Last year, I signed up Book Chick City's Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge and though I didn't do very well, I'm signing up again in hopes that this year will be different.  I finished about half of the books I put on my list last year, which isn't bad considering all I have going on. That said, I'm sure this year will go better and to make that happen, I'm going to share books with the other challenge I'm also doing!

So what am I reading? Here's my list...

- Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger
- Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger
- Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3) by Gail Carriger
- Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate #4) by Gail Carriger
- Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
- Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
- The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
- Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
- Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke
- Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory

As I said, about half of these books are on my 2011 Busy Bookworm Reading Challenge list, also. You can find this list, along with the other, on my Reading Challenges page, if you're interested. So, now that you know what I'm reading, why don't you hop on over to Book Chick City and sign up for the challenge yourself?  So it's already February, consider it an additional challenge!

As I finish the books for this challenge, and the other, I'll be doing reviews, so check back!  Happy Reading!

Though it's starting to get a bit late in the year, but I'm always looking for new reading challenges that might interest me.  Last night, I found one and signed-up straight away!  It's called the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge and is being hosted by Book Chick City.  I signed up last night and for me this is a way to explore new lit that I'd probably not have chosen otherwise.  I enjoy thriller and suspense, even horror, but when presented with two choices, I almost always choose fantasy, classics, or historical fiction.  I've taken this as an opportunity to invest myself in dabbling in thriller/suspense and I'm really looking forward to it because reading challenges help to motivate me, in a whole new way, to do some thing I already love.

My list (so far):

1. The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)


2. The Rule of Four (Caldwell & Thomason)


3. Shutter Island (Dennis Lehane)


4. A Reliable Wife (Robert Goolrick)


5. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)


6. The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón)


7. Under the Dome (Stephen King)


8. The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield)


9. The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)

The Rules:

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010


• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010


• Add the button to your sidebar


• Write about the challenge, with a link back, so others can join

That's it.  Simple right?  When you sign up, use the Mr. Linky on the site to add yourself then send the girl hosting the challenge your name, address, URL, and participant list number and she'll send it along to Simon & Schuster UK, who will send you a shiny new ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of one of two novels.  It is starting to get late in the year, so I'm a little unsure whether the ARC's are still available, but I sent my information along anyway and am waiting to hear back from Book Chick City.  My fingers are crossed!

Now, go and sign up and join me in this challenge.  Happy Reading!!

Cross posted with Pretty Pessimist.

I signed up for the 2010 Busy Bookworm Challenge and I think you should too!!

You may have noticed the button on my sidebar, it's been there for a few days now. I came across this challenge last year, about October, and though I felt at that point that I couldn't manage to make it work for the lateness of the year, I made sure to bookmark the page so I could find it again at the beginning of this year. I'm busy, we all are, but I really feel like this is a good way to keep reading for pleasure in the mix when things get tough. So, if you're an avid reader with a busy schedule, it might be for you, too.

I'm adding this to my new year's resolutions... It's just too much fun not too!! Of course, a whole week in the new year is gone, so I'd better get reading if I hope to make it work. Here's my list for 2010:

1. Kushiel's Avatar (Kushiel's Legacy, Book 3) by Jacqueline Carey [Review]


2. Kushiel's Scion (Kushiel's Legacy, Book 4) by Jacqueline Carey


3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith


4. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll


5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte


6. Bound by Honor by Colette Gale [Review]


7. Master by Colette Gale


8. Taboo by Jess Michaels


9. Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran


10. Bathory: Memoir of a Countess by A. Mordeaux [Review]


11. The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan


12. Poison Study (The Study Series, Book 1) by Maria V. Snyder

For now, I'm just going to start out with 12 books, but am certain I'll add more later as I inevitably come upon books that I just have to read. The list will likely not go over 24 books in all and though one book a month seems like a very conservative estimate, with everything else I have going on this year, it might also be more realistic than two or three a month that I would like to read. The books on the list represent a wide variety of genres, which should keep me entertained. They're also in no particular order, though I will start with Kushiel's Avatar because I've recently begun reading it.

Finally, the challenge is not just to read the book, but to write a review about it once I've finished. So, throughout the year, I'll be writing reviews for the books currently on the list, and those I add to the list. I'm looking forward to getting started and will be posting a link to this entry on the sidebar with the badge so that it's easy to find, since I'll be making additions to, and striking books from, the list throughout the year!

If you're interested in participating, I encourage you to click the link at the top of this post, or the badge on the sidebar, and sign up for the challenge yourself. More information is available at the Busy Bookworm Challenge page, complete with rules and web-badges. Please let me know if you decide to sign up. Also, I'm always on the lookout for more great books, so if you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to suggest them to me!!

Happy reading!