100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011 - Hosted by Book Chick City

Click here to go directly to the challenge page.

1. Shadow Bound - Erin Kellison
2. A Ghostly Menage - Eve Langlais 
3. Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning 
4. Last Stop: A Survivors Story - Tommy McInnis & Nelson Velez 
5. Living Dead Girl - Elizabeth Scott 
6. Snowballs In Hell - Eve Langlais
7. Succubus Blues - Richelle Mead 
8. Born Into Fire - KyAnn Waters & Tarah Scott 
9. Blood Prophecy - Stefan Petrucha 
10. Awakened - PC Cast & Kristin Cast 
11. Paramour - Margaret Ethridge 
12. Human Blend - Lori Pescatore 
13. Tempest's Legacy - Nicole Peeler
14. Crazy - Eve Langlais 
15. Demonic Persuasion - Mahalia Levey 
16. Kiss of Midnight - Lara Adrian
17. Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" - Suzanne Weyn 
18. Lover Unbound - J. R. Ward 
19. Eternal Kiss of Darkness - Jeaniene Frost 
20. Shade - Jeri Smith-Ready 
21. This Side of the Grave - Jeaniene Frost
22. Breaking Down - Maia Kinney-Petrucha & Stefan Petrucha
23. Strange Familiar - Cassidy Hunter
24. Running Blind - Nicki J. Markus
25. The Lottery - Alexandra O'Hurley
26. Ada: Legend of a Healer - R. A. McDonald
27. Cleopatra's Men - Eve Langlais 
28. Shadow Seer - Fran Jacobs 
29. Embrace - Jessica Shirvington 
30. Enticed - Jessica Shirvington
31. Defence Against the Dark - Emily Carlin
32. The Taste of Apple - James Laidler 
33. Talon, come fly with me - Gigi Sedlmayer
34. Bloody Jack - L. A. Meyer 
35. Fatal Embrace - Aris Whittier 
36. The Fallen Star - Jessica Sorensen
37. Comfort Food - Kitty Thomas
38. Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs - Molly Harper
39. Everything Erotic: Volume I 
40. Take Me There - Carolee Dean
41. Secrets and Shadows - Shannon Delany
42. Everything Erotic: Volume II
43. Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men - Molly Harper 
44. Everything Erotic: Volume III
45. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris
46. Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris 
47. Earth Blend - Lori Pescatore
48. Bargains and Betrayals - Shannon Delany
49. Nice Girls Don't Live Forever - Molly Harper
50. Accidentally Dead - Dakota Cassidy
51. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris 
52. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
53. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
54. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
55. Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson
56. Circle of Nine by Josephine Pennicott
57. Bride of the Stone by Josephine Pennicott 
58. Fire in the Shell by Josephine Pennicott
59. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
60. The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton
61. Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton
62. The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton
63. Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meany
64. Afterlife by Claudia Gray
65. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
66. One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost 
67. Revving Her Wild Engines by Cassandre Dayne
68. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
69. Playthings of the Gods Anthology
70. Hunter Green by Brianna Stoddard
71. Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
72. Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler
73. The Mark of the Vampire Queen by Joey W. Hill
74. Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer

2011 Paranormal Reading Challenge - Courtesy of Me!!!

1. The Paranormal Reading Challenge is for anyone who loves reading ANYTHING paranormal!!!
  - Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Ghosts, Angels etc...so the scope is pretty big!!!
  - The books can be any sub genre under Paranormal - romance, YA, mystery, etc.

2. The book has to be a book. No free short stories, or writing sites.

3. If you are a blogger please post a link back to this challenge on your page to let others join in the fun.     -Non-bloggers - it's ok, you can join to and you can keep track of your progress by yourself, and post a comment on the wrap-up page, or you can send comments to this page to keep track of your progress.

