February Wrap Up!

Hard to believe we are at the end of the second month of the "new" year already.  How time flies by!  I am happy to say that I have had yet another great month of reading and sharing with you all!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND THOSE THAT STOP IN TO READ MY BLOG!!!  YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED BY ME EVERY DAY!  


Here's what I have read in February: 11 Grand Total of  Books!!
You can click on the title of the book to get to my review of that book.  :-)

~ 1 Children's Book:
~Scuffy the Tugboat by Gertrude Crampton

~ 3 Young Adult Fiction:
~Toadhouse Trilogy Book One by Jess Lourey
~Midnight at the Taj Mahal by Brynn Olenberg Sugarman
~Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

~ 7 Adult Fiction ( Paranormal Romance/ Mystery/  Fiction):
~Deep Connections by Rebecca Graf
~Dance With A Gunfighter by Joanne Pence
~Sarah and Gerald by Christopher Geoffrey McPherson
~The Great Northern Coven by Bruce Jenvey
~Memories, Pain, and Gin by Danny Yarger
~Shades of Gray by Susanne Jacoby Hale
~Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

How are my Challenges looking?
You can click on each challenge and you will go to my post for that challenge to see which books counted for each challenge or what each challenge entails.  As I complete challenges I will highlight them!  :-)

Over The Year 2013:

1.  Paranormal Reading Challenge 2013  Read 12 paranormal books.  I am choosing to read one a month and to follow their list of which paranormal being is featured that month and read a book containing the featured paranormal.

2/12

2.  Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2013  I am hoping to climb Mount Blanc this year by setting a goal of reading 24 books off my TBR Shelf/List.

4/24

3.  Color Coded Reading Challenge 2013  Read 9 color specific books per list provided.

1/9

4.  What An Animal VI Reading Challenge 2013  Read 6 books containing an animal somewhere in them (cover, title, main character)

4/6

5.  Colorful Reading Challenge 2013  Read 9 books containing a color in the title.  Any color from the Crayola Crayon Color Box is game!

1/9

6.  Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge 2013  Read one book a month, so total of 12 books, that contain the "key word" of the month in the title.  "Key words" are given to pick from every month. 

2/12

7.  EBook Challenge 2013  Read E-Books!  I chose the CD level of reading 10 eBooks in the year.

0/10

8.  Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2013  Just like the name implies, simply read more books than I did in 2012.  I hope to read 1-5 more than I read in 2012!

0/5

9.  Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge 2013  Read books from Sookie Stackhouse Series.  I chose to read 5 books from the series this year, as that is the number I have left in the series to read.

2/5

10.  Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge 2013  Read books from this series.  I chose to read 1-3 books from the series to continue to make my way through the set.

0/3

11.  Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge 2013  Count pages read.  I chose the Mansion level of reading 10,001 + pages.

6,509/10,001

12.  Witch and Witchcraft Reading Challenge 2013  Read Witchy books.  I chose to read 1-5 witchy books for the Initiate level.

5/5  Witch and Witchcraft Challenge Wrap Up

13.  Reading Challenge Addict Challenge 2013  A challenge to give you the goal of completing you challenges!  I chose the In Flight level of completing 11-15 challenges.

1/15

14.  Pre-1960 Classic Children Book Challenge 2013  Read classic kids books that date before 1960.  I am trying for 12 books, one a month.

2/12

15.  Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge 2013  Read Mystery and Crime books.  I picked the Sherlock Holmes level of reading 30+ books in 2013.

8/30

16.  Off The Shelf Reading Challenge 2013  Read books off your own shelf to lessen your pile.  I picked "Trying", which is to read 15 books off my shelf.

4/15  

17.  Why Buy The Cow Reading Challenge 2013  Read eBooks that you find legally free.  I picked the "coupon clipper" level of reading 12 free eBooks.

0/12

18.  YA Mythology Reading Challenge 2013  Read 10 YA Mythology Books.

5/10

19.  A to Z Reading Challenge 2013  Read a book for each letter of the alphabet (title starts with).

11/26

20.  100 Books in A Year Reading Challenge 2013  Read 100 Books in the year.
23/100

21.  150+ Reading Challenge 2013  Read 150+ books in the year.
23/150

Perpetual:

1.  Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge  Read all the books in this series.

