Monday, January 14, 2013

2013 EBook Challenge



The 2013 Ebook Challenge. Encouraging readers to expand past just physical books to embrace ebooks in all forms, whether on Kindle, Kobo, computer, or any other reader.

Challenge Guidelines:
  1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 – Dec 31, 2013.
  2. Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
  3. Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
  4. You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.
  5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
  6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
  7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
Levels:
  1. Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
  2. CD – 10 ebooks
  3. DVD – 25 ebooks
  4. Memory stick – 50 ebooks
  5. Hard drive – 75 ebooks
  6. Server – 100 ebooks
  7. Human brain – 150 ebooks
At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when you remember.
There will be a giveaway at the end of the year for eveyone who achieves their goal level (or higher). If you are an author or publisher and want to contribute to the prize, please contact me.
I got gifted a Kindle at the end of September last year and have been quickly filling it with all the freebie ebooks I find online at sites like the Kindle free 100 books of the day.  This challenge will be ideal to encorage me to get some of the ebooks read instead of just collecting them.
I challenge myself to : 
DVD – 25 ebooks
Would you like to participate.  If so this challenge is being hosted by Workaday Reads and you can sign up here.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Know Me Better - 12 Janurary 2013




Each week I will pick 5 questions off of my author interview list to answers.

I invite you to share your answers to these questions as well.  You can share them as a comment on this post or share them on your own blog and link up to this post.


This Week's Questions:
Where is your favorite spot to read?
Are you a fast or slow reader? (you can test your reading speed here)
Fanfition - Love it or Hate it? Have your ever read/written it?
Summer or Winter?
Truth or Dare?


Know Me Better is a weekly meme hosted by I Am A Reader - Not A Writer.  To participate you can sign up here.

Where is your favourite spot to read?

I like to curl up with a good book on a chair in my lounge with the sun streaming in the window behind me during the day and with my reading lamp to see when it get darks at night time.

Are you a fast or slow reader? 

You read 479 words per minute.
That makes you 92% faster than the national average.


I think how fast you read often depends on what you are reading, the font size etc. I know they say that your reading speed can vary between reading on an e-reader to a paperback book.  I find that I can read a large sized print book alot quicker than I can the same small paper back book with small print.


Fanfiction - Love it or Hate it?  Have you ever read/written it?

I don't think I have every actually read a fanfiction and know much about them.  I have never attempted to write one.

Summer or Winter?

Much as the summers are really hot and the added humidity can be quite unbearable at times I prefer the summer over winter.  I find it can be alot harder to try and get warm and stay warm in the winter time if you are cold especially if your house doesn't have any type of heating.  With winter often comes lots of rainy and windy days which are great if you can be snug and warm inside and can curl up with a good book to read but not so great when you have to be out and about in the wet weather doing things like school drop off and pick ups.

Truth or Dare?

Truth.  Not really a dare and risk taking type of person so rather choose truth and not risk what I might be dared with.I think how fast you read often depends on what you are reading, the font size etc. I know they say that your reading speed can vary between reading on an e-reader to a paperback book.  I find that I can read a large sized print book alot quicker than I can the same small paper back book with small print.

Fanfiction - Love it or Hate it?  Have you ever read/written it?

I don't think I have every actually read a fanfiction and know much about them.  I have never attempted to write one.

Summer or Winter?

Much as the summers are really hot and the added humidity can be quite unbearable at times I prefer the summer over winter.  I find it can be alot harder to try and get warm and stay warm in the winter time if you are cold especially if your house doesn't have any type of heating.  With winter often comes lots of rainy and windy days which are great if you can be snug and warm inside and can curl up with a good book to read but not so great when you have to be out and about in the wet weather doing things like school drop off and pick ups.

Truth or Dare?

Truth.  Not really a dare and risk taking type of person so rather choose truth and not risk what I might be dared with.






Friday, January 11, 2013

2013 Amish Fiction Challenge



2013 Amish Fiction Challenge
 

This challenge will begin on January 1st, 2013 and end December 31, 2013.    On January 1, 2014 I'll choose three lucky participants who will receive a special selection of Amish items from here in Ohio's Amish country.  This may include a new Amish novel,  cookbook, a jar of jam/jelly, and/or whatever else I may find on my various trips to Amish country!

