Lea's 2nd Annual Reading Challenge - COMPLETED

[Mary]

Great list! I've read Jazz and To the Lighthouse a few times. I haven't read Suttree but his prose is always beautiful. I look forward to hearing your recommendations.

[Denise]

I haven't read any from your list. Wish you good luck with it.

[Lea]

Mary wrote: "Great list! I've read Jazz and To the Lighthouse a few times. I haven't read Suttree but his prose is always beautiful. I look forward to hearing your recommendations."

Thanks, Mary. I was going to start with Suttree, but picked up To the Lighthouse instead, and so far, I'm not disappointed. I'm going to read it slowly, she says so much without saying much at all. I want to be sure I don't miss anything.

[Lea]

Denise wrote: "I haven't read any from your list. Wish you good luck with it."

Thanks, Denise. Fingers crossed, hopefully this will be a good list with many books I can recommend.

[Ann at the Beach]

Nice list. I will have to see what you think of them. I listen to Gladwell’s podcast sometimes — interesting ideas. Enjoy!

[Lea]

Ann at the Beach wrote: "Nice list. I will have to see what you think of them. I listen to Gladwell’s podcast sometimes — interesting ideas. Enjoy!"

Thanks, Ann. I have read and enjoyed two books by Gladwell, but am still missing some of his works, so I'm trying to read more of them. I sometimes listen to the podcast too, but not regularly. I like podcasts that talk about different things. Do you have any favorite podcasts?

[Lea]

Veronica wrote: "I love Jazz. I read that book 3x.. It is soo beautifully written.

The Sookie Stackhouse series... Please stick with it. That series was a good ride

I love Hilderbrande... And David Balducci whoa...

ENJOY!"

That's so amazing that you read Jazz 3x. I have only read two books by Morrison so far, but decided I'm going to read at least one book per year until I've gotten through all the works my libraries have on her, and then go back and re-read. Her writing style just sticks with you. So painful. But something to savor.

I'm super excited about Sookie, I enjoyed the first book last month. It reminded me a lot of Stephanie Plum, I don't know what took me so long to read the books.

I hope I picked good Hilderbrand and Balducci books. Some are fantastic and others I struggle with, but these look good.

Enjoy your reads too, Veronica! :-)

[Lea]

Dear Mr. Gemeinhart,

I really enjoyed The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. I liked the voice that you had given to Coyote and her dad, and since I love road trips, I could relate to some of the funny travel stories. I loved the kindness portrayed and the crazy cast of characters. I loved so much about the book.

"Maybe we're all a little broken. Maybe we're all a little fragile. Maybe that's why we need each other so much."

A few things prevented me from giving it 5-stars. The book is a middle-grade book, yet there is adult language and a ton of adult issues incorporated in the book. For me, it was a little much. I also think that some of the things that some of the characters did was really dangerous, and I would want to talk to the kids reading this to make sure that they don't think it is ever OK to get into random cars with strangers, even if you looked into their eyes and they seemed normal.

But, let's end on a happy note. The pacing is great, the story is fun, and the quirky characters played on my heart. As an adult, I very much enjoyed reading your book, and I hope to read more of your works.

Your newest fan,
Lea

[Michelle]

Look at you Lea, already knocking out the new list! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Lea]

Michelle wrote: "Look at you Lea, already knocking out the new list! Glad you enjoyed it."

I also started To the Lighthouse and The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty. They will both take some time since the first one is a lot of descriptive writing and a hard copy book and the second one is super long, but at least I'm not just knocking out all the easy ones first. That's the worst when you finish all the easy books at once and then the rest of the list is too daunting to tackle. It was helpful to start and finish The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise in the middle of those! :-)

[Carolien]

I can see a second challenge in the last half of the year coming at the rate you're going!

[Lea]

Carolien wrote: "I can see a second challenge in the last half of the year coming at the rate you're going!"

LOL, since I never start a second list until my first list is completely done and since we were talking about reading Jazz together in October, it might not happen this year. That's OK. I really do spend more time on my individual list and I duplicate between the two lists anyways. :-)

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "I also started To the Lighthouse and The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty. "

Very ambitious! I can't wait to hear more about The Tudors.

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Lea wrote: "I also started To the Lighthouse and The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty. "

Very ambitious! I can't wait to hear more about The Tudors."

So far, it is really in depth on Henry VIII and the religious change. The author definitely has some opinions! I'm 33% of the way through the book and Henry VIII is just now marrying Anne Boleyn, so I'm not sure how the author is going to be able to do justice to Queen Elizabeth's reign. It is a very accessible book though. The author does have a nice way about synthesizing some complicated things that happened into very simple terms. I'm enjoying.

