Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013

The object of this challenge is to read books in series we have already started. So draw a card and read the book in the series corresponding to the card you chose.

We will be using a special deck with only 5 types of cards: 2s, 3s, 4s, Queens and Kings. If you draw a:
2 - You read a second in series
3 - You read a third in series
4 - You read a fourth in series
Q - You read a book 5-10 in the series
K - You can read any book in the series 2+. So you can read a #2, #7, a #19, etc.

That's right. First in series are NOT allowed. :)

LEVELS
Nickel: 5 Books
Snowman: 8 Books
Painted Lady: 12 Books
Card Shark: 15 Books
Serial Reader: 20+ Books

RULES
1♣ You must use this EXACT LINK to draw because it has the required cards. To draw, click the link and then click AGAIN!

2♦ You can only read series you started BEFORE April 20, 2013. Any new series you start after that day cannot be used in the challenge.

3♠ For series order, please follow Goodreads information. I will NOT arbitrate or approve series information because it can get too complicated and time consuming (believe me, I've tried before.) If you know for a fact that a series is wrong on GR, provide links to the author page to a GR librarian to fix the information for you (I won't do it because then I'll have to do it for everybody.)

4♥ If a book belongs to two different series, i.e. A Christmas Bride (The Ideal Wife #3) (Dark Angel #5), please go with the series that you are reading. For instance, if you want to read the aforementioned book and you have started both series, then you can use that book as #3 or as #5. But if you've only started the Dark Angel series, then you can only use this book as your #5 in series and not a #3.

5♣ You can draw up to TWO cards at at time, maximum. Meaning, that you can draw one card for your first book and another for your second book. But if you draw multiple cards, then you have to finish both books before you draw two cards again.

6♦ If you draw a card and you find you have already read all series books corresponding to that card - let's say you get a 3 but you've already read all #3s in all the series you want to continue reading - then you can draw again. Please note: if you are on the fence about a series and that's the only book you have that matches your draw, then you can still draw again. You should only read books you have the intention of reading.

7♠ Re-reads are NOT allowed. The whole point of the challenge is to advance series that are gathering dust in your TBR.

8♥ There are no minimum number of pages for books that are whole numbers in the series i.e. #2, 5 , 17, 31, etc. As long as the book belongs to a series you already started, you can read it, regardless of length. HOWEVER, you must read complete books, not novellas. So for instance, you cannot read #2.5 if you got a 2.

9♣ Complete books that fall 'in between' i.e. Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels #5.5) or compilations of novellas by the same author i.e. Wild Invitation (Psy-Changeling 0.5, 3.5, 9.5, 10.5) can be read if you draw a King. "In Between" books must have a minimum of 250 pgs.

10♦ If you started a series out of order, you can continue reading it out of order BUT you must comply with rule #2. Meaning, that you cannot read Lord of Scoundrels as a #3 if you haven't read any other books in the series. However, if you read book #4 in that series and want to read #3 now, then you can do so.

11♠ If you DNF a series, you have the option of drawing again if you so choose. For example, let's say that you draw a 2 and you decide to read a book from a series you started a long time ago. If you DNF the book (for real...not just deciding to read it later), then you have the option of picking ANOTHER second in the series to read or drawing again.

12♥ The books you read don't have to be from the same series. You can read #2 from I-Team, #3 from the Wallflowers, #7 from Mercy Thompson. It's up to you which series you read.

13♣ When you post your updates, make sure to include the series information i.e.: Hallowed (Unearthly, #2), The Shattered Sylph (Sylph, #2), etc.

14♦ Please post an update of your reads and your draws together. See example in msg 4. :)

15♠ Because this is the luck of the draw, you may get five 2s in a row or no Queens, or one of each. It's just the way it is so please be ready to go with the flow. :)

Finishers

FAQs

Q: Can I draw my first two cards now?
You can draw your first two cards as soon as you sign up but you can't start reading until May 1.

Q: Can I change my picks or are they set in stone? Say I pull a 2 & choose Reflected in You, can I change it to another #2?
Definitely. You can change your book as long as it's still the same # in the series.

Q: Do I have to read the books in the order I draw the cards? You can read the books in any order. Meaning that if you draw a #3 as your first card and a #2 as your second, you can read the #2 first and the #3 second. However, just note that you have to read those first before you draw another two cards.

