Welcome to The Book Report where we run down everything that happened in the month and update you on challenges, giveaways, reviews and more!
Shari’s Update
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It was a busy time with my family and of course I just ran out of time to bake! Did you get everything you wanted?
My challenges for 2018 crept up on me and I was in a hurry to hit my reading goal. Reading often took over any of my spare time and I made it! In fact I hit all of my challenges except for one. I just couldn’t get back into the series I picked!
Sophia Rose set up a new event daring us to read thriller books. Well I have three I have read that might fit, but I am still looking for that perfect thriller for the event. I will list the link to the details and the way to sign up for the event for January 2019.
The 5th Annual Great Pick Up Line Event Sign Up is available! Authors or their assistants can sign up at the following form: http://delightedreader.com/sign-up-the-great-pickup-line-2019/
If you are a blogger and want to join, we would love to host your favorite pick up line with a link back to your blog. We enjoyed doing this so much last year!
We have some great plans for 2019 and these are just the first two events!
My Reading Breakdown: 0 NetGalleys (94%), 2 Free Books, 1 Kindle Unlimited, 11 purchased books, 1 audio book, 15 read total, 4 reviews written.
Challenges
The Series That Never Ends: 4/5 – 80%
Bad Boys of Romance: 25/25 – DONE
Literary Pickers: 51/50 – DONE
Books ‘N Tunes: 33/25 – DONE
Review Writing: 56/50 – DONE
Reading Challenge: 137/135 – DONE
Sign-ups open for: Bad Boys Reading Challenge, Writing Reviews Challenge, The Series that Never Ends Challenge, Books N Tunes Challenge, Literary Pickers Reading Challenge, I Dare You Thriller, and The Great Pick Up Line
Sophia Rose’s Update
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Like many of you, I was caught up in the frenzy of holiday prep and activities. I do enjoy it for the most part even if there is added stress and I nod off when I sit still long enough. We’re hoping to spend Christmas Eve with my husband’s large family over at his sister’s new house for potluck dinner and the family White Elephant Gift Exchange. Then, Christmas day is ours to sleep in, brunch, and get around the tree in the afternoon. We are not go-getters for New Year’s Eve and spend that in our PJs at home with movies, games, snacks, and maybe we make it to midnight and maybe we don’t. What’s your New Year’s tradition?
This month, I participated in the Herding Cats Burning Soup’s Christmas Recipe Card Exchange and my exchange partner was Melissa from Arkansas. I sent her my crockpot Lemon Chicken and Rice recipe and she sent me her Chicken Macaroni. Guess we’re a pair of chicken lovers. HeHe!
COYER (Clean Off Your E-Reader) Winter Challenge began on December 1st. My goal for this three month challenge was to read 30 ebooks/audios. Whelp, it has become apparent that I aimed too low. I’m already at 16 books and this is just the middle of December when I’m typing this. So, I’m going to be cocky and double my goal to 60 books. There is still time to join if you wish. Here’s the link: https://coyerchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/11/coyer-winter-2018-going-back-to-basics.html
I have also done my usual madcap signing up for 2019 reading challenges which I will share in a separate post. Feel free to ask me about a challenge recommendation. Haha!
And, BREAKING NEWS! The invitations to participate in our annual The Great Pick-Up Line went out to authors/assistants/publishers this past week. Love seeing all the fun meet up quotes and encountering familiar and new to me authors and books.
I would also like to extend an invitation to our blogger/reviewer friends to participate in The Great Pick Up Line event like we did last year for the first time. If you are interested in participating with your favorite romance pair meet up quote, let Shari or I know in a comment or a message and we’ll get with you about details. We’d like to showcase about a dozen of our reader pals this year.
Did you see the new event we unveiled? I am particularly jazzed about it. I Dare You Throwdown: Thriller Edition takes place near the end of January and we would love for you to join in with us.
Onward to December’s reading details…
READING TOTAL: 43 books, short stories, and novellas
I will share my favorite reads for the year in a separate post.
READING BREAKDOWN: 5 Net Galley (98%), 15 publisher/author requests, 15 TBR pile, 1 library, 7 Kindle Unlimited, 8 new to me authors, 2 DNFs, 11 new to me series, 6 end of series
READING CHALLENGE UPDATE:
Unconventional Bookworm’s New Release: 212/200 books COMPLETED
Delighted Reader’s Series: 12/12 books COMPLETED
Simply Angela’s Outlander: 2/2 books COMPLETED
My Reader’s Block’s Mt. TBR: 123/150 books
Austenesque Lovers: 77/75 books COMPLETED
Herding Cats Burning Soup’s Blogger Shame: 9 books COMPLETED
Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer’s Audio: 98/100 books
Under the Covers’ Romance Roundabout: 15/15 categores of 5 books each COMPLETED
COYER Winter: 16/60 books
My final numbers in all the Reading Challenges and Readathons for 2018 will be in two separate posts.
