Thursday, December 30, 2010

Follow Friday - 40 and Over

This wonderful meme is hosted at Never Growing Old and this is my first time to get to participate!
The RULES to join in are very simple!
1. Grab the button
2. Add your link to the list
3. Visit as many other blogs as you can
4. Follow the ones you like (and comment on their blog to say that you are following)

2010 is Over - - let's wrap it up!

2010 is almost over and 2011 is about to begin!  Where does the time go?  
I joined a number of challenges in 2010 and completed some of them - I have high hopes for 2011!
So...this post is my wrap-up for 2010 - - you can see how many books I read/reviewed and so on ~ 

Here is a list of the books I actually reviewed and/or mini-reviewed on my blog in 2010:
The Ways of Khrem by D. Nathan Hilliard
From the Dead by John Herrick
Minder and Adversary by Kate Kaynak
The Down & Dirty series by Moira Rogers (Ante Up, Wild Card, Calling the Bluff)
Once In a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber
Honor Bound by Moira Rogers
Dark Deceptions by Dee Davis
Branded: Fall of Angels by Keary Taylor
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Addiction by Sandra Marshall
Touch the Dark by Karen Chance
Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
TaintedTorn and Turned by Julie Kenner
Heartless (Book 1: Tales of Goldstone Wood) by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Exposure by Brandilyn Collins
On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith

Here are the Challenges I participated in:
2010 Summer Romance Challenge ~ hosted by Book Chick City   
My goal for this challenge was 8 books ~ I read 12 books:
Once Bitten by Kalayna Price - 6/11/10
Short Stories from Red Rock by Moira Rogers - 6/21/10
Sanctuary Unbound: Red Rock Pass #4 - 6/22/10
Leader of the Pack by Karen MacInerney - 7/1/10
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione - 7/2/10
Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione - 7/410
Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione - 7/6/10
Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione - 7/7/10
Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts - 7/8/10
Wild Card by Moira Rogers - 8/15/10
Calling the Bluff by Moira Rogers - 8/15/10
Ante Up by Moira Rogers - 8/16/10

My goal for the E-Book challenge was 40 books ~ I read 52!
1. Soulless by Gail Carriger
2. Crux: Southern Arcana Book 1 by Moira Rogers
3. Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith
4. Wolf Signs: Granite Lake Wolves Book 1 by Vivian Arend
5. Wolf Flight: Granite Lake Wolves Book 2 by Vivian Arend
6. Wolf Games: Granite Lake Wolves Book 3 by Vivian Arend
7. Into the Mist: Falcon Mercenary Group Book 1 by Maya Banks
8. Into the Lair: Falcon Mercenary Group Book 2 by Maya Banks
9. Skin Deep: Laura Blackstone Book 1 by Mark Del Franco
10. Male Call: Hot Zone Book 1 by Denise A. Agnew
11. Stopping Time, part 1 by Melissa Marr
12. Stopping Time, part 2 by Melissa Marr
13. Must Love Hellhounds by Ilona Andrews
14. Unknown by Rachel Caine
15. Cry Sanctuary: Red Rock Pass Book 1 by Moira Rogers
16. Sanctuary Lost: Red Rock Pass Book 2 by Moira Rogers
17. Sanctuary's Price: Red Rock Pass Book 3 by Moira Rogers
18. Exposure by Brandilyn Collins
19. On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
20. Try Me by Parker Blue
21. Elphame's Choice by P.C. Cast
22. Brighid's Quest by P.C. Cast
23. Run, Wolf by Keith Melton
24. Tainted by Julie Kenner
25. Once Bitten by Kalayna Price
26. Alpha Turned by K.B. Alan
27. Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
28. Addiction by Sandra Marshall
29. Turned by Julie Kenner
30. Torn by Julie Kenner
31. Even Money by Dick Francis
32. Sanctuary Unbound: Red Rock Pass #4 by Moira Rogers
33. Short Stories from Red Rock by Moira Rogers
34. Leader of the Pack: Tales of an Urban Werewolf by Karen MacInerney
35. Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
36. Crossroads: Southern Arcana Book 2 by Moira Rogers
37. Hidden Queen by Alma Alexander
38. Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione
39. Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione
40. Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione
41. The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston
42. The Beast in Him by Shelly Laurenston
43. The Mane Squeeze by Shelly Laurenston
44. The Mane Attraction by Shelly Laurenston
45. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
46. A Safe Harbor by Moira Rogers
47. Hunting Season: The Gathering by Shelly Laurenston
48. Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston
49. Wild Card by Moira Rogers
50. Calling the Bluff by Moira Rogers
51. Ante Up by Moira Rogers
52. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler








The Read Your Name Challenge was great - I chose to read my blog name:  Bev at the Wormhole for this challenge:
B: Brighid's Quest by P.C. Cast (this is the sequel to Elphame's Choice and absolutely had to be read immediately upon finishing Elphame!  It too was great! finished 4/25/10)
E: Elphame's Choice by P.C. Cast - - finished April 23, 2010
V: Viper's Nest (39 Clues #7) by Peter Lerangis - finished August 11, 2010
A: Alpha Turned by K.B. Alan ----- finished April 16, 2010
T: Tainted by Julie Kenner - - - -finished May 18, 2010
T: Touch the Dark by Karen Chance - - - finished 6/10/2010
H: Hidden Queen by Alma Alexander - - finished 7/12/2010
E: Even Money by Dick Francis - - finished - 6/20/2010
W: Wings by Aprilynne Pike - finished 6/15/2010
O: Once Bitten by Kalayna Price - - - finished 6/11/2010
R: Run, Wolf: Nightfall Wolf Clans #1 by Keith Melton - - - finished 5/15/2010
M: Mind Games by Carolyn Crane - - - finished 6/8/2010
H: Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl - - - finished 5/8/2010
O: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews - - finished April 18, 2010
L: Leader of the Pack - Karen MacInerney - - - finished July 2010
E: Exposure: A Novel by Brandilyn Collins - - - finished 5/4/2010

The read-a-thon went from 8/13/10 to 8/16/10. I was not very successful at this one - - - apparently I need a longer time frame to get books read.





I also participated in the August Ultimate Reviewers Challenge - 8/1/10 - 8/31/10 - - I guess what I needed was a challenge to get myself in gear because I managed to write 8 reviews/mini-reviews during this challenge. The books are listed above in the reviewed in 2010 list.

I was fairly successful at this one - July 12-14, 2010.
I was able to read two books by Larissa Ione as well as listening to a book on CD while in my jeep.









I was a massive failure at this challenge - truly....I didn't get a single book from the five on my list for this challenge read.  They all still remain on my TBR.  September marked the start of my crazy work schedule and my reading suffered along with my housework and my family's home-cooked meals.






Now - a year long challenge - there is something I can get done!  I was successful at this challenge - my goal, obviously, was 100 books in 2010 - as of today I have read 106!





Here are two other challenges that I was a miserable failure at!  I didn't successfully read the first book in the challenge so I was done at the very start.  I should have known better - there is something daunting about a book with over 500 pages.












While I am listing challenges that I was a failure at - I might as well add this one:   Fangtastic Fiction's Vampire Reading Challenge.  I had chosen four books from four areas and only got one of the four read.

This is yet another failure - I have actually moved the books I had chosen for this challenge and moved them to a new challenge being held in 2011. Hopefully I will get them all read this time around.

I did actually read one of the 13 books on the list.



I was almost successful with The Spring Reading Thing 2010.  I had a list of 15 books and I managed to read 10 of them during the challenge. 


This one wasn't so bad - I only planned to read one book and actually got it read!  The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith.






This challenge I thought would be easy, but I was not completely successful.  I managed to read a few of the books, but not all of them.  My goal was to read 22 books and I read 9 of them.  








The last of the challenges that I tried to participate in for 2010 were:

RYOB Challenge - goal 25 books - completed only 8 of them.
2010 YA Challenge - goal 15 books - completed only 6 of them.
2010 Debut Author Challenge - goal 19 books - completed only 10 of them.

100+ Books Challenges













Book Chick City and My Overstuffed Bookshelf are hosting 100 books in 2011 challenges - the books can crossover from over challenges too, so I decided that I would add myself to these challenges!  I have a list of almost 100 books that I am hoping to read in 2011 so I feel pretty confident that I can make this happen! Go check them out and join the fun!

