The Lost Challenges discussion

Do we have bonus points this round Dawn.
Bummer we just claimed Mattress! lol

Were two down its the only the first week.

Come on girls! Gogogogogo!!!!
we want to win this!

Week one: Dog

- Margaret Atwood
Finished: Jan. 31st, 2014
Rating: 5/5 stars

This has to be one of the best dystopian novels I've read. I loved it from beginning to end! The narrative follows Snowman, who might be the last human alive. It switches between his present-day fight to stay alive, and the past events which led up to the end of the human race as we know it. I loved the way it was told. It kept me wanting to know more, with hints being dropped by present-day Snowman about things the author hasn't yet told us about the past events. Absolutely a great read, and I'll definitely be reading the second book soon!

Items to claim:

Dog: "'Can I have a dog then?'" (pg. 39)
Apple: "...just a shrivelled apple, an orange covered with grey fur." (pg. 328)
Brother: "Her brother was there beside her." (pg. 152)
Girl in red: "She'd changed out of her school clothes and had on a loose red jacket over a tight black dress..." (pg. 89)

I could be wrong about this, but I don't think you have to claim mattress if you had something else in your book Sam, since you posted after the deadline and Suzanne wasn't done either we wouldn't get the full bonus point anyway. Just thought I'd mention it since mattress was called today and we'll have to get it again this week.

I'll be reading .

(view spoiler)[
People - Grandmother: "...both wearing white gloves and hats because her grandmother said ladies always dressed for tea." (page 28)
Animal - Bird: "Why did her heart have to betray her, fluttering like a canary on steroids?" (page 231)
Misc - Nudity: "...he said, glancing down at Charlie's bare feet under his bib overalls." (page 251)
Props - Mattress: "He stuffed pillows on the mattress, then covered them with a blanket." (page 241)
Bonus - Fire: "Your phone was destroyed in the fire." (page 197) (hide spoiler)]

Im reading
WooHoo!!

Megan is right. Sam and Suzanne should claim something other than mattress, if they can.

It was a snow day today I spent the whole day in bed reading. It was awesome. I am done with my book. It has all the words from mr r so I'm good. I'll post it later from a computer.

Woohoo!! Im finished. Review etc to come later. It's nearly 1Am I need to go to bed!

Is there any word in particular that would be better? I was wondering about claiming mattress since it was called, but wasn't sure what to change it to lol.

I've got my book for this week picked and it should be a quick read. Just can't post links from my phone.

I read

REVIEW:

FIVE:

A link to my review because it's a bit long
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My page numbers are all weird becasue when I converted it, it came out in big print, so a 300 odd page book became just short of 800 pages!

CALLED:
Mattress PAGE166 I barely noticed when Bones lifted me onto the bed, his body blanketing mine before my back hit the mattress.

FIRE:PAGE 228 Even with vampire healing abilities, it still
hadn’t grown to the length it had been the
night Kramer set fire to me.

CLAIMED:
GRANDMOTHER:PAGE 704. she’d really never thought to be a grandmother. (Can't put the whole sentance... major spoiler!)

BIRD: PAGE 156. Navigating by bird’s-eye view was difficult since street signs were unreadable from this height,

NUDITY: PAGE 432. Bones would attract too much attention naked, (LOL I'd Be looking!!)

My vision of BONES.

Anyone heard from Suzanne?

Sam wrote: "Is there any word in particular that would be better? I was wondering about claiming mattress since it was called, but wasn't sure what to change it to lol.

I've got my book for this week picked a..."

Just pick which ever you'd like.

Nope I Pm'd her about a book the other day but never heard back from her.

I'm here!

I'm posting my review now!

Week 1: Animal: Dog



Read: Beauty and the Bounty Hunter by Lori Austin
Date: 2/2/2014
Rating: *****
Review: I liked this book a lot, it was not your typical historical romance. The main character was tough and witty and it had a good plot line. I'll probably pick up the next one in the series!

Items:
Animal: Dog:
"Frank Walters. Wanted-dead or alive. Crimes: horse theft, murder, rape; appeard he'd even shot someone's dog." Page 117

Bonus: Wing:
"His eyelashes fluttered across her hipbone like the wings of a butterfly." Page 258

People: Brother:
"Then the letter arrived from his brother." Page 42

Misc: Girl in red:
On the Cover

Props: Apple:
"His tongue was no doubt caressing her teeth, tasting the flavor that was uniquely hers- spiced apples in midwinter, wine cooled in a mountain stream long about August." Page 122

Okay since Suzanne claimed apple I'll claim that one too. I'll edit my post when I'm on a computer.