[Ann at the Beach]

Lea wrote: "Ann at the Beach wrote: "Nice list. I will have to see what you think of them. I listen to Gladwell’s podcast sometimes — interesting ideas. Enjoy!"

Thanks, Ann. I have read and enjoyed two books ..."

I like Hidden Brain and This American Life but I am not a frequent listener.

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "It is a very accessible book though. The author does have a nice way about synthesizing some complicated things that happened into very simple terms. I'm enjoying."

Great to hear, I was afraid it'd be just a dry read with lots of names and dates...

[Lea]

Ann at the Beach wrote: "I like Hidden Brain and This American Life but I am not a frequent listener."

I have listened to This American Life, but not Hidden Brain. For a while there I was totally into true crime, listening to Serial and Your Own Backyard. I realized that I was getting pretty suspicious of everyone I met though, so I'm giving it a slight rest.

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Great to hear, I was afraid it'd be just a dry read with lots of names and dates..."

I wouldn't call it a dry read. There's a lot of info, and some of it I didn't know, so I'm pretty invested in it.

Three complaints that I've heard about this book, but I only really agree with one. Here are the complaints. 1. Too many sidebars. The author will be writing about something and then will sidebar about something random, like manners of the day or how the different monastical orders. I don't mind it at all, I frequently find it interesting and I'm always distracting myself with one thing or another. 2. Way too much religion. I think it would be hard to write about Henry VIII without discussing religion and the religious schism that happened in England as well as in Germany and Rome, so again I will give it a pass. 3. Author writes with a bias. Again, I think it would be hard not to write an interesting history book without having an opinion on it, but I kind of agree on this one. I feel like the author dislikes a lot of these people and it's kind of obvious. I'm still liking it though.

[Ioana]

I'll keep that in mind. Sidebars? I don't think I mind them...my mind jumps from one thing to another anyway, and as long as the author picks up from where he left it, that's fine.
Too much religion? I think it's important for the times, but yes, I can see how it might be too much info. Hmmm...
A bias? I think that you need some of that, to make the characters more interesting, good or bad. Otherwise, they are all the same, and the story dull. As long as he's not exaggerating anything, I'm fine with that. I'll compare it with other fiction books I've read about the Tudors.

Are you reading or listening? Is there a family tree/chart to reference?

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Congrats on knocking out the first book, Lea! Woot!

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "I'll keep that in mind. Sidebars? I don't think I mind them...my mind jumps from one thing to another anyway, and as long as the author picks up from where he left it, that's fine.
Too much religion? I think it's important for the times, but yes, I can see how it might be too much info. Hmmm...
A bias? I think that you need some of that, to make the characters more interesting, good or bad. Otherwise, they are all the same, and the story dull. As long as he's not exaggerating anything, I'm fine with that. I'll compare it with other fiction books I've read about the Tudors.

Are you reading or listening? Is there a family tree/chart to reference?"

I'm listening to the book and it is easy to follow. The author repeats how people are related so if you're like me and can't remember which sister of Henry VIII married one of the Louis in France (Mary) and which sister married in Scotland (Margaret), it talks about it. I am no expert in English genealogy, but I have read quite a few books from the era, so maybe that helped. I was rarely lost. I'm not sure if there is a family tree in the hard cover book, but you could find one online if something is confusing. I'm into Queen Elizabeth's reign and it's interesting. I think this book has a slightly different take on the Tudor dynasty than I've read before, which makes it quite interesting to me!

[Lea]

Alondra wrote: "Congrats on knocking out the first book, Lea! Woot!"

Thanks, Alondra! Having some easier middle grade books on the list helped. :-)

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "The author repeats how people are related so if you're like me and can't remember which sister of Henry VIII married one of the Louis in France (Mary) and which sister married in Scotland (Margaret), it talks about it."

Oh, this is sooo helpful. My only "contact" with the Tudors was in HF books, and those bend history sometimes. But I think that applies more to dates, not relationships. I'll get to this someday.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Lea wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Congrats on knocking out the first book, Lea! Woot!"

Thanks, Alondra! Having some easier middle grade books on the list helped. :-)"

Those and graphic novels always help. The graphic novels, though shorter; really pack a punch and are always entertaining.

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "Oh, this is sooo helpful. My only "contact" with the Tudors was in HF books, and those bend history sometimes. But I think that applies more to dates, not relationships. I'll get to this someday."

It's good. The problem I sometimes have with HF books during this time period is that what people thought was OK then is clearly not acceptable now. So authors sometimes try to find the least worst and most interesting person from the time period and make them better than what they truly were, and it is only through actual scholarly non-fiction that we get to see that maybe this person wasn't so religiously tolerant as we thought and maybe this other person was actually brutally torturing and murdering innocent people, etc. That's not to say I don't love me some HF, I do! And I'm glad to recast a few characters in a better light - I enjoy the story much more if there is someone who has some qualities that I can admire. But it is fiction.

