Spec Fic Reading Challenge: September Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is the post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in September 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of: A book of your choice from The Book Depository!

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE!)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for September!

August Wrap Up!

Happy to see the support of all those still participating. Word up to Daniel Franklin who has done a superb amount of reading this month - puts the rest of us to shame, I reckon *grins* Also, I just want to note for those who have joined later to the Challenge, we're actually dealing with fantasy, science fiction and horror - Christian thriller/suspense probably doesn't fit under that banner.

This month's prize pack is a book of your choice from The Book Depository and I'm pleased to say that the winner is:

The Bluestocking Blog for the review of Old Man's War by John Scalzi.

Ms. Bluestocking, please contact me at magemanda AT gmail DOT com with your postal address and the book of your choice so that I can send out your prize *smiles*

As I say, thanks for all your continued support in the challenge and for the links on your blogs through to mine.

Although it is only September, I am starting to think about 2012 - would you like the same challenge to be hosted by me next year? With the same rules and formats? Any changes?

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: August Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is the post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in August 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of: A book of your choice from The Book Depository!

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE!)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for August!

July Wrap Up!

We had a healthy 50 or so reviews in July - it's nice to see that people are remaining enthused, even in the event that they have completed the challenge and are just reading along to see how many speculative fiction books they can read in 2011. Reviews have dropped a little the last few months though and I'd be really interested to hear why. Is it that you are tackling different genres? Does your reading slow down during the summer months a little, because you're getting out and doing things? Is there anything I can do to make the Challenge more interesting?

This month's prize pack is a copy of Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper and I'm pleased to say that the winner is:

Bibliotropic

This was for the review of Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban. Please take the time to go and check out Ria's review!

Ria, please contact me at magemanda AT gmail DOT com with your postal address so that I can send out your prize *smiles*

The Link Up for August will be up shortly, so happy reading everyone - and don't forget to have a link at some of the great books and authors that other members of the challenge are reading and reviewing each month.

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: July Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is the post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in July 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of: Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper.

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE!)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for July!

June Wrap Up!

Heh, usually I write up a little post giving some stats and bits and pieces - and exhorting you to further Speculative Fiction efforts - but I'm afraid that the temperatures are soaring here in the UK and I want to be out in my garden so...

We slipped a little bit this month in terms of reviews posted. I suspect that the encroaching summer has something to do with that - everyone is getting out and about and taking advantage of the weather. I'm sure we'll pick up again in future months, I'm just glad that we're still getting a decent number of participants putting up their books. Remember to support fellow participants by checking out their reviews. You might find something to add to your wishlist!

Without further ado, the winner of the prize pack (that being copies of Cowboy Angels by Paul McAuley, Wolfsangel by M D Lachlan and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch) is Daniel Franklin at Libris Leonis with his review of Tim Powers' The Drawing of the Dark.

Daniel, please contact me at magemanda AT gmail DOT com with your postal address so that I can send out your prize *smiles*

Anyway, I'm off to the garden! The Link Up for July will be up shortly, so happy reading everyone!

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: June Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in June 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of: Cowboy Angels by Paul McAuley, Wolfsangel by M D Lachlan and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE!)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for June!

May Wrap Up!

Wowowowowowow! If you throw in my speculative efforts, we hit 75 reviews - a new high for the challenge! I know that quite a few of you have now reached the target of twelve books for the year, but please do keep checking back and posting links to your reviews. I want to see what is exciting you in the world of speculative fiction.

One thing I have noticed is that although there are some books that appear time and again in your linked reviews, there are plenty of other books that are unique to you. It shows the depth and breadth of both your reading, and the speculative fiction that is on offer. Great on both counts!

The prize pack for May was a copy of The Ritual by Adam Nevill, and the lucky recipient is:

Allisyn at The Crystalline Aerie: Books, Recipes and Dancing for her review of Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio

Allisyn, please contact me at magemanda AT gmail DOT com with your postal address so that I can send out your prize *smiles*

I would love to see even more linked reviews for June - people are surely starting to head off on holiday now, which will give them more reading time? I have a week off later this month and I am intending to plough through a large number of books!

April Wrap Up!

Ha, I challenged you to beat 70 reviews in April - and y'all posted exactly 70 again! But I shall let on to you now that I did not link up any of MY four reviews from April reading, all of which were speculative fiction. That, my friends, gives us a grand total of 74 reviews for April - a NEW record! Congrats all - and let's work for more next month. I know that a number of us have been suffering in April from slower reading months for various reasons (feel free to tell all in the comments - mine was a combination of outside influences and suffering from the tyranny of choice i.e. out of over 2,000 books, which should I possibly choose next?!)

The prize pack for April was a brand new copy of Black Halo by Sam Sykes, and the lucky winner of this novel (not even out yet in the UK!) is:

Steve Halter over at Interesting Things with his review of The Ghost Brigades!

Steve, please contact me with your postal address at magemanda AT gmail DOT com - and I hope you enjoy the book! I look forward to seeing your review at a later date.

Now, last month I challenged for more reviews from you to beat our record. That goes as a given for May as well. But I ALSO challenge you to cruise around the linked reviews for May and drop some comment love on your fellow participants *smiles*

Also, I want to know in the comments how many people have completed the 12 book challenge already? No shame for those who haven't, but I have already read 12 speculative fiction novels in 2011 and I wondered who else had also achieved. Share and we can all say a big WELL DONE! And then we can push to see exactly how many speculative fiction novels we can read in the rest of 2011.

Happy reading everyone!

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: May Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in May 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of: The Ritual by Adam Nevill.

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE!)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for May!

March Wrap Up!

70 reviews, people, that's some kind of record so far this year...

