The County Library discussion
Reading Challenges
>
2020 Summer Reading Challenge...
message 51:
by
Elizabeth
(new)
Jul 08, 2020 11:37AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
I read a picture book that I had ordered for someone and realized it fit this challenge. So here is my second book: Draw Me a Story. Fairy tale characters don't like how their stories turn out so the main character helps them out.
My plan certainly changed as I moved into the summer! I've completed two of the original five planned, replacing the other 3 with things I'd read anyway that fit! Current title of altered plan read, and the final for the challenge is The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 2 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis which I listened to while doing yard work. If I finish any other books that fulfill the challenge, I'll add them to the list. More yard work, more Narnia books, if you take my meaning.My detailed list is:
✅1. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 12 The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
✅2. The Sword of God by Ann Chamberlin
✅3. The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz
✅4. Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox
✅5. The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 2 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Mod
I finished Phantom Pains. It's the second in a trilogy about a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder and prosthetic legs who has to work with an agency that deals with the fey when they enter our world.
Teresa wrote: "I finished Phantom Pains. It's the second in a trilogy about a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder and prosthetic legs who has to work with an agency that deals with the fey ..."That sounds familiar. I think the first book was a Reader's Choice.
I have a question for you all. I had mentioned listening to the Narnia books when doing yard work. And with the weird emotional drain going on with COVID, I let my yard go to pot. Well, not literally! I won't even talk about my house. But I'm moving into a new normal and starting to get caught up on things besides just the bare minimum.
Have others of you experienced that? One group I'm in that reads heavy duty non-fiction (which is why here I mostly do Juvenile fiction) have people report they can handle only the lightest fiction, like Juvenile, YA, or books on the order of The Cat Who mystery series -- books that are just fun.
I think what is happening is a form of grief combined with uncertainty. What do you think?
I fight depression every day, so I feel like not much has changed for me. It's always been a struggle to get out of bed and do something.
Audrey, the first book in that series was more engaging, in my opinion. The second book took me 2 1/2 months to complete.Debbie, almost everyone I know is dealing with emotional issues around the two big societal problems. Some days, I exist only in my cocoon and pretend like everything's ok, because I need to.
The calendar for pickups is working again. They've added a section on why you are making the appointment, only one of the reasons of choice is to pick up a hold. The one that struck me the most was the telescope parts.
Mod
Ooh, is that a good book?
Mod
I am a reading machine, but starting in March, I couldn't read very much, I'm starting to get back into the swing of things though. I guess I'm used to the situation? But, I also have been limiting my access to news, so I totally get the not wanting to read as much "heavy" titles as previously. I, oddly enough, have been reading more fantasy lately. I pretty much only read romance novels nowadays, but I've been really into the fantasy stuff. So, that's fun.
Elizabeth, Phantom Pains was good, but I got distracted a lot reading it. The first book, Borderline was great, imo.
Teresa wrote: "Audrey, the first book in that series was more engaging, in my opinion. The second book took me 2 1/2 months to complete.Debbie, almost everyone I know is dealing with emotional issues around the ..."
Oh, really? I wasn't too crazy about the first.
I read The Guinevere Deception, a retelling of the King Arthur myth. It was good, it had a some interesting twists in it.
Another book meeting the challenge: The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 13 Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan✅1. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 12 The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
✅2. The Sword of God by Ann Chamberlin
✅3. The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz
✅4. Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox
✅5. The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 2 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Additional books:
✅6. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 13 Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
Mod
I think Sci Fi and Fantasy Week is an annual event.
I just finished the first volume of Witch Hat Atelier, a gorgeously illustrated manga about a girl who -- in a world where you're a witch or you're not -- becomes a witch! The world building is very intriguing and the characters are great! I love the idea that magic is created through drawing spells! I'm looking forward to reading more in the series. I also read the City We Became which I think could count on the fantastical side of speculative fiction..... it was really very good!
I have definitely been reading more sci-fi these days though. (The Future of Another Timeline.... was this book written for me? feels like it was)
I've read a few Fantasy books this summer. Some I've liked more than others.The Crimson Campaign
Promise of Blood
The Beholder
Royal Assassin
Assassin's Quest
The Finisher
Mod
The Crimson Campaign
Promise of Blood
The Beholder
[book:Royal Assassin..."
I love Robin Hobb but her books are just so depressing. Like, in the first series Fitz just doesnt catch any breaks. Once i start them i cant put tyem down, but i have to be in the mood.
You're right about poor Fitz. But I love her writing. She does world building and relationships so incredibly well. Her books feel like a movie.
I've completed more books that fit this challenge. The Deep is a re-imagining of pregnant black women who were thrown off the slave ships in the Atlantic. In this, they give birth to mermaids.
In A Dash of Trouble, a pre-teen girl learns that the women in her family are brujas, witches.
I'm currently reading The Immortals of Meluha, it's a story of the Hindu god Shiva, as if he started out human.
Mod
Right? They are definitely good books. I just... I have to prepare myself for them, or be in the mood for something like that.
I've finished Vision in Velvet, A Haunting is Brewing, Searching for Dragons, and The Runaway Princess. The last one is a graphic novel with interactive elements and was a lot of fun!Running list:
Lost Island
Howl's Moving Castle
Vision in Velvet
A Haunting is Brewing
Searching for Dragons
Runaway Princess
Two more- Kill the Farm Boy (very funny- audio recommended), and Spellcasting in Silk (which of all the titles in the series possibly makes the least sense lol).Running list:
Lost Island
Howl's Moving Castle
Vision in Velvet
A Haunting is Brewing
Searching for Dragons
Runaway Princess
Kill the Farm Boy
Spellcasting in Silk
Mod
https://meganwhalenturner.tumblr.com/...