Here are the challenge details: 

 1. This challenge will begin on January 1st, 2013 and end December 31, 2013. 

 2. Books for this challenge can be from any genre and may include print books as well as e-books and audio books.

Choose a Level:
  • Inspired     6 books
  • Smitten    12 books
  • Devoted   24 books
 3. This challenge can cross-over to your other reading challenges.

 4. You do not need a blog to participate! If you are not a blogger, you can post your reviews at Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing and link them up on the monthly review posts or leave a comment with a link to your review.

 5. I will create a new post each month with a link-up for your reviews.

 6. To sign-up use the link below. If you are a blogger, create a sign-up post and link back to this post. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining.



Join the 2013 Amish Fiction Challenge!  The Amish Fiction Challenge is being hosted by Amish Fiction Reviews.  Be sure to sign up here.

I always enjoy reading Amish books so was excited to see this Amish Fiction Challenge and be able to sign up.

I will sign up for :

Smitten    12 books

I will see how I go and how many Amish books I am able to find and may have to increase this to Devoted as the year goes by.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Sew Deadly - Elizabeth Lynn Casey


SEW DEADLY - ELIZABETH LYNN CASEY

Title & Author :  Sew Deadly - Elizabeth Lynn Casey
Publisher :  Center Point Publishing
Genre :  Cozy Mystery
Series :  Southern Sewing Circle - Book 1
ISBN :  978-1-60285-597-7
Format :  Hardcover - Large Print - 351 pages
Source :  Library

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS :

The rules of South Carolina’s Sweet Briar Ladies Society Sewing Circle are hard and fast, and the new Yankee librarian, Tori Sinclair, has a lot of catching up to do.  She’ll also need a Northern-to-Southern dictionary -- and a way to clear her name of murder.

Ever since she moved to Sweet Briar, South Caroline, librarian Tori Sinclair has been the talk of the tiny town.  But she’s been so busy at work, winning over the sewing circle and trying to forget her cheating ex that she hasn’t even had time to baste together a pillow, let alone mind local gossip.  Then she finds the hometown sweetheart dead at her back door...

Everyone believes that police investigator, who’s just fixin’ to link Tori to the murder in a love triangle gone bad.  To clear her name, Tori will have to rely on her new sewing sisters and stitch together the truth -- or be darned.

The appealing women and Southern charm of the Sweet Briar Ladies Society Sewing Circle are sure to win the hearts of cozy mystery lovers.

MY THOUGHTS :

I hadn’t read a cosy mystery in a while and when I happened to come across this book it sounded intriguing so I thought I would check it out.

I always enjoy a story line that involves crafts like sewing, knitting, quilting, scrapbooking etc and as this book is themed around the Southern Sewing Circle ladies I thought it would make for a great read and I wasn’t disappointed.

Tori was the newcomer to Sweet Briar as she has just been appointed the towns new librarian.  She was looking forward to a new start but she had no idea just how challenging that was going to prove to be.  Moving to a new town where everyone has links to the town and have virtually lived there all their lives makes it harder for Tori to try and fit in and try and learn the ways of Sweet Briar.  She also didn’t realize that her new position of the town librarian meant that she had replaced one of the towns ladies and a member of the Southern Sewing Circle ladies that was none too happy about having her job taken away from her and appears to be quite bitter towards Tori.

As if Tori hasn’t got enough of a hard time trying her best to fit into her new job and life in Sweet Briar she then finds herself involved in a murder when she finds the towns beloved sweet heart dead outside the back of the library.  Being the newcomer and nothing quite as dramatic as a murder ever having happened at Sweet Briar, Tori is quickly considered to be the police investigators number one suspect.

Can Tori manage to solve who the murdereer is and also become a member of the Southern Sewing Circle ladies.  To find out the answers you will have to read the book.

Although this was a most enjoyable read if you are used to your typical solve the mystery at the end of the book with finding out who did it and what the motives where etc.. you might be somewhat disappointed at the end of this book that it doesn’t happen in that traditional way.  You do of course get to find out who did it but not what really what the motive for doing so was.

To find out more about Elizabeth Lynn Casey and her Southern Sewing Circle book series you can check them out her website....


and join her facebook page...