Week 2: Props: Mattress
Bonus: Fire



Book: Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
Read: 2/3/2014
Rating: ****
Review: These books are getting better now that I'm able to keep the boys seperate in my head. The more I read these books, the BDB guys kind of run together but the female characters I can keep straight. I was interested in how Tor was going to get over his deceased mate because throughout the entire book it didn't look like he was going to be able to let her go.

Items:

Props: Mattress: "The blow of the heat from the ceiling, the whirring sound of the machines behind her head, the sheets that felt like sandpaper, the rock-hard pillow and the too soft mattress." Page 57

Bonus: Fire: "Tohr came up to the car just as a pair of humans popped their doors, scrambled out, and started flapping their arms like something was on fire." Page 5

People: Hunter: "You're a hunter who can go out in daylight - none of us can do that." Page 396

Animal: Bird: "But then a little birdie had begun to chirp in his ear, and another path had been revealed." Page 154

Misc: Nudity: "When he was naked, he walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and got in with both bottles in his hands." Page 51

Let me know if these items don't work, I was unable to find Grandmother this week. I'm sure I'll be able to find it later though.

Week 2: Mattress, fire



Finished 1/31
Rated ****
Review: I love Molly Harper. That right there says it all. I love her characters, I love her world. I love that she adds in zany new characters every book but the crazy lovable old characters just keep coming back. I was sad to hear that the Nice Girl Series was coming to an end, but I love that it really isn't dead, she just stopped torturing Jane as much.

Mattress: pg 7 ...plus a dresser and a bare mattress

Fire: pg 33 Every other restaurant seemed to serve some sort of fire-roasted pig.

Bird: pg 192 over the din of a thousand squawking tropical birds.

Grandmother: pg 1 ...I received from my noncorporeal grandmother over the last two weeks.

Nudity: cover

I havent read that one Dawn. I like her stories but I always struggle with them... I cant just sit down and read one like I can with other authors, non stop.

I edited my post from week 1 to change mattress to apple.

★¸. • * ° * Kathy,Ahmazing Book Faerie*°°*•.¸. ♥★ wrote: "I havent read that one Dawn. I like her stories but I always struggle with them... I cant just sit down and read one like I can with other authors, non stop."

And see I have the opposite problem, I read that book in 1 day.

See were all different!

I'm still working on my book but I probably won't have it done before tomorrow morning :( I swear I'll be faster after this week. Work has been nuts!

Week 2

Read: Shadows of the Past: A Novel by Patricia Bradley
Finished: February 7, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Stars

REVIEW:
Enjoyed this a lot more than I had thought I would. The mystery, or should I say mysteries as there were several different ones going in this book, was really good. Even though I had a strong idea of who the real culprit was it kept me guessing for the longest time, which is always great. If you are looking for a romantic suspense, I would recommend trying Shadows of the Past.

ITEMS CLAIMED:
People - Grandmother: "...both wearing white gloves and hats because her grandmother said ladies always dressed for tea." (page 28)
Animal - Bird: "Why did her heart have to betray her, fluttering like a canary on steroids?" (page 231)
Misc - Nudity: "...he said, glancing down at Charlie's bare feet under his bib overalls." (page 251)
Props - Mattress: "He stuffed pillows on the mattress, then covered them with a blanket." (page 241)
Bonus - Fire: "Your phone was destroyed in the fire." (page 197)

Sam wrote: "I'm still working on my book but I probably won't have it done before tomorrow morning :( I swear I'll be faster after this week. Work has been nuts!"

I know how crazy life gets but please try, we are already down a point. :(

Week 3
People: Princess
Bonus: Blood


And using Random.org these are the other items:

Animal: Rat
Misc: Fictional Place
Props: Flying Ship

I forget, we can claim items from the acknowledgments, author's notes, etc. as long as they're unique to the book right?

Could we have gotten worse words!

Oh boy. I'm going to have to look this weekend for Princess...

I have spent most of today trying to find a book with all our words in it. Any one else having trouble? Or have you found a book and you want to share the name of it?

I managed to find one! The Magician King by Lev Grossman has them all :)

I have gone through over 20 books looking for them. OVER IT!

It's just really hard to search for the fictional place! That one is definitely a tough one to find.