Got my third one yesterday. It was another picture book that I ordered and plan to give as a gift. This was The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears. A father is telling a bedtime story but the fairy tale he tells doesn't necessarily go the way you might assume a typical fairy tale would go.
Finally finished a qualifying title (I don't read much fantasy!). "The Gammage Cup" was a Newbery Honor book in 1960, and I enjoyed it.
I added a few more fantasy books to my list . Some I enjoyed....others not so much.The Glittering Court
A Discovery of Witches
The Book of Lost Things
League of Dragons
Another book meeting the challenge: The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 3 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis✅1. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 12 The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
✅2. The Sword of God by Ann Chamberlin
✅3. The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz
✅4. Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox
✅5. The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 2 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Additional books:
✅6. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 13 Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
✅7. The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 3 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
What I have read so far for the challenge1. Bunnicula by Deborah Howe
2. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (online it said it was sci-fi/fantasy)
3. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
4. The Night Garden by Polly Horvath
5. Juliet Dove, Queen of Love by Bruce Coville
6. Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse
Just finished my fourth book for this challenge The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Different than a lot of books I have read. The premise was intriguing and after some research I picked it up.
Carolyn wrote: "Just finished my fourth book for this challenge The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Different than a lot of books I have read. The premise was intriguing and after some research I pi..."Did you like it? It has been on my to read list for a while.
Linda wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "Just finished my fourth book for this challenge The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Different than a lot of books I have read. The premise was intriguing and after so..."The best way I can think of to put it is that it was worth my reading time. Intriguing premise,good writing, and actually relevant to current events. Long chapters. At least they felt long to me. I saw "The Starless Sea" listed as something that readers of this have also read. I have only read part of "The Starless Sea", but that combo makes sense.
How did you like The Crooked Staircase?I updated my running list in my first message (#4).
The Crooked Staircase was good but was a real heart-thumper. It went from Ooops to Uh-oh to Oh no and ended with no no no no no no, ah man!I had planned to read The Forbidden Door, book 4 of the series right after, but my thriller sense said I need to wait to let the thumper rest a bit. I'll be starting it after one more book (that's not a thriller) is under my belt.
Audrey, I see you are reading, or have read, Imager. I'm reading Madness in Solidar which is the 9th book of that series. I really liked Imager and have read it a couple of times. If you've finished it, what did you think of Imager?
LOL.Nine books in Imager? I didn't realize it was such a commitment. I liked it quite a bit. Some reviews said it was slow, but it wasn't the type of slow I mind. I think fans of Imager would like The Goblin Emperor (and vice versa).
Actually, 11 or 12. The first 3 follow the first characters and beginning with book 4 you follow other characters in completely different times. Only the setting is the same, unlike Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time or even Dragonriders of Pern.
I've been trying to finish some series but I keep starting new ones.
There are currently 12 titles in the Imager Portfolio and, as far as I know, Lee is still writing. Whether there will be more in the Imager Portfolio only he can say.
I'm like you with the series. Even if I stopped adding new ones, I don't think I'll ever catch up with all the ones I've started. Then there is Wheel of Time that I read and thought, wow, that has so much going on I need to read it again. Then most of the way through on the second reading I read something and thought, 'wait. where did that come from?' So I read it a 3rd time and I'm on the last book of that 3rd reading. I've been reading it constantly for so long I wonder what it will seem like to not be reading it at all! But I don't have a feeling that I want to start it again ... Yet. Gosh, imagine it. All new titles! grinnnnn
I'm afraid to commit to Wheel of Time. People have said it's boring in the middle. I read the first few pages but didn't get any further.
Yay! Finished my fifth book to complete the challenge. To put them all in one post they are:The Queen's Secret
Draw Me a Story
The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Rapunzel's Revenge
I didn't find WoT boring at any point, but it takes tremendous commitment. Each vol. is over 800 p. long except the Prequel The New Spring. Some are as long as 1200 p. But I'd say if you loved, loved, loved and read several times Lord of the Rings, you may enjoy WoT. If you didn't care for LOTR, you likely won't care for WoT. Neither one is for everyone.Still, I'd recommend that if you feel hinkey about starting it, trust that feeling.
Adding a couple more to my running list... I'm up to 11.Running list:
Lost Island
Howl's Moving Castle
Vision in Velvet
A Haunting is Brewing
Searching for Dragons
Runaway Princess
Kill the Farm Boy
Spellcasting in Silk
Castle in the Air
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152
The Ordinary Princess
I also have added to my running list with an 8th title.1. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 12 The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
2. The Sword of God by Ann Chamberlin
3. The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz
4. Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox
5. The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 2 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Additional books:
6. The Complete Wheel of Time Bk. 13 Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
7. The Chronicles of Narnia Bk. 3 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
8. Madness in Solidar by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The County Library
Books mentioned in this topic
The Sword of God (other topics)The Complete Wheel of Time (other topics)
Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse (other topics)
The Gathering Storm (other topics)
The Horse and His Boy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert Jordan (other topics)Dean Koontz (other topics)
Ann Chamberlin (other topics)
Jonathan Stutzman (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
More...
