Challenge: 50 Books discussion

This is my first attempt at a yearly book challenge. And for the record, I'm counting everything: rereads, comics, children/juvenile/teen, series, audio, etc. The only thing I'm omitting are books I don't finish. I'm interested in reading a minimum of 50 books, but given the variety, I expect I'll read much more.
To me, the challenge is about the "experience," and the ability to recommend books for all ages. Admittedly, I read mostly sci-fi/fantasy/horror when left to my own devices, but that's ok -- to each their own.

(I got a late start in January b/c of an illness.)


1) Coraline; Neil Gaiman; Jan 30 - Feb 1
I saw the movie first, then read the book. I recommend both. 4-4.5*

2) The Emperor's Soul; Brandon Sanderson; Feb 1 - Feb 3
I'm told it takes place in the "same world as Elantris," which means nothing to me since I've never read Elantris. Luckily, it's written so I didn't need to. This is one of those "read and decide for yourself" kinda books. It's not badly written, it just wasn't my thing, though I thought the premise was interesting. 3-3.5*

3) Showa: A History of Japan, 1926-1939; Shigeru Mizuki; Feb 2
The illustrations are good, the story -- though reasonably informative -- doesn't lend itself to emotional attachment to anything. I won't be reading this again. At 3*, I feel I'm being generous.

4) Odd and the Frost Giants; Neil Gaiman; Feb 04
Reasonably fun story for children, though there were some weird sexual innuendos considering the age group. 3-3.5*

5) The Graveyard Book; Neil Gaiman; Feb 5- Feb 14
This book was a fun, easy read. There's a little violence, but nothing crazy or inappropriate for the age group. A 4* for adults; a 5* for kids.
(Or should I just call it a 4.5*? That seems fair.)

6) Blue is the Warmest Color; Julie Maroh; Feb 13
An adult comic (due to sexual content), but definitely worth reading. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in LGBT art (movies, books, etc.), and for those who appreciate a good love story. 5*
On a personal note, I can't wait to see the film!

7) Prime; Nate Kenyon; Feb 15 - Feb 20
A futuristic, sci-fi, techno novel? I really enjoyed the writing style even though this book was a little out of my preferred genre. I plan to read more by this author. 4-4.5 *

8) My Life as a White Trash Zombie; Diana Rowland; Feb 20 - Mar 4
I can't believe I waited so long to start this series. It is probably the best book I've read in a long time, though I'm sure zombie humor is an acquired taste and may not be for everyone. There's 3 already in the series and a 4th due this summer. I plan to read them all this year. This was a book I truly looked forward to reading. 5*.

9) Ocean at the End of the Land; Neil Gaiman; Mar 4 - Mar 7
This book started a little slow, but developed nicely. In spite of the hints of sexual content, I would be ok with letting an older child read this book. It's a fascinating plot once it gets going. 4-4.5*

10) Night Circus; Erin Morgenstern; Mar 7 - Mar 15
The descriptions of the circus are wonderful, but the plot is only mediocre. 4.5* for circus & 3* for plot = 3.75*. Over time & some reflection it may raise, but right now I feel too let down to give it 4*.

11) Walk to Remember; Nicholas Sparks; Mar 16
Predictable. Tedious. Characters I never really felt attached to or believed they were in love. The ending salvaged the book. Sort of. 3.5*

12) Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence (6th Ed.); C.P. Neck & C.C. Manz; Jan ? - Mar 14
Technically one of my textbooks, but whatever. I read it. 4*

13) Who Moved My Cheese?; Spencer Johnson; Mar 20
Another textbook. Assumes everyone fears change, which I find presumptuous and incorrect, just as everyone does not fear snakes, spiders or heights. For those of us already living la vida semper gumby, this book is just a waste of time. 2*

