2019 Big Book Summer Reading Challenge discussion

Use this discussion thread to post an update when you finish a Big Book this summer. You can post your or a link to your review, but reviews are not required.

I just finished Children of Blood and Bone by by Tomi Adeyemi. (544 pages) All the characters are brilliantly developed and the story is loaded with action and suspense. I appreciated the analogy to how we separate ourself from others through fear and hate. I was mostly fascinated by this book, but could have done without the angsty romantic bits, although I suspect that will be much of the appeal for readers much younger than I am.

Cheriee wrote: "I just finished Children of Blood and Bone by by Tomi Adeyemi. (544 pages) All the characters are brilliantly developed and the story is loaded with action and suspense. I apprecia..."

I am actually planning to read this next month in my own Goodreads group! I had no idea there were so many pages in it. This works out great for this challenge. I am glad to hear it's good!

Cheriee wrote: "I just finished Children of Blood and Bone by by Tomi Adeyemi. (544 pages) All the characters are brilliantly developed and the story is loaded with action and suspense. I apprecia..."

I've heard SO many good things about this novel, Cheriee! Glad that you enjoyed it, too. Yeah, the romance in YA novels can sometimes be a bit much, but hey, I don't think we're the target audience! lol

I finished my first "big book" this week:
Monday's Not Coming

There was a continual sense of dread throughout the story, but I didn't absolutely know what happened until the end. The chapters flip between time periods, slowly filling out the story (and showcasing the depth of the relationships). Now that I've finished, I can understand why others have said they went back and re-read it from start to finish, better understanding what Tiffany D. Jackson was doing. Extremely suspenseful!

Shaye wrote: "I finished my first "big book" this week:
Monday's Not Coming

There was a continual sense of dread throughout the story, but I didn't absolutely know what happened until the end. ..."

Wow, that was fast, Shaye! I haven't heard of this book before, but it sounds intriguing!

I just finished my first "big book"
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Never having seen the film nor heard the story, I only knew it involved a young 2nd wife, a dead 1st wife, and a mansion. During more than half the book, the tension kept simmering and building up right beneath the surface. It really kept me reading. Then when it boiled over several times, each one was an OMG moment for me. For me, this was a great way to start #BigBookSummer ! I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Karla wrote: "I just finished my first "big book"
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Never having seen the film nor heard the story, I only knew it involved a young 2nd wife, a dead 1st wife, and a mansion. During mor..."

Congratulations on completing your first Big Book of Summer 2019, Karla! I'm impressed people are finishing already - I started with a GIANT one! lol

I really enjoyed listening to Rebecca on audio - now I want to see one of the movie adaptations.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished “Song of Songs” by Marc Graham.

I spent practically my entire Saturday with my nose in this wonderful book, The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne and finished it tonight. It was worth every minute of reading. The book is so beautifully written and except for a few tedious pages, completely compelling. The characters, the setting in Ireland, the themes of family, friendship, forgiveness, redemption — all of it made for a truly satisfying read.

Andrea wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished “Song of Songs” by Marc Graham."

Congrats on finishing your Big Book, Andrea!

Dian wrote: "I spent practically my entire Saturday with my nose in this wonderful book, The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne and finished it tonight. It was worth every minute of reading. The book is so ..."

Congratulations on finishing your Big Book, Dian! I have heard SUCH great things about this novel! It is on my TBR...I might have even downloaded it to my Kindle (which I rarely use) and forgotten about it! Have to move it up the list :) Glad you enjoyed it so much!

I just finished my second book for #BigBookSummer: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Karla wrote: "I just finished my second book for #BigBookSummer: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas"

Wonderful

I forgot to write that I ha6ve The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 4 stars out of 5.

Karla wrote: "I just finished my second book for #BigBookSummer: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas"

Congratulations on finishing another Big Book, Karla! Wow, two already - I'm impressed. I'm still working through the 1000-page Gone with the Wind (but loving it!)

Hope you enjoyed The Hate U Give!

Spent a very focused 5 hours reading the ARC of Light from Distant Stars today, not realizing that at over 400 pages,I’ve read my second Big Book!

Book drops mid July

Andrea wrote: "Spent a very focused 5 hours reading the ARC of Light from Distant Stars today, not realizing that at over 400 pages,I’ve read my second Big Book!

Book drops mid July"

Wonderful, Andrea! Congratulations on finishing another Big Book!

Third big book complete!


Review posted
This also qualified in my Mt.TBR

I've completed my second officially big book. I enjoyed Cold Skies by Thomas King so much, I didn't even realize it was a good book! You can read my review here
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Andrea wrote: "Third big book complete!


Review posted
This also qualified in my Mt.TBR"

Congratulations, Andrea! You are rockin' the Big Books this summer! I'm still on my first! And I choose almost all TBR books for this challenge, too!

Cheriee wrote: "I've completed my second officially big book. I enjoyed Cold Skies by Thomas King so much, I didn't even realize it was a good book! You can read my review here
https://www.goodreads.com/review/sh..."

Congratulations on Big Book #2, Cheriee! I haven't heard of that one yet so will have to check out your review - glad you enjoyed it!

I've finished my third big book of the summer, The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry. At 464 pages, I didn't think it would be a challenge to read because it is a graphic novel. Was I ever wrong.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Cheriee wrote: "I've finished my third big book of the summer, The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry. At 464 pages, I didn't think it would be a challenge to read because it is a graphic novel. Wa..."

Wow, you are moving this summer, Cheriee! Congratulations on Big Book #3!

