Literary Christmas: More Festive Reads

Hope you all had a wonderful and merry Christmas yesterday! Today I wanted to catch up on posting for the Literary Christmas challenge (hosted by In the Bookcase). This month I re-read a couple books, which were both on my list for the challenge, and I also read a book that—while not specifically Christmas-y—takes place mostly in December and the holiday season. :)

A Cliché Christmas by Nicole Deese

Learn more about the book on Amazon.

I believe the first time I read this was in Kindle ebook format, so it was neat to be able to read and enjoy the print copy from my shelf this time around! This is a great romance with plenty of bantering, misunderstanding, engaging scenes, and a sweet amount of depth. It's a case of the heroine falling in love once again with an old flame and her old hometown, but with new hopes and an expanded heart. I'm glad to have this on my shelf and think I'd like to revisit it again some future holiday season. 

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The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks by Cindy Vincent

Learn more about the book on the author's website.

It was great fun to revisit this story simply as a reader (whereas the first time around I was viewing it as an editor)! The characters are so cute, and the book is full of Christmas heart and cheer. One of the cats learns all about Christmas for the first time, and it's so sweet to see the season afresh through his eyes. I finished re-reading this the night of Christmas Eve, which was a great way to end the day, as the book's conclusion is full of love and generosity. :)

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Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

Learn more about the book on the author's website.

This book has been on my shelf for a bit, and this month I picked it up to give it a try. It's definitely fitting to read in December, as most of the book takes place in the weeks leading up to Christmas (although it continues on into spring). It's not a fast or terribly exciting read, but I'm heading into a similar season of life as the one the heroine experiences (with her first child), and I found the characters' dilemmas and life lessons and interactions compelling. The Christmas elements add a sweet touch, from community events to the family's preparations and celebration. I don't necessarily feel a huge urge to read the rest of the series, but overall I enjoyed this one, and perhaps I'll want to read it again sometime.

(You can see the series order HERE. Tending Roses is book 1.)

Literary Christmas: Clara's Soldier and One Enchanted Eve (Christmas Novellas)

Yay for the start of December! Last night I finished reading Clara's Soldier, and even though this novella and One Enchanted Eve weren't on my original list for the Literary Christmas challenge (hosted by In the Bookcase), I thought I'd still share some quick thoughts. :) 

I picked up these Kindle ebooks while they were free on Amazon recently, and I enjoyed both! It was fun to try out some additional Christmas reading material, and these are well-written stories.

Clara's Soldier by Brittany Fichter

(currently $2.99 for Kindle)

Learn more about the book on the author's website. 

My knowledge of The Nutcracker is rather limited, but even the little elements I'm familiar with made this a neat retelling. Clara's Soldier is a bittersweet post-war story, a historical that takes an interesting turn late at night on Christmas Eve. When I started the story, I found the writing style engaging and the main characters endearing. But then when the story took that interesting turn, I found the plot rather strange and confusing, making me wonder if I wanted to "soldier on." I did, and I'm glad. :) While those mid-story scenes can be somewhat hard to follow, the novella as a whole is thoughtful and sweet, focused on commitment and compassion and hope. A clever, different, and romantic little read for the holiday season.

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One Enchanted Eve by Melissa Tagg

(currently $1.99 for Kindle)

Learn more about the book on the author's website.

It's been a while since I read the first novella in this collection, but this second installment is a lot of fun while featuring the author's trademark small-town atmosphere as the main setting. Being a big fan of Food Network and what I've seen of The Great British Baking Show (earlier seasons), I enjoyed the baking angle to this story! While I wasn't completely wowed by what Rylan produces in the kitchen, I was charmed by her growth and how she opens up. There's some seriousness in the midst of the bantering between her and Colin, some big decisions and revelations for both of them to make. The turn-arounds and progress seem to happen in a rather short amount of time, but such is the satisfying nature of a novella. :) I especially liked how the story celebrates family, and I found this to be a happy-but-not-without-difficulties Christmas-season read!

Literary Christmas: The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall (Plus a Kindle eBook Freebie!)

Happy Friday, friends! I finished reading my first book for the Literary Christmas Reading Challenge (hosted by In the Bookcase) last night, so I thought I'd share some quick thoughts. :)

Learn more about the book on the author's website.

I wasn't 100% sure whether or not I had read The Sound of Sleigh Bells before...but it definitely felt like a new experience either way! I really liked the length of it (almost 200 pages in hardcover format)—not too long to be a quick seasonal read, but also not super short. As the story got started, I was concerned about the role of deception, how it might be treated like it's no big deal if the ends justify the means. But given Cindy Woodsmall's deeper writing, I shouldn't have assumed that would be the case! I'm grateful for the way the story ultimately confronts different kinds of lies and celebrates the freedom of truth.

