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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


29 / 30 books. 97% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (2)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (3)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (2)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (7)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (2)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (2)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (2)

International:
- Australia (2)
- Bolivia (1)
- Canada (3)
- China (1)
- England (19)
- France (1)
- Ghana (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (4)
- Italy (1)
- Poland (1)
- Russia (1)
- Scotland (3)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


41 / 50 books. 82% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


35 / 50 books. 70% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


50 / 52 books. 96% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


35 / 40 books. 88% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


16 / 40 books. 40% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 25 books. 84% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


16 / 26.2 miles (3rd lap). 61% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


35 / 100 books. 35% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


90 / 104 books. 87% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


123 / 165 books. 75% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


73 / 100 names. 73% done!
Tuesday, April 07, 2015

TTT: Where Are They Now?


So, I wasn't planning to participate in Top Ten Tuesday this week because I already posted a review today, plus this week's TTT topic is, well, tough.  Some of the topics inspire dozens of answers to pop into my head, others just ... don't.  Still, I didn't want to miss out on the fun, so I just twisted the prompt to suit my needs a little better.  If you want to liven up your Tuesday a little, click on over to The Broke and the Bookish to get the skinny on how to participate.  It's easy!  It's fun!  It will give you clear skin and firm thighs!  Well, maybe not that last bit ...

Anyway, this week's topic is: Top Ten Characters You'd Like to Check In With.  Since I could only think of ones I figured would be on everyone's lists (Scout Finch, Scarlett O'Hara, etc.), I decided to focus my list on characters whom I can check in with, but whom I've been neglecting of late.


1.  "Bloody" Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer)—You've heard me rave on and on about how much I love Jacky.  She's a fantastic, larger-than-life heroine who makes me laugh.  As much as I adore her, though, I've only read half of the books in the series.  I need to pick up My Bonny Light Horseman soon and see what crazy adventure Jacky's on this time!


2.  Amelia Peabody (Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters)—Amelia Peabody is more understated than Jacky Faber, but she's also a heroine who has great adventures.  Her shocking actions/demeanor make me laugh.  I haven't read a Peabody mystery in some time and might have to re-start the series so I can remember who's who and what's what.  Or, I might just start where I left off (Book 5?  Book 6?).


3.  Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan)—Percy Jackson is one of my kids' favorite heroes.  I enjoyed The Lightning Thief, but never moved on with the series.  I think I need to drop back in and see what the young demi-god is up to these days.


4.  Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis)—I loved The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I read it in elementary school.  Why I never read the rest of the series, I really don't know.  I've regretted it ever since and should really finish it up.  I have at least two sets of the books on my shelf, so I have no excuses ...  




5.  Mel, Jack, Preacher & Co. (Virgin River series by Robyn Carr); Hank Cooper & Co. (Thunder Point series by Robyn Carr)—I love Carr's romance novels with their small-town settings and big-hearted people.  I've read over half of the former series, but only the first of the latter.  I've got some catching up to do, for sure!


6.  Hannah Swensen (Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke)—Yes, I realize these are the silliest murder mysteries in the history of murder mysteries.  I blame my friend Tara for turning me on to them.  She's right, though, they're useful when you want to read a light, easy mystery that won't turn your stomach or tax your brain.  Also, there are the recipes.  So, yeah, I definitely need to pop back into this series to see what's going down with the cookie baker turned amateur sleuth.


7.  Cammie Morgan & Co. (Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter)—I love this outlandish, warm-hearted series.  It's just fun.  The girls always have something crazy going on, so visiting them is a guaranteed good time.  I need to start Number Three, Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover, soon.


8.  Don Tillman & Rosie Jarman (Rosie series by Graeme Simsion)The Rosie Project made me laugh out loud (many times) and root for this unlikely pair.  I'm curious to see what happens to them next.  Good thing I'm already on the library's waiting list for The Rosie Effect.


9.  Odd Thomas (Odd series by Dean Koontz)—Although I was not happy with the ending of Odd Thomas, the first installment in this popular series, I enjoyed the book.  Considering what happened to poor Odd in the first novel, I definitely need to check in with him and see if he's okay.


10.  Ruth Galloway (Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths)—Okay, so I just barely left this English archaeologist, but I'm ready for another visit to the salt marshes she loves so much.  Especially since the first novel ends not in a cliffhanger, but in an intriguing twist.  I definitely want to see where it leads!

So, there you have it.  I'm obviously horrendous at completing series.  The worst thing is, I feel like I've left all these characters hanging, like they've just been suspended in time until I open their books and release them.  When will I stop neglecting these poor story people?  Hopefully soon.  Which fictional characters have you been ignoring?  Which are you still wondering about?  Who would you like to catch up with?  I'd love to see your TTT list.

Happy reading!

*All book images from Barnes & Noble

New Regency Romance Predictable, But Fun (With a Giveaway!)

(Image from Deseret Book)

Living in an ancient English castle sounds a lot more exciting than it's actually turning out to be.  Margaret "Meg" Burton, a fiery redhead from the American South, had hoped it would be full of moaning ghosts or long-forgotten treasure or, at the very least, some juicy family secrets.  No such luck.  Thornshire, her cousin's boring old fortress, holds only one mystery: the Spanish prince who resides somewhere on the property.  Although Rodrigo de Talavera is the brother of Thornshire's mistress, he doesn't deign to dine or mingle with Meg's host family or their guests.  If he's that high and mighty, Meg doesn't want to meet him anyway.  Never mind that the only reason she's in
England is to find a husband who's wealthy enough to save her parents from financial ruin.

Meg's forthrightness as well as her adventurous spirit and unladylike interest in world politics are not earning her many points with the aristocratic Englishmen she's supposed to be impressing.  There's only one man who seems to appreciate her for who she is—Carlo, a handsome stablehand.  As the friendship between them blossoms into something stronger, Meg worries about the dangers inherent in such a forbidden relationship.

Of course, Carlo is keeping his own secrets, number one being that he is not the lowly servant Meg assumes him to be, but the prince whose lofty behavior Meg so heartily despises ...

I don't read a lot of Regency romances because while they're fun, I also find them cliché and predictable.  You pretty much know what's going to happen just from reading the back cover copy.  Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince, the newest from Jennifer Moore, is no exception.  Its basic plot points (mistaken identity, marrying to save the family name, an outsider fumbling through a London Season, etc.) have been done—again and again and again.  Originality, thus, is not the novel's strong point.  And yet, it's a well-written romance with a fun (if not particularly well-developed) cast, amusing banter, and a light, upbeat tone.  Its strong (but not overbearing) message is an important one—to thine own self be true (which, as Lord Featherstone would no doubt [mis]inform you, is a famous line from Shakespeare's Macbeth :]).  Also significant is the fact that Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince is a clean romance, one you could hand to your 13-year-old daughter or your 103-year-old grandmother with equal confidence.  So, while the novel contains few surprises (I wanted some family secrets, too, dang it!), it still provides a sweet, swoon-worthy read that's both clean and enjoyable.  If you're a fan of this genre, you can't go wrong with Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince as well as the other books in Covenant's line of proper romances.  

(Readalikes:  Similar to other books by Jennifer Moore as well as those of Sarah M. Eden and Julianne Donaldson)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for mild violence and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince from the generous folks at Covenant Communications as part of my involvement in the book's blog tour.  Thank you!

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If you'd like more opinions on Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince, please visit the
other stops on the book's tour:


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 Last, but not least, be sure to enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card, plus your own copy of Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince:
   
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Reading

<i>Reading</i>
Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong



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