I have book two Death Threads in the series waiting in line to be read next so will have a review for that coming up next.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

2013 Book to Movie Challege


2013 Book To Movie Challenge is being hosted by Doing Dewey.
Alright folks! Today we have another exciting new first for Doing Dewey! I will be hosting my first ever reading challenge, the 2013 Book to Movie Challenge. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to review books and the movies which they’ve been made into. It’s a tough job, but someone has to let us book lovers know which movies are going to fulfill our dreams of watching our favorite books come to life and which movies are going to ruthlessly shatter those dreams!
To enter, just click through to the linky at the bottom of this post and link to a post on your blog mentioning the challenge and the challenge level you’re attempting. You can change challenge levels at any time and the challenge levels are as follows:
Movie Fan - read 3 books and watch their movies

Movie Devotee - read 6 books and watch their movies

Movie Lover - read 9 books and watch their movies
Movie Aficionado - read 12 books and watch their movies

Click here to enter your link and view this Inlinkz list (feel free to type n/a instead of actually leaving your e-mail)…

I have a few books on my TBR list that I would like to read this year and then watch the movie.  
I am going to sign up for.....
Movie Fan read 3 books and watch their movies
I will see how I go and may increase this is Movie Devotee later in the year.  
Top of my list as the movie Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks is due to be released in Australia on 14 February I will read the book first and then watch the movie.

2013 Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge

2013 Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

Reading Challenge Details:
  • Runs January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013 (books read prior to 1/1/2013 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime.  Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
  • The goal is to read or re-read as many Nicholas Sparks novels as you’d like. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down.
  • Books can be any format (bound, ebook, audio).
  • You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge but feel free to do so.
  • Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
  • Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.
Levels:

     First Date – Read 1–4 Nicholas Sparks novels
     Going Steady – Read 5–8 Nicholas Sparks novels
     Engaged – Read 9–12 Nicholas Sparks novels
     Married – Read 13–16 Nicholas Sparks novels


List of Nicholas Sparks novels:

     The Notebook
     Message in a Bottle
     A Walk to Remember
     The Rescue
     A Bend in the Road
     Nights in Rodanthe
     The Wedding
     The Guardian
     Three Weeks With My Brother
     True Believer (read this before At First Sight)
     At First Sight (read this after True Believer)
     The Choice
     Dear John
     The Lucky One
     The Last Song
     Safe Haven
     The Best of Me

Have just been thinking about reading a couple of Nicholas Sparks books so this challenge will work in well with my TBR list.

With the Safe Haven movie due to be released in Australia on 14 February I might start with reading Safe Haven first.  I will also be able to include this in the Book To Movie challenge I have also signed up to participate in.

I am going to sign up for...

First Date – Read 1–4 Nicholas Sparks novels




Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic is Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013.

I have quite a few reading goals I aim to achieve in 2012.

1  Maintain and post regularly to my book blogs.  I always have the best of intentions with blogging but don't always manage to keep it up.  Too busy spending any spare time trying to get the books I want to read, read instead of blogging about them.  Got to do better about keeping records of what I read.

2  Complete my 2013 goodreads reading challenge.  I have set myself a challenge of reading 125 books in  2013.  I seem to just manage to complete this challenge in the nick of time so will attempt it again this year and hopefully shouldn't have any trouble being able to complete it again.

3  Read books from my bookshelf and kindle.  I was lucky enough to be gifted with a kindle for my birthday in September and even though I mainly just download the freebie books they seem to be filling up my kindle rather quickly so instead of just collecting the books I really need to start reading some of them.  I also need to empty my bookshelves a little and pass on some of my books.

4  Join bookmooch.  I have been hearing about swapping books on bookmooch so I really should check it out and see about sharing the love and passing on some of my books that I have read so others can also enjoy reading them.

5  Participate in the monthly group reads and chat on the forums at goodreads.
I belong to several book groups on goodreads.  I try to read the monthly book that is selected to be read by the group but don't always manage it on time as I mainly rely on being able to borrow the books to read from my library but unfortunately my library doesn't always stock the books that are selected.  I do my best to read them when I can.  I also need to keep up with the chat on the group more.

6  Complete some of the book series I have started.  I aim to read and complete more of the books series that I have already started.  I am one that likes to read book series in order but that isn't always possible when the library doesn't stock all the books in the series so need to check my booklists and catch up on series I haven't as yet completed.

