For category 6 (newly acquired books) I used The Thieftaker by D B Jackson. This is a historical mystery with a paranormal element to it and this was something different for me. Ethan Kaille is a thieftaker in 1765 Boston and he is a conjurer. Someone is killing people randomly in Boston and Kaille figures that it is another conjurer with powers much stronger than his. These killings are done to create spells which will be very dangerous for everybody and since we are in pre-revolutionary times, It most likely has to do with the libertarians vs those who are loyal to the king. Need I say that the plot was unbelieveable for someone who never reads paranormal? but it was fun for a change!

Gosh Jeanne, I was looking at the book yesterday.

For category 3, I read A Study in Revenge by Kieran Shields. I gave this book 3.5 stars. As much as I liked the first in this series, this one dragged in spots. I enjoyed revisiting the characters, but the plot line seemed a little disjointed to me. I will look for a third book eventually but all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't purchase this one - got it from the library.

I just completed Category 5 with  May the Road Rise Up to Meet You.  All five books I've read for this category relate to Ireland. I've been introduced to some great Irish authors such as Colm Toibin and Joseph O'Conner and hope to read more of their work.  I've also learned some new-to-me Irish history and pre-history. 

The Un-Challenge #4  Someone is Pampered

The Poison in the Blood:  The Memoirs of Lucrezia Borgia by M. G. Scarsbrook

This was a freebie on my kindle that I've been picking away at.  If I had paid good cash money or credits for it I would be really irritated, as it was....meh.  This is the second book by this author I haven't cared for.  I probably won't read another.  It's written from Lucrezia's point of view, but there have to be better ones out there than this.  I can't really recommend it.

Just added Benjamin Franklin's Bastard for the Un-Challenge category #6.  This was a surprisingly good novel by Sally (Gunning) Cabot based on factual knowledge of Franklin's illegitimate son, William, by an unknown mother.  Cabot invents the character Annie, a young poverty-strickent girl in colonial Philadelphia, to fill that role.  True to her earlier books (A Widow's War, Bound), Cabot develops in Annie an imperfect but resilient and resourseful woman who seeks to gain control over her own destiny in a male-dominated culture.  This was a fast, fun read with a good blend of fact and fiction.  4.5 stars 

Un-challenge, Category 5 (5 unrelated books)

I finished this category with Fall of Giants, a FTF book club selection.  Having not been a huge Ken Follett fan in the past, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Follett does a very good job of giving an overview of WWI from the perspective of various fictional families: German military; English aristocratic; Welsh mining; American political, and Russian peasant. By the magic of fiction writing, characters from these diverse families manage to cross paths throughout the time period of roughly 10 years. It is certainly soap-operish, but very entertaining and a fast read in spite of it's length.