3/22

2.  Kinsey Millhone Reading Challenge  Read all the books in this series.

9/22

3.  Stephen King Reading Challenge  Read all of Stephen King's Books.

0/100

4.  Read 1 Million Pages Challenge  Read 1 Million Pages.

37,692/1,000,000

Book Review: Embrace

Title:  Embrace
Author:  Jessica Shirvington
Pages:  369
Publication Date:  2010
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction/Fantasy/Paranormal

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before. 

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

Look for the sequels ENTICED in September 2012 and EMBLAZE in March 2013!"

My Review:
Violet is just a "normal" teenager trying to get through school and some dramatic things in her own life.  She has a best friend and she has another best friend that she would love to have so much more with if he would only see her in that way.  She has a Dad doing the best he can after his wife died when Violet was born, leaving him to raise her on his own and deal with the death of his beloved wife.  She loves art and painting.  All of that "normal" is turned on it's head when she finds out that she is not who she thinks she is, but is part angel. She also finds out that Linc, that guy bff that she would love to be more, has been not so truthful to her about who he is either and his part in all of this.  Violet is confused and needs questions answered, but by who?  The last person she wants to trust again is Linc, but no one else would know anything about her situation.  Then she finds Pheonix, an exiled angel.  He may not be who she is supposed to be seeking advise from, but she trusts him.  The question is, should she trust him?  When Linc is hurt and on deaths door, will Violet embrace what she really is and was meant for to save him?  Can she save him either way?  What will happen to her life as she knows it if she embraces her otherworldly nature and destiny?  Something this strong can't be all good.  She finds out all too quickly the dangers of being what she is destined to be.  Can she survive it all long enough to find herself and come to understand it all?  Who can she trust to really truly help her?

This was a fantastic read for me.  It had everything I love in a good young adult book, well any book actually, action, adventure, mystery, fantasy, angels (both good and evil), paranormal, and romance.  Along with young adult drama, like being a teenager and then being a teenager that is different than everyone else.  Nothing is harder in anyone's life than being a teen, except maybe being a teen that is part something a bit supernatural, which only makes it  all the harder on poor Violet.  The plot was great and the characters were so well developed I could see them going to the high school in my own city.  This book had me sucked in right away and I found myself saying that I would just read one more chapter then go to bed, well, before I knew it it was in the wee hours of the morning and I was finishing the book!  It just is one of those reads that captures it's reader.  My favorite characters were Violet (the teen that comes into her powers when she turns 17 and has her life turned upside down), Linc (the young man who is Violet's best buddy and her safe person to go to and her secret crush big time, but he isn't telling her the exact whole truth of it all), and Pheonix (the "bad boy" guy that turns out to be so much more than just a trusting person in Violets eyes and not all in a good way).  The fact that Violet has had such a rough past and now is going through a huge change of learning she is not only human makes a great story line.  She goes through a lot while learning who she is and who she needs to and wants to be in her life.  She also learns things about her own Mother, who died after she was born, that makes her hindsight of her whole life 20/20.  I love that!  I think we all have moments in our lives that we just "see" what we should have seen when we were younger or when we went through a certain thing.  It's really to bad hindsight can't happen a bit sooner...oh like when we are in the thick of the problem or situation.  I love the strength Violet shows and has, even though she is not normally like that.  She puts others before her...most of the time.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for paranormal, angels, or just a fun read.  You will not be disappointed, I know I wasn't.

5/5 Stars!  

Book Review: Dead in the Family

Title:  Dead in the Family
Author:  Charlaine Harris
Pages:  311
Publication Date:  2010
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery/Fantasy

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire, an ancient being who arrives with Eric's 'brother' in tow at a most inopportune moment. And Sookie's tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), Vampire Bill Compton.

In addition to the multitude of family issues complicating her life, the werewolf pack of Shreveport has asked Sookie for a special favour, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War."

