Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Who's up for this month's Pick-It-For-Me challenge?


What's a Pick-It-For-Me?
It's a group recommend a book thing - works just like a Secret Santa or Xmas Exchange, except the gift is replaced by a book recommendation. The names (givee-giver pairings) are randomly assigned. So whomever you get, you recommend a book for them. Preferably it should be something new and unfamiliar to that person, NOT a book from their to-read list - the point is to introduce new books and new authors. In return, you'll have a book recommended to you (by someone else). After you're done with your recommended, a short post with some feedback/mini-review would be appreciated.

For this challenge, you need either HAVE YOUR PROFILE SET TO PUBLIC (preferable) or make the person who'd be doing the recommending to you your friend. On top of that, I strongly advise keeping your bookshelves updated, otherwise you might end up with a recommendation for something that you've already read...

Signing up period will remain open until the 29th.

So who's in? I know I am ;)

Pick-it-for-me books this month:



Melissa picks for Photojim
Stacey picks for Sallie
Annie picks for Kasia
Karyn picks for Yz
Grain-de-Beaute picks for Tammy
Rossy picks for Emily
Cathy picks for Karyn
Lilly picks for Rossy
Amanda picks for Lilly
Photojim picks for Annie (a mad hamster)
Mel picks for LibraryLass
Valerie picks for Corrupt
Kasia picks for Lesley
Melissa (Lake Orion, MI) picks for Tara
Tara picks for Annvelwis
LibraryLass picks for Stacey
Yz picks for Cathy
Tosca picks for Melissa
Emily picks for Valerie
Tammy picks for Amanda
Annvelwis picks for Melissa
Corrupt picks for Tosca
Sallie picks for Mel
Lesley picks for Grain-de-Beaute

Please add my name to the list

October Pick-It-For-Me Books:



Melissa recommended for Photojim: Birthright
Stacey recommended for Sallie: (Hunger Games) & Marked
Annie recommended for Kasia: Shade's Children
Karyn recommended for Yz: Under the Duvet Shoes Reviews Having the Blues Builders Babies Families and Other Calamities
Grain-de-Beaute recommended for Tammy: The Hunger Games
Rossy recommended for Emily: Jemima J.
Cathy recommended for Karyn: Halfway to the Grave
Lilly recommended for Rossy: Riding Heartbreak Road
Amanda recommended for Lilly: Pleasure Unbound
Photojim recommended for Annie (a mad hamster): Nation
Mel recommended for LibraryLass: The Smoke Thief
Valerie recommended for Corrupt: Dark Lover
Kasia recommended for Lesley: Halfway to the Grave
Melissa (Lake Orion, MI) recommended for Tara: Dead Girls Are Easy
Tara recommended for Annvelwis: Girl's Guide to Witchcraft
LibraryLass recommended for Stacey: Halfway to the Grave
Yz recommended for Cathy: Slave to Sensation
Tosca recommended for Melissa: Magic in the Wind
Emily recommended for Valerie: P.S. I Love You
Tammy recommended for Amanda: Virgin River
Annvelwis recommended for Melissa: Naked in Death
Corrupt recommended for Tosca: Blood Magic
Sallie recommended for Mel: How to Murder a Millionaire
Lesley recommended for Grain-de-Beaute: First Comes Marriage

I'm in!

I'm in

:^) I'm in. This is always fun. :^)

I'm in too.

I'm in!

I'm in :)

I'm in

Me too please!

I'm in

i'm in :)

I'm in!

I'm in.

realised in the wee small hours that I might apologise in advance to my person as I'm in & out of computer access at the end of the month, except at nights. But I will check goodreads as soon as I can.

I would like to participate.

Thanks!

Please add me to the list.

Me, too! Me, too!

I would like to try again. Last time the library didn't have my book and it wasn't in my budget that month!

I'm in!

Count me in!

Hey lovely peoples - count me in :)

Okay, I'm going to give this a try - first time for me :)

I'm limited to what I can get at Borders - no library access.

