2012 Reading Challenges Update

There are only a few more days left in 2012, so I figured I would update my progress on the reading challenges I participated in this year.

I set myself a goal of 10 books and I easily met that one. I probably should have gone for a higher level, but I honestly didn't plan on reading that many e-books when I started this year.

While I read 131 books this year, I only read 62 books that applied to this challenge. My reading time was significantly lower than usual, so that didn't help.

Since I chose the second level (24 books) for this challenge, I didn't meet my goal. I did, however, read 12 books in these genres, so I reached the first level.

There were a few more rules to this challenge, and non-fiction could not be included, so I read 38 books for this one.

I enjoyed participating in these challenges and am already browsing challenges for 2013. Did you participate in any challenges this year? How did you do?

Book Review: Abby Finds Her Calling by Naomi King

When Zanna Lambright doesn't show up for her wedding, it breaks James Graber's heart. She soon comes sneaking back to her older sister, Abby, the local maidel for advice. In addition to stitching up clothes in her sewing shop, it seems Abby is often found mending torn relationships in the Cedar Creek community.

James has no idea that Abby carries a torch for him, but he is happy to have his good friend by his side to help him deal with being shamed by Zanna's disappearance. Abby always seems to know exactly what to say and do to make him feel better.

When Zanna's secret is revealed, Abby steps in to make sure she is treated fairly. Then tragedy strikes a family in the Cedar Creek community. Can they all put aside their feelings and help their own?

Abby Finds Her Calling is a beautiful story of faith, family and forgiveness. King has developed a cast of interesting and engaging characters whose lives you can't help but care about. Watching to see how the community and the disgraced families deal with Zanna's disappearance keeps readers turning the pages. Once her secret is revealed, the reader can't pull herself away.

It's nice to see how the characters develop in Abby Finds Her Calling. There are many who experience a transformation in one way or another. While there are main characters, King maintains that feeling of community throughout the book instead of focusing solely on Abby's role.

If you enjoy Amish fiction, Abby Finds Her Calling is an excellent choice. I eagerly await the next book in the Home at Cedar Creek series.

Title:  Abby Finds Her Calling
Author:  Naomi King
Publisher: NAL Trade; 1 Original edition (February 28, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0451235738
ISBN-13: 978-0451235732
SRP:  $14.00


I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

This is the eighteenth book I've read for the following challenge:

It is the eleventh book I've read for the following challenge:

Book Review: Little Did I Know by Mitchell Maxwell

Open the pages of Little Did I Know by Mitchell Maxwell and discover an engaging historical coming of age novel that is rich in description.

When Sam August finds an advertisement in the local paper about an historic theater for rent in Plymouth, MA, the wheels in his mind start turning. Along with his college friends, JB, Secunda, James and Elliot, they decide to create a summer theater program like no one has ever seen. Of course, Sam didn't count on Dr. Anderson Barrows, owner of the Priscilla Beach Theatre being a thorn in his side. He also didn't count on meeting Veronica, who sets his heart to racing. But maybe Sam is the promised one. Perhaps everything he touches can turn to gold.

From the first page of this titillating novel, Maxwell weaves a story of summer musical theater on a grand scale. His prose is filled with rich descriptions, sports references, and plenty of sex, drugs, and profanity. Sam is a strong and engaging narrator. It's 1976 and he's graduated from college and looking for the next best thing. His friends are eager to support his endeavors, so they go along for the ride. The reader follows them through ups and downs, fun-filled nights and argumentative days where super sized egos threaten to bring the house crashing down.

I had a few challenges with this novel. The first was the editing. Missing opening or closing quotes and missing words were frequent enough that I found it distracting. While there is tons of conflict, everything seems to turn up rosy for Sam. With a speech or a carefully written letter, he's able to turn around his enemies and convince his colleagues to play just like Joe DiMaggio. The overuse of the F-word drove me crazy. Everyone said it and they said it often. It might not be unrealistic, but it was too overdone for me.

Overall, it was an enjoyable novel, and I'm glad I read it. I would look for more books from this author in the future.

Title:  Little Did I Know
Author: Mitchell Maxwell
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Prospecta Press; First Edition edition (September 27, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1935212575
ISBN-13: 978-1935212577
SRP:  $25.00 (also available for Kindle)

I received a free copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

This is the thirteenth book I've read for the following challenge:

It is the eighth book I've read for the following challenge:

Guest Blogger: Morgan Mandel, Author of Forever Young: Blessing or Curse (Review Included)

Fresh beginnings turn tragic when Dorrie Donato’s husband, Larry, is killed in a hit and run accident a few months after starting a new job at the Life is for Living Institute. Discouraged and desperate after suffering countless setbacks, Dorie accepts an offer by Larry’s boss, the famous Angel Man, to be the first to test an experimental pill designed to spin its user back to a desired age and hold there, yet still retain all previous memories. The pill seems too good to be true. Maybe it is.

Them Bones, Them Bones… by Morgan Mandel

At this time of year, if you live anywhere it’s cold, you may notice some twinges and stiffness in your bones that didn’t bother you as much as during the summer. It could be arthritis, just the weather, or something else.

You could be suffering from osteoporosis, a disease from which the bones lose their density and easily fracture. Most susceptible are post-menopausal women and anyone of advanced age. A painless bone density test can clue you in if it’s starting to happen. As mentioned in Wikipedia, there are many methods of prevention and treatment, such as vitamins, exercise and special pills, which could offer some relief, depending on the severity of your case.

You may wonder why I’m bringing up this medical subject during the Blog Book Tour for Forever Young: Blessing or Curse. Of course, I’ll tell you.

Dorrie, my 55 year old heroine, knows she’s suffering from the onset of osteoporosis, the disease which debilitated her mother and ultimately led to her death. It’s not an experience Dorrie wishes to replicate. Added to that, she’s lost her husband, her job, and horror of horrors, her looks have gone downhill.

The Forever Young pill, as offered to her by Roman Remington of the fictional Life is for Living Institute, is a daily pill through which she can turn her age back to a desired level and keep it there,with the added bonus of remaining free of age-related illnesses.

Sounds pretty attractive, doesn’t it? You can look and feel like you did before and stay that way, yet still remember everything you already know. Maybe one of these days such a pill will be invented.

For now, it’s only a part of fiction. Even there, in my book, it’s not perfect. The pill’s flaws lead to untimely deaths for some and terror for Dorrie.

To find out what happens to my plucky heroine, look for Forever Young: Blessing or Curse on Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/6tsntn6. It’s also available at Smashwords, which distributes to all sorts of other venues, such as Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and more. The link for Smashwords is: http://smashwords.com/books/view/115446. Once I conquer the enigma of CreateSpace, this book will also be in print at Amazon.

By the way, I don’t want to start any panic, but if you’re of a certain age, it wouldn’t hurt to get that bone density test. Or maybe you’ve already had one.

Mine was okay, thank goodness. Does anyone have any more light to shed on the subject?

Along with writing mysteries, thrillers, and romances, Morgan Mandel loves to blog and network. You’ll often find her on Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites, as well as at various e-groups. Her previous books, still available, are Killer Career, Girl of My Dreams, and Two Wrongs, all on Kindle and Smashwords.

She’s a past president of Chicago-North RWA, past library liaison for Midwest MWA, belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC.

Her next project is a sequel to Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, called Blessing or Curse: A Forever Young Anthology. This book will describe what happens to other subjects who take the Forever Young pill.

Personal Blog: http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/  
Website: http://www.morganmandel.com/ 

  My review:

I can't say I've ever read a book like Forever Young: Blessing or Curse by Morgan Mandel. Employing a unique take on the appeal of the Fountain of Youth, Mandel draws the reader in from the first sentence where Dorrie's life changes forever with a situation that leads her on a path that not only helps her rediscover her youth, but also places her life in danger.

The reader sympathizes with the pain and suffering Dorrie experiences over the loss of her beloved husband, Larry, while perhaps feeling a bit jealous over this fictional character's ability to go back in time to the lovely woman she once was. Mandel does a superb job of delving into Dorrie's  mind so the reader gets to experience everything right along with her. In what I felt was an excellent decision on the author's part, the reader is also able to understand the motives of Roman Remington, Larry's boss, and the gorgeous face behind the Life is for Living Institute. Switching between Dorrie's and Roman's points of view adds an extra emotional and gripping element to the story, especially as the suspense increases.

The ending is fabulous and sets up the sequel nicely. I'm eager for the next book. Forever Young is definitely worth checking out.

Title: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse

Author: Morgan Mandel

Publisher: Choice One Publishing Co.

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

ASIN: B006MO28CQ

SRP:  $2.99

I received a free Kindle version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

This is the first book I've read for the following challenges:

Book Chick City's 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!

This is the year I am determined to have a bit more fun with my blog. I read a lot of books among my three blogs, so why not participate in a few challenges to spread the love. Here is the latest I am joining:

If you're interested in joining the challenge, here's what you need to know:

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: Read 100+ books in 2012 (any genre)

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

• Only fiction, no non-fiction.

• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.

• You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog but who use Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing etc, you can add the URL to where you track your books. If you don't have a URL at all then choose a name you would like to use and then copy and paste the following link:
http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/12/sign-up-100-books-in-year-reading.html

For additional information, click here!

To see my initial list of titles, you can visit http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/p/book-city-chicks-100-books-in-year.html.

Good luck to all who join!