My Review:
When you are married to one of the most powerful vampires, not to mention most stunning and hot vampires, your life should be relatively safe right?  Well, Sookie always seems to find a way to be in trouble and/or danger, so...wrong.  Eric is now Sookie's vampire husband after a symbolic wedding took place that she had no idea even happened until after the fact.  Sure Eric did it to keep her safer, but still, a girl should know when they get married.  After the great Fairy War Sookie is healing and adjusting to her new role as Eric's wife.  Things seem to be going half way okay, that is until Eric's "Dad" aka his maker, arrives in Sookie's bedroom one night after her and Eric had just gotten done having some marital fun.  Sookie's blood bond to Eric makes his makers arrival very hard on her, as they are blood bonded too and she can now feel both their emotions AND the "brother's" emotions too that Eric now has thanks to his maker.  Eric's brother is not taking too well to vampire ways, but who would expect him to when he was turned at just 13 years old and was history legend and saw his whole family and household killed.  Can Eric help his maker gain control of this new brother before it is too late and he crosses the vampire line?  How can Eric be there for Sookie when she needs him if he is bound to his maker and has to obey anything he tells him?  Will the maker simply choose to get rid of Sookie in a very permanent way to get Eric back?  As if this wasn't enough going on, when Sookie allows the Weres to have a run on her land they find a body, an old one that Sookie did know about, and they scented fae, two of them and not the cousin of Sookie's that has moved in with her.  Could the evil fae who was after Sookie to kill her like he did her parents, have gotten left on the human side of the fae door when her great grandfather closed them all between the lands?  Is Sookie in more danger that she even realizes in her own home?  Who is the other fairy that they scented?  Is he or she out to hurt her too?  When another fresh body, one of a new Were is found also on her land, Sookies world is about to turn upside down and inside out.  Who could have it in to bad for Sookie?  Is there anyway to find out who really put the body there or will Sookie be found guilty of the murder an putting it there?  So many things going on!  To top it off the shifters coming out to the humans isn't going so well either and protesters are starting to show up at Sam's bar.

In true Harris fashion, she had me at her first words written.  With every book I read I find myself thinking, there is no way this book can be any good because the series is getting to that numerous book stage and that's when they fall apart.  Well, Harris seems to have it all figured out, because I am always proven wrong.  The book is just as good if not better than the one(s) before and I just love it!  As this series continues into the higher numbers I am continually amazed at how they aren't repeating themselves.  Instead the characters continue to develop and grow.  The plot also continues to grow.  I think because there are so many directions that the characters can go in and be expanded on, is why it just works for Harris to do so.  My favorite part about not only this book, but the whole series, is that they are written in such a way that you could read any of them as stand alone books and it would work for you, yet if you read them in order it just intensifies and makes them that much better.  In this book I simply love the dynamic of Eric and Sookie adjusting to being man and wife.  It's fun to see two people who hated each other come to deeply love one another.  They just work together.  Sookie never ceases to amaze me with how she seems to find trouble in every direction she turns...always.  The vampire family of Eric's also brings in a great new twist to this book.  While Sookie may be married to and really love Eric, she never forgets about her first true love, Bill, either.  Which she shouldn't seeing he is now close to final death's door because of helping her and in the meantime getting silver poisoning. Sookie shows her love for Bill through doing everything she can to help him get well, even if that means finding his vampire "sister" to give him her blood so he can heal faster.  Sookie seems to me to be torn between her current love and the tug of her first love, even though she knows she can no longer be with Bill, she still cares enough to not want to see him harmed.  This book and all the drama in it kept me hooked until the very ending page and words.  I couldn't wait to pick it up again when I had to put it down and I couldn't wait to read the next page and the next page when I was reading it.  Great job, by a wonderful author!  A must read, especially if you have read the other books in the series, or a great start to get you to want to read them all!

5/5 Stars!

Book Review: Scuffy the Tugboat

Title:  Scuffy the Tugboat
Author:  Gertrude Crampton
Pages:  32
Publication Date:  1946
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Children's Fiction

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Meant for “bigger things,” Scuffy the Tugboat sets off to explore the world. But on his daring adventure Scuffy realizes that home is where he’d rather be, sailing in his bathtub. For over 50 years, parents and children have cherished this classic Little Golden Book."

My Review:
I remember reading this book with my Grandmother on Friday nights when I would have a sleepover at her house.  This is a great book about a little tugboat who thinks he is meant for bigger and better things than just a bathtub.  When he gets his chance to go to those bigger and better places he takes it, but soon finds out that sometimes you are meant to be where you are no matter how much you think you want a change.  I loved this book when I was a child and I love it now as a parent.  This is a cute, yet very meaningful story.  Like all the classic Golden Books I can think of, there is a lesson that is taken from this book as well as a fun read.  Great story book to read to an little one for the first time or the millionth time.  Also great for any adult looking for a reminder of the small, but important lessons in life.

5/5 Stars!!

