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ARCHIVE 2017 > Stephanie R.A.'s 2017 Reading Corner

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message 1: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 11:03AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Goal: 80 books.

2016 Corner.

I have been published in a book: Threads: A NeoVerse Anthology, Volume 1. I am S.A. Rohrbaugh and my story is called "The Magical Worlds of Theodore Erickson: A New Beginning."

2017 Overview

Genre/Type

Biography/Memoir: 5
Other Nonfiction:
Classics: 3
Fantasy: 7
Graphic Novel: 2
Historical Fiction: 6
Horror:
Adventure: 1
General Fiction: 6
Mystery:
Science Fiction: 4
Poetry:
Play: 1

Length

Short (<250 pages): 12
Medium (250-500 pages): 18
Long (501-800 pages): 4
Very Long (>800 pages): 1

Target Audience Age

Middle Grade: 5
Young Adult: 3
Adult: 27

Author Gender

Female: 17
Male: 18

New to Me or Repeat Author?

New to Me: 24
Repeat: 11

Series or Standalone Book?

Series: 16
Standalone: 19

Owned or Borrowed?

Owned Book: 7
Owned eBook: 5
Library: 23

Decade Published

2010's: 12
2000's: 7
1990's: 5
1980's: 2
1970's:
1960's: 2
1950's:
1940's: 3
1930's: 1
1920's:
1910's:
1900's:
Pre-1900's: 3

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 35/151


message 2: by Stephanie (last edited Feb 01, 2017 09:03AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments January 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 12/20

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy Amulet Keepers (TombQuest, #2) by Michael Northrop A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw Chocolat by Joanne Harris Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson The Time Machine by H.G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) by Seanan McGuire Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 5
★★★★☆- 6
★★★★★- 1

Most Favorite - "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
Least Favorite - "Amulet Keepers" by Michael Northup


message 3: by Stephanie (last edited Mar 04, 2017 12:14PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments February 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 3/25

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler Dune by Frank Herbert Locke & Key, Vol. 2 Head Games by Joe Hill

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 1
★★★★☆- 1
★★★★★- 1

Most Favorite: "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler
Least Favorite: "Locke and Key, Vol. 2: Head Games" by Joe Hill


message 4: by Stephanie (last edited Apr 01, 2017 05:20PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments March 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 9/32

Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper Locke & Key, Vol. 3 Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2) by Lois Lowry The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 2
★★★★☆- 4
★★★★★- 3

Most Favorite: "The Lost Wife" by Alyson Richman
Least Favorite: "The Loved One" by Evelyn Waugh


message 5: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 06, 2017 10:18AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments April 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 1/22

Two Lives by Vikram Seth

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 1
★★★★☆- 0
★★★★★- 0


message 6: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 09, 2017 03:54PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments May 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 1/16

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 0
★★★★☆- 1
★★★★★- 0


message 7: by Stephanie (last edited Aug 01, 2017 06:48PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments June 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 3/26

Rites of Passage by William Golding The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 2
★★★★☆- 0
★★★★★- 1

Most Favorite- "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown
Least Favorite- "Rites of Passage" by William Golding


message 8: by Stephanie (last edited Aug 01, 2017 06:46PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments July 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Total Books Read: 2/12

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 1
★★★★☆- 0
★★★★★- 1

Most Favorite- "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey
Least Favorite- "The Gunslinger" by Stephen King


message 9: by Stephanie (last edited Aug 31, 2017 05:00PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments August 2017 Monthly Challenges:

(view spoiler)

Summary

★☆☆☆☆- 0
★★☆☆☆- 0
★★★☆☆- 1
★★★★☆- 4
★★★★★- 0

Most Favorite- "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
Least Favorite- "Serafina and the Black Cloak" by Robert Beatty


Total Books Read: 3/18

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty


message 10: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 10:11AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments September 2017 Monthly Challenges:

SEPTEMBER: BACK TO SCHOOL
Duration: September 1, 2017 to September 30, 2017


It's already September! I hope you all had a great summer and are ready for the next academic year. Good luck!

1) First day of classes: Read a book where someone is starting something new or otherwise involves a new beginning.

Anansi Boys Finished 9/11/2017

2) New notebooks: Read a book that involves writing or publishing in some form (character writing poems or a novel, tips for writers, character writes a letter, etc.).

The Screwtape Letters

3) Mathematics: Read a book with a number in the title.

Life of Pi

4) History: Read a book by an author who was born before 1900.

Wuthering Heights

5) Time for recess! Read a book where characters spend time in the outdoors, have a party, or play games for enjoyment.

One Salt Sea

6) English: Reread a book that you had to study at school.

In Cold Blood

7) Science: Read a book with a green cover.

Crooked

8) Go team! Read a book where there's a sporting event or cheerleading.

Water for Elephants

9) Marching band: Read a book where music or musicians are involved.

Bel Canto

10) Studying: Read a book where one of the characters is in school or is trying to learn a new skill.

The Mirror of Her Dreams Finished 9/21/2017

Total Books Read- 2/10

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson

S- Son of the Shadows
I- The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones
L- The Screwtape Letters
V- The Very First Damned Thing
E- Empire in Black and Gold
R- Roma
W- Water for Elephants
O- Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
O- The Only Problem
D- The Mirror of Her Dreams Finished 9/21/2017

The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson


E- Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story
D- Dragonfly in Amber
U- Uprooted
C- Clockwork Angel
A- Anansi Boys Finished 9/11/2017
T- Under the Tuscan Sun
I- In Cold Blood
O- One Salt Sea
N- The New York Trilogy
S- Still Alice

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Book Club Books

1. Brave New World Finished 2000 (Challenges)
2. The Roanoke Girls (NBRC)
3. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (NBRC)
4. A Murder in Time (NBRC)
5. The Forgotten Daughter (Around the World in 80 Books)
6. A Hand Full of Stars (Around the World in 80 Books)
7. The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris (Around the World in 80 Books)
8. The Professor's House (Boxall's)

Total Books Read: 2/22

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson


message 11: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 26, 2017 04:14PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments October 2017 Monthly Challenges:

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Book Club Books

1. Norse Mythology (Challenges)
2. Dead Witch Walking Finished 2006 (NBRC)
3. A Curious Beginning (NBRC)
4. Wonder Woman: Warbringer (NBRC)
5. What the Body Remembers (Around the World in 80 Books)
6. The Red and the Black (Around the World in 80 Books)
7. Georgian Folk Tales (Around the World in 80 Books)
8. A Man Was Going Down the Road (Around the World in 80 Books)
9.


message 12: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 15, 2017 03:22PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments November 2017 Monthly Challenges:

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message 13: by Stephanie (last edited Jan 07, 2017 10:24AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments December 2017 Monthly Challenges:

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message 14: by Stephanie (last edited Apr 01, 2017 05:21PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 1st Quarter 2017 Challenge:

BOOKS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED LAST YEAR
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2016


First and foremost, congratulations to everyone for participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge! Whether you completed your challenge for 2016 or didn't quite make it, as any lover of books, we are sure most of you have a pile of TBR books you would have loved to have squeezed in.

For this 2017 1st Quarter Challenge, we are offering you a chance to catch up on some of those books. Did you not quite finish the PopSugar Challenge? Did you want to read a few more books for the Listopia Challenge? How about the Every Year Challenge? Were you able to read that book that was written when you were 5? Here is a way to start this year's challenge while finishing up some of last year's.

Just choose the number of books you would have liked to have read (that will be the number of books for this challenge), and take advantage of this time to catch up!

