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Quarterly Challenges
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Four Seasons (Autumn/Spring) Reading Challenge ***NOW OPEN***
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Hi Victoria!Here are my picks for you:
The Book Thief - I really loved this one. It stayed with me for a long time.
The Goldfinch - This one I liked, and it has many great reviews. I'm curious to see what you think about it.
The Bookman’s Tale - It's on my To Read list as well, and looks like a good one.
I hope you like these - look forward to hearing what you think. Happy Reading! :)
Hi Poongothai. Here are my picks:1. Outlander: One of my favorite books. I hope you like it!
2. Inferno: I thought this was an interesting read;
3. The Tea Rose: Again, one of my favorites.
I hope you enjoy them!
Allison
Kelly wrote: "Ok Elizabeth, here are your choices (and I totally understand trying to restrict access!)You have a fascinating TBR list! I have put two of these on my list. :)
1) [book:The Woman Who Wasn't The..."
Wow! You picked some good ones Kelly! I am going to request them soon so I can actually read my three books this quarter.
Elizabeth wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Ok Elizabeth, here are your choices (and I totally understand trying to restrict access!)You have a fascinating TBR list! I have put two of these on my list. :)
1) [book:The Woman ..."
So glad that you are excited, Elizabeth. :) It is always a daunting task to pick books for someone else.
Hi Kelly!!! I'm sorry that it took me a while to realize that the pairs were up! Here are my picks for you:
- This one was on your "To Read" list twice. It caught my eye when I first saw it and when I saw that it a few pages later, I knew that it needed to be one of my picks! I've never read it, so I'm eager to hear what you think of it. 
- This is one of my favorite pieces of fiction. I didn't read it until a few summers ago, but I still think of it often! Have you really never read it? I hope you love it! 
- I haven't read this book, but it sounds very interesting! It looks like the perfect mystery to round out your spring reading list! Happy reading!
ps - If The Great Gatsby is actually a re-read or you feel that My Name Is Resolute is too long, I have several others in mind that I would be happy to swap them out for! :)
Kelly wrote: "Hi Victoria!Here are my picks for you:
The Book Thief - I really loved this one. It stayed with me for a long time.
The Goldfinch - This one I liked, and it has many..."
Thank you, Kelly!!! You have some great picks! I keep promising myself that I'll get to the first two, so this is the perfect push! And I remember adding the last one now that I see it again, but I had completely forgotten about it. :)
I'll let you know what I think!
Thank you Victoria! These pics look great. I can't wait to get started. Look forward to hearing what you think about your reads!Kelly
Kelly wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Ok Elizabeth, here are your choices (and I totally understand trying to restrict access!)
You have a fascinating TBR list! I have put two of these on my list. :)
..."
Victoria wrote: "Hi Kelly!!! I'm sorry that it took me a while to realize that the pairs were up! Here are my picks for you:
- This one was on your "To Read" list twice. It..."
This challenge officially starts tomorrow. Good luck everyone.
I read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Enjoyable read.Fun.I then tackled Katherine's next pick for me, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.Reading this book hurt. Every perfectly written word affected me. It made me wonder if I as a parent was aware of of the way my words and behavior impacted my children. The healing. The humanity of this story.
Just finished Katherine's third pick for me, Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Oh, dear, this made me cry. An insider view of a frightening disease.
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I then tackled Katherine's next pick for me, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.Reading this book hurt. Every perfectly written wor..."
YAY!! I'm so glad you enjoyed Everything I Never Told You!! It was one of my favorite reads of last year.
Crystal wrote: "Jamie, your picks are 
I hope you enjoy them."
I just finished The Joy Luck Club and I really enjoyed it! I am looking forward to reading the next two selections!
I just finished
which included a chapter on Julian. I rated it 4*. This book is about Auggie, a boy who thinks of himself as normal but has had numerous surgeries to deal with many craniofacial anomlaies. The book takes us on a journey of middle school and the impact August has on the school and how he grows. What I loved: the multiple point of views of the children. This allowed the story to be more dimensional. And that way you got to understand dynamics of any relationship. I love Olivia/Via view the most. I know Auggie has to overcome so much, but Olivia attitude is surprising and to me a little sad.
2) The Julian chapter was endearing. I loved Grand-mere- frivolous but not an airhead. But this was a peek behind the bully Julian.