Book Review: Midnight at the Taj Mahal

Title:  Midnight at the Taj Mahal
Author:  Brynn Olenberg Sugarman
Pages:  202
Publication Date:  2012
Version:  Paperback free via author for honest review
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Hailey and Zach are out of school on a year long adventure. First stop: India! 

The excitement begins the moment they step off the plane. Hailey and Zach are entrusted with the magical diary of Shah Jahan, legendary builder of the Taj Mahal, and are whisked off on their first real adventure. The Taj pool shimmers in the full moon, and suddenly the twins are not just traveling the world but traveling back in time, sent on a mission to free the shah and his princess daughter from their prison tower. 

With the help of their ingenious friend, Sushil, anything seems possible. Can they help the shah win back his rightful place on the throne? Will they change India's history forever? 

Time is running out! Will they succeed before their parents' work in India is done, and it's time for them to move on?"

My Review:
Hailey and Zach are torn between being extremely happy and being sad when their parents say they will be missing a year of school to go on a trip around the world as part of their work.  The first place on the agenda is India where they will see the Taj Mahal and much more.  Hailey and Zach soon find a friend in their family's driver's son, Sushil.  Soon they are thrown into a mystery that they only thought could exist in the movies.  They have to time travel through the Taj Mahal's pool, back to the time that the great Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son and try to free him.  They soon discover that is much more complicated than they think when they are trying to do it all without much instruction or know how.  Simply freeing Shah Jahan may seem like a semi simple feat, but it is much more complicated than they could ever imagine.  They soon are thrown into a world of the ancient past, sword fighting, royalty, enemies, and much more.  They recognize Shah Jahan, but don't know if it's because they have seen him in paintings or because they have seen him somewhere else.  With the help of Sushil, Hailey and Zach will go on the adventure of a life time.  The question is, will their time travel affect more of the present than they thought?  What will happen if they succeed in freeing Shah Jahan to the past and the present?  Will an adventure of innocent intentions go, oh so wrong?  These friends are more than willing to see it through to the end to find out that's for sure.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series.  The author did such an amazing job with the description of the place, background and of the plot and characters that I was immediately sucked into this book.  Hailey and Zach are twins, but like most twins are very much different.  All of the characters in this book were very well developed and were brought to life for me as I read the pages of the book.  As I read I felt like I was in the middle of the adventure with Hailey, Zach, and Sushil.  I love the aspect of this family being in an unfamiliar place, but making friends so quickly and making it such a learning experience for not only the characters in the book, but also for the reader of the book.  I found myself laughing out loud at points in the book because I could just see the things happening and had to laugh.  One of my favorite, more humorous, parts for me was the part where they kids leave the car doors open while they go on their first time travel adventure and when they come back to the car they find it full of monkeys!  The way it was described, I just could feel myself being there to see all these monkeys in the car and it made me laugh so hard.  I am not one for historical reads, but this wasn't really a historical read to me, it was more of an action, fantasy, adventure read.  I just loved it and I think this author is just amazing with how she wrote this book!  I absolutely can't wait to read the next book in this "around the world" adventure series with Hailey and Zach.  Once you pick up this book you will not want to put it down until you complete the adventure with the characters and even then you will be left with a great want to read the next installment.  A must read young adult book for all ages.

5/5 Stars!!!  (by far!)

Book Review: Shades of Grey

Title:  Shades of Grey
Author:  Susanne Jacoby Hale
Pages:  356
Publication Date:  2011
Version:  PDF via author free for honest review
Genre:  Adult Romance

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"In inner-city New York, horrors lurk in the unruly hallways of Malcolm High School. As in-school riots and gang violence consistently envelop the classroom, Olivia Dalton attempts to teach her students while simultaneously directing a drop-out prevention program that embraces an ever-increasing group of at-risk students. Left with little hope she will ever have children of her own, Olivia becomes entrenched in her students' lives, partly out of love, but also out of an unconscious desire to avoid her own internal anguish.

Meanwhile, Olivia's devoted husband, Tom, is having trouble facing his own disappointments in not being able to create a family. In an effort to protect Olivia, he attempts to hold her back from the one place she feels useful and fulfilled-her career. But despite her husband's efforts to quell her desire to help the troubled and confused, Olivia presses on and believes in change, even in the face of her students' continual mistakes and poor choices. Neither Tom nor Olivia have any idea that everything is about to change when an unassuming gift is left at their door.

"Shades of Gray" is the profound story of one woman's unpredictable journey to the truth, new beginnings, and a kind of love she never knew before."