4. Cross-overs from other challenges are accepted. As are re-reads. Books that were started in 2009 don't count.

5. Challenge starts from 1st January 2010 and ends on 31st December 2010

6. Levels:

1. Human - 5 books
2. Witch - 10 books
3. Oracle - 20 books
4. Were - 30 books
5. Vampire - 40 books
6. Angel - 50 books 

Good Luck everyone and Happy Reading :)

Teaser Tuesday: 11/1/2011

Currently Reading: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning.

"Whether I see the Fae, or whether I am a man. I believe I've laid my mind to rest on the former; shall I relieve it on the latter?" He reached for his belt.

"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes. "You're a leftie, Barrons."

"Touche, Ms. Lane," he murmured .

Teaser Tuesday is the brainchild of Should Be Reading

2011 Stand Alone Book Challenge - Courtesy of Me!!!

The SAB Challenge is back for another year!

I read waaay too many book series. Not that that is a bad thing by any means, but even books that i don't realise are part of series. So I'm starting a challenge to read Stand Alone Books. SAB for short...i dont know why you would need to shorten it but yeah SAB Challenge.

So my goal is that by the end of the year i will have read 25 stand alone books.

Levels:
SAB-erful - 5 books
SAB-erific - 15 books
SAB-tastic - 25 books


To join in the fun just leave your name and a link to your blog in the comments and do up a challenge post like this one to help keep track of your books!



Rules:

• Well it's pretty simple, as long as it's stand alone it counts.
• Re-reads are accepted
• Books must be read in between 1/1/2011 and 31/12/2011

Have Fun!

2010 Reading Challenges

Here is the final list of reading challenges completed in 2010. I failed more than I completed but I still think that it was a very good year for reading.

This year I am definitely going to limit the number of challenges I participate in as I think I entered too many.

Completed Challenges

• The NaJuReMoNoMo Reading Challenge - Hosted by Foma - 10/10 books read
• Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge - Hosted by Book Chick City  - 3/3 books read
• 12 x 12 Challenge: April - Hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World of Books - 10/10
• Romance Reading Challenge - Hosted by Royal Reviews   - 20/20 books read
• First in a Series Reading Challenge - Hosted by Royal Reviews - 20/20 books read
• The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge - Hosted by J. Kaye's  Book Blog  - 25/25 books read
• GLBT Reading Challenge - Hosted by GLBT Reading - 4/4 books read
• Paranormal Reading Challenge - Hosted by Me  -50/50 books read 
• Thriller & Suspense Challenge - Hosted by Book Chick City  - 12/12 books read  

Unsuccessful Challenges

• 12 x 12 Challenge: February - Hosted by J Kayes Book Blog  - 8/10 books read
• 12x12 Reading Challenge: March - Hosted by Alaine - Queen of Happy Ending - 8/10 books read
• Rainbow Connection Reading Challenge - Hosted by Rainbow Connection Reading Challenge - 6/7 books read  
• The Impossible Reading Challenge - Hosted by Me - 90/365 books read
  
• Stand Alone Book Reading Challenge- Hosted by Me  - 23/25
• 100+ Book Challenge - Hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog  - 89/100 books read
• Fantasy Challenge - Hosted by The Royal Reviews       - 18/20 books read
• Second in a Series Reading Challenge - Hosted by Royal Reviews - 10/20 books read
• Once Upon A Time Challenge - Hosted by The Crazy Book Slut   - 4/5 books read
• The Anita Blake Series Reading Challenge - Hosted by Book Chick City  - 3/17 books read
• A to Z Reading Challenge - Hosted by A to Z Reading Challenge  - 20/26 books read
  
• Read your Name Challenge - Hosted by Read Your Name Challenge  - 9/10 books read

Friday 56: 7/1/2011

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Page 56, 5th Sentence


"It would diminish his heroics."

Heroics coming from a different source to Dimitri this time.







