Category: book challenge

Book Challenge by Erin 7.0

Over the weekend, I picked my choices for Erin’s next book challenge which runs from July 1-October 31. Can’t wait to get into some of these books! Usually it takes me ages to narrow down my choices but I picked almost all of these from my “check out soon” shelf on Goodreads meaning that they were already on my 2017 radar. 
What do you think of my picks? Any thoughts on any of these books? I’ll share all of my thoughts on them when I get through them!! 
5 points:  Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Thank you, Erin for mailing this to me!!!!) I have heard numerous fantastic reviews of this book, and apparently it is a rapid read so I look forward to getting into it!! 

 10 points:  Read a book that starts with the letter “B”
Beach Music by Pat Conroy (comes highly recommended by Steph) OR Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio (have heard good things and I am anxious to try one of her books!) 

10 points:  Read a book that has a (mostly) yellow cover
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (thinking of doing this one on audio; it has been on my radar for awhile and was discussed several times on the WSIRN podcast)

15 points:  Read a book that has a picture of an animal on the cover (submitted by Mattie)

The One & Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (my most trusted book recommender Kristen’s review of this one pushed this close to the top of my list for this year) 
20 points:  Read a book that was published in 2017 (submitted by Olya)
The Other Girl – Erica Spindler (A publicity agent at Netgalley sent this to me without me requesting it, and it looks quite good and fits with my reading mood for 2017 so I’m looking forward to it)
20 points:  Read a book with a compass or cardinal direction in the title (submitted by Mary)
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (This is highly recommended for fans of Jane Austen, plus, I am DYING to watch the mini series on Netflix but I’ve promised myself that I’d read the book first…I already have it on Audible but I have the whispersync so might switch back and forth a bit)
25 points:  The ALA’s “Banned Books Week” occurs while our challenge is happening.  Read a book from this list of the most commonly banned books in America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_commonly_challenged_books_in_the_United_States (submitted by Christina)
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (This book has been on my TBR for years and it popped up in Everything Everything so I made a mental note to just get to it already! Side note – can you believe some of the books that have been banned?!?!) 
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (This will be my first Sophie Kinsella book ever and deals more with mental health – but I felt like it fit the category enough?) 

A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas (This might change…I have a few other books on my list that would fit this category but I want to see what all the fuss about Sarah J Maas for myself) 
35 points:  Read a book a Disney movie was based on OR a book based on a Disney movie (submitted by Kirsten); Don’t forget to check that the book is at least 200 pages: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Novels_first_published_in_serial_form&pageuntil=Dune+Messiah#mw-pages; https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/11716.Books_Turned_Into_Disney_Movies
Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (I haven’t seen the Disney movie since I was a kid, but I think this will be a good read!) 

Can’t wait to get reading!! I have a huge stack of library holds, Netgalley books on my shelf, and other assorted reading goals for the summer, but I’m excited for all of these book choices too.

Book Challenge by Erin 6.0 Choices

This is my third book challenge of Erin’s and I love them. I’ve mentioned this before, but the things I really love about her challenges include:

– spread out over 4 months so I am not *just* forced into reading challenge books but have enough time to sprinkle in other library holds or books that catch my eye
– interactive facebook group with beautiful photos and thoughts on books
– new: interactive goodreads group!!!
– flexible categories with the ability to change your choice (I’ve done this the other two times…I am an indecisive person!)
– GREAT categories and participants.

Anyway, if you were ever thinking of trying out a book challenge, I would highly recommend this one! I can’t wait to start reading these books on January 1, 2017. My 2017 reading is going to be off to a FANTASTIC start. You can find out more about the challenge HERE.

Here’s my list for Challenge 6.0:

(5 pts) Freebie – read a book that is at least 200 pages long – The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (368 pages) <– this is on hold for me at the library, so it will be my first read of the challenge unless I can’t wait until January to read it and then I’ll add something else in here 🙂

(10 pts) Read a book that starts with the letter “W”: Woman of God by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (400 pages) – it’s been awhile since I read a James Patterson book and my mom highly recommends this one.

(10 pts) Read a book with 6 words in the title: The Lord’s Persuasion of Lady Lydia by Raven McAllan (253 pages) (a Netgalley book that is on my list!!)

