2017 Reading Challenges

Goodreads Challenge:  Read 70 books in 2017

Around the World in 52 Books

1. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view)
3. A book you meant to read in 2016
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E"
5. A historical fiction
6. A book being released as a movie in 2017 
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title
8. A book written by a person of color
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list
10. A dual-timeline novel
11. A category from another challenge
12. A book based on a myth
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors
14. A book with a strong female character
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland)
16. A mystery
17. A book with illustrations
18. A really long book (600+ pages)
19. A New York Times best-seller
20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading
21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read
22. A book by an author you haven't read before
23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list
24. A book written by at least two authors
25. A book about a famous historical figure
26. An adventure book
27. A book by one of your favorite authors
28. A non-fiction
29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre) - check all the editions
30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books
31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre
32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle)
33. A magical realism novel
34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere
35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty
36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee
37. A book you choose randomly
38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
39. An epistolary fiction
40. A book published in 2017
41. A book with an unreliable narrator
42. A best book of the 21st century (so far)
43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next"
45. A book with a one-word title
46. A time travel novel
47. A past suggestion that didn't win
48. A banned book
49. A book from someone else's bookshelf
50. A Penguin Modern Classic - any edition
51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays) 
52. A book set in a fictional location 

**Disclaimer** I plan to read half of the categories for this challenge, i.e. 26 books

What are you planning this year?

Stacking the Shelves: Library Edition

So, I work in a library, I'm sure I've mentioned that in a post in the past.  I've worked there for eight years and the number of books I check out on a weekly basis is insane.  I have a particularly large stack out right now though so I thought I would share.

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Unwanteds: Island of Legends by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds: Island of Shipwrecks by Lisa McMann

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

One by Sarah Crossan

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Romeo And/Or Juliet by Ryan North

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Splintered by A.G. Howard

The Season of You & Me by Robin Constantine

The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

A to Z Book Survey

A post originally made by The Perpetual Page-Turner here

I saw this in a recent list by Jamie as she's on her vacation and I had to steal it and fill it out!

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Nicholas Sparks and Lurlene McDaniel

Best Sequel Ever:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (I know it's technically the third in the series, but I can't help it)

Currently Reading:

Summer Sky by Lisa Swallow (A new adult book, that really isn't very good)

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Eh, water I suppose.  I read everywhere and I always have water with me

E-reader or Physical Book?

Physical book!!  But, I admit my nook is handy as crap

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Gideon from the Crossfire series (I only say that because I recently finished the series and it's the only one I can think of)

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall (I picked this up at a library book sale and the copy had no summary on it)

Hidden Gem Book:

Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said: Wit and Wisdom from America's Finest by Dan Caddy

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Reading Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson and discovering Goodreads

Just Finished:

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Nonfiction that isn't memoir or war based.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Understanding Federal Income Tax (721 pages)

** easy way to find this out. Go to your Goodreads “read” list, don’t scroll down but where you are on the screen there will be this little tab on the bottom that lets you choose how you want to scroll or how many books you want display. There is also a sort option with a drop down and you can sort by page.

Major book hangover because of:

The Martian by Andy Weir

Number of Bookcases You Own:

3, but they're overflowing

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

The Silent Storm by Sherry Garland (There's just something about this book that makes me reread it almost every year)

Preferred Place To Read:

My couch or front porch

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.” — My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (I am a sucker for quotes)

Reading Regret:

Not loving reading until I was "too old" for books like Goosebumps and Nancy Drew

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

Ha, a bunch.  A couple are:  Maximum Ride, Artemis Fowl, and Matched

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

(I tried to do this without mentioning any of the books I've already mentioned)

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Nicholas Sparks!  Sappy romance only from him!

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

I suppose Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling (All the others I've been anxious for just recently came out)

Worst Bookish Habit:

Hoarding.  Both of my own books, and checkouts from the library.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

The Understory by Pamela Erens (I haven't read it yet)

Your latest book purchase:

Finding Pride by Jill Sanders (Free on B&N for Nook right now!)

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

So what are your answers to these burning book questions?  I want to know!!  Link me back if you decide to fill it out.

Top Ten Childhood Characters You'd Love To Revisit As Adults

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Ten Childhood Characters You'd Love To Revisit As Adults

There are so many characters I love from my childhood!  Heads up, some of these pictures are from movie adaptions of the books or graphic novel adaptions and are so not what I originally pictured them as.

Also keep in mind, I hated reading until I was about 12 years old!  So most of these are middle grade and young adult level.

1.  Severus Snape (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling) - Who wouldn't want to revisit him after reading the books growing up?  I want to more recently since the new "book" is coming out and it's been a few years since I last re-read the series.  The picture is an original sketch of him by J.K. Rowling.

2.  Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer) - I never got to finish the series as a kid, but I always wanted to go an adventure with Artemis and Captain Holly Short.  The picture is one from the graphic novel and not at all how I pictured him.

3.  Max (Maximum Ride by James Patterson) - Loved her as the fearless leader in the first three books!  And I consider those to be the core books.

4.  Kira (Gatherin Blue by Lois Lowry) - I remember feeling a great love towards the gentle soul that was Kira, I would just generally love to feel the peace of her again.

5.  Laura (Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder) - She was so free!  Exploring the great unknown world with her sisters at her side and her parents always there.  Nostalgia at it's finest for me right here.

6.  David & Crew (Everworld series by Katherine Applegate) - If I can ever get my hands on this rare and old series again I will devour it in a week.  This is how much I loved it.

