2016 challenges and how I did

New to Met Author Challenge in 2016

1. Dr. Who: Pest Control by Peter Anghelides

2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

3. The Never List by Koethi Zan

4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

5. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

6. Weep No More, My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark

7. Evelyn, After by Victoria Helen Stone

8. Dead To Me by Anton Strout

9. The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

10. The One Thing by Gary Keller

11. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Audiobook Challenge for 2016

The Alphabet Soup Challenge 2016

A. (The) Abandoned by Amanda Stevens

B.
C.
D. Dr. Who: Pest Control by Peter Anghelides
E. Evelyn After by Victoria Helen Stone
F. From Shakespeare with Love: The Best of the Sonnets by William Shakespeare
G. (The) Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
H. (The) Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
I. Insanity by Cameron Jace
J.
K. (The) Kingdom by Amanda Stevens
L. (The) Last Lecture
M. (The) Mermaids Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

N. (The) Never List by Koethi Zan
O. (The) One Thing by Gary Keller
P. (The) Prophet by Amanda Stevens
Q.
R. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
S. (The) Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
T.
U.

V. (The) Visitor by Amanda Stevens
W. Weep No More, My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark

X.
Y.
Z.

Rock my TBR 2016

1. Dead To Me by Anton Strout

2. Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News by Philip Yancey

3. Insanity by Cameron Jace

4. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

Finishing the series 2016

1. Harry Dresden Series by Jim Butcher
2. The Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis
3. The Graveyard Queen Series by Amanda Stevens

4. Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh

The Graveyard Queen Series Review by Amanda Stevens

Holy crap on a cracker it's been a minute since I've a)read and b)did a review so let's do some quick reviews.
1 thing to keep in mind is this will be a quick review because I've read the Graveyard Series before up to the 4th book so these would be re-read books so I won't do in depth reviews on them. But you need to know it is hands down a GREAT series and the sole reason I read them was to prep for the 5th book coming out in September so keep that mind.

Let's do it.

Book 1 - The Restorer

My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. 

It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next

SUMMARY: 
Okay this book still gives me the willies if you will. I am still taken back by the beautiful writing, the description and the details. My goodness there were serious times I stopped reading because I was like crap I think I see ghost now. (PS I don't thank God) I also don't recommend reading this book alone. The suspense and the who did it and who is doing it was great. The ending was a great twist and exactly what I wanted to read when seeing the summary. I have to say this is by far my favorite book in the series. It has mystery, ghosts, a love story, ghost, murder, ghost and holy shit suspense that makes my heart race reading it two or three times (I maybe 4 times through) and I still forget who did it because I get so wrapped up in the story. For sure pick this one up 

BOOK 2 - The Kingdom

Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town.

My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I've been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I'm coming to think I have another purpose here.

Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I've discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town, this withering kingdom, and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.

SUMMARY
I have to say this one threw me again even with a re-read. While it was nice to find out more about Amelia and her connection to Asher Falls and what that means and how in the world it all ties in and what it might be like to have others like her besides her dad it was just an odd book. The story itself was interesting to a point. I was happy she was trying to move on from  John and I thought for a brief moment we might have a triangle which would have been nice to a point and I have to say that I liked the guy in this one more then John beside the fact he didn't have ghost he just seemed nicer. The whole story itself seemed weird and off. The witches, and demon aspect was different then ghost so now we have raised the stakes from just a ghost story to demons and I'm still not sure what any of this has to do with anything. That being said once again you can't help but fall in love with Amelia and her fighting and growing capabilities. She picks up a dog and fights her way through anything else that would have sent most of us running for home. In fact when reading this I found myself saying JUST GO HOME but alas our Amelia didn't and because she didn't she found out her heritage which was interesting but nothing shocking and or major. Still worth the read and one you have to read in order to understand the next one. Also it does have a good "story" to it and like I said it does help us to understand some thing about Amelia and her upbringing. 

BOOK 3 - The Prophet 

My name is Amelia Gray.

I am the Graveyard Queen, a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. My father passed down four rules to keep me safe and I've broken every last one. A door has opened and evil wants me back.

In order to protect myself, I've vowed to return to those rules. But the ghost of a murdered cop needs my help to find his killer. The clues lead me to the dark side of Charleston—where witchcraft, root doctors and black magic still flourish—and back to John Devlin, a haunted police detective I should only love from afar.Now I'm faced with a terrible choice: follow the rules or follow my heart. 

