2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2015
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Cassandra | 105 books in 2015
Love this cataloging information! I might just have to steal it, if you don't mind! :)
Go for it! I borrowed the idea of it from another member, but now I can't remember who. I think the idea of tracking statistics as I go is really interesting.
Book #1The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman.
Rating: 5 stars.
Finished January 1, 2015
264 pages.
When I found out that this Sandman volume is nine short stories instead of fewer, longer stories like the last couple volumes had been, I was a little disappointed. I should learn to have more faith in Neil Gaiman, though, because these short stories were perfect. This volume is very myth heavy. Each story ends just as all of your questions are about to be answered, giving you something to wonder about. The stories also reference each other in subtle ways, tying them together. This volume also has more of the Endless in it, which I always enjoy. The art style in this set was a bit different, thanks to the rotating cast of artists, and I didn't like it quite as much at the beginning. I quickly got used to it, though, and it seems like this series just keeps getting better.
Categories: Graphic novel, short, adult, male, repeat, series, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Complete Works.
I love the reading statisitics idea as well! And if you read Cinder this month I hope you enjoy it, it's one of my favorite serieses.
Thank you! I've heard some really good things about Cinder, so I'm excited to read it. I'll be picking it up from the library tomorrow.
Book #2Clariel by Garth Nix.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 3, 2015
432 pages.
When I heard Garth Nix had a new Old Kingdom book, I was excited but wary. This is a solid return to the Old Kingdom, but I wasn't knocked off my feet. It takes place 600 years before the events of Sabriel, so it's definitely not a belated sequel with the same characters. I really liked Clariel at the beginning of the book. I was happy that he was presenting a different kind of character - especially in a book for young adults - one who has few friends but doesn't feel lonely. As the story progresses, I grew to like Clariel a bit less, and Belatiel ended up stealing the show. There wasn't as much of the awesome Charter magic and Abhorsen lore that makes this series really exciting, but I'm optimistic that future Old Kingdom books by Garth Nix will be more like the old series.
Categories: Fantasy, medium, young adult, male, repeat, series, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Favorite Genres.
Book #3Cinderella by Charles Perrault.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 3, 2015
32 pages.
Perrault's version of Cinderella is mostly how I remember the classic Cinderella tale from when I was younger. Reading it as an adult, I was surprised that Cinderella could not go to her father because he was completely controlled by his new wife. Not that fairy tales are completely logical, but it seems hard to believe that a father would let one of his beloved children be treated so poorly, especially compared to his other children. I don't think I remember Cinderella's father being in the picture at all in my childhood understanding of the story. I also didn't remember that there was more than one night of the ball, and that it is only the second night at the ball that Cinderella forgets about the midnight curfew. It was so interesting to compare my memory of the story to this classic telling of it.
Categories: Graphic novel, short, young adult, male, new-to-me, standalone, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Retellings.
I like how you did the statistics thing. I may have to steal that, I'm trying to see how many different genres and subgenres I can read this year.
Are you planning to read a Cinderella retelling for the first quarter challenge? I don't really remember the original story as it seems so because I didn't remember there was more than one night of the ball like with the movie Into the Woods. I remember crows pecking out the stepsisters eyes though...
Thanks, Brianna! Go ahead and take it and use it however you want. :)Adriana, I am currently reading Cinder for the retellings challenge, so I wanted to read the original story right before it to compare.
Ah I thought so! Still waiting for some retellings of The Frog Prince. I should read the original in anticipation as I wait too.
Book #4Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 4, 2015
390 pages.
As a Cinderella story, Cinder almost makes more sense than the original. Cinder is treated so poorly by her family because she is a cyborg, and cyborgs are second-class citizens in this world. The book quickly becomes more than just a Cinderella retelling, with a plot all its own. I read this book very quickly because I wanted to know what happened next. The big twist was telegraphed from pretty early on, which was frustrating, but it was still interesting to see how it played out.
Categories: Science fiction, medium, young adult, female, new-to-me, series, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, #readwomen, Retellings.
Book #5The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 7, 2015
500 pages.
I am so conflicted about this book. It starts out so strong and is incredibly interesting for the first half of the book or so. Faber does a wonderful job of creating the mystery associated with this new world and its natives. As I read, I came up with so many questions. I wanted to know more about all of the interesting characters and little plotlines. Unfortunately, essentially none of these questions are answered by the end of the book. The book just ends, that's it. Sometimes I like endings like that, but only if I'm reasonably satisfied by other things that have been resolved. Not so with this book. This story had such potential, and unfortunately reaches its peak too early.
Categories: Science fiction, medium, adult, male, new-to-me, standalone, eBook.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, group read.
Book #6The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport.
Rating: 2 stars.
Finished January 12, 2015
512 pages.