Q: I'm reading series X out of order - I've read #5, 7 & 9. Can I read the first in the series? No, first in series are not allowed even if you started the series out of order. It's the principle of the thing. :)

Q: For the serial reader level of having 20+ books, is there a limit to those...or its ongoing depending on the person and 20 is the minimum? There is no limit. 20 is the minimum but anybody that chooses that level can feel free to read 21 or 35 or how many they can read. :)

How to post your updates

First Post:
Draws:
#1 - King of Hearts
#2 - Queen of Hearts

-----------------------------------------------

Second Post: - This should include your first two books read and your next pair of draws

1. King of Hearts: Shadowfever (Fever #5) by Karen Marie Moning - Apr 19 ★★★★
2. Queen of Hearts: A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon - Apr 29 ★★★★½

Draws:
#3 - 4 of Spades:
#4 - 2 of Hearts:

-----------------------------------------------

Third Post: This should include your first 4 books read and your next pair of draws.

1. King of Hearts: Shadowfever (Fever #5) by Karen Marie Moning - Apr 19 ★★★★
2. Queen of Hearts: A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon - Apr 29 ★★★★½
3. 4 of Spades: Shroud For A Nightingale (Adam Dalgliesh #4) by P.D. James - May 1 ★★★★
4. 2 of Hearts: Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews - May 5 ★★★★

Draws:
#5 - King of Hearts
#6 - 4 of Diamonds:

-----------------------------------------------

And so it goes...until you are done. Then you post all your reads:

1. King of Hearts: Shadowfever (Fever #5) by Karen Marie Moning - Apr 19 ★★★★
2. Queen of Hearts: A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon - Apr 29 ★★★★½
3. 4 of Spades: Shroud For A Nightingale (Adam Dalgliesh #4) by P.D. James - May 1 ★★★★
4. 2 of Hearts: Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews - May 5 ★★★★
5. King of Hearts: Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) - May 8 ★★★★½
6. 4 of Diamonds: Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) by Ilona Andrews - May 12 ★★★★★
7. Queen of Hearts: The Ideal Wife (Dark Angel, #5) by Mary Balogh - May 16 ★★½
8. 2 of Clubs: Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2) by Mike Mullin - May 21 ★★★★
9. Queen of Clubs: Raising Kane (Rough Riders #9) by Lorelei James - May 25 ★★★
10. 3 of Clubs: Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed #3) by Lara Adrian - May 28 ★★★
11. 4 of Hearts: Love Irresistibly (FBI/US Attorney #4) - Jun 8 ★★★★
12. 3 of Spades: Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie - Jun 28 ★★★

Reserved

Reserved

So I'm drawing first so you see how it's done. :)

I'm signing up for the Painted Lady - I'll go up to the next level if I can.

#1 - King of Clubs
#2 - 4 of Clubs

Interesting! I'm going for Snowman as a start.

Series Shuffler
Duration:May 1 - July 31, 2013
Progress: 0/8
--------------------------------------

Draws:
#1 - 3 of Hearts
#2 - 2 of Clubs

To Read:

1. Immortal in Death (In Death #3) by JD Robbs
2. Reflected in You (Crossfire #2) by Sylvia Day

Wow! Picking books already (LOL!)

I have no clue what I'll read...I checked Fict Fact and discovered I have 7 books to read next that are the fourth in a series!

Ooooh! NICE D.G.! Very nice! (also funny how your example for #10, you used LoS since that is the only book in the series I have on my shelf. Dammit!) I think I'm gonna go with "Card Shark." The way the news has been lately, I don't really want to be a "killer." Be back soon with my card picks.

Good point, LL! I'll change that to 'Serial Reader'. :)

LOL about LoS! I just thought of it because it's a very popular book that is supposedly part of a series but it's really a standalone. I started reading that series with #3, read #4, went back to #1 and now I only have #2 left. :)

BTW, can you change your picks or are they set in stone? I mean say I pull a 2 & choose...hell, I don't know...Reflected in You, can I change it to another #2 if I a)decided not to read the book or b)read it before May 1st? Forgive me if you already went over that. It's 7 am here and I'm mostly comatose.

You can definitely change your picks (just not the draws.) I'll add that to the FAQs. :)

YAY!


RRRC "Series Shuffler" Challenge
Duration: May 1, 2013-July 31, 2013
Goal: Card Shark-0/15 Completed

Draws:

#1. King of Hearts-TBD
#2. Queen of Hearts-TBD

i'm going to go with Nickle to start

RRRC "Series Shuffler" Challenge
Duration: May 1, 2013-July 31, 2013
Goal: Nickle-0/5 Completed

#1. 4 of spades - The Book of Lost Fragrances (#4 in the Reincarnationist series)
#2. King of Clubs - 206 Bones (#12 in the Temperence Brennan series) - 5/4/13

NICKEL:

#1~Q of Hearts: Second Chance Pass, robyn carr (5th in the Virgin River Series) FINISHED: 05.04.2013
#2~K of Spades: Ghost Story, jim butcher FINISHED: 05.04.2013