What I didn't like: too predictable and the ending. And the overall message of kindness being all we need to make a difference. That we can all make a choice to be nice and kind. Don't get me wrong, kindness helps but by in large can't solve all our problems.
Overall I enjoyed this book, and what I took away was the need to be more patient and forgiving. Even usually ordinary humans mess up for a variety of reasons.
June wrote: "I just finished which included a chapter on Julian. I rated it 4*. This book is about Auggie, a boy who thinks of himself as normal but has had numerous surgeries to dea..."Hi June,
Glad to see that you enjoyed this book overall. I read it a while ago and thought it was a great little book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it with us.
Kristina wrote: "Thank you for the third pick as well, Stacie! Looking forward to it!"Hi Kristina, I just finished your first pick for me, Purple Hibiscus. What an amazing book, I was captivated from the first chapter to the last. I loved Kambili, Jaja, Aunty Ifeoma, Amazka, Obiora. I am so happy that you chose this for me and I hope I enjoy the other two books as well!
Stacie wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Thank you for the third pick as well, Stacie! Looking forward to it!"Hi Kristina, I just finished your first pick for me, Purple Hibiscus. What an amazing book, I was captivated f..."
Hi Stacie,
I know you posted this to Kristina. I just wanted to say I'm really pleased you liked this book as well. I read it a number of months ago and really enjoyed it myself. She's a really good author isn't she?
Zara wrote: "Stacie wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Thank you for the third pick as well, Stacie! Looking forward to it!"Hi Kristina, I just finished your first pick for me, Purple Hibiscus. What an amazing book, I w..."
Thank you Zara, yes I think she is great! Have you read Americanah? That was also good but I enjoyed Purple Hibiscus more. I started a book yesterday called Our Endless Numbered Days that is so engrossing, I can't put it down! I also wanted to say thank you again for everything you do to make this book club so great. I always look forward to your emails and posts, and deciding which challenges to participate in!
Stacie wrote: "Zara wrote: "Stacie wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Thank you for the third pick as well, Stacie! Looking forward to it!"Hi Kristina, I just finished your first pick for me, Purple Hibiscus. What an amaz..."
Hi Stacie,
I haven't read Americanah. I may have to look into that and see if I can read it at some point. Thanks for the recommendation.
Thanks also for the compliment re the group. It means a lot.
Allie wrote: "Bettina, it was a tough choice - such a fantastic selection of books! - but here are the three I have chosen for you:-
This is set in the part of the UK where I li..."Fianlly finished A Game of Thrones. I have picked it up and put it down several times over the last year. I really liked it...it is really an awesome epic.
I am glad I read it on my Kindle though, because I often had to stop and get people straight and on the Kindle, you can touch a name and get a description of the person or place without having to leaf back through the pages. Glad to have finally settled in and finished the book. Now I am ready to read the next.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Bettina! I'm reading the second one now. I've finished Divergent; fantastic ideas and such a great socio-political metaphor for our times. I found it a little slow in places during the middle of the book, but it had me gripped again at the end. Now starting the second book in my challenge :)
Kristina wrote: "Thank you for the third pick as well, Stacie! Looking forward to it!"Hi Kristina, I've finished two of the three books you recommended. I enjoyed both but Purple Hibiscus was really special! Thank you
Hi Kristina, I've finished two of the three books you recommended. I enjoyed both but Purple Hibiscus was rea..."I'm glad you enjoyed Purple Hibiscus. It's one of my all-time favorites. And Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an amazing writer. I've read all of her novels, and as soon as she releases something new, I'm buying it. :) Which book was the second one you read, Stacie?
I've also finished two of your picks for me, Secret Daughter and Tell the Wolves I'm Home. They were both very different from what I expected them to be, but I did enjoy them both. :)
Hi Kristina, The second book was Yellow Crocus. It was a book about slavery. In the genre there are others I prefered more but it was an easy read. I like Chimamanda also. I read Americanah a couple of months ago, it was the reason I put Purple Hibiscus on my to read list.
Kelly wrote: "Ok Elizabeth, here are your choices (and I totally understand trying to restrict access!)You have a fascinating TBR list! I have put two of these on my list. :)
1) [book:The Woman Who Wasn't The..."
I read the first one on my list. Quite interesting. I couldn't quit reading it. Thanks Kelly for putting it on my list.