7  Read more books from different genres.  I tend to mainly read books in particular genres so I need to branch out and read a few more books from different genres for a change.

8  Introduce yet more new authors to my reading list.  I aim to continue adding new must read authors to my ever growing of favourite authors list that I simply must read each new book that they write.

9  Keep introducing new books to my mother and sister to read.  I encouranged my sister to sign up with goodreads so I can see what she is reading and be able to introduce new authors to her.  She hasn't posted in a while so need to encourage her to keep reading.

10  Read the book then see the movie.  I have a few books on my to be read list that I want to read and then see the movie.  Movies can vary so much to the book that I want to be able to read the book first before seeing the movie.

So what are your top ten reading goals for 2013?

2013 Library Books Reading Challenge

We love visiting our library every week and always like to borrow lots of books, dvds etc... In this day and age with some many readers using ebook readers, phones etc to read books and be able to borrow online and instantly download would hate to think that the libraries we visit would ever be at risk of having to close due to the numbers decreasing of people visiting and borrowing books from their local libraries.  My library has a great selection of books to choose from and my list of books I would like to read keeps getting added to all the time.  This is ideal when I just don't have the money to be able to buy all the books that I would love to read, not to mention the storage to be able to store them all.

Just came across a 2013 Library Books Reading Challenge so had to sign up to participate.  Gina at Book Dragons Lair is hosting this challenge so be sure to check it out and sign up to participate here.

I am signing up for just insert IV - 50.  This should be easy to achieve.


Library Books
Reading Challenge
2013


hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair

Sign- up here

Our love of reading can be expensive! Not only are we purchasing books but we also need space to keep them. I've started using the library (again) but couldn't find a challenge to help me. Here it is. There are a number of levels, for those who don't have a library card yet to those that live there. Enjoy!

 Requirements:

  • choose a level - you may move up as needed, just not down.
  • check books out of the library
  • books may overlap with other challenges
  • any format allowed (print, ebook, audio)
  • reviews are not necessary but a list of books read is.
  • a blog is not necessary, just comment that you want to join in

Levels:

  • board book - 3
  • picture book - 6
  • early reader - 9
  • chapter book - 12
  • middle grades - 18
  • Young adult - 24
  • adult - 36
  • just insert IV - 50 

Monday, January 7, 2013

Musing Monday - 7 January 2013



Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.

• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).

• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
Musing Monday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading.
My musing....
Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.


I am currently reading Sew Deadly by Elizabeth Lynn Casey.  This is a new author to me that I happened to come across.  It has been a while since I have read a cozy mystery and this seems like a fun read so I decided to check it out.  I have only just started reading it and from what I have read so far I am really enjoying the story line.  I always enjoy reading books that have a theme to them like sewing, quilting, knitting etc....  
Sew Deadly is book 1 in the Southern Sewing Circle series and I look forward to being able to read the rest of the books in the series.

If you are interested in checking out more about the Southern Sewing Circle book series then check them out here.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

2013 Outside The Box Book Challenge

 

 

Outside The Box Book Challenge is being hosted by Musings Of A Book Lover.

Okay – for something a little different and a little fun! I hope that you will join me on this excursion through the literary genres! Choose your level, post with us at the end of the month about your experiences, and we will have a winner at the end of the year for a $50 GC from that great book place in the Ethernet!  Each posting will get your name in the hat for a chance to win! So, post monthly and your chances increase!  I hope you enjoy the categories I have created… it was fun doing it!

Choose your level – just how far out of the box do you want to go?

I’m a little Scared: 3-4 categories
It’s not so bad out here!:  5-7 categories
Look at me, outside my comfort zone!:  8-10 categories
No Box can Contain Me!: ALL 13!

Guidelines:

This challenge will run from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013.   
Grand Prize Drawing will be 7 January 2014!

1. Sign up any time. Though, it’s best to do it by the 31st of December, 2012 – that way you will have more chances to WIN! (However, sign-ups will close 1 December 2013)

2. You cannot use any books or reading material that was read before 1 January 2013 (except for #9 – but you DO have to REREAD that one to count!)

3. At the End of each month, you must post a link to your review for it to count! If you don’t have a blog, be sure to link up the review you did in GoodReads, Amazon, Library Thing, etc. We need to read your review! (There will be a one week grace period to get in the review. i.e. January 31st rolls around and the linky will be up, but you have until 6th of February to get your linky in!) Each review will get you a ‘token’!