This isn't a lighthearted Christmas read; it begins in the spring and ends in the winter, and it tackles a painful emotional journey along the way. The heroine's personality and coping mechanisms sometimes rubbed me wrong, but she's still a likable character beneath that, and it's hard not to love the hero. All in all, I found this to be an engaging book with sweet characters and a hard-won romance.

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In other Christmas novella news, yesterday I discovered that one of Melissa Tagg's holiday reads is FREE for Kindle right now! I really enjoyed the first novella in the series, One Enchanted Christmas, which I included on my Favorite Books of 2015 list. So I was excited to snatch up the second novella. :) Here's a graphic the author shared on Facebook, indicating the deals last through November 24, 2019:

One Enchanted Christmas (book 1): $.99 for Kindle

One Enchanted Eve (book 2): FREE for Kindle

One Enchanted Noel (book 3): $2.99 for Kindle

Happy Christmas reading, everyone!

Literary Christmas Reading Challenge 2019 (Signing Up and Sharing My List!)

I found out about the Literary Christmas Reading Challenge through Hamlette (author Rachel Kovaciny) at her blog The Edge of the Precipice. (Thank you for posting about it, Rachel!) I've had plans to read/reread a few Christmas books this year, and I thought it would be fun to join this lovely challenge and highlight the books I'm revisiting.

Also, isn't the banner so pretty and festive??

The challenge is hosted by Tarissa at In the Bookcase. Here are the details:

• Pick a Christmas book (or more than one!) to read or reread this holiday season.
• Sign up by posting about the challenge on your blog or a social media account.
• Link your post to Tarissa's main challenge post HERE.
• Post about the book(s) you read and link up those posts, too, to share the book love!

The challenge takes place November 8 through December 31, 2019. You can learn more and find all of Tarissa's challenge posts at In the Bookcase.

Tarissa is also hosting a really neat giveaway for US residents! You don't have to participate in the challenge to enter, but you can get extra entries in the drawing if you do. :) Click the image below to check it out...

Here's what I'm planning to read for the challenge:

The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall

I actually started reading this the other day, so I'm already through a couple chapters. :) My uncle gave me a copy last year, I believe, and this is one of those books that I'm not quite sure if I've read before or not... I have read a few other books by this author, which I've enjoyed, and whether this is a new-to-me read or an old-but-not-terribly-familiar friend, I'm looking forward to continuing this story!

A Cliché Christmas by Nicole Deese

This book basically made my favorites list for 2015, although I technically read it in 2014. Here's what I said back then: "This poor book fell through the cracks, as I read it after I announced my favorites of 2014, but before 2015 officially began. I have to mention it now, though, because I marked it as a favorite back then and found it to be a delightful Christmas romance. I'm thinking a re-read might be in order at some point."

So, here we are! It's been about five years, so I think a reread is definitely warranted. :)

The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks by Cindy Vincent

This was my introduction to the delightful Cindy Vincent and her books back in 2013, and I loved it! I enjoyed editing this little gem, which features two lovable cat detectives, and then hosting a blog tour for the book. This year I'd like to revisit this precious installment of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers and experience the Christmas charm once again.

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I don't plan to write full reviews of these books, but I'm hoping to at least share a few thoughts and highlight the stories again during the challenge!

Don't forget, if you'd like to participate in the challenge, check out In the Bookcase. I'd love to know if you sign up and what Christmas books are on your reading list this year!

*Banner and giveaway image are from In the Bookcase.

{Something Old, Something New} June Picks

{Something Old, Something New} Challenge

Well, I've made very little progress on this challenge in quite some time! But I figured with the arrival of summer and a new month, I'd give it another go. :)

While I hope to read more than these two books this month, I want to spotlight these picks...

I am incredibly behind on the poignant Tales of Goldstone Woods fantasy series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, so I plan to (finally!) read through Dragonwitch, which is where I left off. I own the books that follow after that one (Shadow Hand in paperback and the other three in ebook format), and I'd love to catch up again! Plus, I totally owe Anne Elisabeth and Bethany House reviews for Dragonwitch and Shadow Hand, so, um, I should get on that! 

And I have been waiting FOREVER (or at least a very long time) for another book by Heather Dixon, author of a favorite of mine: Entwined. I pre-ordered Illusionarium (squee!) and plan to read it during our family vacation. Can't wait!!