I had the hardest time getting through this book. Even though the Romanovs seem like interesting people, the way this book was written was incredibly boring. Things got a little more interesting once World War I started, but that's not until over halfway through. This won the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Award for Nonfiction in 2014, so I kept reading to see if it would get significantly better, but it never did. I didn't know much of anything about Russian history, so I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, I don't really feel like I learned anything substantial, possibly because the Romanovs themselves were pretty out-of-touch with the rest of Russia. I was extremely disappointed.
Categories: Biography/memoir, long, adult, female, new-to-me, standalone, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, #readwomen, 2014 Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Awards.
Book #7An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 14, 2015
229 pages.
This was a fun, pretty short YA read. It was reasonably funny and kept my interest throughout the book. The characters are likable, if pretty predicatable. While I really liked Hassan as a character, he kind of seemed like the "token Muslim", especially at the beginning of the book, with a very stereotypical Arab family. I'm not usually a fan of books where a major plot point is the main character getting over a bad breakup, but the story pretty quickly moved from that to silly road trip antics. For me as a slightly older reader, this was nothing special, but it's a nice, entertaining read.
Categories: General fiction, short, young adult, male, repeat, standalone, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, TBR twins.
Book #8Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 16, 2015
436 pages.
I really liked the descriptions in this book. I felt like my "mental movie" was easy to imagine because of the vivid detail. I debated about whether to give this book three or four stars, but I settled for three because there wasn't anything spectacular about it. I'm not the world's biggest fan of mystery/suspense novels, but I thought this was a solid read. The characters were likable, and I liked the theme of underestimated characters playing a pivotal role in the later events of the book.
Categories: Mystery, medium, adult, male, repeat, series, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, 2014 Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Awards.
Book #9Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 18, 2015
415 pages.
Mockingjay was a stunning conclusion to this trilogy. It was by far my favorite book of the series, because it goes deeper than the thrill of a Games and deals with much heavier topics. I loved the propaganda war, because that would undeniably be part of a modern-day civil war in our country. So many people died in the Games and the war that followed, and left plenty of others completely crippled. Katniss' struggle was very real to me, and I felt for her fight to live despite the loss of her loved ones over the years and her ongoing PTSD. Not many young adult books deal with a completely broken main character and their day-by-day journey back to the land of the living, and I thought it was handled very well here.
Categories: Science fiction, medium, young adult, female, repeat, series, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages.
You know I never thought of Katniss and Peeta having PTSD which sounds silly because it seems obvious to me now. I loved the ending although I would have liked to know how the world carried on (view spoiler)
Book #10Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 21, 2015
836 pages.
The plot of this was very archetypal and straightforward. I liked each of the characters, but they are all the MOST special at whatever it is that they do, which is a common but irritating fantasy trope. I'm a sucker for interesting magic that comes with a price, and that's a central part of both the Sword of Truth and the magic of the Confessors. Other than that, there wasn't anything special about this book and the ending was wrapped up a little too tightly for me, even though I know there is a sequel (many sequels, actually) and things can't be happily ever after for long. I may go ahead and read the next book in the series, but it's not a priority. I'm not left with a burning desire to know what happens next.
Categories: Fantasy, very long, adult, male, new-to-me, series, owned.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages.
Book #11Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 24, 2015
457 pages.
First of all, I'm not a sports fan and I knew next to nothing about horse racing before reading this book. Laura Hillenbrand explains what you need to know throughout the book in a very accessible way, so that I was able to get up to speed to understand the races and racing culture without feeling like I was reading through a lengthy explanation. She focuses on the human aspects of Seabiscuit's story as much as she does the technical aspects. She does a wonderful job of narrating the races. They are extremely exciting to read, and I felt like I was actually watching or listening to the race as it happened. The photographs in my edition were a great way to start out each chapter and helped provide a good mental image of Seabiscuit and his owner, trainer, and jockeys. I really felt for each of the people and I was entertained by their stories, but I learned a lot too.
Categories: Biography/memoir, medium, adult, female, new-to-me, standalone, owned.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, #readwomen.
I didn't realize that Wizard's First Rule was that long. I really want to read it just because I liked The Seeker so much.... I'm oddly more interested in reading it now even though you weren't quite thrilled with it.
Cassandra wrote: "Book #10Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind.
Rating: 3 stars.
Finished January 21, 2015
836 pages.
The plot of this was very archetypal and straightforward. I liked e..."
I have read the series, and think you made a fair assessment. There are one or two books further in that are actually quite good, and one or two that felt like a waste of time. If you have other books to read, I'd say read elsewhere. Reading the whole collection is pretty fun, but nothing too groundbreaking. The books are definitely better than the TV series they made a few years ago.
It wasn't bad! I enjoyed reading it. It just wasn't that great either. I think it's one of those books that's entertaining but pretty forgettable when you're done with it, which isn't always a bad thing. If you decide to read it, you'll have to let me know what you think. I hope you like it.