I couldn't find a book with all the items, went through about 30 books, but my sister searched and was able to find one. So I'll be reading:



People - Princess: "The prince got a chance to meet and marry the princess, but then managed to stay clear of the dragon." (Page 415)
Animal - Rat: "It's a gnawing eeeeeeeeeeeeeee that sounds like a rat." (Page 261)
Misc - Fictional Place: "Not this world - this place is Narnia on crack." (Page 292)
Props - Flying Ship: "...and now on the airplane, but I do." (Page 309)
Bonus - Blood: Cover or (view spoiler)[ "It moves because it's a hundred small snakes all biting into her skull with the blood spreading like a waterfall down her legs." (Page 45) (hide spoiler)]

Week 3



Read: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Date: 2/9/2014
Rating: ****
Review: This was a very interesting book based in a different culture and set in Afganistan. I enjoyed the story but it broke my heart while I was reading it. I've put off seeing the movie so that I could experience the book by itself but it might be awhile before I can sit and watch it.

Items:
People: Princess: "After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn't I?" Page 20
Bonus: Blood: "My hands are stained with Hassan's blood; I pray God doesn't let them get stained with the blood of his boy too." Page 72
Animal: Rat: "There would be no truck, Karim told us after we'd spent a week in the rat-infested basement." Page 127
Misc: Dream: "Mostly, though, I dream of good things, and praise Allah for that." Page 230
Props: Flying Ship: "I say a tiny jet leaving behind twin white trails." Page 370

I wasn't able to find all five, I had a hard time finding Fictional Place so I had to improvise.

Dear gods!! I hate my book!!
I took Sam's advice and went with Lev Grossman But Im reading the first book...The Magicians
Darling goodreads is being a pain and wont let me add the link!

Sam wrote: "I forget, we can claim items from the acknowledgments, author's notes, etc. as long as they're unique to the book right?"

right.

Ok, I started two books Friday one audio and one paper back. Neither has all those items.

It's crazy cookie week at my house. I spent over 16 hours dealing with girl scouts and their cookies this weekend. And 12 more hours scheduled between now and Friday morning. I have been having cookie-mares.

I will see what else I can find. But I am not sure about fitting it in.

Dawn (Kat N Hat) wrote: "Ok, I started two books Friday one audio and one paper back. Neither has all those items.

It's crazy cookie week at my house. I spent over 16 hours dealing with girl scouts and their cookies this..."

I feel you, my co-leader is dealing with cookies this year. I did fall product and that was enough for me.

Dawn (Kat N Hat) wrote: "Ok, I started two books Friday one audio and one paper back. Neither has all those items.

It's crazy cookie week at my house. I spent over 16 hours dealing with girl scouts and their cookies this..."

you are either really brave or really crazy!! All the best to you. Try and get some time out for you.

Im done.I read The magicians by Lev Grossman. (GR wont let me add a link ...AGAIN!)
Honestly I can only go 1
I did not enjoy any of this book! Only finished reading it because of this challenge.

OMG! I think I'm reading a re-write of NARNIA crossed with ALICE IN WONDERLAND,
HARRY POTTER, and THE MAGIC COMPASS, and the CONSISE ENGLISH DICTIONARY all mixed into one book.

I didn't enjoy Harry Potter, so found myself skimming this from the get-go.

It was like Quentin was just plucked out of nowhere to become a wizard/magician/whatever.
I really couldn't get into this. It was ridiculously over descriptive,this is a description of a boat
It was a fabulous object, strangely light, like the husk of a colossal stick insect,
wreathed in cobwebs and redolent with the heady smell of wood varnish.

Honestly, I have no idea what this was all about. At one stage Quentin was going on about having
missed Christmas with his folks, (who apparently didn't care less about him) and then he was back in the "real"
world and it was mid December!???? It seemed to flash all over the place. and Honestly I couldn't make any sense
out of it.

Quentin seems obsessed with the fantasy book series he's reading, and at 19 should have well and truly grown
out of it.It's like he stepped into his book. I don't know, maybe he did? Maybe I skipped the explanation?

This has to be the most painful I've ever read, it was like being constipated. I needed relief, and NOW!
If I didnt have a need to find specific words for a challenge I am doing, there is no way I would have ever
tortured myself past the first few pages.

CALLED:
Princess. PAGE 55. He and pretty, princessy Fiona find their way into Fillory via the upper branches of Rupert’s favorite climbing tree

Blood. PAGE 235. Unthinkingly, he pulled it out, and a freshest of blood trickled down his back, but there wasn’t much
pain.

CLAIMED:
Rat. PAGE 229. Maybe you’ll do something one of these days instead of being such a pathetic little mouse all the time.”

Fictional Place. PAGE 12. In the foreground, every summer for three years, the children leave their various boarding schools and return to Cornwall, and each time
they do they find their way into the secret world of Fillory, where they have adventures and explore
magical lands and defend the gentle creatures who live there against the various forces that menace
them.
Flying Machine: Page:89 If somebody were to gaze down on them
from a low-flying airplane, or a wandering dirigible, five people strewn around the neat little welters
board on the grounds of their secret, exclusive magical enclave, their voices soft and unintelligible
from a distance, how contented and complete in themselves that observer would believe them all to
be.