{Something Old}

Acquired Summer 2013

Who will dare to face the Dragonwitch?

Submissive to her father’s will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves–Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country.

But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta’s tutor and friend, possesses a secret so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the North Country into civil war.

And far away in a hidden kingdom, a fire burns atop the Temple of the Sacred Flame. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches for the sword that slew her twice…and for the one person who can wield it.

Amazon | Goodreads

{Something New}

Acquired Spring 2015

What if the world holds more dangers—and more wonders—than we have ever known? And what if there is more than one world? From Heather Dixon, author of the acclaimed Entwined, comes a brilliantly conceived adventure that sweeps us from the inner workings of our souls to the far reaches of our imaginations.

Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind The Night Circus and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.

Amazon | Goodreads

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Planning on enjoying any "old" or "new" books this month? You can learn more about this reading challenge at PidginPea's Book Nook!

Are You Up for a Game of Catch-Up?

The start of a new year (or month or week) is always a fitting time to get yourself organized and begin anew, right? So this afternoon I want to take a bit of time to catch up on a few things and let you know my bookish catch-up plans for 2015...

Winners

From Lena Goldfinch's Christmas giveaway, we had four winners!

1. Grand Prize (paperback + earrings): bn100
2. Runner-Up (ebook): Wendy N.
3. Runner-Up (ebook): Merry
4. Runner-Up (ebook): Shelley S.

And everyone's a winner with a romantic short story for only $.99, right? :) Congratulations, winners!

Regarding a previous giveaway winner, I have a big, shameful confession to make. While talking with a friend this weekend about where authors get character names, I mentioned that some authors hold contests for readers to help name their characters. A spark of memory went off in my head. Wait... Didn't I do one of those?

Ummm...yes, and to my great embarrassment, I went back and looked at that post today and realized that I hadn't included the winning name in How a Star Falls. So I offer my sincerest apologies to the winner (Carissa), and will do my utmost not to forget to include the lovely name Rose in my next published story!

Books

I really ought to review more of the books I read, even if a lot of them are "just for fun." I mean, as an author, I know that the more reviews, the merrier! They can be both helpful and encouraging. So I hope to try harder to review most of the books I read this time around. I have some scheduled reviews coming up over the next few months for books I've agreed to review, but be on the lookout for some snack size reviews for some of for-fun books, too. :) (And don't forget that you can always check out my ratings for books on Shelfari or Goodreads.)

Also, I came across this super cute and clever reading challenge that seems very doable and addresses another reading problem I have: the never-ending TBR that just keeps on growing.

I'm joining the {Something Old, Something New} Challenge hosted by PidginPea's Book Nook! I'm going to stick with the two-book plan. Even though I'll hopefully get to read more than that amount each month (not including work-related reading or for-review reading), I like the idea of picking two books from my shelves to commit to and enjoy.

For the purposes of more often turning to my current collection for reading material, I'm going to have both the "something old" and "something new" options come from my TBR shelf - the difference being that "something old" will be a book I acquired a year or more ago, while "something new" will be a book I acquired within the past year. Hope that makes sense!

My January 2015 picks are...

{Something Old}
Acquired Fall 2010

Can a Canaanite harlot who has made her livelihood by looking desirable to men make a fitting wife for one of the leaders of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible's answer is yes. Pearl in the Sand tells Rahab's untold story. Rahab lives in a wall; her house is built into the defensive walls of the City of Jericho. Other walls surround her as well—walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness. A woman with a wrecked past; a man of success, of faith...of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another's worth and find healing in God.

Amazon | Goodreads

{Something New}

Acquired Winter 2014

From Award-Winning, Young Adult author Rajdeep Paulus comes the sequel to Swimming Through Clouds, a powerful reminder that life is a battle you don't fight alone.

"I live in the in between. Between yesterday and forever. The way forward haunts me. The gap I must cover daunts me. And hope beckons, 'Run to me,' but I just learned to walk."

After a lifetime of abuse, the Vanderbilt siblings flee their home, finally free to pursue new dreams while running from yesterday's nightmares. Once bed-ridden Jesse navigates the Chicago streets, concealing his identity and planning revenge. A chance encounter in the rain introduces a girl who offers Jesse a glimpse of a sunnier future, but how will he weather the growing storm inside himself?

Separated from her Post-it note prince, Talia hides at a safe house for survivors of domestic violence while her father turns the city upside-down to find her. Surrounded by women fighting their own demons, Talia faces her past at every turn.

