Challenge: 50 Books discussion

This is my first year trying this on Goodreads, but I've kept count for the attempt for several years previous. However, it's been a long time since I've actually managed to get 50 books read in one year, so I thought joining a group might help motivate me.

Best of luck! :)

Thank you! ^_^

1) Matched by Ally Condie

The "love triangle" could've used some work, but there were so many little lines that struck me as I read. It was a book that made me think, which is always nice.

I'll definitely be picking up the two other books in the trilogy for 2014 reads!

2) Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War by Christie Golden

Although I've raided in World of Warcraft for years, this is the first WoW books I've ever picked up. I absolutely loved it! I've never been much of a lore person, but I found myself getting into it because of this book.

The only thing that slightly (and only slightly) took away from the book is that Golden likes to "flower" her language up a bit too much for my taste here and there. Thankfully, it's not constant, but it made me almost regret picking the book up while reading the first chapter.

3) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

My favorite book of all time (and I add that my favorite genre is urban fantasy) is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I bring this up merely because I find it so intriguing that I can be absolutely mesmerized and delighted by the prose of one sister... and detest the writing of the other.

I went into reading this book knowing that I likely wouldn't like it due to my preference for happy endings. However, I never expected to absolutely despise the book. Seriously, there are zero likeable characters. One can argue that Hareton does his best to be the best of the unlikeables, but still... when it comes down to it, likeability causes me to care. And so caring was completely discarded.

Also, just like I found Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to have a severe flaw due to its narration style, Emily's choice of narration inside a narration was tedious and awkward.

*Cough* Anyway, long story short, if it wasn't for Emily's frequent use of the word "ejaculate" as a verb meant for shouting, I would not have found any enjoyment from the experience whatsoever.

4) Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

(First book read in February)

Is this not the 21st century, I ask you? Yes, sure, the story takes place in the fantastical past, but the author cannot claim such.

The female main character in this book is the queen of a kingdom, seeking out her lost husband (who she's met a whole once as a child). That... is the end of her usefulness to the plot. After that, she's too busy being saved every five seconds to do anything more meaningful.

In a nutshell, these are the words that continuously came to mind as I read this book: sexist, cliché, stereotypical, random, and predictable.

I have a second romance novel of hers sitting on my bookshelf... I'm afraid. I'm afraiiiid!

Summer wrote: "3) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

My favorite book of all time (and I add that my favorite genre is urban fantasy) is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I bring this up m..." I feel precisely as you do about Wuthering Heights. Jane Eyre is my favorite book, and I find likeable characters to be essential to my enjoyment of a book. I found Wuthering Heights to be completely unlikeable in every way.
I've told myself that I'll try it again in several more years--maybe that will change my perception, but I'm not so sure!

Summer wrote: "4) Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

(First book read in February)

Is this not the 21st century, I ask you? Yes, sure, the story takes place in the fantastic..."

You need to find yourself a better class of romance writer.

Also, have you read the third sister, Anne? I've got "Agnes Grey" coming to the top of the tbr pile shortly.

Kim: "I've told myself that I'll try it again in several more years--maybe that will change my perception, but I'm not so sure!"

Heh, my hats off to you if you can get through that book more than once! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who believes likeable characters are incredibly important to a story. (Not every character, of course, but I need to route for someone(s)!)

Donna: "You need to find yourself a better class of romance writer."

I know, right? The two books of hers were borrowed from a friend... she is officially fired.

"Also, have you read the third sister, Anne? I've got "Agnes Grey" coming to the top of the tbr pile shortly."

I have not! I always forget there was a third sister! *Cough* Let me know what you think!

In other news, I need to figure out how to use italics on this website...

Don't fire your friend, just her book recs. My bffs & I rarely read the same things, but I don't hold it against them.

Oh, of course. I meant I was firing her from book recommendations.

Jeez, that'd be pretty rude of me to judge someone based on their likes and dislikes of literature.

