Laura’s
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(group member since Jan 07, 2015)
Laura’s
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from the 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] group.
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So I just now actually registered that I stole your plan name for the 2016 challenge. Totally unintentional. Sorry!
Congrats! It's awesome that you managed to finish amidst a busy year. Job well done :)
Good job! That was an impressive accomplishment considering your last books. Congrats! :)
You can do it! :)
Congrats! :)
Congrats! Just in time :)
Congrats! :)
I think a more realistic goal would be to change every single book :p I came pretty close to that goal this year :)
What was your reading goal for 2015? Did you accomplish it?I had to change my goal a few times. At first, I just wanted to finish this challenge but then i decided to add the A-Z Challenge. I was able to finish about half of that. I think I overestimated what I could finish but I'm happy with my ultimate amount since it was a huge increase from the past.
What was your favorite book (or books) of the year?
I discovered some amazing books this year:
- Me Before You
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
- The Time Traveler's Wife
- Horns
What was your least favorite book (or books) of the year?
Luckily, I didn't dislike too many of the books, even if some of them were mediocre. My only two-star books were:
- The Heir
- Midnight
Who was your favorite character (or characters) of the year?
Probably Lisbeth Salander (The Girl Who Played with Fire). I liked a lot of the characters, though.
Who was your least favorite character (or characters) of the year?
Every character in The Girl on the Train.
What was your favorite book cover (or book covers) from this year?
Which book surprised you most this year?
I would say The Time Traveler's Wife. It sat on my shelf for quite a while because I didn't totally love the movie. But the book was fantastic.
Did you discover anything new about your reading tastes?
I've always read a variety of genres but I didn't expect to enjoy short stories as much as I did. I ended up reading quite a few novellas and really enjoyed 20th Century Ghosts
Do you have any reading regrets this year?
I wish I could have finished the A-Z Challenge and I can't believe I didn't fit in House of Leaves. But I'm pretty proud of how much I increased my reading and I plan on fitting House of Leaves into week 1 of 2016.
What is your reading goal for 2016?
I just would like to finish the A-Z challenge and complete the AtY challenge. It would be great to finish all of Joe Hill's work since I read quite of a bit of his stuff this year.
I finally finished the challenge! I have made a ridiculous number of changes and ultimately read a few more novellas than I would have preferred but in the end, I increased my reading from under 5 books in year to a total of 68 in 2015. So I think that can be considered quite a success :)
Now it's time to finally put together a complete list for my 2016 challenge!
I tried to listen to this on audiobook and I just couldn't do it. I really love the show but I just did not like Elena in the book. She seemed to selfish and self-centered. Does she improve as the story goes on?
The citizens of Moonlight Cove are changing. Some are losing touch with their deepest emotions. Others are surrendering to their wildest urges. And the few who remain unchanged are absolutely terrified—if not brutally murdered in the dead of night. Enter the shocking world of Moonlight Cove, where four unlikely survivors confront the darkest realms of human nature...I was deciding between this and another Stephen King book and ultimately decided on this one just because the premise seemed more interesting. It pains me to give a Dean Koontz book 2 stars but there was just so much wrong with it.
1. The horror is supposedly with the creatures in the book and these creatures supposedly (view spoiler)
2. It is way too long for what Koontz accomplished. He could have easily reached this length by providing back story on the characters but still he chose to provide us with line after line about the struggle against regression. Why not give some profound history on the characters so that I actually give two craps about whether they get killed? I know I have a tendency to care more about the pets but I cared way more for Moose than any other character.
3. There was absolutely no closure about the "thing" (view spoiler)
4. That was the most anti-climatic ending ever. The entire book led up to this major face-off where you assumed it was going to be something interesting. They literally (view spoiler)
I know. "Tell me what you really think..." But if this book was started earlier in the challenge or if I didn't care so dang much about Moose, I would have abandoned it much earlier.
I think the read-a-thon went pretty great! If I do say so myself ;) But for real, though. Please give us feedback! It's great to here everyone's thoughts before we try to plan a new event.