7.  Jack & Annie (Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborn) - Do I really need to embellish on this one?  I thought not.

8.  Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew by Caroline Keene) - I've only read these as an adult, but I would have like to re-read her in the future when I'm even more of an adult.

9.  Alyssa (The Silent Storm by Sherry Garland) - I re-read this book every year.  Alyssa is such a strong girl who finally finds herself after being lost in a real and emotional storm.  She is empowering.

10.  Corduroy (Corduroy by Don Freeman) - Favorite bear as a little kid.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough or In a While

Meme by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In a While

1. Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson - I literally never talk about this book, and a lot of people don't know it exists.  However, this was the book that made me actually enjoy reading it!  One Mother's Day some 13 or so years ago (I was in seventh grade) I read this entire book in a day and I haven't been able to stop reading ever since.

2. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer - This book is heartbreaking, actually far beyond heartbreaking.  This poor child and everything he went though, and is still going through as an adult survivor of horrific abuse is just amazing.  I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with a weak stomach or under the age of thirteen.

3. I'll Be Seeing You by Lurlene McDaniel - This book is probably my favorite by this author, and I've read the majority of her books (she's written about 80 I think).  These books are always equally romantic, sweet, and heartbreaking in turn.

4. The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks - I love Nicholas Sparks books, he's one of my favorite authors.  This is my favorite book by him and I hope it never gets made into a movie!  Especially because they would never be able to do the son justice and he is a crux of the book.

5. Burning Bones by Christopher Golden - The best book of the best mystery series I've ever read.  Unfortunately these books are extremely rare, so I've only read three of the series.  One day I hope to read them all!

6. Godchild Vol. 1 by Kaori Yuki - My favorite manga series!  It's a murder mystery series.  My favorite mini-mystery in these books is the Alice in Wonderland murders.

7. Bent by Sean Michael - Guilty pleasure, end of story.  This is book one of many.

8. Dancer with Bruised Knees by Lynne McFall - I'm not sure I can ever properly explain why I love this book.  There's not even a summary on the back of the book when I bought it.  You just need to dive right in.

9. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix - Best horror book I've every read!  And yes, I'm counting this above Stephen King books.  It's just so unique.

10. Santa's Angels by Janet Kaderli - I know none of us wants to think about winter and snow since it's finally spring, but this is my favorite Christmas book.  It's just the right amount of sweet.

Top Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren't My Typical Genre

Presented by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently That Weren't My Typical Genre

1. The Martian by Andy Weir

I don't really do science fiction, pretty much ever.  If I delve into that side of literature I go towards fantasy, but this book was amazing.

2. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

I actually read this as a brand new book, that I requested through the library because it had been on the bestsellers lists (or at least the author had).  I don't typically read mainstream, new releases, but this was kind of hilarious.

3. Breakwater Bay by Shelley Nobel

Just a basic family drama/romance, not normally exciting for me.

4. Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said by Dan Caddy

This was straight up hilarious, and nonfiction is not my favorite genre by far.

5. If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski

Again, nonfiction, but it's from To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), so I had to because I love them, and I loved this.

6. Raising My Rainbow by Lori Duron

Blah memoirs usually, especially whiny ones about how someone is different and life is hard, but I found this rather inspiring.

7. American Sniper by Chris Kyle

Again, memoir, but war.  I love war movies, not typically books.  This was the best book I read in 2015 hands down.

8. Entwined With You by Sylvia Day

I normally find myself embarrassed by reading books that are known to be about sex and not much more, but this series has actual plot and Sylvia Day can actually write, so I make the exception for her.

9. Who Was Alfred Hitchcock? by Pamela D. Pollak

Need I say memoir again?  I'm starting to think I read these more than I think, but this was childrens level.  If you have a child and they don't like nonfiction, introduce them to this series of books, they'll love it.

10. The Terrorist's Son by Zak Ebrahim

Memoir!  Mostly I loved it because it was related to a Ted Talk, and if you don't know what Ted Talks are, then google it.  Now.  Seriously.

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added To My TBR

Top Ten Books I've Recently Added to My TBR

This is an ironic top-ten because I actually finally cleaned out my Goodreads TBR this past month.  I have added a few though, let's see if it's enough for this list.

1. One with You (Crossfire, #5) by Sylvia Day

2. Halfway House by Katherine Noel

3. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

4. The Martian by Andy Weir

5. The Bear by Claire Cameron

6. Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

7. The Small Hand and Dolly by Susan Hill

8. A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger

9. The Gorgeous Nothings by Emily Dickinson

10. On the Fence by Kasie West

Top Ten Tuesday [11]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Bookish Things (That Aren't Books) That I Would Like to Own

1.  Library Card Tote Bag - This would be perfect for taking my library books to and from the library.

2.  Alice in Wonderland Phone Case - I love switching phone cases at least once a week and the original Alice in Wonderland drawings are amazing.

3.  Reading This Bookmark Pad - This company and their products are so much fun, why not extend use to books?

4.  My Own Library - Don't all us book lovers want that?

5.  Book Necklace - I like how it's not metal; that it actually looks like a book.

6.  The Triangle Notebook - This concept is just awesome.

7.  Alice in Wonderland Mug - I have a thing for this quote, in all of its forms.

8.  Sherlock Holmes Book Scarf - It's Sherlock Holmes... and it's a scarf.  I rest my case.

9.  Book Lover Buttons - I collect buttons, and actually have a couple of these already.

10.  Embrace Your Narrative Key Chain - I love this because of its design and because of my life goal to publish a book of original fiction.

What do you want that will show your bookish love?