(15 pts) Read a book that has a (mostly) green cover: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (343 pages) I’ve heard good things and it seems very green! 😉

(20 pts) Read a book with a homonym in the title: Jellicoe Road AKA On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (419 pages) (homonym: Road/Rode) This has been on my bookshelf for almost a year and I enjoyed Marchetta’s other books so I am excited to give this one a go.

(20 pts) Read a book by your favourite author: The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling (503 pages) – I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t read this book yet but I have heard SUCH mixed reviews on it and held off on it for a long time. Need to give it a try though and this is the perfect time for it.

(25 pts) Read a book set in the city/town/state/province/county you live in. Sign of the Cross by Anne Emery (set in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) (329 pages)

(30 pts) Read a “Rory Gilmore” book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1276 pages) this is an ambitious choice and I am thinking of giving it a go on audio it’s 51 hours long!!!! – I’ve always wanted to read it because a university friend LOVED it and I also heard Meredith Schwartz rave about it here and it has really piqued my interest all year.

(30 pts) Read a book from a genre you’ve never (or rarely) read: Red Rising by Pierce Brown (382 pages) (thanks to my 2016 book analytics excel sheet (post coming soon!!), I can accurately say that I rarely read Sci-Fi ;))

(35 pts) Read a book with time-travel: A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (464 pages) I’ve read a few time-travel books, and part of me was tempted to get further in the Outlander series with this category, but I think a second book by Jude Deveraux will hit the spot.

Another summer book challenge post :)

Here is my preliminary list for Erin’s Book Challenge 5.0. I had a hard time with some of these categories not because they aren’t great (they totally are!) but because I couldn’t narrow down my choices!! I easily had 3 possibilities for most of the categories and I loved others’ choices too so I might do the bonus round if I finish the first list in time 🙂 This challenge starts July 1 2016 and ends Oct 31 2016. The facebook group for more info can be found HERE. This is a super low-pressure challenge with a lot of support and info in the group and I *loved* the last challenge by Erin so I hope to participate in these forever (haha).

  • 5 pts: Read a book that is at least 200 pages: TBD but I’ll fit one in 🙂 Maybe Harry Potter 🙂
  • 10 pts: Read a book that starts with the letter “R” : A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny I am totally obsessed with this series so I’m happy Book 4 fits in here. I somehow only had a few R books on my TBR list on Goodreads.
  • 10 pts: Read a book with five words in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith I might do this one on audio. It has high reviews across the board and I feel like I should really read it.
  • 15 pts: Read a book with a mostly blue cover: The Lake House by Kate Morton This one is coming to me via the library pretty soon so hopefully not before July…haha. 
  • 20 pts: Read a book that has been (or will be) made into a movie: Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda After REALLY enjoying The Golden Son by Gowda earlier this year, I can’t wait to read this one. Unfortunately, it looks like the movie has been “in development” for a few years, but I’ll have to dig a bit more on that one.
  • 25 pts: Read a book set in a country that you’ve always wanted to visit: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winnifred Watson (the UK) I could have picked a number of books for this category since there are a LOT of countries I want to visit and great books for those countries but this one seems interesting. 
  • 30 pts: Read a historical fiction book. These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner This one has really good reviews and seems like a departure from my usual historical fiction choices.
  • 30 pts: Read a music-related book. The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta I haven’t read Saving Francesca yet so I’m not sure if I will get too much out of this book (it seems kind of like a sequel?!) but it sounds like a lot of people have really enjoyed it.
  • 35 pts: Read a book originally published over 100 years ago: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Reading my way through Austen books this year (I will probably do this on audio too)

      Summer Reading Challenges – SCSBC16 picks

      I’ve written a few times about reading challenges and how I feel about them. Since becoming active on Goodreads, my TBR list is out of control, and I feel like I really need to “organize” my reading life. By this, I mean, I keep a shelf called “check out soon” and place a book or two on hold if I am nearing the end of my short-list. Book challenges also really help me to read a variety of books over the span of a month or two. I have made a conscious decision moving forward to only choose books for book challenge categories if they are already on my TBR list (OR if they sound super fantastic anyway). I ended up reading some not-great books once in a book challenge because I had to fit a certain category.

