coyle had a word count in mind and needed to fill it somehow. I like Clare and her relationship with her ex-husband and his mother who are also her partners in the coffee shop. In fact, I liked the relationships and the coffee house scenes much better than the mystery portion which was unfortunate since this is a mystery. When the killer was revealed I was in disbelief because I couldn't believe it, it was, in my opinion, implausible. I wish we'd had a chance to see Moirin, the murdered woman, before she died. We see her through the eyes of Clare and others during the story but she never felt real to me. I wasn't invested in solving her murder; I wanted to see who killer was because I was curious how Coyle would pull it off and not because I cared about Moirin.

Having tried two books in this series, I think it's safe to say that it's not the right series for me. It might work for you though. There are recipes included and many of the cookies and drinks mentioned in the story sound absolutely delicious. 

I borrowed this from my local library.

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway of Baked Alaska by Josi S Kilpack

Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Series: Culinary Mystery #9
Format Read: PDF
Release Date: February 18, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | The Book Depository

Book Blurb from the author:

An Alaskan cruise is the setting for amateur detective Sadie Hoffmillers latest adventure. Sadie plans to spend time relaxing with her two grown children, Breanna and Shawn, and her boyfriend, Pete, while enjoying the luxury and cuisine of an elegant cruise ship and helping to plan her daughters upcoming wedding. But even as the crew prepares to leave port, Sadie has suspicions about the voyage ahead and the relationship between her normally easygoing son and a mysterious female passenger he obviously knows but refuses to discuss. When the woman is discovered unconscious during the second night at sea, Sadies apprehension escalates. Over the last few years, Sadie has developed an extreme dislike for secrets and it would seem her son is keeping one from her.

*Includes eight new mouthwatering recipes, tested and approved by the official bakers of Sadies Virtual Test Kitchen.

Bea's Thoughts:

This was the first book in this series that I've read and it worked well as a stand alone except for vague and mysterious references to an unnamed, apparently traumatic event that happened in Boston. That was a minor irritation though.

I had a hard time at first warming up to Sadie. Another character described her as "a super-controlling-freak-out-mom" and that was how she struck me also. She has a hard time letting her grown children make their own decisions and choices and she wants to know everything about their lives. She loosens up during the book and I warmed up to her.

The mysteries happen organically and don't feel artificial nor does her involvement. She is intimately tied to the first mystery and, though it's not apparent at first, to the second one. In addition to the mysteries, we get a close-up look at Sadie's family and their dynamics. What appear to be coincidences at first are later revealed to be otherwise and Kilpack does an excellent job of sprinkling hints and clues throughout the story. I enjoyed meeting her children Shawn and Breanna, and her boyfriend Pete. The ending was unexpected and a tear jerker but in a good way. As I said, at first I had a hard time warming up to Sadie and I had a difficult time staying engaged with the story, but gradually I got pulled in and enjoyed the mysteries and the story.

I'm not a baker or even much of a cook yet I enjoy reading mysteries with food themes, maybe because I love to eat? There are recipes in the book ranging from easy to complicated, based on reading them. It's a nice bonus though I wish they'd all been collected at the end of the book instead of interrupting chapters. It might be less disruptive in print but on my kindle it was a nuisance (I had the PDF converted kindle format).

I received a PDF from the publisher for review as part of the blog tour.

*************************************************************************

Click on image for the tour schedule

GIVEAWAY INFO:

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/20/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge March 2013

 

I was sure I had already done a post for this challenge but I can't find it if I did. It's hosted by Kimba at Kimba the Caffeinated. You can still sign up if you'd like.

So, if you come around often, you know I have a huge tbr pile. According to goodreads, I have almost 900 books to be read. Yes, you read that right, almost 900. Now, that number includes print and digital, review and pleasure, books I own and books I don't yet own or will get from the library. I also have print books that I haven't yet entered on goodreads but that haven't been read yet so the real number of unread books is even higher.

With so many books, it's been hard to decide what to read, but for now, I think I'll focus on books that I have won and library books. I may change my mind during the month; I'm sure I'll read others while not reading some on the list.

 

My tentative reading list:

 Written in Stone by Ellery Adams (library)

Holiday Buzz by Cleo Coyle (library)

Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham (library)

Flawless by Carrie Lofty (won)

Unmasking Kelsey by Kay Hooper (library)

Daybreak by Ellen Connor (won)

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (library) 

The Frog Prince by Deanna Wadsworth (won)

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (won)

The Janus Affair by Philippa Ballantine & Tee Morris (won)

The Man Who Dreamed of Elk-Dogs & Other Stories from the Tipi by Paul Goble (won)

Dark Water by Chynna T. Laird (won)

Wicked Circle by Linda Robertson (won)

Scent to Her Grave by India Ink (library)

The Body in the Boudoir by Katherine Hall Page (library)