 


Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice.
*Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Books Read in 2011

1. Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
2. A Ghostly Menage by Eve Langlais
3. Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning 
4. Last Stop: A Surviors Story by Tommy McInnis & Nelson Velez
5. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott 
6. Snowballs In Hell by Eve Langlais 
7. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
8. Born Into Fire by KyAnn Waters & Tarah Scott
9. Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha 
10. Awakened by PC Cast & Kristin Cast
11. Paramour by Margaret Ethridge 
12. Human Blend by Lori Pescatore 
13. Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler 
14. Crazy by Eve Langlais 
15. Demonic Persuasion by Mahalia Levey 
16. Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian 
17. Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" by Suzanne Weyn
18. Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward 
19. Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost 
20. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready 
21. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
22. Breaking Down by Maia Kinney-Petrucha & Stefan Petrucha
23. Strange Familiar by Cassidy Hunter
24. Running Blind by Nicki J. Markus
25. The Lottery by Alexandra O'Hurley 
26. Ada: Legend of a Healer by R. A. McDonald 
27. Cleopatra's Men by Eve Langlais 
28. Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs 
29. Embrace by Jessica Shirvington 
30. Enticed by Jessica Shirvington
31. Defence Against the Dark by Emily Carlin
32. The Taste of Apple by James Laidler 
33. Talon, come fly with me by Gigi Sedlmayer
34. Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer 
35. Fatal Embrace by Aris Whittier 
36. The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen 
37. Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas
38. Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper 
39. Everything Erotic: Volume I 
40. Take Me There by Carolee Dean 
41. Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany
42. Everything Erotic: Volume II
43. Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper 
44. Everything Erotic: Volume III
45. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
46. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris 
47. Earth Blend by Lori Pescatore
48. Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany
49. Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper
50. Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy
51. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris 
52. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
53. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
54. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
55. Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson
56. Circle of Nine by Josephine Pennicott
57. Bride of the Stone by Josephine Pennicott 
58. Fire in the Shell by Josephine Pennicott
59. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
60. The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton
61. Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton
62. The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton
63. Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meany
64. Afterlife by Claudia Gray
65. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
66. One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost 
67. Revving Her Wild Engines by Cassandre Dayne
68. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
69. Playthings of the Gods Anthology
70. Hunter Green by Brianna Stoddard
71. Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
72. Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler
73. The Mark of the Vampire Queen by Joey W. Hill
74. Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer
75. Warrior by Marie Brennan

Book Review: Jump by Jen Wylie

Review: Jump
Author: Jen Wylie
No of Pages: 16
Release Date: 15 December 2010

Perhaps it would depend on who was doing the asking. Our heroine has spunk and a sense of humor, however suffers from an extreme case of inappropriate clothing. When things take a turn from dangerous to worse what will she do when fantasy becomes reality? Warning: May include hot leather clad men, singing and demons.

My Thoughts:

Jump was a quick fast paced read. Like all short stories it doesn’t really give you time to connect with the characters so you are riding through the action.

We open on a young woman being forced at knife point to jump off a pit into swirling darkness. Obviously she doesn’t want to do it but as she can feel the blood running down her back - she doesn’t feel that she has much of a choice.

Our heroine reads a lot of fantasy novels that place their women in exactly these kinds of situations. As she compares the similarities she comes to terms with the fact that this is reality and her muscled hero isn’t coming to save her...until more than one shows up.

Jump had all the right elements, but it lacked staying power. The ending was a little too convenient for me and the action or suspense that it could have produced just wasn’t there. It was like reading through a haze and not really being able to see the picture trying to be painted.

Jump had a really good premise and our heroine had some extremely witty comebacks towards the end but it left me wanting a little bit extra.

2010 Book Awards

In 2010 I read 90 books. Inevitably some of those books stood out in good ways...and bad.

So now my dear readers I present to you the StoryWings 2010 Book Awards!

