Zaz’s Comments (group member since Dec 27, 2014)

Zaz’s comments from the 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] group.

Can you add the week for your book (edit your post and choose the week in the list) or tell us the week so a mod could move the thread? Thanks :)

It was my 1st "Austen's book" (I read the real story some weeks after). It's a full story so you won't have problem to understand the setting or the characters :)

I added it on my to read on January 2nd, 2013, so I think it's time to read it! It's a short children book with a story adapted many times in cartoon, so I suppose I'll enjoy it. As there are 5 books in the series, I'll have plenty to read if the story is good.

Summary:
The Borrowers are tiny people hidden away in houses and safe places, living off what they borrow from human Beans. Pod and Homily want daughter Arriety to be safe, never seen, but she feels lonely and trapped. The Boy visiting Great Aunt Sophy brings doll furniture in exchange for Arriety reading, until mean housekeeper Mrs Driver calls the rat-catcher.

It was not my wisest choice in the challenge but it wasn't too difficult to finish the book and I appreciated the writing.
The Lottery was the most interesting story in the book and one of the few I enjoyed.

What did you read this week?
The Lottery and Other Stories

Did you enjoy the book?
The stories are awkward and the people are weird. It was well written and paced, but it wasn't the type of short stories I like. So, no.

Would you recommend it?
I recommend only The Lottery if you want to read a weird story with creepy people.

What was your favorite short story and why?
The Lottery because the suspense is very good all along and the characters act pretty normally until the last page.

Lora, is it possible you share your story after the Camp ending? I would like very much to read what your wrote with this theme :)

The list in the 1st post is growing very nicely :)

What did you read this week?
Genesis, a philosophical dystopia.

Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
Yes, I enjoyed it because it was really different in both the content and the form, with an entertaining story and a mind blowing ending.
It's short (less than 200p) so it's easy to recommend it to people who like dystopian books. It's really complete about the historical background and the building of the society so it could be interesting for people frustrated by the lack of informations in most of the dystopian books.

Is the title appropriate for the book?
Totally, it tells the story of the events that lead to the actual society.

Can you tell us something about the book, in just one word?
Philosophy

After some painful 20% in Puzzle, I decided to change my one word book to Genesis (because it was less than 200 pages, had good ratings and it was a dystopia). I'm glad I done it, this was a very interesting book, philosophical and with a mind blowing ending (maybe the best I ever read).

I added a Pratchett's book for my fav author week as he was one of my fav since more than 10 years and I really needed to jump in his world as a tribute. Following Tiffany was fun, as ever (it's one of my favorite cycle in the Discworld novels) and this one was pretty good too.

As side reads, I read some free short stories (During the Dance, Select Mode, Greener Grass, I recommend highly the 1st), The Time Machine and Scarlet and the Keepers of Light. They were all good and compelling, a good way to balance the current and last week, not really interesting.

We are halfway done with Week 12, a week with lots of small stories.

This discussion thread is solely for your progress (book discussions go in individual threads).


What did you read this week?

Did you enjoy the book?

Would you recommend it?

What was your favorite short story and why?

Welcome Joann :)
You were brave to do the challenge by yourself, it's easier to find motivation and ideas in a group!

Read the 1st book for each series and choose the one you like the most (I can't recommend Maze Runner, so if it's your only other option, you have to verify you're not in the hater club). The ongoing series are a problem, you never know when they will be finished.

Mar 22: New polls!
What is your favorite genre of book?
What is your favorite reason for visiting the group?

1. You have to get rid of all your books and you can only keep one from each of these genres - contemporary, fantasy, non-fiction and one other genre of your choosing. What books do you keep?
Contemporary: a book by Nick Hornby (probably Slam)
Fantasy: The Seventh Gate
SciFi: Hollow World

2. You're at the bookstore and you hear a teenager telling their mom they don't like to read, but their mom insists they pick something. You walk over and recommend a book you think is great for people who aren't big on reading - what book is it?
I'll discuss with them before, so I could recommend something fitting their tastes.

3. You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which book do you read to put yourself in a great mood?
A book from Stephen King or Michael J. Sullivan, their writings sooth me.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years. What book would you most likely have caught yourself reading?
Something from Stephen King for sure. I didn't read a lot and it was almost all about Stephen.

5. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day trip and you have 1 hour to pack. Which book do you bring to read on the way?
My Kindle and it's never ending library :p

6. Your house has been robbed! Don't worry - everyone is safe, but your bookshelf has been raided. What's the book you really hope is safe?
I kill giants

Yes, I know, I'm not following the order but at 19 hours I will be sleeping again :p

1. Zeus
Name your favorite fictional leader - good or bad.
I think Katniss from Hunger Games is an interesting leader.

2. Hera
Who are your favorite fictional parents?
No idea.

3. Demeter
What fictional food would you like to try?
Magical food from Alice in Wonderland and a cup of tea with the Mad Hatter :D
Maybe some chocolate from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too.

