2nd Quarter Challenge: Zara's Inspired Survival Challenge

[Erika]

Zara wrote: "Erika wrote: "3/7

1. The Best Man- Hard to finish; I really did not like this one.
2. Burned-535 pages
3. North and South- 812 pages

[boo..."

Zara, let me know how you like it. I did not like the way the author handled several of the situations...

[Lesley]

Zara, I sent you a message with my email address earlier today!

And 3/3

by Carol Grace 5/17/13 (it's been on my Kindle waiting for me since 4/1/2012!)

[Zara's Corner]

Lesley wrote: "Zara, I sent you a message with my email address earlier today!

And 3/3

by Carol Grace 5/17/13 (it's been on my Kindle waiting for me since 4/1/2012!)"

Thanks. I'll get on to getting your certificate sorted soon.

[Megan]

Just completed my second book - The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George. This book is well-written and planned. The notes by his fool are necessary editorial notes that help to enlighten and authenticate the "autobiography". It's so well-done that it could really have been written by Henry. Definitely worth reading! 4 stars

2/12

[Zara's Corner]

Megan wrote: "Just completed my second book - The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George. This book is well-written and planned. The notes by his fool are necessary..."

Hi Megan. I've updated your tally for you.

The book you mentioned I have on my TBR list. It sounds very interesting. One day I'll get to read it. lol

[Lilac]

Forgot to mention I finished a hard to get into book: Yn Y Gwaed - ★★★☆☆ - 28/04/13

I actually started it on the 1st of January, so it was definitely hard to finish.

Completed 2/5

[Zara's Corner]

Lilac wrote: "Forgot to mention I finished a hard to get into book:
Yn Y Gwaed
- ★★★☆☆ - 28/04/13

I actually started it on the 1st of January, so it was definitely hard to finish.

Completed 2/5"

I've adjusted your tally. What would you give this book out of 5 stars.

[Lilac]

3 stars. It was quite good once I got past the tedious parts, but not good enough for 4 stars.

[Zara's Corner]

Lilac wrote: "3 stars. It was quite good once I got past the tedious parts, but not good enough for 4 stars."

Fair enough.

[SibylM]

Hi Zara, I don't know if you missed my earlier post but I've completed mine a while back and my entry isn't updated. Let me know if you would like me to post again?
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[Zara's Corner]

Sibyl wrote: "Hi Zara, I don't know if you missed my earlier post but I've completed mine a while back and my entry isn't updated. Let me know if you would like me to post again?
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/s..."

Oops! My deepest apologies Sibyl. I didn't see your post. I'll update your tally.

Can you please PM me your email address and I'll email you your certificate.

[Zara's Corner]

Lesley,

Your certificate is in your email box. Once again congratulations

[Carrie]

Updated Post #43. Completed 2/6. I'm getting there!

[Kayla]

I'm making progress 3/10 (message #20 update)

1. Fifty shades of Grey by E L James: 514 pages: 4/7/13

2. Fifty Shades Darker by E L James :532 pages: 4/24/13

3. Fifty Shades Freed by E L James: 578 pages : 5/10/13

[Zara's Corner]

Carrie and Kayla I've updated your tallies. You're progressing well.

Kayla, what did you think of the Fifty Shades series you read?

[Katrina]

Completed my goal of Double Major!! (post #49)

I found this a great way to get through some of the books collecting dust on my shelf so I think I will keep the state of mind of this challenge going by challenging myself to read one shelf warmer a month.

[Zara's Corner]

Katrina wrote: "Completed my goal of Double Major!! (post #49)

I found this a great way to get through some of the books collecting dust on my shelf so I think I will keep the state of mind of this challenge goin..."

Excellent work Katrina. I'm glad you found it helpful. I was hoping it would be.

Can you please PM me with your email address so I can email you your certificate. Thanks and once again congratulations.

