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Reading Challenges
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2014 Summer Reading Challenge
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Hey we're a month in and you all have been very quiet. Actually, maybe I was a little too excited and made the assignment too hard? I'll tell you what -- why don't you just read one book outside your usual comfort zone genre? And then tell us about it? I read a book of short stories called "Just One More Thing" by BJ Novak recently that was outside of what I usually go for and it was fantastic. What about you?
I actually don't think this is too difficult of a challenge. One book read each month of summer would do it! I've checked one genre off this list so far: Western. I read "Sin Killer" by Larry McMurtry, which is the first of four Berrybender Narratives novels. I really enjoyed it because it wasn't a typical Western, more a satirical take on the genre. I plan to read the rest of the books in the series now.
I just finished The hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank and really enjoyed it I had not read her before
Mallory wrote: "I actually don't think this is too difficult of a challenge. One book read each month of summer would do it! I've checked one genre off this list so far: Western. I read "Sin Killer" by Larry McMur..."Hehe thanks, Mallory! And it is fun to try something different. I embarrassed to say I don't think I've ever read a western. I'll have to give McMurtry a try. ;)
Ok folks help me out here. I'm going to attempt Sci Fi. Was thinking of reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi, since I believe it is the first in a series. What do you think? I'm usually a mystery reader, so I think it may be something different.
Debbie wrote: "Ok folks help me out here. I'm going to attempt Sci Fi. Was thinking of reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi, since I believe it is the first in a series. What do you think? I'm usually a mystery ..."That's on my "to read" list too. I have one friend who read it who only reads Sci-Fi who told me how much he liked it (hence the reason it is on my list!). I say go for it! :)
I recently finished Orson Scott Card's Enchanted. I thought it was not his most amazing book, but a pleasant spin on "historical" fiction. The plot is predictable and there's always a happy ending, but I enjoyed the read. The dialogue is trite in spots, but I love how he mixes fantasy tales with history to create a new story.
I think I met the challenge. I read, for fantasy, "Discovery of Witches" and really liked it. As a historical/literary, I read "Longbourne" by Jo Baker, which I really loved. It's Pride and Prejudice from the servants' view. And for Romance, I just finished Leila Meacham's "Somerset". I read her "Roses", a few years ago, and wasn't impressed, but I liked this one.
My husband has read the Scalzi's books and liked them.I am a big fan of Connie Willis. She wrote a two volume set on time travelers from Oxford visiting various aspects of WWII in England and getting stuck there. The books were Blackout and All Clear. I highly recommend her work.
Pat
I discovered a mystery author recently and am now hoping to read more of his books: Michele Guittari. Signor Guittari is one of the top Italian mystery writers with his books translated into many languages, including English. I read "A Death in Tuscany" and recommend it to other mystery fans out there.
Lana wrote: "I recently finished Orson Scott Card's Enchanted. I thought it was not his most amazing book, but a pleasant spin on "historical" fiction. The plot is predictable and there's always a happy endin..."I finally read Ender's Game -- actually listened to the very awesome 20th anniversary edition audiobook on Carroll County Library shelves right now ;) -- and could see why it makes all of the top of Sci-Fi lists especially when you remember that it came long before the Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the YA book boom. I haven't picked up any others by him yet -- any recommendations?
Rachel wrote: "I think I met the challenge. I read, for fantasy, "Discovery of Witches" and really liked it. As a historical/literary, I read "Longbourne" by Jo Baker, which I really loved. It's Pride and Prejudi..."Great job, Rachel!
I've now checked off fantasy as well. I listened to "Book of a Thousand Days" by Shannon Hale and highly recommend the Full Cast Audio production. It's a terrific love story that transports you completely to another world.
I haven't posted cause I'm still working on reading all three! So far I have read a Sci fi and a fantasy. I am a huge fantasy reader so I was very excited to read city of heavenly fire by Cassandra Clare to finish the series and it did not disappoint my emotions were up n down n all over. The book even had me talking out loud to it! I loved it. Then I read champion by Marie lu for the scifi genre and it was ok. It took me a while to read it and sometimes was hard to get into and I am still unsure with how I feel about the ending it's in between devastating or happy! Ugh anyway I'm trying to finish up the challenge now by reading a mystery called death money by Henry Chang. I saw it on the new releases rack at the library and thought I would give it a shot. I'm only about 50 pages in n so far I just can't get into it at all I find it boring but in going to stick it out n hope it picks up. It's so not like my fantasy books which are action action action...