      This summer, I’m hoping to do Erin’s Book Challenge 5.0 which will be announced on Jun 1 and begin July 1. I am also still planning to participate in Erin and Dani’s read your books challenge for the month of June. Finally, I’m working towards picking out books for Megan’s Semi-Charmed Summer Book Challenge 2016. #SCSBC16

      Here are the categories for SCSBC16:

      General rules:
      The challenge will run from June 1, 2016, to August 31, 2016. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on June 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on August 31 will count.
      Each book must be at least 150 pages long. Audiobooks and large-print books are fine, as long as the regular print version meets the length requirement.
      A book can only be used for one category, and each category can only be completed once.
      The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will be invited to contribute a category for the winter 2016 challenge.

      And now for the exciting part: the challenge categories!
      5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 150 pages long. TBD but will likely be one from my own shelf: Every Move by Ellie Marney  or The Grand Sophy  by Georgette Heyer which I just got in the mail.

      10 points: Read a collection of short stories or essays. They may all be written by the same author, or the book may be an anthology from different writers; your choice! Summer Days & Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins (various authors)  

      10 points: Read an adult fiction book written by an author who normally writes books for children. Examples: J. K. Rowling, Judy Blume, Suzanne Collins, Rick Riordan, etc. – Submitted by SCWBC15 finisher Kelly E. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (this has been on my list for a long time). If I end up not liking this, I’ll read The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling.

      15 points: Read a book set in Appalachia. – Submitted by SCWBC15 finisher Ericka B. (Try this list or this one for inspiration. And here’s a map if you have a book in mind and want to know if it fits the setting.)  Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (this might change once I dig around a bit more – I am also wondering if the Appalachian area in Canada counts but I don’t think so) another choice I had in mind for this is The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen but I’m not sure about the magical realism part. Hmm. We’ll see how it goes 😉

      15 points: Don’t judge a book by its cover! Read a book with a cover you personally find unappealing. TBD when I look at the books on my shelves but it might end up being Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy  – the copy I have isn’t the prettiest and I have put off reading it for at least 15 years even though it’s right on my bookshelf.

      20 points: Read a book that you have previously only seen the film (movie) of. – Submitted by SCWBC15 finisher Bevchen. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (I own it and reading all of Austen’s books is a goal of mine for this year so this fits well here – I’d love to use Emma but I’m already halfway through the book ;)). 

      25 points: Read a book with a punny title. The title can be a play on another book title, movie title or a common expression. Examples of such titles include Southern Discomfort, We’ll Always Have Parrots or Bonefire of the Vanities. – Submitted by SCWBC15 finisher Jamie G. The Eyre Affair  by Jasper Fforde (I’m going to copy your choice here Kristen, hope that’s OK! I struggled with this category too and might change my mind)

      30 points: Read a microhistory. (Try this list or this one for ideas.) As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (I am not sure if this counts. I think it might be a “micro-memoir” but I hope it fits here.) My next pick if this one doesn’t count is The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

      30 points: Read one book with a good word in the title, and one with a bad word. Note: This category is reeeeeeeally open-ended! Maybe you like turtles, so The Pearl that Broke Its Shell is a title with a “good” word. Similarly, the “bad” word could be a swear word or a literally negative word like “not” or “none,” or it could just be something you don’t like. Have fun with it!(Remember, you must read both books to get 30 points; this category is not worth 15 points per book.) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (good word = happiness :)) and Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan (bad word = sleepless lol) (two books I own – second via Netgalley)

      40 points: Read two books that contain the same word in the title, but once in the singular and once in the plural. For example: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter and The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer, or Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. (Remember, you must read both books to get 40 points; this category is not worth 20 points per book.) The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell and The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (first via Netgalley)

      Of these books, I will for sure be reading The Girls in the Garden and Sleepless in Manhattan ASAP to post reviews for Netgalley.  My other priorities will be sticking to books I already own in June. After that, I’ll just have to see how I can slide these in with other interesting books for Erin’s next challenge in July!!


      To see what other people are reading for this challenge, go here. To see my list on Goodreads, go here. 

