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Regina wrote: "Broken is a good story. I hope you like it!

Wow Pride Mates is that good, did you end up staying up all night?

Can you believe I have never read Annr Rice."

I have like 3 chapters to go! I did stay up until almost 4 am and got up about 11 am. It is a surprise! I think I like PM because it is so different. Shifters are marked and opressed. I never would have thought, but you have to love them. Well, most! I am finishing right now, so I will review and let you know!

OK! I finished today 7/24/11. It was GREAT! I give it ★★★★�. It was a totally different kind of shifters book. First a Human Lawyer Kim, comes to a shifter bar to talk to a man who is in the know about shifters. Liam - hot faecat shifter. He talks to her and offers her protection because shifters don't like humans... well, kinda sorta... She is defending a shifter Brian who is in prison for murder & she needs witnesses etc. No one wants to talk to her.

Things happen & she is blindly mated to Liam. This book describes the rules and ways of shifters etc., and has so many things going on that are different from all shifter books.

hifters all have to wear metal collars that look like the ones on the cover. It embeds in their skin yada yada. It was made by fae to keep shifters peaceful and not able to get mad & fight. Shifters can't buy anything new at all, except clothes and can't have internet unless its dial up, slow computers and no sattellite TV. They have to live in their own community as well.

The story itself is really good, because it is full of surprises, and sometimes kind of sad. I did not really liked the oppressed part, but I think this book is headed somewhere with that. It will get better as the story moves on.

I gave it 5 stars because it kept me going, and there is so much that can happen in this series, that it could go on forever. Liam was HOT too! I would take him or his brother anyday with their Irish accents and all!

Sassy Amy that sounds really interesting!

I am liking Never Let Me Go alot so far.

I have a really silly question, how important is speed in Bingo? I am guessing it is important the closer we get to achieving Bingo?

At first speed isn't an issue. At minimum it will take 4 weeks to achieve BINGO (using the free space).

After that, if only one team has a possible BINGO, they just need to be sure and finish before the next shelf announcement. Speed would really be of importance if two teams have a possible BINGO from the same shelf announcement.

Previous Bingo my team was quite slow the first 1,5 month, yet in the end we managed to win (: If you're 1 book or so behind, it doesn't really matter, unless we're close to Bingo.

Okay, so reading a book over 4-5 days is acceptable?

Sorry, for my denseness, basically finishing a book (and posting the review) before the shelf announcment is the goal?

Yes - that would be the goal at this point.

Thank you!

Regina wrote: "Sorry, for my denseness, basically finishing a book (and posting the review) before the shelf announcment is the goal?"

Hi, Regina! I think I understand what your getting at. Yeah, that would be the goal -- to try to keep pace with the shelf announcements, if possible. As Celine and Daffodil said, at first it's not as important. Some people read faster than others. Real life gets in the way. If 4-5 days is a normal reading pace for you, you've got it made. ;D

ETA: Oops. Not fast enough. ;D

Yeah, I was kinda thinking about reading some of my chunky books in the early weeks, but now that some stuff is winding down at PBS, I have a list of about a dozen books I'm gonna need to read and mail soon! Luckily almost all of them are some sort of PnR, UF, or Sci-fi so I should be able to work them into the shelves here!

Thank you everyone. :) I just didn't know if I needed to read it the day or two after it was posted. Cool, I will be fine then. :)

Cindy (eclecticfirefly) wrote: "I have a list of about a dozen books I'm gonna need to read and mail soon!..."

One of the advantages of finishing early -- the chance to squeeze in books for other challenges. :)

OK! finished 7/25/11 I give it ★★★★. It was really good, but I guess I wasn't really in the mood for it.

This series is about a group of Highlander warriora who are possessed by gods and when the god comes they shift to different beings with different gifts.

It gets kind of complicated and confusing, but you get it after a while.

Soo, the premise is these warriors who are trying to fight an evil witch Deidre who is powerful and has armies of creatures and her own warriors. They hunt and capture other warriors and druids to make her even more powerful. She has several held captive in dungeons and pits she is trying to break so they will join her.

This book is about the love match of one of 3 brothers who are warriors. He saves another warrior who happens to be a woman, and all the romance is there, but the story is about everyones powers and the fight.

I wanted to hurry and finish, because I need something easy to read, not something complicated after the last book because of all the background, whose who etc.

My brain is fried, so I am rushing through this probably not making sense, but I may change it later when I read what I posted here. LOL!

Lol Sassy, I can understand that isn't the kind of book to rush through! It sounds really interesting though (:

WTG, Amy! Two bks down and I am still undecided on my bk for the first shelf. RL is crazy right now, so little reading and GR time. :/ But, I finally decided to read Dragon Bound for the 4-star shelf and find something else for my free space read.

I agree with everyone re: timing. I try to finish my bk before the next shelf is announced. Faster is fine, but unless bingo is possible, it's not necessary to fly thru the bk.

