So I joined a Reading Challenge for 2016 - The Girly Geek Blog's Bookish Bingo Challenge - and I'm excited to find books to help me to complete the challenge.  The challenge can be found at the Girly Geek Blog.  I stumbled over it on Pinterest - my new social media obsession.

I am going to use the challenge to help me dig through the "to-be-read" piles I still have after a major book purge (three reusable shopping bags of books have left or are leaving my apartment).

The book I started yesterday, The Theory of Death, by Faye Kellerman, is my first book for the challenge (and an easy one for me) - a book featuring a murder or assassination.  It's a library book, not one on my shelves or piles, but it should kickstart my urge to read.  I love the Decker series because it offers so many things I love.  I get to watch characters change, grow and live their personal lives over the series, I get to "participate" in a police investigation and I get to see parts of the story from different perspectives.

So, do you participate in Reading Challenges? What gets you fired up to try a new book?

Memorial Day Weekend - what do you plan to read this weekend?

I was hoping to get out of town this weekend, but work interfered.  So, I'll be home, but with some time to kick back and relax.  The beaches will be crazy busy, but I might take a book to the Y and spend some time next to the pool tomorrow or Sunday.  So the next thing to think about will be what book should I take?

Summer reading usually means romance or mystery for me.  I just finished Susan Mallery's newest book Just One Kiss this past week, so that won't be this weekend's reading (and her next one is a whole month away!).  If you like a romance set in a small town with wonderfully quirky characters, you should check it out.  I loved the book!

So, I'm looking for suggestions.  What will be in your weekend/beach bag this weekend?  Would you suggest anything new or old that is a must read?

30-Day Challenge - Walking 30 minutes every day

I'm going to write another post this week about books, but today I want to talk about fitness.

To begin, with my flexible schedule, I'm often home during the day and will catch random talk shows while channel surfing (or just eating a late breakfast with the TV on). I don't have any show I typically watch, because I'm not home consistently enough days to commit to watching the same show.

On Monday, The Doctors had a segment on a 30-day challenge - that if you do something for 30 days it will become a habit, rather than something you have to choose to do.  One viewer/participant talked about walking for 30 minutes every day.  She didn't claim it was easy; in fact, she said the first week was hard.  But she completed the challenge.  After hearing her story, I thought "I can do that".

I've been wanting to get healthier for a while, but was having some trouble executing a fitness plan.  At the beginning of May, our local YMCA had a special where you could join and the joining fee was the same number as the day of the month.  After I paid $3, I now just have to pay one fee each month.  I've been taking water fitness classes 2-3 times each week since I joined, but the number on my scale hasn't changed.

Today, I started the 30-Day Challenge and walked for 30 minutes.  It wasn't easy.  My legs ached a bit and I had to stop to stretch my calves a couple of times, but I did it.  I also changed into a swimsuit and went into the pool to stretch and do some resistance exercises.

I'm going to keep this up, then walk in the Neon Vibe 5K in Fort Lauderdale on June 29th.  I'm excited to see what this month will bring.

Busy January

 I've been working nonstop since Sunday when I got home from an unexpected trip to my sister's hometown.  She was in a bad fender bender so I dropped everything and drove three hours to offer support while she was checked out by the local ER.  Good news - she didn't have any internal injuries or broken bones and the accident was clearly caused by another driver.  Bad news - her Toyota RAV4 wasn't so lucky; it was the most heavily damaged vehicle.

I brought her a book to pass the time in the ER but her nerves wouldn't let her focus.  To be honest, I couldn't really read either.  Sometimes a book can offer comfort and escape, but not if your brain won't focus.

Now that I have a busy schedule, I've been trying to squeeze in some time to read.  However, I have trouble choosing what to read when I'm busy.  I want a good escape, but not so great that I can't put the book down and get a good night's sleep.  Sometimes nonfiction will fit the bill, but not at the moment.

I'm currently reading a mystery by Elaine Viets, Murder Unleashed, that's been lingering in my to-be-read pile.  It's fluffy, but fun and I love the protagonist of this series.  Helen has a past she's hiding from, some crazy neighbors and an interesting history of dead-end jobs and dead bodies.  I've also been working on a couple of library books, but I'm worried I won't finish them before they expire.  For me, that's the one disadvantage of library e-books - you can't renew if you're not done before your 3 weeks are up.