14) Maus I; Art Spiegelman; Mar 26
15) Maus II; Art Spiegelman; Mar 27
These books came highly recommended, so I expected this to be worth my time -- it wasn't. This crap one a Pulitzer? Wow...just wow. What a travesty. More time is spent by the author depicting his disgraceful relationship with his father than the war, which was just a rehash -- and not even a good one -- of holocaust events. Compared to "The Pianist, " this book is better used as toilet paper. 2.5*

16) Couponing for the Beginner: A Guide to Couponing for the Unitiated;
Jenny Dean; Apr 3
As someone new to couponing, I found this book to be very helpful for general information and tactics. An experienced couponer may not need it, but for a novice like me, I thought it was good. 4*

17) The Present; Spencer Johnson; Apr; 2*
Read for a course. Didn't love.

18) Ready Player One; Ernest Cline; Apr 1 - Apr 3
A great book for nerds, especially if you miss the 80s and/ or dream of living in a videogame. 4.5 - 5*

19) Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #1: Professor Gargoyle; Charles Gilman; Apr
3-3.5*
20) Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #2: Slither Sisters; Charles Gilman; Apr
3-3.5*
This series is cute. Not awesome, but not bad. A happy medium. Fun and interesting, but not too serious.

21) Battle Angel Alita #1: Rusty Angel; Yukito Kishiro; May 3.5*
I liked it, but not enough to continue the series.

22) Red Rising; Pierce Brown; May 22; 3.7*
This book is the love-child of Ender's Game & Hunger Games. Not original, but the writing style is good. I like it enough to continue the series, though I don't know if I'd recommend it unless you want an alternative to rereading EG/HG. It's the same, but different. (Hopefully this author has more sense than Collins and doesn't ruin his own series.)

23) Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #3: Teacher's Pest; Charles Gilman; May 28; 3.5-4*
A fun addition to the series.
24) Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #4: Substitute Creature; Charles Gilman; May 28; 4-4.5*
The best in the series so far! So glad I didn't give up on it!
25) Skinny Bitch; Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin; May 28; 3*
Not well-researched as similar vegan books, but it makes me want to take up the lifestlye (again), so I have to admit that it's successful in that respect.

26) The Martian; Andy Weir; May (btwn 21 & 22); 3.75*
Annoyingly technical, but not a bad story.

27) Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues; Diana Rowland; June 6; 4.3*
Not as good as the first, but still fun & interesting.

28) 1 Year, 100 pounds: My Journey to a Better, Happier Life; Whitney Holcombe; June 7; 2*
Not really inspirational or informative. Just a spoiled little rich kid whining about their weight, and solving it by wasting food.

29) interview book. 2 days before interview. *under construction*
I think the book was Next Day Job Interview: Prepare Tonight and Get the Job Tomorrow by Michael Farr. Nothing good or bad. Just a standard job interview book. June; 3*;

30) White Trash Zombie Apocalypse; Diana Rowland; June 19; 4*
Another installment in a great series. Not as good as the first, but also not a disappointment.

31) The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service; Laura Kaplan; June 26; 2.5*
Tolerable. Read for class. Didn't love or hate it.

32) Girl, Interrupted; 3* July 11

33) MR. HIV <1* July.

34) Requiem for a Dream; Hubert Selby, Jr.; July; 4*
Weird writing style. Sad, but good content. Kinda slow in the beginning, but it gets better.

35) Rubyfruid Jungle; Rita Mae Brown; August; 4*
A good LGBT book. Weird beginning, but smooth writing style and a quick read.

P1) I Want a Pet; Lauren Child; August; 4*
Cute. I loved it!
(Not counting picture books to my total, though.)

36) Gay New York; George Chauncey; July; 3*
Read for class. Slow read. Not mindnumbingly so, but enough that I don't think I'll read it for fun. I would consider it reasonably informative on LGBT history, though.

37) Desired Past; Leila Rupp; August 9; 3.5*
Read for class. Good LGBT history book, though brief. Not badly written, but I wouldn't read it for fun.

38) Anna Dressed in Blood; Kendare Blake; August 31; 4*
Still has that teen-angsty-ness, as all teen books do, but I thought the overall story was good. I'll be moving on to the second book in the series.

