Last Minute Read-a-thon Wrap-Up

Hosted by Vonnie's Reading Corner & A Night's Dream of Books

So... *twiddles thumbs* Remember how I was supposed to fit in a lot of last-minute reading before the year's end? Yeah, I failed miserably, unfortunately!

I'm getting closer to finishing Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz, and I do hope to have that read before the ball drops and signals the start of 2014. Other than reading some more of that book, my weekend was filled with family matters, visits with friends, shopping, a small editing project, food, etc. It's not that I didn't have free time; it's just that I filled it with things other than reading. And when I went to read more at night, I'd get through a bit and then think, "I'll just shut my eyes for a moment." You can imagine the end result of that. While I'm a self-proclaimed night owl, I confess sleep claimed me...

Let's just hope that 2014 proves to be more productive in the reading department, or that I'll at least have a little more self-control when it comes to acquiring and requesting books, LOL!

However, I'm still glad to have learned of this read-a-thon - to meet some new bloggers and participate in the rainbow book-spine challenge, which was fun! Stay tuned for my last post of the year, featuring my favorite reads of 2013...

Last Minute Read-a-thon Day 2: Rainbow Challenge

Hosted by Vonnie's Reading Corner & A Night's Dream of Books

Today's challenge fits so well with my current review TBR pile - the rainbow just sort of came naturally when I threw in one of the books I'm hoping to read for the read-a-thon, and with a wee bit of rearranging! Take a look...

I didn't even have to go digging through other TBR piles or shelves of books I've already read! These are all books I plan to read and review in the new year (minus All in Good Time, which I hope to read within the next few days!).

• Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
• Burning Sky by Lori Benton
• All in Good Time by Maureen Lang
• The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen
• Mountain Homecoming by Sandra Robbins
• Under a Blackberry Moon by Serena B. Miller
• The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Yes, the top spine is mainly black (although the red outfit pops!), and All in Good Time could be considered more tan than yellow...but that's pretty close to red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, wouldn't you agree?

As for the other challenges for the read-a-thon, I just want to briefly address them by saying you can find some book covers I love on my "Cover Candy" Pinterest board, and I'll be sharing my list of favorite 2013 reads on New Year's Eve. So I won't be officially entering those challenges - hopefully I'll get busy reading and reviewing books until I post my wrap-up the night of the 30th! I'll also plan on posting a wrap-up for the Contentment Reading Challenge tomorrow. Lots of bookish things coming your way as 2013 comes to a close!

Happy reading!

Last Minute Read-a-thon Day 1: Goals Challenge

Hosted by Vonnie's Reading Corner & A Night's Dream of Books

There are plenty of books I should have read by now...but there are a few I really want to try to review before the year ends! Here are my goals for this Last Minute Read-a-thon:

Finish Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz 

(I'm a little over 100 pages in)

Read All in Good Time by Maureen Lang 

(I've barely started this one)

Read Pilgrimage of Promise by Cathy Bryant

(On my Kindle)

Read Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta

My parents very generously gave me a new laptop for Christmas (among other sweet gifts!), so I'll probably be working on getting that set up today or tomorrow... I've still got some other posts to write and share before 2014, though, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again soon! 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas with family and friends!

Last Minute Read-a-thon Sign-Up!

I had so much fun participating in the #ReadingCram Read-a-thon, so here I am, eagerly signing up for another one! (And since I didn't get as much reading as I wanted to done with the last read-a-thon, this is the perfect opportunity to accomplish some last-minute reading in the lull between Christmas and New Year's Eve!)

Here are the details:

• Who: Anyone with a blog or Facebook account!
• What: A read-a-thon for catching up on some 2013 reads before the year ends
• When: December 26th-30th
• Where: Hosted by Vonnie's Reading Corner and A Night's Dream of Books
• Why: To catch up on some last-minute reading and have fun with other readers

You can sign up for the read-a-thon HERE, if you'd like to join us! I think I'm going to challenge myself to read 4 books, but we'll see... I'll be posting my goals on the 26th sometime.

I'll also be sharing the last Contentment Reading Challenge post and my favorite reads of 2013 sometime before 2014 begins, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I wish all of you a very...

Merry Christmas!

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Wrap-Up + Review

Alas, I'm a day late and 6 books short of my goal! Reading-wise, I didn't get quite as much done as I wanted to. But I had a blast doing some of the read-a-thon challenges, and I did get four books read and reviewed, so I'll consider that a success! (Of course, I was still working on the fourth book through today...but that's just a technicality, right?)

Books I read (links to reviews):

• Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter
• Elusive Hope by MaryLu Tyndall
• A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund
• Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert (review below!)