I finished my second book -Orphan Train. I really liked this. It's about Vivian, 91 year old orphan with an intriguing background who meets another orphan , 17 year old Molly. Despite the age gap these two women bond and help each other. It took a while to get use to the change in timelines in the story. And I think this was more about Vivian than Molly. This is truly a roller coaster of emotions as you read the book:
Heartbroken at what people behave to those who are less fortunate.
The scene with Mr. Grote- I wanted to hit or strangle him or both and yet strangely I felt sorry for him. But then I wanted to hit so many of the potential father figures in this book
Vivian and her adopted family
Joy for Vivian when she reunited with Dutchy
Anger for Molly
Sympathy for Irish and Native Americans.
But I felt that I wanted to know more about Molly. And the ending seemed rushed for me. Overall I gave 4.25. Will add to my favorites.
Since I've had a good series of books I'm eager to read my last book.
And seeing those glowing comments I plan on reading Anericanah and Purple Hibiscus soon. Will read Half a Yellow Sun this month.
Thanks for the post June. My F2F book group chose Orphan Train for this summer.
Hi Elizabeth, I wasn't sure if everyone had read it already. So was trying not to spoil it too much. I read it in 2/3 sittings. Only do that with gripping writing. Hope you enjoy it next month.
I finished my last book-
I am still trying to process my thoughts fully on this book. But this I know, this is my favourite if my picks. Rated it 4.5*. I have read some WWII books but this one- wow.
This book focus on two stories- Werner a German boy who is intelligent orphan but wants to escape his hometown and his destiny to work in the mines which killed his father. And on the other side - there is a blind girl Marie-Laure who has an unusual education raised by her adoring father Daniel. But then war happens and their lives will never be the same. The rest of the story chronicles how they deal with the war, the people who impact their lives.
The ending,however, seems anti climatic. But I'm not sure that is the right word. It seems surreal or unfinished. Not sure. Maybe when I re-read I will get it next time.
This is well written and thought provoking book. The title is apt.I added it to my favourite bookshelf. So it was definitely worth the hype. Please read this book if you haven't as yet.
I have read two of my three books and I have the third on my nightstand! Thanks again Kelly for picking interesting books for me. I may have let them sit on my TBR for years without this challenge.
Zara, will there be a challenge like this for the upcoming three months as well?
Kristina wrote: "Zara, will there be a challenge like this for the upcoming three months as well?"Yes there is Kristina. I'm planning to get it set-up in the next day or so.
Almost done with the challenge. :) I'm more than half way through my third and final book, "The Red Tent".
Kristina wrote: "Almost done with the challenge. :) I'm more than half way through my third and final book, "The Red Tent"."What do you think of this book Kristina?
Zara wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Almost done with the challenge. :) I'm more than half way through my third and final book, "The Red Tent"."What do you think of this book Kristina?"
Sometimes it's a bit slow, but now a lot of things just happened - and it's interesting. You don't often get biblical stories from the female point of view. Have you read it, Zara?
Kristina wrote: "Zara wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Almost done with the challenge. :) I'm more than half way through my third and final book, "The Red Tent"."What do you think of this book Kristina?"
Sometimes it's ..."
Yes, I have read it. I enjoyed it. My sister-in-law said that she and her fellow midwifery friends were made to read it as part of their midwifery training.
And there we go. I finished this challenge with a few days to go! :)
I completed my three books chosen for me for the first time! Thanks Kelly for choosing interesting reads that I might have continued to put off.
Elizabeth wrote: "I completed my three books chosen for me for the first time! Thanks Kelly for choosing interesting reads that I might have continued to put off."excellent work Elizabeth
Elizabeth wrote: "I completed my three books chosen for me for the first time! Thanks Kelly for choosing interesting reads that I might have continued to put off."You are most welcome! I am glad that you enjoyed them! I am almost done with my second, and am still hopeful to finish all three.
Well, as it turns out, although I have started The Poisonwood Bible (which means I will finish it!), I will not be finishing it by tomorrow. lol It is 543 pages! I will still read it, but I am afraid that I am only 30 pages in. I spent the majority of May line editing a book for an author friend, so I got behind on my reading! Thanks again, Elizabeth for my great picks!
Our Novel Escape
Books mentioned in this topic
The Poisonwood Bible (other topics)All the Light We Cannot See (other topics)
Jamaica Inn (other topics)
A Game of Thrones (other topics)
The Handmaid’s Tale (other topics)
More...
Here are your book selections:
All Creatures Great and Small
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Interview with the Vampire
Happy Reading!
Jamie