Reading Challenge Update: April 2015

Here is where I stand with the challenges I have joined after the month of January (only challenges that I read books for this month are featured here):

Witches and Witchcraft (2/10)
2. The Crimson Brand by Brian Knight

Author Alphabet (17/26)
16. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
17. Sophomore Year Is Greek to Me by Meredith Zeitlin

Elsewhere Online: April 2015

As you know from my Stacking the Shelves posts, I review for another website (bookloons.com). As I cannot post my reviews there and here, but I would still like to count the books I read for the challenges, I am going to have a post like this at the end of the every month listing the books I reviewed and what challenges the went towards.

Title: Sophomore Year Is Greek to Me
Author: Meredith Zeitlin

Challenges: Author Alphabet

Cruel Beauty

Title: Cruel Beauty
Author: Rosamund Hodge

Publisher: HarperAudio
ISBN: 9780062320032

Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: This mash-up between Beauty and the Beast, Rumpelstiltskin, Greek mythology, and Celtic mythology is unique and fun, with plenty to keep the reader guessing right until the end.

Rating: 5 stars

In the Box: April 2015 Awesome Pack Big Kid Box

This month's Awesome Pack Big Kid Pack was once again awesome! The subscription is $44.99 a month and you can choose the Big Kid option (for those without kids - like me), or the Family option.  Their site does not have referral links set up yet, nor can you log into your account yet, but they do have a referral program, so if you do decide after reading my review to try it, I would very much appreciate if you told them you heard about it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.

For April, the "big" game was Pamplona (a $37.92 value (converted from Euros as of date of posting)).  Obviously if I had to convert the price from Euros, this is from a European publisher, Ghenos, which totally makes sense as this game is about something distinctly European - or Spanish actually - the Running of the Bulls.  It sounds like it does pack the excitement of the actual event...without any of the danger.  (Please ignore the paws and stuffed armadillo.  While Awesome Pack does have a pet option, I have not tried it for my dog; she just thought she needed to get into my picture)

In addition to a "big" game, smaller games are also included in the Big Kid pack.  This month, we were back down to the normal two, but these are two great ones.  Jab: Realtime Boxing (a $19.99 value) has been on my wishlist for a long time now.  I am a big fan of Tasty Minstrel (I mean, who can resist a publisher with a name like that and an adorable dragon as their logo?) and have back many of their games on Kickstarter, but this is one I do not have in my collection.  (FYI, Tasty Minstrel has a lot of their games at half price on Amazon right now - including this one! - so I suggest grabbing a copy if you are interested).  My other smaller game this month is Gold Thief (a $4.00 value).  This is the first game every made by Asmadi, which appears to a be a small publisher with a lot of affordable games.

Now my next item supercool for two reasons: 1. it came from Steve Jackson Games and 2. it is purple and blue swirly!  Now, I am not sure what Hipster Dice (a $4.95 value) is, but I can tell you I got the Aquapunk version.  The back says its a party game, so I guess I will have to actually open it and read the instructions to figure it out.  The website is no help either, but it all kinda goes with this hipster attitude this die seems to be trying to project.  On the other hand, I do know what a Marvel Miniature Alliance Figure (a $2.99 value) is, but I do not know which one I received.  I am debating whether to open this, or give it to someone who is more of a superhero geek than I am.  The final item in my Awesome Pack was some new Awesome Pack swag.  It may be just a pen, but pens are always useful.

All told, my March Awesome pack had an estimated retail value of $69.85 and I got it all for $44.95, which included shipping.  If you would like to subscribe, once again, I ask that you say you heard it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.  (Please note: as games and collectibles can vary in price based on demand, I tried to take the price from the manufacturers site whenever possible.)

Stacking the Shelves: 4/12-4/25

For possible review (here and on Bookloons):

Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin

Spinner by Michael J. Bowler

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

First Reads from Goodreads:

The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne

The Reluctant Assassin

Title: The Reluctant Assassin
Author: Eion Colfer

Publisher: Listening Library
ISBN: 9780804123365

Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: While this does suffer from the same problem that all of Colfer's work does - not suspending disbelief enough - it is a fun story.  However, the narrator makes Chevie sound like a cross between every movie stereotype Native Brave and Wiseguy...and middle aged.

Rating: 3 stars

Closure

Title: Closure
Author: Angela Ford

Publisher: Smashwords
ISBN: 9781301473656

Why Read?: Early Review
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: Unfortunately, this story was all telling, and it did not make much logical sense either in the way events unfolded.  Seemed both too rushed and too slow at the same time.