Challenges I participated in (links to posts):

• TBR Challenge (Day 1)
• Teaser Challenge (Day 2) ~ via Twitter HERE & HERE
• Favorite Book-to-Movie Release Challenge (Day 5) ~ via Twitter
• Seasonal Challenge (Day 6)
• Twitter Synopsis Challenge (Day 7) ~ via Twitter HERE & HERE
• Song Challenge (Day 9)
• Review Challenge (Day 10)
• Spell It Out Challenge (Day 12)
• Most Anticipated 2014 Releases Challenge (Day 13)

Thanks once again to Juliababyjen's Reading Room & Danasquare for putting together this read-a-thon, and thank you to all the blog hosts! Also, thanks to my Twitter/Blogger reading pals (@LoveBeingVegan, @Abooklovingirl, and @iblog4books) for encouraging me to join this fun event!

And now for my review of Wishing on Willows...

Here's a description of the book from the author's website:

"Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?

A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.

So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.

As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.

With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances."

My Rating

Spring/Summer

My Review

Wishing on Willows is another heartfelt story from Katie Ganshert. The writing is simply gorgeous - poignant themes gently whispering through the pages like the breeze through a weeping willow. It was a delight to discover each new lesson and reminder shared in touching and creative ways.

The story develops at a slower pace as Robin, Ian, and Amanda (Robin's sister-in-law and roommate) face varying emotional hardships while dealing with a few emergencies along the way. I confess that Amanda often frustrated me, even while her dealings with love resonated with me. And as for Robin and Ian, the decisions they have to make as they continually grow closer together certainly escalate the tension. But the sweet moments along the way, and the way it all ends... So beautiful. The conclusion is stellar!

I really enjoyed experiencing the lovely writing, seeing what became of the hero and heroine from Wildflowers from Winter, and visiting Robin's small town (full of intriguing inhabitants and interesting dilemmas). For a story about letting go and embracing life, Wishing on Willows is a wonderful read.

*With thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Would you consider ranking my review? Thank you! 

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Day 13: Most Anticipated 2014 Releases

Today is the last day of the read-a-thon, so it's time to "read like the win, Bullseye"! The last challenge for the #ReadingCram read-a-thon is a fun one - picking the 2014 reads you're most excited for! I'm limiting myself to my Top 10, but honestly, there are a ton of great reads I'm looking forward to enjoying in the new year. You can check out my shelves on Goodreads and/or Shelfari to see what I've already got on my TBR piles and keep up-to-date on the books I plan to read.

Disclaimer: This list doesn't include the 2014 releases I haven't heard about/confirmed yet, the new authors and books I might discover, the books I can't wait to read that I already own, and my own releases (which I'm excited about, but probably shouldn't include, LOL).

Most Anticipated 2014 Releases

Cress by Marissa Meyer ~ I am so psyched for this third installment in "The Lunar Chronicles" series! I adored Scarlet and am eager to find out what happens next...!

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer ~ I love Witemeyer's writing style, historical romances, and the blurb for this story!

 The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe by Kelly Martin ~ I've seen Martin's books around, but haven't read any yet. However, this one sounds so different and intriguing! And the cover only adds to the intrigue...

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith ~ I enjoyed The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, and I'm excited about another clever and imaginative love story from Smith! 

Here to Stay by Melissa Tagg ~ I loved Melissa's debut, and I feel like you can't go wrong with the story of an inn owner, this hero (a secondary character from Made to Last), and this cover!

Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl ~ Another book with a gorgeous cover! I'm excited about this story of interesting secondary characters, with a promise of adventure and (hopefully) love.

Books Currently Sans Covers:

• Love Gone Wild by Amy Matayo (The premise sounds soooooo good!)
• The Ransom by MaryLu Tyndall (Houston, we have a sequel to the awesome "Legacy of the King's Pirates" series!)
• The Paris Connection by Cerella Sechrist (I'm so thrilled Cerella is being published again, and while I still have to read her latest, Gentle Persuasion, I have no doubt both will be excellent!)
• Whatever Lena Goldfinch publishes in 2014! (As one of Lena's editors and a big fan of her work, I can't wait to find out which book projects Lena decides to pursue this next year! She has tons of fabulous ideas!)

What about you? Which 2014 releases are you most anticipating? Can't wait to discuss more fabulous reads with you all in the new year!

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Day 12: Spell It Out Challenge

I'm a zillion light-years behind in this read-a-thon, but I still have today and tomorrow to read, so...!