Bottom line, I'm glad I read this book. So far, this list is pretty solid.

[Lea]

Dear Mr. Meyer,

I found that The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty was very interesting. It had been awhile since I'd read non-fiction from the Tudor era and there have been several new documents that have come to light that were interesting. I did enjoy the little sidebars and overviews, and all of the insight into the political and religious motivations of the cast of characters that I had some familiarity with. That said, I felt like the book was distinctly biased in a few areas that where there has been some disagreement between scholars and I would have preferred for the other side to be briefly mentioned. That said, this was the first book I've read by you and I'm eager to read more of your work. Thanks for your commitment to scholarship and writing a thorough, yet readable book.

Thanks again,
Lea

[Lea]

Dear Ms. Woolf,

I just finished reading To the Lighthouse. I wasn't sure that I would like it, because I typically don't care for stream of consciousness writing. The main reason that I don't prefer to read books written in that style is because while I do have jumbled thoughts, my jumbled thoughts are never similar to the characters in books and I find myself wondering if I just don't think like other people. That takes me out of the book. This was no exception. I did like the ending. I wanted to know if the family ever got to the lighthouse and if Lily ever finished her painting. But I'm not sure I'd want to read it again. It was beautifully written, and a glimpse into ages past which made me grateful for all of the additional options I have today because others went before me, but it just wasn't a space where I felt normal or human. It will be a long while before I tackle any of your other work...or so I think.

Sincerely,
Lea

[Alissa]

And there goes Lea with knocking out 3 books in the first 18 days of this month #list2coming
haha

[Ioana]

I'm not playing with any of you anymore...For the record, today is Jan 18th, and you've both read 6 books so far. While the rest of us, mere mortals are still working on our 1st or 2nd...

[Bonnie]

Ioana wrote: "I'm not playing with any of you anymore...For the record, today is Jan 18th, and you've both read 6 books so far. While the rest of us, mere mortals are still working on our 1st or 2nd..."

or in between like me- I was kind of in process with several books (kindle/hardback/audible- on January 1st, so knocked out several in a few days.

[Lea]

Alissa wrote: "And there goes Lea with knocking out 3 books in the first 18 days of this month #list2coming
haha"

Haha! I hope so. But, I start out with the best of intentions and then get distracted by other books that I'd rather read. I'm sure I'll be back down to one or two books per month next month. :-)

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "I'm not playing with any of you anymore...For the record, today is Jan 18th, and you've both read 6 books so far. While the rest of us, mere mortals are still working on our 1st or 2nd..."

Awww...come play, come play! If it's not about the quantity, it's all about the quality of the books that are read, then I can't really play either! I feel as though I just read a kind of dud, and this current one isn't much better. :-(

And don't forget, you are working on a book that is over 1,000 pages, so in my mind, it really secretly counts for 3-4 books.

I try to read about 10 books a month, but it really varies. Last year in January, I was able to read 15 books, but I don't think I'll be able to catch that goal. On the other hand, last October I only read six books, so I'm already doing better than that.

[Lea]

Bonnie wrote: "or in between like me- I was kind of in process with several books (kindle/hardback/audible- on January 1st, so knocked out several in a few days."

How many books do you have going at a time, Bonnie? I usually have between 2-5 books that I'm working on. I agree that I seem to finish all them in clumps. I go for a week without finishing anything, and then I finish 2 or 3 on the same day. I'm not sure how it happens that way, but it does.

[Bonnie]

Lea wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "or in between like me- I was kind of in process with several books (kindle/hardback/audible- on January 1st, so knocked out several in a few days."

How many books do you have going ..."

yep, often 3 at least for me- hardback, kindle, and sometimes an audible. Or maybe a non fiction. If I love love a book, though, I may let the other sit and read it straight through.

[Lea]

Bonnie wrote: "yep, often 3 at least for me- hardback, kindle, and sometimes an audible. Or maybe a non fiction. If I love love a book, though, I may let the other sit and read it straight through."

I'm the same. :-) I always have an audio and hardback/paperback book going at the same time. Often I will have a few more books going just because. If I can't get anywhere with a book, sometimes I just start another one. I find that the first half of the book somehow goes slower than the second half. :-)

[Lea]

Dear Ms. Harris,

I just finished Living Dead in Dallas. I didn't enjoy this installment as much as Dead Until Dark, the first book in the series. I just felt like this book had too many gratuitous side plots going on and some things didn't interest me. I also am a stickler for consistency and there were some continuity errors between this book and the previous book in terms of Bill's family. I could maybe forgive continuity errors between book 1 and book 11, but I don't think it's too much to ask to have your editors read two books and correct or retcon the differences. That said, it wasn't so bad that I intend to abandon the series, but I am hoping for better things. 2 stars.

