Anyone interested in a reading challenge for summer?

[JC]

I've decided on Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning for book 5. Task: book from a friend's to-read shelf.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I read for task 10 Historical fiction "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay

[Arica]

I finished10.Historical Fiction:Promise Me Forever By Janelle Taylor.
It was an ok book. The story easy to figure out but it was enjoyable.

[JC]

Halfway point!! Finished book 5: Beyond the Highland Mist task: book from a friend's to-read shelf. good, but predictable. frustrating to read as the author throws out new ways to keep the main characters apart, got a little old after a while. I swear I tried not to think "rip off of outlander" while reading, but my brain did whisper it to me....

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I completed task 1 with Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin

[Arica]

I fined task 9.Grand in title:Grand Avenue By Joy Fielding. I am so glad I saw it on Vicki's list. It was a great book.

[SarahSaysRead]

Finished my historical fiction pick, which was The White Queen. I really liked it.

That leaves me with 3 more to go... and now I'm going to start my "summer" in the title pick, Secrets of a Summer Night.

[Ally]

...my goodness - you're all so much faster than I am! - I'm only halfway through my second book 'Scoop' by Evelyn Waugh, which is my 'one-word-title' choice.

eek...better get a spurt on! LOL

Ally

[SarahSaysRead]

Finished Secrets of a Summer Night, it was a quick romance read but it was pretty good.

So now I'm down to America's Hidden History LP: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation for my flag-on-the-cover pick, and Mockingjay for my one-word pick, which sadly doesn't come out for another month :o(

[JC]

looks like I was mistaken about my numbers, I just finished my #5 book and am now halfway through. I read The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovichfor the task "book with grand in title". I'd never read this author before but have seen her books everywhere! I would describe this book as cute. 3 stars. It looks like I'm going to change some of my original choices due to books that I reserved at the library not being returned on time. Does anyone know how to edit my original list? I've never done that before and when I try to change the books the curser goes to the end of the post and puts the link there. Help?

[B.]

Finished my seventh book for the challenge, , published in 1932.

[Arica]

Finished my fifth book for task #7 summer in the title.Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. This was an excellent book I haven't read anything from Judy Blume in awhile.

[Em]

Half way- 5th task completed is a book with "grand" or "parent" in the title. I read The Good Parents by Joan London - Set in Australia, it is a novel that explores relationships - those with our spouses, siblings and of course our children. I found it fascinating and compulsive and I'm delighted to have discovered another new writer that I love.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Completed task 1 (again) read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I missed the being published in 1900-1950 by three years. This was a new author for me since I hadn't read it yet. I wasn't too crazy about it. 1 *

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Completed task 5 and read "The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke off of Leeanna's TBR list.

[Em]

No, it's 6 not 5 - I'm not good at counting am I? I've done, new author, historial, canadian, one word, friends TBR and grand/parent. 4 to go then.

[Ally]

OK - I've finished my One Word Title...

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

I'm off to start another challenge.

Ally

[Arica]

I finally finished Flags of our fathers for my book with a flag on it. It was very good but emotional could only read a few chapters at a time. It was very well written if you like history I recommend this book.

[Em]

I've finished Made in America for my flag book, I ended up giving 2* but prob would've given 1.5 if I could've. I'm not sure if it's the book at fault or just that the subject matter didn't interest me that much. I skimmed the second half as didn't really want to spend any more time on it!

Nevermind, I'm 100 pages into The Outcast which is really good so far, it reminds me of Atonement so maybe if you liked that you'd like this.

[B.]

I've finished Book #8 - for book with summer in the title. I enjoyed this one and it was a nice revelation as I had never read this author before.

Two more left: flag book and grand or parent book

[Arica]

I finished my book for Canadian Author Exit Strategyby Kelley Armstrong
It was a good book. Had a few slow spots but over all I liked it.

[Em]

I've finished , it has a couple on the cover. This book is very evocative of 1950's Britiain, very repressed and stiff upper lipped with untold anguish lurking beneath the surface.

[Ally]

I've finished Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, which was my one-word title choice and now I'm half-way through Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn, which is my historical fiction choice (...changed from what I originally put down in the early thread).

Ally

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Em wrote: "I've finished , it has a couple on the cover. This book is very evocative of 1950's Britiain, very repressed and stiff upper lipped with untold anguish lurking beneat..."

I started this book but couldn't finish it.

[Em]

That's a shame, I have noticed some quite mixed reviews on GR - what put you off of it? I enjoyed it, I found the style of writing a breeze to read and really flew through the book very quickly. I liked the two main characters and was hoping things would come good for them and the secondary characters were all very interesting to me in their differing ways. That said, it's not a cheerful book in the main - awful lot of suffering within these pages!

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I really couldn't get past the first chapter and I am in like three reading challenges in my other groups so I just moved onto the next book.

