Reading Challenge: May 2018

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (a book with alliteration in the title)
Reichs' writing is riveting and vivid, but this book was just so disturbing, violent and visceral I couldn't enjoy it. It left me feeling sick, and not even in a "Wow, I've learned something that I didn't like" sort of way.

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (a book set in a country that fascinates you)
I don't know much about U.S. history, much less international history, so learning about Korean lives during WWII was interesting and eye-opening.

Young Goodman Brown and Other Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne (an allegory)
I've honestly always assumed I would hate Hawthorne's books. I mean, they're not really my type, but he has such interesting, relatable themes in his stories. I found myself enjoying his stories so much more than I'd expected.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher (a book with a weather element in the title)
Eh, it was OK. Had potential, but I felt like it kept on talking about things I wasn't interested in.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (a childhood classic you've never read)
This book would have bored me so much when I was a kid, so I guess it's a good thing I'm reading it now. Honestly, it's still pretty boring, but I think I can appreciate the themes a little more.

Also read, but not for the challenge:
Persuasion by Jane Austen

Reading Challenge: Halfway!

I made it to 26 books on the 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge! I'm still looking for recommendations for some of these other categories; finding books doesn't seem to be as easy as it was last year...

This is what I have so far:

1.  A book made into a movie you've already seen: Matilda by Roald Dahl 4/5 stars

2.  True Crime: No easy answers : the truth behind death at Columbine by Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt

3.  The next book in a series you started: Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery 4/5 stars

4.  A book involving a heist:

5.  Nordic noir: Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg 2/5 stars

6.  A novel based on a real person: An astronaut's guide to life on earth by Chris Hadfield 4/5 stars

7.  A book set in a country that fascinates you - When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park 3/5 stars

8.  A book with a time of day in the title -

9.  A book about a villain or antihero: Vicious by V.E. Schwab 3/5 stars

10.  A book about death or grief -

11.  A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym -

12.  A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz 4/5 stars

13.  A book that is also a stage play or musical - Aida by Leontyne Price 4/5 stars

14.  A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you - The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera 4/5 stars

15.  A book about feminism - A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 5/5 stars

16.  A book about mental health -

17.  A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift - Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov 4/5 stars

18.  A book by two authors: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 4/5 stars

19.  A book about or involving a sport -

20.  A book by a local author -

21.  A book with your favorite color in the title -

22.  A book with alliteration in the title - Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs 3/5 stars

23.  A book about time travel - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 2/5 stars

24.  A book with a weather element in the title - Storm Front by Jim Butcher 2/5 stars

25.  A book set at sea -

26.  A book with an animal in the title - Beast by Donna Jo Napoli 2/5 stars

27.  A book set on a different planet - The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale 4/5 stars

28.  A book with song lyrics in the title -

29.  A book about or set on Halloween -

30.  A book with characters who are twins: I'll Give You the Sun by by Jandy Nelson 4/5 stars

31.  A book mentioned in another book -

32.  A book from a celebrity book club -

33.  A childhood classic you've never read - My Side of the Mountain by Jean George 3/5 stars

34.  A book that's published in 2018 - Meet Cute by various 4/5 stars

35.  A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner -

36.  A book set in the decade you were born -

37.  A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to - Warcross by Marie Lu 3/5 stars

38.  A book with an ugly cover - The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones 3/5 stars

39.  A book that involves a bookstore or library -

40.  Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges - Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (a book with a one-word title) 3/5 stars

Advanced

1.  A bestseller from the year you graduated high school - The Selection by Kiera Cass 3/5 stars

2.  A cyberpunk book -

3.  A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place

4.  A book tied to your ancestry -

5.  A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title -

6.  An allegory - Young Goodman Brown and Other Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne 4/5 stars

7.  A book by an author with the same first or last name as you -

8.  A microhistory -

9.  A book about a problem facing society today -

10.  A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge -

Reading Challenge: April 2018

I had spring break this month, so I was able to read more books than ever. And what good books they were! This has been a great month for reading.

The Selection by Kiera Cass (a bestseller from the year you graduated high school)
Honestly? Not the best book I've ever read. The writing and the plot were pretty "eh" and predictable and the stakes never really felt real, but it's not a bad book. It's just . . . fine.

Warcross by Marie Lu (a book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to)
Suspenseful. Non-stop. Good, like I've come to expect from Lu. The ending felt weird, but I'm excited to read the next one.

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (a book about feminism)
I've been wanting to read this book since I read the excerpt about Shakespeare's sister. For someone who lived 100 years ago, Woolf really knows how to make life vivid and meaningful. In fact, it's almost sad that feminists of 100 years ago talked about things that are still a problem today.

Meet Cute by various (a book that's published in 2018)
Like the title implies, cute! Since this was written by several different authors, some of the stories were better than others, but all in all a good read.

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (a novel based on a real person)
Chris Hadfield is my hero. He debunks the stereotypes about astronauts so well. 

