Reading Challenge: September 2017

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel (a book set around a holiday other than Christmas)
Hershel is a traveler coming into a small town at Hanukkah-time. Unfortunately, the town is plagued by Hanukkah-hating goblins! A lovely little story about Hershel's fight for his holiday. 

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittmann by Ernest J. Gaines (a book that takes place over a character's life span)
The fictional autobiography of a black woman who lived from the abolition of slavery all the way to the Civil Rights movement.

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie (a book set in a hotel)
Not one of Christie's best, in my opinion. I feel like she took a large, complicated topic and told about it in too few pages. The antagonistic force was never fully explained.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetic Questions by Randall Munroe

Reading Challenge: August 2017

Sunshine by Robin McKinley (a book recommended by an author you love)
An urban vampire novel, I'd been told good things about this one. Unfortunately, I did not understand a lot of what happened. Still, a good read.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (a book that has a story within a story)
Polly struggles to remember a childhood filled with magic and mystery, realizing, as her memories return, that the man she loves is in grave danger.

The Heavenward Path by Kara Dalkey (a book based on mythology)
The lesser-known sequel to Little Sister, this book shows how we must often sacrifice the things we love the most for what we need the most.

The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold (a book with a cat on the cover)
Another complex, confusing book. A woman has killed the king's son in self-defense, and Ingrey is sent to bring her back to the palace for judgment. However, they may just be two pieces in an ancient puzzle.

Angelmass by Timothy Zahn (an espionage thriller)
An intensely speculative piece of science fiction. Jereko Kosta is sent as a spy into the Empyrean Empire to find out if they really are being taken over by an alien species known as angels. 

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (a book from a genre you don't normally read)
Filled with short by intense horror stories about the creepy things that live in woods, caves, and the crevasses of human hearts.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen 
Juli fell for Bryce the second she saw him, but he might not be all she hopes. Actually a really good book about idolization and crushes, but also about the hope of change and becoming a better person.

The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian 
This book was made more real because of the recent flooding in southern Texas. As her town disappears under flood waters, Keeley decides to take some chances. Will these chances change her life forever . . . or just ruin it?

Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
My third time reading this book, and I like it more each time. No summary I could give would really do this book justice, but there's a sorcerer, a dragon, a little boy, a castle, and an intergalactic empire.

Reading Challenge: July 2017

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (a book written by someone you admire)
A young Pakistani girl stands up for her right to receive an education. I loved how she just did it unapologetically. 

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (a book you got from a used book sale)
An ok romance book. I've never read a Nicholas Sparks before, and it was about what I expected.

Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus (a book you bought on a trip)
An enjoyable spy book based on true stories! Gripping and interesting at the same time.

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (a book recommended by an author you love)
Recommended by my author-sister, so I quite literally love her ☺ An in-depth, interesting book about how human societies have evolved and why some societies are different from others.

Reading Challenge: June 2017

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (book involving a mythical creature)
A good children's book. Even though I know next to nothing about Chinese mythology, I really enjoy reading books based off of folklore and fairy tales.

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai (book by a person of color)
Set in the 1980s, this YA novel takes on jealousy, homosexuality, memories, family tensions, and other issues, but did not explore any of them deeply. Interesting parallel with Othello, but I wasn't sure where the story was going.

Holes by Louis Sachar (a book you loved as a child)
Holes is just a pleasure to ride. It's not super deep or anything, but it has a fun story and an intriguing mystery.

Florence Nightingale by Catherine Reef (a book about an interesting woman) 
As someone who does not know much about "The Lady with the Lamp," I was interested to read this biography. Uses a lot of sources to tell about Nightingale's life.

Who Could That Be At This Hour? by Lemony Snicket (a book by an author who uses a pseudonym)
I enjoyed ASOUE, and this series is set in the same universe. It wasn't a bad book, but I felt like it didn't get far enough into the story before ending.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle, & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino

Introduction to Media Literacy by W. James Potter 

Reading Challenge: Half-Way Point!

