Basically Books! discussion

This winter, challenge yourself to read books outside of your normal reading comfort zone.

This can be a different genre, or one of those titles from your preferred genre that you always avoid for whatever reason. For example, if you usually only read urban fantasy, try some chick lit; if you only read thrillers, try a YA title; if you only read books published by traditional means, give an indie book a shot; if, like me, you read a lot of fantasy but don't tend to touch sci-fi, pick up a sci-fi book!

You choose how many you think you can read. Keep us updated on your progress!

I'm going for five titles, one of which will be Dune. I may also go for a bit of Clive Barker or Stephen King horror - ohoh!

1. Pariah by Thomas Emson review
2. Secrets by Freya North review
3.
4.
5.

Bu..but... this would mean reading YA and Chick Lit stuff (also need to pick up sci-fi) ;_;

Hmmph, shall go away and think of the books now and post results when Iget home :P

This might means chick lit or historical romance for me...

Rose wrote: "This might means chick lit or historical romance for me..."

OhRose - I feel for you on the first one, really I do :O

I can try to help youon the second tho' ;)

Or... would something like Jane Eyre, etc fit into chick lit (as it may be considered if it were brought out today) and historical? Just a thought ;D

Can I kill two birds with one stone? This is both YA and chick lit.

Rose wrote: "Can I kill two birds with one stone? This is both YA and chick lit.

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I'm trying to find ways to do that too :D I need to read more paranormal as well - so am prety sure I can find plenty of paranormal & YA books (probably NOT Twilight) that can also help broaden my horizons.

"Hayley wrote:Rose wrote: "This might means chick lit or historical romance for me..."

OhRose - I feel for you on the first one, really I do..."

I've already read Jane Eyre, I'd actually call it a Gothic novel.

Would count as a historical romance?

cough cough summer challenge :trolling:

that means i'd have to read non-fiction D:

agh. non-fiction or classics. i'll read the crucible.

That movie scared the crap out of me. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares.

Wow Rose, you're all sorted with this! It's good to see you so motivated for it! =D

Jeshu, just read some fiction that you'd normally avoid! I've got some contemporary chick lit somewhere too. I usually avoid that stuff like the plague.

Rea wrote: "Wow Rose, you're all sorted with this! It's good to see you so motivated for it! =D

Jeshu, just read some fiction that you'd normally avoid! I've got some contemporary chick lit somewhere too. I ..."

I was thinking in looking for some books that talk about human rights and that stuff to prepare for my course in Boston :O It's either that or horror, and I don't want to read horror because I wake up with nightmares and become paranoid.

Ok, challenge accepted! It was a challenge I already gave myself a few weeks ago, so I'm mentally prepared for that! And I'm starting with In the Garden of Iden... After that, I'll probably have a go at The Island, which I always thought would be boring... I guess I'll now find out! And maybe after that, I'll tryt reading some of the vampire stuff my sister reads all the time... Hmmm... Great challenge, guys!

I have chosen:

1) - Autobiography/Psychology

2) - Classic/YA

3) - Thriller/YA

4) - Horror

5) - Crime/Thriller

The majority of these books I have 'Saved' from the library for sale shelf with every intention to read but I have never really got around to picking them up as I thought they would be uninteresting or not my thing.However thanks to this awesome challenge giving me a kick up the arse I'm hoping to find something new and different =)

I do that a lot, Amy! The book seems interesting when I buy it but then it loses its appeal when I see it sitting on my shelf.

I've decided to spice my challenge a bit by allowing the boyfriend (we read very different things) to pick three of my five books!

I've been thinking in grabbing some of my mother's mystical/religious books XD

Jeshu wrote: "I've been thinking in grabbing some of my mother's mystical/religious books XD"


Hahaha! I don't think I'll be expanding my horizons that much!

Otl1987 wrote: "Jeshu wrote: "I've been thinking in grabbing some of my mother's mystical/religious books XD"


Hahaha! I don't think I'll be expanding my horizons that much!"

hahaha, I'm considering it because the books are sitting in the shelf nexto to the computer and they are short XD

Rea wrote: "I'm going for five titles, one of which will be Dune. I may also go for a bit of Clive Barker or Stephen King horror - ohoh!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5."

I love the Dune series! I hope you enjoy it!

I don't think I'm allowed to not like it, Mara! haha. If I don't like it, I might get disowned!

Ok, so, for now I've come up with these:

1. , which I'm already reading. It's the kind of classic I was always very bored even thinking about reading. But I find it surprisingly interesting!

2. , which I had already challenged myself to read, because I usually don't read fantasy and sci-fi.

3. which is a novel with historical facts about Crete, in Greece, and though I'm not that keen in reading stuff like that, I thought that maybe I could learn something that they don't teach in schools...

