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I am in another boat than Irene. I HATE crying over books/movies/shows/songs. I literally despise it. I don't mind a little teary-eyed if it's still good...but so often the sadness is stupid. So I'm struggling with week 40...because I so dislike sad books.

Britteny wrote: "I am in another boat than Irene. I HATE crying over books/movies/shows/songs. I literally despise it. I don't mind a little teary-eyed if it's still good...but so often the sadness is stupid. So I'..."

My problem isn't that I don't like crying over them. It's just that I have a heart of stone and it takes an awful lot to get me crying. That said, there are about three books which will make me cry and one I was planning on reading this year anyway.

Britteny, I think many people here are reading books from the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ choice awards as it's an easy way to discover books enjoyed by readers. There are many classics too (not as "old ones" but as "everybody read this book"), I know I started catch up on these some years ago (classic french books are somehow mostly depressing, so I was totally happy when I started to read the english ones :D). It will be nice to discover new books and you can always change your mind if a book seems interesting for you :)

Britteny, oops. You are correct, I meant that to be for Luisa. As for feeling out of the loop, I wouldn't give that a second thought. If they're not books that are popular in the US, hey, you're just exposing more people to great literature! Nothing wrong with that, right? I may not get around to it for this challenge, but The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Thirteenth Tale are both books that I've wanted to read. And I'm super excited that you're reading Matilda for childhood book week. He is my absolute favorite childhood author.

this issss crazzzy cool!!!

Michelle...what's funny is I live in America and all my books are super common to me (outside of the books that are super commercialized--Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Fifty Shades--which I kno about cuz they are everywhere)...but sooo many have never heard of them. Guess I will just try to give y'all a good insight so I can share. :-)

Oh, and I loved Roald Dahl. I was blessed with being born on his 69th birthday. :-) Maybe that's why I feel a certain kinship. :-) And Matilda is my fave as I definitely felt like her most of my childhood. :-) (minus the magic part)

George's Marvelous Medicine is my first. It was the first Dahl book I read and I was hooked so it has a special place in my heart. Matilda is probably my second favorite! She is a book lover's heroine, that's for sure! I like that his stuff is a bit darker than your average children's fare and I think it is great that the adults in the books don't always know everything.

My goal is to own his whole collection. And I must read the book you mentioned because my husband's name is George!!!

Oh, yes! It is fantastic! Poor little George is left home with his grandma who, in typical Dahl fashion, is a miserable old curmudgeon who treats George despicably. He decides to replace her medicine with a concoction of his own with hilarious results.

Have you read any of Roald Dahl's more grown up stuff like The Tales of the Unexpected? I'd recommend it. It's a collection of short stories and some are pretty dark and creepy.

I just joined this group because I really wanted to participate in one of these reading challenges. :) My only problem might be that "week 1" of January is already three days past (I'm assuming "weeks" to be from Jan. 1-7, 8-14, etc.) -- Not sure I can read 500 pages in just four days. lol. I'll give it a go though. :)

Welcome!

Yes, the week will end wednesday ;)
For some long books, I'll start before and/or finish later, the weeks are just a schedule for me and will help to discuss the books. It's more a challenge about reading a lot of different books all the year than a book per week, important thing is to have fun.

Thanks Zaz. I've had "The Pillars of the Earth" sitting on my shelf ever since I found it almost-new-looking at a yard sale TWO summers ago. ugh... So this challenge will be the push I need to get started. That's definitely more than 500 pages, and it's definitely more than I can read in four days. rofl. But it also fits the category of "book that's on your shelf that you haven't read" so maybe I'll stick it in two categories, since it may take me that long to finish it! lol

The Pillars of the Earth is sitting on my bookcase since some years. I succeeded to read 10 pages after buying it and put it away (forever). If you don't finish it for the 1st week, you can use it for the week 52 (book you never finished). Anyway, good luck :D

It seems we will reach 1000 members soon. Of course, not everybody will participate but it's a pretty high number for a young group :)

Lorraine wrote: "Thanks Zaz. I've had "The Pillars of the Earth" sitting on my shelf ever since I found it almost-new-looking at a yard sale TWO summers ago. ugh... So this challenge will be the push I need to get ..."

Lorraine - You're going to love Pillars of the Earth. It takes a while to get past the first 100 pages, but once you're through, you wont want to put it down :)

Zaz wrote: "It seems we will reach 1000 members soon. Of course, not everybody will participate but it's a pretty high number for a young group :)"

I never expected a number like that. Fascinating, really.

For #13 and #29. Sorry folks, I read a lot of YA.

Michelle wrote: "For #13 and #29. Sorry folks, I read a lot of YA.

Fiction & Non-Fiction From Around the World for Young Adults"
Of that list I know only one book (besides The kiterunner): Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell, read it for my Swedish course last spring and I really liked it

Actually #2, per PopSugar's website, is a classic romance instead of just a romance. Did you decide to change it for this group?

Diane > Some of us will read classic romance, others just romance. It's a genre many of us don't enjoy usually, so it's nicer to have a larger choice :)

Nadia > Yes, you can but reading in order is better if you want to discuss about your books ;) I'll read some of the books in my list in disorder because of my work schedule, but I'll try to mostly follow the weeks.

Could someone explain to me how I can post
my list .. I have looked and looked and can't
find how to do this.

MaryAnn wrote: "Could someone explain to me how I can post
my list .. I have looked and looked and can't
find how to do this."

Link: /topic/group...
This is the 2015 Reading Plan. Then, at the top, you'll see a link to 'add topic'. You'll click that and add your own list.

Diane, what Zaz said. If you prefer to read a classic romance to challenge yourself more, you're welcome to do that. :)

MaryAnn, you can post your planned list to this board. Just click on the "new topic" link in the upper right hand corner near the 2015 Reading Challenge logo.


