• Soulless (Gail Carriger) -  I’m glad I got this.  I had a copy, back when it was first publish, but posted it on Paper Back Swap during a book purge, and since regretted it.
• The Iron Duke (Meljean Brook) – So, I’m a fan of Ilona Andrews and recently became a fan of Nalini Singh and Jeaniene Frost.  Other than one short story, I haven’t really given Ms. Brook a fair shot.  I really liked the sound of this series and felt it would be easier than jumping into her Guardian series.  Speaking of Jeaniene. . .
• Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Jeaniene Frost) -  I started the Night Huntress series this year and liked it enough to put the books from the Night Huntress World on my wishlist.  I got the first one earlier this year during a Summer book exchange.

And that leaves Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris).  I feel bad about that, as in “Oh, no!  She spent money on something I already had!”  But what makes me feel even worse. . .see my master reading list and scroll to the end of the page.

Thank you, Ovrelia, for the pretty mug and the books.  I’m sorry you didn’t know about my experience with Sookie Stackhouse.

Book Blogger Holiday Swap 2011

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Book Geeks Gift Exchange – I also got my gift from my Book Geeks Secret Santa.  When I signed up for the exchange, I submitted a short list of books instead of creating a separate Amazon Wishlist.  And promptly forgot what I put on the list.  Fortunately, I keep my master wishlist hidden, so I knew I wouldn’t accidentally get the same book from a family member.   In some ways, it really was a surprise when I opened the gift.  But that wasn’t the only mystery.

The package came from Amazon, so there was no return address.  There wasn’t a gift receipt either, so I had no idea who sent the book.  I’m not sure if that was intentional or not — and I say that because, sometimes, when I order books and they come in a big envelope instead of the box, I don’t always get a receipt from Amazon.  I wonder if it has something to with that particular fulfillment center.

My Secret Santa stopped by on the 8th and left a comment on my November Update post.  Her name is Kimberley.  As you can see below, the book she sent me is Under Attack by Hannah Jayne.  It’s the second book in the series.  I haven’t read the first one yet, but I’ve read an excerpt and liked it enough to put the second book on my list (that’s been my way lately).

Thank you, Kimberley.  I hope you have a great holiday season!

Note: Due to the excessive amount of spam, I’ve added a password plugin. Please don’t let that discourage you from commenting.

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What: 2011 The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge
When: 21 November 2011 – 6 January 2012
Who: Michelle (The True Book Addict)
Rules: Read Christmas-themed books.  Michelle made some changes this year to allow for children’s books and holiday films.  Check out the sign-up post for details.

The first personal, blog-based, reading challenge I ever signed up for was a Christmas-themed one, in 2007. Since then, I’ve tried to sign up for  at least one Christmas or holiday-themed challenge a year. Last year was pretty dismal, despite the fact I signed up for two: I read one book and it counted for only one of the challenges.

I’ve made it a tradition — or tried to, anyway — to read the Regency-set, holiday-themed, anthology put out by Harlequin every year.  I meant to read the two others I’d missed as part of last year’s challenge, but as I stated above, it didn’t happen.  I have this year’s, plus those two, to read — and that’s not counting all the other Christmas novels (Harlequin or otherwise) that I’ve collected in the last four years.

Despite the backlog, I’m only going to aim for the Mistletoe level (2-4 books).  I might actually make the Christmas Tree level (5-6 books).  We’ll see.

The books (in no particular order):

• A Regency Christmas (2009) — Lyn stone, Carla Kelly, Gail Ranstrom
• One Candlelit Christmas (2008) — Julia Justiss, Annie Burrows, Terri Brisbin
• A Regency Christmas Carol (Christine Merrill) (2011)
• Gift-Wrapped Governess (2011) – Sophia James, Annie Burrows, Marguerite Kaye

I may have to read a contemporary or paranormal Christmas just to shake things up. That’s a lot of Regency.

Note: Due to the excessive amount of spam, I’ve added a password plugin. Please don’t let that discourage you from commenting.

When: 26 November 2010 – 6 January 2011
Who: Michelle (The True Book Addict)
Rules: Read Christmas-themed books. Copied directly from the Challenge blog:

• challenge will run from Friday, November 26, 2010 (Black Friday) through January 6, 2010 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).
• cross overs with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!
• These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories (sorry, no children’s books, but YA novels are okay).

Michelle has established three reading levels:

• Candy Cane: read 1 book
• Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
• Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books

The first on-line reading challenge I ever participated in was holiday-themed, so I have special fondness for them.