And I have a confess to make - I've read very few of your reviews this month. This is not through distinterest, and I feel incredibly ashamed of myself, but March has turned out to be my busiest blogging month on record. If I wasn't doing slush reading, I was doing Malazan posts for Tor. And then Genre for Japan came along and took over my life *grins*

So... I feel bad. BUT! Having seen your thoughtful and objective reviews in January and February I can't help but think they would have been just as awesome in March!

I have a winner to announce for the March Prize Pack, which consisted of:

Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk, Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar and Elves: Once Walked With Gods by James Barclay.

The lucky winner on this occasion is:

Lucie at The Wonky Bookcase with her review of Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane!

Please contact me with your postal address, Lucie, at magemanda AT gmail DOT com

Everyone? Let's see if we can go over 70 reviews in April - I know I'll be speculatively heavy on the reading front in April, so hopefully can contribute some of interest myself.

Happy reading!

February Wrap Up!

Eep, bit late with both of my posts this month thanks to some real life issues, but here we go with a wrap up of February.

Man, you guys are prolific - I'm so honoured to be hosting your reviews. Passion, objectivity, humour, recommendations: all these qualities and more I'm seeing around our little gang.

Collectively (and in a short month!) we published 59 reviews, which is a sterling effort *grin* I'm currently in the process of reading my way around them and leaving comments. I would invite you to either do the same, or add these blogs to your particular Reader, if you haven't already. Although be warned, your TBR list will grow.

Anyway, I am giving out this month a copy of both The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - should keep a particular person busy.

And that particular person is:

Noel R with the review of Edge by Thomas Blackthorne!

Congratulations Noel, please send me your address to magemanda AT gmail DOT com.

I've already put up the link through post for March reviews - see you on the other side!

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: March Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in March 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the second prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of: Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk, Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar and Elves: Once Walked With Gods by James Barclay.

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE.)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for March!

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: February Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in February 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the second prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of two ENORMOUS books! I am giving away copies of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and Heroes by Joe Abercrombie!

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE.)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for February!

Spec Fic Reading Challenge: January Wrap Up!

Okay! Let's wrap up January!

I have to say a massive thank you to everyone who has contributed reviews to this challenge so far. I might not have commented on all of them, but I read each and every review and the enthusiasm and commitment of each participant has made me so happy.

In total there were 67 reviews posted, which is just astonishing - well done to all of us!

I saw reviews on speculative fiction of all varieties - science fiction, fantasy, comic fantasy, YA, urban fantasy - and this pleases me as well. It's great to see such a range on show. I do urge all participants to choose a few reviews of books they haven't heard of, take a read and see whether this is a book you might like to try as well. Spread the love *grin*

Anyway, I have a prize to give away! That being: finished copies of Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch and Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt, and a shiny ARC of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.

I did a quick random draw on all the reviews (taking mine out of the equation, obviously!) and the review that came out was:

The Spirit Thief - Rachel Aaron - Mel's Random Reviews

Mel, please drop me an email at magemanda AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address and I will get you prize out to you ASAP.

Right, on to February! Happy reading folks :-)

Spec Fiction Challenge: January Review Link Up!

Welcome to everyone who signed up for the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge!

This is post where you can link up your reviews posted on your blogs in January 2011 to be in with a chance of winning the first prize pack.

The prize pack this month consists of finished copies of Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch and Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt, and a shiny ARC of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (all very exciting books, I think you'll agree!)

All of the reviews you post to Mr Linky below will equate to an entry into the prize draw.

Below is the link widget. Please make sure that your link goes directly to your review and not to your main homepage. Thanks! (This is not the post to use to sign up for the challenge. If you want to do that, please go HERE.)

Good luck to you all, and I look forward to seeing your reviews for January!

Sign up: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge 2011!

Okay! Carolyn over at Book Chick City wondered if I would be interested in hosting the Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge for 2011, and since the majority of my reading nestles firmly in the speculative fiction field I jumped at the chance. I do hope that everyone who took part in 2010 with Carolyn will join me for 2011!

For this first attempt at a reading challenge, I'm not going to be strict! Speculative fiction for me includes anything from the realm of science fiction, fantasy or horror - doesn't matter what subgenre, or whether it is tie-in fiction. I'm aiming to make this as inclusive as possible.

So, let's get down to it - all of the details you need for signing up are below...

Grab Button

<center><a href="http://floor-to-ceiling-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/sign-up-speculative-fiction-reading.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXUc9goh77-CsWeWGRFi0TBJVQlpk1XXnF2aSafHAe_KO3TvaBEeBfFUjtY2tvuhupJhYYOIiEkCu6qdx5VaMZRYSEQGVPWWc6eS49eyvKZT7sicWGhyM1j9r626_v-TM6MEXV15X5VrL/s1600/Spec+Fic+Challenge+Sidebar.jpg" width="133" /></a></center>

Sign Up

• To sign up you must make a post on your blog about participating in the Challenge - you then use the URL of the sign up post to add to Mr Linky below. 

• You must  add the button to your sidebar - make sure that it links back to this post so others can join the challenge if they wish. Easiest way to do this is just copy and paste the code above!

Other Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011

• Rules: To read 12 Speculative Fiction novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum - you can read more if you wish!)

• You don't have to choose your books ahead of time, you can add them as you go. If you do list them upfront, you can change them. Books for this challenge can be used to fulfil other challenges.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next week - but the sooner you start, the sooner your chances for prizes!

• At the beginning of Jan 2011 (and the beginning of all subsequent months in 2011), you will find a link to add your reviews. I am going to be putting up a monthly prize which will be formed from duplicate books/ARCs that I receive as a reviewer. You must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw!

If you have any trouble adding your URL link below, please email me the name you want posted below with your URL link and I will add it for you.

Hoping to see many of you join me for a year of reading speculative fiction!