The Challenge is over as of 12 midnight last night.  I didn’t quite make it but came pretty darn close.  I finished 2 books and wrote reviews for both.  I want to thank Kristen for hosting and hoping she does another Read-A-Thon.  My final tally is:

Have you heard??  Julie from My Book Retreat is hosting a Summer Reading Challenge.  I remember that I was probably the only kid who looked forward to Summer Reading when I was in school a few, many, many many, ok…in the days when the only transportation to school was one’s feet  lol.  So I had to join in.  How about you?  Criteria from Julie’s blog and link provided below along with my list of books. 

Here’s how you can participate in this Summer Reading Challenge, which will take place from June 21 – September 21.
  Create a list of the books you’d like to read or finish during this summer season. There’s no minimum and no requirements as to the type of books you put on your list ~ it’s all up to you how many you include, and whether they’re beach reads or classics or something in between.
  Write a blog post with the list of books you want to read ~ and any other summer reading goals ~ and post it on your blog.
  Come back here on June 21st to sign up. I’ll have a Linky set up that morning, so you can link up to your own Summer Reading Challenge post.
  Read! Work through your list of books throughout the summer. Write reviews if you’d like. Have fun!
  Write a wrap-up post at the end of summer to report on your results.
  Come back here on September 21st to link your wrap-up post to the Linky I’ll post that day.
If you’re joining this Summer Reading Challenge, I encourage you to visit other participants to see what they’re reading. You may find some new books to add to your own TBR list. If you think you’d like to participate, leave a comment below so I can get an idea of how many people might want to join. Also, if you do plan to join, let me know if you’d like me to set up a Linky for keeping track of review posts as well. I’d be happy to do so if people are going to use it!
My List:
   1.  Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
   2.  Dare To Die by Carolyn Hart
   3.  I Can See You by Karen Rose
   4.  Never Let You Go by Erin Healy
   5.  Returning Injury by Becky Due
   6.  Through Hazel Eyes by  Heather Hummel
   7.  Muffins & Mayhem by Suzanne Beecher
   8.  Living In The Hope Of My Imagination by William D. Simpson
   9.  Finding Marco by Kenneth C. Cancellara
 10.  Damaged by Pamela Callow
 11.  Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy
 12.  Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton
I will probably add more to the list depending on how much I get read.  But isn’t this great?  It is bringing back memories of when I used to sit under the shade of a big tree we had in our yard, with my pile of books and a big glass of lemonade. 

Today’s Question:
Name your top 2-3 favorite genres (the ones you read most from).

My Answer:
Today’s question is an easy one.  My 1st choice, and as been for years, is the genre of Mystery/Suspense.  Those books keep me engaged and love to try and solve the mystery.  Maybe I was a PI in another life lol.  The 2nd would be Contemporary Chick Lit/Romance.  These you will find on my shelves and tbr list.

This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.
FINISHED:
  Sidney Sheldon’s After The Darkness by Tilly Bagshawe (what a book !!! Rated a 5)
  Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer (the perfect summer read.  I rated it a 4)
READING:
  Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
UP NEXT:
  Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
  Dare To Die by Carolyn Hart
 

The Challenge is over as of 12 midnight last night.  I didn’t quite make it but came pretty darn close.  I finished 2 books and wrote reviews for both.  I want to thank Kristen for hosting and hoping she does another Read-A-Thon.  My final tally is:

Sidney Sheldon’s After The Darkness by Tilly Bagshawe
Published by HarperCollins
ISBN 978-0-06-172830-3
At the request of LibraryThing, an ARC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review.
  Synopsis (from back of book): Grace Brookstein is the very young, naive wife of financial superstar Lenny Brookstein. Lenny is a billionaire many times over, with estates around the world, a fleet of yachts, and a life that is the stuff of fantasy. He and Grace live in New York where Lenny is revered as King of the Wall Street social scene. A noted philanthropist, he is both liked and respected in the worlds of high finance and high society. When the stock market goes into a terrifying freefall, the Brookstein’s glamorous lifestyle of Palm Beach polo tournaments and G5 jets is barely touched.
  That is, until the day Lenny goes sailing from their Nantucket beach estate and never comes home. When his abandoned yacht is found far out at sea, the police investigation reveals Brookstein’s death was no accident. The famous investor was involved in some sort of spectacular fraud and was about to be exposed by someone close to him.
  But as Lenny’s malfeasance comes to light, Grace learns there was more to his boating “accident” than she originally thought. And suddenly her life may be in danger too….
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I started reading Sidney Sheldon’s books in the 70s and remember them to be great reads, always waiting anxiously for his next novel to be released.  I also remember hearing of his passing and thinking what a tremendous loss for fans and the literary world.  But thankfully the family did not let that happen, entrusting an author to continue his legacy.  And Tilly Bagshawe most definitely did.  I have to say that I honestly was a little skeptical when I started reading this book, wondering if it would live up to the older Sidney Sheldon books?  And the answer is a resounding YES!!
  Ms. Bagshawe created a cast of characters that you either loved or hated, had compassion for or envied, cheered them on or wer glad when they fell.  The plot is a non stop “who done it” of multiple possibilities to the very end.  And speaking of the end, it is one that I did not see coming until the very last pages !!! Throughout the entire book, the story line is a continuous, fast paced, speeding suspenseful ride with the elements of love, betrayal, hate, envy, trust, greed, strength, lies and revenge, and self preservation, just to name a few.  Do I recommend this book?  My answer, another resounding YES!!  This is a definite can’t put down, page turning novel !!!