#3~2 of Spades: Beautiful Darkness, kami garcia FINISHED: 07.02.2013
#4~Q of Diamonds: Heartless, gail carriger FINISHED: 06.25.2013

#5~2 of Diamonds: The Kingdom, amanda stevens
#6~4 of Spades: A Chesapeake Shores Christmas, sherryl woods

in I will go for Serial Reader

1/20+ Complete

#1. 3 of Spades Bad Attitude (Bad in Baltimore #3) finished 5/2 4*
#2 3 of Clubs The Walls Have Ears (College Fun and Gays #3)

I'll go for a Snowman :)

Series Shuffler
Duration:May 1 - July 31, 2013
Progress: 1/8
#1 K of Spades: Fly Away (Firefly Lane #2) by Kristin Hannah 5/5/13
#2 Q of Hearts: Paradise Valley(Virgin River #7) by Robyn Carr 5/19/13

Irina wrote: "I am going to start off slow and go for the first level Nickle.

Series Shuffler
Duration:May 1 - July 31, 2013
Read: 0/5
--------------------------------------
1. 3 of Hearts: Rules of Attraction
..."

I dont' think twisted perfection works Irina - it is listed as a book 1 ;)

I'm starting with Painted Lady and may morph into a Card Shark if the cards are good to me. lol

READ: 0/12

Draws
#1 - 4 of clubs
#2 - Queen of hearts


1. Beautiful Redemption - Kami Garcia (Caster Chronicles #4)
2. Crown of Crystal Flame - C.L. Wilson (Tairen Soul #5)

Fun challenge!

RRRC ♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥

Duration: May 1, 2013 - July 13, 2013

Level: Nickel (for now)

0/5 Read

1. Queen of Hearts: Chicagoland Vampires #7, House Rules by Chloe Neill
2. King of Clubs: Virgin River #5, Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr

I'll go for Card Shark

RRRC Series Shuffler
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Read: 1/15

Draws:
1. 3 of Diamonds: Face the Fire (Three Sisters island #3) by Nora Roberts, 5/3/2013, 2*
2. K of Hearts:A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows #4) by Kim Harrison

Love this!


Painted Lady
Read: 2/12

1. Queen of Diamonds: Unleash the Night (Dark-Hunter #9) 5/6/13 ★★★✩✩
2. 2 of Clubs: Trusted Bond (Change of Heart #2) 5/7/13 ★★★✩✩

Nice challenge, D.G.!


♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
hmmm gonna try for Painted Lady for now.

0/12

Draws:
1. 3♣: Serpent's Kiss (Elder Races #3) - Thea Harrison
2. Q♠: Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7) - Patricia Briggs

Love it DG! I'm in and I'll go...


Series Shuffler Challenge
1 May - 31 July 2013

Snowman
Completed 0/8

Draws:
1. Kings (diamonds):
2. 3 (diamonds):

Ok, I can't resist, but I'm starting small, just in case... :D

RRRC Series Shuffler
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Snowman
Read: 0/8

Draws:
1. Q of Spades:
2. 4 of Diamonds:

RRRC Series Shuffler
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Painted Lady
Read: 0/12

Draws:

#1: 4 of Diamonds - TBD
#2: K of Diamonds - TBD

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1, 2013 - July 31, 2013
Level: Serial Reader

1/20+ Completed

First Post:
Draws:
#1 - Queen of Hearts: All He Ever Desired (Kowalski Family, #5) by Shannon Stacey 05/04/13 ★★★★
#2 - 2 of Diamonds: Luscious (Sexy Chefs, #2) by Amanda Usen

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1, 2013 - July 31, 2013
Level: Snowman

3/8 Completed

First Post
#1- King of Diamonds: ✔- Twisted Perfection ★★★★★ 05/02/13
#2- 2 of Spades: ✔- Trish, Just Trish ★★★★★ 05/03/13
----------

Second Post
Draws:
#3- 4 of Spades: ✔- Moon ★★★★ 05/05/13
#4- Queen of Hearts:

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1, 2013 - July 31, 2013
Level: Painted Lady

0/12 Completed

First Post:

Draws:

#1 - King of Hearts - TBD
#2 - King of Spades - TBD

I'm quite sure I won't get a draw like that again. :)

LOL, Karen! Who knows, LOL!

I'll start with Nickel, and I can move up there if it goes well...
♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Nickel
0/5 Completed

Draws:
#1 King of Spades
#2 4 of Hearts

-------------
#1 King of Spades-- Hard Evidence (I-Team #2)-- 5/2/13 ✮✮✮✮✮
#2 4 of Hearts - Divide & Conquer (Cut & Run Series #4)

Love this!!

