Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges discussion

This months Motif (theme) is...

"Seasons, Elements, Weather"

(Read a book where the season, weather, climate, or elements play a roll in the plot.⁠)

What book did you pick? What did you think of it?

Challenge complete!

I chose to read The 2084 Report: An Oral History of the Great Warming and I'm not gonna lie - the book is terrifying. It's labeled as a fictional novel right now, but we all know it might as well be a non-fictional history book in a couple of decades... Climate change is real and the book did a terrific job of unraveling one ghastly scenario after the other.

Challenge Complete: Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

"Seasons, Elements, Weather": (Read a book where the season, weather, climate, or elements play a roll in the plot.⁠) Set in November, the cold plays a large part.

Though there is an Author’s Note at the back of the book where King thanks his time writing this book (in longhand!) for getting him through his near fatal accident, I’ve read that, since, he no longer cares for it, because of the difficult circumstances and his being under the influence of painkillers. He may feel it interfered with his ability to turn out quality work, but I think it’s one of his best attempts.

As with It the lives of the protagonists are woven together, as young boys and as men. The magic of their younger days is what allows them to come together as adults to fight off the evil that threatens them.

The years have not been kind to them; none have found true happiness. While Henry and Gary Jones (Jonesy) have found career success as a psychiatrist and a college professor, respectfully, Pete and Joe Clarendon (Beav,) have seen their dreams shattered. Pete never made it to NASA, while Joe’s marriage failed, and his drinking began.

Yet there still is that connection, through “Duddits,” the boy with Down’s Syndrome they saved from bullies; they’re “brave thing.” But, as with each other, time has weakened that connection.

It’s a huge book (coming in at over 600 pages,) and there’s a lot going on, but at its core it’s a story of friendship and how far believing can get you. I found it exceptional, and well worth the time it took to read. And, maybe at some point, read again.

❄ Nina ❄ wrote: "Challenge complete!

I chose to read The 2084 Report: An Oral History of the Great Warming and I'm not gonna lie - the book is terrifying. It's labeled as a fictional novel right no..."

This sounds terrifying, but interesting. I'll probably pick up a copy, so thanks for the rec.

A really good read! Can't wait to read others from this series

I read the book The Man who Caught the Storm by Brantley Hargrove.

The book was about Tim Samaras who was a Tornado chaser who was interested in helping to understand these storms through placing probes in their path.

Book: Low Pressure by Sandra Brown

While following the style of many books like this (mystery in her past, love interest that starts out the opposite of love, twisty ending), it was still a good read. Good enough to keep me up too late just to finish it! Weather related to events that happened at the time of the death in the past, and the main character's fear of storms.

Read Shiver by Allie Reynolds which featured the harsh weather of the French Alps in this book promoted as a locked-room type of who-done-it. I can't say the ending was totally predictable, but I was a bit disappointed by it. I also didn't care for the back and forth of the past and the present with each chapter. As someone else commented, it kept me interested enough to finish, but I wouldn't rate it very high.

The Apocalypse Seven - Gene Doucette
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Well, that was….strange. I enjoyed it, but I’m a bit conflicted at the same time. The author has a wonderful way of stringing the reader along, keeping the storyline interesting, but somehow without revealing a whole lot about what is actually going on. The characters are also all fairly likeable. I think maybe part of my problem is that the answer to the mystery seemed a bit too far-fetched. I mean, yes, I think that most (if not all) real world dystopian settings require a willing suspension of disbelief, but Noah as an intelligent alien character was a bit jarring, both appearance and behaviour-wise. Oddly enough, a species of alien life form that is basically made up of pure energy, that somehow lives a reversed timeline…was more believable than Noah. I don’t really know a better way to describe my feelings about it. But three you have it. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Probably. Do I think it’s worth keeping on my shelf? Yes. This, the 4 star rating.

Challenge complete: I've gotten behind in posting and I read July & August out of order but I did it :-) I enjoyed this first book but am not sure how well this particular series will fit for me. From Florida to Alaska and with a huge storm coming? The weather and elements definitely played a role in this one!

Of the books read in August, here are some books with elements of the season, weather or climate:

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas 2 stars This is an epic fantasy novel which started with a bolt of lighting. I picked this book more because of the title which has weather elements.
Climate Justice by Mary Robinson 4 stars- about the graveness and urgent issues of climate sustainability for our future generations and the need for climate awareness and change
Fire and Fate by Serena Valentino - 4 stars This is a fairy tale retelling of Hades, the Greek God of the underworld. I picked this more because of the title use of Fire as a climate element.
300 Days of Sun by Deborah Lawrenson - 3 stars - this brought summer vibes in Portugal; the book is a love story with WWII historical background
Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand - 4 stars Enjoyed this summer vacation in Nantucket and the family dynamics and drama. I am not used to spending the entire summer on vacation and it's normally just a week or two somewhere but this slow-pace summer vacation kept me interested and yearning for one of those long-term vacations.

Challenge complete! I read Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs. This book is set in Winter, and there's a winter storm brought on by a frost giant. Loved it!