Hope you had a wonderful year of reading and challenges. I sure did. Next year, we have some fun things planned here at Delighted Reader and I hope you can participate.
Sign-ups open for: Bad Boys Reading Challenge, Writing Reviews Challenge, The Series that Never Ends Challenge, Books N Tunes Challenge, Literary Pickers Reading Challenge, I Dare You Thriller, and The Great Pick Up Line
So, what are your plans for Christmas and New Year’s Eve? How’d you do on your reading this year? Do Tell!
This Month’s Reviews
Did you miss a review? No fear! Here’s what we wrote about.
- [1 Dec] Cowboy Honor by Carolyn Brown ★★★★
- [2 Dec] Minder Rising by Carol Van Natta ★★★★½
- [3 Dec] My Forever Home by Debbie Burns ★★★
- [4 Dec] My Favorite Half Night Stand by ★★★★½
- [6 Dec] A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh ★★★★
- [7 Dec] Hothar's Folly by Gail Koger ★★★★
- [8 Dec] The Cottage on Rose Lane by Hope Ramsay ★★★★½
- [9 Dec] A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews ★★★★
- [11 Dec] A Merry Monster Holiday by Ani Gonzalez ★★★½
- [12 Dec] My Ghostly Valentine by Ani Gonzalez ★★★★
- [12 Dec] Newness and Wonder by Alexis Lynne ★★★★
- [13 Dec] Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh ★★★★
- [14 Dec] Undercover Amish by Ashley Emma
- [16 Dec] Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey ★★★★
- [16 Dec] A Bone to Pick by Melinda Leigh ★★★★
- [17 Dec] Pico's Crush by Carol Van Natta ★★★★
- [18 Dec] Here Comes the Witch by Ani Gonzalez ★★★★
- [19 Dec] Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas ★★★★
- [21 Dec] Christmas Light by Jolyse Barnett
- [22 Dec] Fortune Favors the Witch by Ani Gonzalez ★★★★
- [23 Dec] Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews ★★★★
- [24 Dec] Some Like It Witchy by Ani Gonzalez ★★★★
- [25 Dec] Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon ★★★★½
- [25 Dec] A Very Merry Witchmas by Ani Gonzalez ★★★½
- [26 Dec] Jumper's Hope by Carol Van Natta ★★★★½
- [27 Dec] The Christmas Countdown by Ani Gonzalez ★★★½
- [28 Dec] Finding Forever by Taryn Elliott, Cari Quinn ★★★½
- [29 Dec] Rock Reclaimed by ★★★★½
- [29 Dec] Rock Redemption by ★★★★
- [30 Dec] Camouflage by ★★★★
- [30 Dec] The Magical Curiosity Shoppe by Ani Gonzalez ★★★★
- [31 Dec] Muffin Top by Avery Flynn ★★★½
- [31 Dec] Strawberry Hill by Catherine Anderson ★★★½
Shari
Latest posts by Shari (see all)
- Spotlight, Excerpt, and Giveaway: Jackson by LaQuette - February 25, 2021
- The Book Report January 2021 - January 31, 2021
- Holiday Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway! Joy to the Wolves by Terry Spear - December 10, 2020
- The Book Report November 2020 - December 1, 2020
- Review: Tied by Carian Cole - October 22, 2020
You both did well in your challenges. I made a goal to read 100 books this year but didn’t make it. Only got to 81. I’m setting the same goal for next year so hopefully I will make it.
Thanks, Mary! It is fun to hit the challenge number when you can. Yay for giving it another go in 2019. I am determined to conquer that 150 of TBR pile books, too. 🙂
Goodluck Mary! I worked all the way till the end to get my goals done. I need to plan better, lol.
Overall you both did very good! Happy new year!
Thanks, Carole! There were definitely some great reads last month. 🙂
Sounds like you both had great reading years. And challenges. I signed up for my first challenge ever for this year. Audiobooks. We will see if I can handle that one! Happy New Year to you both!
I love that you’re doing the challenge, too, Lorna. 🙂 We’ll have fun.