I am SO glad you liked this unique book, too. It was just so powerful and moving. I agreed to review it for Shelf Awareness because I figured it would be a "quickie", but I was blown away by the whole package - story, illustrations, real life papers and photos, etc. Glad you got to experience it, too.

After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June :)

I finished my third book for #BigBookSummer: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penney. I loved it. The mystery was good with just enough surprises along the way. this is the first of Penny's books that I've read (and her latest of a series). But the author did a great job with the character development. It and the latest of the back story were woven in so that I was able to catch on fairly quickly. Having lived in Quebec back in the late 80s, I enjoyed all the reminders of life there: the little asides, language and the Quebecois humor. I give the book 5 stars of 5.

Karla wrote: "I finished my third book for #BigBookSummer: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penney. I loved it. The mystery was good with just enough surprises along the way. this is the first of Penny's books tha..."

Congratulations on your 3rd Big Book, Karla!

Coincidentally, I just read MY first Louise Penny novel earlier this year! One of my book groups read Still Life, the first book of her well-known series. I enjoyed it very much, but the thought of reading the entire series is a bit daunting, so it's good to know that you jumped right into her latest without any problems! I may do that, too :)

Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June :)"

Sometime....you ought to at least read Scarlett, Sue....and, btw I ordered both Sparrow and the second one in the series used this AM.

Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June..."

Sounds good! And good for you :) Enjoy!

Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June..."

Did you read this? Olivia deHaviland (Melanie Wilkes) is still around!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcberm...

Andrea wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whol..."

OMG - 103?? That's amazing! I haven't seen the movie in 30, maybe 40 years, so I don't remember it all that well, but I see she also played Maid Marion in Robin Hood - one of my family's all-time favorite movies!

Late in getting started on this challenge but here it is: If You Want to Make God Laughby Bianca Marais. 432 pages of a wonderful story. Let the reading continue.

Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June :)"
Wow! Thats great Sue.

Robin wrote: "Late in getting started on this challenge but here it is: If You Want to Make God Laughby Bianca Marais. 432 pages of a wonderful s..."

That's a great start, Robin!! Congratulations on your first Big Book of the summer! I can't wait to read Bianca's latest - I pre-ordered it at Booktopia so will be making some time in my Big Book schedule later this month!

I finished my fourth book for #BigBookSummer: The Fireman by Joe Hill. A page turner. For genre, I would say it's Sci-fi. Apocalyptic, Horror. There's also love and Joe Hill's wonderful humor. I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June :)"
Congratulations Sue! That's more pages than I can imagine.

I finished my fourth big book of the summer. I didn't hate it, but I was very happy when it was over.
Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Marissa Meyer 560 pages.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Cheriee wrote: "I finished my fourth big book of the summer. I didn't hate it, but I was very happy when it was over.
Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Marissa Meyer 560 pages.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2..."

I loved Marissa Meyer [notice the past tense] until this series. I give you props on this one Cheriee, I had so much trouble with the first one I vowed to wait until the next series....

Sue wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to wri..."

And I loved your review Sue...I plan on printing it out and taking it into my copy

Karla wrote: "I finished my fourth book for #BigBookSummer: The Fireman by Joe Hill. A page turner. For genre, I would say it's Sci-fi. Apocalyptic, Horror. There's also love and Joe Hill's wonderful humor. I gi..."

Congratulations on another Big Book, Karla! You're doing great on the challenge!

I haven't tried a Joe Hill novel yet, but I have heard great things about them. My husband read NOS4A2. I'll have to give him a try.

Cheriee wrote: "Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 reviews to write for the whole month of June..."

Thanks, Cheriee! Those 950 pages actually went by quickly - it was totally engrossing and I never got sick of it :)

Cheriee wrote: "I finished my fourth big book of the summer. I didn't hate it, but I was very happy when it was over.
Archenemies (Renegades #2) by Marissa Meyer 560 pages.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2..."

Congrats on Big Book #5 - sorry it wasn't a big hit for you. Hope the next one is a winner!

Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Sue wrote: "After 5 weeks, I finally finished Gone with the Wind!! And I loved every minute of it - review to come soon. On the plus side, I only have 2 re..."

Thanks, Andrea!

I keep forgetting to post here about the Big Books I am listening to on audio! My first one for the summer was Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen - an engrossing story about connections and healing, forests and trees, and a touch of magical thinking. Here's my review:

https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2019/...

And here's my review of Gone with the Wind, a VERY Big Book that I loved!

https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2019/...

P.S. Remember if you have a blog to add your review links to the 2nd links list on the challenge page - that way, other people can find them!

https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/p/201...

Finished my fifth book for #BigBookSummer: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. A lot of secrets, lies, grief, guilt all packed into a domino effect. It was ok but not great. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Karla wrote: "Finished my fifth book for #BigBookSummer: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. A lot of secrets, lies, grief, guilt all packed into a domino effect. It was ok but not great. I give it 3 stars o..."

Congrats on Big Book #5, Karla!! Can you believe I have never read a Liane Moriarty novel? I feel so far behind!

Just finished Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin 464 pages. The life of Jane Franklin, sister of Benjamin Franklin. Little is known of her, so the book is mostly based on their correspondence. Pleasantly surprised by a book that has been sitting on the shelf for awhile. Happy to be making some progress in my Big Book Challenge.

Robin wrote: "Just finished Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin 464 pages. The life of Jane Franklin, si..."

Congrats on finishing your Big Book, Robin! I also use this challenge to get a few of those chunksters off my shelves :) All of my Big Books read for the challenge are TBRs (though I am making an exception for If You Want to Make God Laugh which is arriving TODAY!!!)