2015 Reading Challenge

source

I have been in a funk since the move (tip: don't ever move with teenagers-wherever you live when your kids are older than 12, just plan on staying there until they all graduate). Since I am happier when I am working on a goal, my good friend Suzanne forwarded me a reading challenge she was working on in 2015. I finished my first book yesterday (in red) and now I am ready to move on to the next.  I was hoping some of you might help me round out my list. So check out my categories and give me some suggestions-pretty please.

If it is written in red, I read it and the * are out of 5*.

UPDATE:  I finished the last book sometime early morning January 4th on my way back from dropping my oldest off to college.  Now I need to think of a fun challenge for 2016. (sorry for all of you you with OCD,  I don't know what is up with the margins, but I am too lazy to fix them)

2015 Reading Challenge

1.      A book with more than 500 pages

         City of Heavenly Fire-Cassandra Clare***

                 (don't judge)

I personally think she should have stopped after book 4, but she's a great author if you are looking mindless demon and vampire romance.

 2.      A book of short stories

                 The Illustrated Man- Ray Bradburry*****

Bradburry is the man.

 3.      A classic romance

          Me Before You-Jo Jo Moyes****1/2

A quirky outcast gets a new job helping a rich quadriplegic and it is great, but will make you cry. 

4.      A book that became a movie

                  If I stay -Jan21 ***

Great teenage romance to escape reality.

5.      A book published this year ***        

            The Heir-Keira Cass****

If the Bachelorette was set in a futuristic diastopian society, it would be this.  This is the 4th in the series and each one isn't a good as the previous one. 

 6.      A book with a number in the title

                 #16 Things I thought Were True-Janet Gurtler  ***   

                  Meh

7.      A book written by someone under 30

                 The Darkest Mind-Alexandra Bracken****

                Kids start developing supernatural abilities and out of fear are rounded up by the government. A perfect book for hanging out a basketball practice.

8.      A book with non-human characters

                 Dragon Song- Anne McCaffrey**

                 I started to read this for my series, but I didn't enjoy it              enough to read anymore.                              

9.      A funny book

                 Bridget Jones Diary-Helen Fielding **   

                 I may be the only one that didn't love this.  I found her              constant string of bad decisions annoying and                            frustrating. 

10.    A book by a female author

                  Feeling Sorry for Celia-Jacyln Moriarty****

The book takes place in a series of notes from mother and daughter and I kind of loved it.

11.    A mystery or thriller

                 Looking For Me-Beth Hoffman****

A young antique dealer tries to cope with the disappearance of her brother.  The mystery is a bit of a stretch, but it is full of southern charm.

12.   A book with a one word title

         Backwater-Joan Bauer ***

         A girl from a family of lawyers, heads up into the              mountains to meet her reclusive aunt. Quick, easy read.

13.   A book set in a different country

                Inside the Kingdom-Carmen Bin Ladin   **** 

                Fascinating non-fiction into the lives of Saudi Women  

14.   A non-fiction book

                The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau  **                 

     Loved the idea of this book, but didn't really like how it was written.  I would have loved reading more about people's pursuits.    

15.   A popular authors first book      

       That Summer-Sarah Dessen ***

Full of teenage angst and summer love. Great reading to forget you're really 43.

16.   A book from an author that you love but you haven’t read yet

          Saving Lucas Biggs-Marissa de los Santos ***

         Love, love, love her adult books.  This time-traveling        tale written for kids is a wonderful book about  friendship and forgiveness.

17.  A book a friend recommended       

            The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani ****

Epic tale of a girl from a small village in the Italian Alps that makes her life in America. I really didn't think her love interest was good enough for her and it bugged me.

18.  A Pulitzer Prize winning book

            Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 

It is a long letter of an elderly father to his son. I tried to love this, but there wasn't much of a plot, and I had to force myself through it.               

19.  A book based on a true story

             Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini **

Interesting story told in super boring way.  

20.  A book at the bottom of your to read list                                                               

            Grave Mercy-Robin Lefevers ***     

Female medieval assassins-what's not to like.  

21.  A book your mom loves

The Rent Collector-Camron Wright****

Story of Cambodian garbage pickers.  I was worried it would be depressing, but it was uplifting.