Favourite Book of 2010: Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Favourite Series: Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost

Most Moving Book of 2010: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Favourite YA: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

 
Favourite Adult: Lover Awakened by J.R Ward

 
Best New Release: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Biggest Surprise: Lucifer's Daughter by Eve Langlais

Most Inspiring: Random Magic by Sasha Soren

Funniest Characters: Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Biggest Disappointment: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

Worst Plot: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

2011 Book Reviews

January

• Jump by Jen Wylie
• Sasha's Calling by TC Archer
• Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman
• Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
• Last Stop: A Survivor's Story by Tommy McInnis & Nelson Velez
• Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

February

• Snowballs In Hell by Eve Langlais
• Born Into Fire by KyAnn Waters & Tarah Scott
• A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler 
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
• Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
• A Ghostly Menage by Eve Langlais 
• Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning 
• Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha 
• Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

March

• Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler
• Crazy by Eve Langlais 
• Club Dead by Charlaine Harris 
• Demonic Persuasion by Mahalia Levey
• Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

April

• Strange Familiar by Cassidy Hunter
• Running Blind by Nicki J. Markus
• This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

May

•  

June

• Embraced by Jessica Shirvington
• Human Blend by Lori Pescatore 
• Breaking Down by Maia Kinney-Petrucha & Stefan Petrucha 
• Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris 
• Ada Legend of a Healer by R. A. McDonald
• The Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs
• Enticed by Jessica Shirvington
• Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward
• Glass Houses by Rachel Caine 
• Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

July

• The Taste of Apple by James Laidler
• The Lottery by Alexandra O'Hurley 
• Defense Against the Dark by Emily Carlin
• Talon, come fly with me by Gigi Sedlmayer
• Cleopatra's Men by Eve Langlais
• The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen
• The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton 
• Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany
• Fatal Embrace by Aris Whittier
• Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

August

• Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
• Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper
• Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
• Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer
• Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany
• Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy
• Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper
• Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas
• Earth Blend by Lori Pescatore

September

•  

October

• Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
• Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian
• All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
• Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin
• From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
• The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
• Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson

November

• Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

December

• Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
• One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost
• The Mark of the Vampire Queen by Joey W. Hill
• Revving Her Wild Engines by Cassandre Dayne

TBR Drawer: January 2011

• Just After Sunset by Stephen King
• Enchanted. Inc by Shanna Swendson
• Night Rising by Chris Marie Green
• Water Song: A Retelling of the Frog Prince by Suzanne Weyn
• Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
• The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
• Need by Carrie Jones
• Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Claimed by Shadow by Karen Chance
• Jessicas Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• Original Sin by Allison Brennan
• Blood Magic by Eileen Wilks
• Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks 
• What's a ghoul to do? by Victoria Laurie
• Soulless by Gail Carriger
• Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
• The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols
• Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
• Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian 
• Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian
• Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
  
• Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
• Bloody Jack by L. A Meyer
• The Awakening by Kelly Armstrong
• Dark Beginnings by Gena Showalter
• Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
• The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom
• Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready  RC
• The Taken by Sarah Pinborough
• Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
• Bloodlines by Lindsay Anne Kendal
• Dead Men's Dust by Matt Hilton
• Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
• Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs
• Mortal Remains by Kathy Reichs
• Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs
• Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
• Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs
• Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
• Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
• Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs
• The Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs   RC
• Born Into Fire by KyAnn Waters & Tarah Scott   RC
• Blood Prophecy by Stefan Petrucha   RC
• Last Stop: A Survivor's Story by Nelson Velez & Tommy McInnis   RC
• A Ghostly Menage by Eve Langlais   RC

January Arrivals

• Snowballs in Hell by Eve Langlais   RC
• Everything Erotic: Volume I   RC
• Everything Erotic: Volume II   RC
• Everything Erotic: Volume III   RC
• Human Blend by Lori Pescatore   RC 
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
• Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Lover Unbound by J.R Ward
• Another One Bites The Dust by Jennifer Rardin
• Biting The Bullet by Jennifer Rardin
• The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton 
• Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
• Awakened by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast

Books Read in 2010

1. Graceling - Kristin Cashore - click here for review
   
2. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick - click here for review
3. The Gilded Tarot - Barbara Moore - click here for review
   
4. The Sacred Circle Tarot: A Celtic Pagan Journey - Anna Franklin - click here for review
   
5. Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost - click here for review
   