      Book Challenge by Erin Update

       5 points:  Read a book, any book that is at least 200 pages long. EVERY WORD by Ellie Marney DONE
       10 points:   Read a book that begins with the letter “D”.   DUMPLIN’ by Julie Murphy – DONE


      ·         10 points:  Read a book with a four word title. ONCE UPON A PRINCE by Rachel Hauck This has been revised to ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven DONE
        
            15 points:  Read a book with one of the following words in the title: “mother(s)”, “father(s)”, “son(s)”, “daughter(s)”, or “child(ren)”. THE MOTHER DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Heather Vogel Frederick DONE

           20 points:  Amazon ranks their “most popular authors”, and they update this list hourly.  Based on when you make your book list, look at the top 100 authors, and pick a book to read from one of those authors, but here’s the catch – it needs to be an author new to you…one of the most popular authors, yet you’ve never read them before.  http://www.amazon.com/author-rankTHE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah (not started yet)


      ·         20 points:  Read a book set in any country in Asia. THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini (not started yet)

      ·         25 points:  Read a book with a “Season” in the title.  (I start the challenge in Summer and end in Autumn; many of you start in Winter and end in Spring…so the title of your book should have Summer, Autumn/Fall, Winter, or Spring in the title.) WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah
      DONE
       
      ·         30 points:  Read a book that will make you laugh from the list attached. (submitted by Bernadette)http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/books-guaranteed-to-make-you-laugh-out-loud BRIDGET JONES DIARY by Helen Fielding (half done) 
       
      ·         30 points:  Read a book that is a friend or family member’s favorite book (or the favorite book of another participant from this challenge).  (submitted by Peggy) PERSUASION by Jane Austen which is many friends’ favourite book but recommended especially by one of my friends from home and most likely also of Kristen’s favourite books?? 🙂 DONE ❤

      ·         35 points:  Read a book published the year you were born. (submitted by Meredith) ENDERS GAME (year: 1985) by Orson Scott Card (Partway done)


      Total Books Read: 6/10
      Total Points: 95 

      Winter Book Challenge Month 1 Update

      Here’s my progress update on the Semi-Charmed Winter Book Challenge hosted by Megan at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life. Here are the categories I’ve completed so far: 

      10 points: Read a book that does not take place in your current country of residence. 

      BLACKMOORE (Julianne Donaldson) (4/5 stars) loved this story, but not quite as much as I loved Edenbrooke.
      ______________________________________________________________

      10 points: Read a book that someone else has already used for the challenge. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Kristen @ See You in a Porridge. 

      WONDER(R.J. Palacio) (used by What Low Reads en Francais!!!) (4.5/5 stars) This was a great read!!
      ______________________________________________________________

      15 points: Read a book with “boy,” “girl,” “man” or “woman” in the title (or the plural of these words).

      LITTLE WOMEN (Louisa May Alcott) (5/5 Stars) absolutely loved this book!! 
      ______________________________________________________________

      15 points: Read a book with a one-word title 

      WINTER (Marissa Meyer) (6 out of 5 stars – lol jk) I loved this book so much and I gobbled it up in a day and a half when it came out!!
      ______________________________________________________________

      20 points: Read a food-themed book. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Jamie @ Whatever I Think Of! 

      BELLA’S CHRISTMAS BAKE OFF (Sue Watson via Netgalley) (3/5 stars) I wasn’t the biggest fan of this one, but it had some OK moments.

      TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 70
      ______________________________________________________________
      And here are my other choices, with some revisions from my original list:

      5 points: Read a book that has between 100 and 200 pages. 

      My original choice for this one, A STUDY IN SCARLET was longer than 200 pages. Oops. So I didn’t bother with it and now I am going to read THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE instead. 
      ______________________________________________________________

      10 points: Read a debut book by any author. 

      NORTHANGER ABBEY or SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Jane Austen) <– still haven’t started this yet and I might end up revising my book in this category to EVERY BREATH which I just got out from the library (and I am LOVING!) after reading Hannah’s review 🙂 
      ______________________________________________________________

      15 points: Read a book published under a pseudonym 

      THE SILKWORM  (Robert Gailbraith AKA J.K. Rowling) (1/2way done this one)
      ______________________________________________________________

      20 points: Read a book with a person’s first and last name in the title 

      ARTEMIS FOWL – (Eoin Colfer) OR BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY (Helen Fielding) depending on my mood…haha…both are easily accessible at the library.
      ______________________________________________________________

      20 points: Read a book with a verb in the title. 

      ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (Anthony Doerr) <–just got this one from the library 
      ______________________________________________________________

      30 points: Read two books with the same title (by different authors). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher bevchen @ Confuzzledom. 

      I had to revise this category from THE ALCHEMIST and  THE ALCHEMYST because Paulo Coehlo’s is not over 200 pages (uggh!)…SO back to square one and I think I might read The Pact by Jodi Picoult and Karina Halle and but I’m also considering Easy, Elsewhere, Be Careful what you wish for, Forever, Any advice?!? haha. I am so torn on this category because I feel like I will end up choosing one book that I normally would not read since I can usually only find one highly rated book with a title…but I guess that is the point of the Reading Challenge, haha!!
      ______________________________________________________________

      30 points: Read a nonfiction book and a fiction book about the same subject

      So I narrowed this one down to 2 yoga books: 
      POSER: MY LIFE IN 23 YOGA POSES (Claire Dederer), nonfiction, and  CORPSE POSE (Diana Killian) , fiction.

      I have both of them from the library right now and will hopefully finish them next week.

      Check out everyone else’s updates over here today!



      Winter 2015 Book Challenge

      So, I’m going to do another reading challenge! I loved the Literary Ladies Challenge and I love planning books for various categories and really spreading my wings with reading different things.

      Here’s my preliminary list for the Semi-Charmed Life 2015 Winter Book Challenge hosted by Megan at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life (anyone else always get Third Eye Blind in their head when they head over to her blog?? I think that’s part of the point!!) 🙂

      5 points: Read a book that has between 100 and 200 pages. 

      I’d recommend this list here and I’m going with A STUDY IN SCARLET (Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes # 1) 

      10 points: Read a debut book by any author. (The book does not have to be a 2015 debut.)

      NORTHANGER ABBEY or SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Jane Austen)  (There is a bit of a debate over which was her actual debut book but I plan to read both of them during this time frame so here we go).

      10 points: Read a book that does not take place in your current country of residence. 

      BLACKMOORE (Julianne Donaldson) 

      10 points: Read a book that someone else has already used for the challenge. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Kristen @ See You in a Porridge. 

      WONDER (R.J. Palacio) (used by What Low Reads en Francais!!!)

      15 points: Read a book published under a pseudonym (e.g. Robert Galbraith, Sara Poole, J.D. Robb, Franklin W. Dixon, Mark Twain, etc.). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Megan M.

      THE SILKWORM  (Robert Gailbraith AKA J.K. Rowling)

      15 points: Read a book with “boy,” “girl,” “man” or “woman” in the title (or the plural of these words).

      LITTLE WOMEN (Louisa May Alcott)

      15 points: Read a book with a one-word title (e.g. Attachments, Americanah, Uglies, Wild, etc.). 

      WINTER (Marissa Meyer) can’t wait for this one!!!!!

      20 points: Read a book with a person’s first and last name in the title (e.g. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle).

      ARTEMIS FOWL – (Eoin Colfer) OR BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY (Helen Fielding) depending on my mood…haha

      20 points: Read a food-themed book. — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher Jamie @ Whatever I Think Of! 

      BELLA’S CHRISTMAS BAKE OFF (Sue Watson via Netgalley) 

      20 points: Read a book with a verb in the title. (For any grammar nerds out there, I mean “verb” in the most general sense, so gerunds count. For non-grammar-inclined people, just use any book that appears to have a verb in the title!) 

      ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (Anthony Doerr) or WHAT ALICE FORGOT (Liane Moriarty) depending which one comes to me first in my library holds 🙂

      30 points: Read two books with the same title (by different authors). — Submitted by SCSBC15 finisher bevchen @ Confuzzledom. 

      THE ALCHEMIST (Paulo Coelho – REREAD) and THE ALCHEMYST (Michael Scott) and can I just say that I had an absolutely impossible time picking this category even though it’s fun??

      30 points: Read a nonfiction book and a fiction book about the same subject (e.g. a biography and historical fiction novel about the same person; two books about a specific war or event; a nonfiction book about autism and a novel with a character who has autism, etc. The possibilities are endless!). 