4. Poseidon
Name a book you've read where water is central, either in setting or plot.
Serpent Mage (Death Gate Cycle). The world in this one is an orb of liquid.

5. Dionysus
Which character would you most like to have a party with?
Hadrian (Riyria Revelations), he's a funny guy and a gentle one.

6. Apollo
Either name a great debut book (so an author's first published work) or name a first book in a series you really enjoyed.
The Emperor's Blades and I really don't understand how the 2nd one can be better.

7. Artemis
Who is your favorite female heroine?
Angel (White Trash Zombie series), a young woman who improves and challenges herself, with a kickass personality. And as a zombie, she has lots of brains :D

8. Athena
Name a character you love who is wise.
Gandalf from LotR.

9. Hermes
If you could travel to any fictional setting (real world or fantasy) where would you go?
Hollow World for sure.

10. Hephaestus
If you could have any fictional tool made (for example a weapon or a gadget), what would you want?
A laser sword and some fairy powder (so I could fly).

11. Ares
What is your favourite fictional battle?
The survival battle at the end of the Death Gate Cycle.

12. Aphrodite
What is your ultimate literary couple? The characters do not have to be from the same book.
Fool and Fitz from the Hobb's Assassin series.

13. Hades
If you could petition Hades to bring any fictional character back from the dead who would you choose?
One of the direwolves from Game of Thrones, I really hate when the author killed it :(

14. Final Question
If you could be a God/Goddess of anything what would you want to be and what do you think would fit your personality? These do not have to be the same.
Godess of Nature ^^

1. Black Coffee: Name a series that you had a tough time getting into but has hardcore fans.
The Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones). I don't know how people do to enjoy the series and read all the books. I bought the box set with the 4 first books, read the 1st and 2nd and don't know what to do with the others as I really don't want to read them.

2. Peppermint Mocha: Name a book you like to read around the holidays or are looking forward to reading around the holidays.
I only celebrate Halloween with an horror movie, for the other holidays I don't read or watch by theme. So: nothing :p

3. Hot Chocolate: What is your favorite children's book?
I'm found of the Little miss and Mr Men children picture books and my favorite chapter book for children is Ronia, the Robber's Daughter.

4. Double Shot of Espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
The Discworld novels, I usually read them in one day.

5. Starbucks Coffee: Name a book you've seen praised everywhere but never got around to reading.
Fahrenheit 451, I'll try to read it this year :)

6. Decaf Coffee: Name a book you were expecting more from.
The Maze Runner. It started well and became pretty boring soon.

8. The Perfect Blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.
Maybe Harry Potter, I enjoyed a lot the 1st books and less the others (when they became so huge...). Overall the story was satisfying.

1. Mr. Strong is one of my oldest (I've it since I was 3 years old). My last purchased are P.O.W.ER (ebook) and Rise of Empire (paperback).

2. A book you enjoyed with a male protagonist and a book you enjoyed with a female protagonist.
Male: The Waste Lands
Female: My Life as a White Trash Zombie

3. Quick read: How to Train Your Dragon
Very long read (more than 2 years): A Clash of Kings

4.Pretty cover: Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz


Bad cover: The Road


5.Takes place in my country: The Three Musketeers
Outside of my country: The Talisman

I'm reading The Emperor's Blades and finished Greener Grass.
I made progress but The Emperor is pretty dense, so I don't read it fast. The last chapters were really interesting and met the prologue (which sold me the book), I'm looking forward to more.

I finished some crêpes (french thin pancakes) earlier.

The main distractions are Goodreads and some unfinished samples in my kindle.

GREED—I've free ebooks and gifted books for the inexpensive ones and I think my most expensive is The Annotated Peter Pan.

WRATH—Maybe Stephen King. He drives me crazy with love when he writes fantasy and I found his later books pretty boring.

GLUTTONY—The Death Gate Cycle. I'm currently on the 5 re-read maybe, since 2000 (I didn't count).

SLOTH—Photography books. I look at the photos but I usually don't read all the text :p

PRIDE—Hey, you know, I read Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was 12 years old.

LUST—Gentle character, the ones who help just because it's in their nature, not for a reward. Let's say, the characters from the Michael J. Sullivan's books. I like too when a "bad guy" becomes a nice one and I prefer humorous characters.

ENVY—Beautiful editions and children picture books.

I started by The Emperor's Blades (I was already at 22% before the challenge) and took a break with Greener Grass, a short story from one of my fav author, used to create Hollow World.