6. One Foot in the Grave - Jeaniene Frost - click here for review
   
7. At Grave's End - Jeaniene Frost - click here for review
   
8. Destined for an Early Grave - Jeaniene Frost - click here for review
   
9. Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale - Donna Jo Napoli - click here for review
   
10. Nightlight: A Parody - The Harvard Lampoon - click here for review
11. My Love Lies Bleeding - Alyxandra Harvey - click here for review
12. Wondrous Strange -Lesley Livingston - click here for review 
13. Moon Called - Patricia Briggs - click here for review
14. Bro Code - Barney Stinson - click here for review
15. Dark Lover - J.R Ward - click here for review
16. Going Too Far - Jennifer Echols - click here for review
17. The Swan Kingdom - Zoe Marriott - click here for review
18. Touch the Dark - Karen Chance - click here for review
19. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger - click here for review
20. The Accidental Werewolf - Dakota Cassidy - click here for review
21. Shadowfae - Erica Hayes - click here for review
22. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov - click here for review
23. Hourglass - Claudia Gray - click here for review
24. First Drop of Crimson - Jeaniene Frost - click here for review
25. The Iron King - Julie Kagawa - click here for review
26. My Invented Life - Lauren Bjorkman - click here for review
27. They Call Me Death - Missy Jane - click here for review
28. My Big Nose and other natural disasters - Sydney Salter - click here for review
29. Taken By Storm - Angela Morrison - click here for review
30. Midnight Pearls: A retelling of "The Little Mermaid" - Debbie Viguie - click here for review
31. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles - click here for review
32. Venom - Joan Brady
33. Embers - Laura Bickle - click here for review
34. Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins - click here for review
35. Sweet Dreams, Miss England - Iris Blobel - click here for review
36. Twilight: Graphic Novel Volume 1 - Stephanie Meyer & Kim Young - click here for review
37. Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella - click here for review
38. Beautiful Creatures - Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia - click here for review
39. Bitten - Kelly Armstrong - click here for review
40. Lover Eternal - J. R. Ward - click here for review
41. Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood - Eileen Cook - click here for review
42. Leaving Paradise - Simone Elkeles - click here for review
43. Tempting the Beast - Lora Leigh - click here for review
44. The Man Within - Lora Leigh - click here for review
45. Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning - click here for review
46. Birthmarked - Caragh M. O'Brien - click here for review
47. Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead - click here for review
48. Tempest Rising - Nicole Peeler - click here for review
49. Burned - PC Cast & Kristen Cast - click here for review
50. Lover Awakened - JR Ward - click here for review
51. Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure - Allan Richard Shickman - click here for review
52. Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country - Allan Richard Shickman
53. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris - click here for review
54. Stray - Rachel Vincent - click here for review
55. Blood Song - Cat Adams - click here for review
56. White Cat - Holly Black - click here for review
57. Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma - click here for review
58. Tracking the Tempest - Nicole Peeler - click here for review
59. The Vampire Queen's Servant - Joey W. Hill - click here for review
60. Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz - click here for review
61. A Season of Eden - J. M. Warwick - click here for review
62. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephanie Meyer - click here for review
63. Thicker than Water - Carla Jablonski - click here for review
64. Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs - click here for review
65. Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris - click here for review
66. 13 to Life - Shannon Delany - click here for review
67. Sword of Truth - Terry Goodkind
68. Elizabeth's Wolf - Lora Leigh
69. Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
70. Bleed For Me - Michael Robotham 
71. Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs 
72. Iron Kissed - Patricia Briggs 
73. Lover Revealed - J.R Ward
74. Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin
75. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton 
76. The Laughing Corpse - Laurell K. Hamilton
77. Circus of the Damned - Laurell K. Hamilton
78. Lucifer's Daughter - Eve Langlais
79. Darkborn - Alison Sinclair 
80. Their One and Only - Trista Ann Michales 
81. Random Magic - Sasha Soren
82. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
83. Club Dead - Charlaine Harris
84. Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
85. Stolen - Kelley Armstrong 
86. A Blue So Dark - Holly Schindler 
87. Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Jennifer Rardin 
88. Jump - Jennifer Wylie 
89. Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead 
90. Sasha's Calling - T.C Archer