Wow....I finished Old Man's War! I have to admit, reading SciFi stimulates a whole new section of my brain!! Now on to the Western. I had chosen Flintlock by William Johnstone.
Good job, guys! I started reading "Hatchet" by Paulsen, a YA classic that I've always wanted to try. Survival fiction -- plane crash, bears, etc. -- I'm really enjoying this departure from the usual. :)
Mallory wrote: "I've now checked off fantasy as well. I listened to "Book of a Thousand Days" by Shannon Hale and highly recommend the Full Cast Audio production. It's a terrific love story that transports you com..."I'm an audiobook addict, Mallory! Thanks for the recommendation and the update. :)
Beth wrote: "I haven't posted cause I'm still working on reading all three! So far I have read a Sci fi and a fantasy. I am a huge fantasy reader so I was very excited to read city of heavenly fire by Cassandr..."I'm so glad that you guys are giving the challenge a go! I haven't read a whole lot of Fantasy but that Cassandra Clare trilogy sounds great. I'll have to add it to my "To Read" list. Sorry the mystery isn't going so well. I give a book 50 pages to grab me and if it doesn't, I move on. Life's too short to waste time reading something you don't enjoy! ;)
Debbie wrote: "Wow....I finished Old Man's War! I have to admit, reading SciFi stimulates a whole new section of my brain!! Now on to the Western. I had chosen Flintlock by William Johnstone."
Great job, Debbie! Good luck with the western. Johnstone is one of the more popular western authors at the library so I feel sure that you'll enjoy the experience. :)
I actually stuck it out and am happy I did the book seems to be picking up now. I think I just needed to open up my mind more to it.
Beth wrote: "I actually stuck it out and am happy I did the book seems to be picking up now. I think I just needed to open up my mind more to it."Awesome, Beth! Glad you didn't listen to me! :P
I've finished Flintlock, my Western. Multitude of characters, including Geronimo, Apache Indians, Mexican bandits. Lots of 'shoot 'em ups' and a bit of folklore on the side. Now...onto the romance pick - The Collector by Nora Roberts!
I am reading "The Martian" by Andy Weir and am absolutely riveted! I have to force myself to put it down late at night. Mark Watney is injured during a dust storm on Mars and the rest of his crew, thinking he has died, have to leave. It is an amazing tale of Mark using all of his intelligence and ingenuity to survive. Think of it as a science fiction version of Robinson Crusoe.
Currently listening to Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor a young adult fantasy and the third book of the Smoke and Bone trilogy. Something I highly recommend you read! I read a lot of young adult science fiction especially that of the dystopian genre, read Delerium earlier this week and really enjoyed it!
An excellent Historical Fiction book is Code Name Verity.
Happy reading everyone!
Debbie wrote: "I've finished Flintlock, my Western. Multitude of characters, including Geronimo, Apache Indians, Mexican bandits. Lots of 'shoot 'em ups' and a bit of folklore on the side. Now...onto the roman..."Great job! Sometimes I think of westerns as romance novels for men. :D What do you think?
Michele wrote: "I am reading "The Martian" by Andy Weir and am absolutely riveted! I have to force myself to put it down late at night. Mark Watney is injured during a dust storm on Mars and the rest of his crew, ..."This is one I've been meaning to read too! I've been hoping that we will get the audio book at the library since that's the way I "read" most of my books. ;)
Rachel wrote: "Currently listening to Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor a young adult fantasy and the third book of the Smoke and Bone trilogy. Something I highly recommend you read! I read a lot of y..."
Have you ever read "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeiffer? It's YA and along the lines of dystopia/speculative fiction but also survival fiction.