In other news, I completed a round of edits for Forget Me Not, which means I'm that much closer to getting the book into my readers' hands! It was really neat to finally be able to go back, over two years after completing the first draft, and make some (hopefully good) changes that needed to be made. Except for some lines and similar scenes, I pretty much completely rewrote Part 1 (of three parts), and I had a lot of reworking to do to tighten up and polish the writing. Revisiting the times when some of my characters were first introduced was so special, though - I ended up laughing and smiling a lot, falling more in love with these characters of my heart. Now the manuscript is in the capable hands of my copyeditor/proofreader, Rachelle Rea, and soon I'll be preparing for the February blog tour. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I've got one publicity project ending this weekend (don't miss out on all the contests and giveaways for The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks blog tour, most of which are closing tonight!), I've been chatting with some clients/friends about exciting projects for early 2014, and I've been working on some behind-the-scenes stuff for the cover reveal of my third novel, Morning Glory (happening January 3rd!).

And now, back to the #ReadingCram read-a-thon! Today's challenge involves using the first letters of titles read in 2013 to spell out a word:

There's something for everyone there: a fascinating dystopian, a delightful contemporary romance, a clever children's story about a bunny vampire, a fun historical romance, and an epic fantasy. I gave all of these 4 or 5 stars and found them to be quite enjoyable reads!

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Day 10: Review Challenge

I'm working on Wishing on Willows, my 4th book for this read-a-thon, and hope to share my review of that story and some others in the coming days. Meanwhile, today's challenge (sharing a review of a book read in 2013)  is great timing, as I have another review to share from my #ReadingCram reading, anyway!

Here's a description of the book from Bethany House:

"Michigan, 1880

Annalisa Werner's hope for a fairy tale love is over. Her husband failed her in every way and now his death has left her with few options to save the family farm. She needs a plentiful harvest. That, and a husband to help bring it in. Someone strong, dependable. That’ll be enough. A marriage for love...that's something she's given up on.

So her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.

Then a man appears: Carl Richards, from their home country of Germany and a former schoolteacher--or so he says. He's looking for work and will serve on the farm until her husband arrives.

With time running out, she accepts his help, but there's more to this man than he's admitting. He's also gentle, kind, charming--unlike any man she's ever known. But even as Carl is shining light into the darkness of her heart, she knows her true groom may arrive any day."

My Rating

Spring/Summer

My Review

Jody Hedlund doesn't just give great writing advice via her blog - she carries it out through her novels! They're well-crafted, with good pacing and engaging characterization. While the premise of A Noble Groom wouldn't normally be my favorite, as I'm generally not as interested in romance stories involving children, I still found myself drawn into the characters' dilemmas and loving Carl for his care not only for Annalisa, but also for her daughter Gretchen and others. For a guy who should be quite spoiled and self-centered given his past, he learns humility rather quickly (although it takes him a frustratingly long amount of time to accept facts that are quite obvious to the reader!).

Hedlund doesn't spare her characters from humiliation, heartaches, and trials, and she uses each to create a sense of authenticity and a deeper sympathy for the characters. What I especially loved about this story, though, was the atmosphere. While some of the storyline elements/events aren't new to Christian fiction (A Promise to Love by Serena B. Miller shares some similarities, although they're certainly very different stories), A Noble Groom has a unique feel, very much matching the scene and colors depicted on the cover. I love Hedlund's descriptions of the setting, as well as her intriguing balance of interesting details and great romance.

All in all, I was charmed by the hero and the timely fairy-tale theme of A Noble Groom. Another winner from Hedlund!

*With thanks to Bethany House for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Day 9: Song Challenge

I finally finished my 3rd book for the read-a-thon last night - I'm going to have to pick up the pace this week! Be looking for my review of A Noble Groom tomorrow, and hopefully several more reviews later this week.

Today's read-a-thon challenge is to pick a book read in 2013 and match it with a song. I recently bought the album Babel by Mumford & Sons, so I've been listening to those songs a lot lately as I've been editing and such...so I decided to match one of them to a book:

The Book

The Song

The Memory Game was one of those Kindle books I purchased on a whim this year (there were a lot of those, LOL), and I read it a couple of days before Halloween. It's one I couldn't recommend to all of my readers, mostly due to the language (which is unfortunate). However, the story really intrigued and surprised me, about a teen ghost who is left wandering his English hometown, unable to communicate with anyone except the girl he bullied. It's really a tragic and haunting read, but at the same time, there's something about the boy's growing understanding, the unique love story, the struggle to help when feeling helpless, and the fight for life that engrossed me. And the ending? Yeah, it's crazy! If you're willing to overlook the language, it's a thought-provoking and emotional read.

For a cleaner and sweeter YA ghost story that still offers some great food for thought, I also highly recommend Haunting Joy by my cover designer and friend, Lena Goldfinch.

And for more music-to-book matching, I'd love for you to check out my "soundtracks" for Bleeding Heart and Forget Me Not! (You can find the YouTube videos for the songs on my Pinterest boards HERE and HERE, respectively.)