SUMMARY
The summary above is misleading. Yes she can decide to follow John or not but this one doesn't focus on love so much as it does on the fact that a ghost is actually haunting Amelia which has nothing to do with John other then he may or maynot have been the person who killed the cop who is haunting her. Turns out this is the ghost from the first book. So I liked the tie in. I also liked how we are back to a ghost story with a twist of voodoo and how that affects Amelia and her powers. Again we are back with John and his ghost and how that will affect Amelia and if she will allow the "LOVE OF HER LIFE AND THE ONLY ONE SHE CAN EVER IMAGE IN HER LIFE JUST BECAUSE OF THE STATIC BETWEEN THEM" nothing else mind you I mean in order to find out anything about him she has to ask his ghost or google it. So don't mind me if you are Devlin fans I am starting to wear thin with this relationship because of him and her. And I can't stand when a relationship goes this long with back and forth and no closure so if you are thinking there is some here think again. 
Back to the story this time we learn a little about Amelia's power and what she can do which is pretty awesome but we also learn about John's past and what that means for Amelia and her future with him. Again the writing is beautiful and something I recommend to anyone who loves just beautiful descriptive writing that makes you feel like you are apart of the story and apart of the action. I do like the pacing I never felt like the story was dragging and to be fair I did feel that the story did wrap up nicely. 

BOOK 4 - The Visitor 

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm the Graveyard Queen.

Restoring lost and abandoned cemeteries is my profession, but I'm starting to believe that my true calling is deciphering the riddles of the dead. Legend has it that Kroll Cemetery is a puzzle no one has ever been able to solve. For over half a century, the answer has remained hidden within the strange headstone inscriptions and intricate engravings. Because uncovering the mystery of that tiny, remote graveyard may come at a terrible price.

Years after their mass death, Ezra Kroll's disciples lie unquiet, their tormented souls trapped within the walls of Kroll Cemetery, waiting to be released by someone strong and clever enough to solve the puzzle. For whatever reason, I'm being summoned to that graveyard by both the living and the dead. Every lead I follow, every clue I unravel brings me closer to an unlikely killer and to a destiny that will threaten my sanity and a future with my love, John Devlin. 

SUMMARY
I have to say out of all the books I think this was the weakest. While I enjoyed immensely learning about Amelia's background and how she got her talent I felt that after book 2 there was no reason to really go there. I almost feel bad for her "grandmother/mother" she get's nothing from her and at this point it is almost like what's the point of her. This was the grandfather's mother's story and I have to say while again interesting it left it at a point that I hope the next book wraps up because as of now I have way more questions then answers and I am not impressed with those questions. And what the hell is up with Devlin?
Now on to the positive. I love that Amelia is growing stronger in herself and her powers. I hate that she is way too much I LOVE HIM SO MUCH HE IS MY SOUL MATE I CAN'T SURVIVE WITH OUT DEVLIN yet at the same time in this novel it was almost like she is accepting the fact that there maynot be a HEA for her and John and you know what at this point it wouldn't disappoint me and I like that she is growing. The thing that I appreciate about this author is the growth that she gives the characters. They do grow slowly but they grow I don't ever feel like Amelia is just stuck. 
I also enjoy the writing the author has she is a fantastic author she paints such beautiful scenes done in such a way I really feel as if I am in the cemetery with Amelia. I think there were times I could hear the sam thing Amelia could and could feel the tension the characters were going through. That is a true writing talent and one of the many reason I keep coming back to this author. 
The story isn't as intense as it was in the beginning and that's okay because now we know she can see them and they can see her and there are other things out there. I like how it is heading and can't wait to see what book 5 has in store for us in September. 

PS book 5 and 6 are already pre-ordered by this reader and you too can do the same by going here

  and the 6th book is    

2016 Challenges

Finishing the Series

If you'd like to join, sign up at Bea's Book Nook.

The details:

All books that are part of a continuing series qualify (i.e. Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, James Patterson's Alex Cross, etc.)

It doesn't matter if you have 1 book or 10 books in a series to complete it, it qualifies (i.e. if you only need to read one more Mercy Thompson book to complete the goal, that's fine) The goal is to complete a series from wherever you are up to until the last published book.

The qualification period is January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. Books must be read during this time frame to count. Sign up is now until December 1, 2016.

Take the button above and post about it on your blog. Use the link below to sign up and make sure you link it directly to your post about this challenge, not to the home page of your blog.

If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us which series you are reading. Or you can join the Goodreads group for this challenge by clicking here.

Each month there will be a post where you can link up your reviews. Write a review - 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, "The characters were a delight but the story was slow and confusing. It was disappointing."

Any format and length of book counts - print, audio, ebook, etc.

You should choose the series you want to finish before the challenge begins, but it isn't necessary. It's fine to change series during the year - as long as you complete whichever series it is.

Choose a level below.

Level 1 (Novice series reader) - Complete 1 series.
Level 2 (Testing the waters) - Complete 2 -4 series.
Level 3 (Experienced) - Complete 3 - 6 series.
Level 4 (Expert series reader) - Complete 7 or more series.

I'm going to go with Level 2. I'll list my progress here and these are the series I want to complete...