39) Storytime Ideas for Circle Time; Jean Warren; August; 3.5*
I was able to get something useful from this book for my storytime presentation. However, there weren't as many usable ideas in here as I'd hoped to find.

40) Girl of Nightmares; Kendare Blake; September 12; 4*
It had one reasonably creepy chapter. The rest was ok. I'll still recommend the series, but I wouldn't call it horror. Maybe a good book for someone who wants a love story about a ghost.

41) The Fault in Our Stars; John Green; September; 3.5*
Waaay too predictable. The writing style was fine. I disagreed with the author's sense of humor, and some medical info. I was expecting something... more.

42) The Healthy Green Drink Diet; Jason Manheim; Oct 24; 4*
Nothing special. Lots of blender/juicing recipes.

43) How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back; Diana Rowland; Oct 25; 3.5*
Not as good as the others, but I slogged through it.
Spoiler Alert?
I didn't like so much of the recovering junkie taking drugs. Especially for pleasure or other nonessential purposes.

44) The Fast Diet; Michael Mosley & Mimi Spencer; Nov 7; 3*
The documentary was more fun. I did like the mention of research for fasting before chemo/ radiation, though. Menu was kinda bleh and mostly useless for a veg person like me. I still think it's a good concept even if I didn't agree with everything he said, plus it's an easy read.

45) The Neverending Story; Michael Ende (Transl: Ralph Manheim); Nov 15; 4.5*
Loved it. So much more than the movies included.

46) Slumdog Millionaire; Vikas Swarup; Nov 21; 4*
Again, saw the film first, though it doesn't have a lot in common with the movie. Which is fine. Still a fun read, like "A Series of Unfortunate Events" for adults.

My reply about book vs. movie, since most apparently prefer the movie:
I think the book is definitely worth the read. True, it is different than the movie. However, just b/c it's different isn't necessarily a bad thing. The premise is essentially the same, but the background stories are mostly different. I thought it was fun learning what the next story would be, since the movie didn't necessarily give them away. It's a quick, easy read... so give it a try and decide for yourself.

47) Living with Less: how to downsize to 100 personal possessions; Mary Lambert; Nov 29; 2*
Interesting concept, I guess, but written for people who have the enviable problem of too much disposable income, but not enough space.

48) Organizing for Life: Declutter Your Mind to Declutter Your World; Sandra Felton; Dec 4; 1.5*
Huge waste of time reading this book. It took turns making me feel like a hypochondriac (ADD?, obsessive-compulsive?, low adrenal function?, etc.), pushing her "Messies Anonymous" crap, or -- and this was the cherry on top -- over a dozen pages about how to apply cosmetics. Seriously? Nothing was useful. I think I'm giving it an extra half-star b/c this is the season to be generous. There is truly nothing in this book that will help you declutter and/ or organize. Nothing. And to be honest, bringing religion into this (over and over and over again) was just annoying.

49) Living Simple, Free & Happy: How to Simplify, Declutter Your Home, and Reduce Stress, Debt, and Waste; Cristin Frank; Dec 08; 3*
One of the better simplify/declutter books. More about trying to "fix up" and sell stuff than declutter, but still amusing. Not a complete loss.

50) The Complete Persepolis; Marjane Satrapi; Dec 30/1; 4*
The first part, which follows her as a child in Iran, is the best and I give that 4.5, but the rest averages it down to a 4. I'm glad I read it.
Also: 50 BOOKS GOAL MET! YAY!

2014 Year End Awards:
Best Graphic Novel: Blue is the Warmest Color
Best Sci-Fi: The Martian
Best Nonfiction: The Story of Jane
Best Juv. Fic: They were all incredibly good.
Best Adu. Fic: Ready Player One
-Honorable Mention: Red Rising
Hardest to Read (content): Requiem for a Dream
Absolute Worst Book of the Year: Mr. HIV

Here's my 2015 Book Challenge list:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...