Rating: 1 star

The Crimson Brand

Title: The Crimson Brand
Author: Brian Knight

Publisher: JournalStone
ISBN: 9781940161372

Why Read?: Early Review
Challenges: Witches and Witchcraft

Thoughts: This second installment was just not as engaging as the first as there seemed to be a tad too many storylines and they never quite came together fully, especially the parts involving the title.

Rating: 2 stars

Stacking the Shelves: 4/5-4/11

For review:

Bitter Bronx by Jerome Charyn

First Reads from Goodreads:

Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

Tree of Ages by Sara C. Roethle

Billy Tabbs (& The Glorious Darrow) by Michael P. Michaud

LibraryThing Early Review:

The Secret Path by Tammy Tate

Received in Book Riot YA Quarterly:

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

The Revelation of Louisa May by Michaela MacColl

Vanishing Girls

Title: Vanishing Girls
Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0-06-222410-1

Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: Author Alphabet

Thoughts:  The beginning of this was really slow, but the end sure picked up in true Oliver style.  The twist also totally hit me off guard, which is very unusual.

Rating: 4 stars

In the Box: March 2015 Awesome Pack Big Kid Box

This month's Awesome Pack Big Kid Pack was another stellar month, showing that they really do listen to the surveys you fill out every month. The subscription is $44.99 a month and you can choose the Big Kid option (for those without kids - like me), or the Family option.  Their site does not have referral links set up yet, nor can you log into your account yet, but they do have a referral program, so if you do decide after reading my review to try it, I would very much appreciate if you told them you heard about it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.

First off, if you saw anything about the Awesome Pack Big Kids Pack last month, you would have seen that pieces were missing from the "big" game, Kairo.  Well, because Awesome Pack is so awesome, they were able to get replacement parts from the publisher and included them in this month's box.

For April, the "big" game was Camelot: The Build (a $39.99 value).  This comes from UK publisher Wotan Games, whom I have never heard of, but that is one awesome thing - getting introduced to new-to-me game manufacturers.  What is also awesome is that this particular game comes with solo variant instructions!

In addition to a "big" game, smaller games are also included in the Big Kid pack.  This month, four were included!  Of those, the one I am most excited for is Friday (a $19.95 value).  Why am I so excited about this?  It is a "solo adventure" - that means it is a game designed specifically for 1 person.  While my husband and my friends do like to game, I can't always get together with my friends and my husband does not love it as much as me, so it is great to have games I can play by myself (which is something I mentioned on my survey).  Another cool looking game is Greed (a $6.95 value), which is an easy to play dice game that I think I will be taking to a family gathering later this month.  I also received Whiz Bing Bang (a $14.99 value), which seems very similar to the theatre warm-up games Zip, Zap, Zop and Schwing!.  This one I think I will be saving for my godsons.

The fourth and final small game was Ogre Pocket Edition (a $2.95 value).  This is a reproduction of the first game designed by Steve Jackson (of Munchkin fame) and is made to look (and cost) the same as it did in 1977.  And guess what?  It also can be played solo!  Speaking of Munchkin, I also received a Munchkin bookmark (a $0.41 value).  This may be the lowest value item in the pack, but it is really cool because I love to read and I love Munchkin.  It can be used as a one-time use card in a game of Munckin, but since it gets torn when used, I am going to use it to death as a bookmark first.  And of course, it would not be an Awesome Pack without some sort of collectible.  This month, I got a foil pack Garbage Pail Kids MiniKins (a $2.99 value).  I was never into Garbage Pail Kids, but as a child of the 80s, I can totally appreciate this.

All told, my March Awesome pack had an estimated retail value of $88.23 (I am not counting my Kairo replacement parts) and I got it all for $44.95, which included shipping.  If you would like to subscribe, once again, I ask that you say you heard it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.  (Please note: as games and collectibles can vary in price based on demand, I tried to take the price from the manufacturers site whenever possible.)

Stacking the Shelves: 3/29-4/4

First Reads from Goodreads:

The Last Ereph and Other Stories by J.D. Byrne

LibraryThing Early Review:

It's Raining Men by Jennifer Stevenson

The Mask Game

Title: The Mask Game
Author: Sergey Gerasimov

Publisher: Upper Rubber Boot
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Early Review
Challenges: Author Alphabet

Thoughts:  This intertwining of a handful of stories is rather tripping, but kinda fun.  I think a few things got lost in translation, but I loved the Red Bull scene.

Rating: 3 stars