These are three series I want to complete. Hopefully I can complete at least 2 of them...
1. Harry Dresden Series by Jim Butcher
2. The Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis
3. Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
4. Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh

This is my first reading challenge to sign up for 2016.  I love seeing how many books I can read in a year that begins with a different letter of the alphabet.  I've done this for a few years, but never complete it.  Yet, I do love it and join all the time.  So, here I am again :)

This challenge is once again hosted by Lori and Escape With Dollycas.

Here are the details...

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2016 until December 31st, 2016.

You can join anytime. You do not have to review the book. Books can come from any genre.

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Challenge Page.

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.

The First Main Word Needs To Be
The Letter You Are Counting 

Except For those pesky Q, X AND Z titles the word that starts with the challenge letter can be anywhere in the title.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

A – How I plan to do it: Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – The Art of Murder by Elaine Viets B- Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams C – Copy Cap Murder by Jenn McKinlay D – Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs etc.

Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

I plan to sign up for option A - I will keep my list of books here and will list them as I go along...

Welcome back to the New Authors reading challenge! I’m hoping everyone is still enjoying this reading challenge as we head into our eighth year.

For those new to the New Authors Challenge, the whole idea started when I first started reviewing and I didn’t know that many authors in my favored genre. So I went looking. I gave myself a goal of finding 50 new authors and ended up reading 56 that first year. I loved finding these new characters, worlds and cultures, so I want to help others find new ones as well. Since 2006, I’ve tried over 150 different authors I may not have tried otherwise and I have found some really great authors.

The idea behind this is to find new authors that you’ve never tried before, not necessarily ones that are debuting. They can be in your genre of choice or be brave and try something new. You never know what you’re going to like until you try it. If you’re looking for some suggestions, you can check out the Author page here at Literary Escapism or the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, and 2015 Challenge pages. With over 1000 reviews posted, I’m sure there will be something there for everyone.

Here are the guidelines:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016.
2. Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from short stories/novellas or anthologies.
3. I want this to be an easy challenge, so you tell me how many new authors you want to discover. If it’s 1 or 100, go for it. It all depends on how fast you read and how adventurous you want to be.
4. After reading your new author, write your review and then come back here and add your link to the form.
5. Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike are welcome. You don’t have to have a site to participate. You can link up via Facebook, GoodReads or even Amazon if you’d like.

Once you reach your goal, you don’t have to stop. Any new author you try, go ahead and head back here and add it to the list. Introduce us all to whoever you find. Afterall, there’s no reason to stop trying new authors, right?

Twitter: If you tweet your review, make sure to include the hashtag #NewAuthor2016!

Grab the Button! 300×300 and 600×600

JOIN THE  #ROCKMYTBR CHALLENGE FOR 2016! 

(Grab the above banner to include in your blog post and link back to this post)

We ALL have those poor little books that we bought because we had been excited to read them…but eventually they just went by the wayside and forgotten.

2016 IS A NEW YEAR SO WE ARE GONNA ROCK OUR TBRS!

I have so many books sitting on my shelf and on my tablet that I’ve been REALLY wanting to read! So, I decided to start personal challenge to myself and I wanted anyone else who’s interested in joining to join!

OPEN TO ALL READERS! Whether you’re a reader, a blogger, a booktuber, a bookstagramer let’s all have fun and rock out those TBRs together! We all love books and let’s encourage one another.

THE CHALLENGE:

• To read a minimum of 1 book per month you already own (published book). This challenge is totally what YOU make of it! You can do 5 books a month, 10, WHATEVER! Anything you accomplish is fantastic. This challenge is really what you make of it.

BUDDY READS:

• Make a list! If you can, create a list of books you own and want to read then post it, tweet it, video it and try to find other who want to read the same book. Buddy reading is so much fun! It’s great having other people to fangirl/fanboy with while you’re currently reading. This is optional but I think it’d be fun!

THE HASHTAG:

• Use the hastag #RockMyTBR for current discussion.
  There will be Twitter Chats periodically hosted. (More info to come)
• Knowing myself, there will most likely be giveaways throughout the year as well!

MONTHLY WRAP UP:

• At the end of the month, update us on how you’re doing with the challenge. This can be done on Twitter, on your blog, a Booktube video, YOU NAME IT!

We love audiobooks here at Bibliosanctum for a variety of reasons from distraction while doing chores to just enjoying a good story being read by an awesome narrator. We also love to undertake a good challenge, especially when it coincides with our love of reading. This will be Bibliosanctum’s second year participating in the event, and we’re excited to see where this year’s challenge takes us!

The Book Nympho and Hot Listens host this challenge ever year, and this will be their fourth year organizing the event. Make sure to check out their sign-up page for this year’s challenge, and be sure to check out their Goodreads group.

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016. You can join at any time.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2016 than you did in 2015.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• ANY genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Shelfari, Booklikes, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
• If you’re a blogger grab the button (on the sidebar) and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.

Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
• Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+

2016 Challenges

2016 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

2016 Audiobook Challenge

2016 Finish The Series Challenge

2016 New Authors Challenge

2016 Rock my TBR challenge