I'll add Code Name Verity to my to-read list if it is not there already! And happy reading to you too! :)
Code Name Verity and its sequel, Rose Under Fire might be my favorite reads of the summer! So good, enjoy! I have not read Life as We Knew It, but I definitely have heard of the author, I'll check it out! Thanks for the recommendation.
Rachel wrote: "Code Name Verity and its sequel, Rose Under Fire might be my favorite reads of the summer! So good, enjoy! I have not read Life as We Knew It, but I definitely have heard of the author, I'll chec..."
I would also recommend the "Life As We Knew It" series. Have not read the last one yet!
I've got my reading challenge books covered, but I thought I'd try something different for the fall. Is/has anyone reading or read historical fiction? Would Alexander McCall Smith be a good start for me?
Debbie wrote: "I've got my reading challenge books covered, but I thought I'd try something different for the fall. Is/has anyone reading or read historical fiction? Would Alexander McCall Smith be a good start..."I haven't read any McCall Smith, but hist. fic. is my favorite genre. I really, really liked Elswyth Thane and her Williamsburg series. You would probably need to get most of them through ILL/Marina, but definitely worth it!
Just finished the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth. I liked them a lot. Then again, I liked the Giver by Lois Lowry. Who has read them and wants to discuss? I don't want to be the bearer of a spoiler alert.
Katie wrote: "Just finished the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth. I liked them a lot. Then again, I liked the Giver by Lois Lowry. Who has read them and wants to discuss? I don't want to be the bearer of a ..."Hey Katie! I've read The Giver but not the Divergent series -- although they are on my "to read" list. I was hoping to read them before the Divergent movie came out but that shipped has sailed. I got to meet Lois Lowry at the American Library Association Conference earlier this month which was a thrill. :)
Arlene wrote: "Our focus for this summer's reading challenge is "Literary Elements". Your challenge is to read a total of 3 books from the following categories with each book coming from a different category.• ..."
I HAVE FINISHED!!! I read Champion by Maris Lu for my Science Fiction, City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare for my Fantasy, and Death Money by Henry Chang for a Mystery. The Mystery was out of my element 100% and hard to read at first but by the end of the book I hhhhaaaaadddd to know who did it! It finished with action that grabbed the reader. I can't say that mystery will be my favorite genre but I am now going to browse that section for a good one once in a while. Fantasy has to be my favorite genre. I felt the novel kept you on your toes the whole time! It was my favorite out of all three of these. As for Champion I am still torn between the ending and whether I am happy with it or not. It is one of those bittersweet endings that lets your mind image what it wants for how the story ended. I am happy that I did this challenge this year. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to do before the deadline.
Well, I have completed the challenge ! I actually thought the Science Fiction book 'Old Man's War' was exciting. The Western 'Flintlock', I have to admit was a bit different. I managed to finish this but Found out Western's are not exactly my cup of tea. The romance selection - 'The Collector 'read at a fast pace and was full of suspense as well. I had a great time with my reading challenges and I probably wouldn't have attempted these if not for the 2014 Summer Reading challenge. Thanks for nudging me along!
Mallory wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Code Name Verity and its sequel, Rose Under Fire might be my favorite reads of the summer! So good, enjoy! I have not read Life as We Knew It, but I definitely have heard of the au..."
I wasn't so crazy about the last book in the series, TBH. I'd love to hear what you think of it if you ever get around to it.
Mallory wrote: "Debbie wrote: "I've got my reading challenge books covered, but I thought I'd try something different for the fall. Is/has anyone reading or read historical fiction? Would Alexander McCall Smith ..."I enjoy Sharon Kay Penman's historical fiction best. She researches her novels (usually about the Plantagenets) so well that the characters just spring to life. Sometimes I read her books and think something is too amazing to be true but then I find out that it is. I love it when that happens with historical fiction.
I'm not a big Alexander McCall Smith fan myself but I only read the first book in the Irregular Portuguese Verbs series which is not the series he is known for. So give him a try and report back! :)
Also, great job on completing the challenge! I hope you found it worthwhile. :)
Beth wrote: "Arlene wrote: "Our focus for this summer's reading challenge is "Literary Elements". Your challenge is to read a total of 3 books from the following categories with each book coming from a differen..."I'm so glad that you were able to complete the challenge, Beth! You are in good shape for our Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge drawing. :)
For my third and final genre, I read Historical Fiction/Romance. I chose "Somerset" by Leila Meacham, as it was the prequel to "Roses," which I'd read a couple years ago. It certainly was an epic and although I liked it, the characters just didn't draw me in as much as I thought they would. The challenge may be over, but I'm still reading!