2010 Wrap Up

TBR Pile 1/1/2010 - 7
TBR Pile 31/12/2010 - 45

Shelfari TBR Pile 1/1/2010 - 875
Shelfari TBR Pile 31/12/2010 - 1,037

Total Books Read - 90

By Month:
January - 12
February - 8
March - 8
April - 10
May - 11
June - 5
July - 4
August - 9
September - 8
October - 6
November - 4
December - 6


Total Reviews Posted - 78

By Month:
January - 13
February - 7
March - 10
April - 6
May - 10
June - 9
July - 6
August - 7
September - 6
October - 0
November - 0
December - 4

Did Not Finish - 3

Followers as at 1/1/2010 - 18
Followers as at 31/12/2010 - 473

Number of blogs following as at 1/1/2010 - 18
Number of blogs following as at 31/12/2010 - 132

Monthly Wrap-Up: December 2010

December, the end of the year has arrived and I have been blogging for all of it. Although I nearly lost it there in October I am definitely back and ready to roll. I ended off the year with finishing the Vampire Academy series and also starting a great new one in the form of the Jaz Parks series. I am ready for 2011 and everything that will be coming with it.

My Favourite book for the month would have to be: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

In November I read 6 books.

• Stolen - Kelley Armstrong 
• A Blue So Dark - Holly Schindler 
• Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Jennifer Rardin 
• Jump - Jennifer Wylie 
• Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead 
• Sasha's Calling - T.C Archer

I reviewed 4 books:

• Lucifer's Daughter by Eve Langlais
• Elizabeth's Wolf by Lora Leigh
• Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
• Random Magic by Sasha Soren

My Shelfari TBR Pile at the start of the month was 1,040 At the end of the month it is 1,037

My physical TBR pile went up this month from 35 to 45 with a few more books on the way in the mail. Will have to start working at chipping away at the pile once again.

Happy New Years!

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERY ONE!

Being a proud Sydneysider I will be watching an awesome display much like (and hopefully better) than the above. Happy New Years everyone, i hope you all have a safe and fun celebration to bring in 2011.

A new decade and a new year of blogging for StoryWings. Tune in in the new year for my 2010 Wrap up, challenge updates and Book Awards.

Interesting Disclaimers

I just started Sasha's Calling and it has a very interesting disclaimer at the front...

DISCLAIMER: Please do not try any new sexual practice, especially those that might be found in our BDSM/fetish titles without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Neither Loose Id LLC nor its authors will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury or death from use of the information contained in any of its titles.

hmmm....what on earth have people been doing to make it necessary for that kind of disclaimer...

Merry Christmas!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!

I hope everyone enjoys their day today and for those of you reading, here is my favourite Christmas carol, as sung by Fred Astaire




And for those of you who are old enough to enjoy a drop of something stronger...lets hope you don't end up like this guy - i laughed so hard when I saw this...





Happy Christmas everyone!

Book Review: Random Magic by Sasha Soren

Review: Random Magic
Author: Sasha Soren
No of Pages: 397
Release Date: 1 January 2010

When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes. Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is. Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

My Thoughts:

I am still actually trying to look for the words to describe Random Magic, other than completely random.

Random Magic follows the story of Henry and Winnie on their search for Alice from the book, Alice in Wonderland. She escaped from the pages of her book into the pages of another.

Henry provided the human eyes to view the story through. Being a smart kid and extremely observant the train of thought we gleaned from being in his perspective made you feel like you were walking along side the pair as they searched.

Winnie was probably my second favourite character in the entire story, and considering how many characters there were, that’s really saying something. Winnie is a doodle-witch the name for a person who practises magic when they have nothing better to do. Winnie is one of those characters that no matter how many times you read the book, you could never really tell what exactly is going through her mind. She is constantly one step ahead and nothing ever seems to really faze her.