1. Tony Abbott's The Sleeping Giant of Goll
2. Kate Atkinson's A God in Ruins Finished 1/26/2017
3. Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy
4. Tash Aw's Map of the Invisible World Finished 1/16/2017
5. Elizabeth Bowen's A World of Love
6. Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower Finished 2/5/2017
7. John Connolly's Bad Men
8. Dante's The Divine Comedy
9. Stephen R. Donaldson's The Mirror of Her Dreams
10. Rosario Ferre's The House on the Lagoon
11. Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl Finished 3/10/2017
12. Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique
13. Edward Gibbon's The Christians and the Fall of Rome
14. Rachel Howzell Hall's A Quiet Storm
15. Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time
16. Terry Hayes's The Year of the Locust
17. Seymour M. Hersh's The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House
18. Joe Hill's Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games Finished 2/15/2017
19. Joe Hill's Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows Finished 3/4/2017
20. Eowyn Ivey's Last Days in Hunting Camp
21. Tove Jansson's Fair Play
22. Barbara Kingslover's The Poisonwood Bible
23. Nik Krasno's Rise of an Oligarch
24. Harriet Lane's Her
25. Jeanne Marie Laska's Concussion
26. Lois Lowry's The Giver Finished 3/18/2017
27. Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue Finished 3/20/2017
28. Gregory Maguire's A Lion Among Men
29. Seanan McGuire's Late Eclipses Finished 1/30/2017
30. Seanan McGuire's One Salt Sea
31. Seanan McGuire's Ashes of Honor
32. Seanan McGuire's Chimes at Midnight
33. Seanan McGuire's The Winter Long
34. Seanan McGuire's A Red-Rose Chain
35. David Mitchell's Earth calling Tylor
36. Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind
37. Iris Murdoch's A Severed Head
38. V.S. Naipul's Literary Occasions: Essays
39. Naomi Novik's Uprooted
40. Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club
41. Julia Powell's Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living Finished 1/20/2017
42. Trent Reedy's Words in the Dust Finished 1/6/2017
43. Ruth Rendell's The Crocodile Bird
44. Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea
45. Alyson's Richman's The Lost Wife Finished 3/31/2017
46. J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
47. Steven Saylor's Roma
48. Muriel Spark's The Only Problem
49. Robert Louis Stevenson's The Suicide Club
50. Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth
51. Sabaa Tahir's A Torch Against the Night Finished 1/12/2017
52. Seth Vikram's Two Lives
53. Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle
54. Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One Finished 3/25/2017
55. H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau Finished 1/28/2017
56. H.G. Wells's The Time Machine Finished 1/27/2017
57. Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie

Total Books Read: 17/57

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson The Time Machine by H.G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) by Seanan McGuire Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler Locke & Key, Vol. 2 Head Games by Joe Hill Locke & Key, Vol. 3 Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2) by Lois Lowry The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman


message 15: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 22, 2017 08:24PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 2nd Quarter 2017 Challenge:

CLEAR ALL YOUR BOOKSHELVES CHALLENGE
DURATION: APRIL 1, 2017 to JUNE 30, 2017


This challenge is a way to clean out all of bookshelves: your physical, your electric, and your audible ones! The books you read for this challenge are books you that are already in your possession. Whatever you do for this challenge, you are not allowed to read a book obtained after April 1, 2017.

Here are some ideas on how to choose your books:

1. Read a book that you borrowed from a friend and want to return when finished.

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness

2. Read a book that you have had for two+ years and haven't started.

3. Read a book you have started, set aside for awhile, and now want to finish.

4. Read a book that you own that will help towards a yearly challenge.

Two Lives by Vikram Seth Rites of Passage by William Golding The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown

5. Read a book from your shelf then donate it to your local Little Free Library, church, shelters, Goodwill, etc.

List the number of:

Physical Books: 5
Ebooks:
Audible Books:

Total Books Read: 5


message 16: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 10:27AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 3rd Quarter 2017 Challenges:

TRIATHLON CHALLENGE
Duration: July 1, 2017 to September 30, 2017


We are trying something new for the 3rd Quarter. Due to the popularity of the Marathon Challenge, we are going to extend it to a Triathlon Challenge! That’s right! Three months of speeding through the books!

For July, you will dive in and take a swim around all those books that have been piling up on your bookshelf, sitting in your e-reader, or waiting at the library for you check out! Wherever those books are waiting for you to read, stretch your muscles, grab your goggles and jump in because July is the month to get your feet wet!

For August, you will really start to speed up as you jump on your bike to start this long summer or winter month (depending on where you live). This may be the month that you finally reach for that 1000 page novel that will take some time to cycle through, or maybe you might want take on a new series that will make great sounds in your spokes. It’s your choice, so grab your reading helmet and a book!

For September, you will finish off with the classic marathon. Still have a nice long Penguin Classic waiting to be read or still want to reach for that pile of graphic novels? Whatever you do, just give yourself over to reading because this month you are going all out! So grab those running shoes and throw them to the side because you are staying home and spending September in the books!

For this challenge, we want you to pick the number of books or pages you want to read in the 3rd Quarter, and list them below. The goal is to read as much as you can in these three months because that is what a Triathlon is, a race! Just think, you have already done all the training, now all you have to do is try!

Ready, Set, Read!

1. The Gunslinger
2. The Snow Child
3. Wide Sargasso Sea
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Serafina and the Black Cloak
6. Anansi Boys
7. The Mirror of Her Dreams

Total Read: 7/25

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson

WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Duration July 1, 2017 to September 30, 2017


Nowadays there are so many things to see do, it’s so hard to fit it all in, but for this challenge, we are going to squeeze as many of the Wonders of the World as possible in the 3rd Quarter:

1. Travel to the only remaining wonder of the ancient world, the Pyramids at Giza by reading a book that takes place in Egypt or the ancient world.

2. Take a walk along the Great Wall of China by reading a book that takes place in China or where someone takes are really long walk.

The Gunslinger Finished 7/9/2017

3. Get lost roaming around the ruins in Petra by reading a book that takes place in the Middle East or where the characters do a lot of moving around.

4. Imagine yourself viewing a show from the great Colosseum in Rome by reading a book that takes place in Italy or about a great battle or warrior.

5. Be dazzled by the mythological statues of Chichen Itza by reading a book that takes place in Mexico/Central America or about mythological creatures.

Serafina and the Black Cloak Finished 8/22/2017

6. Take in the sun as you climb the mountains to visit the palace of MachuPicchu by reading a book about Peru/South America or about an emperor.

7. Stand under the white marble domes of the Taj Mahal by read a book that takes place in India or about a suffering a great loss.

8. Be amazed at the global engineering that went into the design of Christ the Redeemer by reading a book that takes place in Brazil or about a scientific achievement.

9. Explore The Acropolis of Athens for the Parthenon by reading a book that takes place in Greece or about the gods.

Anansi Boys Finished 9/11/2017

10. Revel in the Moorish architecture of the Alhambra by reading a book that takes place in Spain/Northern Africa or about multiple periods of history.

11. Take your time exploring the largest temple in the world at ANgkor Wat by reading a book about Cambodia/far east Asia or about colonialism.

12. Fall in love with the lights of the Eiffel Tower by reading a book that takes place in France or that took place during the industrial revolution.

13. Choose which faith to follow as you enter the halls of the Hagia Sophia by reading a book that takes place in Turkey/Persia or about religion.

14. Search for the waterfall located inside the Buddhist temple of Kiyomizu-dera by reading a book that takes place in Japan or about a great love story.

The Mirror of Her Dreams Finished 9/21/2017

15. Travel out to Eastern Island to see the statues of the Moai by reading a book that takes place on an Island or about someone with a big head.

Gone with the Wind Finished 8/16/2017

16. Basque in the luxury of the Neuschwanstein Castle by reading a book that takes place in Germany or a book inspired by a fairy tale.

The Snow Child Finished 7/13/2017

17. View many of Moscow’s important historical sights in the Red Square by reading a book that takes place in Russia or about life under communism.

18. Say hello to the welcoming lady of the Statue of Liberty by reading a book that takes place in the U.S.A or about immigration.

19. Ponder who placed all those giant rocks in Stonehenge by reading a book that takes place in England/United Kingdom or about the outer space.

20. Travel down under to enjoy the many performances of the Sydney Opera House by reading a book that takes place in Australia or about performing in a show.

21. Remember that sometimes wonders due cease by visiting the remains of Timbuktu by reading a that takes place in Western Africa or about a character on a decline.

Wide Sargasso Sea Finished 8/1/2017

This is a large list created from https://new7wonders.com/

Have fun! Go travel, select the number of books you would like to read, and send us a postcard along the way (We mean an update of course!).

Total Read: 7/21

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson


message 17: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 4th Quarter Challenge:


message 18: by Stephanie (last edited Aug 16, 2017 08:53PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #1:

POPSUGAR 2017 READING CHALLENGE
Duration January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017


This year, Popsugar is back with its Reading Challenge for 2017. We know that a lot of our members had fun with last year's challenge, so we decided to bring it back this year.

The goal is to check off all of the 40 tasks in a year, but if that's too much, feel free to set a smaller goal. If it's not enough, Popsugar has added 12 extra tasks this year for the "hardcore" reader!

Feel free to adjust tasks as you see fit for your country or language.

