Telling the Bees by Peggy Hesketh

This was a book club book read and will also count for New Author to You on Full House challenge and for the New Authors challenge.

G. P. Putnams' Sons

 Alfred Honig has lived his whole life next door to the Bee Ladies, growing up with Claire and her sister. When he finds them murdered, he begins to wonder about their lives and particularly about Claire and how their friendship had become estranged. As Alfred begins to regret the decades of not talking to his friend, he also learns who she truly was and how he had misjudged her and the depth of his love for her.

This will be a short review, but it was a pretty good read. The book is full of details about beekeeping and Hesketh does a good job making that part interesting, although if you have no interest in the subject, it could drag you down. I really think I could have my own beehive now and take care of bees after reading this one. The relationship between Claire and Alfred and Claire and her family is intriguing and I did not make the connection with the murderer and the Bee Ladies, until right before the author told it, so that was good. It was a clever read and I liked it well enough. 3.5 cups of cocoa.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

I read this for the Steampunk Reading Challenge and Flights for Fantasy. It also works on my Reading Bingo for book with a steamy romance, mainly for the time period and what I normally read. and on First in a Series for Full House. It also counts for the New Authors challenge, since this is the first one I have finished by her.

Orbit

Alexia Tarabotti doesn't really expect much out of life, but to be left alone. She is Italian, tall and dark skinned, and with a strong face, and in her twenties, so a spinster she will be. On top of her unacceptable looks for the time period, she is also preternatual and has no soul and the ability to negate supernatural powers. However Alexia has attracted the attention of the Alpha werewolf Lord Maccon, who wants Alexia, not just for the way she attracts him, but also because she seems to be the key for solving some supernatural murders and disappearances. Can Alexia nab one of the most eligible bachelors and solve the mystery? More importantly, will there be food along the way?

I loved this start to the series. Gail Carriger created some hilarious moments and captures the stuffiness of the Victorian period with a nice blend of steampunk creations and a hot under the collar romance. I loved the secondary characters as much as the first, particularly Lord Akeldama, a gay vampire, and Lord Maccon's beta Professor Lyall, who is charming and smart with his gadgets. The romance was a bit steamy, but not too over the top and also a bit sweet. I loved the mystery element and I can't wait to see what hijinks Alexia gets up to in the next book. 5 cups of cocoa and a strong start to the series!

Spring Into Horror Read-a-thon Signup

This is hosted by Michelle @ Seasons of Reading and True Book Addict, Castle Macabre and The Christmas Spirit blog and you can sign up at this link. You only have to read one "scary" book and Michelle allows us to read mystery or Gothic to fulfill that requirement.

My reading list:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Changeless by Gail Carriger
A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

Can't wait for the readathon! Thanks to Michelle for hosting!

My April TBR: And the Winner is...

This is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. With 12 votes, 5 of them went to this book:

HarperCollins

The other two books had 4 and 3 votes a piece, so this was a very close call! I can't wait to catch back up with Agatha and Sophie and see what exactly a "world without princes: means. Thanks to everyone who voted and to Michelle for hosting!

2016 Bookish Resolutions Challenge March Update

 
The 2016 Bookish Resolutions Challenge is hosted by Laura @ Trips Down Imagination Road and Michelle @ Because Reading and you can sign up at this link. For this challenge you must have 2 of 3 main goals, Blogging, Reading, and/or Personal and then subcategories for these goals.

My goals:

Reading Goals

1. Read at least 6 Classics. This was a goal I barely completed last year, but something I want to continue doing. So far I have only finished Peter Pan, but hopefully I can get into another classic soon.
2. Read at least 70 books this year. I did not do this as a goal for the Bookish Resolution last year, but I did have it as a goal. I just missed it by 8 books, so I want to challenge myself on it this time. I have finished 23 books so far, so I am going at a good pace!
3. Finish at least 4 series. I did well with this last year, but I have several more series that I did not finish. A goal I haven't started still, but hopefully soon!

Blogging Goals

4. Blog at least 10 times a month. I met this goal for 7 out of 12 months, so I want to try this one again. I blogged 11 times in March, so I barely met my goal. I hope to work on this more next month.
5. Complete at least half of the challenges I sign up for this year. I came very close to completing this goal, but not quite. I will be signing up for challenges soon. So far I have started 13 challenges out of 16, so not a bad start. I still think I have a reading challenge addiction. :)
6. Be more active commenting on blogs and on Twitter. By more active, I mean getting on Twitter and commenting on blogs at least once a week. I did really well with this. I have been checking Twitter at least once a day and at least commenting on tweets. I still need to work on commenting on blogs, but I have commented on at least one each week.
7. Review at least half of the books I read. I basically just stopped writing reviews at the end of the year and I would like to do better with this in 2016. So far I have reviewed 18 out of 23 books and I hope to review three of the books from last month that I have not reviewed yet. 

Personal Goals

8. Lose at least 20 pounds. We are going to try Biggest Loser at work and our theme this year is Libraries Transform, which is ALA's theme. I gained back most of what I lost last year, so I would love to lose that weight again and maintain the weight loss. I have lost 10 pounds so far! I did well the first part of the month, but I am going to have to work through the temptation of Easter candy.
9. Eat and drink healthier. I would like to eat at least a vegetable or fruit a day. I eat horribly and am not in good shape. I would also like to cut down on coffee and sodas, because that is all I have been drinking lately. I have managed to eat at least a veggie or a fruit a day, but not much more than that. I had only two sodas last month, but coffee is not going away any time soon.
10. Exercise more. I would love to exercise at least a few times a month and possibly up this to a few times a week as I get in a bit better shape. I don't want to push things too fast, so for the first month or so, I would like to exercise at least 3 times a month. I barely managed to squeeze in exercise again, so I really need to work on this next month.

Hope you all are doing well with your resolutions. Thanks to Laura and Michelle for hosting!

Once Upon A Time X Signup

Melissa Nucera

This is hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings and you can sign up at this link. I love this challenge and had forgotten it started in March!
I am being ambitious and signing up for


I hope to read 5 books that will fulfill the categories, which are fairytales, folktales, mythology, and fantasy. I know I want to read Blood of Olympus, at least one Tamora Pierce book, and A World Without Princes. I will decide later on the other 2 books, but I have a few possible choices in mind.

I also want to try this


This involves finishing Quest the First and watching and/or reading A Midsummer's Night Dream. This is one of the few Shakespeare plays that I did not have to read in high school or college and I have not seen any of the film adaptations. I am not for sure if I will read or watch or both yet, but I want to try this.

Also I am going to try to find selections for this:


The library weeded a copy of Unnatural Creatures, which was compiled by Neil Gaiman, and I would like to read at least a couple of selections from this. I also have a copy of the Red Fairy Tales and may read a few from that as well.

Thanks to Carl for hosting!

Reading Assignment Challenge First Quarter Check In

This is hosted by Berls at Fantasy is more fun and Michelle at Because Reading and you can sign up at this link. There are so many books I need to finish and then just ignore, so I am hoping to do this challenge to finally finish a few of these books. I am going with Reading Level 1: 12 books total, one a month.

So far I am making an A! I finished
1. Alanna by Tamora Pierce for January
2. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie for February
3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for March 

I have also managed to review all 3 books, which is a bigger feat for me than actually reading them. This is a fun challenge and is really helping me to finish those books that have been on my TBR for awhile. Thanks to Berls and Michelle for hosting! Hope everyone else is doing well with the challenge!