May has come and gone, June has arrived, and so it seems has summer – England is having a mini heatwave right now, and I’m just loving it!!! I am such a sun bunny, so can’t wait to sprawl out on my picnic mat today with a really good book. Of course I have to do all the household chores first… sometimes being a grown up is poo!
A very exciting bit of personal new is that the hubster bought me an iPAD!!!!!!! Isn’t he just gorgeous – I is in loves! 
I have spent way too much money on lots and lots of apps. But the main one was iBooks, which, of course, is just amazing to use and it looks beautiful. Unfortunately it is still in the early stages and so there’s not many books (well the ones I want to read anyway) and I can’t browse by genre, which is very frustrating as I don’t always know the exact book or author. So, while Apple is still developing in the background, I downloaded Kindle for iPad, which although isn’t as gorgeous does give me access to a billion Amazon books – a very happy book chick this makes!
Now, I have NEVER wanted an eReader, but because I knew that I was going to get an iPad I thought, why not try. So far I have just downloded the books, I haven’t had the urge to read them yet, as I usually do when I get a book – I think I’m just going go for it. Also, I can’t get over paying for things that are digital. So I’ve been buying the cheapest books I can find or completely free.
These are the books I have downloaded so far:
iBooks
• The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase
• Deliciously Wicked by Robyn DeHart
Kindle
• Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
• Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch
• His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
• Spying in High Heels by Gemma Holiday
Overall though, the iPad is a thing of beauty and I just love it. It’s also very practical and does everything I need it too.
Also, in May, we went on a short break to the Lake District, which was fantastic as always – the hubster and I did a bit of ‘mild’ mountain biking, lots of walking, and ate at our favourite Thai – yummy! The weather was just lovely, although we have been known to venture out even when it’s tipping down buckets!
Awww – such a cute ickle lamby
While I am talking about the Lake District, I would just like to mention Cumbria and the awful killings that happened a couple of days ago. What happened is completely incomprehensible. My heart goes out to the people of Cumbria as well as all the family and friends this tragedy has affected.
Anyway, May was a pretty great month for me with regards to reading. I read more books this month than I have in previous months and I read a lot more that I thought I would.
Book Chick City News
• Book Chick City will be hosting The Bookworms Carnival soon – the deadline for entries is 2nd July, so please start sending your links. My theme is ‘Speculative Fiction’ so if you have any reviews, or articles – basically any post with a speculative fiction theme – then send them to bookchickcity [at] dsl [dot] pipex [dot] com. I will post my Bookworm Carnival 5th July!
• As you probably know by now, I have discovered a brand new genre: Romance. I am more of a horror/blood/guts/fantasy kind of gal, so it surprised me know end to find out that I LOVE ROMANCE!! I am still a bit freaked out by it all, and even the hubster has looked at me funny when he catches me reading a book with a lovey-dovey couple on the front cover rather than a bad-ass chick with a gun, or fangs! I even wrote about my romance discovery in a my post: Genre Misconceptions: Have you ever been wrong? Well worth checking out!
• Book Chick City has also added another reading challenge! I know, I know – I have a zillion of them… well only four – but now I have five! I started 2010 Summer Romance Challenge to celebrate my new found love for romance. It’s only a shorty – four months, but I hope you’ll join me!
• I have two new features, which I launched in May – ‘The Blogger’s Bookshelf‘ & ‘Books We Love‘. Please check them out!
• I managed to personally read a total of 11 books in May. Some I’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet. My target for May was 8 books, so I’m very pleased.