Random Magic wasn’t character driven and it didn’t really seem plot driven either. Random Magic reads like a jumbled mind, as things are thought of they are added, some back story here a visit to an ancient castle there all the while trekking on to the final point which was to find where Alice had ended up. I say this and some people will inevitably think “well what’s the point of that then?” and I say to you: The point is to get lost in the story.

I think this is why I loved Random Magic so much, sure at times it was hard to follow, but I got lost in a world that wasn’t structured or even mildly predictable. A world full of vanishing cats, hostile forests, moving chess pieces and evil substitute teachers from hell. None of it made sense and yet it all came together so well. There were cameos from nearly every fairytale I remember reading and characters that really just wouldn’t fit in anywhere else my favourites being the Muses.

The nine muses took form in Random Magic, one of those muses being Callie the writing muse. Callie was no doubt my favourite character and will remain my favourite character because Random Magic not only let me get lost in a world full of random magic, but it also let me get lost within my own imagination once again.

I can say right now that Random Magic will not be for everyone. There are inconsistent time jumps, a few unanswered questions and especially in the beginning it is a little hard to follow but for anyone that really wants to get lost in a story once again and not have any way of knowing how the story ends or what on earth is going to happen in between will absolutely love it.

It's Here!!!

The Last Sacrifice. The Last Installment. The Last Chapter. The Last of Rose?

After such an epic journey to get to this day, I now hold in my hands The Last Sacrifice...

See ya when I finish it!

squeeeeee!!!!!

Book Review: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Title: Rosemary’s Baby
Series: Rosemary’s Baby – Book 1
Author: Ira Levin
No of Pages: 308
Release Date: 12 March 1967

She is a housewife – young, healthy, blissfully happy. He is an actor – charismatic and ambitious. The spacious, sun-filled apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is their dream home – a dream that turns into an unspeakable nightmare...

Enter the chilling world of Ira Levin – where terror is as near as your new neighbours...and where evil wears the most innocent face of all...

My Thoughts:

Rosemary’s Baby has apparently left people unable to sleep at night. I laughed.

Rosemary and her husband Guy have just moved into a new apartment in a “haunted” building. Newly married and ready to take on the world the couple ignore the warnings of a friend and settle into their new home.

Rosemary soon falls pregnant and it’s then that things start to get odd. Her doctor won’t treat her pain and the odd neighbours from down the hall are constantly bringing her drinks that make her feel sick.

Rosemary was a naive character but understandably so. She was a young housewife who always turned to Guy to find out what to do in situations. After she fell pregnant though and realised something was wrong and Guy wasn’t helping her in the way he should have been she finally came into herself and believed in her ability to do something about her situation. In the end my heart was aching for Rosemary because she got into one of those situations where you can’t turn to anyone for help, no one to trust and not too sure of her own sanity.

Guy I didn’t like from the beginning. He is a self-absorbed actor that came across as one of those people that believe women should be seen and not heard. No matter what concerns Rosemary brought to him about her pregnancy he just brushed her off and told her to trust people that they barely knew. For me he was the most evil character in the entire story because he was Rosemary’s husband and the one she should have been able to trust, and yet he was never ever there for her.

Rosemary’s Baby is very intriguing in its pull. Constantly you are wondering if Rosemary is sane or not. She ends up believing that she has the devils spawn inside of her and really, how plausible is that. Levin wrote the suspense very well in the sense that you don’t know until the very end if Rosemary is indeed right in her suspicions. You are constantly second guessing yourself.

What I didn’t like was the ending; it was silly and felt too abrupt. Rosemary’s Baby wasn’t scary either, it was suspenseful, but not in a way that you absolutely had to know how it ended. You could kind of guess but what if you were wrong. The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to make sure that I was right.

As for being one of the scariest books of all time. It didn’t leave me having nightmares or being scared of my weird neighbours. If anything it just added to my mistrust of humans.

Also in this Series:
Son of Rosemary