MobileRead Book Challenges discussion
2018 Individual Challenges
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Rumpelteazer's 2018 Reading Challenge
I have times like that sometimes too, its really annoying!The book sounds interesting though! :)
I love those Ghost Hunter/Adventure type of shows. My favourite is the terribly campy Most Haunted series from the UK (though I can take Evie's screaming only for so long, I usually binge on it for a couple of weeks before not watching it for six months or so). So this series is right up my alley. The next one in the series is released soon (May?), I'm looking forward to it. These types of books are a nice palete cleanser for me.
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny.A good book, better than the previous book in the series.
Nine out of the ten last books I've read were part of series. I think the next couple of books will be stand alone's, those have been piling up on my Kindle lately.
I just treated myself to Anne Bishop's Lake Silence and I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by the late Michelle McNamara. So my next books have been penciled in.
Lake Silence by Anne Bishop.The latest book in The Others series. It seems that Meg's story has come to an end, at least for now. The story picks up shortly after the big event of the previous series. This story focuses on Vicki, a divorcee who got a resort, that hasn't been in business for decades, during her divorce. It's on Others' land, and there are rules she has to abide to. Which she doesn't have a problem with. The tone of the story is more adult than the previous books, which is logic since Meg, in many ways was a child who had to get to know the world and how to survive. Vicki is damaged, but she deals well with the Others she comes into contact with. Unfortunately her ex will cause a lot of trouble.
After I got over the fact that the story of Meg and Simon won't continue, which was very quick, it was very hard to put the book down. Considering it has been a busy week it was annoying I didn't have a lot of reading time.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara.A very good and very readable true crime account of the Golden State Killer (aka the East Area Rapist).
Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay.A good story, though I did took off some points for the almost unreadable parts; there are journal pages which are non-resizable images and are hard to read on both my Kindle and tablet. A couple okay, but most were too small to read comfortably.
Up next: the final book of The Magicians trilogy.
The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman.Final book in The Magicians series and IMHO the best.
It seems I've found my reading mojo in the past week; I almost read 1200 pages. Not sure if it's me, the books I've chosen or a combination of both.
There's little chance of me reaching the average number of pages for March. I don't think I can read another 1100 pages in a week. But, I've build up a bit of a reserve in the previous months, so I should still be about on track to have an average year, page count-wise.
Snake Agent by Liz Williams.A very good book. Due to acute bronchitis it took me two weeks to read, I didn't read much for a week and a half, but once I got started again I sped through it.
The bronchitis really sucked, I had just found my reading mojo again when I got sick. Now I'm one (by tomorrow or Monday two) book(s) behind now, where I was one ahead before I got sick. Now I'll have to get caught up again. On the plus side: I've almost caught up with the MFM podcast series, so I should have more reading time in one or two weeks' time.
Glad you're feeling better! Hope your reading mojo stays with you :)
I'm glad you're feeling better!
Abhorsen by Garth Nix.A good story.
Now, to catch up I'm going to read a bunch of shorter and/or (hopefully) quick reading books. I'm in the mood for some ghost stories and crappy horrors (that's a positive classification), those are often quick reads so that's very convenient.
Bianca wrote: "Abhorsen by Garth Nix.A good story.
Now, to catch up I'm going to read a bunch of shorter and/or (hopefully) quick reading books. I'm in the mood for some ghost stories and crappy h..."
You know, I;ve never read Nix but I hear he's good
MrsJoseph wrote: "You know, I;ve never read Nix but I hear he's good "I'm really enjoying the series so far. For me an added bonus is that there is very little romance. It seems to me that romance is becoming more and more important in stories. I'm not a big romance fan. I usually don't mind it, sometimes (like with the Others series) it serves the story line.
I've found that books advertised as horror, fantasy or whatever are really romances with horror, fantasy or whatever elements. When I get one of those books it really annoys me.
The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates.This book hit the spot. A quick, easy and entertaining read, like all of Coates' books I've read so far. This is her latest one, released only a couple of weeks ago.
Now I've chosen The Essex Serpent, which has been lingering on my Kindle for a long time (since summer I think). I took a quick look at the review and it seems to be one of those books that you either love or hate. So we'll see how this one goes.
Today I decided it was time to go through my Amazon wishlist and delete all the ebooks I've lost interest in.I think I might have bought more books than that I've deleted.
