Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges discussion

AUGUST- A Book and a Song

“Read a book from the speculative fiction subgenre”
ie. a book with elements that do not exist in the real world

Comment below with the name of the book you read this month and what you thought of it

Pssst the description on this month needs to be fixed 😊

I read the book Dead Voices by Katherine Arden. This is the 2nd in the series Small Spaces and it was just as good as the 1st one

Jennifer wrote: "Pssst the description on this month needs to be fixed 😊"

LOL Sept 10th and it's still not fixed. I think they forgot :)

Just finished The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey. It’s the last book in a series with Bird people and Dragon people (it’s cooler than I make it sound) aaaand a prophecy about peace

I didn’t love the ending, but overall I really like the characters

I just finished Mister Magic and really enjoyed this one. I was a little unsure but the thriller aspect of the book was very engrossing. I do feel like the end of the book was a little rushed, but I think it's hard with thrillers to pace the endings since there is so much buildup. And this one had SO MUCH build up. I enjoyed the book but I will say I don't think it's for everyone. There is a fair bit of examination of religious trauma and that could be triggering for certain readers, so read with care.

Challenge Completed: September - Speculative Stories: “Read a book from the speculative subgenre, ie. a book with elements that do not exist in the real world.”

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

I loved Under the Whispering Door, and The House in the Cerulean Sea. In the Lives of Puppets, not so much. Mostly, because I was never able to make a connection to any of the characters. Even Rambo, who was probably my favorite, could be annoying at times.

There are a lot of twists and turns to the story. Unfortunately, most weren’t much of a surprise. I think because the plot relied too heavily on stories that are already well known, such as Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz. Knowing what happened in them gave me a pretty good idea as to what was going to happen here.

Will this keep me from reading any more Klune novels? Not hardly. Everyone can have a bad day; I’m counting on that being all this was.

I finished Light Bringer by Pierce Brown, the 6th book in the Red Rising series. I loved this one just as much as the other 5 and plan to read the whole series over when he comes out with the last book.

Well, I was going to read Dark Matter, but ran out of month, and want to get started on RIP (Readers in Peril) and my October challenges, so may have to come back to this some other time. The last two months were very busy, just barely squeezed out the September Key word one with a short story! Oh well, such is life!

This month I read the following Speculative Fiction books:

-Any Sign of Life by Carson Rae --living in an apocalypse world where you are one of the only ones left living while most of the world has perished. 4 stars

-The Mist by Stephen King is another apocalypse thriller where the town is covered by a mysterious mist believed to be God's vengeance for their sins and the sacrifices that must be made. 3 stars

-The Aeneid by Virgil- a beautiful long poem based on Greek mythology and the story of Aeneas, one of the survivors of Troy. 4 stars

-The Last Odyssey by James Rollins is the 15th book of the Sigma Force series and as expected it was a full action packed archeological treasure hunter story based on hidden maps tracing the path of Odysseus' ship and proving that Homer's story of the Iliad might not be myth. 4 stars.

-Alpha Erased by Aileen Erin which is the 9th book in this young adult paranormal series in the world of werewolves, witches and the Fae. This was my favorite story in the series--gave it 5 stars

-The Hollow by Jessica Verday is a paranormal forbidden love story based on the legend of Sleepy Hollow. I did enjoy this first book of the trilogy and can't wait to read the next book which will meet next month's word challenge. 5 stars

• Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

- 4 stars on Goodreads.
I’m not sure what to say about this book. Parts of it were shocking, and terrible. All the more terrible for knowing that it is a true glimpse of what it was like to live as a slave during the Antebellum South. I think sometimes it’s easy for current day white people to feel removed from that part of history. Like it’s a hazy, unbelievable concept. Even though we are still living with the visible repercussions of that part of history - we’re not even really clear of it yet, with racism still alive and well in too many ways. I’ve witnessed it first-hand with my own brothers. I don’t know if I’m making any sense here, I’m a bit migraine addled. In any event, this book is a poignant reminder.
I will say that I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the other 2 books I’ve read by Butler (which I gave 5 star ratings to). Not because of the content, but because I felt that the style of writing wasn’t quite as refined as the previous ones I’ve read.

Challenge complete!
I read 2 Angie Fox books: Give Up the Ghost and Dread and Buried. I'm not normally into paranormal books, but I have really enjoyed this series and its characters. I'm finally caught up on the series!

Challenge complete - The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. Didn't love this one, probably because it took so long for me to get into it.

Sea of tranquility by Emily St John