2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] discussion
2015 Plans
>
Brittany's - i cant make up my mind - Reading Plan
Looks like a good start to the list. You won't be alone during the trilogy weeks, The Lord of the Rings is a popular choice. :-)Good luck with the challenge.
Cait wrote: "Looks like a good start to the list. You won't be alone during the trilogy weeks, The Lord of the Rings is a popular choice. :-)Good luck with the challenge."
thanks!! i think what is surprising me the most is that i have no idea what to read for week 3 which should be the easiest choice since nearly EVERYTHING gets turned into a movie these days!! and gone with the wind is a little intimidating to me right now because i've never been the fastest reader...but i'm working up to it!
I think sometimes having lots of choice makes it harder than having just one or two to pick from.You'll get there. :-)
Man, I feel like I'm falling so far behind it isn't even funny!!! here we are starting April and I'm just now finishing up my 6th book for the year :(
Mod
Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating by reading the short books like that!! I just read super slow and it drives me crazy :(
Zaz wrote: "You have some doorstop books on your list, it won't help. I advise you to choose some short ones (200 pages) for some categories, it will help you to stay on tracks :)"So I took your advice Zaz and have completed 2 rather short books "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" and that has helped me catch up to 8 books so far for the year. Still have about 5-6 books before I am fully caught back up with everyone, but I'm getting there!!
Mod
Short books are good stories written in few accurate words. Some writers don't need 600 pages to tell their story, so don't think you cheat while reading short books!
Good luck with the next readings.
Look at The Great Gatsby, it's under 200 pages but is one of the most influential classics of all time.
I have some of the same books on my list. Great start.
So I totally just found out that It's A Wonderful Life is based off a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern. The amount of excitment that I have just had course through my body is unreal!!!!
So I'm trying to get through Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood right now and honestly absolutely HATE it! I chose this book for week 20 and thought I would love it. I've put it off for so long because I love the movie so much I was worried that reading the book would ruin the movie for me. Now all I want to do is throw this book in the trash!
So i just added a couple more titles to my list for this year that I am super excited about...now I just need to finish the 3 that i'm working on before i run out of fun reads again...gah!
Finally finished devine secrets and am happy i read it, although i still think the movie is better!I also did a quick read of beauty and the beast today (gotta love those older short books!) and fell in love all over again!
Thanks Stephanie! It definitely escaped the trash (and fire pit) lol, but only thanks to the last 80-100 pages really! So it is currently safe on my bookshelf :)
I have to say, I am happy with (most of) the books that I chose for this years challenge! I am looking forward even more to next years challenge to see what kinds of topics it has. I've read a couple books so far this year that have been very good but haven't fit on this list sadly.
So while I was on vacation about 2 weeks ago, I stopped at this used book store and bought like 23 pounds worth of books that I shipped back home and among those books was "Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien", I just recently discovered Tolkien earlier this year for this challenge by reading "The Hobbit" (which I am totally going to read again before the year is out) and loved it. So I'm halfway through this one and am so heartbroken that I am only now discovering the awesome work by Tolkien.
Ok, so I'm starting my trilogy weeks a little early and have just started The Fellowship of the Ring today. Since I'm having to read on breaks at work, I haven't really gotten that far, but so far it's pretty interesting just with the backstory. I'm looking forward to getting farther into it :)
Mod
I watched the movie first, so kind of knew what to expect....but I was still blown away. Horns is almost completely different when it comes to the book and movie simply because of the things left out of the movie. It's probably one of my favorites of this year
Mod
It's a toss up for me whether I prefer Horns or Heart Shaped Box. They're both very good.
I definitely agree that his writing style mirrors that of his fathers, but that is only an observation from horns as I haven't been able to find a paperback copy of heart shaped box yet. I think I'm going to break down and just get the digital copy
ok, so I've tried and tried to read gone with the wind, and right now...it just isn't cutting it. so for right now, I've removed it from my list for this year and I may attempt it again, but for right now its just a big NOPE. lol
Alrighty, so we are exactly half way through with 2015...where is the time going? I mean really, I don't want to get old...I'm still too young lol. but in all seriousness, I figured I'd review how my year has gone so far. AND THE RESULTS ARE IN
*drum roll please*
24 books in total for the year
17 for the 2015 reading challenge
so for my yearly challenge of 52 books I am just about on schedule, I need to pick up the pace for my reading challenge list though! but at least I've read more books so far this year than I have in about 5 years. Even if I don't manage to finish this challenge fully, I'm proud of myself :)
Brittany wrote: "Alrighty, so we are exactly half way through with 2015...where is the time going? I mean really, I don't want to get old...I'm still too young lol. but in all seriousness, I figured I'd review how ..."Great job, Brittany! You know, I might just steal that and post it on my own challenge plan. Mwahahahaha...
haha I stole it from someone else :P
Ok, so I'm about 40% done with The Fellowship of the Ring...it is taking so long to read because I have lost any and all hope for fully enjoying this book. Although I have been told the last half really makes up for it, so we will see. If it takes me too much longer to get through this book I may have to change my trilogy entirely...
Mod
That's why I picked the trilogy honestly. It gave me a reason to figure out what all the hype is, along with being able to knock out all 3 in a row - or that was the plan anyways...it looks like my ambitions are turning out to bite me in the @$$ though
Mod
Very true. I gave up on Gone With The Wind about 12% into it and feel awful, so come hell or highwater I will have it read from cover to cover by December of 2016 lol
Mod
Everyone keeps telling me how amazing it is...so I'm going to give it another shot. Honestly I'll probably attempt it again towards the end of the year.