Well, I certainly try not to, but then again.. ;)

5) Crossed by Ally Condie

This book was mediocre at best, other times less, but not enough for me to hate the book. Instead, I just felt nothing throughout the read. Occasionally, I would be annoyed at the love interest in the book, as he's clearly become more important that the supposed main character... despite him being incredibly unlikable.

Also, while the first book had lines in it that caused me pause, I felt that this book tried too hard to come up with such "deepness." This created a sense of distrust with the author and also made the book feel too melodramatic for my taste.

6) A Dark Champion by Kinley MacGregor

I decided to get it over with and read the other book I had by MacGregor. Apparently, this was the first in the series, not the second, but meh, it didn't matter that much.

I was surprised that the onset and most of the middle was decent. Not great, but decent. The woman was strong-willed and spoke her mind. She was all about peace, poetry and love (the stereotypical woman's famed favorites), but still, she had a backbone. The man was your basic masculine beefcake with a tragic past and heart of gold that made him worth more than a random hook-up.

It wasn't a great story, but it wasn't terrible... until the end of the novel hit. Suddenly, the story became incredibly random and lame. (I'm being vague in case for some odd reason someone wants to read this.)

Ah well, at least it was a fast read!

Damned by faint praise.

7) A Spell For Chameleon / The Source of Magic by Piers Anthony

I don't know if it was tiring from disappointment or the fact that situations in life moved me back to books that have a specific sentimental value (probably both), but I decided to reread a couple books and this is one of them.

I first read this novel in high school. A friend had leant me the fourth book in the series (which I read first) and then, having loved that, I read this one next. Anthony's Xanth can sometimes be silly and most definitely punny, but it often has peaks of truth and insight I love.

It wasn't as good as reading it in my teens, but then, tastes change over time and I really shouldn't be surprised by that. Even still, the plot was enjoyable to re-explore and the idea that everyone has issues, and yet we can each find love is... well, it's nice.

8) Looking for Alaska by John Green

This was another reread book. It's also on my Top 3 Favorite Books of All Time list and a book that I strongly recommend that everyone should read, no matter your age.

This is a YA novel about a guy named Miles (1st person PoV) who transfers to a private school where he meets new friends and has both amazing and tragic experiences. Instead of chapters, the book breaks up sections via days Before and After an incident that I just can't spoil for you.

I needed to read this book again, and based on my own new experiences, had a completely different involvement while reading it this time. Thus, while any book is often a different experience if read years later, this one is, I think, meant to allow you to consider your current demons and face them straight on.

9) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I actually rather enjoyed the silly campiness of the movie and decided it was an interesting enough concept (and that I liked the characters well enough) that I would try out the first book in this YA series.

Turns out, the book was so good that I absorbed it in two days (while on vacation, I might add). The romance the main character is involved in is actually much better done in the book (and far less creepy), so I'm rather pleased about that.

I bought the second book in the series last night. Now that I don't know what's going to happen next, we'll see if that speeds up or slows down my reading! (Also, you know, still on vacation, so that's always a factor!)

10) Frostbite by Richelle Mead

So, uh, huh, finished the book in less than a day. I guess that tells you that I liked the book, eh?

I'm absolutely in love with the world and lore Mead has created in this book series. Sure, I like the characters (and am a sucker for the romantic aspects), but I find myself inspired by Mead's creativity. It makes me excited to get back to writing, which is something I've been rather blocked on of late, so that's a rather large compliment!

11) Shadow Kiss by Richelle MeadRichelle Mead

What can I say? I'm addicted! Each book keeps getting a little bit better than the last, which is awesome since many series tend to do the opposite.

I'm taking a brief break from the series as I await the books in my mailbox in a few days. In the meantime, I have a rather lengthy book requesting my attention. We shall see if it manages the attention I gave Mead's work!

my goal is to finish the vampire academy series this year. I've read the first one.

An excellent goal! ^_^

12) Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey

This is the second book in the Phedre trilogy, an epic fantasy tale of an anguisette (a person born to find pleasure in pain) who is both a courtesan (of sorts) and a spy.

