Over the weekend, I picked my choices for Erin's next book challenge which runs from July 1-October 31. Can't wait to get into some of these books! Usually it takes me ages to narrow down my choices but I picked almost all of these from my "check out soon" shelf on Goodreads meaning that they were already on my 2017 radar.
What do you think of my picks? Any thoughts on any of these books? I'll share all of my thoughts on them when I get through them!!
5 points: Freebie – Read a book that is at least 200 pages
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Thank you, Erin for mailing this to me!!!!) I have heard numerous fantastic reviews of this book, and apparently it is a rapid read so I look forward to getting into it!!
10 points: Read a book that starts with the letter “B”
Beach Music by Pat Conroy (comes highly recommended by Steph) OR Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio (have heard good things and I am anxious to try one of her books!)
10 points: Read a book that has a (mostly) yellow cover
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (thinking of doing this one on audio; it has been on my radar for awhile and was discussed several times on the WSIRN podcast)
15 points: Read a book that has a picture of an animal on the cover (submitted by Mattie)
The One & Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (my most trusted book recommender Kristen's review of this one pushed this close to the top of my list for this year)
20 points: Read a book that was published in 2017 (submitted by Olya)
The Other Girl - Erica Spindler (A publicity agent at Netgalley sent this to me without me requesting it, and it looks quite good and fits with my reading mood for 2017 so I'm looking forward to it)
20 points: Read a book with a compass or cardinal direction in the title (submitted by Mary)
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (This is highly recommended for fans of Jane Austen, plus, I am DYING to watch the mini series on Netflix but I've promised myself that I'd read the book first...I already have it on Audible but I have the whispersync so might switch back and forth a bit)
25 points: The ALA’s “Banned Books Week” occurs while our challenge is happening. Read a book from this list of the most commonly banned books in America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_commonly_challenged_books_in_the_United_States (submitted by Christina)
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (This book has been on my TBR for years and it popped up in Everything Everything so I made a mental note to just get to it already! Side note - can you believe some of the books that have been banned?!?!)
30 points: Read a fictional book about mental illness (submitted by Jamie); several helpful links: http://bookriot.com/2016/05/23/100-best-books-about-mental-illness/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_illness_in_fiction; https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/mental-illness-fiction
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (This will be my first Sophie Kinsella book ever and deals more with mental health - but I felt like it fit the category enough?)
30 points: Read a book with a non-human main character; i.e. animals, elves, gods, robots, merpeople, etc. (submitted by Bev); helpful links: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/non-human-characters; https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/99906.Books_with_Nonhuman_Characters; http://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/polls-and-discussion/the-33-best-books-with-a-non-human-protagonist/3704
A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas (This might change...I have a few other books on my list that would fit this category but I want to see what all the fuss about Sarah J Maas for myself)
35 points: Read a book a Disney movie was based on OR a book based on a Disney movie (submitted by Kirsten); Don’t forget to check that the book is at least 200 pages: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Novels_first_published_in_serial_form&pageuntil=Dune+Messiah#mw-pages; https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/11716.Books_Turned_Into_Disney_Movies
Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (I haven't seen the Disney movie since I was a kid, but I think this will be a good read!)
Can't wait to get reading!! I have a huge stack of library holds, Netgalley books on my shelf, and other assorted reading goals for the summer, but I'm excited for all of these book choices too.
Can't wait to get reading!! I have a huge stack of library holds, Netgalley books on my shelf, and other assorted reading goals for the summer, but I'm excited for all of these book choices too.
Ahhh the North & South miniseries is sooo good! I watched it after Kristen mentioned it (she really does have the best recommendations), and it is so swoon worthy! I have the book on my iPad, but have never started it. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite movies, but I've never thought about reading the book, so I'll be interested to hear what you think about it. Finding Audrey definitely fits into that category-- one of my favorite books from last year- it's not typical Kinsella (but in a good way, I think).
ReplyDeleteGood list. I am the same about North and South. I bought it and tried to start reading once, but I never made it far. I guess classics and I have a complicated relationship. But I should read it, because I really want to watch it!! Right now I am reading My Cousin Rachel (OMG THE MOVIE!) so, maybe that will give me a confidence boost! I loved 101 Dalmations (didn't even know it was a book) so much, which I was really surprised by. I think I'll go with Peter Pan...? I need to figure out my list and post next week. I'm part way there. I LOVED Court... I found it really engaging, and a bit steamy. I hope that you enjoy it. But I am sure it's not for everyone. I want to re-read so I can get to the next two books. But I don't love re-reading... so I might just dive in. I think my class read Flowers for Algernon in middle school... but I don't remember it much. Also, animal themes and I don't jive. They're often wayyyy too sad for me. hahah The banned book list is so silly. But I was happy to note that my teachers in school (small, rural, conservative state..) actually had us read a chunk of those. Woohoo. Good luck with the challenge! I am excited to start this one ON TIME for once. I get so close, but start a month or so late. XO - Alexandra
ReplyDeleteSimply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
It actually didn't take me long to come up with my list for this challenge either and I'm excited about my choices! I'm hoping to post on Friday! I remember reading Flowers for Algernon in high school and loving it and I hope that you enjoy it as well! And Finding Audrey is definitely a good one, but it's not as light and fluffy as Sophie Kinsella books usually are.
ReplyDeleteAwesome list! I have actually only read 2 of these - Flowers for Algernon and Mary Poppins.
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