I would like to participate. Count me in.♥

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SIGN-UP IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED
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If you wanted to participate, but missed the deadline, we'll be doing the same thing next month. Join us then.

Pick-it-for me participant list:


Melissa picks for Photojim
Stacey picks for Sallie
Annie picks for Kasia
Karyn picks for Yz
Grain-de-Beaute picks for Tammy
Rossy picks for Emily
Cathy picks for Karyn
Lilly picks for Rossy
Amanda picks for Lilly
Photojim picks for Annie (a mad hamster)
Mel picks for LibraryLass
Valerie picks for Corrupt
Kasia picks for Lesley
Melissa (Lake Orion, MI) picks for Tara
Tara picks for Annvelwis
LibraryLass picks for Stacey
Yz picks for Cathy
Tosca picks for Melissa
Emily picks for Valerie
Tammy picks for Amanda
Annvelwis picks for Melissa
Corrupt picks for Tosca
Sallie picks for Mel
Lesley picks for Grain-de-Beaute

If you've been paired up with the same person as last month (it's getting increasingly harder to keep track of such things) or if there are any other problems - let me know, we'll figure it out. Otherwise - enjoy.

Lesley, I have 3 books for you. In no particular order.


Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
Storm Born by Richelle Mead


PS. It's not like you have to go for all 3. Just, you know, giving you options.

Cathy,

We seem to enjoy similar books, so I'm going to recommend a few more that I've enjoyed and were not able to find in your GR shelves.

First choice: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh. This is the first book in her popular Psy/Changeling series. This is one of my all-time favorite PNR series.

Second choice: I don't know if you like Christine Feehan's books, but I recommend Shadow Game. Again, a first book in a series, this time about Ghostwalkers (physically and psychically enhanced soldiers). I like this series far better than her Dark/Carpathian one. Plus the Ghostwalkers are just plain hot...*grins*

Hope you'll enjoy one of these books.

Mel,

I wanted to find a few different choices for you so here goes

First- How to Murder a Millionaireby Nancy Martin. This is the first in the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries & it is hillarious.

Second - Blue Bloodsby Melissa de la Cruz, this book actually came recommended by a bookstore employee - it drew me in & now I have to finish the series.

Third - The Awakeningby LJ Smith

I hope you will find something here that you will like if not let me know & I will work on this some more for you -

Enjoy
Sallie

Valerie,

Greetings and salutations. Here are a few choices that I hope you can find and enjoy. :^D

1.) P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
2.) Trouble in High Heels by Christina Dodd
3.) The Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

If you can't find any of these or they're not to your interest, just let me know and I'll see about picking something else that is. :^D

Happy reading!

Melissa,

I hope one of these will appeal to you:

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie

Enjoy!

Annie, I'll have three picks for you by the end of tomorrow. Such a big responsibility after all. I thought it was funny that of the 950 or so books you've rated, I've read a handful.

So this is going on pure conjecture, but I really think you will like Nation by Terry Pratchett. You seem to like many books aimed for the YA demographic, you don't mind a healthy dose of supernatural in your storyline, and you live in the South Pacific.

I'll edit tonight or tomorrow with two more choices. I'm leaning towards Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, but I'll let you know.

Actually, you don't need to make 3 recommendations. One is enough. One is what the challenge requires. But if you want to give more leeway to your parter, go ahead. The rule is: 1 recommendation is a must, 3 is the max you can recommend.

Kasia, understood. However, I'm a middle aged guy. People generally appreciate it when I go for more than minimum coverage. :)

Haha! Sure. Go show them tiger! We all will truly appreciate it. Just don't sell yourself short :)

Hi Annvelwis,

I tried to pick some books by authors not on your shelf, plus it seemed of the books we had in common our ratings were the same. So, I hope you find something you like!

1- Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky - It's the first in her Jane Madison series. I enjoyed all three, they were just fun.

2- Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves- It's a romance novel, and one of the 3 that recently lured me into my minor romance reading obsession.

3- Tall, Dark & Dead by Tate Hallaway- It's the first in her Garnet Lacey series.

Happy Reading!

Hi Tosca, here are some I thought you might enjoy.