1. A book recommended by a librarian - Cat's Cradle
2. A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long - Gone with the Wind Finished 8/16/2017
3. A book of letters - The Screwtape Letters
4. An audiobook - N/A - just don't like them
5. A book by a person of color - Parable of the Sower Finished 2/5/2017
6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title -The Winter Long
7. A book that is a story within a story - The Blind Assassin
8. A book with multiple authors -Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
9. An espionage thriller - A Corner of White
10. A book with a cat on the cover - The Master and Margarita
11. A book with an author who uses a pseudonym - The Time Machine Finished 1/27/2016
12. A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read - Fight Club
13. A book by or about a person who has a disability - Still Alice
14. A book involving travel - To the Ends of the Earth: Rites of Passage Finished 6/11/2017
15. A book with a subtitle - The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House
16. A book that's published in 2017 - The Winds of Winter?
17. A book involving a mythical creature -Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile -
19. A book about food - Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living Finished 1/20/2017
20. A book with career advice - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
21. A book from a nonhuman perspective - Planet of the Apes
22. A steampunk novel - Clockwork Angel
23. A book with a red spine - City on Fire
24. A book set in the wilderness - The Snow Child Finished 7/13/2017
25. A book you loved as a child -
26. A book by an author from a country you've never visited - A Face Like Glass
27. A book with a title that's a character's name - Leah
28. A novel set during wartime - The Lost Wife Finished 3/31/2017
29. A book with an unreliable narrator - Lolita
30. A book with pictures - The Sleeping Giant of Goll
31. A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you - Words in the Dust Finished 1/6/2017
32. A book about an interesting woman - The Queen of Whale Cay: The Eccentric Story of 'Joe' Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water
33. A book set in two different time periods - Doomsday Book
34. A book with a month or day of the week in the title - Light in August
35. A book set in a hotel - Ocean Sea
36. A book written by someone you admire - In Cold Blood
37. A book that's becoming a movie in 2017 - The Gunslinger Finished 7/9/2017
38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas - Dark Harvest
39. The first book in a series you haven't read before - The Very First Damned Thing
40. A book you bought on a trip -

Advanced
41. A book recommended by an author you love -
42. A bestseller from 2016 - A Torch Against the Night Finished 1/12/2017
43. A book with a family-member term in the title -
44. A book that takes place over a character's life span -
45. A book about an immigrant or refugee -
46. A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of -
47. A book with an eccentric character -
48. A book that's more than 800 pages -
49. A book you got from a used book sale -
50. A book that's been mentioned in another book -
51. A book about a difficult topic -
52. A book based on mythology - Amulet Keepers- Finished 1/10/2017

Total Books Read: 11/37

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy Amulet Keepers (TombQuest, #2) by Michael Northrop A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman Rites of Passage by William Golding The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


message 19: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 10:33AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #2:

BOOK RIOT'S READ HARDER CHALLENGE 2017
Duration: January 1st - December 31st 2017


We have brought back the Book Riot Challenge again for 2017! The link to the challenge is here, but we have also copied down all the tasks below. The goal is to do all 24 tasks, but if that's a stretch for you, please feel free to set your own goal.

1. Read a book about sports - Concussion
2. Read a debut novel- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
3. Read a book about books - The Angel's Game
4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author - Inés of My Soul Finished 1/31/2017
5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative - Lolita
6. Read an all-ages comic -
7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950 - Gone with the Wind Finished 8/16/2017
8. Read a travel memoir - Under the Tuscan Sun
9. Read a book you’ve read before - The Diary of a Young Girl Finished 3/10/2017
10. Read a book that is within 100 miles of your location - The Losers (Spokane, WA)
11. Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location - Chocolat (France) Finished 1/17/2017
12. Read a fantasy novel - The Mirror of Her Dreams Finished 9/21/2017
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology - What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry
14. Read a book about war - We Remember the Holocaust
15. Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+ - If I Was Your Girl
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country - In Cold Blood
17. Read a classic by an author of color - Parable of the Sower Finished 2/5/2017
18. Read a superhero comic with a female lead.
19. Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey - Life of Pi
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
21. Read a book published by a micropress
22. Read a collection of stories by a woman
23. Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love - Inferno
24. Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color

Total Books Read: 6/19

Chocolat by Joanne Harris Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson


message 20: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 22, 2017 08:25PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #3:

THE TBR RANDOMISER CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1st - December 31st 2017


Brought back for another year because we know that sometimes it can be tough to choose what to read next.
Let Goodreads decide for you!

Step 1: Select the number of books you want to read for this challenge.
Step 2: Go to the “My Books” tab on the top of the Goodreads Page.
Step 3: Bring up your “To-Read” shelf.
Step 4: On the bottom of the page in the middle, go to the “sort” field and select “Random.”
Step 5: Goodreads will generate a random list of books for you.

1. Mistress Shakespeare Finished 3/3/2017
2. The Queen of Whale Cay: The Eccentric Story of 'Joe' Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water
3. Folly and Glory (#4 The Barry Bender Narration)
4. Slow Motion Riot
5. Well-Schooled in Murder (#3 Inspector Lynley)
6. To the Ends of the Earth: Rites of Passage Finished 6/11/2017
7. Curses! Foiled Again (#2 Foiled)
8. Black Wings and Blind Angels
9. Sappho's Leap
10. In Cold Blood
11. Notes of a Dirty Old Man
12. Light in August
13. Alanna: The First Adventure
14. A Face Like Glass
15. A Tangle of Gold (#3 The Colors of Madeleine)
16. Hello From the Gillespies
17. The Assassin's Curse
18. The Lottery and Other Stories
19. We Remember the Holocaust
20. Red Rising Finished 6/22/2017
21. Leah
22. City on Fire
23. Empire in Black and Gold
24. The Breadwinner
25. The Great St Mary's Day Out (#7.5 of The Chronicles of St. Mary's)

Total Read: 3/25

Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper Rites of Passage by William Golding Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown


message 21: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 18, 2017 12:17PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #4:

COLOR CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017


1. Read a book with "White" or any shade of white in the cover (ivory, cream, bone, etc...).

Parable of the Sower - Finished 2/5/2017

2. Read a book with "Pink" or any shade of pink in the cover (rose, magenta, salmon, etc...).

3. Read a book with "Red" or any shade of red in the cover (maroon, brick, scarlet, etc...).

A God in Ruins Finished 1/26/2017

4. Read a book with "Orange" or any shade of orange in the cover (apricot, ginger, carrot, etc...).

Words in the Dust Finished 1/6/2017

5. Read a book with "Yellow" or any shade of yellow in the cover (blond, chartreuse, canary, etc...).

6. Read a book with "Green" or any shade of green in the cover (sage, lime, jade, etc...).

7. Read a book with "Light Blue" or any shade of light blue in the cover (teal, sky, cerulean, etc...).

A Torch Against the Night Finished 1/12/2017

8. Read a book with "Dark Blue" or any shade of dark blue in the cover (indigo, denim, navy, etc...).

The Time Machine Finished 1/27/2017

9. Read a book with "Purple" or any shade of purple in the cover (lavender, plum, orchid, etc...).

The Lost Wife Finished 3/31/2017

10. Read a book with "Brown" or any shade of brown in the cover (tan, mahogany, coffee, etc...).

Two Lives Finished 4/30/2017

11. Read a book with "Black" or any shade of black in the cover (grey, slate, coal, etc...).

Gathering Blue Finished 3/20/2017

12. Read a book with a Metallic color in the cover (gold, silver, bronze, etc...).

The Eagle of the Ninth Finished 6/17/2017

13. Read a book with at least 5 colors on the cover.

Mistress Shakespeare Finished 3/3/2017

14. Read a book with a color in the title of the book.

15. Read a book with a word describing colors in the title (rainbow, stripes, polka dots, ect...).

Total Books Read: 10/15

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2) by Lois Lowry The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman Two Lives by Vikram Seth The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff


message 22: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 06, 2017 10:42AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #5:

THE DEWEY DECIMAL CHALLENGE (non-fiction)
Duration: January 1, 2017 – December 1, 2017


The Dewey Decimal System is the way libraries organize their non-fiction books. It was created in 1876 by Melvil Dewey and has been changed much throughout the years.
The goal of this challenge is to read as many books with different (general) Dewey decimal classes as possible. For the purpose of this challenge, we’ll split the Dewey Decimal System into 100s, for a total of 10 larger categories. More in depth information on classes of the Dewey Decimal System can be found here: List of Dewey Decimal Classes.

If you're unsure which category a book falls into, you can use this website or ask.