      I am pretty indecisive when it comes to non-fiction so I made two possibilities (well, 4 total) for this category and I will do one of these (LOL).
      POSER: MY LIFE IN 23 YOGA POSES (Claire Dederer) and  CORPSE POSE (Diana Killian) 

      OR:

      THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB (Heather Vogels Frederick) and HELP WANTED: MOMS RAISING DAUGHTERS (Darlene Brock)


      Check out others’ lists here and follow along as I update my progress on this over at Goodreads! The challenge runs Nov 1 2015 – Jan 31 2015!!


      Literary Ladies Book Club & Summer Reading Challenge!

      Hi there! It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted in this space! 

      However, as you may remember, I LOVE to read and I am finding a lot more time for it lately on my commute to work and now that I have children who mostly sleep all night 😉 Last week I came across an awesome SUMMER BOOK CHALLENGE that I’m so excited to participate in, and I wanted to share my book choices for the challenge on my (old) blog space!! 


      Here are my reading picks for the Literary Ladies summer reading challenge (Jun 21-Sept 21 2015):


      1) A YA Book – Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (Jessica Darling Series #1)

      I’ve already picked this one up from the library, so it might be the first one I start on Jun 21! I’ve heard a lot of good things 🙂

      2) Non US Author – The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo  who is Japanese!! 

      A few people recommended this to me, and while I’ve heard it is a bit extreme, I think I need it in my life!!

      EDIT: I amended this book choice to Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty because the book by Marie Kondo is less than 200 pages on my Kobo!! So I’ll still read it sometime, but it won’t count for this! 


      3) Book recommended by a Blogger – The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin recommended by Kristen here. 

      I’ve heard SO many good things about this book and I can’t wait to jump into it.

      4) A book that’s been on your to-read list for 1+ years- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by 

      This one has been on my to-read list on Goodreads for ages now, and I haven’t seen the movie either…so I think this summer is a good time to give it a go!

      5) A book with a kick-ass female character – Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

      The audiobook is all cued up thanks to Librivox!

      6) Book that is or will be a movie – The Martian by Andy Weir 

      Going the audiobook route on this one too – I think I will understand it a bit better that way! Can’t wait to check out the movie this fall with my husband’s favourite actor as the main character!

      7) A book written by a celebrity – One More Thing by B.J. Novak AKA Ryan from the Office AKA Mindy Kaling’s “best friend”

      I started this a long time ago and didn’t finish it, so I guess it counts as a bit of a re-read. I think the short story format will work well for the bus commutes. If for some reason, this book of short stories doesn’t fit the category, I am going to amend this choice to Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

      8) A book with a one-word title – Cinder  by Marissa Meyer

      I deliberated on this category for a long time, and almost went with Invisible by James Patterson. The problem with Goodreads is that it’s too easy to read reviews, and I figured Invisible might be a bit more gruesome than I’m up for right now, so the highly recommended first book in the Lunar Chronicles fits this category for me.

      9) Suspenseful book – Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn 

      I must be the only person on the planet who hasn’t read this book yet, and I want to read it before seeing the movie which I noticed is now on Netflix!!! Unfortunately, I have encountered a few spoilers for it, but I think I’ll still enjoy it.

      10) A book about summer or has summer in the title – Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

      Oh, boy did I ever deliberate over this one too. There are so many books with Summer in the title and some of them seem a bit too teenage-angsty for my current mood (i.e. turning 30 in a few months, lol). Who knows, maybe my choice will be that way too, but it seems pretty good! I will also probably check out Summer at Sea at some point this summer 🙂 This category also made me remember Summerland…whatever happened to that show? It was OK for a bit there!



      ANYWAY….


      If you’re looking for a fun virtual book club to join, I am pretty intrigued by the Literary Ladies Book Club! They have a Goodreads page and they are planning to host a Twitterchat on the last day of the month to discuss that month’s book. Their pick this month is Saint Anything, and I’ve been anxious to try out Sarah Dessen for awhile!!

      You can follow along with my progress for this book challenge on my Goodreads page. I hope to blog a bit more this summer too, because I am finding myself with free time (occasionally) in the evenings these days and I want to try to capture this season of our lives with a bit more sincerity!

      XOXO!!