• Regency Christmas Proposals (2010) — Gayle Wilson, Amanda McCabe, Carole Mortimer
• A Regency Christmas (2009) — Lyn stone, Carla Kelly, Gail Ranstrom
• One Candlelit Christmas (2008) — Julia Justiss, Annie Burrows, Terri Brisbin
• TBA
• TBA

~&~

So, how is it possible that one holiday-themed challenge was a success and the other was an incomplete — especially when they had the same reading list and ran almost concurrently?

Well, it was the “almost” part that tripped me up. You see, I started the only book I read for the two challenges before the start date of this challenge.  So, there you have it.

When: 15 November – 31 December 2010
Who: Nely (All About {n})
Rules: Read at least 1 to 5 holiday-related books — can read more if you want.

~&~

I originally intended to, at least, catch-up reading the Harlequin Regency Christmas anthologies. I didn’t even do that much. I only read one — there were three total.  Still, it’s a victory because it means I completed a challenge. Review is pending:

• Regency Christmas Proposals (2010) — Gayle Wilson, Amanda McCabe, Carole Mortimer {30 Nov 10}

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

Home for the Holidays (Lisa Plumley)

The teaser:

Reno stood beside Rachel, watching as she peered across the multiple rows of vehicles in short-term parking. There was no way she’d pick out his truck.
– from page 71, Home for the Holidays (Lisa Plumley)

Why I picked this book: It’s a Christmas book.

• challenge will run from Friday, November 26, 2010 (Black Friday) through January 6, 2010 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).
• cross overs with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!
• These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories (sorry, no children’s books, but YA novels are okay).

Michelle has established three reading levels:

• Candy Cane:  read 1 book
• Mistletoe:  read 2-4 books
• Christmas Tree:  read 5 or 6 books

~&~

Yeah, another reading challenge.  Another Christmas-themed challenge, to boot.  And it’s not like I’m going to pick different books, so you may ask “Why bother?”  A false sense of accomplishment if I complete two reading challenges at the same time, maybe?

The first on-line reading challenge I ever participated in was holiday-themed, so I have special fondness for them.

• Regency Christmas Proposals (2010) — Gayle Wilson,  Amanda McCabe, Carole Mortimer
• A Regency Christmas (2009) — Lyn stone, Carla Kelly, Gail Ranstrom
• One Candlelit Christmas (2008) — Julia Justiss, Annie Burrows, Terri Brisbin
• TBA
• TBA

When: 15 November – 31 December 2010
Who: Nely (All About {n})
Rules:   Read at least 1 to 5 holiday-related books — can read more if you want.  Quoted from her blog:

And now, here’s the clincher… they must be holiday related books. That’s right, the holiday doesn’t really matter, but it would be more “jolly” if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

Emphasis is mine.

So…If you got any leftover Halloween or Thanksgiving-themed books, or perhaps a Valentine-themed read or two, you can count those, too.

To learn more about this challenge, or join it, visit the official post.

~&~

I haven’t read a Christmas-themed anthology since the end of 2008 — the closest I came to a holiday themed book in 2009 was Julie Hyzy’s “Hail to the Chef”, a mystery that features the White House executive chef solving a murder while preparing for the official holiday festivities. I read that in January 2009.

Other challenges be hanged, I am determined to read the Harlequin Historical Christmas anthologies from 2008, 2009, and 2010 this year!

So, the list:

• Regency Christmas Proposals (2010) — Gayle Wilson,  Amanda McCabe, Carole Mortimer
• A Regency Christmas (2009) — Lyn stone, Carla Kelly, Gail Ranstrom
• One Candlelit Christmas (2008) — Julia Justiss, Annie Burrows, Terri Brisbin
• TBA
• TBA

What: Winter Holiday Reading Challenge 2
When: 1 November 2009 – 31 January 2010
Who: Diane (Book in Hand)
Rules (Copied from her website):

The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, etc. (However the holidays are not limited to just these examples.)

You may choose the number of books you wish to read and a reading list is optional.

~~ & ~~

I’m going to read Christmas anthologies. Not sure how many I’ll read. I still have books left over from last year. Here’s a few possibilities:

• One Candlelit Christmas (Julia Justiss, Annie Burrows, Terri Brisbin)
• Together by Christmas (Nicola Cornick, Catherine George, Louise Allen)
• The Night Before Christmas (Brenda Novak, Day Leclaire, Molly O’Keefe)
• A Regency Christmas (Lyn Stone, Carla Kelly, Gail Ranstrom)
• The Heart of Christmas (Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick, Courtney Milan)

What: Winter Holiday Reading Challenge
When: 1 November 2008 – 31 January 2009
Who: Diane (Book in Hand)
Rules (Copied from her website): The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, etc. (However, the holidays are not limited to just these examples.) There is no set number of books.

