Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2014
>
Shay's 2014 countdown challenge
date
newest »
newest »
Shay, I love the way you've set this up! Good luck, and happy reading!
Progress 2/55Book from a genre I NEVER read: World War Z
It was fantastic! I generally steer clear of anything zombie/vampire/alien but this book just might have made me want to explore that territory a bit more. The format as a series of oral accounts obscured a flowing progressive plot, but I think it worked for this novel. I'm curious now to see the movie... What have I gotten myself into?!?
Overall: 4/5 stars, couldn't-put-it-down
Book that I've been meaning to read for years: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
The cover of my copy read "best novel of the decade". Now that's high praise and definitely not how I'd classify this one. It was good and I finished it pretty quickly, but the plot was slow to develop with 'surprises' that were revealed so slowly that I lost interest by the time Kath revealed them. It was a page turner in the sense I kept reading in anticipation of a huge twist. Nonetheless I enjoyed it and it did succeed in making me ponder bioethics and the future we may be creating.
Overall: 3/5 stars, good-not-great
Up next is the goldfinch for the group reads category!
Ps- updating this from my phone so I can't seem to link any books. Ugh!
Progress: 4/55 Book for a group read: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to all of my friends! 5 + stars! It was a daunting 700+ page read, but the quality writing, well developed characters and plot, and shocking twists make it worth every page. I was slightly disappointed by the ending but I think this mostly can be attributed to the fact I wanted more!
Book recommended by friends : Josie's story by Sorrel King
I received this book as a gift from a friend who is also a pediatric nurse. Josie's Story is heartbreaking and tragic yet the way Sorrel has made changes within the medical system to make care safer is inspiring. I felt that her observations of doctors and nurses were spot on. Her identification of the problem was insightful and I've seen programs by her foundation in action where I work. It's a quick but important read, especially for those in the medical field.
Progress: 5/55 (right on track for January, hooray!) Book I've been meaning to read for years: The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
This was a wonderful book that wove the stories of two generations into one. The history of the orphan train and the extensive research she did shone through. I wish this was a required read for high school history classes! Overall 4/5 stars and inspired me to research more about this orphan train generation.
Recommendations to fill the categories are welcome!!
10 books I've been meaning to read for years
9 books on the best of 2013 goodreads list
8 books from various "to read before you die" lists
7 group reads
6 new releases for 2014
5 books recommended by friends
4 non-fiction books
3 books from a series
2 books from genres I NEVER read
1 classic