002 book challenge

Time to update my book challenge, where it is more of a challenge for me to "read more" rather than read a certain amount of books in a set period of time. I knocked out 6 books with quite the range in genres if I do say so myself.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: The concept of this book was so compelling (love is considered a disease) but I felt it didn't really deliver. I think teens would really enjoy this book since it is an easy read and romantic but for me I just thought it felt super cheesy and predictable.

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells: A classic that spawned so much inspiration (the film Hollow Man comes to mind). This was a breeze to read through and quite fun to read due to the old time language. Makes me wonder if anyone really would enjoy the perks of invisibility or go mad.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk: Spoiler alert I did not like this book. It is my first book by Palahniuk I have read (I have seen the film for Fight Club and loved it but I did not read the book version) and I don't think I will read anything by him for a while since I read somewhere he sticks to the same type of style for each of his books. A lot of text is repeated (part of his style) which annoyed me. I also hated the main character. The "big reveal" that is supposed to shock and and blow your mind at the end of the book was not even shocking and it felt very unrealistic. I finished this book and said out loud, "that's it?!". Very disappointing.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: I liked Gone Girl more but this book was also a great read. I would recommend it. It isn't predictable and I loved how it kept reverting back and forth between the two important characters so you get so much perspective on how things happened. How do we feel about Charlize Theron being Libby in the movie version? I think she is too pretty for how I pictured the main character to be in my mind but I love Charlize so I'm sure she will perform well.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: I really really enjoyed this book. I was so skeptical at first as it reads in letters back in forth the entire time but after you get past the rough beginning to know who is who, the story was really compelling and touching. It helps that I am a sucker for anything dealing with the Holocaust. I loved the main character and so many moments in her narrative had me chuckling out loud.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: I really wanted to love this book as so many people raved about it but I just found it to be an okay book. It is a story about a hermaphrodite's family history and journey to self discovery. Some parts were so fascinating (I loved the back history with Lefty and Desdemona in Greece) while other parts felt so boring and unneeded. Eugenides is an excellent writer, his vocabulary really impressed me since he used words that I had no idea what they meant but they fit perfectly in the text once I looked up their meanings. But I found hefty chunks of the book had rambling details that were so unnecessary and unneeded that it made me feel bored. Why do I need to read two pages on the history of how decrepit the church that the main character was baptized in was? I also felt the aftermath of the main character's acceptance of who they were wasn't really put into detail or talked about which is a shame.

001 book challenge

Over a year ago I challenged myself to read more often. At first I wanted to read the TIME 100 top novel list, but I changed it to picking whatever books that fit my mood to be more realistic. I've been pretty slow in this challenge, but as long as I'm reading something I'm fine with my pace. Here are the books I've managed to read:

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout: This is an all fluff, no substance teen novel about a human girl that befriends her incognito alien neighbors. She also falls for the bad boy brother alien. If you are in the mood for quick entertainment and don't mind some cringe worthy descriptions, this is for you. I enjoyed it but got bored continuing the series because it felt repetitive.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: I liked this novel. It's a sweet romance story with characters that aren't your typical main protagonists. I didn't care much for how the book's ending, but let me know what you think about it if you've read it. I enjoy Rainbow's style of writing... so much that I read another book by her (below)

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: My coworker was reading this and I noticed it was also by Rainbow so I borrowed it to knock out. It has an interesting story line about a man who has a job reading through flagged content emails at a corporate office for security reasons. He begins reading flagged emails between two girl friends and ends up falling for the personality of one of them. I liked this book more than Eleanor & Park. Again, I enjoyed Rainbow's style of writing and feel we share the same humor. I laughed quite a bit at a few parts.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver: A teenage girl that's part of the most popular clique in her high school gets in a car accident and ends up living the same day before the accident over and over again. The main character irritated me quite a bit but I was still able to get into the story. I know a lot of people didn't like the ending of this but I thought it was the most appropriate one.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: I finally got around to reading this popular book. I've been meaning to ever since it started making headlines. This is one of those books you absolutely can't discuss without giving away spoilers which is a shame because I had a LOT to discuss about after reading it and no one to talk to haha. I'm very very intrigued on how the upcoming movie version will carry the story out!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead: A quick read if you are in the mood for supernatural YA. Another book where the main character was a bit overbearing but I liked the overall world and setup. I would like to finish out the series eventually. The writing isn't the best but it still has some entertainment merit.

I don't know if you picked up on it, but I've been on a YA kick. Any suggestions on what to read next is always appreciated. I was able to get some great suggestions on twitter that I made note of, so thank you to those that helped me out!

01 the book challenge

I have always been a reader, even as a child (remember Beverly Cleary and Roald Dahl?) As I have gotten older, the internet has wooed me into fading away that reading self in me. I miss reading actual books, you know? While I still do read books now and again, I haven't read nearly as much as I used to and as I'd like to. So I am challenging myself to read all of the novels in TIME's 100 top novels list. This challenge is inspired by Jessica over at the Belle Lumiere. Her blog is awesome, if you haven't heard of her check her out. She gives to the point reviews, sets inspiring goals for herself, and her 'thoughts of the week' posts are something I look forward to.

BOOK CHALLENGE ROUND ONE PICKS
So how will this challenge work? I'll pick ten books at a time (my first picks for this round are pictured above) and update you of my progress and my brief thoughts on each book. I looked over the list and have read a handful of the books already but I will reread them again. I also will probably throw in a few books that aren't on the list that I have been curious about. Feel free to join me on this challenge if you want! Or even recommend some of your favorite reads since I love getting insight. Challenge on!