Lea

[Michelle]

Lea wrote: "Dear Ms. Harris,

I just finished Living Dead in Dallas. I didn't enjoy this installment as much as Dead Until Dark, the first book in the series. I just felt like this ..."

Nice letter Lea. Hope you have more fortitude than I did. I'm pretty sure I abandoned this series after book 2.

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "Dear Ms. Harris,

I just finished Living Dead in Dallas. I didn't enjoy this installment as much as Dead Until Dark, the first book in the series. I just felt like this ..."

I had to check. Nope, not on my TBR...

[Bonnie]

I actually rated LDID 5 stars and DUD 4, but then I read them 2009 right after the HBO series came out which I was loving.

[Lea]

Michelle wrote: "Nice letter Lea. Hope you have more fortitude than I did. I'm pretty sure I abandoned this series after book 2."

We'll see. I'm kind of into getting all the GRC Award winners read, which include #9 and #10 in the series, and if I make it that far, I'm sure I'm going to need to read through #13 anyways. At least they aren't terrible. Or too long. But they could be so much better with so little effort. They remind me of Stephanie Plum, but I do think I prefer the Adventures of Plum much more than The Adventures of Stackhouse so far. At least I didn't put them all on my 12 + 4 challenge, so I won't feel pushed to pick up the next book for a little bit. :-)

[Lea]

Ioana wrote: "I had to check. Nope, not on my TBR..."

Definitely not an Ioana book, you can safely pass on the series. :-)

[Lea]

Bonnie wrote: "I actually rated LDID 5 stars and DUD 4, but then I read them 2009 right after the HBO series came out which I was loving."

Yes! I think most people did. I never saw the series either.

I resisted the books until now. The books definitely feel dated. They aren't terrible. But not amazing either. I give 2 stars for books that are OK and this book fell into that category. We'll see how the rest of the series goes.

[Bill, Moderator]

Excellent review. I found the Sookie books kind of hit and miss, felt she was kind of going through the motions at time. I liked others of her series; my favorites being the Harper Connelly and Lily Bard books. I've kind of given up on continuing with any other of her series; the Sookie books, Midnight Texas and Aurora Teagarden... Ah well... I hope you enjoy your continued reading of Harris's books.

[Bonnie]

Bill wrote: "Excellent review. I found the Sookie books kind of hit and miss, felt she was kind of going through the motions at time. I liked others of her series; my favorites being the Harper Connelly and Lil..."

Harper Connelly was my favorite too- though I think I read it was her least popular series.

[Patricia]

I could never get into the Sookie series though I really enjoyed the Lily Bard series some years ago.

[Michelle]

I have actually been enjoying the Gunnie Rose series but for some reason I found Sookie & company irritating.

[Lea]

Bill wrote: "Excellent review. I found the Sookie books kind of hit and miss, felt she was kind of going through the motions at time. I liked others of her series; my favorites being the Harper Connelly and Lily Bard books. I've kind of given up on continuing with any other of her series; the Sookie books, Midnight Texas and Aurora Teagarden... Ah well... I hope you enjoy your continued reading of Harris's books."

Thanks for your thoughts on Harris's books. Sookie is my first experience with Harris and there are aspects of her writing that I really like and other things that I really don't. I will have to look into her other series, but only after I finish this one. I already have way too many series on the go! :-)

[Lea]

Bonnie wrote: "Harper Connelly was my favorite too- though I think I read it was her least popular series."

Seems like I frequently have different taste than the average reader, so I will definitely have to check that series out. I look back to the early 2000s and all the paranormal books that came out about seeing dead people, etc. and it is funny how tastes change over the years. It's kind of fun to read books that are being currently published, but I also don't want to forget some of the other books I never got to back in the day. Lots of variety is good for me! :-)

[Lea]

Patricia wrote: "I could never get into the Sookie series though I really enjoyed the Lily Bard series some years ago."

I liked the first Sookie book, but I'm not sure the second was as good. I hope I can get into them, but if not, I might try out another series. I heard good things about Lily Bard, but this is my first experience with Harris's writings.

[Lea]

Michelle wrote: "I have actually been enjoying the Gunnie Rose series but for some reason I found Sookie & company irritating."

Hmmm...the Gunnie Rose books sound different and I kind of like the idea of trying these at some point. It's good to know that so many people like different series that Harris wrote. Fingers crossed!