Books in RED are on more than one list/alternate list)

• Silent in the Sanctuary (Deanna Raybourn) {11 Nov 08} (REVIEW)
• Christmas Getaway (Anthology) {28 Dec 08} (REVIEW)
• Snowbound (Janice Kay Johnson) {19 Nov 08} (REVIEW)
• Hail to the Chef (Julie Hyzy) {1 Jan 09} (REVIEW)
• The Mistletoe Wager (Christine Merrill) {7 Dec 08} (REVIEW)
• Holiday with a Vampire II (Anthology) {27 Nov 08} (REVIEW)

Though there is still plenty of time for me to read more holiday-themed books before the end of January, I met my goal of six. Only disappointment for me was, about mid-December or so, I started to feel lousy and didn’t feel like reading much. I had always intended for Hail to the Chef to be read in January in honor of the Inauguration, but I really wanted to get one more Christmas anthology in before the end of the year.

I’m pretty happy with the selections I made and I enjoyed them all.

Hail to the Chef

Author:Julie Hyzy
Copyright:2008 (Berkley); 328 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-425-22499-1
Series: 2nd in the White House Chef Mystery series

Where & When: Thanksgiving, Washington, DC
Who: Olivia Paras, White House Executive Chef

In the second book, Ollie and the White House staff are preparing for the holiday season and the First Lady is playing matchmaker. The President’s single, good-looking nephew, Sam Sean Baxter, is visiting and Mrs. Campbell asks Ollie to convince Sam Sean to spend Thanksgiving at the White House. The First Lady is unaware of Ollie’s relationship with Secret Service Agent Tom MacKenzie, who is on the President’s security detail.  Ollie is gratified to know that Mrs. Campbell thinks so highly of her, but she’s stumped on how to diplomatically tell the First Lady she’s not interested in Sam Sean and keep her relationship with Tom private.

A security incident occurs and Ollie is sequestered with Mrs. Campbell and Sam Sean until an all-clear is given. She learns that Mrs. Campbell’s business partners — and life-long friends — are pressuring her to agree to sell the company they jointly own. Sam Sean, as her financial adviser, is telling her she shouldn’t sell.

With Thanksgiving and the start of the official holiday season just days away, the staff can’t afford to be held up by security threats and bomb scares. Because of the latest incident, the staff has to attend mandatory Improvised Explosive Device (IED) recognition training. Ollie gets off on the wrong foot with the special agent-in-change, and he singles her out at the first meeting. His persistence in making sure she fully understands the gravity of the situation pays off later when Ollie stumbles upon something where it shouldn’t be.

The staff receives a blow to their morale when the head electrician is accidentally electrocuted. Ollie can’t believe a man as experienced as Gene was could have made such a careless mistake. She questions a friend who comes up with a theory on what may have happened, but none of the other staff electricians want to listen to her theory.

Then, on Thanksgiving day, the First Lady receives news that Sam Sean has committed suicide. Even knowing him for such such a short time, Ollie is convinced that he wasn’t suicidal. There’s no time for her to poke her nose into things, however. Even with the recent tragedy, most of the scheduled events will go on as planned. Ollie and the rest of the staff are busy as ever. Conversations she has overheard, and a letter addressed to her written by Sam Sean, point to the possibility that maybe he was eliminated by someone who wants the First Lady to sell the company her father co-founded. All of the other partners want the sale to happen, but one is having finical and legal troubles, and that may have led to the death of Mrs. Campbell’s father as well as Sam Sean.

I liked this book more than the first one, primarily because Ollie isn’t stubbornly putting her nose into things as much as she did in the first book, and she is more confident in her new position. There is still the occasional encounter with the jerk of a sensitivity director, but she is now an equal and he has no influence over her. She’s even better at handling Bucky, the snarky assistant chef and her second-in-command. Tom doesn’t get much time in this book, because of his job, but they are still a couple.

As for the who-done-it part, I thought it was a bit far-fetched. The real draw, for me, is Ollie and the staff. I’m not a foodie, but I loved reading about the behind-the-scenes preparations. Like the previous book, recipes for the food served by the staff are provided, including one for gingerbread men.

Started: 1 January 2009
Finished: 1 January 2009

Rating:

Liked A Lot