The August Read & Watch Challenge: Let's Get EPIC

So confession: I completely missed July's Read and Watch Challenge. Being up against a book deadline and getting ready for the RWA conference pretty much buried me. I shut down all social media and had to buckle down to get the book done. I also was reading all non-fiction since I was so focused on keeping my head in my story and didn't want to add more fiction in there. So I apologize for missing the month! But I'm back now and ready to tackle August's Read & Watch theme: EPIC

The basic premise of the challenge is that each month, you read a book and watch a TV show/movie that play to the theme. If you want more details on the Read & Watch challenge, you can still join in. Just click here to see the other themes. And even if you're not doing the challenge, stick around for some book and tv recs. : )

Okay, so "epic" can mean a lot of different things to different people. For me, when I think of epic, I think of stories that span a large amount of time or a lot of characters. When I read a story that is epic, it stays with me for a longer time than a typical book. I feel like I've lived with the characters and they are now permanent residents in my memory. Epic books stick longer. And typically, they are literally longer--page-count wise. Or, they are part of a long-running series that follows the same characters. Harry Potter, for example.

I also find that epic books are a double-edged sword because on one hand, they are the books that stick with me and often become lifelong favorites BUT they are also intimidating as hell because they're often SO big, which means I'm reluctant to pick them up in the first place. Anyone with an out of control TBR pile knows that feeling--I could read this giant book OR I could read three shorter ones. But that's why I wanted to choose this as a theme. I almost never regret having picked up one of the long books, so I need to make myself get over that intimidation factor.

So, what would I recommend if you're looking for something epic?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I know many of you have probably read this already or have watched the TV show, but this is always the one that first comes to mind when I think of epic. The book is long and has a lot of history woven in, which is fascinating in its own right, but at it's core, the love story between Jamie and Claire is what has stayed with me. Even with my faulty memory these days, this story hasn't left my brain.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

King is really the, well, king of the long ass book. I could recommend a few different ones of his for this theme. And I will have another below that I'm picking as a reread for me. But I'm choosing this one because if you're not into horror, you don't have to be scared of this one. The premise is that a guy in present day finds a wormhole back to a few years before the Kennedy assassination. He tries to stop it from happening. Along the way, he meets a woman and there is a romance thread as well--which was a nice surprise. This is also now a TV show, which I haven't watched yet, but I loved the book. It was fascinating and character driven and just so well done.

The Original Sinners series by Tiffany Reisz

If you want your epic in sexy form, grab these. I know I've talked about these books here before, but they are a fantastic example of an erotic series that is about so much more than sex. You will follow the characters through so many stages of their lives and they will feel real to you--like they are living their lives in some place you just haven't visited yet. Highly recommend.

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Another TV show (Shadowhunters). But I read the books years ago and they've stayed with me. This is YA urban fantasy/paranormal so a little outside of what I typically recommend here, but I raced through this series and loved it. Love triangles and hot warriors and kickass ladies. I'm so there for it.

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Oh, how I devoured these books. Another YA paranormal (I was going through a phase, with the rest of the world) but these are SO good. Don't let the vampire theme scare you. It's very well done and unique. And the love story in this one does feel epic to me. I love me some Dmitry. And just writing this makes me want to reread them because I haven't read them in years. Damn. *adds back to TBR pile*

What I'll Be Reading

It by Stephen King

I read this in high school and it has always stayed with me (in my mind and on my shelf.) It's one of my favorite horror books of all time. But with the new movie coming out, I really want to reread it with adult eyes. So my goal is to take that doorstop down from the shelf and start it again.

What I'll Be Watching

Gilmore Girls

This is an ongoing project. I'm only in season 2 because I don't get a lot of alone TV time, but I've loved the journey so far.

11/22/63

Hubs and I both read the book, so I've been wanting to watch the Hulu series to see how it compares.

So those are my picks, what would be your picks for EPIC? What will you be reading and watching this month?

April Read & Watch Picks with Author Maggie Wells!

How is it April already? March was a blink. But you know what the first of the month means, a new Read & Watch theme and a guest with recommendations!

April's theme word is TIME. And I invited author Maggie Wells to join us and give us her picks for this month's theme. If you haven't seen this challenge before, each month has a new theme word that you can interpret however you'd like. You can join in at any time and can get all the details on the challenge here.

First, a little more about Maggie:

Maggie Wells is a deep-down dirty girl with a weakness for hot heroes and happy endings. By day she is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.

Fueled by supertankers of Diet Coke, Maggie juggles fictional romance and the real deal by keeping her slow-talking Southern gentleman constantly amused and their two grown children mildly embarrassed.

All right, now I'll turn it over to Maggie and let her tell you her picks!

Maggie's Picks

BOOK:

I admit it, my instinctive response to the word “TIME” is Outlander! But I shall refrain and travel a less obvious path. Not that choosing to spend time with James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser is ever wrong…

The book I want to share this month was once my least favorite book from one of my favorite authors. It wasn’t until I read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen a second time, that I truly came to appreciate all of its glorious nuance.

For those who haven’t read it yet, I’ll share just this one quote:

“It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it? Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like he doesn't know, like he doesn't know he's holding your heart in his hand and you're dying from him.”