Amazon | Goodreads

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Watch for my reviews later this month! And please check out PidginPea's Book Nook if you'd like to join this fun challenge. :)

Review Copy Cleanup Conclusion and 2014 Goals Update

Review Copy Cleanup Conclusion

So... *cough cough* I think my goals for this challenge were a little unrealistic, LOL. What with book projects and life and for-fun books that I just couldn't wait to read, I only managed to finish 3 review books out of the 11 on my list (Fly Away Home, The Thief, and Circle of Spies - all fabulous reads!). Not to mention that I've since added several more review books to my piles... Oh, well!

I've decided I need to take this thing in more manageable chunks. Maybe in March I'll try to finish 4 print books for review and 3 e-books... Or maybe we'll just see how it goes. ;) Either way, you can pretty much count on the fact that I'll be reading something!

2014 Goals Update

You can find my goals post from the beginning of the year HERE.

Personal:

• Still nothing new to report on the job front. With being an author, freelance editor/publicist, occasional assistant to my dad, blogger/reviewer, and family girl, I haven't really been bored! I've still got to find a way to manage my time better, though.

• Here's the breakdown in the book department:
• Bought 3 Kindle e-books - didn't surpass my limit there! Of course, one was a collection of 7 books, but it was only $.99... And of course this isn't counting the freebies. However, I did also purchase 1 paperback yesterday, but I'm counting that toward my March purchases - I just got a little antsy. ;)
• Requested 4 books for review: 1 e-ARC, 2 e-books from the authors (one has  yet to be sent, though), and 1 paperback that actually came as a surprise, but I'm not complaining! OK, technically there was another request in there that I haven't heard back on, so I'm not really counting on it at this point. So yeah, I guess I ended up failing a bit in this department, LOL.

• The reviews are coming along well! I like having the snack-size option so that not all of my reviews have to be super in-depth. Again, I have a few exceptions for reviews, but otherwise, I'm trying to review almost every book I read.

• Ah, exercise... Yeah, I kind of fell behind on that. The nice thing is, though, that I got outside a *bit* more and varied my activities due to having a guest staying with us, attending a Western-themed dinner dance, etc. 

• I didn't end up sending a letter that last week of January, but I've been keeping up with the letter-writing since then. Can I just say I love adding wax seals to them? Kudos to the creative Jessica Dotta for getting me hooked on that. ;) My mom found the wax and seals at Michaels.

Publishing:

• This was another fairly big month on the publishing front! There was the blog tour for Forget Me Not, a Kindle Countdown Deal for Bleeding Heart, navigating the audiobook question, publishing Bellflower as a free e-book on Smashwords, and finally starting Morning Glory (and signing up for the DOOM writing challenge for March and April!). March should prove to be another busy month, but I'm starting to realize that's just life as an author. ;)

February was a rather fun month, overall. With the FMN blog tour, Valentine's Day (visiting my grandpa at the care home and watching Sleepless in Seattle with the fam), that Western dinner/dance, having a family friend visit, eating out quite a bit, another game night with friends - yep, good times! A cold caught me at the end of the month, but nothing some chicken noodle soup couldn't soothe, right?

How was February for you? What are you looking forward to in March?

Review Copy Cleanup 4.0 Sign-Up!

I saw blogging friend Abbi (Christian Novels) sign up for this one, and while I didn't have a ton of success with the read-a-thons I participated in this last December (although they were great fun!), I'd like to try again to catch up on my review reading. Some poor review books have been languishing in my review TBR stack for far too long... Here are the details for this reading challenge:

• Who: Open to bloggers who receive books for review
• What: A reading challenge for catching up on review reading
• When: February 1st-28th
• Where: Hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea and Nyx Book Reviews 
• Why: To make a dent in your review TBR and have fun with other reviewers 

February is going to be busy (honestly, when aren't we all busy? LOL) with the Forget Me Not blog tour at the start of the month, preparations for at least two blog tours in March (sign-ups are still open for both: Lena's Sweet Spring Reads Blog Tour and The Paris Connection Blog Tour), editing projects, hopefully getting a good start on Morning Glory, etc. But I would love to catch up on my review reading as much as possible. At least the read-a-thons in December helped me whittle down my review TBR pile a bit, and I haven't been requesting too many new books (although I can't seem to stop myself entirely!). So here's hoping!

Here are the review books I'd like to read/review during the challenge:

Paperback

  
The books are: Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House), All in Good Time by Maureen Lang (Tyndale Blog Network), Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta (from author), Mountain Homecoming by Sandra Robbins (Harvest House), Burning Sky by Lori Benton (from author), Under a Blackberry Moon by Serena B. Miller (Goodreads First Reads giveaway), and The Thief by Stephanie Landsem (Litfuse Publicity Group).