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (a book with characters who are twins)
Nelson's writing is so vivid, it's like I'm there, feeling the pangs of young love and passion all over again. Her characters feel so real, so flawed, so stupid, so broken. There were some definite problems with the book too, but the good points pretty much made up for them.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (a book about time travel)
Maybe I just don't get classics? but this book did not work for me. I liked (is that the right word?) the anti-war message, but I have no clue what time travel had to do with it all.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (a book by two authors)
Wow. This book got me to care about the characters so much I almost ripped out all of its pages and threw it across the room at one point (those of you who have read it KNOW WHAT PART), which isn't something I say often. Such a dark, intense book, but soooooo good.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab (a book about a villain or antihero)
There's nothing like an antihero to show that life isn't black and white and nothing is as it really seems. Vicious really goes to show how damaged even "good" people can be.

Also read, but not for the challenge:
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson writes such interesting stories and worlds! I didn't like this one as much as I expected to (I felt like it had some wasted potential, and also needed a firmer editor), but such a good idea! And a deceptively simple ending.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Reading Challenge: March 2018

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera (a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you)
I watched this movie years ago (can't really remember it), but I loved the mythological, magical feel behind the writing. This story felt timeless, like it could have happened now or thousands of years ago. Beautiful.

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (the next book in a series you started)
Speaking of beautiful . . . I love the way Montgomery writes. Anne's life is pretty ideal, but it just shows lovely little world, from the point of view of a lovely girl.

No Easy Answers by Brooks Brown & Rob Merritt (true crime)
Fiction books tend to offer simple motives for their characters, but this book, written by a good friend of one of the Columbine shooters, offers no easy answers. In a time when school shootings are becoming more common than natural disasters, this shows that sometimes, you can know someone and still just . . . not know them.

The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones (a book with an ugly cover)
Like many of Jones' books, the ending was hard to understand, and I feel that she didn't explain the ending as well as I would have liked, but I love how she weaves old stories into new tales.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
I did not like this book quite as much as I've liked others by Sanderson, but the world was richly and carefully built and the characters all felt different from each other — and I've never gone from hating a character to loving him so fast before.

Reading Challenge: February 2018

Matilda by Roald Dahl (a book made into a movie you've already seen)
One of my favorite RD books. It's honestly a highly improbable story (even without the magic), but fun and cute and quick.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist)
WOW. Talk about slow burn. I don't know anything about being Mexican-American or gay or living in the '80s, but there was something about this book I could still relate to. Trying to find out who you are. Trying to connect with the people around you. Trying to find a place where I belong.

Reading Challenge: January 2018

Aida by Leontyne Price (a book that is also a stage play or musical)
I've owned this book of a loooooong time, which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows I am named after the opera. Leontyne Price played Aida for many years, and she has a beautiful voice. Honestly, the story of Aida doesn't capture me as much as it does some people; the Romeo and Juliet-type tragic love story feels a little old and makes me sad. But, the illustrations, done by Leo and Diane Dillon, are gorgeous and really go with the Egyptian/Ethiopian story. 

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (a book set on another planet)
Kinda a stretch . . . but Mount Eskel is certainly not on Earth! A lovely, vivid story. Even though Miri feels left out in her miner town because her father won't let her into the quarry, she learns her worth as a girl and as a friend over the course of the novel.

Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov (a book that you borrowed or was given to you as a gift)
This is my mom's favorite book, and for good reason. These stories really stand out as science fiction wonders. Some of them are funny, some are cringey, and some are heart-breaking.

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli (a book with an animal in the title)
I could easily imagine every moment in this book; the writing moves under its own weight, drawing the reader in. The plot and characters, however . . . leave much to be desired. Not a complete waste of time, but not a book I really want to think about again.

Smila's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg (Nordic noir)
This month was the month of lyrical books. Smila's Sense of Snow pulled me in with beautiful prose and characters . . . and then lost me with the snail pace. Seriously, this book was so slow. I am honestly surprised I managed to finish it. I would say this book is a lovely read if you can get through it.

2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge - Finished!

I finished the Popsugar reading challenge! 52 books down!

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 - A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

7. a book that is a story within a story - Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

8. a book with multiple authors - Troll's Eye View by Ellen Datlow

9. an espionage thriller - Angelmass by Timothy Zahn
10. a book with a cat on the cover - The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold

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 - Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

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 - Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

16. a book that's published in 2017 - By Your Side by Kasie West

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 Willems

19. a book about food - Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky

20. a book with career advice - Leadership and Self-Deception by 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 - Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

30. a book with pictures - Tales of Mystery and Madness by Edgar Allen Poe

31. a book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you - The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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 a day of the week in the title - The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

35. a book set in a hotel - At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

36. a book written by someone you admire - I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

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 - Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmell

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

40. a book you bought on a trip - Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus

Advanced

1. a book recommended by an author you love - Sunshine by Robin McKinley

2. a bestseller from 2016 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

3. a book with a family member term in the title - The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

4. a book that takes place over a character's lifetime - The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines

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 - Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

10. a book that's been mentioned in another book - A Separate Peace by John Knowles

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

12. a book based on mythology - The Heavenward Path by Kara Dalkey