My Review:
This book was simply a fantastic read!  It speaks to the hearts of all readers, especially those who are in a teaching role of some kind, be it teachers or even adult volunteer positions like Scouting.  It was easy to see the author had a great knowledge of teaching, great personal experiences in teaching, and a passion for it herself.  Olivia Dalton is just an amazing character who is just SO realistic and easy to relate to I felt like I should pick up the phone and call her.  I found myself relating to the teacher role she has and the trying to conceive role she has with her husband.  I also found myself easily drawn into the story and the characters.  I could feel for Olivia as she faced problems and hurtles in her professional and personal life.  The rest of the characters easily pulled at emotions and heartstrings too as I read the book.  They were all well developed and well portrayed through the author's writing.  I was a bit skeptical of this book, I will admit, because of the description being "out of my comfort box" as a reader and because it was work from a first time author.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised and just couldn't put this book down once I started reading it.  The book starts with such action that you can't help but love it from the first chapters.  It was well written and seemed to flow from the pages as I read on.  I never once felt any confusion or choppiness in the book or writing style.  For a first time author that is quite the achievement!  I felt myself learning from this book too and thinking about issues in the book.  You never know who really has more to offer in life...the one who seems to have everything or the one who seems to have nothing.  This book shows how a person's character may not always be the way they seem to portray it in every day life.  There is always something more to people, no matter what the outside looking in looks like.  This book was a touching read for me and I found myself going through a variety of emotions while reading it.  I must say that I can't wait to see what Susanne Jacoby Hale will write next.  I may have found another favorite author to add to my list.  I highly suggest checking out this book, it is well worth any readers time.

5/5 Stars!!

Also take time to check out Susanne Jacoby Hale's Website!  Here you can also find a downloadable preview of the book!

Book Review: Memories, Pain, and Gin

Title:  Memories, Pain and Gin
Author:  Danny Yarger
Pages:  276
Publication Date:  2012
Version:  Paperback free via author for honest review
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"No one should have to face the death of their own child. John Wilson's daughter, Anna, was exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. She received a full scholarship to study at Harvard in the fall. Anna wanted to stay in Kentucky with her horses and her crack addicted mother. John had to leave for an adjustment that he had to make in Lexington and wanted to spend time with Anna before she started school. The adjustment was to be made on an innocent suburbanite who had developed a piece of electric equipment that would cost the government billions of dollars, and maybe a few lives. Back home, John's friend Fat Henry dies. The ghosts that live in John's memories come back as he struggles with convincing Anna to keep her destiny and reconciling the orders he received to kill a man whose only crime in life was being happy in suburbia. When Anna dies, John's world unravels."

My Review:
I really don't know what I want to say about this book.  I have never read a book that made me feel like this one did.  I did read the whole book, but I can't really say I enjoyed it immensely.  I found it to be slow moving and not very engaging to me.  I felt like I was reading, but nothing really stuck out to me to make me want to hurry up and read on or pick it up again when I put it down.  I did enjoy the characters, but I must say that is about all I really loved about this book.  The summary seemed to make it out to be a great read, but most of the summary doesn't even occur until later in the book.  I felt like I was always waiting for something to happen, but it never really did until way late in the book.  At one point I felt as if there wasn't really a plot so to speak of.  I actually put this book down and re-read it at a later date to see if my mood was the problem, but I found the same issues the second time I tried.  I think the development of a great book was there, but I just felt it didn't do it for me.  After I read it and felt this way I looked at other reviews of this book and found them to be glowing 5 stars.  I don't know if I just was not in touch with the book or what, but the reviews made me actually go back and look at the book again and to wonder what it was that I missed.  The book was well written, I will give it that, as far as I understood what I read.  I also will say that the characters were great and that I just loved John and Anna and Fat Henry.  They were brought to life for me by the descriptions and the great development of them.  

So how would I rate this book?  It is hard for me to do so when I didn't seem to see what the other reviewers saw, but I vowed to always give my honest to goodness opinions.  So I have to give this book a 3 out of 5 stars for me.  I just didn't see what others saw I guess.  I saw a book with great writing, characters, and great potential, but I didn't see a very good plot to keep me wanting to read on.  Maybe it just wasn't my type of book, and I respect that.  It's a book to check out just to see if you will like it, if for nothing else than the wonderful characters.

3/5 Stars

Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge Wrap Up!!