Blood Magic by Jennifer Lyons
Shoot to Thrill by Nina Bruhns
Lucky Charm by Carly Phillips

I hope you enjoy!!

Hey Emily, it seems you enjoy the chic-lit category too. Here are my recommendations:

Jemima J. by Jane Green
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner

I noticed you had Good in Bed already on your TBR list but i thought i could give you the push to try the author.

Hi Rossy, I didn't see any books by these 3 authors on your list. The first two are M/M and are among my favorites. The 3rd is het and although it has been a while since I read it I did enjoy it.

Riding Heartbreak Road by Kiernan Kelly
A Red-Tainted Silence by Carolyn Gray
Jamie's Cherub by Gail Faulkner

I hope you enjoy whichever one you read.

Great now i don't know which one to pick Lily!LOL
I'll just buy all three, finish one and hopefully soon start the others. They sound really good and i have wanted to try books by the first two authors. Thanks~

Hi Stacey, We have a LOT of books in common, so it was a bit difficult to come up with 3, but these 3 I have read just recently and HIGHLY recommend.

1. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
2. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
3. Gone by Michael Grant (YA).

I hope these suit, if not I'll try some others

Hi Karyn,

We seem to have similar taste in books and it looks like you enjoy paranormal series. Here are 3 suggestions, all paranormal and all really awesome series. I hope you enjoy whichever book you read.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

Yz wrote: "Cathy,

We seem to enjoy similar books, so I'm going to recommend a few more that I've enjoyed and were not able to find in your GR shelves.

First choice: Slave to Sensation by N..."

Thanks for the reccomendations Yz. I have actually thought about picking up Nalini Singh and this should get me started.

I hope to get to read Shadow Game, too.

Photojim wrote: "Annie, I'll have three picks for you by the end of tomorrow. Such a big responsibility after all. I thought it was funny that of the 950 or so books you've rated, I've read a handful.

So this ..."
Thanks Photojim! That's why I often take a while to come up with my recommendations... You're right about Nation, I have read & enjoyed it - but I suck at updating my goodreads books if they're not for a challenge! One of my jobs is as a YA librarian, and that's what I tend to read when not reading romance.
Now, on to figuring out my recommendations...

Hi Kasia
Hmmm, similar tastes - well, similar ratings - and, if I had one, I'm sure my 'worst-shit-ever' shelf would be very similar to yours...
Ok - trying really hard... and hoping you'll be able to track one of these down... and I'm sticking to young adult books, sorry. Oh, and authors you've read before. They're the books I can 'match' easiest when I'm tired. I've been in a conference for 3 days in another city...
Shade's Children by Garth Nix - a dystopian novel. I know you didn't think much of Sabriel, but maybe this one will work for you.
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn.
Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde.
If none of these work out, let me know and I'll try again.

Tara wrote: "Hi Annvelwis,

I tried to pick some books by authors not on your shelf, plus it seemed of the books we had in common our ratings were the same. So, I hope you find something you like!

1- [book:Gi..."

Thanks, I'll try Tall, Dark & Dead by Tate Hallaway :) I'm fairly certian I'll be able to get that book before the end of the month.
Your other choices look great as well but I'd have some difficulies getting them on time :)

It all sounds gooooooood Annie. I'll read what I can track down first. Thanks! I hope you'll get some rest soon. Seems like you had that conference over the weekend... **sends hugs**

Melissa - damn, is there anything you haven't read? LOL picking for you was incredibly hard - we'd read a lot of the same books. So, I made a list of ones you might want to try that are a mix of general romance, paranormal romance and teen fiction - this way you can choose from them - if you've read them already let me know:

1. Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, #1) by Christine Feehan - it's a novella and the first book in the Drake Sisters series, so if you hate it at least it's a short read and you'll know if you don't want to follow it up by reading the rest (paranormal romance)
2. Under Her Skin by Susan Mallery - the first in the Lone Star Sisters series (general romance)
3. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas - first in the Travis series (general romance)
4. Evermore by Alyson Noel - first in the teen Immortals series
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - general fiction