Friday, April 16, 2010

Fangtastic Fiction Challenge 2010

Despite what some might think, there is more to vampire fiction than Dracula, Interview With The Vampire and Twilight, and so, with a little help from Pam @ Bookalicio.us, I am hosting a vampire reading challenge!
Oh, and do forgive the puns.
Challenge Levels/Goals


The base challenge here (“Newly Turned”) is to read four books, one from each of the four categories below: classic, horror, romance and young adult. If a book can fit into two categories (or more), simply pick one category and then read another.

Once you have completed that, you can go wild with what books you read for your challenge list, so long as they have vampires in some form as a prominent part. For every additional four books you read, you go up a level. Where the base challenge is the equivalent of the first stages of a vampire, think of each four books as a century added onto their existence.

How old can you go?

First Blood
This is the category for vampire tales that were written prior to 1900. Examples of such books would be:
•Dracula – Bram Stoker

•Carmilla – Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Things That Go Bite In The Night
This is the category for works firmly entrenched in the horror genre. Examples of such books would be:
•Salem’s Lot – Steven King
•Let The Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist

Kiss Of The Vampire
This is the category for all books that have romance as one of its main genres/focusses. Examples of such books would be:
•Dead Until Dark (etc) – Charlaine Harris
•Jessica’s Guide To Dating On The Dark Side – Beth Fantaske
High School Is Hell

This is the category for all vampire books that fit in the young adult category. Examples of such books would be:
•The Vampire Diaries – L.J. Smith
•The Morganville Vampires – Rachel Caine

Bonus Challenge/Activity: Screams On Screen

As a bonus challenge/activity, why not take in vampires on the large and small screens as well? Keep track of how many movies or TV seasons you watch, whether it’s Buffy, True Blood or The Vampire Diaries on your TV, or Lost Boys, Underworld or any film adaptation of a vampire novel, and see how many you can total up during the year!

Other Information
This challenge runs the entire length of 2010, so from January 1 to December 31.

Fangtastic Fiction Challenge 2010

These are the four catagories: classic, horror, romance and young adult.
These are my Fangtastic Fiction Challenge picks:


Classic:  Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (reading this on-line)

Amazon Product Description

The vampire novella "Carmilla" set in Austria is one of Le Fanu's best tales and greatly influenced Bram Stocker, who published Dracula 25 years later. This is definitively a great book and a must for the lovers of horror tales.

Horror:  Already Dead by Charles Huston
From Bookmarks Magazine
Already Dead is not for the squeamish. Even so, it surprised even critics who had never thought themselves fans of Count Dracula. Huston portrays a noirish, gritty, alter-Manhattan world, with political rivalries comprised of all sorts of vampires, even "revolutionary" gay and lesbian ones. The terse, hard-boiled prose and characters contain shades of Raymond Chandler, Hunter S. Thompson, and Quentin Tarantino, but are wholly original. Despite the novel’s sophistication, it’s not for everyone. "Huston deserves hardcover publication and will get it soon enough, but it’s probably true that this book’s core audience is among the young, the cool, the hip, and the unshockable" (Washington Post).


Romance: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris - - - finished reading 6/14/2010

Amazon Product Description:

The #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series- the basis for HBO(r)'s True Blood-continues!
After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

Young Adult:  Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—Nightshade, CA, is downright strange and full of the unexpected. When the girl-to-be, cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, begins the school year with a completely new look, Daisy Giordano gets suspicious. The fact that Samantha appears dead doesn't seem to bother anyone, and before long looking dead becomes the rage. Being dead takes on a whole new meaning when a girl is mysterious attacked and turns up in the morgue, and other cheerleaders are stricken with seizures. Daisy and her psychic sisters get to work investigating the goings-on and learn that the culprit is really a vampire, and Daisy is determined to get to the bottom of things. This is the witty and humorous first installment in a series; it provides romance, mystery, friendship, adventure, and the supernatural all rolled up in a fast-paced, plot-twisting story. Readers will identify with Daisy and her struggle to accept and appreciate who she really is and what she has to offer. The slapstick humor and tough attitudes mixed with the occult make this an entertaining choice for teen libraries.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Awesome Author Challenge 2010

Alyce from At Home with Books is hosting this challenge.

I am signing up at the Easy level:  My three authors are:
Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, and P.C. Cast

I have been hearing about these authors from students, staff, and friends.  I have been waiting for each series to finish (or at least that is the reason I am using to keep them on my TBR pile - really my pile is just too big!)
This challenge is the perfect opportunity to get these books to the top!

The books I am planning to read from each are listed below:  I will note when I have finished each.
I will read at least one book from each author ~ hopefully will finish each series, but no promises.

Kelley Armstrong
The Summoning
The Awakening
The Reckoning

Melissa Marr
Wicked Lovely - read July 2010
Ink Exchange
Fragile Eternity
Radiant Shadows

P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted, Tempted, Burned, and in 2011 - Awakened

Once Upon a Read-A-Thon!

Once Upon A Read-A-Thon!! The read-a-thon will take place on July 12th, 13th, and 14th. That's a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday! Great for all of us that work or are just busy on the weekends.


The read-a-thon is being joint hosted by: Pure Imagination, Reading Angel, and Candace's Book Blog.

They have a bunch of really fun things planned! There will be lots of big giveaways! So mark your calenders!

Super cool contest!

Check out the contest going on at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm!

Another Body Finder Giveaway!

Candace at Candace's Book Blog is having a contest for the Body Finder too!  Check it out here!

Body Finder Giveaway!

The Eager Readers - four avid readers - are having a great Body Finder contest!  Check it out here!

Awesome Authors Challenge 2010


Alyce from At Home with Books is hosting this challenge! The concept and rules are below:
Welcome to the Awesome Author Challenge!
The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, but you haven't gotten around to reading them yet. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the "Awesome Author Challenge" title.

The Rules:
The challenge starts January 1, 2010 and ends December 31, 2010.
Crossover from other challenges is allowed.
Choose the level at which you would like to participate, post about it and come back and leave a link to your post in Mister Linky.
Titles and authors do not have to be predetermined, and can change at any time.
Books can come from any genre or reading level, the only requirement is that you have heard great things about the author, but haven't yet read any of their works.

The Levels:
Easy: Choose three authors and read at least one title from each author.
Moderate: Choose six authors and read at least one title from each author.
Challenging: Choose ten authors and read at least one title from each author.
Over-Achieving: Anything over ten authors.

Post links to your reviews on the review posts: Jan/Feb, March/April.
Please leave a direct link to your challenge post in Mister Linky.

I am planning to sign up at the easy level - commit to only three authors.  That way I can be successful at the challenge and read additonal books and authors if time allows.

Read Your Name Challenge 2010

This challenge is really cool!  Go to Read Your Name Challenge to sign up!  I am participating and will be using Bev At The Wormhole as my name and the books I will be reading are:

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

It's the Hop!

 It's Friday! It's the Hop!!! Can't wait to see what everyone else is reading! See you at the Hop!