[Quenby]

1/3 complete

1. The Bell Jar-I started this three times and finally finished it. It was quite depressing but beautifully written.

[Zara's Corner]

Quenby wrote: "1/3 complete

1. The Bell Jar-I started this three times, and finally finished it. It was quite depressing but beautifully written."

I've updated your entry Quenby. Congratulations on getting through it.

[Megan]

Just finished Major Level - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Really well-done and while long, the story kept me engaged throughout the majority of the book. Took me about 10% to really get into the story and there was a bit of repetition at the end, but overall, really well done. 4.5 stars and definitely worth reading!

3/12

[Zara's Corner]

Megan wrote: "Just finished Major Level - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Really well-done and while long, the story kept me engaged throughout the majority of the book. Took me about 10% to really ge..."

Hi Megan. Well done on getting this read. I read it a while ago and loved it. I've tried to read the second one but it's so long I haven't been able to devout the time to it.

[Kayla]

Zara wrote: "Carrie and Kayla I've updated your tallies. You're progressing well.

Kayla, what did you think of the Fifty Shades series you read?"

I loved them. I was under the assumption that they were mainly about physical acts but there was a connection between the two characters other than just the physical side of it. I loved how Christian grew as a person and how Ana did thing just to make him happy as well.

I'd also like to update my finished books:

4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K.Rowing 5/24/13

5. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer 5/29/13

[Zara's Corner]

Kayla wrote: "Zara wrote: "Carrie and Kayla I've updated your tallies. You're progressing well.

Kayla, what did you think of the Fifty Shades series you read?"

I loved them. I was under the assumption that the..."

Well done on getting to the half way point of your goal. I wish you the best for the rest of them.

[Jessica]

Jessica's update as of 5/30

Goal: Masters 10 Books
Read: 7 Books

The House At Riverton (4/8) MAMMOTH
The Westing Game (4/10) TBR
The Reader (5/6) TBR
Murphy's Law (5/16) TBR
Death of Riley (5/17) TBR
Matched (5/22) TBR
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (5/29) TBR

Still to read:
Bleak House MAMMOTH
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo TBR
A Rather Remarkable Homecoming TBR
The Witching Hour TBR/Hard to Get Into (been trying to read this since 1997, my paperback copy is so torn up from traveling with me on multiple vacations, but I could never get more than 30 pages read)

[Lilac]

Finished my third book. It counts or all three categories :)

- ★★☆☆☆ - 02/06/13
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, 535 pages

I didn't enjoy this at all. Almost every year since I was 11 I've tried to read this, sometimes making it to 150 pages or so, but I could never finish it. This year I finally managed to finish it and it has proved to be much more effort than it was worth. The book was slow and dragging with boring descriptions and unrealistic dialogue. Countless times I found myself re-reading the same line because it was so boring that I wasn't even paying attention. Yes, things picked up a bit after the Council of Elrond, but it still wasn't great. At least now I've read it and will never have to again, though I did intend to read the whole trilogy this year so this might not be the last I read of this author.

[Zara's Corner]

Hi Jessica and Lilac. I have updated your listing. Well done on getting as far as you have.

[Kaitlin]

I'm at 12! I am going to keep going, though...it's nice to clear out my shelves a bit!

1. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - 4/4/2013 - C
2. The Pearl by John Steinbeck - 4/11/2013 - C
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - 4/17/2013 B, C
4. Do the Windows Open? by Julie Hecht - 4/19/2013 A, C
5. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4/20/2013 C
6. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - 4/20/2013 C
7. Seeing by José Saramago- 4/24/2013 A, C
8. What Is the What by Dave Eggers - 4/30/2013 C
9. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - 5/9/2013 C
10. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - 5/12/2013 C
11. The Stand by Stephen King - 5/28/2013 B
12. A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne - 6/1/2013 C

[Zara's Corner]

Kaitlin wrote: "I'm at 12! I am going to keep going, though...it's nice to clear out my shelves a bit!

1. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - 4/4/2013 - C
2. The Pearl by John Steinbeck - 4/11/2013 - C
3..."