Categories:

000-099: Computer Science, Bibliographies, Library Sciences, Encyclopedias & Books of Facts, Associations, Organizations & Museums, News Media, Journalism & Publishing, General Collections, Manuscripts & Rare Books

100-199: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Parapsychology & Occultism, Philosophical Schools of Thought, Psychology, Logic, Ethics, Ancient, Medieval & Eastern Philosophy, Modern Western Philosophy

200-299: Religion, Natural Theology, Bible, Christian Theology, Christian Moral & Devotional Theology, Christian Orders & Local Church, Christian Social Theology, Christian Church History, Christian Denominations & Sects, Other & Comparative Religions

300-399: Social Sciences, Sociology, General Statistics, Political Science, Economics, Law, Public Administration, Social Services, Education, Commerce, Customs, Etiquette, Folklore

400-499: Language, Linguistics, English & Old English, German, Romance Languages, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italic, Latin, Hellenic, Classical Greek, Other

500-599: Sciences, Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Paleontology, Life Sciences, Plants, Zoological Sciences

600-699: Technology (Applied Sciences), Medical Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, Home Economics & Family Living, Management, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing, Buildings

700-799: Arts, Civic and Landscape Art, Architecture, Plastic Arts and Sculpture, Drawing & Decorative Arts, Painting, Graphic Arts, Photography, Music, Recreational & Performing Arts

800-899: Literature, American Literature, English & Old English Literature, German Literature, Literatures of Romance Languages, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italic, Latin, Hellenic, Classical Greek

900-999: History, Geography/Travel, Ancient History, General History of Europe, General History of Asia, Far East, Africa, North America, South America, Other

Two Lives Finished 4/30/2017

Rules:
1. Choose how many categories you are going for. You can choose as many or as few as you like!
2. State which categories you are going for in your first post (optional).
3. Only non-fiction books will count for this challenge. If you have questions about this, please ask.
4. When you complete the challenge post your entire list of books so we can all congratulate you.

Total Books Read: 1


message 23: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 10:35AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #6:

LET'S TURN PAGES CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 – December 31, 2016


Back for another year, Let's Turn Pages! We are always making goals about how many books we want to read in a year. How about we make a goal for number of pages we want to read?

1. Make a goal of number of pages you would like to read.
2. Read as many pages as you can in one year.
3. Since you probably don’t know what you want to read for the entire year, make your list as you go. (Be sure to post the number of pages in your book!)

If your edition doesn't have page numbers (such as an audiobook), use the most popular edition of the book (that's not an audiobook) to determine what the number of pages should be. Rereads will count for this challenge, but you have to read the entire book…no skimming!

Have fun with this challenge--let's turn a bunch of pages this year!

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy 247 pages Amulet Keepers (TombQuest, #2) by Michael Northrop 192 pages A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir 452 pages Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw 343 pages
Chocolat by Joanne Harris 306 pages Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell 307 pages A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson 468 pages The Time Machine by H.G. Wells 118 pages
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells 153 pages The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 306 pages Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) by Seanan McGuire 372 pages Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende 321 pages
Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler 345 pages Dune (Dune Chronicles #1) by Frank Herbert 535 pages Locke & Key, Vol. 2 Head Games by Joe Hill 160 pages Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper 370 pages
Locke & Key, Vol. 3 Crown of Shadows (Locke & Key, #3) by Joe Hill 120 pages The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 341 pages 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup 240 pages The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry 180 pages
Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2) by Lois Lowry 240 pages The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams 104 pages The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh 162 pages The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman 352 pages
Two Lives by Vikram Seth 544 pages Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness 584 pages Rites of Passage by William Golding 288 pages The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff 218 pages
Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown 400 pages The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King 231 pages The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 386 pages Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 172 pages
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 959 pages Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty 293 pages Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman 336 pages The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson 622 pages

Total Pages Read: 11,677/30,000


message 24: by Stephanie (last edited Aug 22, 2017 05:20PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #7:

MY FAVORITE THINGS
Duration January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017


Thank you Ariel for the fantastic idea!

For this challenge, you will fill in the blanks with your favorite things and find "new to you" books that match each category. You can either find a book that has the same same words in the title, is about the same subject, has a picture of your favorite thing on the cover, is written by the same author, or is the next in a series. The choice is yours as long as you have never read the book before!

Here are your categories...

1. My favorite fiction book is: ____A Brave New World____

Map of the Invisible World Finished 1/16/2017

2. My favorite non-fiction is: ____The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt____

Lily of the Nile

3. My favorite author is: ____George R. R. Martin____

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

4. My favorite genre is: ____Fantasy/Sci-Fi____

The Gunslinger Finished 7/9/2017

5. My favorite fairy/folk tale is: ____The Little Mermaid____

Leah

6. My favorite male book character is: ____Samwise Gamgee from "Lord of the Rings"____

The Winds of Winter (Has Samwell Tarly in it)

7. My favorite female book character is: _____Sorcha from "Daughter of the Forest"____

Son of the Shadows (Second in her series)

8. My favorite song is: ____"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd_____

Light in August

9. My favorite movie is: ____The Wizard of Oz____

A Lion Among Men

10. My favorite television show is: ____Doctor Who____

All Our Yesterdays

11. My favorite color is: ____Candy Apple Red____

Red Rising Finished 6/22/2017

12. My favorite real animal is: ____Elephant____

Water for Elephants

13. My favorite talking animal is: ____Falcor the Luck Dragon____

Watership Down

14. My favorite number is: ____3_____

Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows Finished 3/4/2017

15. My favorite food is: ____Beef Roulade with Bavarian Red Cabbage and Spaetzle____

The Diary of a Young Girl Finished 3/10/2017

16. My favorite real place to visit is: ____Disneyland!____

Serafina and the Black Cloak Finished 8/22/2017

17. My favorite book land to visit is: ____Westeros____

The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones

18. My favorite month is: ____October____

Dark Harvest

19. My favorite quote is: ____"The way I see it, life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa the bad things don't always spoil the good things and make them unimportant."- The Doctor____

Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story (the episode of Doctor Who that had this quote had to do with Vincent Van Gogh)

20. My favorite non-book hobby is: ____Writing____

The Angel's Game (main character is writer)

Examples:
1. My favorite book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
You could read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 because it is another book in the series.

7. My favorite female book character is Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre.
You could read The Eyre Affair it is a book that includes Jane Eyre as a character.

13. My favorite talking animal is: Charlotte from Charlotte's Web.
You could read The Girl in the Spider's Web because both books have "web" in the title.

17. My favorite book land to visit is outer space.
You could read Ender's Game because the book takes place in outer space.

Total Books Read: 6/20

Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw Locke & Key, Vol. 3 Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) by Stephen King Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty


message 25: by Stephanie (last edited Aug 22, 2017 05:23PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #8:

USA Road Trip 2017
Duration: January 1 - Deceomber 31, 2017


I like the idea of traveling through books. So, I will keep track of the books that I read and where they take me in the United States. Obviously, I hope to hit all 50 and if I can squeeze in some provinces I will.

New York

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living- Finished 1/20/2017

Georgia

The Underground Railroad

California

Late Eclipses- San Francisco
Parable of the Sower- Los Angeles Area

Louisiana

12 Years a Slave- Bayou Beuf

Alaska

The Snow Child

Georgia

Gone with the Wind- Atlanta, the County

North Carolina

Serafina and the Black Cloak- Asheville

Total Books Read: 7/50

Julie and Julia 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) by Seanan McGuire Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty


message 26: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 11, 2017 03:47PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #9:

Around the World
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2017


This is the space where I will keep track where I travel outside of the United States. I try to organize it by continent, then country and if I can add cities, etc I will. It's the next best thing to using a passport :)

The Caribbean

Jamaica

1. Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Saint Andrew

1. Anansi Boys

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Central America

South America

Peru

1. Chile- Inés of My Soul

Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende

Europe

England

1. London- Amulet Keepers, The Time Machine
2. Fox Corner, Worplesdon, Surrey, England- A God in Ruins
3. Warwickshire, England- Mistress Shakespeare
4. London, England- Shadow of Night
5. England during tribal times- The Eagle of the Ninth

Amulet Keepers (TombQuest, #2) by Michael Northrop A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

France

1. Lansquenet sous Tannes (Not Real) - Chocolat

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Italy

1. Monte Cassino- Two Lives

Two Lives by Vikram Seth

Netherlands

1. Amsterdam- The Diary of a Young Girl

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Czech Republic

1. Prague- The Lost Wife

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

Middle East

Afgahanistan

1. An Daral- Words in the Dust

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

Africa

Asia

Indonesia

1. Perdo and Jakarta- Map of the Invisible World

Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw

Australia

Total Books Read: 15

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy Amulet Keepers (TombQuest, #2) by Michael Northrop Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw Chocolat by Joanne Harris A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman Two Lives by Vikram Seth Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman


message 27: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 10:37AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge 2017 #10

Language of the Flowers
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2017


In Victorian times, certain flowers had specific meanings because the flower selection was limited and people used more symbols and gestures to communicate than words. But today, with so many flower choices, there are no rules - it's the sentiment that gives the gift its meaning.