But hey, at least my list is down significantly and I don't have to worry about finding something to read for the next couple of months.
Bianca wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "You know, I;ve never read Nix but I hear he's good "I'm really enjoying the series so far. For me an added bonus is that there is very little romance. It seems to me that romanc..."
I'm a big romance fan - but lately they've been trying to make everything a romance. I get it why ($$$) but it's still annoying. Plus, even sex scenes get old when there are too many.
Bianca wrote: "Today I decided it was time to go through my Amazon wishlist and delete all the ebooks I've lost interest in.I think I might have bought more books than that I've deleted.
But hey, at least my l..."
LOL!
I paired down my GR TBR list last week by 100 or so. If I didn't recognize the book, I got rid of it. I don't even bother my Amazon one. It's so random.
Bianca wrote: "Today I decided it was time to go through my Amazon wishlist and delete all the ebooks I've lost interest in.I think I might have bought more books than that I've deleted.
But hey, at least my l..."
I did that the other day. Cut my list almost in half. Fortunately, I no longer let myself buy anything without checking if it's available at the library first. I have a Chrome plugin that inserts Overdrive availability for my local library right into the Goodreads pages, so I have to add the Amazon wishlist books to my Goodreads To Read shelf... The extra steps have definitely saved me some money.
I had stuff on there I don't even remember being interested in.
MrsJoseph wrote: "I'm a big romance fan - but lately they've been trying to make everything a romance. I get it why ($$$) but it's still annoying. Plus, even sex scenes get old when there are too many. "I'm not a huge fan (as I've made clear). I know with certain writers I can expect romance elements and don't mind it. When a book is presented as another genre and no mention is made of romance in either the description or the genre classification and it turns out to be mostly a romance I get annoyed.
Christa wrote: "I did that the other day. Cut my list almost in half. Fortunately, I no longer let myself buy anything without checking if it's available at the library first. I have a Chrome plugin that inserts Overdrive availability for my local library right into the Goodreads pages, so I have to add the Amazon wishlist books to my Goodreads To Read shelf... The extra steps have definitely saved me some money.I had stuff on there I don't even remember being interested in. "
I regularly check my library's selection of English ebooks. And there is very little of interest. Of all the books I bought today only one they might possibly have and that's a Grisham novel. Plus, I have a Kindle and libraries only use epubs. Though if they had enough books that interest me I wouldn't mind investing in a cheap Kobo.
Most of the books today were cheap horrors, thrillers and crime books (less than $4 a lot of them less than $3). So I did spend quite a lot of money but I got a shitton of books. Plus, lately I've only been buying new releases of favourite authors, so I deserved a nice binge buy.
My Amazon list is also random, so I've long ago decided to put any books I'm interested in (except favourite authors) on my wishlist. I occasionally get weird book cravings, usually when I'm in the middle of a book I'm reading, I find then books that comply to the weird criteria and wishlist them. When I come across them later I wonder why on earth I wishlisted a book like that. Today I deleted a whole bunch of horrors and/or ghost stories with the trope of "someone/a family who have lost a family member and to make a new start they move into a new house/mansion/cabin in the woods and things start to go bump in the night". I've read scores of those, they are hardly ever satisfying so why on earth would I want to read more?!
I can totally relate to the weird book cravings. And also the part later when I wonder, "What? Why did I even?" LOL
I had to DNF The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. After 112 pages I didn't feel it was going anywhere. The characters were mildly interesting, but I couldn't see them moving much forward either. But at least I've dealt with a book that's been lingering on my Kindle and TBR for a while now.I realized I'm still in the mood for some easy and entertaining horror, and since I bought a bunch of those a couple of days ago it'll be hard choosing which one to pick.
Asylum by Ambrose Ibsen.A fun horror story, first in a series (yes, I just bought the next two in the, so far, trilogy). Ibsen has become one of my favourite horror writers. His books are quick, easy and entertaining but not as gory or with sex scenes such as Amy Cross.
Now onwards with a Ramsey Campbell book. I have a love/hate relationship with him. I ought to like his books, but it seems most of them are merely "meh" to me. Hopefully this one is better. It's set in the woods, one of my favourite horror locations.
And I just discovered one of my favourite horror author duo has written Five Nights in a Haunted Cabin. I'm trying to resist, but I don't know how I can hold out (ideally until autumn, when my sister and I plan to rent a cottage (bungalow) in the woods).