2017 Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge

1. A book recommended by a librarian - The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

2. A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long - Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

3. A book of letters - The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

4. An audiobook - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

5. A book by a person of color - Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai

6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title

7. A book that is a story within a story

8. A book with multiple authors - Troll’s Eye View by Ellen Datlow

9. An espionage thriller -

10. A book with a cat on the cover

11. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym - Who Could That Be At This Hour? By Lemony Snicket

12. A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read

13. A book by or about a person who has a disability - Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison

14. A book involving travel - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

15. A book with a subtitle

16. A book that's published in 2017

17. A book involving a mythical creature - Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile - I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Williems

19. A book about food - Gut by Giuila Enders/Healthy Southwestern Cooking by Bob Wiseman

20. A book with career advice - Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute

21. A book from a nonhuman perspective - White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

22. A steampunk novel - Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

23. A book with a red spine - Shade’s Children by Garth Nix

24. A book set in the wilderness - Breaking Trail by Arlene Blum

25. A book you loved as a child - Holes by Louis Sachar

26. A book by an author from a country you've never visited - What is Chemistry? By Peter Atkins

27. A book with a title that's a character's name - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

28. A novel set during wartime - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

29. A book with an unreliable narrator - The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat

30. A book with pictures - Tales of Mystery and Madness by Edger Allen Poe

31. A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you

32. A book about an interesting woman - Florence Nightingale by Catherine Reef

33. A book set in two different time periods - Kindred by Octavia Butler

34. A book with a month or day of the week in the title - The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

35. A book set in a hotel

36. A book written by someone you admire

37. A book that's becoming a movie in 2017 - Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas

39. The first book in a series you haven't read before - Gone by Michael Grant

40. A book you bought on a trip

Advanced

1. A book recommended by an author you love

2. A bestseller from 2016

3. A book with a family member term in the title - The Color of Water by James McBride

4. A book that takes place over a character's life span

5. A book about an immigrant or refugee - Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

6. A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of -The Number Devil by Hans Enzenberger

7. A book with an eccentric character - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

8. A book that's more than 800 pages - The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

9. A book you got from a used book sale

10. A book that's been mentioned in another book

11. A book about a difficult topic - Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

12. A book based on mythology 

Reading Challenge: May 2017

Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute (book with career advice)
Such a good book. A self-help/career advice sort of book told through a narrative. Are you in the box, or out of it?

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (book with a title that's a character's name)
What is beauty? What makes someone beautiful? Can evil people be beautiful? Can beautiful people be evil? A beautiful book about a beautiful man who does ugly things.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt (book about a difficult topic)
This is one of those books that are hard to review. A tragic story about a 14-year-old boy struggling to get to his baby daughter, fighting against his father, social workers, detention, and stigmas. This book took on several difficult topics.

The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzenberger (book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of)
For those of you wondering whether mathematical fiction exists, it does. Now, if that doesn't fill you with terror . . .

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky (book with an eccentric character)
A sad, difficult book. Some parts were definitely relateable, and I found it hard to think that there are people out there that could probably relate with all of it.

Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life by Arlene Blum (book set in the wilderness)
A fun, sometimes heartbreaking book. Blum began climbing mountains when she was in college and pressed upward, despite storms, conflict, sexism, and the ever-present threat of death.

Reading Challenge: April 2017

The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat (book with an unreliable narrator)
Modern-day adaptation of Tom Thumb. I checked this out because it had twins in it (even though the twin part turns out to be unimportant) and was not particularly impressed. It's beautifully written, but vague.

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (A book from a non-human perspective)
Much like The Pull of the Ocean, this book is beautiful but even harder to understand. Miranda has a rare eating disorder called pica: she finds non-food items like chalk and plastic tastier than actual food. As her father and twin brother try and help her, mysterious things start happening in their childhood home. In fact, they are so mysterious, they are not even explained to the reader!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (steampunk novel)
I liked this better than City of Bones, but was still bored by how the author went on and on and on and on about how blue Will's eyes were and how pale Jem was---look, I get it, okay? They're cute, can we move on? Clare has built a fascinating world that was overshadowed by how hot Tessa's love interests were.

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride (book with a family member term in the title)
McBride sets the stage for his mother's life in this novel, using both her words and his to describe what their lives were like.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (A book that's becoming a movie in 2017)
Had a cool twist with Maddy's disease and a discussion about what it means to really live, but nothing particularly special. I'm really not sure how I feel about the ending.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton (book with a month or day of the week in the title)
Wow. Such weird. Much crazy. Had some genuinely funny moments, but mostly it was just . . . weird.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Legend by Marie Lu
I really liked this book! June and Day were both really awesome protagonists, in a way that was shown as well as told to us. Also liked how it explored how governments, schools, and the media can shape how we view the world, history, and the people around us.

What the Nose Knows by Avery Gilbert
Gilbert is a sensory scientist, and he brings many studies, theories, and insights into this book. Fascinating and in-depth look at how our noses work.

The Neptune File by Tom Standage
A story about the triumph of Neptune's discovery, and how that has influenced science to this day. Neptune was the first planet to be discovered mathematically and theoretically before it was observed.