1. Alstroemeria- Read a Book in which the main focus is friendship.

The Sleeping Giant of Goll

2. Amaryllis- Read a Book about unrequited love.

Gone with the Wind Finished 8/16/2017

3. Anthurium- Read a Book that is guaranteed to bring you Happiness.

A Torch Against the Night Finished 1/12/2017

4. Apple Blossom- Read a Book that is guaranteed to Lift Your Spirits.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

5. Azalea- Read a book in which the Main Character is away from home.

Uprooted

6. Aster Read a Fantasy Book.

The Dark Tower

7. Baby's Breath- Read a book about Everlasting/Eternal Love

Mistress Shakespeare Finished 3/3/2017

8. Bachelor Button- Read a book where the character's love is not returned.

Persuasion

9. The Begonia- Read a book with Individuality.

Sappho's Leap

10. Bird of Paradise- Read a book about Royalty.

Lily of the Nile

11. Bluebells- Read a book about Faeries.

Late Eclipses Finished 1/30/2017

12. Camillia- Read a book in which the Main Character Desires Something.

Light in August

13. Carnation- Read a Book with a Beautiful Cover.

The Angel's Game

14. Chrysanthemum- Read a book about One-Sided Love.

Wuthering Heights

15. Cosmos are often used to illustrate one's deepest feelings of love. Read a Romance Book

The Lost Wife Finished 3/31/2017

16. Crocus- Read a Middle Grade or Young Adult Book-

Serafina and the Black Cloak Finished 8/22/2017

17. Daffodil Read a book in which the Character Forgives someone.

Les Misérables

18. Daisy Read a Book about True Love.

Water for Elephants

19. Delphinium Read a Humour/Comedy Book

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

20. Freesia- Read a book in which the character is very thoughtful or Trusting.

The Mirror of Her Dreams Finished 9/21/2017

21. Forget-Me-Not- Read a book that Deals with Remembrance or remembering.

We Remember the Holocaust

22. Gardenia- Read a book in which the Main Character is Loyal.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

23. Geranium- Read a book with an Intelligent Character

Dune Finished 2/14/2017

24. Gladiolus- Read a book with a Strong Main Character.

Gathering Blue Finished 2/20/2017

25. Heather flowers- Read a book with an Independent Character

The Assassin's Curse

26. Hibiscus flowers- Read a book with a Female Main Character

Clockwork Angel

27. The Holly- Read a book about Witchcraft

Shadow of Night Finished 5/24/2017

28. Hyacinths- Read a book about sports.

Concussion

29. Hydrangea- Read a book in Which a Character is Wealthy.

Empire in Black and Gold

30. Iris symbolizes eloquence- Read an Eloquent Book.

The Poisonwood Bible

31. Ivy- Read a book in which the Main Character is Immortal

Shadow and Bone

32. Jasmine- Read a book in which a Character is Modest.

The Losers

33. Lavender- Read an Adventure Book

To the Ends of the Earth: Rites of Passage Finished 6/11/2017

34. Lilac- Read a book about First Love.

Beautiful Creatures

35. Lily- Read a book in which a Character is shy.

Words in the Dust Finished 1/6/2017

36. Marigold- Read a book with a Vibrant Cover.

City on Fire

37. Oleander- Read a book that involves Poison in some way.

Grave Mercy

38. Orchid- Read a book in which the character shows kindness.

Hello From the Gillespies

39. Peonies- Read a Book in which the Character is Bashful or Timid.

40. Protea- Read a Book with Diversity.

Parable of the Sower Finished 2/5/2017

41. Poppy- Read a book about Death or in which a Character Dies.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

42. Sunflower- Read a book in which a Character is Haughty.

Slow Motion Riot

43. Tulip- Read a book in which a character Declares their love for someone.

The Master and Margarita

Total Books Read: 13/43

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2) by Sabaa Tahir Late Eclipses (October Daye, #4) by Seanan McGuire Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler Dune by Frank Herbert Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2) by Lois Lowry The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness Rites of Passage by William Golding Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1) by Robert Beatty The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, #1) by Stephen R. Donaldson


message 28: by Stephanie (last edited Jun 22, 2017 08:29PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Yearly Challenge #11 2017

The Sorting Hat
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2017


Okay, so I didn't quite finish this one last year, but it is too cool, so I have to try it again. Although, if I take on many more yearly challenges I am going to run into the same problems I did last year. Oh well, here goes nothing:

What would happen if you put on the sorting hat?

The Sorting Process...
1. Pick you favorite house and its rival (or all the houses for the hard level).
2. Read a book that fits each characteristic (8 books in total for the easy level; 16 for difficult)
3. Keep track of all your star ratings for each book (be sure to include them each time you update this challenge)
4. At the end of the challenge calculate the overall average rating for each house based on the books you have read.
5. The house with the highest average rating is the house that you belong in!

Levels
Easy - Choose your favorite house and its rival. Read 8 books.
Hard - Choose all four houses and read 16 books.

Rivals are...
Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw

Gryffindor
➲ Gryffindor's emblematic animal is the lion: Read a book about a lion (or a shape shifter who turns into a lion).
➲ Gryffindor's emblematic colors are scarlet and gold: Read a book that has a predominately scarlet or gold cover.
➲ "Nearly Headless Nick" is the house ghost of Gryffindor: Read a book featuring ghosts or read a book in which someone was decapitated or beheaded. Yikes!
➲ Members of Gryffindor are described as courageous, chivalrous, and brave to the point of recklessness (sometimes) : Read a book in which the protagonist portrays one of these qualities consistently throughout the book.

Slytherin
➲ Slytherin's emblematic animal is the snake: Read a book which features a snake on the cover or in the story.
➲ Slytherin's emblematic colors are green and silver: Read a book that has a predominately green or silver cover.
➲ The Bloody Baron is the house ghost of Slytherin: Read a book in which a suicide or murder takes place. You can also read a book where the protagonist loves someone who does not love them back.
➲ Members of Slytherin are described as cunning and shrewd: Read a book in which the protagonist portrays one of these qualities consistently throughout the book. Or read a book in which the protagonist irked you.

Hufflepuff
➲ Helga Hufflepuff, the founder of Hufflepuff, was a witch during medieval times: Read a book that is set in a medieval time period (between 5th to the 15th century)
➲ Hufflepuff's emblematic colors are yellow and black: Read a book that has a predominately yellow or black cover.
➲ Fat Friar, the house ghost of Hufflepuff, dedicated his life to religion: Read a book about someone who is extremely religious.
➲ Members of Hufflepuff are described as hard working, patient, and loyal: Read a book in which the protagonist portrays one of these qualities consistently throughout the book.

Ravenclaw
➲ Ravenclaw's emblematic animal is the eagle: Read a book which features an eagle on the cover or in the story. You can also read a book about someone who can shape shift into a bird of any type.
➲ Ravenclaw's emblematic colors are blue and bronze: Read a book that has a predominately blue or bronze cover.
➲ Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw, was Scottish: Read a book that takes place in Scotland.
➲ Members of Ravenclaw are described as intelligent, witty, and wise: Read a book in which the protagonist is scholarly, bookish, all knowing, etc...

My Books

Gryffindor

1. A Lion Among Men
2. Red Rising ★★★★★
3. Lair of Dreams
4. The Assassin's Curse

Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) by Pierce Brown


Slytherin

1. The Jungle Book
2. Crooked
3. Dark Harvest
4. The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House


Hufflepuff

1. Mistress Shakespeare ★★★★☆
2. Light in August
3. Words in the Dust ★★★★☆
4. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper


Ravenclaw

1. The Eagle of the Ninth★★★☆☆
2. Shadow of Night★★★★☆
3. Dragonfly in Amber
4. Dune ★★★★☆

Dune by Frank Herbert Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff


Total Books Read: 6/16

My Hogwart's House

?


message 29: by Stephanie (last edited Sep 22, 2017 10:40AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Summer 2016 Olympics Challenge
Around the World in 80 Books
August 5, 2016- February 8, 2018


In honor of the Summer Olympics being held this year in Rio de Janeiro, we will begin a Summer Olympics reading challenge.