The Darkest Part of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell.I was wrong about having read a book by Campbell before, I haven't. But I wasn't wrong that his writing style isn't my favourite. First of all, starting the book it felt like it was missing a couple of introductory chapters. You just jumped straight in and to took a while to figure out what was going on. Also it felt the word "midriff" (referring to character's pregnant stomach) was used at least five times as much as the 30 times according to my Kindle's search option.
On the one hand I wanted to DNF it, but I didn't because I really wanted to know how it ended (predictably and disappointingly).
Now for the sequel to my previous read by Ambrose Ibsen. Which promises to be an entertaining and quick read. Friday is a bank holiday (celebrating the King's birthday), so I should be able to get some extra reading in.
Forest by Ambrose Ibsen.I rarely binge on a series; I get burned out too easily. But after this second book I'm going straight on to the next, possibly last, in the series. In truth this series could have been released as one longer, just over 600 pages, book. The first book has a finished story line, with an opening to the next book. But the second book ends on a cliffhanger and I'm glad I came upon this series when the third book has already been released.
The Occupant by Ambrose Ibsen.A good end to the series, so far. According to the website of Ibsen a prequel will be released soon. Also this third book has a bit of an open ending (but still good if it's the end).
Hopefully I can finish one more book before the end of the month. With the current weather prediction for Sunday and Monday (my weekend) this shouldn't be a problem.
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel.Another good story. A mystery this time, though not for those of more sensitive disposition due to the incestuous elements.
It's been a good week, over 1000 pages and four books finished. Hopefully I can keep this going. It helps that I'm now up to date with all my favourite podcasts, and now listen mostly in the morning and have more reading time at night.
Now it's time to go back to my active series for a while I think. Starting with the next Armand Gamache book.
I'm looking for a paperback to take with me when my sister and I are going to a theme park for a couple of days later this month. I don't want to worry about get my Kindle wet or damaged. I was shocked at prices of English paperbacks. For years I only paid full price for books of my favourite authors. Otherwise my max is €5-€6. In a bookstore I pay two or three times for a paperback.To make matter worse the book can't be too heavy (I'll have it in my backpack most of the day) and it has to be an easy read.
I'll be visiting the small second hand department of the bookstore tomorrow. Otherwise I think I might splurge and get something from the English YA section.
It's strange, but after about seven years of having an ebook reader I finally realize how much money I've saved. And also how much more choice I have. Especially during the last year or two since I've discovered several authors who almost exclusively publish ebooks.
Bianca wrote: "I'm looking for a paperback to take with me when my sister and I are going to a theme park for a couple of days later this month. I don't want to worry about get my Kindle wet or damaged. I was sho..."I know those feels!
I prefer to buy 2nd hand for the most part, only putting out the cash for my favorites and because I'm a cover whore.
I get them from everywhere: Amazon, bookstores, free piles, and library sales.
I had forgotten that on the 16th I'm going to Amsterdam for the day, in the evening I'm going to a live podcast. In Amsterdam there's a Waterstones and an American Book Center, and especially the ABC is cheaper than regular bookstores.Since I'll be spending money that day anyway I think it's best to get a book there. The ABC has a lot of choice in my favourite genres (WS less) and I love spending time in their shop, even if I almost exclusively read ebooks now. I usually go away with a fun reading accessory, a graphic novel and/or some magazines.
Bianca wrote: "I had forgotten that on the 16th I'm going to Amsterdam for the day, in the evening I'm going to a live podcast. In Amsterdam there's a Waterstones and an American Book Center, and especially the A..."This seems to be places I would want to visit too :D
DoodlePanda wrote: "This seems to be places I would want to visit too :D"If you ever go to Amsterdam definitely visit the ABC. It's in a beautiful building, with a big spiral staircase with bookcases alongside it. It used to be musical instrument store and when they moved out they left a piano, because it was too expensive to get it moved out. The piano is still there and if you want to you can play on it (at least the last time I was there).
The Waterstones is nice, too. But it's a Waterstones, which means it aims at a more "intelectual" crowd and in my favourite genres (horror, crime, thrillers) only have the most popular books, which I either have or am not interested in. They also aim for students of the various colleges and universities in and around Amsterdam, so lots of non fiction books. It's still worth a visit, though, especially since it's around the corner from the ABC.