Total Books Reviewed: 13
- Burned by P. C. & Kristin Cast
- A Licence To Steal by Samantha Graves
- Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw
- Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
- Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
- Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
- My Wicked Marquess by Gaelen Foley
- Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick (review soon)
- Shadows by Amy Merdith (review soon)
- Flu by Wayne Simmons
- The Other Countess by Eve Edwards (review soon)
- Arson by Estevan Vega (Reviewed by Laura)
- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Reviewed by Laura)
Favourite book read this month: This is really hard this month as I read so many great books… so I will go with: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas & My Wicked Marquess by Gaelen Foley
Author Interviews/Guest Posts: 2
- Rosemary Clement-Moore – Interview
- Estevan Vega – Guest Post
• ‘Where Stories Are Made‘ – a great month full of wonderful guests:
• I received 3 blog awards from my fellow bloggers this month, so big hugs and thanks go to:
- Fantasy4Eva for the Prolific Blogger Award
- Proud Book Nerd for the Bodacious Blogging Book Reviewers Award
- Melissa from Books and Things for the Prolific Blogger Award
Cover Art revealed at Book Chick City during April in my ‘Cover Crush’ feature:
- Legend of Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron
- Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
- Bloodshot by Cherie Priest
- This Is Not A Game & Deep State (US Edition) by Walter Jon Williams
Reading Challenges 2010 – Progress Report:
Reading Challenges hosted by BCC:
• Suspense & Thriller Challenge: 1 Read, 11/12 to go
• Speculative Fiction Challenge: 15 Read 9/24 to go
• The Anita Blake Challenge: 0 Read, 19/19 to go
• 2010 Summer Romance Challenge: 0 Read 16/16 to go
Other Challenges:
• Sookie Stackhouse Challenge: 0 Read, 9/9 to go
• The Vampire Diaries Challenge: 0 Read, 5/5 to go
• 100+ Reading Challenge: 35 Read, 65/100 to go
• Young Adult Reading Challenge: 13 Read, 0/12 to go (UPGRADED)
• The Outlander Challenge: 0 Read, 7/7 to go
• 1st in a Series Challenge: 13 Read, 7/20 to go
• Stephanie Plum Challenge: 0 Read, 15/15 to go
To view challenge in detail go HERE
So what was your month of May like?
12 Comments
Yay, your iPad is beautiful.
Looks like you had a great month.
I'm happy that it's June and that the weather is finally getting better.
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Oooh love the ipad, my sister has just got one and she thinks it's brilliant too! I bet you will love having the E-reader function, husband bought me one for my Birthday and it took me a while to get used to it but it's so handy when you're going away etc, we were always being charged extra baggage!
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Woot an IPad. It is sooo pretty. So happy you discovered Romance. Hope you enjoy your reading in June.
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I have an iPad, too, and I love it! I had never read an ebook before, but since I've had this, I have read half a dozen (with the Kindle app). Plus, I can sample the first few chapters of the books, which has been awesome! I tried a few titles I wouldn't have normally read, and ended up loving them.
One question – have you tried blogging with it? I am finding it lacking for that, unfortunately.
Enjoy your new toy!
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Sabrina – May was a great month all round – and I'm SO pleased the sun is finally shining!
Dot – I hope I will love it as an eReader – I never want one before, but now I have it as part of the iPad is was just too hard to resist buying more books!
SusiSunshine – Love my iPad, loving romance.. I can see June being a great month!
Manga – I'm glad you are enjoying your iPad too! In answer to your questions – I have tried to edit my blog via iPad but it doesn't really like it, especially if I'm in the 'Compose' area. The only way I can do it is by going in the 'HTML' and changing it all from there
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I have iPad envy! I love my ereader, but it does take a while to get used to, but you'll find as soon as you're into a good book it won't matter.
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Just think about it this way
You can–get all the free ebooks (of which there are tons) now 
Even if you never spend a penny on any other ebooks!
Great roundup–I have no idea how you keep it all straight
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Enjoy your new toy! Does the backlight bother your eyes when you read?
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You lucky duck!! I really want the iPad, but for now I have my kindle which hubs bought me last Mother's Day,and I love it. Maybe next year the hubs will surprise me
Isn't it great when they do such super things for us!
You read a lot in May, way to go. May was a bad one for me only 3.
Paula
Tomes Devotee
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You lucky, lucky girl! Gorgeous iPad! I really want one…I've been entering contests like mad. =O)
I won a Sony Reader awhile back. I was totally against ebooks until I found out I might be able to get my textbooks cheaper on a reader. I still will not pay for ebooks. I only download free ones…and I STILL haven't read any of the books I've downloaded! I'm like you, just can't get as excited about a book not in bound form. I'll get to it someday, I'm sure.
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Ah, the Lake District! My cousin is there this week on his honeymoon. And, for you, an iPad! So much fun. I can't wait to hear what you think of it after you've had it a while
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Laura – You're probably right – it's just finding that one book that's going to make eroding click into place.. but which book?
Felicia – Most of the books I've downloaded so far have been free, but I still have to find that spark that makes me want to read them and not pick up a book!
Christie – I haven't read a book on it yet, so can't really tell you – as for just brewing the web ext, no the backlight doesn't bother me.
luv46kdz – May was a good month for me, usually I only read around 6 books, so get read 11 was great. Yes, I am very lucky!
Michelle – Thanks!I imagine the iPad would be great for students, but quite expensive so I'm not sure how many will have one, realistically. I couldn't have afforded one when I was a student.
Helen – I really love the Lake District, we visit a few times every year. I'm sure you're cousin will love it – hope they have a fab honeymoon
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