Hope everyone is having a great week! :)

Finished 7/26
4�

I really enjoyed this first book in the Iron Fey series. Going into it, I was expecting something like the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr but I ended up liking this more. I really liked the author's take on fae mythology along with her fascinating world building. The balance between plot and world building was almost perfect. There is plenty of action, adventure and a little romance to keep things interesting. Of course, it looks like the romance is going to be another dreaded love triangle and I have not decided if I'm Team Ash or Team Puck just yet. I will definitely read the next book in the series, The Iron Daughter.

Free Space
Finished: 1/6


Celine - Broken
Daffodil - Dragon Bound
Amanda
StephB
Regina - Ghost Story
✔Sassy (Amy) - Pride Mates 7/24 | 5� (message 102)



Shelf #1: 4 stars (B3)
Finished: 3/6

Celine - The Queen of the Damned
Daffodil - Ravenous
✔A³¾²¹²Ô»å²¹ - The Iron King 7/26 | 4â˜� (message 117)
âœÖÀ³Ù±ð±è³óµþ - Dragon Bound 7/29 | 5â˜� (message 133)
Regina - Never Let Me Go
✔Sassy (Amy) - Forbidden Highlander 7/25 | 4� (message 114)

Glad you liked both of your books, Amy! I have both of those series TBR. I think I'll move the Shifters Unbound series up after reading your review. :)

Hope RL gets calmer for you soon, Steph! I added your book to the list. I've heard wonderful things about Dragon Bound. Enjoy!

**Rule Clarification**

A couple of questions have come up related to books used for Bingo. Just in case you haven't seen the discussion on the Q&A pages, etc., we're posting it here. Happy reading!

* All books should be a minimum of 200 pgs. All others are more of a novella. This rule will be effective as of the 2nd shelf announcement, in case someone has already chosen and read one for shelf #1. (if you have read one for shelf #1, your read will count)

* No, graphic novels are not accepted.

Here is Steph's original announcement.

Thanks Amanda and Judithe. :) And way to go Amy and Amanda!

I am slowly getting into Never Let Me Go. I thought I would love it, but I am not loving it. My library is shipping my free book to my branch right now - -Ghost Story. :) I plan to be done with both by Sunday.

Judithe wrote: "**Rule Clarification**

A couple of questions have come up related to books used for Bingo. Just in case you haven't seen the discussion on the Q&A pages, etc., we're posting it here. Happy readi..."

I wish I had thought of short books! I always end up reading the 325 or above books!! LOL!!

Thanks, Amanda. Sexy list - me likey :) Movin' slow on my book (just no time), but I will be done before Sunday, promise!

Happy reading, Litwits!

They're more fun, anyway! Usually find I want MORE!!

I recently picked up a book with 900 pages. Sometimes that's a little bit too much (:

But I agree with the new rules. Reading a 75-page book is kind of cheating when speed is involved.

Just checking in.

I'm reading for the 4-star shelf. Just started this morning, but it will only take me a couple days at most.

I had started reading for my free-space, but I couldn't get into it. I'll probably pick up instead, which is what I had originally planned anyway. I should have stuck with my first instinct, but I needed a J author/title to finish a July challenge. Darn it.

Hope you enjoy Ravenous. Sorry 'bout your Cat book. Can your J author be first name or last only?

Here are some (not sure what you've read or have TBR). I'm on my phone so I can't add covers.

James, Allyson - Stormwalker series
Jasper, Elle - Afterlight
Jay, Stacey - Dead on the Delta
Jayne, Hannah - Under wraps
Julia Karr - XVI
Jennifer Ashley - Pride Mates series
Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Raised by Wolves series
Jenn Bennett - Kindling the Moon

The only book I can think of off the top of my head is Jacob (Nightwalkers #1).

Good luck w/the challenge. Hope that helps. :)

Duh! Just realized J first name ok, if you were tryin' to use Jeaniene. Ignore me, lack of sleep makes me dumb. ;)

Hi Ladybugs! I'm not normally this quiet. RL is craaazy right now. But, I am reading and really enjoying Dragon Bound. I will pop back when I know what I'll read for my FS book. Might not pick one up until next week though.

This week has FLOWN by for me (granted, it's only Thurs nite, but still). Hope everyone is having a good one and enjoying their books. I wonder - will they be 4� reads for us? :D

Thanks Steph. LOL.

I suddenly realized I'd read at the beginning of the month and Jory Strong was one of the contributing authors. "J for July" -- check.

Not sure what my problem with This Side of the Grave was, it just wasn't engaging my interest. Ravenous on the other hand is. I'm not done yet, I haven't read as much this month as I usually do, but I should finish tonight. Then I might give Grave another go. Glad to hear about Dragon Bound, it's on my radar for the next week.

:D Glad you got your J book and that you are enjoying Ravenous. I'm reaching the 1/2 point in DB slowly, but surely working my way thru it. Kinda feels like I'm being forced to savor it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. :)

Finished @ 29 July
Rating: ✮✮✮✮�+
Review:
I loved this book. I thought Thea did a great job with the character and world building. I'm intrigued by the different "Elder Races" and can't wait to learn more. There wasn't a single side character in this book that wouldn't love to read more about, they were funny, caring, and supportive. As far as the main characters - Dragos was a riot. He describes himself perfectly by saying, “I am cursed with a terminal case of curiosity,� he said. “I am jealous, selfish, acquisitive, territorial and possessive. I have a terrible temper, and I know I can be a cruel son of a bitch.� He cocked his head. “I used to eat people, you know.� The last part shows his great sense of humor. I loved how Thea showed him as being a humble man (the man has amassed extreme wealth and pulled his people together), but very self-assured. He's a leader of his people and they respect him. His fascination over Pia was also a great touch, it allowed us to see how living such a long life can cause you to lose interest and simple go through the motions of life. She awakens his sense of wonder and it was a joy to read about it. Pia is one of the most well-written heroines in PNR, IMO. She's strong, but admits when she's scared. She is a survivor. But, most of all, she calls Dragos on his "you're mine" comments and stands up to his aggressions in a way that most women in PNR do not do. Yes, they have their HEA, but they both work hard to get there.

I'll stop there, but I could go on and on about this book. I had little reading time and that frustrated me. But, it also forced me to savor the book and that made it all the more enjoyable. I can't wait to read #2, next week! :D

I'm still not sure which book I'll read for my free space. I need time to scour through the group lists and my shelves. Hope to have made a decision soon.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be posting the next shelf on Sunday, 31 July.

Steph wrote: "
Finished @ 29 July
Rating: ✮✮✮✮�+
Review:
I loved this book. I thought Thea did a great job with the character and world building. I'm intrigued by the different ..."

I'm glad you loved it! Me, too. :D Can't wait for next week!

In case you guys are interested, here's a spreadsheet I made to keep track of everyone's bingo cards. Then you don't have to go to every team thread to see how the other teams are doing in regards to chip placement. :)

:) Thanks, Christina. Can't wait for #2.

Thanks for the purdy spreadsheet, Miss Laura. :)

Bleh. I have been working 16 to 17 hour days all this week and I have to go in (surprise!) tomorrow. I promise I will catch up next week.

Yuck! Sorry, Regina. Hope all your hard work is appreciated at least. Good luck!

Ohh, that looks great Laura Lulu! Now I can secretly peek at other groups progress.

I hope you have some more spare time next week Regina. Your work must be very stressful ):

Steph wrote: "
Finished @ 29 July
Rating: ✮✮✮✮�+
Review:
I loved this book. I thought Thea did a great job with the character and world building. I'm intrigued by the different ..."

I am so glad you said you liked them! Now I have a new series! I bought them both with a gift card I had and now i can't wait to get them!

I like these challanges, because it's where I always find new authors and series to read. Thanks all!!

Our Next Shelf is: 'favorite series'
DIRECT LINK: 'favorite series'

Happy Reading!

GREAT!! I just decided to read:

I've owned it since it came out, but never read it!

Enjoy, Amy! :) It was a really fun book!

I think I'm going with for this shelf. I'll let ya know if I change my mind.

Hope everyone's doing well! Don't work too hard, Regina. Hope you're able to enjoy your weekend.

I am working all weekend. :( huge brief filing on Monday. Then back to normal!

I am really torn!

So here are my choices:

Tough choices Regina.....I still love LKH and Kelley Armstrong. The Karen Chance books are fabulous! You really should start that series soon....

I'm going to read for this week's shelf.

Free Space
Finished: 2/6


✔C±ð±ô¾±²Ô±ð - Broken 7/31 | 4â˜� (message 159)
Daffodil - Dragon Bound
Amanda
StephB
Regina - Ghost Story
✔Sassy (Amy) - Pride Mates 7/24 | 5� (message 102)



Shelf #1: 4 stars (B3)
Finished: 4/6

Celine - The Queen of the Damned
✼·²¹´Ú´Ú´Ç»å¾±±ô - Ravenous 7/31 | 4â˜� (message 160)
✔A³¾²¹²Ô»å²¹ - The Iron King 7/26 | 4â˜� (message 117)
âœÖÀ³Ù±ð±è³óµþ - Dragon Bound 7/29 | 5â˜� (message 133)
Regina - Never Let Me Go
✔Sassy (Amy) - Forbidden Highlander 7/25 | 4� (message 114)




Shelf #2: favorite series (G19)
Finished: 0/6

Celine - Brisingr
Daffodil -
Amanda - Dance with the Devil
StephB - Spell Bound
Regina -
Sassy (Amy) - Lover Eternal