So, what kind of book do you pick up when you need to escape?  Mystery? Romance? Humor? Sudoku puzzles?

New Year's Goals for ShamelessReader

Okay, I started this blog, then let it lapse.  So 2013 is going to be my year to really use this blog to share the books I love along with some bits and pieces about me.  First bit - I don't do resolutions.  They never work for me.  I do have some personal goals this year, but I'm keeping them private for now.  Second bit - I really do love to read, so I hope you'll enjoy some postings this year about the books I discover (or rediscover).  Last year, I read 100 books, which probably included re-reading at least 15-20 books that I love.

But enough about me.  This year, my goal for this blog is to write at least 50 entries (I'm hoping for at least once a week).  As a reader, I'm hoping to again read 100 books.  I already finished my first one for the year,  a re-read of Quinn's Woman by Susan Mallery, one of my favorite contemporary romance authors.  I also started a new book today at breakfast - Margaret Maron's The Buzzard Table.  This newest entry in the Judge Deborah Knott mystery series has already grabbed my attention - a missing woman, a mysterious relative of a local dowager and a hint of something sinister have appeared in just the first few chapters .  If I didn't have a long work day scheduled for tomorrow, I'd probably be finishing the book right now.

So, what are your reading goals for this year?  What book are you currently reading?  Is it the first one for the year?

Reading on Rainy Days

So, at the start of hurricane season in Florida, I'm facing lots of days like today - gray, damp, and dreary - for the next few months.  While it's not so much fun to fight with umbrellas or deal with rain-delayed traffic, it is the right season to pick up a good book, curl up on the couch and get transported away from the rain.

For rainy days, I like mysteries or romantic comedies.  Today, I picked up the e-book The Chesire Cat's Eye by Marcia Muller, one of my favorite mystery authors.  It's one of her early books that I haven't read for many years and I wanted to revisit it.  I haven't gotten far, but the murder of a former client has Muller's private eye, Sharon McCone, caught up in the world of Victorian home restoration and has initiated my curiosity about why the murder occurred.  I don't remember the story, so I feel like I'm reading a brand new book.

What kinds of books appeal to you on a rainy day?

Five of My Favorite Romance Authors

I'm taking advantage of a weeknight free from work (I normally work nights and weekends) and would like to post my favorite romance authors.  If you haven't read some of these, you should check them out.  These are not listed in any particular order.

1. Susan Mallery, author of the Fool's Gold series, Barefoot Season, and lots of other contemporary romance novels. I've re-read many of these books and I love to recommend them to friends.  Some stories are steamier than others but all of them have stories that grab you from the very beginning.  If you haven't read any of her books, try Delicious, the first in the Buchanan family books.

2. Jennifer Crusie, author of Maybe This Time, Welcome to Temptation and lots of other great books.  I think I've read all of her books that are on my shelf multiple times.  I love them.  Her books are a little more eclectic, especially when she works with co-authors, like the paranormal story, Dogs and Goddesses, and the action/romance story, Agnes and the Hitman, but always include a little humor.  Any of Jenny's books are great, but if you want to try a great one, read Bet Me.

3.  Robyn Carr, author of the Virgin River series and other contemporary romance novels.  I have read all of the Virgin River stories multiple times.  Sometimes you just want to read a great story and Robyn never disappoints.  The first in the series, Virgin River, will introduce you to Jack, Mel and the town of Virgin River and you'll fall in love with the whole town.

4.  Luann McLane, author of Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots and other romantic comedies with a southern kick.  Luann has managed to make me laugh out loud reading her books.  As someone who grew up in the South, I know her humor is realistic without being mean-spirited.  Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots has one of the funniest scenes ever found in a romance, so if you can, start with that one.

5.  Kimberly Raye, author Dead Sexy and other vampire cowboy tales from Harlequin Blaze.  I haven't read all of Kimberly's books, but I do love the ones I have found.  These very steamy tales include a little bit of everything - vampires, cowboys, small towns, and heroines that are not afraid of a man who's a little different.

So, those are some of my favorite romance authors.  What author do you follow persistently? Track down new release information and follow them on Facebook?  I would love to hear from you.