While I enjoyed the book all right, I must say that, much like the first book, I was disappointed in the sex scenes. Only one of them was really well done. The rest... well, they were just swept up under the rug despite the plot often revolving around the subject manner. As well, Phedre and the love of her life don't even really have sex scenes. It's just "yup, [insert a couple flowery words to note they did it]."

Now, this isn't a romance novel, but when it comes to a book about a woman who enjoys sex (and uses sex for various aims throughout the book), I think it's a fair critique.

I do love the romance between Phedre and her OTP and I think it may be why I decided to read the second novel in the first place. Well, that, and the fact that the main character finds unique (and complicated) ways to win the day(s).

Far too much politics in this series for my taste, but I do enjoy the characters and how men and women both shine.

13) Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

The 4th book in the Vampire Academy book series. Still loving it! Still breezing through them!

14) Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

The 5th book in the Vampire Academy book series. Although I know who Rose ends up with (spoilers abound when a book series has been out for awhile), I still find myself in that "winning and losing" section by enjoying her interactions with both love interests.

I also like that Rose is a main character with a ton of flaws. She does and says things that make me want to throttle her, but yet, why on Earth would I want a main character who always does and says the right thing?

15) Be a Sex-Writing Strumpet by Stacia Kane

I've been reading this book off and on for about a month. It's actually a very fast (and short) read, but hey, there were distractions going on (such as a vacation... and Vampire Academy...)!

Anyway, as an aspiring romance novel writer (well, I write urban fantasy and supernatural horror also, but that's neither here nor there), this book was a great guide into things to think about. What's great is that I didn't always agree with Kane. And because of that, I think I learned more about my preferences and what I think is "hot" versus what she does... and that's important, especially when faced with the daunting task of my characters about to do things to each other I've never really described before.

So, while I'm not sure I would say I'm confident to move forward in my "sexy" writing, I will say that at least I think I'll find the nerve to get into it. A first step! Yeah!

16) Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Final book of the Vampire Academy series. There's a spinoff series that I'm going to look into, but I might peruse a couple new authors first.

In the meantime, I did like the end of this series. I mean, I feel bad about the guy who didn't get the girl... but since he gets the girl in the spinoff (or so it seems from the little I've read about it), I'm okay with it.

A short review, but eh, it's late and I need to sleep!

(Also: Look at me catching up to where I should be in the read for 50 books quest! Huzzah!)

17) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This book is written in 1st person letter format. The narrator is a teen and the writing is very simplistic. That being said, I think within that simplicity there comes some fantastic, poignant lines that hit home so well that I had to stop and breathe them in.

There is a lot going on in this book, and nothing is really paused on and analyzed. I don't honestly find that a critique of the book. I think the book lets the reader take on what the narrator provides and allows personal experience and empathy to extend further past what words Charlie does express.

18) Music Through the Floor by Eric Puchner

This is a book of short stories written by Puchner. I had read a few of his works before this, when I read them for a writing class. I liked them so well that I told myself I would read all of the selections one day... granted, I didn't expect it to take me four years to finally pick it up again, but hey, it made me appreciate re-reading the ones I knew, too!

The short stories are all... well, rather depressing. Puchner writers literary fiction and does so with an eye for humanity's imperfections. To be honest, though, some of the short stories just made me feel terrible afterward, like I was haggard from lack of sleep or something after finishing it. I'm honestly not sure if that's a compliment or not!

Either way, I think these stories are worth a read, particularly Essay #3: Leda and the Swan.

19) Reached by Ally Condie

I had to give myself little pep talks to get me through this book. "You can do it, Summer. Just think, once you've finished reading it, you can, you know, stop reading it. This logic makes sense, really!"

Seriously though, the ending of this trilogy was completely abysmal. For some reason, the "love triangle" was dragged all the way into the third book despite there being no possibilities of it going any other way than the way it did. Two of the three main characters are horrid (which I suppose is why they were attracted to each other?), the writing went from thoughtful in the first book to forced and cliché in this one, and the only character who was actually likeable was given a pity love at the end of the book that made absolutely no sense.

