Fables: Wolves (vol. 8) / Bill Willingham / 160 pgs. / 5 Golden Rings X-Mas Challenge

This volume finds Bigby Wolf (former sheriff of Fabletown) hiding out deep in the
wilderness.  He lays around and drinks heavily in an attempt to forget Snow White, their children, and how miserable he is.  Luckily, the Mayor of Fabletown has found a loop-hole in their laws that will allow Bigby to be able to come back and join their society.  The catch is, first they have to find Bigby, and then convince him to go on a dangerous mission to deliver a message to Fabletown's worst enemy, "the Adversary".
I enjoy reading this series for the beautiful artwork and the right mix of humor and action in the story line. 

May's Challenge

Irish & Scottish Fiction!!!  Hey, I may not be Irish nor Scottish, but I sure do enjoy seeing a man who is not afraid to wear a skirt once in awhile. So here is to the Men and Lassies in plaid.  For this reading challenge I will award "2" points for any book that is set in Ireland or Scotland, has a main character that is Irish or Scottish, or anything else you can come up with that somehow relates to Ireland or Scotland (maybe the main character has a dog that is an Irish Setter? - okay, perhaps that is too vague of a connection).  Still, your choices are endless...


You can read a nice historical, literary novel like James Joyce's Dubliners - A collection of 15 short stories, published in 1914; which depict life of the Irish middle class in and around Dublin.

OR

Try The Seduction of Elliot McBride, by Jennifer Ashley.  With a name like "McBride" and the fact that he is wearing a plaid kilt on the front cover; you just KNOW this book is going to be a work of historical accuracy and literary genius!


Hmmmmmm.....Choices, choices..... and "May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night."

A Conspiracy of Alchemists/Liesel Schwarz/338 pgs.

The author classifies this book as "historical fantasy and science fiction." It is also called "steampunk." However it's classified, it's a great read! This is book one in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow. The year is 1903, and the main character, Elle Chance is an airship-pilot. She has traveled to Paris to collect some cargo to transport to her home country, England. The cargo is "unusual" to say the least--and that's where the story takes off! Unknowingly, Elle is the newest "Oracle" in a time of Warlocks, Shadows, and Nightwalkers. Only Elle can keep balance in the universe; as a result, there is danger, adventure--and a bit of romance. I can't wait for book two in this entertaining series! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed A Discovery of Witches.

An Unattended Death/Victoria Jenkins/214 pgs.

This is the first in a series featuring Irene Chavez. Irene is a widow with a 14 year-old son, Victor.  More importantly, Irene is the only female detective in a rural Washington State sheriff's department. She is the first one on the scene when the body of Anne Paris is found floating in the slough at the bottom of her family's summer vacation home. It looks as if Anne is the victim of a sailing accident, but it appears otherwise to Detective Chavez. As she looks closer at Anne's family, Irene becomes more determined to find Anne's murderer. Family secrets are revealed, Irene's character and family life come into play, as does the new prosecuting attorney of Mason County, Theo Choate. In a sense, it's more of a psychological, rather than suspenseful mystery. I look forward to the next installment!

March's Reading Challenge

March's Reading Challenge: 
Out with the Old and in With the New...It's the 1st in the Series Challenge!!!

For March Let's Start something New!  This month I am challenging you to start a new book series.  So for every 1st book in a series you read, you will get an additional "2" bonus points.  Hopefully, you will not come after me for increasing your reading load with all those new series that you will now "have to finish".  Note: The Series does not have to be "New" as in Published this Year, just New to you.  Enjoy! :)

Februarys Challenge: Recruit or Die!!

Your Puppet Master at Work!

Okay folks, here it is!  This month's challenge (what's left of the month) is to RECRUIT, RECRUIT, RECRUIT!!!  I will award you "10" points for every person that you get to Sign Up to this blog and post.  In their post they must put your name in it somewhere (in the title, the tags, in the post) for you to get credit.  So get out there and beg, plead, threaten, cajole, blackmail, intimidate, terrorize...you get the idea.  Get those points!!

Yes, this is my way of getting more people on this blog...Yes, this is a shameless way to boost our points in the State Competition...No, I am not power-hungry nor insane.

The Unwanteds/Lisa McMann/390 pgs.

According to a Kirkus Review, The Unwanteds is "The Hunger Games Meets Harry Potter." I personally feel that is a bit of a stretch. In the land of Quill, every year the 13 year-olds are sorted into two categories--the "Wanteds" and the "Unwanteds."  The Wanteds are the kids that are bright, strong, intelligent, and get to go to the university. The Unwanteds are the "artistic" kids, and since they are of no value in Quill, are sent to their deaths on the day of the "Purge." Identical twins Alex and Aaron Stowe are split up on the Purge--Aaron will proceed to the university, and Aaron will be sent to his death. What the people of Quill don't know, and neither do the Unwanteds, is that the Unwanteds are being sent to a magical place, Artime. Artime was created by Mr. Today, a magician, and exists to hide the Unwanteds from Quill. It's a place that encourages the Unwanteds to explore their creativity, and to learn how to use their creativity as a weapon--because, eventually there will be a showdown between Quill and Artime. This is book 1 in the series, and geared towards middle grade readers.

Z is for Zombie: An Illustrated Guide to the End of the World / Adam-Troy Castro / 52 pgs / Zombie Challenge

Yes, I read this for the points.  It's a very quick alphabet book that would make for a cool Christmas gag gift.  The illustrations are funny and gross; (for example there is a picture of a Zombie eating brains from a skull) and each letter entry somehow relate back to Zombies.  My favorite letter is "J" for "Just a few Random Survivors" as the essay talks about how in most stories the protagonist ends up with a group of survivors who all have awesome skills and special training like a 'super special black ops CIA agent' or a 'Rambo-esque killing machine'; but in reality you'll probably end up with "a mobile phone salesman, a zither player, a sommelier, and a guy who knows the world is ending but still can't stop talking about his favorite Star Trek episode".