My list will be on my sidebar! It will be updated as I read the books and reviews will be linked from there!
1. Alpha by Rachel Vincent - 1/4/11 - reviewed here
2. Marked by PC Cast & Kristin Cast - 1/15/11 - reviewed here 
3. Dragon Blood: Dragon Cowboy by Michael Dahl - - 1/16/11
4. Dragon Blood: The Girl Who Breathed Fire by Michael Dahl - - 1/16/11
5. The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin - - 1/17/11 - reviewed here
6. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - - 1/19/11 - reviewed here
7. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - - 1/25/11 - reviewed here
8. Don't Blink by James Patterson - - 1/27/11
9. Legacy by Kate Kaynak - - 1/28/11 - reviewed here
10. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton - - 1/29/11
11. Pack Challenge: Magnus Pack Book 1 by Shelly Laurenston - -1/29/11
12. Eternity Embraced by Larissa Ione - - 1/29/11
13. Blameless by Gail Carriger - - 2/2/11 - reviewed here
14. Danann Frost Falls from Grace by Joanne Valiukas - 2/7/11
15. American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout - 2/3/11
16. Lace and Leather by Leanore  Elliott - 2/5/11 - reviewed here
17. The Beholder by Leanore Elliott - 2/5/11 - reviewed here
18. Scourge by David H. Burton - 2/5/11
19. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 2/13/11
20. Serengeti Heat by Vivi Andrews - 2/14/11
21. Serengeti Storm by Vivi Andrews - 2/15/11
22. Serengeti Lightning by Vivi Andrews - 2/16/11
23. Foresight: The Gods of Fate Book 1 by Sherry D. Ficklin - 2/22/11 - reviewed here
24. The Arrival by Nicole MacDonald - 2/25/11 - reviewed here
25. The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason - 3/5/11 - reviewed here
26. Gunnar: Hurricane Horse by Judy Andrekson - 3/6/11 - reviewed here
27. The Darkest Fire by Gena Showalter - 3/5/11 - reviewed here
28. Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris - 3/11/11 - reviewed here
29. The Trouble with Spells (Of Witches and Warlocks #1) by Lacey Weatherford - 3/17/11 - reviewed here
30. Demon Kiss (Of Witches and Warlocks #2) by Lacey Weatherford - 3/19/11 - reviewed here
31. Blood of the White Witch (Of Witches and Warlocks #3) by Lacey Weatherford - 3/20/11 - reviewed here
32. Phantom Evil by Heather Graham - 3/24/11 - reviewed here
33. Wilder's Mate: Bloodhounds #1 by Moira Rogers - 3/26/11 - reviewed here
34. The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton - 3/27/11 - reviewed here
35. Hunting Human by Amanda E. Alvarez - 4/1/11 - reviewed here
36. Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler - 4/2/11 - reviewed here
37. Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowen - 4/6/11
38. Bound by Blood by Cynthia Eden - 4/9/11
39. Vampire Relationship Guide by Evelyn LaFont - 4/10/11
40. To Kill a Warlock by HP Mallory - 4/11/11
41. Guardians of the Hidden Scepter by Frank L. Cole - 4/16/11
42. A Tale of Two Goblins by HP Mallory - 4/18/11
43. In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane - 4/20/11
44. Forever Vampire by Michele Hauf - 4/22/11
45. Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins - 4/24/11
46. Second Sight by Sherry D. Ficklin - 4/25/11
47. Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason - 4/25/11
48. Vampire's Warden by SJ Wright - 4/28/11
49. Dead is Not an Option by Marlene Perez - 4/29/11
50.

2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge


I am excited to say that I have decided to join the 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge being hosted by Reading With Tequila.

I am trying to limit the number of challenges that I join this year - hoping to do more reading and just enough blogging to record that reading.  So I thought this challenge fit into my plan well.  There are a lot of books on the list that I have been hoping to read and some that are included in other challenges as well.

I am going for Level V - 20+ books

So...I have compiled a list of 40 books from the given recommended books and plan to read and review those here on my blog.  The list is on  my sidebar and I will edit that sidebar post as I read to include book read dates and review links!  Hope you are all planning to check this one out!

1. Alpha by Rachel Vincent - 1/4/11 - reviewed here
2. Marked by PC Cast - 1/15/11 - reviewed here
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 2/13/11 - reviewed here