2013 Reading Challenges

Hosted by The Book Vixen.

This challenge is to read 13 Romantic Suspense books in 2013. Suspense is probably my favorite genre, so I had to give this challenge a try! :)


Hosted by Workaday Reads.

This challenge is to read ebooks in all forms - Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Computer, etc..

I'm choosing level 1 - Floppy disc (5 eBooks):

Library Reading challenge:

This Goodreads challenge is to read books from the library. Books can be in any format - including digital downloads.

I'm choosing level 2 - Picture book (6 checkouts):

- Sign up Here Finish that series reading challenge 2013: This Goodreads challenge is to  finish those series that you've started and never finished.    I'm choosing level 2 - Fascinated (Finish 3 series).
                                                             Series I want to finish: 1. Katie Weldon Series by Robin Jones Gunn Need to read Finally and Forever to finish. 2. Kanner Lake Series by Brandilyn Collins Need to read Crimson Eve & Amber Moon to finish. 3. A Roland March Mystery Series by J. Mark Bertrand Need to read Pattern of Wounds & Nothing to Hide to finish.
- Sign up Here
What's in a Name Reading Challenge 2013: This Goodreads challenge is to read 6 books meeting the following criteria:  
1. A book with a "girl's name" in the title

2. A book with a "color"in the title.

3. A book with a "number" in the title. 

4. A book with a "one of the trinity" in the title. 

5. A book with a relative in the title(Brother, sister, mother, father). 

6. A book with a direction in the title-(ie- up, down, below, above, across).

- Sign up Here

2012 Reading Challenges Wrap-Up

So 2012 is now over and, although I didn't read as much as I had wanted to, I did complete most of the challenges I set. The only one I didn't complete was my goal to read 52 books. 

This challenge ran from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

I chose to read 15 new authors

1) Linda Hall (On Thin Ice)
2) Tamara Leigh (Restless in Carolina)
3) Denise Hunter (Accidental Bride)
4) Brandilyn Collins (Kanner Lake Series)
5) Marta Perry (Hide In Plain Sight)
6) Raquel Byrnes (Purple Knot)
7) Katie Ganshert (Wildflowers From Winter)
8) Lacy Williams (Heart of Gold)
9) Margaret Daley (When Night Falls)
10)Abby Gaines (The Earl's Mistaken Bride)
11) Cindy Woodsmall (Sisters of the Quilt series)
12) Mike Dellosso (Rearview)
13) Annalisa Daughety (A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina)
14) Beth Wiseman (An Amish Wedding)

15) Robin Parrish (The 'Naturals: Awakening [Episodes 1-4 -- Season 1])
16) Lynette Eason (When the Smoke Clears)

This challenge ran from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

I chose the Detective level - 5 to 10 Christian Suspense books

1) On Thin Ice by Linda Hall 

2) Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins

3) Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins

4) Hide In Plain Sight by Marta Perry

5) Purple Knot by Raquel Byrnes

6) When Night Falls by Margaret Daley

7) Rearview (7 Hours series) by Mike Dellosso 

8) The 'Naturals: Awakening [Episodes 1-4 -- Season 1] by Robin Parrish 

9) When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions, #1) by Lynette Eason

This challenge ran from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
READ 12 BOOKS JUST FOR FUN!

January:  On Thin Ice by Linda Hall

February:  Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

March:  Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins
April:  When Night Falls by Margaret Daley
May:  Purple Knot by Raquel Byrnes

June: Heart of Gold by Lacy Williams

July: The Earl's Mistaken Bride by Abby Gaines

August: Sisters of the Quilt: The Complete Trilogy by Cindy Woodsmall

September: A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina by Annalisa Daughety 

October: An Amish Wedding by Beth Wiseman

November: The 'Naturals: Awakening [Episodes 1-4 -- Season 1] by Robin Parrish

December: When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions, #1) by Lynette Eason

This challenge ran from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

View 2012 WHERE ARE YOU READING? in a larger map

Teaser Tuesday (December 25)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU SHARE DOESN'T GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE BOOK FOR OTHERS!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Book Description

Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. There's church, of course. But who can she bake for these days? And who would care whether or not she pulled out the Christmas decorations? 
Her new neighbor just adds to the problem. He's doing home improvements that don't appear to be improving much of anything. These days when Betty looks out the window, she sees a beat-up truck, a pile of junk, lots of blue tarps, and--horror of horrors--an old pink toilet. 
But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn a very important lesson about what Christmas is all about. This contemporary Christmas story is a timely yet gentle reminder that God can work miracles through something as seemingly insignificant as a little brown dog.