If you have read The Sugar Queen, it may not seem like a good fit for this month’s theme at first glance, but to me, this book is all about time. Each character has a different relationship with time. Josey is waiting for her life to start. Margaret is holding her breath until enough time passes for scandal to fade away. Chloe has put her own life on hold. Jake destroys everything he loves in a rash moment. Adam is simply killing time because he doesn’t quite know what to do next. And then, there’s Della Lee, who has just enough time left to show them all how they are wasting their most precious commodity.

Movie:

For this one, I chose one of my all-time favorites: Big Fish.

Again, this may not seem like an obvious choice for the theme, but bear with me. Will Bloom has only a brief window of opportunity to mend his strained relationship with his dying father. But unlike other movies with the same sort of theme, Big Fish takes us, and Will, along on the epic adventures of his father, Ed Bloom’s, life.

Let’s face it, most of us think our parents are frozen in time. Our time. They are simply Mom and Dad. The rule makers. Those ever-present forces that shape our lives for better or worse. I think many us don’t really get an opportunity to know our parents as people with hopes, dreams, and adventures of their own. I know I didn’t, and now it’s too late for me to ask them to tell me their version of their story.

So, yeah, use your time wisely. Watch Big Fish with one or both of your parents, if you can. If you’re lucky, you may be able to use it as a springboard to pry a few of their fish stories from them.

TV:

Okay, fine, I have to say it—Outlander!

A time-traveling woman from the 20th century.

A Scottish highlander from the 18th century.

Love. War. Desire. Jealousy. Kilts. Greed. Shenanigans.

I’m usually not a fan of book-to-screen adaptations, but I think Ronald D. Moore and the gang are doing a bang-up job of adapting the books for the series. If you haven’t given it a peek yet, take the time!

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Thanks so much, Maggie! And I'm totally with her on Outlander. I haven't read or seen the others, but Outlander...yessss.

Now that you Maggie has excellent taste, you should check out her book!

A BOLT FROM THE BLUE by Maggie Wells

Available April 4th from Kensington/Lyrical Press

True love, like lightning, never strikes twice—or does it?

As a free-spirited young woman, Hope Elliot was desperate to escape her snobbish high society family. So she ran off to Paris, where she lived for twenty-five years. Now widowed, she’s come home to settle her family’s massive lakefront estate. But before she can put her mother’s house on the market, it needs a major renovation. Enter master electrician Mick McInnes, a traditional guy who’s about to turn her life upside down . . .

Aside from the fact that Mick is hopelessly attracted to his latest client, Hope represents everything he doesn’t want in a woman. She’s ridiculously rich and adventurous, yet she doesn’t seem to know much about the real world. Besides, his policy is to never get involved with clients. But he can’t seem to resist the Chicago heiress’s sizzling advances—and soon enough finds himself in her bed, feeling like a teenager once again. And like teenagers, the two of them will just have to convince their families that opposites can not only attract, but they can also make the perfect match . . .

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Roni's April Picks

Here's what I'll be reading and watching this month for the challenge!

Book:

Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This one takes one event in a woman's life and then branches off into two possible storylines, what happens if she makes one decision and what happens if she makes another, so it will be dual timelines/fates. I loved her book One True Loves, so I have high hopes.

About the book:

From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him. 

TV:

Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix

This is a brand new series on Netflix and is based on a YA book I read many years ago and really liked. It's been long enough that I don't remember much about the book, but I remember that it was good enough to keep on my shelf. I DO remember that it flashes back in time to show the things leading up to a certain even, so it goes perfectly with this month's theme.

Oddly enough, both my book and TV show picks have heroines named Hannah.

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Utterly Shameless Promotion

If you need another suggestion for the TIME theme, may I also suggest Off the Clock, which is the first book in my Pleasure Principle series and a current finalist in the RITA Contest (!), and By the Hour, book 2, which comes out April 25!

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Now, it's your turn! What will you be reading/watching? Or if you have any suggestions for the theme, let us have 'em! :)

Week 2 of #ListifyLife: The Books I'd Want to Live In For a While

It's week 2 of the Listify Life challenge (you can still join in!) and this week's topic is choosing the books you'd want to live in for a while. 

There are so many more I could choose, but I decided to go with the first ones that popped up in my head. Many of them go back to childhood wishes for fantastical worlds with flying and magic. :) The other two are grown-up picks.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - I'm not sure this needs explanation. I have to admit when I went to Universal Studios to Harry Potter world, I got little kid style excitement. Plus, Butter Beer.

2. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende - If you're not familiar with this story, it's about a boy reading a book who gets pulled into the book and literally becomes part of the book. This whole concept was so magical to me as a kid--that thought that I could become part of the story. And really, do I need any other reason than the chance to ride Falcor the Luck Dragon?

3. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle - my favorite book as a kid and the book that made me want to be a writer, so it has to get a spot

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - Okay, so the lack of showers, low status of women, and the constant threat of being killed would suck. But then there's Jamie in a kilt...or, you know, out of it. :)

via GIPHY

5. My own Loving on the Edge books - Okay, this is a totally self-indulgent pick. But how cool would it be to walk into that world and meet characters I created and see The Ranch? Okay, so it'd be weird...but also, awesome. :)

So those are mine. Are you playing along? Which books would you pick?