I just listened to my first Louis A'Mour book, The Sky-Liners. I have read some westerns, but never this classic author. The reader, Jason Culp was an easy voice to listen to and fit this genre well. I can see why their are countless L'Mour books as there are mucho many characters in this title and many more story lines could easily come from this book alone. Innumerable people were killed in this book, it would be impossible to count, but I guess that fits this genre and the "wild west" of American history. Of curse the cowboy got his girl, which is another part of most westerns. I was glad for the challenge to read outside of my genre.
Beth wrote: "Arlene wrote: "Our focus for this summer's reading challenge is "Literary Elements". Your challenge is to read a total of 3 books from the following categories with each book coming from a differen..."aDefinitely a bittersweet ending for Champion. I think I'm really happy with it though! Definitely appreciated the ending more than Allegiant!
Mallory wrote: "For my third and final genre, I read Historical Fiction/Romance. I chose "Somerset" by Leila Meacham, as it was the prequel to "Roses," which I'd read a couple years ago. It certainly was an epic a..."That's good, Mallory! I'm going to do the drawing on Monday. Thanks for playing! :)
Mwenzel wrote: "I just listened to my first Louis A'Mour book, The Sky-Liners. I have read some westerns, but never this classic author. The reader, Jason Culp was an easy voice to listen to and fit this genre wel..."I'm embarrassed to say as a librarian that I have never read a western but now I am thinking I could -- especially in the audiobook format. I'll have to pick up a Louis L'Amour next. Thanks for doing the challenge, Mwenzel! Keep your eyes here for our drawing announcement on Monday. :)
Rachel wrote: "Beth wrote: "Arlene wrote: "Our focus for this summer's reading challenge is "Literary Elements". Your challenge is to read a total of 3 books from the following categories with each book coming fr..."Just put the Legend audiobook on hold! I'm sure any ending will beat the Mockingjay ending! :P
Ok, guys! Drumroll please!!! :D The winner of the Goodreads 2014 Summer Reading Challenge random drawing is....Beth Amspacher! You are all winners in my book though! ;) I just wish I could give you each a prize pack for completing the Challenge. [Note to Beth: If the Westminster branch is not a convenient pick-up location for you, please let me know which Carroll County Public Library branch will work best for you and I'll send it there.]I would be interested in your feedback so feel free to share ideas for future challenges or ways we can make this better. Although this challenge covers the summer months, we do have a reading challenge each month the rest of the year (without the amazing prize pack) and we'd love to see you there. Also, if you haven't already done so, please introduce yourself on the Introduce Yourself thread.
This has been fun! Let's do it again sometime! ;)
Beth wrote: "Arlene wrote: "Our focus for this summer's reading challenge is "Literary Elements". Your challenge is to read a total of 3 books from the following categories with each book coming from a differen..."In case you didn't see the message above, you were our Challenge winner, Beth! :)
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• Mystery
• Romance
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy
• Western
• Action/Adventure
• Classic/Literary
• Historical
Don't forget to share what you've read with us here! What elements of the genres you chose did you like or not like? Did you try reading a new genre? What did you discover? We all want to know! If you complete this reading challenge, you will be entered into a drawing to win a Literary Elements tote bag filled with books. Just make sure to complete this reading challenge before the end of Summer Reading on August 9th!
Now that Carroll County Public Library's Adult Summer Reading has kicked off, don't forget to register for that on our website (http://library.carr.org/programs/srp.asp) or at your CCPL branch! The books you read for the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge count so make sure to log them after you register! Enter all the titles you read for a chance to win in our weekly prize drawings. Each title equals one chance so enter more titles and increase your odds of winning! One lucky winner from each branch will win a grand prize, a gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings! Yum!
Have a great summer full of reading and literary elements! :D