Kristine's 2016 Reading Challenge

[Kristine]

2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge

1. A book based on a fairy tale
2. A National Book Award winner
3. A YA bestseller
4. A book you haven't read since high school
5. A book set in your home state
6. A book translated to English
7. A romance set in the future
8. A book set in Europe - The little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
9. A book that's under 150 pages
10. A New York Times bestseller
11. A book that's becoming a movie this year
12. A book recommended by someone you just met
13. A self-improvement book
14. A book you can finish in a day
15. A book written by a celebrity
16. A political memoir
17. A book at least 100 years older than you
18. A book that's more than 600 pages
19. A book from Oprah's Book Club
20. A science-fiction novel
21. A book recommended by a family member
22. A graphic novel: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
23. A book that is published in 2016
24. A book with a protagonist that has your occupation
25. A book that takes place during summer
26. A book and its prequel (book)
27. A book and its prequel (prequel)
28. A murder mystery
29. A book written by a comedian
30. A dystopian novel
31. A book with a blue cover
31. A book of poetry
33. The first book you see in a bookstore
34. A classic from the 20th century
35. A book from the library: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
36. An autobiography
37. A book about a road trip
38. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with
39. A satirical book
40. A book that takes place on an island
41. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy

[Kristine]

Read: 1/4/16 *****
So I discovered that Bill Gates makes book recommendations through a blog and that understandably his choices are influential in the publishing market. I looked at site out of curiosity and not some affinity for Bill Gates and found this book. I had seen its odd cover many times in bookstores and never felt the slightest bit of curiosity to even touch it; however, after looking at the dog cartoon Gates posted I was hooked. I love this book. It is the funniest and truest thing I've ever read. The subtitle explains it well enough: "unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened." A huge part of it is dogs and you probably have to be a dog person to get it, but there are also significant sections about the self--self-identity, self-delusion, depression--that are messed up, honest, sad, and funny, all at once. As a seriously flawed human being, I highly recommend this book. Not recommended for those who aren't seriously flawed. [2016 Reading Challenge: graphic novel]

[Kristine]

Read: 1/7/16 *
The book just rubbed me the wrong way. I did not find this book funny or charming, but it thinks it is, with a cantankerous main character and a plot that isn't credible. Most of all I was bothered by the author's casual bigotry and description of a woman being raped and finding it pleasurable. I attribute this to the author and not the characters. It doesn't make me uncomfortable to find characters with these attributes, but the author's apparent lack of perception of the offensiveness does. [2016 Reading Challenge: a book from the library]