~~♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥~~
Duration: May 1, 2013 - July 31, 2013
Level: Serial Reader

0/20+ Read

---------

Draws:
#1~ 3♣ : Grave Memory(Alex Craft, #3)
#2~ 2♥ :The Kingdom(Graveyard Queen, #2)

This is a GREAT challenge! Boy do I need it...I "follow" 313 series on FictFact and maybe 60 of them are current! I should have NO problem finding books to read no matter what I draw so I am going to start with the Painted Lady level.

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1, 2013 - July 31, 2013
Level: Painted Lady

1/12 Completed

Draws:
#1 - 2 of clubs
#2 - 4 of spades

1Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)* * * * 5/10
2.Darkness Revealed (Guardians of Eternity #4)

I'm going to start with Nickel.

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Nickel
Read: 0/5

Draws
1. K♣: Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie Mcguire
2. 3♠: City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #3) by Stacia Kane *05/02 ★★★★★

I'm going to start at Nickel level. I'm not sure what I'll be reading for my first draw yet -- a lot of book 2s to choose from. :)

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May - July 2013

Level: Nickel (5)

DRAW:
1. 2♠: ???
2. Q♠: Taken by Midnight (Midnight Breed #8) Lara Adrian

I'm in and will start with Nickel.


♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Nickel
Completed: 0/5

Draw:
1. 4 of Hearts:
2. 2 of Diamonds:

I would like to give this a try

I'm going to go for Nickel as I'm feeling overextended already...but I just can't help myself :)

♣♦ Series Shuffler Challenge ♠♥
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Nickel
Completed: 0/5

Draw:
1. 3♥: Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum #3) by Janet Evanovich
2. 2♠: See Jane Score (Chinooks Hockey #2) by Rachel Gibson

This looks like fun! I am in!

Series Shuffler Challenge
Duration: May 1 - July 31, 2013
Level: Painted Lady
Completed: 2/12

Draw:
1. K hearts: Spell Bound/Kelley Armstrong(Women of the Otherworld #12) - ★★★★☆ - 5/14/13
2. Q clubs: An Echo in the Bone/Diana Gabaldon(Outlander #7) - ★★★★★ - 6/21/13

D.G., I don't know where you come up with these challenges. Another awesome one!!


Series Shuffler Challenge
Duration: 5/1/2013 - 7/31/2013
Level: Serial Reader
Completed: 4/20+


Draw:

1. 3 of Club: Bedding the Billionaire by Ruth Cardello. Legacy Collection #3. Completed 5/2/13 **** (4 Stars)
2. 2 of Hearts: Smooth Irish by Jennifer Saints. Weldon #2.Completed 5/1/13 **** (4 Stars)
3. 2 of Spades: King Of The Desert, Captive Bride (Desert Kings, #2) by Jane Porter. Desert Kings #2 Completed 5/2/13 *** (3 Stars)
4. King of Hearts: Frisco's Kid by Suzanne Brockmann. Tall Dark & Dangerous #3 Completed 5/2/13 **** (4 Stars)
5. 3 of Spades: Dillon's Claim by Callie Croix.
6. King of Spades:If You Were Mine by Bella Andre.

I'm confused and need a little clarification on rules 8 and 9. If there is no minimum length for the books, how do we determine whether an "in between" book is considered a novella or a complete book? Is it just whether it is published by itself rather than in an anthology, or do you have something else in mind?

Good question, Karen. For in between books, I'll institute a page count of 250 pgs.

Ok, thanks D.G. I can't wait for May to get here to get started!

Me neither, LOL! I'm reading a #4 in a series now and I keep thinking...I could have used this for the challenge, LOL!

Yeah, it's messing with my head a bit - I'm about ready to break out a spreadsheet to keep track of what book is up next in each series so I can sort them by number! :D

~KarenH~ wrote: "Yeah, it's messing with my head a bit - I'm about ready to break out a spreadsheet to keep track of what book is up next in each series so I can sort them by number! :D"

Karen....I started an excel file yesterday when I signed up for it. LOL

Do you know about Fict Fact? It's easy to keep track of where you are in series using that. :)

D.G. wrote: "Do you know about Fict Fact? It's easy to keep track of where you are in series using that. :)"

I do use FictFact, but I'm really bad about updating it, so at this point I mostly just use it to get information rather than to track my own stuff. Besides, for something like this I'm better off having it in a format that doesn't require me to be online - internet access can be an issue for me at times.

Glad to hear I'm not alone in my madness, Hina! :D

~KarenH~ wrote: "D.G. wrote: "Do you know about Fict Fact? It's easy to keep track of where you are in series using that. :)"

I do use FictFact, but I'm really bad about updating it, so at this point I mostly just..."

LOL...me too. For me, I just think any excuse to make a spreadsheet for.