[JC]

Ally wrote: "I've finished Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, which was my one-word title choice and now I'm half-way through Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn, whic..."

I loved Mistress of Rome!!

[Em]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I really couldn't get past the first chapter and I am in like three reading challenges in my other groups so I just moved onto the next book."

So many books eh....

[JC]

finished book 6 - historical fiction The Help by Kathryn Stockett. 5 stars - Excellent book!! I laughed, I cried, sometimes at the same time.....couldn't get enough.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

finished task 10 historical fiction by reading "The Woman In White" by Wilkie Collins

[JC]

now done with book 7 - book with american flag on cover: 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of Historyby Charles Bracelen Flood. This was super boring, but I gave it 2 stars just because I liked the rare descriptions of Lincoln interacting with people when anyone could come to the White House and speak to the president. I also learned a few tidbits about the Civil War that I didn't know, but otherwise I wouldn't have read the whole thing if I weren't listening to it on audiobook.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished task 3 by reading "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks

[Ally]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "finished task 10 historical fiction by reading "The Woman In White" by Wilkie Collins"

The Woman in White is a fantastic read! - Didn't you just love Count Fosco!

Ally

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

ummmm he was okay. I liked William Hardright better and Luara Farley

[Ally]

ooh - Mistress of Rome was a really fun read - I'd recommend it!

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I heard about that. I will get to it eventually.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I finished "The Curious Incident For A Dog In the Night-time" by Mark Haddon for task 1

[JC]

yay! done with book 8 - Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy. 3 stars - I would describe this as a veeerrrryyy long soap opera, but engaging writing. Not my usual genre, but glad I read it. This was for "book with summer in the title". Only 2 books left and plenty of time - good thing since True Blood season 2 just came in for me at the library! So a short break to watch some trashy vampire tv!!

[SarahSaysRead]

JenC. wrote: "yay! done with book 8 - Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy. 3 stars - I would describe this as a veeerrrryyy long soap opera, but engaging writing. Not my usual genre, but glad I read it. This was f..."

I love True Blood, I've been watching the third season online. I've been debating trying to read the books... from what I hear, the books aren't nearly as good. I may check at the library to see if they have the first one.

[JC]

I have read all the books up to the most recent release. Honestly it's difficult to compare because the tv show does not follow the books much. I'd say probably 10%. I enjoy the tv show more and have been disappointed in the books the further I go in the series. My advice would be to read the first book - it was the best - and decide from there if you want to continue.

[SarahSaysRead]

I think I'll try it. I've read a little bit online about the plot-line in the books and I'm intrigued by how different it is from the show. My sister read the first one and said she didn't like it, that the writing wasn't very good.

[Em]

I finished The Summer Book which is a wonderful book for summer and so I have completed another challenge. I think this only leaves me one more challenge but it's going to be a tough I think - it's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I attempted to read this quite a few years back and didn't get far.

[B.]

Finished the "grand" book:
Everything Is Going to Be Great: An Underfunded and Overexposed European Grand Tour.
On to my last book for this challenge, the flag book:

[B.]

And I've finished the last book for the challenge
In the Shadow of Freedom: A Heroic Journey to Liberation, Manhood, and America
for the flag on the cover.

[SarahSaysRead]

I'm starting my one-word title, Mockingjay.

I've also been slooowwwly working on America's Hidden History LP: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation for my flag-on-the-cover pick. The topics in each chapter seem really interesting at first, but then the author goes on a tangent for a good 20 pages and each time it seems kind of pointless. That's happened in all three chapters I've read so far.

I really should have started this book ages ago, I hope I can actually finish it by the end of the challenge!

[Em]

Well I've read more than ten books over the summer which is great but having got all tied up reading Far from the Madding Crowd - great book incidently, I still have one challenge left: I haven't even started A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (my 1900-1950) yet - no one will mind if I run over I hope?

[JC]

Em wrote: "Well I've read more than ten books over the summer which is great but having got all tied up reading Far from the Madding Crowd - great book incidently, I still have one challenge left..."

I don't think anyone will mind, Em, but you do have until Sept. 20. I'm working on my last 2 at the same time and I think I'll finish by then.

And Sarah, I'm jealous that you're starting Mocking Jay - I'm something like #14 in line at the library, but they have 5 copies so it shouldn't be too long.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I managed to read 24 books over the summer.

[SarahSaysRead]

I finished Mockingjay. What a great series.

That's a bummer Jen, but you're right it should go by quickly - it's such a fast read.

So now just 1 more book to go for my challenge... my flag-on-the-cover pick. Hopefully I can bring myself to finish it.

[JC]

Almost done - just finished Black Boy by Richard Wright. 5 stars - excellent autobiography of a boy growing up in the Jim Crow south in the early 20th century. This was for the task: Read a book published in the first half of the 20th century. This book was published in 1945.