I personally liked the week long format. As a grad student, something is always going on so it seems like I always am too busy during the 24-hour events. I really liked being able to read when it fit, even if I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked.
Please visit the activities if you haven't already! Especially the recommendation train. That's something we could keep going all year :)
For some reason, I really struggled with staying awake the past week. It was a pretty stressful week with my clients so that may have contributed to it. Even though I should have had plenty of time in the evening, I found myself falling asleep a lot. So that was unfortunate. Midnight: 367 pages
The Pilot's Wife: ~100 pages
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: 30 pages
Midnight has been dragging a bit and I think it really could be a good 100 pages shorter, which hasn't exactly helped with my sleepiness.
I'm really loving The Pilot's Wife and I even had trouble putting it down before bed last night. Hopefully I finish it tonight :)
I haven't read The Color Purple yet (it's on my TBR), but from what I do know about the novel, you may want to look at White Oleander. It's one of my favorites of all time. If someone has read The Color Purple and wants to add to the recommendation then feel free!
I discovered so many amazing books this year, but I think the one that stuck with me the most was The Time Traveler's Wife.
This has been an amazing week and it's been great reading all of the answers to the different activities. I hope that we are able to plan a similar event in 2016 and I am really looking forward to the new challenge. But as this read-a-thon comes to a close, it only seems appropriate to do some Bedtime Book Tag:
1. Name a book that kept you up all night reading.
2. Name a book that scared you so much you didn't want to sleep.
3. Name a book that bored you till you wanted to fall asleep.
4. Name a book that left you tossing and turning in anticipation for it's release.
5. Name a book that would be a dream to live in.
6. Name a book that would be a nightmare to live in.
7. Name a book monster/creature you would not want to find under your bed.
8. Name a book that reminds you of the night.
1: Did you and your parents/guardians read bedtime stories at night?My family is huge on readers, particularly my mom and grandma so I'm a huge believer that you can raise a person to be a reader. I don't remember being read to but I'm sure it happened :p
2: What age did you really start to enjoy reading?
I've enjoyed it as long as I can remember and can roughly remember the progression: Little Golden Books --> Dr. Seuss --> Nancy Drew --> Goosebumps --> Dean Koontz/Stephen King (probably younger than normal ha)
3: What is the first children's book you remember reading?
All the Little Golden Books. I had a ton of them on my book shelf.
4: What is the first romance book you remember reading?
I know I read White Oleander way too young. I remember my French teacher being horrified when I brought it to class one day.
5: What is the first non-fiction book you remember reading?
I couldn't tell you. I really struggle with nonfiction and I also hate being forced to read books. So even as an avid reader, I resorted to Cliff notes a lot in school. Being forced to read a book is enough for me to not read it. I think school books would have been my first nonfiction... would I have actually *ahem* read them..
EDIT: Zaz reminded me! I think it would have been Wildlife Fact-File. Good times :)
6: What is the first comic/graphic novel you read?
This year was actually my first graphic novel: Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
1. Black: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.I think A Game of Thrones is hard because the character relationships are complicated.
2. Peppermint mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.
It's a little obvious, but my family has always read The Night Before Christmas (at least when I was younger)
3. Hot chocolate: What is your favorite children’s book?
I loved Dr. Seuss growing up.
4. Double shot of espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Gone Girl
5. Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere.
The Girl on the Train
6. That hipster coffee shop: Give a book by an indie author
One book I read this year was self published: Trapped
7. Oops! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.
The Magicians
8. The perfect blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.
Me Before You
This is one of my favorites. It's been years since I read it but there's just something about it that sticks with you.
Day 6 of the read-a-thon is coming to a close soon, which means some of you may be in need of some caffeine. Even if you don't grab an actual cup, it's time for coffee book tag
1. Black: Name a series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans.
2. Peppermint mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.
3. Hot chocolate: What is your favorite children’s book?
4. Double shot of espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
5. Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere.
6. That hipster coffee shop: Give a book by an indie author
7. Oops! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.
8. The perfect blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.