At the time of this posting there are 194 countries that have qualified at least one athlete. That is more than twice that of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Genre: Any

There will be three chances to "medal":

Gold Medal - Read a book set in or written by an author from each of the countries participating in the 2016 Olympics
Silver Medal - Read a book set in or written by an author from each country that wins a medal in the 2016 Olympics (i.e. 26 countries medaled in 2010)
Bronze Medal - Read a book set in or written by an author from each country that wins a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics (i.e. 19 countries won gold in 2010)

Here are the countries participating in the 2016 Winter Olympics as of July 13, 2016 (This is still subject to change):

Afghanistan

➲Khaled Hosseini- Kabul

Albania
Algeria (S)
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina (G)(S)
Armenia (G)(S)
Aruba
Australia (G)(S)(B)
Austria (B)
Azerbaijan (G)(S)(B)
Bahamas (G)(B)
Bahrain (G)(S)
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus (G)(S)(B)
Belgium (G)(S)(B)
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil (G)(S)(B)
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria (S)(B)
Burkina Faso
Burundi (S)
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada (G)(S)(B)

➲Robert Beatty- Hamilton

Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China (G)(S)(B)
Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) (G)(B)
Colombia (G)(S)(B)
Congo
Congo DR
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (G)(S)(B)
Cuba (G)(S)(B)
Cyprus
Czech Republic (G)(S)(B)
Denmark (G)(S)(B)
Djibouti
Dominica

➲ Jean Rhys- Roseau

Dominican Republic (B)
Ecuador
Egypt (B)
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia (B)
Ethiopia (G)(S)(B)
Fiji (G)
Finland (B)
France (G)(S)(B)
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia (G)(S)(B)
Germany (G)(S)(B)
Ghana
Great Britain (G)(S)(B)

➲ Neil Gaiman
➲ Ian McEwan
➲Joanne Harris-Barnsley, Yorkshire
➲Kate Atkinson- York
➲H.G. Wells- Bromley
➲William Golding- New Quay, Cornwall
➲Rosemary Sutcliff- East Clandon, Surrey

Greece (G)(S)(B)
Grenada (S)
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary (G)(S)(B)
Iceland
Independent Olympic Athletes (G)
India (S)(B)
➲ Vikram Seth- Kolkata

Indonesia (G)(S)
➲ Tash Aw

Iran (G)(S)(B)
Iraq
Ireland (S)
Israel (B)
Italy (G)(S)(B)
Ivory Coast (G)(B)
Jamaica (G)(S)(B)
Japan (G)(S)(B)
Jordan (G)
Kazakhstan (G)(S)(B)
Kenya (G)(S)(B)
Kiribati
Kosovo (G)
Kyrgyzstan (B)
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania (S)(B)
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia (S)(B)
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico (S)(B)
Micronesia
Moldova (B)
Monaco
Mongolia (S)(B)
Montenegro
Morocco (B)
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands (G)(S)(B)
➲ Anne Frank- Amsterdam

New Zealand (G)(S)(B)
Nicaragua
Niger (S)
Nigeria
North Korea (G)(S)(B)
Norway (B)
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
➲Isabel Allende- Lima

Philippines (S)
Poland (G)(S)(B)
Portugal (B)
Puerto Rico (G)
Qatar (S)
Romania (G)(S)(B)
Russia (G)(S)(B)
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia (G)(S)(B)
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore (G)
Slovakia (G)(S)
Slovenia (G)(S)(B)
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa (G)(S)(B)
South Korea (G)(S)(B)
South Sudan
Spain (G)(S)(B)
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden (G)(S)(B)
Switzerland (G)(S)(B)
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand (G)(S)(B)
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago (B)
Tunisia (B)
Turkey (G)(S)(B)
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine (G)(S)(B)
United Arab Emirates (B)
US Virgin Islands
USA (G)(S)(B)
➲Michael Crichton- Illinois
➲Jeffrey Eugenides- Michigan
➲Kathryn Harrison, Seanan McGuire, Octavia E. Butler - California
➲Melanie Benjamin - Indiana
➲Mitch Albom - New Jersey
➲Joe Hill, Stephen King - Maine
➲Brom, Margaret Mitchell - Georgia
➲Dave Eggers- Massachusetts
➲Felicia Day- Alabama
➲Patton Oswalt- Virginia
➲Michael Northrup- Conneticut
➲ Colson Whitehead, Alyson Richman- New York
➲ Frank Herbert- Washington State
➲ Karen Harper, Stephen R. Donaldson- Ohio
➲ Lois Lowry- Hawaii
➲ Tennessee Williams- Mississippi
➲ Deborah Harkness- Pennsylvania
➲ Pierce Brown- Colorado
➲ Eowyn Ivey- Alaska

Uruguay
Uzbekistan (G)(S)(B)
Vanuatu
Venezuela (S)(B)
Vietnam (G)(S)
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Unknown

➲Marissa Burt-

There is also a Refugee Olympic Team with 10 members. For this team, you can read a book about a refugee from any country.

(Note: I am basing this on where the authors are from and not where the book is set)

Total Countries: 9/202


message 30: by Stephanie (last edited Jan 07, 2017 09:24AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 1. Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
247 pages, ★★★★☆

This was a lovely story- very appropriate for middle grade on. I did not expect to be as taken with it as I was. However, the main character Zulaikha is incredibly likeable and her story is as heart-breaking as it is heart-warming.

Zulaikha has a hole in her top lip and it has impacted her life for the worse for all except her own family. Strangers think she is bad luck or worse. Extended family pity her. She bears this all incredibly well even if her frustration and anger boil over at times. In some ways, this is a story about understanding how looks don't matter as much as she thought. In other ways, it is about understanding that there is more to life than just doing house chores and waiting on the men in her family. Really great stuff.

I would highly recommend this for a late elementary school student/junior high student just beginning to have an understanding of the world outside of the West. It really helps you identify with a culture that would otherwise be foreign. Very well done.

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Applicable Challenges: The Popsugar Challenge, The Color Challenge (Orange), Let's Turn Pages, Around the World, Language of the Flowers, The Sorting Hat, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Myths From Around the World, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 31: by Stephanie (last edited Jan 11, 2017 08:39AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 2. Amulet Keepers by Michael Northrup
192 pages, ★★★☆☆

I didn't like this one as much as the first book in the series, but it was still good. The stakes are definitely raised and I enjoyed that very much. However, Alex is almost insufferable in this one. The level of ego he develops is incredibly annoying and as a result he puts a lot of people in danger.

I really enjoy how these books incorporate Egyptian mythology and artifacts into the story. There are a lot of standard tropes: Ren-the bookish girl who just wants to help, Alex- the boy who has been held back for a lot of his life but now has an opportunity to do something important, Luke- the athlete who doesn't really care about much else but turns out to be a good person anyway...you get the picture. Obviously, there could be more character development, but it is for 5th graders, so I think I will let it slide. I find these books enjoyable, particularly for middle grade.

If you have kids that are interested in history or art, these books come highly recommended. They are pretty well researched and very entertaining. There are parts where I literally laugh out loud, and I barely do that for books. Obviously, the adventure aspect is there too. Worth reading for the younger ones, for sure.

Genre: Middle Grade Adventure
Applicable Challenges: The Popsugar Challenge, Let's Turn Pages, Marathon and MYTHS


message 32: by Stephanie (last edited Jan 12, 2017 01:58PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 3. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
452 pages, ★★★★☆

I have been looking forward to this book since I read the first book and I was not disappointed. This one picks up right where the last one left off and at least 3/4 of the book leaves you breathless at the amount of danger the main characters are in. I had a very hard time putting it down.

That said, some of it was very predictable. I am SO OVER love triangles in YA books and this one was particularly disappointing. However, the love triangle is a less important aspect of the book as I feel like it is played out pretty quickly. I have to say that I have issues with how Elias gets out of his predicament, too. It feels incredibly convenient, and although I would have been devastated for all involved if the terrible thing had happened, it would have felt less like cheating if he actually couldn't get around it. I suspected something like how it turned out as soon as I knew it was happening to him and when it did, I was forced to roll my eyes a little.

However, I am really enjoying the infiltration of magical creatures as the story progresses. Jinn, efrits and the like aren't creatures you usually read about in these kinds of books, and I really appreciate the unusual approach to the magic. Also, this book makes it pretty clear the historical influences on the book, which is pretty cool to read.

The depiction of the Empire versus the Rebellion is pretty awesome. There are people you like on both sides. There are more evil characters on the side of the Empire, but people in the Rebellion aren't necessarily depicted as being purely good. The Nightbringer isn't even depicted as purely bad, which is very nice. Lots of shades of gray to enjoy.

This book has a better ending than the last- the last ending felt more like a new beginning because the stakes were so high. This ending leaves you with threads to tie up in future books, but it doesn't leave you feeling gypped of a real ending.

So, if you liked "An Ember in the Ashes" this book is definitely worth reading. If this book sounds interesting, read the first one first or you will be completely lost for quite some time.