I'm sure I can find something at the ABC. In fact I'm pretty sure I'll leave with a list of books I need to look into further and will have a hard time choosing which paper book I'm going to get.
It would be the perfect day out if my favourite tea store hadn't recently closed their b&m store and went online only.
The discussion about the 2019 challenge got me thinking. I would love to do a challenge, but I know I can't deal with prescribed reading anymore (I blame school, college and university for that).But I think I can do an alphabet challenge. I can deal with a couple of books that I have to read for the difficult letters.
I was thinking of doing this challenge for the second half of the year, but I'm not sure I have enough time to finish it. So for this year I'm going to make a list and see if there are any problem letters, besides the obvious. I can already start looking for those books for next year.
Bianca wrote: "The discussion about the 2019 challenge got me thinking. I would love to do a challenge, but I know I can't deal with prescribed reading anymore (I blame school, college and university for that)...."
I know that feeling! I'm the same way. Normally, I mostly just read whatever I want and then look to see how it fits in. THIS year I have picked books specifically to fit the challenges I'm doing BUT it's because I am doing a lot of challenges and one of them is a TBR challenge. So the biggest goal for me this year is to read books I already own (or that I just bought but read them asap instead of hoarding them).
Either way, I'm trying to shoehorn in books that I've already curated.
I've made a list (top of the thread), and looking at that and what I currently have in Calibre X and Z will be the biggest problem. Q and Y to a lesser degree. For a couple of the difficult letters I can reread some classics (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights), which I was thinking of rereading in the near future anyway. I might end up giving myself three "any word in the title" passes for the difficult ones.If needs be I can read and X-Men book and a book about the Zodiac Killer (I wanted to read the Robert Graysmith anyway).
Bianca wrote: "I've made a list (top of the thread), and looking at that and what I currently have in Calibre X and Z will be the biggest problem. Q and Y to a lesser degree. For a couple of the difficult letters..."Those are good choices!
One of my issues was graphic novels/comics. I didn't want to buy anything and hubby's graphic novel taste is...GrimDark. Not my cuppa. But in digging around a bit I discovered I had a copy of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Homecoming - 1st one in the series and probably the only one I'll ever own.
Yaaaaay!! I was so happy that I didn't have to resort to reading hubby's nightmare inducing shit.
Wow. That ABC challenge looks impressive!
For this year it isn't an official challenge (unless I can count the books I've already read). I need to be carefull not to read my difficult letter choices this year.
Bianca wrote: "For this year it isn't an official challenge (unless I can count the books I've already read). I need to be carefull not to read my difficult letter choices this year."You can totally use books you've already read this year.
MrsJoseph wrote: "You can totally use books you've already read this year. "Well, then. I'll start this challenge retroactively from the start of the year. I'll allow myself three "any word in the title" passes, but I'll try not to use them.
I'm going to pencil in some possible reads in the list, to remind myself and so I can plan my reads a bit. I know I can't deal with reading classics back to back.
So it seems the X will be the real problem. Any suggestions are welcome.
Haha X. Definitely a lousy letter.The Xenophobe's Guide to the Irish. It looks like there's a whole series so read whatever culture you'd like.
There's the obvious choice of Xingu by Edith Wharton.
HomeInMyShoes wrote: "Haha X. Definitely a lousy letter.The Xenophobe's Guide to the Irish. It looks like there's a whole series so read whatever culture you'd like.
There's the obvious choice of [book..."
I don't have fond memories of Edith Wharton, besides finishing her books at uni.
I've got a couple of possible X titles: any of The X-Files books (many titles start with "The X-Files:..."), I also found Mr. X by Peter Straub. I also found a lot of erotica starting with an X, but those are not for me. If I'm really desperate I could read the biography of the inventor of the Xerox machine.
On Amazon I found several horror short stories with words starting with an X in the title, added those to my wishlist.
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The Haunting of Rookward House (other topics)A House by the Sea (other topics)
The Hollow Boy (other topics)
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A good horror story. Even if the main character started out as a bit of a douche bag. I like that this series has different characters each new book and that it's about world famous (supposedly) haunted and/or scary places.
It seems that at the moment I have a bit of reading problem. I find it hard to get into the story. Once I'm passed a certain point it's not a problem and I read it in one go if I get the chance. But getting to that point is the problem.