22.  A book that scares you

      The Ghosts of Ashbury High-Jacyln Moriarty***

   A mysterious couples are the new kids at a rich boarding school in Australia.

23.  A book more than 100 years old

       A Room with a View- E.M Forster***

There are lots of great themes in this book, but I just had a hard time caring about any of the characters. 

24.  A book based entirely on its cover      

       The Fourteenth Goldfish***

A girl's grandfather discovers the secret to youth, and becomes her age.

25.  A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t

           The Bell Jar-Sylvia Plath ***     

 A young women's decent into madness.             

26.  A memoir

       Taking Flight by Michaela DePrince ****    

Memoir of a orphan girl's journey to become a professional ballerina.             

27.  A book you can finish in a day

            Hope Was Here-Joan Bauer   ****

          I like this author, if you are looking for clean stuff for your teens to read.     This one's about a girl that moves around a lot, and finally settles in a small town. She develops waitressing to an art.              

28.  A book with antonyms in the title

           The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Jamie Ford****

Forbidden love of a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl during WWII.

29.  A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit

            What Alice Forgot-Liane Moriarty****1/2  (Australia)            A 40 year old woman wakes up from a concussion with no memory of the last 10 years.  I loved it.

30.  A book with bad reviews

       Into the Ever Blue-Veronica Rossi.***  

Average teenage diastopian romance

31.  A book from the year were born (1972)               An Unsuitable Job for a Woman-PD James ***

Young brittish femal PI investigates the suicide of a wealthy misfit.          

32.  A trilogy

        Across the Universe-Beth Revis****

The story of a family that is frozen for centuries as they travel to another planet, but the teenage daughter awakes early.

33.  A book from your childhood

       Dandelion Wine-Ray Bradburry****

34. A book with a love triangle

       In Their Footsteps-Terri Gerritson ****

A women investigates the death of parents who had been secret agents. 

35.  A book set in the future

        Under the Never Sky-Veronica Rossi***

Average teenage diastopian romance

36.  A book set in high school

          Buzzkill-Beth Fanatskey ****

        Teenage reporter investigates a murder in her high school

37.  A book with a colour in the title

       The Girl in Hyacinth Blue-Suasan Vreeland **

An epic novel about the different owners of a painting. I have loved some of her other books, but this didn't hold my interest.

38.  A book that made you cry

       We are Called to Rise-Laura McBride ***

It tells the stories of an8 year old Albanian boy, a middle age woman, and social worker, and an injured vet.  There stories collide in a not-so happy string of coincidences.

39.  A book with magic

       Princess of Thorns-Stacey Jay***

A retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

           

40.  A graphic novel

       Rapunzel's Revenge-Shannon Hale *

Not my favorite genre

41.  A book by an author you’ve never read before

      Everybody's Got Something-Robyn Roberts***1/2

Super uplifting, quick, fun read.

                                     

42.  A book you own but have never read                                                                              All You Could Ask For-Mike Greenberg    

Women connect through a breast cancer forum-it made me cry and schedule my mammogram.                                

43.  A book that takes place in your hometown 

The Man That Owned Vermont-May 1, 2015 *

The guy in this story has some issues.

44.  A book that was originally written in a different language  

        Reckless-Cornelia Funke **   

A take on the Grimm Fairy Tales, but it just wasn't a page turner for me.                 

45.  A book set during Christmas

       Redbird Christmas-Fannie Flagg ***

       Maybe not my favorite of her books, but enjoyable.

46.  A book written by an author with your same initials        

        Girl Missing- Terri Gerritson ****     

Crime drama                                                

47.  A play

       A Raisin in the Son by Lorraine Hansberry***

I didn't enjoy it, because I was waiting the entire book for something bad to happen.

48.  A banned book (or previously banned)             

        Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury  Jan 28 *****

My daughter’s favorite book   

49.  A book based on or turned into a TV Show

           Astronaut's Wives Club-Lily Koppel ****

(Don't read this if astronauts are your heroes)

50.  A book you started but never finished

             Big Little Lies-Liane Moriarty****

Tells the story of a murder that took place at a PTO function at a small school in Australia.