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Applicable Challenges: The Popsugar Challenge, The Color Challenge, Let's Turn Pages, Language of the Flowers, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Myths From Around the World, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 33: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments So apparently, I need to start reading MUCH quicker. I found a calculator that tells you how long it will take you to read all the books in your TBR pile and if I add 0 books to that list, it will take me another 82 years and 10 months to finish what I have already put on there at the rate I read last year, lol. I will be 114, just two days past my birthday. Here is the link, in case you want to check your own reading destiny:

TBR Calculator

FYI, if I read 150 books a year, that takes my age down to 77 only a day after my birthday. Guess I better get going, because Lord knows I will add books to that list. Still laughing...


message 34: by Nik (last edited Jan 14, 2017 11:36AM) (new)

Nik (bleepnik) | 852 comments omg, that's hilarious. I also have to read much more quickly!

Reading all 2383 books will take:
113 years and 5 months
You will finish your TBR pile on:
July 8, 2130
And you will be:
153


[image error]


message 35: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments Nik wrote: "omg, that's hilarious. I also have to read much more quickly!

Reading all 2383 books will take:
113 years and 5 months
You will finish your TBR pile on:
July 8, 2130
And you will be:
153

" />"


Bahahaha. You beat me. I didn't think that was possible, lol. 153? You should be able to make that, right? Cyborgs will exist in 2130... :)


message 36: by Nik (new)

Nik (bleepnik) | 852 comments Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "Bahahaha. You beat me. I didn't think that was possible, lol. 153? You should be able to make that, right? Cyborgs will exist in 2130... :) "

That depends on when elective cyborg procedures become a thing. If I'm already a doddering old man, I'm not sure how helpful it would be; but if I'm still relatively fit, bring it on! :D But I may be out of luck, anyway, because it's not like I'm not going to add any more books to that shelf.

Hrm. I might need to start prioritising. Good thing we have these challenges. :D


message 37: by Stephanie (last edited Jan 16, 2017 08:08PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 4. Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw
343 pages, ★★★☆☆

This book starts off in an incredibly confusing way, but Adam is such a lovely character that I wanted to know what happened to him. In that way, it is quite effective- there are many bits that rattle and confuse the reader, but most of that is forgivable because Adam is so readable. His character is the most developed and he is the character that you root for during the entire story. His and Karl's relationship is great and complicated, as it should be.

Other characters are not as effective. I grew to really like Margaret, but it took a LONG time. And I have to wonder what the point was of introducing Johan's perspective at all. Furthermore, Din and his revolutionary cause, while certainly adding color to the political feeling of the time, felt out of place. More than that, the resolution for his character is horrible.

I feel like I need to try to summarize the plot, as the description used by the publisher didn't tell me anything. It is the book of two orphans, split apart. The older is adopted by a Malaysian white family (Johan) and the younger is adopted by Dutch Indonesian man (Adam, adoptive father Karl). Karl is taken from Adam at the beginning of the story and Adam goes to find him.

That is the essence of this story. The political backdrop feels wholly unnecessary to me, although I am sure it is accurate to the times the author is writing about. However, every time the story strays into Margaret's backstory or the political happenings in Indonesia it detracts from the story.

So, I have incredibly mixed feelings. I feel like it deserves to be read, but it also feels like three books trying to be one, and that is frustrating as a reader. I fought between two stars and three stars on this one. If you could give half star ratings I might have given it 2.5. So, three stars it is, because I always bump up and not down.

Genre: Fiction
Applicable Challenges: Summer 2016 Olympics Challenge, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Let's Turn Pages, My Favorite Things Challenge, Around the World, Myths From Around the World, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 38: by Stephanie (last edited Feb 01, 2017 09:04AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 5. Chocolat by Joanne Harris
306 pages, ★★★★☆

What a book. This book was imminently readable and incredibly enjoyable. It fell apart towards the end for me, but 95% of this book is pretty incredible.

This is the story of Vianne and Anouk Rocher, who blow into a tiny town in France called Lansquennet-sous-Tannes after going from place to place their whole lives. I am almost certain this town doesn't actually exist, but may be based off of one. They arrive just in time for Lent and decide to stay and run chocolate shop. This causes no end of anguish for Father Francis Reynaud who is convinced that Vianne is his enemy and determined to lead the whole entire town to sin. To her, he is the Black Man and she recognizes him as her enemy, although for the most part they are quite civil to each other.

Their relationship causes quite a bit of tension in the story, but more interesting to me were the lives of the towns people: Josephine- the abused woman made strong again, Muscat- the abuser turned coward, Armande- the old woman who faces her mortality with a full appreciation for life. These are the people that make the story worthwhile. I cannot say enough about their personal journeys and how they impact both Vianne and Anouk.

The only part I have a little bit of an issue with is the end. I have no issue with the big party or the result (aside from the weird one night stand). However, to have Reynaud run into hiding because he succumbs to the chocolate store to retreat in embarrassment feels rushed and not quite right. He clearly has underlying issues that are never dealt with. Furthermore, Vianne still has disquiet inside herself that is never dealt with. It just feels incomplete, and yet it is over. That is very frustrating to me.

However, the story itself is great. There is almost no romantic storyline, one of the few books I have read with a female protagonist where there is none. I highly recommend this book. Good stuff.

Genre: Fiction
Applicable Challenges: Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, Let's Turn Pages, Around the World, Myths From Around the World, Marathon and MYTHS


message 39: by Stephanie (last edited Jan 21, 2017 08:11PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 6. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell
307 pages, ★★★★☆

This book made me laugh SO HARD, and books rarely ever make me laugh aloud, and certainly not to the point of tears while I make "the entire couch shake" (according to my daughter). I fully expected tales of French cooking, but what I didn't expect was such a great sense of humor. And it isn't just in some parts- it is on every single page.

I am going to be really annoying and nitpick at some of the language she used- and I'm not even a Republican (you'll get that joke if you read the book). There is a lot of cursing in this book. It might be the only reason I gave it four stars as opposed to five. Everything else about this book is pretty great.

Julie is incredibly honest about her life and the people in it. Her inner turmoil over her "syndrome" ultimately leads to the Julie and Julia project and I love all the ups and downs. I love that she created her own inner Julia to help her through the difficult times. I love that she admits that she almost gave up. I love everything about the cooking- serial killing lobsters and calf hoof gelees included. There is so much to love.

Even though this is a book that, on the surface, is about cooking- in reality, it is so much more than that. It is about personal insecurities in an otherwise strong woman. It is about being okay with yourself, even if you don't fall into a societal box or have your life planned out for you. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in what it means to be a modern day woman and looking for a laugh while exploring it.

Genre: Memoir
Applicable Challenges: The Popsugar Challenge, Let's Turn Pages, USA Road Trip, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 40: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 7. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
468 pages, ★★★☆☆

This book is a real slow starter. It was okay for the first 200 pages or so, but as soon as Teddy's War Experiences kick in, it gets very interesting very quickly. It jumps between perspectives quite a bit: Teddy himself, Viola his daughter, Nancy his wife, Sunny and Bertie his grandchildren, but none of those perspectives get terribly interesting until after Teddy's recollections of the war happens.

Over the course of the book I really did begin to care about this family and their generational journey. As someone who writes, I felt a little cheated by the ending. (view spoiler) Teddy is a great character, and I am not going to lie, I was almost angry at that final reveal.

However, that being said, there was clearly a lot of research that went into this book. This book really reminded me of the war vets I know now and the way they behave, which was great. Viola was annoying as all get out- selfish as the day is long. Nancy, Sunny and Bertie were great, and very heart-wrenching when it comes down to it.

I will definitely be reading the companion book at some point, though. Maybe your reaction to this one will be different if you had read the other, I don't know. So, I would recommend this book, but prepare to be irate when you are finished with it.

Genre: Fiction
Applicable Challenges: Colors Challenge (Red), Let's Turn Pages, Around the World, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 41: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 8. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
118 pages, ★★★★☆

I have meant to read this book since I was in sixth grade and I just never did. Boy, am I regretting waiting as long as I did. This book was about as interesting as any book I have ever read. Once I got over the old-fashioned language usage I was sucked in. And it is nothing like any movie I have ever seen made based off of it. Wholly unexpected and exciting to read.

I really loved how nothing was really answered, but the Time Traveler simply guesses why things are the way they are. Obviously, there are some huge statements about capitalism versus socialism and what progress might actually mean for society. It's good stuff, and a short read that leaves your mind thinking about everything.

I particularly recommend this story if you have an affinity for Jules Verne. I suddenly have a desire to go back and read my Jules Verne books now. Good stuff.

Genre: Sci-Fi Classic
Applicable Challenges: Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, The Popsugar Challenge, The Color Challenge (Dark Blue), Let's Turn Pages, Around the World, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 42: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 9. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
153 pages, ★★★★☆

It took me a little bit to get into this one, but once I was in I was hooked. Again, the language is only a small barrier to enjoying this story. If you push through, you will be rewarded.

