Christina’s Comments (group member since Dec 23, 2014)

Christina’s comments from the Puzzles Presents: Ultimate Reading Challenge 2015 group.

Definitely Lumberjanes #1. Very unique, very funny, and very quirky. It resonates well with today's teens but there is something for everyone I think.

The first one is about these five girls who go to Lumberjane camp- like a summer camp- and as the chapters progress we learn what their creed is. Mostly, friendship to the max.

Sounds silly, but I'm putting Modern Romance here. It's not what it first appears, or at least I first expected a memoir and it wasn't that. Man was I surprised! Aziz Ansari doing qualitative and quantitative data?! It was a blend of humour and truth about the way we date now and how we used to. I put it here because Aziz infused his own personal romance stories with the real findings of the people he talked to. And while he makes fun of you for listening to his audiobook, its really worth it!

I think Me and Earl and the Dying Girl belongs here (If I haven't posted it already. It was quirky and refreshing, and so much better than The Fault in Our Stars. I felt the narrator was interesting and his friends gave the book some good flavor.

I highly recommend going to see the movie- also scripted by the author- becausethe movie the boys make comes to life!

<3 <3 <3 LOVED this book!

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future Totally. I based this one off of the stark contrast in yellow and black/white.

And it turns out that makes sense because Glory finds herself becoming interested in photography and the works of photography her mom did.

This book is one part realistic fiction and one part sci-fi. It is a creative blend of the two. (I think its called Magical Realism?) I really like the writing style of AS King, but I think the narrator for this one really cinched it together. She had a sort of smoky voice and really brought the characters to life. Definitely a good summer read!

I think I will put The Scar Boys here. I picked it up last summer, loved the concept, and then had to return it before I could really get into it.

Now, once I've accepted audiobooks more as well as managed to keep on my RIBTAs before June hits, I found that I couldn't put it down.

It was a brilliant book for all the right reasons and can really touch many audiences- those with PTSD, those with panic attacks, those suffering from self-perception issues, those not sure about college, those who want to pursue their passions, and on and on.

Not the biggest fan of the narrator for this book, but it was a really good book lol.

Oh, and you'll want to start a Spotify playlist as you read this- so have something to keep notes on as you read!

<3 <3 <3 LOVED this book! His narration does really draw you in! That audiobook is wicked enjoyable on many levels.

There are 978 holds on 169 copies in Rhode Island right now.

Also it sort of sounds like Source Code in the description, sans explosions.

I smell trouble, I'm also on that forementioned holds list.

I noticed today that The Family Romanov was on the RITBA 2016 list, so I definitely want to take a look! Such an intriguing title! And an interesting historical family.

I also read the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. While I won't throw away my books (book swap, maybe) I found myself tweaking her methods. Instead of cleaning my apartment all in one go, I instead did it in four days (four rooms). And while I kept the things that made me smile, I tossed a lot of paper items. It was helpful, but so far I still don't feel I've found the perfect method.

Cinder First my friend Christine said to read it. About 30-50 pages in, I just couldn't get into it. So I set it aside and, some months later, Jess said to read it via audiobook. And voila! At first I was like "hmmm" and felt it at times very predictable, but I find myself intrigued and wanting to continue the series anyways. A fun twist on a classic tale.

<3

agreed!

I'm going to put The Gospel According to Larry here. It was witty and off-beat, and read by Jesse Eisenberg it just really came to life. Very worth the read. And still relevant today!

Belzhar is loosely based on Sylvia Plath. After Jam does through a devastating loss, she finds herself attending school at The Wooden Barn- a half-way home between those who cannot attend high school but are not in need of mental facilities.

Here, she is automatically signed-up for a class called Special Topics in English. Her class is required to journal and, as they do, Jam finds her problems coming to life -literally- and discovers she has to deal with her issues or be stuck living in the past.

For readers of We Were Liars, you may find yourself liking this story. Totally different setting, great characters, but a wonderful twist.

<3 Love, love, loved this book! His narration really synched it for me!

I think I'm going to put The Room here. While some articles call this his debut novel, his Goodreads page lists many other books under his name and those are written in Swedish. Since many of the names in The Room still have umlauts and superdots within names, its not much of a stretch to say it was first published in Swedish. However, I read it in English.

Bjorn, compulsive and hairline OCD, begins working for the government. From time to time, he seeks relief in The Room, a purified office on his floor where no one seems to work and he believes he achieves the highest level of work. However, his coworkers begin to call his behavior odd and distracting to their work environment and seek to have him removed from the office.

Just when you think this book will playout like The Adjustment Bureau, it takes a hard left followed by a zig-zag and a loopty-loop. It's short (186 pages, but some pages are merely a paragraph), witty(either utterly brilliant over I'm over thinking it, having just finished this morning) and contains readers questions in the back.

Also high-five Jay & Livermore Maine!

Hahaha Becky we have THE same issue. Maine is so small town! I may read something by Stephen King that is obscure enough to fit anywhere in SmallTown, Maine ^_^

I like "a book that takes place in your homestate", because unless you're from LA, or NYC, or Chicago(hehehe, which I know someone in this group who is) its challenging.

The Art of Neil Gaiman: The Visual Story of One of the World's Most Vital Creative Forces Beautiful. Full of life and quirky little bits I didn't know about one of my favourite authors.

While I still have two more to go in the series (and book 2 is sending as I type this), this series is brilliant. It starts with White Cat continues with Red Glove and ends with Black Heart.

I love this author and I love her original takes on these stories.

What made this read even better for me was that it was read by Jesse Eisenberg. He's a sharp wit with a dry humor and it was a perfect fit for this world. As an actor, he can do inflections and accents and won me over instantly.