I could go on, but gods, the book was enough to put me to sleep several times in the last several days. There's no reason for my review to do the same to any who are reading this!

20) Seraphim by Michele Hauf

Well, I'm a bit off schedule on my 50 book reading due to this novel being entirely awful. I trudged through it like I was on my own battle of good against evil. I triumphed, but perhaps at the expense of some of my soul.

Seraphim is about a woman warrior that must destroy demons fallen from heaven. Oh, but don't let that awesome premise fool you. It's an anti-feminist novel in disguise! While you may think you're reading about a woman proving that women can kick lots of butt and save the day, it is a LIE. Instead, the author continually attempts to prove how fragile women are and how this particular woman must overcome the woman inside of her in order to persevere. (Oh, and she of course has to be accompanied by two men to protect her. Well, one of them more than the other, but I digress.)

I could go on, but as I noted on my brief comment in the general thread for this book, this damn novel has stolen enough of my time. Oi.

21) Divergent by Veronica Roth

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I like the world, the main character (most of the time), the romance, and the writing style.

I think watching the movie first might have made me annoyed about a couple things in the book, but only because I thought the movie changed it so it would be better. The simulations, for example. I think the movie made the whole thing make more sense. And the ending wasn't anti-climatic like I felt the book was.

*Sigh* I need to read four books in ten days to catch up. That, is not happening. But hopefully I can push up my pace in July!

22) Skin Game by Jim Butcher

15th book in the series. I think there's one more after this and then we're done?

The first half of this book was excellent. The second half had me rather frustrated. I think my biggest issue was that I feel like Butcher wants to show women as strong characters... but continually winds up showing the opposite.

For those wanting details (yes, I pretend other people read my reviews), I did write something up for this book in the review section.

23) City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

The last book of the Mortal Instruments series. And my my, did it pack a punch! It was incredibly long (725 pages), but Clare used the pages to tie up (almost all) loose ends. I mean, sure, there's other books coming out in the same universe, so some of that isn't resolved, but mostly the main characters are...

Except for one (arguably two), which actually ruined a bit of the ending for me. :( I admit, I'm a big softie for ships working out, and this only gave me a tiny silver lining instead of closure. I deserved closure, damnit! >_<

Ahem. Anyway, it was a good book and a good finale. But Clare is a cruel mistress... erm, author.

24) Love with a Long, Tall Texan by Diana Palmer

A "modern" romance novel with three separate stories (albeit in the same 'verse). If you like women in stories to be small, meek, virginal, submissive, and ultimately sacrificial of all things making them independent, then this is the book for you!

I know I love nothing more than a man I just met to tell me how I'm doing everything wrong, how I should drop everything just so I can love him. Oh, but we've gotta get married first (within one to three weeks of meeting), because heck, if we did anything before hand, why, that'd muck up my virtue!

Of course, only one of these stories actually had a sex scene... and it was terrible, so perhaps the other two being left out was for the best.

25) I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson

This book marks the halfway point to my 50 book reading goal! Huzzah! As for the book itself...

Honestly, I was disappointed. Granted, there were some parts that were spectacular... but mostly spectacular in the fact that I enjoyed the philosophy that my brain began engaging in, which went beyond the pages. In fact, I think my imagination continually went beyond the pages as Matheson just didn't quite seem to have a good handle on what would work better on the page itself.

Most of the time, descriptions fell short. The ending was highly cliche and predictable. And yet, I will say that this book was written in the 50's... which means, that it likely wasn't cliche and predictable at the time. So, thus, Matheson does get some kudos, albeit some small ones.

Lastly, I must say that the short stories at the end of the book frustrated me far more than the novel before it. This is partially due to the fact that I honestly thought the author was going to fascinate me by jumping to the perspective of (I shall be vague so that there are no spoilers) another... but instead it was just random short stories that weren't even advertised on the cover (front or back).