My Teaser

'Betty looked out at her backyard only to see that the stupid dog was now digging in her favorite tulip bed. "I'll kill him, all right," she snapped.' - page 32

Purchase: Amazon / Christian Book /Barnes & Noble

~~~

Merry Christmas!

Teaser Tuesday (October 30)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU SHARE DOESN'T GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE BOOK FOR OTHERS!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Book Description

After a brush with death due to equipment failure, smokejumper Alexia Allen is ordered to take time off while the incident is under investigation. She makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she is confronted with murder, arson--and a handsome detective.

But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she struggles to accept and forgive her family's past, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light.

Chock-full of the suspense and romantic tension you've come to expect from Lynette Eason, When the Smoke Clears is the explosive first book in the Deadly Reunions series. 

My Teaser

"He suspected what was in the envelope. Shaky fingers opened it and pulled out the single white sheet with the block-style printed words. I KNOW." pg.17

Purchase: Amazon / Christian Book /Barnes & Noble

~~~

Teaser Tuesday (October 16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU SHARE DOESN'T GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE BOOK FOR OTHERS!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Book Description
Three best-selling authors. Three possible brides. Three separate tales. They come together for an Amish wedding.

Priscilla King has dreamed of being married to Chester Lapp since she was sixteen. With the help of her sister Naomi’s matchmaking skills, Chester proposes to Priscilla on her nineteenth birthday. As the wedding day approaches, problems emerge: an attendant with poison ivy, a failed celery crop, and a torn wedding dress.

At the same time, Priscilla’s best friend Rose is convinced her fiancé is hiding something and she is intent on discovering the truth at any cost.

Naomi remains hopeful that she, too, will soon find her perfect match. When Chester’s cousin shows up, there’s an immediate attraction between him and Naomi—as well as an obstacle that may just as immediately derail their blossoming love.

Is God sending a message to stop the wedding? What is certain is that the hearts of these three women will be forever transformed by this touching Amish wedding.

My Teaser

'"Hey!" she hissed, arching the light into the yard. The beam caught against a pair of  blue-jean clad legs, and she dropped the quilt and stood. "Wait!" she called. "Please."'

Purchase: Amazon / Christian Book /Barnes & Noble

~~~

Review: The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

Title: The Scent of Cherry Blossoms 

Author: Cindy Woodsmall 

Genre: Contemporary/Amish/Fiction 

Pages: 208 

Release Date: February 21, 2012 

Published by: WaterBrook Press 

Purchase: Amazon / Christian Book  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.  
 
But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.
 
Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?

About the Author:

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author who has written six novels, three novellas, and Plain Wisdom, a work of nonfiction coauthored with her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud. She’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life.

Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband, three sons, two daughters-in-law, a new granddaughter, and a dog named Jersey who wants to dominate the world, starting with the Woodsmall household.

My Review:

This is the fourth book by Cindy Woodsmall I have read; the other three were part of the Sisters of the Quilt series. I always thought I didn't like Amish fiction; but, since I've loved all four of the books I've read so far, maybe I do like it after all! :)

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms is about Aden Zook and Annie Martin. Aden and Annie have been friends for years and now are falling in love with each other, but a relationship between them is forbidden because he is Old Order Amish and she is Old Order Mennonite. 

I really enjoyed reading about Aden and Annie's budding relationship. Their story was interesting and I was curious as to how it was all going to turn out!
The side story of Aden's brother Roman was also interesting. Although at first I was a little bored when reading about him, I enjoyed his story as well and was glad with where his story seemed to be going.
I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and would have liked it better had there been an epilogue.
Overall, I really liked The Scent of Cherry Blossoms. I thought it was a quick, well-written read that I would recommend to fans of Contemporary romance and Amish fiction. 
4.5 Stars
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review. 
PLEASE RATE MY REVIEW:  

WWW Wednesdays (Aug. 22)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

 I'm currently reading:

I haven't started it yet, but plan to soon.

I recently finished: 

  

Next, I think I'll read: