September Update

I have a long tradition of not reading much when I am not going to work, and this month is no exception! Whereas a lot of people find their holidays to be a time where they can read a lot, I struggle to finish anything! It doesn't help that I have been busy, busy, busy.

Take today for instance. The plan was to do the prep work so that I could reseal my deck in time for summer. Doesn't sound too complicated really does it? Except that I still need to do that! Instead we have pulled all the lattice work out, and decided that we need to paint it a completely different colour, and that we will add some slats etc etc. So at the moment, I have painters thumb as well as paint all over my hands, and have at least one more day of painting to go, and that is before we can do the cleaning of the deck that started all of this! If it is ever finished I will take photos!

So, the books that I read this month were:

Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold 4/5
The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes 3.5/5
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley 4/5
Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell 4.5/5
Moonlight and Vines by Charles de Lint 4/5
Undone by Rachel Caine 4.5/5
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran 4.5/5
Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts 4/5
The Princeling by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles 4.5/5
Duchess by Night by Eloisa James 4/5
Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell 4/5
The Likeness by Tana French 4.5/5

In terms of challenges, the only one I really seem to have made any progress on this month was RIP IV, with Legacy, Mariana, Moonlight and Vines, Undone and The Likeness all fitting the criteria. I think that means that I have now completed the reading for RIP IV as I signed up to read four novels. I also participated in Short Story Peril this month for RIP.

The other challenge I can sign off on this month is the Books Alive Reading Challenge, which ran for the month of September, and this post is my update for that! Whilst 12 books read for the month is less than my average it is still not too bad I guess!

August wrap up

I'm a bit late with my August wrap up! I had every intention of doing it on the weekend but with one thing and another it is only just now happening.

Reading wise I got through 17 books in August which is pretty reasonable. That figure is flattered by the fact that on the last Friday night in August I finished 3 books in a row and then another the next day. I think I needed a romance fix!

The reading highlight of August was definitely The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! I had seen it mentioned so many times by people that I trust but still was a bit ho-hum about picking it up. Then I picked it up at the library and now I wish I had of read it earlier. What a fantastic read! Now I can't wait to read Catching Fire!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 4.5/5
Web of Love by Mary Balogh 4/5
Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters 4/5
The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan 4.5/5
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris 4.5/5
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner 4.5/5
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 5/5
Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden 4/5
The Sins of Lord Easterbrook by Madeline Hunter 3.5/5
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon 4.5/5
Royal Harlot by Susan Holloway Scott 4/5
Untamed by P C Cast and Kristin Cast 4/5
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare 4/5
Shields of Pride by Elizabeth Chadwick 3.5/5
Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jeffries 4.5/5
Vision in White by Nora Roberts 4/5
Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich 3.5/5

So how am I going with my reading challenges? There is some good news and some not so good news really.

One piece of good news is that I have now completed the 100+ Reading Challenge. My complete list can be found here. Last year I had read 100 books by early July so it is pretty clear that my reading totals are going to be way down this year.

I have made good progress on the Reliquaue challenge this month as well having read four out of the required six books to complete the Haunted Nights challenge. The books I have read so far are City of Bones and City of Ashes both by Cassandra Clare, Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris and Untamed by P C Cast and Kristin Cast.

Once Readers In Peril IV (RIP) was announced, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be signing up! I signed up for Peril the First, which means that I intended to read four books, and so far I have read three books that fit the challenge criteria. The three books are City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold and Mariana by Susanna Kearsley.

I also signed up for a new challenge - the LJ Smith Reading Challenge that is being hosted by My Friend Amy. I had requested the first book from the library before the challenge was announced so it seemed to be an omen that I needed to sign up!

I am also taking this opportunity to confirm that I have signed up for the Books Alive 2009 Reading Challenge which is being hosted by Book Thingo. Books Alive is an annual event which is sponsored by the Australian Government to try and encourage people to read. Each year they bring out a booklet of recommended reads, and there is usually at least one book that you can get for free if you purchase one of the recommended reads. This year there are two books, one is a kids book and the other a short story collection.

So if that is all the good news, then the not so good news has to be that I have made no progress at all on several challenges including the Art History Reading Challenge, War Through the Generations, the Period Drama Challenge or the Harry Potter Reading Challenge. I think that next month I will try to concentrate on a couple of these other challenges...maybe!

Oh, almost forgot! Don't forget to sign up for my awesome Catching Fire giveaway! Check out all the details here.

I am adding this final LOLCat picture, just because it made me laugh when I first saw it!