26) Evermore by Alyson Noel

I have one positive remark for this book... it was a fast read. By the end, this was mostly due to just wanting to get the horrible experience over with.

Unlikeable characters (especially the main character and her love interest), trite plots (particularly tragic due to how hard the author was trying not to be), and subpar writing. Yeah, I don't think I'll be picking up the next book in this series. Yeesh.

27) The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

I think the worst part of this book was how excited I was upon discovering it at the bookstore. I'm a huge Greek mythology buff and so I thought this would be a fun romp (and perhaps wouldn't have Percy Jackson's annoying flare of having Ares use words like "punk").

The writing itself was alright, but the author decided that Greek mythology and Christianity are somehow, uh, related beyond that they're both takes on religion. The main character is thus expected to take tests to prove she's worth immortality. I was thinking these tests would be exciting, dangerous, and perhaps a little violent at times (I love a good violence). Instead, she had to uphold the Seven Deadly Sins. Umm... whaaaaa?

Now, if you know anything about the Greek gods, I imagine you will find the idea of them upholding morality as more than laughable. And the way she passed the tests? Ugh, don't get me started.

The main character was okay, not quite likeable due to her constant "I'm not whining, really, just super sad about my hard hard life with all my loss... but nope, not whining, not me." The gods and goddesses in human form... well, let's just say that I appreciate the author trying... she failed, but she tried.

28) Much Ado In the Moonlight by Lynn Kurland

To start off, a book that has nothing to do with the play Much Ado About Nothing shouldn't have it in the title. Sure, Hamlet was in it, so Shakespeare was involved, but I'm still annoyed.

Actually, this whole book annoyed me. I had to wait *416* pages (out of 449) before the romantic leads KISS? Wha? And then I don't even get to read any smut--it's just "neatly" noted in a sentence that they did it, repeatedly. Umm, no. Sorry, but it's not a romance novel unless there's smut. Why else would I be reading this? I've been cheated!

Then there's the fact that there was so much crying going on in this book that I wanted to cry myself (due to heightened frustration). The sap was up to 11 and I was choking on it.

Summer wrote: "28) Much Ado In the Moonlight by Lynn Kurland

To start off, a book that has nothing to do with the play Much Ado About Nothing shouldn't have it in the title. Sure, Ha..."

Summer, you made me laugh, thanks. From now on, all romance novels being reviewed should be rated on their Smut Factor! I agree completely -- why the heck else would we be reading them, I ask you?

From now on, all romance novels being reviewed should be rated on their Smut Factor!

Yes! I absolutely agree with this statement!

29) Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

It's been a rough month and change, folks, but I've finally found a book that was above mediocre or plain terrible. Huzzah!

This is the first book in Mead's Vampire Academy spin-off Alchemist series (okay, I decided that was the series' title).

I was actually a bit afraid to read this book. Main characters changing is refreshing in some respects (although I love Rose... most of the time), I wasn't sure if I would love Sydney (our new main character). The thing is, she has a ton of flaws--some of which annoy me quite a bit. However, I feel like they will be obstacles overcome in time. Plus, I got some Adrian and Eddie love (... not together... although, hrm... *cough* sorry, I got distracted, what are we talking about? Oh, right, boys from the past books rocking it)!

I think my one major issue with this book is that one of the characters is a huge Mary Sue. Sure, Rose attracted a lot of guys, but that's what it was: attraction. They weren't worshipping at her altar. In this book, the Mary Sue has multiple altars with lit candles and monthly sacrifices for her favor (... not literally). Bleh.

Other than that, good stuff! I'm looking forward to reading the next book! I have a feeling it will be smoother due to Mead having a book under her belt to get to know her characters better.

30) The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

20 books to go for 50! I think I might actually pull this off! And, well, considering how fast I go through Mead's novels, I think I'll be just fine!