EDIT: Oops, Diane beat me to the punch! Thanks Diane. :)

Hi all! Glad to be here. I really want to be part of the group but I'm not too much of a conformer. I don't wish to break any of the rules here either so that puts me in a bit of a pickle. I'm a slow reader, so completing a book in a week is often impossible for me. I will be shooting for a book every 2 weeks. Also, I read according to my mood, so I'm afraid going in order isn't going to match my reading style. After all, it's important to enjoy what we read, or at least be moved in some way by it. I will try to keep up with some discussions and try to conform when I can. In the meantime, I am enjoying reading all the comments and discussions! Big thanks to all the MODs running this fantastic, diverse group and congrats on it's huge success!

Thank you!!


MaryAnn wrote: "Could someone explain to me how I can post
my list .. I have looked and looked and can't
find how to do this."

I decided to do this challenge when I first saw it on Facebook. I am actually using another list that I came across on Facebook as well...the 339 books that were either seen or mentioned during the run of the tv show "Gilmore Girls". I can't say that I am staying right in order of this 52 week list, but I finfd it fun and challenging to dive into books that I have wanted to read in the past or books that I am just discovering for the first time. I can check off #3, 15, 23 and 27. I am a quick reader and already have my next book to read.

TJ wrote: "Hi all! Glad to be here. I really want to be part of the group but I'm not too much of a conformer. I don't wish to break any of the rules here either so that puts me in a bit of a pickle. I'm a sl..."

Do what you need to do! This is supposed to be challenging but also fun!!

Can I feel free to read in another order?
I already read topic 27...

Yes, you can. It's less interesting for discussions, but do what's the best for you ;)

Roseli wrote: "Can I feel free to read in another order?
I already read topic 27..."

Hi Roseli - I will need to read out of order, too. :)

I'm reading out of order too. What did you read for #27?

Krysta wrote: "I'm reading out of order too. What did you read for #27?"

Not sure yet. For me, this would need to be a book with less than 150 pages or so. I'll probably look through the kindle freebies that I've already downloaded and haven't read yet.

Krysta....I read Daisy Miller by Henry James for #27

Diane wrote: "Roseli wrote: "Can I feel free to read in another order?
I already read topic 27..."

Hi Roseli - I will need to read out of order, too. :)"

Krysta wrote: "I'm reading out of order too. What did you read for #27?"

I read again: Jonathan Livingston Seagull (in Brazil: Fernao Capelo Gaivota) - whatched movie too, wonderfull!!!!

I am going to read: #27
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

I already had it here and had never read it.

Yeah, I definitely will be reading out of order. Right now I am on a string of memoir

Stacy wrote: "I am not planning to read in order - this challenge is going to be difficult enough for me to get all 52 books in. But will add to discussion as I can and certainly will add to book recommendations..."

I am not planning to read them in order either, and I don't want to plan which books I am going to read, because I know myself and I know I will change them anyway :P

Zaz wrote: "I'll have a hard time with the scary one too. When I look at the horror lists, I see a lot of Stephen King (often disturbing, but I never found it scary), some Anne Rice (Lestat will never be scary..."

Bird Box is downright creepy!! You should check it out.

Great to know :) It's a dystopia so I'll enjoy it, scary or not, which is a good thing.

I am amazed that so many people can come up with 52 books they love all at once! I had already read one book for this year, and just finished another and now I am going to try to get on track. Is this week four? I am just starting The Girl on the Train, and so far it looks like a great read.

Yes, it's now week 4! You'll find the week days in the Week Introduction topics (1st post) :)
There are lots of amazing books, it's not easy to discover them and something like this reading challenge is a nice way to do it. Of course, some of the 52 will be disappointing, but well, you can never know before reading a book if you'll enjoy it ;)

Mary wrote: "I am amazed that so many people can come up with 52 books they love all at once! I had already read one book for this year, and just finished another and now I am going to try to get on track. Is t..."

I keep a Pinterest board- and have a large pile of unfinished books- so many books, so little time!

I'm new to this group, so hi *waves*

So, for task #6, does the author still has to be under 30? Stephanie Perkins was 29 when Anna and the French Kiss was out. Does that count?

Irene wrote: "I'm new to this group, so hi *waves*

So, for task #6, does the author still has to be under 30? Stephanie Perkins was 29 when Anna and the French Kiss was out. Does that count?"

For that category, the author just had to write the book before the age of 30. I think some people are doing Frankenstein, and obviously Mary Shelley is well past 30 now ;) I'm thinking of doing Swamplandia! which was only published 6-ish months before the author's 30th birthday, so it still counts. So, your book works perfectly for #6. Also feel free to tweak any of the rules for your preferences; having fun is most important :) Welcome to the group.

Irene, yes as Paula said the book just has to have been published before the person turned/turns 30. :). Welcome and happy reading!

First of all, I'm jealous. I have tons of books from school that I'm trying to catch up on lately. What do you mean "technically" you've never not finished a book. Is there one that you haven't finished?

Attached below are two links to California's Department of Education Recommended Reading List Server. Just click on the grade level (9-12), the discipline (English-Language Arts/Literary Elements), AND the language (English). You'll end up with 196 books just from that alone! If you pick the "English-Language Arts/General" discipline, you'll end up with 421 books.

Recommended Literature List:


Search the List page of the Literature List:

Maybe we could try with a book in other languaje

I have finally finished another book. Sad, I know, but that's just how busy my life is, honestly. It's very hard to find time to read an actual whole Book, just for fun.

Despite the challenge of the task, though, I have managed to do it, and will mark it down as being for #10, the mystery or thriller. It was The Brethren, by John Grisham.

Now I'm off to look at the list again and see what I might try for next.