4. Share the Love (PLEASE!?!) – Write your intentions on your blog, link back to this post, have the button on a side bar, so others will know what fun you are having, and they can have it too!

5.  Overlaps are okay, but the purpose of this is to try other books, not grabbing ONE book to fit four categories! You only get ONE token in for each review, so the more the merrier.

6. Comment below with how comfortable you are of climbing out of your literary box!  BUT, don’t feel you have to be tied to that level! You are shy and want to start slowly but love the feeling of the air outside of where you are…go for it!  You thought you could be a book sphere, but the box is warm and comfy, that’s okay too!

7. Be encouraging!  Sometimes it’s a little frightening coming out of your comfort zone. Go to the other participants’ sites and give them words to help free them. Offer suggestions on the best ways to climb out of the box – give them a ladder that they can use!

8. Optional – share books.  Be willing to swap books with other participants (unless they are library books, or books that are not yours, then you might find yourself in a whole other type of box, and I can’t help you then!)

9. Make sure you post your reviews every month.  Who knows, I just might have a surprise giveaway that month!

Now… to the categories!


#1   To the Screen
Read a book that was adapted to the screen.  Try to read the book first, then see the movie – how did they compare?

#2   Another Voice
Do you typically read books that focus on a Female Character? Try a male protagonist. A male point of view usually? See what it’s like from a woman’s perspective.

#3   Opposites Attract
 Are you always reading young adult or historical fiction? Try something that would be opposite – a contemporary read for those stuck in the past, for instance.

#4   5 Star Day
Is there a book you’ve seen featured on another blog and everyone raves about it? Even if it isn’t your cup of tea – give it a try to see what the hype is all about.

#5   XyZ pdQ
You’ve seen them – ABC book challenges – well this one is light! Grab a book that has either an X, Z or Q in the title!  Too tough? Try going for the author’s name!

#6   It’s my Birthday!
So, have a party! Read a book that was published in either your birth month or birth year!

#7   From one place…
It’s neat to read a book that was first published outside of the United States (or your country – we won’t hold it against you if you don’t live in the Good Ol’ USofA).  Make sure to pull up a slang dictionary of that country, though, otherwise you will always wonder why they put the ‘kettle on the hob’ (and, no, it has nothing to do with short hairy guys with big hairy feet!)

#8   It’s All About ME!
It seems that everyone has written a memoir of one kind or another – or someone wrote about their favorite person.  Read about their life and know that yours is still marvelous, even though you didn’t climb Mt. Everest by the age of 2!

#9   Visit an Old Friend
Do you have one of those books that you tell everyone is your favorite, because of the fond memories you have when you read it eons ago?  Read it again, just to make sure it still is your Favorite!

#10  Look at the pretty pictures!
It seems that Graphic Novels are all the rage.  Check on out and see for yourself! If you have read the original, how did the graphic novel compare?

#11  She made me do it!
You read about the book on another site.  It wasn’t necessarily something that everyone raves about, but this person spoke so well of the book, you just had too! (I know, it’s kind of like #4 – but this one is special, you were moved by the blogger’s recount of the story, you just had to!) Don’t’ forget to mention who made you grab that cookie from the jar!

#12  I couldn’t help myself!
We all do it! We walk through the book store (or even one of those super stores) and it strikes you! You stop in your tracks and you have instant Cover Love! Grab it, buy it, and READ IT! Well, was it worth it?

#13  To be or Not to be…
Time to break in to that section that very few of us fear to tread! Read a play, memorize a poem and analyze it since it’s rolling around in your head!  Give the Bard (whoever she may be!) a chance!

This sounds like a interesting challenge to participate in so I am going to sign up for....

It’s not so bad out here!:  5-7 categories

If you would like to participate then you can sign up here.

Sundays In Bed With....


Sundays In Bed With... is a weekly meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

The meme that dares to ask, what book has been in your bed this morning?  Come share what book you've spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today!



Today I can be found reading Sew Deadly by Elizabeth Lynn Casey.  This is a new author to me and is a cozy mystery.  I haven't read any cozy mysteries for a while so thought it would be good to read a different genre for a change.  So far, so good.

What book can you be found reading today?