★¸. • * ° * Kathy,Ahmazing Book Faerie*°°*•.¸. ♥★ wrote: "Im done.
Honestly I can only go 1
I did not enjoy any of this book! Only finished reading it because of this challenge.

OMG! I think I'm reading a re-write of NARNIA crossed with ALICE IN WONDER..."

I agree with your review, I wanted to like it but it really disappointed me when I read it.

I wasn't a huge fan either. I'd heard so many good things but I just found it really meh. I liked the idea enough to pick up the second book (which so far is slightly better but still not really pulling me in) but goddddd Quentin is so whiny and immature!

He is! Yes. I didnt find any redeeming factors with it, and if I hadn't needed to read it, O would have dumped it before the first chapter ended.

★¸. • * ° * Kathy,Ahmazing Book Faerie*°°*•.¸. ♥★ wrote: "Im done.
Honestly I can only go 1
I did not enjoy any of this book! Only finished reading it because of this challenge.

OMG! I think I'm reading a re-write of NARNIA crossed with ALICE IN WONDER..."

So sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your book - hate when that happens!

I don't see any item claimed for the props category, do you have one for that?

Thanks very much for that Megan! I didn't even realise. I had to drag the damn book out of the rubbish bin! Just as well it wasn't on auto delete!!

Week 2: Mattress

- Cassandra Clare
Finished: Feb. 12th, 2014
Rating: 3/5 stars

I actually had this as a 3.5 star book, until I started writing this review and realized how much certain aspects of it annoyed me! I really enjoyed this series, but I have to say, this one was definitely the weakest to me. It focused way too much on the love triangle between Tessa, Will and Jem. It basically felt like the author forced Tessa and Jem together, then immediately started backpedaling. It almost felt like that whole romance was just there to add drama to the Tessa and Will romance, and it felt so weak to me. I felt like the action was handled similarly, it was all just drama between the Tessa and Will love story. Mortmain is only in maybe 5 or 6 chapters, and even after he's done with, there were still over 150 pages left to the book! So basically, a good fifth of the book doesn't even pretend to be focused on the action, it's all about the various borderline incestuous relationships between basically every single Shadowhunter. It just didn't seem to flow together very well, and was way more romance than I signed up for. All that said though, it was still a relatively enjoyable book, and I'm glad I finished the trilogy off.

Items to claim:
Mattress: "...curled up on the prickly hay-stuffed mattress." (pg. 312)
Fire: "'...I will throw it into the fire.'" (pg. 17)
Grandmother: "'I have been a mother and a grandmother...'" (pg. 566)
Bird: "...she looked like a little bird." (pg. 12)
Nudity: "Her feet were bare, peeking out beneath the hem of the cloak." (pg. 247)

Well done Sam! I only read the first book. didnt do much for me.

Week 3

Read: Meeting Mr. Right by Deb Kastner
Finished: February 13, 2014
Rating: 4 Stars


REVIEW:
Meeting Mr. Right was such a fun read. It reminded me, in a way, of the movies The Shop Around the Corner and You've Got Mail; but even though it reminded me of those movies it was still unique and very entertaining.

I could relate with the heroine and that always make a story so much more enjoyable. The hero of the story was such a nice guy and was handsome and very fit - which is always a nice thing. :)

The reason I picked this book up was because it's part of an email order bride series. I love the traditional mail-order bride stories and wanted to see how it would be with email. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, both of the main characters weren't looking for someone to marry but happened to meet online and formed a connection. This is the fourth book in the series, but I'll definitely be reading the others three sometime (hopefully this year). I definitely don't think it matters reading them out of order, I never felt lost or anything.

The only reason this book isn't receiving a five star rating is because, at times, it was a tad slow and that made it a little boring to read. But overall it was a very good read and I would recommend it to those who enjoy reading mail-order bride stories.

ITEMS CLAIMED:
People - Princess: "But today, she cleaned up like...well, like a princess." (page 105)
Animal - Cat: "Tinker is a second-generation Atwood cat..." (page 42)
Misc - Fictional Character: "No fairy godmother to wave her wand like in the story of Cinderella." (page 72)
Props - Apple: "...turning the color of an apple at inopportune moments would be a dead giveaway." (page 178)
Bonus - Blood: "There was blood all down the front of her jacket and a large, gaping cut on her chin." (page 195)