I have to admit that the horrors on this island are entirely unexpected. I suppose I expected a man hunts man scenario, and that wasn't what was revealed at all. Nonetheless, the story raises a lot of important questions about science and morality. Much like Jurassic Park, it seems to ask, even if we CAN do a thing scientifically, SHOULD we?

I have to say, I particularly appreciated the ending. Pendrick isn't immediately cured once he is back in civilization. The island and his memories of it haunt him. It made it all the more real for me. Good stuff.

Genre: Sci-Fi Classic
Applicable Challenges: Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Let's Turn Pages, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 43: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 10. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
306 pages, ★★★★★

"The great war had always been between the white and the black. It always would be."

Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad" hits you like a fist to your gut and that sickening feeling travels all the way up to your heart by the end of the book. I read this book compulsively from front to back. Slavery was horrific, but I don't know that I really understood those horrors on an emotional level until I read this book.

I have read about the Underground Railroad before. I've heard the stories, but I don't think I really appreciated how much daring it actually took to even attempt, let alone succeed. Obviously, the historical Underground Railroad wasn't an actual train, as it is here, but it certainly didn't take away from the suspense and fear elicited from nearly being caught.

Cora is as strong a character as you can have. She is emotionally stunted due to the her mother's abandonment and the treatment the slaves receive. Despite that, she is nearly unbreakable. Her heart pounds when danger chases her, but she never gives in. She never stops being her. Towards the end she even finds a little bit of happiness- before it is all snatched away from her. Yet, she soldiers on.

There is no happy ending- no great reunions, because that's not what a runaway slave's life was like. Every time Cora believed she might be safe, a slave catcher would find her. Until emancipation and post-civil war times, I have to imagine they always felt hunted. So the ending was perfect for the story told, and it is an important story.

Every American adult needs to read this book. It has so many themes that carry forward to today and the race-relations we now experience. Because the "great war" quoted above, still hasn't come to its conclusion, and I fear it won't for a very long time.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Applicable Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, USA Road Trip, Myths From Around the World and Marathon


message 44: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 11. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
372 pages, ★★★★☆

Another really riveting addition to the October Daye series. There were several moments where I found myself literally holding my breath and had to tell myself to breathe.

Some VERY interesting things happen in this one- not one to skip. I could do less with the love triangle thing going on (I advocate for a Tybalt/Toby relationship over all others), but as for the personal revelations to Toby, I really can't get enough.

Probably the best part of this book was that it built on a lot of things that had happened in previous books. It takes Toby's initial fish incident and adds to it. Karen's dreaming ability isn't all of a sudden ignored. And, perhaps best of all, we get some insight into Amandine.
Lat
So, if you like faeries and other dark fantasy creatures, detective stories with a lot of character development this is a good series to pick up. Fun reading. Just start with the first book.

Genre: Fantasy
Applicable Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, USA Road Trip, Language of the Flowers, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Marathon and MIDNIGHT


message 45: by Stephanie (last edited Feb 01, 2017 08:58AM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 12. Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende
321 pages, ★★★☆☆

I was really looking forward to reading this, but I have to admit it was a little disappointing. It is clear that Isabel Allende did a ton of research for this book, however, more often than not it comes across as a history lesson more than the story of someone's life told from their perspective.

On top of that, there are huge meandering sections that feel superfluous and ruin the flow of the story being told. I think part of that is the format, making it more of journal entries to Isabel than an actual book. When you write journals, there are meandering sections, but if you are creating a journal then maybe it is best to leave them out because it is incredibly distracting. My eyes would just glaze over.

That said, Ines is a very strong, likeable character. I enjoyed learning about her life as I had never really heard anything about her before. I hadn't even heard of her husband. The depiction of her relationship with the Inca was probably my favorite part, because she clearly respected them even if she didn't always like them or understand their beliefs.

Actually, the general depiction of the Native American peoples in this book is pretty on point. I sympathized with them WAY more than I sympathized with the Spanish Conquistadors. And it is heartbreaking to read about their decimation and subjugation, which Ines has sympathy for. So, character complexity is definitely there- because Ines certainly feels that Christianity should be spread, but she also doesn't follow its dictates as well as she might be expected to.

Fascinating stuff- worth reading if you can get past the wandering bits.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Applicable Challenges: 2016 Olympics, Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, Let's Turn Pages, Around the World, Myths From Around the World, Marathon and MYTHS


message 46: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 13. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
345 pages, ★★★★★

I didn't know what to expect when I read this book, but I was completely and utterly blown away buy it. Octavia E. Butler speaks to my soul.

This is the story of Lauren, a preacher's daughter, whose world is falling apart around her. The book begins in 2024 and doesn't feel too far off if things keep going the way they are going. Lauren has lost her faith in the God her father believes in, but she has created her own belief system: God is change.

I would quote things, but it is literally not possible for me to pick a favorite. It is all incredibly well spoken. The truths are there, pure and perhaps over-simplified, but very powerful to read. The idea that change is inevitable and that you can either shape the change or let it destroy you is just magnificent and so true it hurts. Whether change is God or not, I think that can be debated, but its power on the world cannot.

Read this book ASAP. There are lessons to be applied to what is going on right now concerning humanity's own short sightedness. Do it now! Seriously. Go.

Genre: Science Fiction
Applicable Challenges: Popsugar Reading Challenge, Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, Color Challenge (White), Let's Turn Pages, Language of the Flowers Challenge, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Spanning the Globe, 50 Shades of Grey and LOVEBIRDS


message 47: by Stephanie (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 14. Dune by Frank Herbert
535 pages, ★★★★☆


If I am honest this is probably closer to a 3.5 star book. The first 100-150 pages are interesting enough but don't hold your attention the way I expect them too. Nonetheless, if you stick it out, this book does not disappoint, so I erred on the side of higher stars.

If you are interested in history, religion or philosophy this is a good one. There are clear parallels to moments in our history, but I won't go into too much detail lest there be spoilers. The religious parallels were probably the most interesting to me- down to character names. I would love to talk to someone who has read this and has a better understanding of Islam because I feel like I missed something. There are also a lot of mantras to live by that are enjoyable.

The world creation is some of the best I have seen in a sci-fi book, especially an older one. I am coming at this without having seen any of the movies, so it may be different if you have. I love that the spice is both an enhancement for life even as it dooms you to certain death if you are separated from it- I think it is pretty obvious that it parallels money and power in real life. Paul is a great character. His entire family is well-drawn. I found the antagonists to be slightly less well established. You got the sense that the writer just didn't care about them as much and therefore it was somewhat easy to predict how things would end.

So, this is one worth reading. I will probably find my way around to reading the rest of the series at some point.

Genre: Sci-Fi
Applicable Challenges: 50 Shades of Grey, EARTH, Let's Turn Pages, Language of the Flowers and The Sorting Hat


message 48: by Stephanie (last edited Feb 16, 2017 12:14PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 15. Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games by Joe Hill
160 pages, ★★★☆☆

To be honest, I liked the first book better than this one. This was sufficiently creepy, but it just didn't have the same impact as the beginning did. I can't decide exactly why- part of it is that I don't think they revealed enough from the first book to make as big of an impact and part of it was the weird factor.

The head opening thing was just too weird for me maybe. Incredibly disturbing, but almost too fantastical. Or maybe it just wasn't done in the right way. Something. Anyway, it is still a series worth reading, so three stars it is.

Genre: Horror Graphic Novel
Applicable Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Books You Might Have Missed Last Year, Spanning the Globe, 50 Shades of Grey and LOVEBIRDS


message 50: by Stephanie (last edited Mar 04, 2017 12:31PM) (new)

Stephanie  | 976 comments 16. Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper
370 pages, ★★★★☆

If you enjoy Shakespeare, Elizabethan times and strong female characters you are going to go nuts for this book. It was a little slow at the start, but by the end I was riveted.

I think the book does a good job at imagining questions that have been around about Shakespeare for a long time. Anne Whateley is immediately likeable and I really enjoyed that she was finally incorporated into Shakespeare's life in a way that made her more than just a different name for his commonly known wife, Anne Hathaway. Her existence certainly explains a lot of themes explored in Shakespeare's plays and the dark haired woman he often writes about in his sonnets.

Just as interesting to me was the exploration of Shakespeare's feeling toward Queen Elizabeth and then King James. The Catholicism/Protestant debate plays a much larger role in the story than I ever would have expected. The result is a lot of tension. It is very well done.

So, I highly recommend this book. It talks about familiar figures in a new way. Worth your time.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Applicable Challenges: The TBR Randomizer Challenge, The Color Challenge, Let's Turn Pages, Around the World, Language of the Flowers (Baby's Breath), The Sorting Hat, The Title IX Challenge and EMERALD


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