4. (the most dreading of all!) , which I chose from my sister's full-of-vampires/werewolves/succubus-bookshelves! This will be the most challenging of all...

So, for now, this is it! If I find time, I'll add something else along the way!

I removed my previous books from the expand-your-horizons-challenge because I have no idea if I'll be able to find them or not.

Yesterday I finished my first book for this challenge: . It was chick-lit and contemporary romance, two genres I avoid. I ended up giving it three stars--while I read it in two days, it isn't the kind of book I would re-read.

My next two books for the challenge are and .

I'll try to read some Sci-fi and classics. And maybe *shudder* some books targeted for adults.
I don't know which ones yet.

I've decided that I'm going to use this challenge to try to motivate myself to read some of the books I've bought at some point in the past and ignored up till now. So I might just keep increasing my target if I reach it too soon. :p

I'm gonna go for some contemporary chick lit. has been on my shelf for a long time but I've avoided it up till now. (I was attracted by the pink cover, okay? :P)

Sci-fi in the form of Dune.

Horror in the form of and probably some Stephen King or Clive Barker.

Thriller. I have yet to choose the book.

And a classic: Frankenstein. I've made this into dedicated bath time reading. If I keep going as I am now, I'll have it finished 13 baths from now. :)

I started Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion for the challenge now, which is pretty daunting to me. I usually prefer fiction. Maybe I'll actually learn something for a change! :O

Karina wrote: "I started Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion for the challenge now, which is pretty daunting to me. I usually prefer fiction. Maybe I'll actually lea..."

Sounds like an interesting read! Certainly very different.

I'm 100 pages off the end of my first one, Pariah. It's good but it's playing around with religious icons, which I'm not usually a fan of, and there is a LOT of crude language.

I won't be able to participate in the challenge. Unfortunately, I won't be able to finish the other challenges :(

Actually, currently I'm not even able to read a single page of anything that' not university related

I just finished . I ended up rating it five stars, even though I didn't like every story. I enjoyed all but two.

Were those two stories fantastic then?

No, the two stories just didn't work for me, I didn't finish them.

Oh. I misread what you wrote. I thought it said that you liked only two. Oops.

Jeshu wrote: "Actually, currently I'm not even able to read a single page of anything that' not university related"

Poor Jeshu. :( You could always include your uni reading for it instead!!

Rose wrote: "I just finished . I ended up rating it five stars, even though I didn't like every story. I enjoyed all but two."

Yey! It's great that you enjoyed it so much! I like Martin's style but I find he can get wrapped up in whatever he's rambling on about. I've not read this one, though. Would you recommend it?

I finished Pariah. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It ended up swerving in a very religious direction (that said, I figured out it was going to have religious undertones as of very early on)... but then it's so crude that I can't imagine very many religious people would appreciate the huge amount of bad language in it.

I enjoyed the start of it, but the ending just ended up a bit weird for me. Not all of it made sense but I think the story is going to be continued in the author's next book.

Rea wrote: "Rose wrote: "I just finished . I ended up rating it five stars, even though I didn't like every story. I enjoyed all but two."

Yey! It's great that you enjoyed it so much! I like Martin's style..."

Actually, there are no stories by Martin at all. Having said that, I would recommend this if you like fantasy, science fiction, or romance.

I have a question: wasn't there a counter on this challenge? Where is it?

If you go to the group's home page, below our current group reads there should be the counter for this challenge. At least, that's where I see it on my screen.

Rea wrote: "If you go to the group's home page, below our current group reads there should be the counter for this challenge. At least, that's where I see it on my screen."

Yeap, you re right! I didn't look there before!

Cheers! Good to know it didn't get lost. :)

I'm about to type up my review for Pariah and then I'm gonna start my second book for this,

I'm 1/3 of the way through and I'm really enjoying it.

I think I ll manage to finish Pride and Prejudice by tomorrow... It's been almost a month! I like it but it's not gripping...

Just finished Lord of the Flies really seemed to take forever and I didn't like it very much. Going to start The Street Lawyer, (I had to change from my original John Grisham as I couldn't find A Time to Kill in the library) I hope that I enjoy this one alot more.

I'm done with . I enjoyed it, but didn't find it to be scary.

I've seen both movie versions of Salem's Lot. Neither was particularly scary. But I find King's version of horror tends to be more psychological and either it gets to you or it doesn't.

BTW Rose, was there a short story about Jayné Heller in your G.R.R. Martin book by author M.L.N. Hanover?

Yes, there was a story by M.L.N. Hanover, but no Jayne Heller that I recall.

Aah ok. I know that author uses the pseudonym M.L.N. Hanover for his Jayné Heller books so I just figured the short would be about her. Obviously not!

The short is a ghost story called "Hurt Me" it's...different. I can't say why without spoiling the whole story.