Yeah, the second book in the Alchemist series (or Bloodlines, whatever) was fantastic. The OTP feels... yeah, they were very much there! Plus, there was less Mary Sueing Jill, which I very much appreciated.

Sydney also grew a ton in this book (just like I knew she would); sure, she has a long way to go, but I'm loving the chase.

My one major gripe is that the editing was abhorrent. I get that the publisher wants to release these puppies as fast as possible. And believe me, now that I'm reading them (and quickly), I want them as fast as possible. But I'm seriously willing to wait the extra time so that I'm not frequently caught up in grammatical errors! It messes up the flow! This is a bad thing for your readers to be paying attention to!

31) The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

^________________^

Yup, that's all I've got.

32) The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

While I liked this book, it was honestly kind of a letdown. There were a lot of good bits, but the romance lost some steam in this book (which surprised me... perhaps because there was too much of it?). Also, while I appreciate a good foil in the clothes of a supposed "innocent," I was disappointed that I knew all along how this book would end and why.

Lastly, I didn't appreciate the author dimming the main character's intelligence in order to contrive her plot at the end of the book. That, more than anything, pushed me to the 3-star rating (a first for a Mead book!).

On the plus side, I actually loved having a second PoV in this book. Getting into his mind was a lot of where my like came for this book. So, hey, not all bad! And like I said, I still liked the book. I just... hope the next one gets it right... more.

33) Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

There were a lot of things I didn't like about this book. On the plus side, there were a lot of things I really liked. *Shrug* If it wasn't for the strong start of this series (and the amazing third book), I might have liked it even less, but momentum will do that.

Well, that's the last of the Mead books for now. Next, I'll be heading off to read more smut (after a couple of the books read previously this year, I wonder if I need to put quotes on that word) and perhaps a book or two that friends have lended to me (yes, I'm a little nervous).

34) Brazen Temptress by Elizabeth Boyle

This book was a mess! The female main character was constantly contrived to be a complete moron in order for the plot to move forward. Important details were constantly hidden until they were revealed in, wait for it, contrived fashions for plot to move forward.

Aspects that should have been a struggle were easily overcome which made any tension (well, I assume the author was attempting to create tension--I was too apathetic to care) anti-climatic.

The author tried to make the heroine useful and self-saving, but the problem is that too many times she's stupid and weak that it overshadows the other small bits.

And don't get me started on the writing itself. Pedestrian and redundant. Ick!

35) The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter

15 books to go! 5 books per month... that feels like an insane amount, but I'm going to do my best!

This romance novel was... well, the smut was good. And I actually rather liked the B characters and the overall mythology. But the main female character... There are no words for how incredibly annoying she was! She talked like a baby, acted like a baby, and even constantly sucked on a lollipop like a little kid. Sure, she could fight, and I appreciated that (and that she didn't back down from anything), but that was about it for the positives.

I honestly didn't get the attraction between the main characters. I especially didn't get how and when they fell in love. Oh, and then the book took a huge downward spiral (spoiler alert), by ending with the main male character weakening, but then gaining back his strength due to the main female character weakening herself for him... which is not fixed by the end of the book. So, our main female character gives away all of her power for love (plus her will to love anyone else but him due to a curse, UCK). Any thought of giving this book higher than a 2 rating evaporated in that moment. *Sighs in disappointment*

Alas, I already own the next book in the series, so I guess I'll give it a whirl... On the plus side, at least the main female character won't have the same personality as this one. >_>

36) Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

I've never read steampunk before. I like the idea of steampunk, and I like zombies, so I thought I would like this. The problem is, the main characters were just... meh. I didn't really care about them much. The plot was also rather lackluster with an unappealing villain and an obvious "mystery."

However, I did appreciate that the women in this book kicked a lot of ass. In fact, the book got kicked up from a 1 star to a 2 star rating just because I loved how well women were written in this novel! (There were a couple of guys I really liked that were side characters as well.)

So, not really chomping at the bits to try out a new steampunk novel, but this didn't shoo me off entirely either.