2022 Reading Challenge discussion
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Dusty Marie's 50 Reads
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I started Les Misérables about three and a half years ago. I knew it wasn't going to be for the faint of heart, and if I wanted to complete this book, I was going to have to commit to it long term.
I'm so glad I decided to take the journey through this book. It was powerful, emotional, and so incredibly poetic. I fell in love first with the music from the theater version and now can say that I feel an equal fondness for the novel.
Challenge progress: 1 of 50


I fell in love with this story from my first viewing of the 1985 miniseries. I had read selections from the book in grade school, but until a few years ago, I had never read it in its entirety.
This was my second time completing Anne of Green Gables, and it was even more lovely than I remembered. It is such a wonderful classic and by far one of my all-time favorites.
Challenge progress: 2 of 50


I was hesitant to read this book since creepy thrillers aren't really my thing, but I'm so glad I took a chance on it. It was very well-written and managed to completely draw me in. Even the paranormal theme blended perfectly into the story.
Challenge progress: 3 of 50


My mom lent to me the Grace Chapel Inn series from Guideposts. I've been reading them for quite some time now. Recipes and Wooden Spoons is the third book in the series.
Some of these books are very good and make me wish that the fictional town of Acorn Hill, Pennsylvania, was real. This one however missed the mark. It was far too religious in language, and the characters were unlikeable. It was a disappointment.
Challenge progress: 4 of 50


This was my second time reading this collection of Hercule Poirot-centric stories. Since it had been quite a few years, it was like each story was new again. Every one was wonderful and unique.
Challenge progress: 5 of 50


I was originally assigned this book in my college sociology class quite a few years ago but never had the time to read it. With February being Black History Month in the US, I felt like it would be the perfect time to finally check this book off my list.
George Dawson's life was truly remarkable and inspiring, but this book left something to be desired. It just wasn't well-planned, and it's disorganized and somewhat haphazard style showed that. I'm glad I read it, but I was disappointed as a whole.
Challenge progress: 6 of 50


This was the fifth book in Guidepost's Grace Chapel Inn series. As I mentioned above, this series was lent to me by my mom. Christian fiction is not my typical preferred genre, but it's nice to switch it up and read something on the lighter side.
This was one of the better books I've read from the series. There were a few historical inaccuracies and editing mistakes throughout but nothing to totally condemn the story. I actually quite enjoyed it overall.
Challenge progress: 7 of 50


I've never really been drawn to legal thrillers, but in an attempt to once again stretch outside my comfort zone, I chose this book. For the first two thirds to three quarters, I couldn't put it down. By the time I reached the end, the book's too sensational for belief twists and turns lost me.
I started out completely loving it, but by the time I closed the back cover, I was unimpressed. It was good, but it was far from great.
Challenge progress: 8 of 50


The first time I was introduced to this play was through the 1993 film adaptation directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. This was my first time reading it, and I loved it just as much as (if not more than) I did the movie. It is brilliantly and beautifully written - a truly timeless classic.
Challenge progress: 9 of 50


This book continues my journey to reading all of Agatha Christie's works. I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was interesting, suspenseful, and chock full of suspects in typical Christie fashion. It had a nice little twist at the end that caught me off guard. I thoroughly enjoyed it overall.
Challenge progress: 10 of 50


This book was popular even before the movie adaptation was released. I had never read it until recently. I picked up a copy at a library book sale a few years ago, and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since.
Moyes writing is very good. I'd be interested in reading her other works, but this novel didn't do it for me. As someone who has struggled with mental illness, I felt she approached the subject of suicide far too lightly. This wasn't my favorite at all.
Challenge progress: 11 of 50


The books in the Grace Chapel Inn series are always a bit hit or miss as to the quality and overall enjoyment. This one was pretty average. It was a cute story, but there was nothing truly memorable about it.
Challenge progress: 12 of 50


This may well be one of the best books I'll read this year. It was wonderfully entertaining and filled with little-known details of the London Blitz. It was a true history lover's dream!
Challenge progress: 13 of 50


This was the first novel by Stephen King I've read, and I'm fairly convinced that it will not be my last. It was incredibly intense with heavy subject matter but also wonderfully written. It was hard to put it down once I started. I'm definitely a fan.
Challenge progress: 14 of 50