Rachel, maybe you can answer my question. I saw The Third Kingdom at the library a few days ago and I was surprised to see that it was labeled as the Richard and Kahlan series and follows the Sword of Truth book #12. Do the other Sword of Truth books feature different characters? Have you read the spinoff series?
No, I didn't realize there was a spinoff series! I'd be interested in checking that out, actually. I did read The Law of Nines which is set in modern times, but also related to the Sword of Truth storyline. It's pretty cool. I wouldn't read that one unless you finish the Sword of Truth series though.
How interesting! I may read more of the Sword of Truth series, but I have some other books/series to get through first.
Book #12We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 25, 2015
227 pages.
I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was a little weak, but the pacing just amps up from there and drives home through the end. I like books where the narrator is a little unreliable and your understanding of the story is dependent on theirs. The writing style is pretty choppy and experimental, which sometimes drives me crazy, but I thought it fit well here. I was on the lookout for a big twist, because I had heard other readers' reactions, but I ended up with a completely wrong theory so the ending still took me by surprise. I cried at the end of the book, but then again, I cry at sad endings fairly often. We Were Liars is well worth the time spent reading it.
Categories: General fiction, short, young adult, female, new-to-me, standalone, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, 2014 Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Awards, #readwomen.
Book #13The Martian by Andy Weir.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 27, 2015
384 pages.
I was expecting a softer science fiction out of this book, but I really appreciated the science that came with it. I don't have any higher level science education, so a lot of the details probably went over my head, but the information about chemistry, botany, and engineering made this feel more real, like you were reading something that really happened. I think the log format of the story helped contribute to the feeling of realness as well. I appreciated the parts about what was happening back on Earth, with NASA and the media, because the weekly CNN Mark Watney Report special is exactly what I predict would happen in a situation like this. I wish that Mark had shown more of an emotional journey - spending over a year on Mars in complete isolation with everything going haywire has to be more traumatic than that. My biggest complaint actually comes with the ending of this book, but I don't want to give away too much!
Categories: Science fiction, medium, adult, male, new-to-me, standalone, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, 2014 Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Awards.
Book #14Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron.
Rating: 2 stars.
Finished January 30, 2015
384 pages.
I was pretty disappointed in this book. I loved T.A. Barron's Merlin series, but this seemed like a cheap ripoff of his own work. There are so many parallels between the two stories that they're almost identical, and this one isn't as well executed. My favorite thing about Barron, though, is how he takes familiar legends that have fascinated readers for decades and chooses to write about the part of the legend that isn't well known. For Merlin, that's his teenage years. For Atlantis, it's the formation, rather than the sinking of Atlantis. It creates a space for creativity, where you can invent part of the legend without disrupting the established ones. I'd just pick a different Barron book to read.
Categories: Fantasy, medium, young adult, male, repeat, standalone, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages.
Cassandra wrote: "Book #13The Martian by Andy Weir.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 27, 2015
384 pages.
I was expecting a softer science fiction out of this book, but I really ap..."
I loved The Martian! I liked that the protagonist explains why he does what he does, and what would happen if he made a mistake and so on. The different perspectives are a definite plus.
I'm also not sure how I find the ending, I might have preferred it to be different. (trying not to spoil it for anyone ;) )
I'm glad you enjoyed it too, Astrid! It seems like we pretty much agree on it.
I am very intrigued to see the movie with Matt Damon. I have a feeling it will either be great or a bust!
I'm not a big movie person, but I do want to see this one. Matt Damon can be kind of a hit or miss actor, but he does resemble the mental picture I had of Mark. Hopefully it is well done, because the book has the makings of an excellent movie!
Book #15Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished January 31, 2015
160 pages.
This book has so many things that you wouldn't think would go well together, but it all just works. It's science fiction and fantasy and pretty weird but really endearing. Even though the world of Saga is more than a little bizarre, the issues that they face are completely human. I like the characters and want to see them succeed. This book deals with controversial issues race, sex trafficking, and even breastfeeding in an unobtrusive but serious way. I feel like the author and the artist work well together - the art and the story compliment each other very well. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and am excited to see where the creators decide to take it.
Categories: Graphic novel, short, adult, male, new-to-me, series, library.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages.
I like the idea of keeping reading stats. I'm adding these to mine. One question. For the author gender (or other author stats) if you read multiple books by the same author do they get counted once or multiple times?
I'm counting authors multiple times. Female authors only count for my #readwomen challenge once, but I'll still add them to the count if they're repeat authors. The only thing that I'll change is if I've already read a book by a particular author, they don't get categorized as new-to-me anymore. But that's just me - you can choose to track that any way you want!
ok thanks just curious. I may have to try some more challenges.
Book #161776 by David McCullough.
Rating: 4 stars.
Finished February 4, 2015
386 pages.