Mod
I'm pushing through Zaz! I've got enough people cheering me on that I can't just quit now. I just act like Dori from Finding Nemo and say "just keep reading, just keep reading" lol
Here are some suggestions: Love triangle - Kathleen Turner series by Tiffany Snow. The first book is No Turning Back. She writes THE BEST LOVE triangles. You could also try Power Play by Tiffany Snow (that's the start of the series).
High school - I loved Cinder & Ella, also either Slammed or Hopeless by Colleen Hoover would be great. She's one of my favorite authors.
Thanks Ella! I will definitely look into the suggestions. I've heard great things about Cinder and Ella, just have to see if I can get a copy of it :)
Also, if you want a short book to balance out your doorstop ones, maybe The Little Prince for a different language one? I used that for my childhood book. I did The Alchemist for my different language one.
I've changed a few of my books, and might actually be able to catch up...if I can ever finish the lord of the rings?!?!?!?!
Mod
Have you watched the FX show?
I've tried to start the first book a few times now but things always seem to come up in life, like I'm just not meant to read that book lol. and yes, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the show!!!
I finally finished The Fellowship of the Ring and have to say I *almost* completely hated it! I only gave it 2 stars and really don't understand all of the hype. I'm going to leave it as my trilogy and probably read The Two Towers in about two weeks after I get some fun fast reading done, aka Undead and Unwed :)
I am IN LOVE with the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. She is just amazing. The characters are believable and just suck you in from the beginning. It doesn't hurt that they are super quick reads!
Mod
They're pretty good Zaz. Super sassy and have the rom-com feel to them. plus they are only like 250-300 pages. so for me only a few hours of reading. its like taking a vacation from middle-earth and mordor right now. :)
Ella, I hope you won't be disappointed!!
"Horns" was a pretty good book. I didn't really think of it as scary, but I picked it for that category, and I'm not changing it to something else now. LOL I still have to watch the movie. Laura wrote: "What did you think of Horns? I was very pleasantly surprised by it. I was sort of putting it off because the whole concept was a little strange but it ended up being much better than I was expectin..."
Ok, so I've knocked out the first 3 books of the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson, and sadly have to wait for books 4 and 5 to arrive in the mail before I can continue with the rest of the series (that are sitting on my shelf). I've also changed week 52 to The Bone Collector and am going to knock that one out because I've been meaning to finish this book for god only knows how long! lol
2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hunger Games (other topics)The Hellbound Heart (other topics)
The Hellbound Heart (other topics)
Undead and Unreturnable (other topics)
Normal (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
MaryJanice Davidson (other topics)MaryJanice Davidson (other topics)
MaryJanice Davidson (other topics)
WEEKS & TOPICS
✔ 1. a book with more than 500 pages -- Grey by E.L. James (6/23/15)
2. a romance -- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
✔ 3. a book that became a movie -- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (5/17/15)
4. a book published this year – Life and Death by Stephanie Meyer
5. a book with a number in the title – Fifty Shades Darker by EL James
6. a book written by someone under 30 -- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
✔ 7. a book with nonhuman characters -- The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien (3/23/15)
✔ 8. a funny book -- Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson (7/24/15)
✔ 9. a book by a female author -- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (4/2/15)
✔ 10. a mystery or thriller – Misery by Stephen King (2/20/15)
✔ 11. a book with a one-word title – Horns by Joe Hill (2/27/15)
✔ 12. a book of short stories -- The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (4/3/15)
13. a book set in a different country -- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
✔ 14. a nonfiction book -- Ferrets For Dummies by Kim Schilling 4/20/15
✔ 15. a popular author's first book -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (3/27/15)
16. a book from your favorite author that you haven't read yet -- Under the Dome by Stephen King
✔ 17. a book a friend recommended -- Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson (7/28/15)
18. a Pulitzer-prize winning book -- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
19. a book based on a true story
✔ 20. a book at the bottom of your to read list -- The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (5/20/15)
21. a book your mom or dad loves
✔ 22. a book that scares you – The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker (8/16/15)
23. a book more than 100 years old -- Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
✔ 24. a book based entirely on its cover -- Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen (5/26/25)
25. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't -- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
✔ 26. a memoir -- Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman 6/12/15
✔ 27. a book you can finish in a day -- Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (6/16/15)
✔ 28. a book with antonyms in the title --Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (5/20/15)
29. a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
30. a book that came out the year you were born – Postmortem(Kay Scarpetta #1) by Patricia Cornwell
✔ 31. a book with bad reviews – Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson (8/12/15)
✔ 32. a trilogy (the first) -- LOTR by J.R.R Tolkien (7/22/15)
33. a trilogy (the second) -- LOTR by J.R.R Tolkien
34. a trilogy (the third) -- LOTR by J.R.R Tolkien
35. a book from your childhood – Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
✔ 36. a book with a love triangle -- The Hunger Games by Suzeanne Collins (12/2/15)
✔ 37. a book set in the future -- The Giver by Lois Lowry 7/19/15
38. a book set in high school -- Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
39. a book with a color in the title -- Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James
40. a book that made/makes you cry --Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
41. a book with magic -- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
42. a graphic novel -- Watchmen by Alan Moore
✔ 43. a book by an author you've never read before – Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf (3/4/15)
✔ 44. a book you own but have never read -- Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter (10/15/15)
45. a book that takes place in your hometown – Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
46. a book that was originally written in another language
✔ 47. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday)-- The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern (4/13/15)
48. a book written by an author with your same initials -- Winter Garden by Beryl Bainbridge
49. a play – A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
✔ 50. a banned book -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (4/7/15)
51. a book based on OR turned into a tv show – Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
✔ 52. a book you started but never finished – The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver (8/11/15)