Congratulations Kaitlin on achieving your goal. Did you want a certificate for what you've achieved or do you want to wait until the challenge has finished so you can see how many books you ended up getting through?

[Kaitlin]

Zara wrote: "Kaitlin wrote: "I'm at 12! I am going to keep going, though...it's nice to clear out my shelves a bit!

1. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - 4/4/2013 - C
2. The Pearl by John Steinbeck -..."

I'll keep going. Thanks Zara!

[Natalie]

Updated post #17 with my final seven books. I focused on ones that I had meant to read for a while but had not. Thanks for the motivation!

[Lilac]

Another 500+ book read. It was great, I'm so glad I read it. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series when it comes out.
The Lies of Locke Lamora - ★★★★☆ - 08/06/13

[Zara's Corner]

Lilac wrote: "Another 500+ book read. It was great, I'm so glad I read it. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series when it comes out.
The Lies of Locke Lamora - ★★★★☆ - 08/06/13"

Hi Lilac.

I've updated your goal. You've nearly achieved it. Great work and congratulations on where you've got to.

[Megan]

Just finished my fourth book - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I did not expect much from this book and was truly impressed after I figured out how the book was formatted and the concept. I am so glad that I read this as part of a book group - reading others' interactions with the material helped encourage me along. One of the most impressive aspects of the book is how Mitchell was able to write in the style of each time period he was highlighting - that was truly impressive. Definitely worth reading! 4 stars.

4/12

[Zara's Corner]

Megan wrote: "Just finished my fourth book - Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I did not expect much from this book and was truly impressed after I figured out how the book was formatted and the concept. I am so ..."

I've updated your goal Megan. Congratulations for getting this far. After reading your synopsis of Cloud Atlas I'm toying with the idea of grabbing a copy of the book and reading myself. I'm most intrigued by the use of writing in languages of the time. Thanks

[Lilac]

Yay, finished my last book for this challenge: A Clash of Kings. It was really good but soo long. If I found this long (only 873 pages) then how am I going to cope with Les Miserables (1400ish) and A Storm of Swords (1200ish)?

[Zara's Corner]

Lilac wrote: "Yay, finished my last book for this challenge: A Clash of Kings. It was really good but soo long. If I found this long (only 873 pages) then how am I going to cope with Les Miserables (1400ish) and..."

Hi Lilac,

Congratulations on your achievement. If you could PM me your email address I'll email you a certificate as a congratulations for your hard work.

[Nathaly]

April

Quarter 2
ZARA'S INSPIRED SURVIVAL CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2013

1. Hard to get into books - Find books that you have either struggled to begin or finish in the past and turn to them again and resolve to completely finish them this time;
A Game of Thrones

2. Mammoth books - If reading books in excess of 500 pages long would be an enormous challenge for you, then resolve to read such a book for this challenge;
11/22/63 1,000+ pages

3. TBR books - Read books that have either been on your GR TBR shelf the longest or that you've had at home on your bookshelves the longest. Remember, these books still need to provide some form of challenge for you.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Level
Major: 3 books
1/3 completed

[Zara's Corner]

Nathaly wrote: "
April


Quarter 2
ZARA'S INSPIRED SURVIVAL CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2013

1. Hard to get into books - Find books that you have either struggled to begin or finish in the past and t..."

Hi Nathaly. I have updated your goal.

[Nathaly]

Zara wrote: "Nathaly wrote: "
April


Quarter 2
ZARA'S INSPIRED SURVIVAL CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2013

1. Hard to get into books - Find books that you have either struggled to begin or finish i..."

thanks

[Megan]

Just finished my fifth book - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 3.5 stars. I think I was reading this book in the wrong mindset, too much was going on in my real life, at least I hope that was the problem. I found the language superfluous but the story was interesting. 5/12 - I think that's all I'll be able to do for this challenge due to my two-week work conference.

