Wednesday, May 4, 2016

2016 Reading Challenge Update


Guys. I have been slacking. My reading has taken a huge hit from all these Viking and X-Files marathons Adam and I have been doing after work. Normally our routine, after the kids go to bed, involves him watching Myth Busters, Survivor Man, Top Gear or some such show and I read. Unless it was a new Top Gear. But now we are both glued, and while it is fun to play our own Mystery Science 3000 and make funny commentary or guess what the paranormal situation is, I am simply not reading. My reading challenge this year consists of 40 books and I have read 9 so far and it is May. At this rate I need to read 4-5 books per month to reach my goal. With summer approaching I may be able to accomplish that but it will be tight. 

Here are the books I have read and my thoughts on them. 
* = meh ** = decent *** = read it

3. YA Bestseller- Magnus Chase by Rick Riodan *** if you like a fun, light headed punny YA series

6. Translated to English- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky *** a beefy book that took me several weeks to ingest but well worth the time to experience such a heart felt and melancholy story of love and choices

7. Romance set in the future- Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness *** this was the last book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, humans settle a new planet at the expense of resident aliens

10. NY Times Bestseller- Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas currently being read but as of right now I give it *** and look forward to seeing where this epic fantasy with fairies takes me

13. Self-improvement- Fragrant by Mandy Aftel *** for the scent enchanted, Mandy educates and enthralls using the power of aroma, best if read while using her companion scent box of actual 
essences and absolutes and resins

22. Graphic novel- Loki's Wolves by Armstrong and Marr ** while not entirely a graphic novel, there are several illustrations throughout, giving it a graphic feel... a fun lighthearted Norse mythology based read that is a nice pallet cleanser after reading heavy material... looking at you Anna Karenina...

24. Protagonist with your occupation (teacher)- The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll ** a unique book that straddles paranormal Stephen King with good vs evil quirky Dean Koonz

29. Dystopian- Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood *** mind twisting story along the lines of Animal Farm but resonates powerfully for me as a woman

30. Blue cover- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli ** a great story for young people about the power of peer pressure and how subtle or forceful it can be

39. Island setting- Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta ** a fast paced but semi-predictable fantasy story of a kingdom torn apart by greed and a curse, must read for fantasy fans


As you can see from the picture above, I have no lack of books to dive into and I have added a good half dozen since then. Plus Throne of Glass has about 4 more books in the series and I am thinking I want to read them. Are you reading? What have you just finished? What are you currently reading? Or what is on your To-Read list? Have you read any of these I have checked off this year? Let's book chat!

5 comments:

  1. My reading is picking up again after about a year of poking through books at an elderly snail's pace. I finished the second book in that Impossible Quest series and immediately jumped into the third book. Those are so short, quick, and easy that it's fun. Not sure what I'll go to after that series. I have a ton of books waiting. I might stick with shorter ones for a while to build that sense of accomplishment. lol

    ~Deb

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    1. Lol! Last year was slow! My challenge was only 26 and it was close. Glad you picked up though. It DOES feel good to fly through a book in a couple days as opposed to several weeks. I am on that trend right now after a slow start at the beginning of the year. I read the Throne of Glass in two days.

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  2. Fun reading list! I loved Stargirl when I was in high school. My reading has taken a huge hit due to TV watching also; kinda sad. :(

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    1. It was a quick sweet read. We have the sequel here but I don't think I will read it. Do you have any books you'd like to read? Do you miss it?

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    2. I have probably 20 paper books I haven't read and a few hundred freebies on my Kindle app. I've been an avid reader my whole life but probably haven't picked up a book in over a month. Lately I always seem to have other things to do. Next on the list is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd which my mom got me last Christmas. I need to get on it. I loved her other books.

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