Happy reading and listening!

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Day 6: Seasonal Challenge

Well, it's Day 6 of the #ReadingCram Read-a-thon - hard to believe! I've only completed 2 books so far (my reviews: Barefoot Summer and Elusive Hope), but I've started a third and will keep chugging along.

While I haven't participated in all of the challenges, you can find some of my responses on Twitter, and I'll keep posting a few here, as well. Today's challenge is a seasonal one, and you know I can't miss that! ;) The goal is to share four book recommendations from books read in 2013:

Recommend a Book for a Snow Day

The Ryn by Serena Chase

The book begins in winter and involves a heart-warming, colorful fairytale perfect for a snowy day curled up by the fire. (For those of you who actually get much snow, of course!) You can read my full review HERE.

Recommend a Book for a Rainy Day

 Mistaken by Karen Barnett

What's better for a rainy day than a historical romantic suspense set in the Pacific Northwest? (Lots and lots of rain in this part of the country.) You can read my full review HERE. And another book I can recommend that's in a similar vein and setting (albeit contemporary) is Love's Refuge by one of my editing/publicity clients, Sandra Leesmith. 

Recommend a Book for a Beach Day

Songstone by Lena Goldfinch

My favorite of Lena's books so far, and one I had the pleasure of editing and promoting this past summer! This is a fantasy romance set on a fictional island in the Pacific, complete with descriptive beach and jungle scenes.

Recommend a Book for a Spooky Night

Recalled by Cambria Hebert

This book is for sure one of my faves of 2013. While it's not chills-running-up-your-spine spooky, it does involve G.R. (the Grim Reaper) and a mission to send someone to their death. So...yeah! (It's surprisingly touching and sweet, though, and I absolutely loved the story! Note that there is a bit of language.) You can read more of my thoughts on the book HERE. I can also recommend Paranormalcy (a fun paranormal read) and The Memory Game (a tragic but intriguing ghost story, albeit with some more language).

What would be your seasonal recommendations from 2013?

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Day 1: TBR Challenge

Today is the first day of the Reading Cram Read-a-thon! I really need to focus this week on rewrites/edits for Forget Me Not so I can send the manuscript to my proofreader ASAP, but I also really need to catch up on my review reading - so here's hoping this challenge will help motivate me to meet my reading goals! (By the way, if you're following me on Twitter, I apologize for the excess of tweets recently and to come. You'll probably be seeing lots of #1K1Hr and #ReadingCram hashtags this next week...)

Anywho, today's blogging challenge just involves sharing a list of the books you want to read during the read-a-thon. My goal is 10, and here are the 10 books I *think* I'm going to try to read (although this list isn't set in stone):

#1 Barefoot Summer

 

#2 Elusive Hope

#3 Wishing on Willows 

#4 A Noble Groom

#5 Burning Sky

#6 Dragonwitch

#7 All in Good Time

#8 Mountain Homecoming

#9 Under a Blackberry Moon

#10 Welcome to Last Chance

I also need to finish Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz and read Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta, Pilgrimage of Promise by Cathy Bryant, and Eddie Would Go by Stuart Coleman (which a pen pal let me borrow forever ago - so it's way overdue for a read!). So I might substitute one of these for a book on the list...but either way, I want to get all these done by the end of the year, as I'm already starting to get review books for 2014, and I have a lot of "for fun" books on my Kindle and in TBR stacks that I want to get to!

If you're participating in this read-a-thon, be sure to post about what you hope to read and enter the giveaway at Juliababyjen's Reading Room! And whether or not you're participating, do share what book you're going to read next!

Reading Cram Read-a-thon Sign-Up!

I heard about this read-a-thon on Twitter via Crystal (@Abooklovingirl)...and if you saw my last post, you know this is perfect for me since I was hoping to play catch-up on my review reading over the next month! Here are the details:

• Who: Open to everyone with a social media account!
• What: A read-a-thon for getting a lot of reading done in a short-ish amount of time
• When: December 9th-22nd
• Where: Hosted by JuliaBabyJen's Reading Room and Danasquare; list of daily post-hosts can be found HERE
• Why: To challenge yourself, catch up on some reading, and have fun with other readers

Since I'll be hosting a blog tour in December (sign-ups are still open), and there might be other things to post, I probably won't do all of the daily challenges. But I probably won't be able to resist some of them - like spine poetry, which is just too fun!

I think I'll challenge myself to read 10 books during that time. (I have at least 13 I'd like to finish by the end of the year, but since there's a little time before and after the challenge, here's hoping I'll get it all done!)

You can follow the read-a-thon tweets via the #ReadingCram hashtag. And if you'd like to join us, you can sign up for the read-a-thon HERE!