I had no idea how poorly the first year of the Revolutionary War went for the Americans. 1776 is the year that we think of as the beginning of our freedom, but in 1776, it wasn't at all clear that the Americans would win the war. In fact, there were many times when Americans by all rights should have lost. McCullough does a great job of portraying both sides fairly. It doesn't feel like an "American" telling of the war, which is important to me, because all wars have more than one side. I consider myself pretty familiar with early American history, but by focusing on the first year of the war, McCullough is able to talk about individual people, decisions, and battles in a way that no sweeping conversation of the war could. There are lots of quotes, and they are woven in well so that they contribute to the story without seeming clunky. Altogether a very well-written and engaging history book!
Categories: Other non-fiction, medium, adult, male, new-to-me, standalone, owned.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, The Saints Go Marching In.
Oh this sounds really interesting I'll have to read this one. A big turning point came a year later at the battle of Saratoga. Afterwords the French began supporting the Americans along with going to war against Britain itself.
Yeah, things really turned around when they got funding and martial support from the French. If you like American history, I recommend this one.
Hi everyone!I think it's super interesting to see how everyone is tracking the books you're reading. I'm curious: why do you guys think you like to keep a track of your reading stats? What do you do with that info?
I originally got the idea from a member named Nethra, who last year had a challenge to read 50 books by female authors and 50 books by male authors. I knew that I typically read way more male authors than female authors, but I wasn't ready to commit to a particular number. So instead I decided to just track stats, thinking that maybe I would set mini-goals along the way. At least, I would be more aware of what I was reading, and while I was at it I decided to track more stats than just author gender.
So, since this is my first year doing this, I don't know what I'll do with the info, but it's been interesting so far!
I used to use a music site that tracked your listening stats and made recommendations based on those. It was great I discovered so many new artists and even lots of new genre's I hadn't heard of before. Then the site owners started charging so I left the site. But I still enjoy those new artists on other sites.I think keeping stats on book reads has a similar effect. You can click on the books you've read and find other users that have the book and see what else they have read. Great way to find new books to read. Plus these challenges help with discovering new writers and genres which makes reading more enjoyable.
I think you're on to something there! I've found so many new books on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ from other people's recommendations, as well as the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ recommendations.
Book #17The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.
Rating: 2 stars.
Finished February 7, 2015
509 pages.
I struggled with how to rate this one. It's pretty long for a book that takes place in basically 10 hours of action. There's a lot of standing around while Langdon thinks about things and then gives a lecture about it. I wasn't as surprised by some of the major twists, possibly because by now the Langdon formula is pretty well-known. But while I agree one of the basic premises - that the human mind is capable of more than we realize - I don't find any of the following conclusions plausible. Of course, the conclusions drawn in a work of fiction don't need to be true, but they should be plausible. I think that's my biggest problem with this book - I don't believe that all the things that happened in the world Dan Brown created for us really make sense. Did I enjoy the ride? Sure. But this is by far Dan Brown's weakest book.
Categories: Mystery, long, adult, male, repeat, series, owned.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, buddy read.
Book #18Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
Rating: 5 stars.
Finished February 8, 2015
369 pages.
I really had no idea what to expect with this book - the cover and blurb on the back makes it look like a typical romantic novel. It is not. There is love but it is not a romance. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It made me feel so unbelievably strongly. I stayed up way too late reading it. I laid it bed thinking about it. I cried multiple times and sobbed at the ending. It may not have the best-written plot and there were some point-of-view issues near the end, but the power with which it made me feel and understand the characters overshadows that for me. And it wasn't just sad, it was funny and empowering too.
Categories: General fiction, medium, adult, female, new-to-me, standalone, owned.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, #readwomen, The Saints Go Marching In.
Cassandra wrote: "Book #18Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
Rating: 5 stars.
Finished February 8, 2015
369 pages.
I really had no idea what to expect with this book - the cover and blurb..."
Thanks for your review! I picked Jojo Moyes for the complete works challenge and this book is up next in her lineup for me.
2025 Reading Challenge
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2015 Reading Statistics
Genre/Type
Biography/Memoir: 12
Classics: 5
Fantasy: 26
Graphic Novel: 26
Historical Fiction: 8
Horror: 1
General Fiction: 24
Mystery: 8
Other Nonfiction: 11
Science Fiction: 23
Poetry: 1
Length
Short (<250 pages): 30
Medium (250-500 pages): 104
Long (501-800 pages): 6
Very Long (>800 pages): 4
Target Audience Age
Young Adult: 32
Adult: 110
Author Gender
Female: 65
Male: 80
New to Me or Repeat Author?
New to Me: 99
Repeat: 44
Series or Standalone Book?
Series: 58
Standalone: 86
Owned or Borrowed?
Owned Book: 32
eBook: 3
Audiobook: 9
Library: 100