Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2014

I'm arriving to this party a little late to the game, but I've been into Cozy Mysteries lately, so I thought I'd sign up. 

I'm aiming for level 4- Sleuth Extraordinaire.

If you are interested in joining this challenge, it's hosted by Books Are Life - Vita Libri

My Books:

1. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich.  It's technically considered a cozy, though it's not one that I would consider a cozy.  I do love these stories though.  Stephanie and Lula crack me up.  Finished 1/14/14




2.  Candy Apple Dead by Sammi Carter.  I liked this story pretty well.  It was about average in predictability.  The characters were so-so on likeability.  I'd read more in the series, to see how it develops.  Finished 3/5/2014.



3. Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss.  The story was ok in this one, but I have trouble liking the main character.  Her thoughts about her best friend are pretty unkind, and the author tries to make her come across as insecure and going through a rough time but she comes across as thinking she's better than others, and just kind of a know-it-all.  I did give the series another chance, which you will see later in my list.  It's not my favorite.  Finished 3/9/14.



4.  Mum's The Word by Kate Collins.  I really like this series so far.  The characters are fun and likeable, and it's interesting to learn things about florist shops.  This is one I definitely will be reading the rest of.  Finished 3/14/14.



5. Mind Over Murder by Allison Kingsley.  Finished 3/26/14

6.  Organized for Murder by Ritter Ames.  Finished 3/30/14

7.  On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle.  Finished 4/3/14

8.  Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab.  Finished 4/5/14

9. Slay It With Flowers by Kate Collins.  Finished 4/6/14

10. Bruja Brouhaha by Rochelle Staab.  Finished 4/12/14

11. Murder on the Menu by Miranda Bliss.  Finished 4/14/14

12. Delicious and Suspicious by Riley Adams.  Finished 4/15/14

13. Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke.  Finished 4/16/14

14.  Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins.  Finished 4/19/14

15.  Hex on the Ex by Rochelle Staab.  Finished 4/30/14

16. Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle. Finished 5/3/14

17.  Murder Buys a T-Shirt by Christy Fifield.  Finished 5/7/14

18. Murder and Marinara by Rosie Genova.  Finished 5/9/14

19. At Wicks End by Tim Myers.  Finished 5/11/14

20. A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams.  Finished 5/15/14

21. Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard.  Finished 5/25/15

22. The Proof is in the Pudding by Melinda Wells.  Finished 6/4/14

23.  Finger-lickin Dead by Riley Adams.  Finished 6/9/14

24. A Deadly Cliché by Ellery Adams.  Finished 6/19/14

25.  If You Can't Stand the Heat by Robin Allen.  Finished 7/14/14

26. Murder on the Rocks by Allyson K. Abbott.  Finished 7/19/14

27. Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth by Tamar Myers.  Finished 7/20/14

28.  A Tough Nut To Kill by Elizabeth Lee.  Finished 7/27/14

29.  Snipped In the Bud by Kate Collins.  Finished 7/27/14

30. Out of the Frying Pan by Robin Allen. Finished 7/27/14

31. Target of Death by Madison Johns.  Finished 7/29/14

32.

Where I've Been....

I have been gone, from my blog, for about the last 8 months. So where have I been? I've had a lot of things going on and had three major milestones in the last 6 months. First, I graduated, finally, with my Criminal Justice Degree. Second, my company was bought out, which was a stressful time, but I stayed on with the new company and got a promotion. It's been a little bit crazy with so many changes going on, but I believe it's all worth it. Finally, the biggest change, I have a new last name! We finally got married. This is me on my big day. I can't put pictures of my husband online because of his job, so it's just me. I'm glad these milestones have passed, and I'm glad to be back to blogging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 "1001 Books To Read Before You Die" Challenge

This year, I challenged myself to read 20 books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list.  You can download a copy of a nifty spreadsheet where you can track your books and how long it will take you to read all the books. It's pretty cool and costs less than $7.00 to download.



This year so far I've read:



I'm currently working on:


Have you heard of this list? How many books have you read from the list? Which books are your favorite?  Which did you not like so much?