I haven't received The Thief yet, but it should be coming soon since the tour is supposed to start at the end of February.

E-book

The books are: Pilgrimage of Promise by Cathy Bryant (from author), Fly Away Home by Rachel Heffington (from author), Circle of Spies by Roseanna M. White (NetGalley), and Remnants by Lisa T. Bergren (NetGalley).

The last two aren't really crucial, as their publication dates are in April, but I'm looking forward to both and will probably be tempted to read them sooner anyway! ;)

You can follow the challenge tweets via the #RCCleanup hashtag. And if you'd like to join us, you can sign up for the reading challenge HERE!

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 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!

End of Summer Push

Have you seen the "Currently on My Desk" feature in the sidebar (courtesy of Goodreads)? There are some books that have been in that section for a long, long time. I really need some motivation to get some reading done - and not just any reading, but reading that I ought to have finished a long, long time ago.

Hence, the "End of Summer Push." It's a reading challenge for me, along with anyone else who might be in the same boat. I noticed there's something kind of like this already going on, called the Review Copy Cleanup. So if you think that might be for you, it sounds like a good idea! The host is planning on having some readathons and Twitter parties to keep everyone going.

As for me, I'm kind of doing my own thing. I have certain books I want to read this month to "catch up" on the reviews I own some authors/publishers. To motivate myself, I've decided that every time I finish one of those books (and write the corresponding review) I will allow myself to watch an episode of one of my favorite T.V. shows, Christy, which I own on DVD. And since I've seen the episodes multiple times, I give myself permission to work on some cross-stitching while I watch, if I'm feeling up to it. ;)

Here's my list of books that I want to read/finish reading and review this month:

• My Prince Will Come (devotional)
• Prophet (fantasy)
• The Dawn of a Dream (historical romance)
• The Dunn Deal (mystery)
• Harvest of Rubies (biblical fiction)
• Through Rushing Waters (e-book; historical)
• High Desert Haven (e-book; historical romance)
• The Face of Heaven (historical Amish) 
• Angel of the Cove (historical romance)
• Keowee Valley (secular historical romance; September review)
• A Bride's Dilemma in Friendship, Tennessee (historical romance)

The last three aren't super pressing, but it would be nice to get them done, too! Oh, and there are a couple of books I already finished, but reviews are forthcoming!

I could probably do all this without blogging about it, but I thought this would help keep me accountable. It might also help explain the large amount of reviews (hopefully!) that will be posted this month. And after the "End of Summer Push" (which will last through the month of August), I'm looking forward to celebrating with you and some dear author friends during the "End of Summer Bash" the first week of September! Fun author interviews and giveaways - it should be a good time! (Feel free to grab the button in the sidebar if you want to help spread the word!)

Also during this month (I guess I tend to dream big...), I'm hoping to read some C.S. Lewis books and post about them for my "Where the Past Meets the Present" feature over on The Borrowed Book blog. (Thank you to Bluerose for some of my reading material!) So head on over there Mondays to see what I'm up to in that reading department. ;)

My brain feels like it's been running a mile a minute with ideas for blogging and starting a business and reading and more... Hope you can make sense out of my recent blog posts! And be on the lookout for more blog posts (including book reviews!) to come soon!

Contentment Reading Challenge 2011

I know it's not quite 2011 yet, but in preparation for the coming year I have decided to put together my own reading challenge. I'm really excited about it, and I would love for you to join me!

I don't know if there are any rules for creating reading challenges, and I don't know if my reading challenge is really that unique, but the "Contentment Reading Challenge" I'm hosting is one that is based on something I need to work on in my life--being content with what I have. It's a struggle for sure, but I truly have so much to be thankful for! In light of eternity, all of the "stuff" I have has no lasting value in and of itself. If the stories I read turn me to God and remind me of His truths, then they have value in that sense.

But I digress. ;) The point is that I have so many wonderful books, but I'm constantly thinking about what new books I can get my hands on. So the "Contentment Reading Challenge" is one where I (and anyone who cares to join me) will be re-reading some of the books that I already own. I'm looking forward to re-visiting some of my favorite books!

If you'd like to join the challenge or just read more about it, click on the "Contentment Reading Challenge" page link in my sidebar. I've enabled comments for that page so anyone can join, ask questions, or just leave feedback about the challenge. Hope you get a chance to check it out!

Also, throughout the year I'm hoping to have posts dedicated to this reading challenge. It would be great if we could make this a fun, group effort! This challenge officially starts on January 1, 2011. Can't wait to hear what you think!