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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


39 / 50 books. 78% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

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

International:

- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (21)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)

My Progress:


34 / 51 states. 67% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 25 books. 96% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


29 / 50 books. 58% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


38 / 52 books. 73% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 52 books. 65% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


22 / 40 books. 55% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 51 books. 47% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


19 / 25 books. 76% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


44 / 52 books. 85% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

My Progress:


54 / 65 books. 83% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

My Progress:


55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


23 / 36 books. 64% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

My Progress:


70 / 125 books. 56% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

My Progress:


9 / 9 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

My Progress:


36 / 60 books. 60% done!

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 40 books. 25% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

My Progress:


7 / 50 books. 14% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

My Progress:


67 / 125 books. 54% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

My Progress:


4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

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

My Progress:


98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Friday, February 22, 2013

TGIF - Time to Hop!

It's Friday and that means it's time for the Book Blogger Hop.  If you haven't heard, the Hop is being revived by Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  It works the same way it always has -- sign up on the Linky at Billy's blog, the Hop around and visit the other blogs on the list.  The point?  To find new book blogs, visit old favorites and have a good time.  It's fun, trust me!

So, the question of the week is:  Do you prefer reading printed books or using an e-reader?

- Well, not so long ago, I refused to even hold an e-reader in my hand.  I loved "real" books too much—I loved the feel of them, the smell of them, the whole bit.  Then, NetGalley came along and I needed a way to read e-galleys (I still won't read a book on my computer!).  So, I caved and bought a Kindle Fire.  And guess what?  I love it.  I didn't think I would, but I do, I really do.  These days, I still mostly read printed books, but I enjoy a fair amount of e-books (most of which are e-ARCs), too.  I'm no longer anti e-readers because I believe what Stephen Fry said:  "Books are no more threatened by [e-readers] than stairs by elevators."  Too true.

If you're new to BBB, welcome!  I'm so glad you're here.  Please take a moment to look around my blog, make a comment (or two or ten) and, most importantly, come back often.  I promise to return the favor.

Happy reading!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013

...And We Have a Winner!

Susan Holly is the lucky winner of a copy of Pam Jenoff's newest historical, The Ambassador's Daughter.  I've already heard from her, so her book will be on the way shortly.  Congratulations, Susan (love that name)!

Thanks to everyone who entered.  If you didn't win this time, no worries—I'll have lots more giveaways coming up soon.  Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting BBB.  It means a lot to me :)

Happy reading!

The False Prince Is Getting Lots of Attention and It's Easy to See Why

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Sage isn't planning on living in an orphanage his whole life, but that doesn't mean he's willing to leave his home with just anybody.  Especially not a man like Bevin Conner.  A nobleman who claims to be on the king's errand, Conner obviously has ulterior motives for gathering up orphans.  And, no matter how much he's roughed up for it, 14-year-old Sage doesn't plan to stick around to see what those sinister plans might be.  He's going to escape—now.  
When Sage hears Conner's idea, though, he's intrigued.  With the country on the brink of civil war, the nobleman, who truly is one of the king's regents, has a crazy plan to reunite it.  He's searching for a boy who can pass for the king's long-lost son, a boy who can impersonate a prince well enough to fool even the most discerning royals.  A boy to rule, a boy to become the next king of Carthya.  The catch?  In order to live in the palace, to sleep in comfort, to dine on sumptuous feasts, to act the part of a spoiled royal, Sage must prove he can act the princely part better than the three other orphans Conner has nabbed.  If he loses the competition, he'll be killed.  As little as Sage likes the idea of playing prince, he likes the idea of dying even less.  So, he agrees to participate in Conner's deadly little contest.

As the competition heats up, Sage realizes he's involved in a game far more complicated than he ever realized.  He can trust no one.  One false move can mean instant death, or worse.  With his life on the line, Sage must figure out what Conner's really up to—before it's too late for them all. 

With lots of buzz in the blogosphere, a Cybil for best book in Middle Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction, and now a Whitney Award nomination (as well as lots of other honors), The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen has been getting a lot of attention lately.  It's easy to see why—the book's a fun, action-packed thriller guaranteed to pull young (and old) readers in and keep them riveted until its very last word.  It's predictable in a lot of ways and I wasn't thrilled with the "big reveal" as it felt like cheating on Nielsen's part.  Still, The False Prince has plenty of action, adventure and intrigue, which makes it a fast, exhilarating read sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys a good yarn.  And, really, who doesn't? 

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The False Prince from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.   
Tuesday, February 19, 2013

I Mean, C'mon, What's Not to Love?

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for The Madness Underneath, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, The Name of the Star.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Ever since Rory Deveaux's explosive run-in with a ghostly Jack the Ripper-like killer, she's been kept in Bristol under the close watch of her parents.  She misses her friends in London desperately, especially her fellow Shades, with whom she could discuss the bizarre business of ghost-hunting.  No one in Bristol knows the truth about her.  No one can know.  Not her parents, not her therapist, no one.  Rory can't tell them that she sees ghosts and she especially can't tell them about her new-found ability to send apparitions away forever—all on her own.  Somehow, Rory has become a human terminus.  She carries inside her the very power the Shades need to eliminate London's malevolent spirit population.  The Shades need to know what's going on with Rory, but she's been told to keep quiet, not to contact her ghost-fighting colleagues.  Ironic, since she needs them now more than she ever has.  

When her therapist decides—seemingly out of the blue—that Rory needs to return to London in order to regain the control she's lost over her life, Rory's shocked.  And thrilled.  She needs the Shades and they need her, especially since there's a new killer in town.  Rory's convinced the grisly murders aren't what they seem, but the others aren't so sure.  Can she persuade the Shades to help her investigate before it's too late?  And, if it comes to that, will be able to use her new powers against another entity, no matter how sinister it might be?  As Rory struggles to understand herself and her place among the ghost hunters, she'll face her greatest challenges yet.  Maybe she'll even come out of them alive.

If you loved The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (like I did), you'll love The Madness Underneath (available February 26, 2013).  Everything that drew me to the first book—humor, strong voice, appealing characters, etc.—continued to charm me in the second.  Rory's as lovable as ever.  Her new adventures, while not wholly original, still intrigue and entertain me.  Again, while there's some gore in the story, the novel's surprisingly clean.  If you're hesitating on this series (I was, thinking it would be dark and bloody), don't.  It's fun, engaging, and getting better with each book.  I mean, c'mon, what's not to love here?

(Readalikes:  The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson; it also reminds me of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence/gore, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received and ARC of The Madness Underneath from the generous folks at G.P. Putnam's Sons (a division of Penguin Young Readers Group).  Thank you!
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