[Kayla]

I'd like to up date my tally

6. Fahrenheit 451 by ray Bradbury this book took me forever to get into.

7. The shack by William p young. This I've had for years on my to be read list as well as on my book shelf. I absolutely loved this book.

7/10 books read. I'm hopin to get at least one more book in before the end.

[Zara's Corner]

Kayla wrote: "I'd like to up date my tally

6. Fahrenheit 451 by ray Bradbury this book took me forever to get into.

7. The shack by William p young. This I've had for years on my to be read list as well as o..."

I've updated your tally Kayla. Well done on your achievement.

[Zara's Corner]

Hello everyone.

I'm really stoked by how many people, not only joined this challenge, but also how many of you finished.

It's now nearing the end of the challenge - it'll be sad to see it end - so if you need your tallies updated just post me a message here and I'll update it for you.

Also if any one has completed this challenge but I've not sent you your certificate yet, can you also post here that that's the case and I'll rectify that oversight ASAP.

Thanks again for participating and enjoy the last few days that you have of reading time.

[Natalie]

Zara wrote: "Hello everyone.

I'm really stoked by how many people, not only joined this challenge, but also how many of you finished.

It's now nearing the end of the challenge - it'll be sad to see it end - s..."

I finished my challenge earlier this month and updated my original post.

[Lindy]

Here are mine:

1. Gardner, Lisa Touch & Go 661
2, Coulter, Catherine Double Take 543
3. Coulter, Catherine Eleventh Hour 560
4. Coulter, Catherine Fire Song 616
5. Coulter, Catherine Point Blank 504
6. Kingsbury, Karen Ever After 537

[Zara's Corner]

Lindy wrote: "Here are mine:

1. Gardner, Lisa Touch & Go 661
2, Coulter, Catherine Double Take 543
3. Coulter, Catherine Eleventh Hour 560
4. Coulter, Ca..."


Hi Lindy,

I've updated your goal. Well done on achieving your goal. You must be a very quick reader.

Can you please PM me your email address to me so that I can email you your certificate? Thanks.

[Kayla]

I'd like to update my tally to 8/10 which is all I'm going to be able to do.
8. Bridget jones diary by Helen fielding
On my book shelf forever

Thanks I loved this challenge

[Zara's Corner]

Kayla wrote: "I'd like to update my tally to 8/10 which is all I'm going to be able to do.
8. Bridget jones diary by Helen fielding
On my book shelf forever

Thanks I loved this challenge"

Hi Kayla,

I've updated your tally.

I'm glad you liked the challenge.

[Kaitlin]

This was a great challenge! Thanks, Zara. Here's my final list:
Completed 17/12+

1. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - 4/4/2013 - C
2. The Pearl by John Steinbeck - 4/11/2013 - C
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - 4/17/2013 B, C
4. Do the Windows Open? by Julie Hecht - 4/19/2013 A, C
5. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4/20/2013 C
6. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards - 4/20/2013 C
7. Seeing by José Saramago- 4/24/2013 A, C
8. What Is the What by Dave Eggers - 4/30/2013 C
9. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - 5/9/2013 C
10. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - 5/12/2013 C
11. The Stand by Stephen King - 5/28/2013 B
12. A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne - 6/1/2013 C
13. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby - 6/5/2013 A, C
14. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood - 6/15/2013 C
15. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood - 6/16/2013 C
16. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - 6/8/2013 A, C
17. The Sweet Hereafter - 6/21/2013 A, C

[Kelsi]

Welp. Failed a little bit, but I did get 8 done, so I received my Masters!

PhD: 12+ books

1.American Gods 538 pages, fulfills #2
2. Dracula fulfills #1, I've tried it before
3.Shanghai Girls fulfills #3
4.In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto fulfills #3
5. The Decameron-only took me 3 months to finish!
6.The Brothers Karamazov Only took 5 months to finish!
7.The Pelican Brief Owned for 2 years
8. A Feast for Crows