I had a hard time getting into this one. I really enjoyed The Secret of Chimneys which included many of the same people, but this one seemed to lack depth and connection. It was good, but I wanted more action and more intrigue. Overall, it felt predictable.
Challenge progress: 15 of 50


I technically did not finish this book, but I'm counting it toward my goal anyway. I made a valiant effort in completing it, but with nearly 130 pages left out of 350, I just couldn't do it.
This was one of the most poorly written books I have read. The characters were so unlikeable and overly self-righteous that I couldn't stomach it anymore. The story became repetitive as though the author had no outline to begin with and refused to edit herself at the end.
I hate not finishing books in total, but this was one time that I just couldn't press on. It was really that bad.
Challenge progress: 16 of 50


This book was the perfect blend of Chinese culture/history and imaginative storytelling. The pacing was just a little off for my taste, but overall, it was a wonderful novel full of emotion and mystery.
Challenge progress: 17 of 50


This was another book in the Grace Chapel Inn series from Guideposts. These are all light, inspirational reads. This was one of the better ones in my opinion. It delved into the ins and outs of poetry while weaving a lovely, heartfelt story.
Challenge progress: 18 of 50


I had an opportunity to hear Chip Ingram speak from this book at a conference several years ago. The book has been in my collection for some time.
It was okay. There was some good information to be gleaned, but overall, it felt weak. It was average at best.
Challenge progress: 19 of 50


I really wanted to love this book, but I really didn't. It had a lot of promise, but the story never really panned out. It felt boring overall and dragged on to a conclusion that solved nothing. It was a disappointment.
Challenge progress: 20 of 50


When was the last time a book made you absolutely breakdown and ugly cry? This one will do just that. It was exceptionally researched and beautifully written.
The only thing that kept me from absolutely loving this book was the pacing. At times, it really seemed painfully slow. Other than that, this book was perfection.
Challenge progress: 21 of 50


Had this not been assigned reading for my graduate-level Historiography course, I likely wouldn't have read it. I'll say this, it IS very thorough. Some parts were very fascinating, but the majority of the book is dry and difficult to follow.
Challenge progress: 22 of 50


I was hesitant to read this one knowing that I tend to get creeped out pretty easily, but I'm so glad I did. It was incredibly well written with the perfect balance of spooky and mystery.
Challenge progress: 23 of 50


I wanted to love this book. The premise had so much promise, but the story never really took shape. There were too many characters, the timeline was nonlinear and hard to keep up with, and the ending was vague. I didn't hate it by any means, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype.
Challenge progress: 24 of 50


This short guide to the Enlightenment was required reading for my grad school course on Comparative History. It was very informative but felt disjointed overall. It was unorganized and lacked the flow to make it truly effective.
Challenge progress: 25 of 50


It was super informative but presented in a very concise manner. I was required to read this for my Comparative History class, and I'm glad I did. It provided a great overview of the French Revolution.
Challenge progress: 26 of 50


This was another one that was required reading for my Comparative History course. I truthfully knew next to nothing about the Haitian Revolution prior to reading this book. I really enjoyed it overall, but it did feel a bit overwhelming with details at times.
Challenge progress: 27 of 50


This was an assigned reading for my graduate course. I honestly didn't know much about the Latin American Revolutions prior to reading this book. It was quite informative but not as professional as I would anticipate from Oxford University Press.
Challenge progress: 28 of 50


I really enjoyed this creep-tastic thriller. It was definitely a little slow at times, but overall, it was extremely imaginative and well-written.
Challenge progress: 29 of 50


This book has been very popular and well-received, but to be honest, I wasn't a fan. The manner in which the author dealt with issues such as alcoholism, depression, and abuse was unacceptable. It was as though these were cute topics and not serious illnesses.
Challenge progress: 30 of 50
Books mentioned in this topic
Poirot Investigates (other topics)Les Misérables (other topics)
Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution (other topics)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (other topics)
The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
William Shakespeare (other topics)Stephen King (other topics)
Sue Monk Kidd (other topics)
L.M. Montgomery (other topics)
Erik Larson (other topics)
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A little about myself: My name is Dusty, and I'm from North Carolina, USA. I'll read almost anything, but my favorite genres are History, Classics, and Mystery. A few favorite authors are David McCullough, Jane Austen, and Agatha Christie.
I'm aiming for 50 books in 2020. I'd like to exceed this total, but I'm placing my goal at something that I know is achievable. I'm excited to get started toward this goal and look forward to many happy hours of reading.