A spell must have been cast upon me this year, because I just was in the mood for some witchy reads!  I am so excited to say that because of this nice spell, I have completed my first Reading Challenge of the year!  Yippy!  I had a great time doing it too!  Below you can find my original post along with my books I read and their review links.

2013 Witches & Witchcraft Sign Up Post!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the 2012 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge!  I hope you all had as much fun as I did!  Welcome to the 2013 Challenge!!

Challenge Rules:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2013.  I will be posting a place to link up a sign-up post (below), reviews and a wrap-up post. (Note: You do not have to review the books to participate, but only those who link up reviews will be entered for the prize)
2. Grab the reading challenge button (code & button below) and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate- you could track your progress and post reviews on  Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, etc.
3. Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or major witchcraft elements counts.  They may be fiction or non-fiction.  However, they should not be reference books which are not read cover to cover-I will leave this to your discretion.  
4. Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
5. Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
6. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
7. When you sign up in the linky put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge.
8. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
9. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
10. Have some Witchy Good Fun !!!

The Levels:

Initiate:  Read 1 - 5 Witchy Books

Maiden:  Read 6 - 10 Witchy Books

Mother:  Read 11 - 15 Witchy Books

Crone:  Read 16 - 20 Witchy Books

Some book suggestions to get you started (for series' I've just listed the 1st):

(Most of these I have not read and am not recommending-just sharing the list of books that I will be looking into and considering for the challenge! Please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments and I'll add them to the list!)

Fiction:

Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman

Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

Casting Spells (Sugar Maple, #1)- Barbara Bretton
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) - Deborah Harkness

The Trouble With Magic (Bewitching Mysteries, No. 1) - Madeline Alt

The Book of Shadows (Herculine #1) - James Reese

New England Witch Chronicles - Chelsea Bellingeri

The Near Witch – Victoria Schwab

The Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family, #1)– Melissa de la Cruz

Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles, #1)- Jessica Spotswood

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

Second Hand Spirits (A Witchcraft Mystery, #1)- Juliet Blackwell

It Takes a Witch (A Wishcraft Mystery #1)- Heather Blake

Once a Witch (Witch #1) - Carolyn MacCullough

Book of Shadows (Wicca, #1) - Cate Tiernan 
Random Magic - Sasha Soren

Witch Way to Murder (Ophelia & Abby, #1) - Shirley Damsgaard 

Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) - Rachel Hawkins

The Witching Hour (Lives of the Mayfair Witches #1) - Anne Rice

The Night Strangers - Chris Bohjalian

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins #1) - HP Mallory

Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1) - Kim Harrison

A Witch in Winter - Ruth Warburton

Jinx - Meg Cabot

Would-Be Witch (Southern Witch #1) - Kimberly Frost

Girl's Guide to Witchcraft (Jane Madison #1) - Mindy Klasky

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover (Jazz Tremaine #1) - Linda Wisdom

The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent
Entangled - Nikki Jefford
Crushed (The Witch-Game #1) - KC Blake
Witch Hunt (The Witch-Game #2) - KC Blake

Non-Fiction:

Bucklands's Complete Book of Witchcraft - Raymond Buckland

Drawing Down the Moon - Margot Adler

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner - Scott Cunningham

Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick - Ellen Dugan

Magick in Theory and Practice - Aleister Crowley 

The Spiral Dance - Starhawk

The Golden Bough -  James Frazer

A Witch’s Bible: the Complete Witch’s Handbook - Janet & Stewart Farrar

Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life - Pauline Campanelli

Witch Crafting - Phyllis Curott

Witchcraft Today - Gerald Gardner

A History of Witchcraft - Jeffrey Russell

The Prize:

Witchy book of choice up to $10 from The Book Depository!

Participants who have officially signed up by linking up a sign-up post declaring their level  will be given one entry for every review they link up.  The more reviews you write and link up, the more entries in the contest!  An additional entry will be given to any who complete or exceed their challenge level! Winner will be chosen on Jan 11th 2014 to give everyone a chance to link up their end of year reviews.

Signing up for this challenge again.  :-)  I completed it last year, let's see if I can do it again this year!

I am going to go for the level of Initiate of 1-5 witchy books.

My Progress:

1.  Topaz and the Evil Wizard by Pat Frayne

2.  Topaz and the Plum-Gista Stone by Pat Frayne

3.  Adventures of Stanley Delacourt by Ilana Waters

4.  Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

5.  The Great Northern Coven by Bruce Jenvey