The Book Challenge discussion
finished challenges
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Lyndsay's New Book Challenge
My goals:A-Z Title Challenge
A: Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
B: The Beginning of After - Jennifer Castle
C: Chasing McCree - J.C. Isabella
D: Divergent - Veronica Roth
E: Easy - Tammara Webber
F: The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
G: Good For You - Tammara Webber
H: The Help - Kathryn Stockett
I: Instructions for a Broken Heart - Kim Culbertson
J: Just for Now - Abbi Glines
K:
L: Left to Love - Jolene B. Perry
M: My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
N: Never Too Far - Abbi Glines
O: Overprotected - Jennifer Laurens
P: Point of Retreat - Colleen Hoover
Q:
R: The Return of Rafe MacKade - Nora Roberts
S: Sophie and Carter - Chelsea Fine
T: Twisted - Amity Hope
U: The Unwritten Rule - Elizabeth Scott
V:
W: Wild Roses - Deb Caletti
X:
Y:
Z:
Classics
1. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
3. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
4. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
6. Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
7. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
8. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
Favorites (rereads)
1. This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen
2. The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
3. If I Stay series (2) - Gayle Forman
Total Books: 100!/100
1. The Fault in Our Stars by John GreenMy first book of my new challenge! Let me just start off by saying that I am a huge John Green fan. I've read Paper Towns (love) and Looking for Alaska (absolutely adored!!). I am so glad the he wrote this book from the female perspective. I loved that. I loved Hazel. I loved Augustus. I loved her mom and Isaac and Peter. I loved the story and the ending and everything. I bawled like a baby. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I cried so hard from a book. This was phenomenal. I don't know how John Green is going to top The Fault in Our Stars.
2. Wild Roses by Deb CalettiI guess it's really not fair to this book. It was the one I chose after reading The Fault in Our Stars. And even more so, the love interest in this book was named Ian Waters. So follow Augustus Waters really isn't fair at all. I did like this book. But I've read a Deb Caletti book before and I didn't really like it at all. And this one wasn't exactly amazing so I may not be reading anymore by her.
Instead of Caletti try Susane Colisanti's books
and
3. Easy by Tammara WebberThis was such a sweet book. I love getting cheap books on my Nook and this was definitely worth the $3.99 I paid. I loved the characters, especially Erin. She was so funny. And Lucas was a great love interest! The greatest part though? Jaqueline was a music education major, just like me! I wasn't excited when it ended. I didn't want it to end, I wanted to keep reading more about them!
4. The Return of Rafe MacKade by Nora RobertsI am a sucker for a good romance novel. And Nora Roberts never disappoints. And a good love series is always welcome. I read The Bride Quartet last summer and I loved it. And now, I'm excited to read about these bad boys. I definitely liked the first one. I hope the rest turn out to be just as good.
5. The Pride of Jared MacKade by Nora RobertsI'm not adding anymore Nora Roberts books to my A-Z Challenge because I don't want her cluttering it all up. Anyways, I am pretty much loving this series. I'm a big fan of trashy romance novels and this series (and Nora Roberts) is the epitome of trashy romance novel. But I also love all the ghost stories and history involved. I loved Rafe and Regan in the first book. But I especially loved Jared and Savannah in this book. And Bryan was awesome! I'll probably be finishing this series up soon, the way I'm reading them. (:
6. The Heart of Devin MacKade by Nora Roberts I'm just breezing right through this series. I can honestly say that Book 3 has been my favorite so far. I love love love the children in this series. Emma is an absolute doll and the way Devin was with her was the sweetest writing in the whole book. I'm already making headway in the final book!
7. The Fall of Shane MacKade by Nora RobertsWhat a great ending to a great series. These books were sweet and fun to read. I love romance novels and as I've previously said, Nora Roberts does not disappoint. I especially loved this series because of the other story with the two corporals and how each couple was touched in some way by the legend. And the children absolutely made these great books. Bryan, Emma, Conner, and all the babies. I just love it! I still maintain that Book 3 wins for my favorite of the series. But they were all great books and fun reads.
8. This Lullaby by Sarah DessenThis is absolutely my favorite Sarah Dessen book. And rereading it, I'm reminded why. I love love love love Remy and Dexter, especially Dexter. He's my favorite Dessen love interest. This book is funny and sweet and sad and all kinds of things. I may just reread some more Dessen before the summer is over because they're quick, fun reads. And I'm excited for all future books she will write.
9. From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer and Valerie ThomasFor most of this book, I was annoyed. With the writing, the attitudes of the characters, etc. Actually, not most. Maybe only about halfway. I thought Max was an ass for pretty much the whole book. In fact, the only character I truly loved was Kylie. But it got better as it went on and I even gave it 4 stars. Maybe that's a bit overreaching but I just didn't feel 3 was enough. Anyways. It was a pretty fun read and it didn't take me long to read at all.
10. Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim CulbertsonI don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I liked this book but it wasn't outstanding. It took me a while to read it. That's partially because I've been working. But I think it's also due to the fact that I got bored after reading just a couple chapters each night. So I read it slow. But it was alright. I wouldn't read it again or anything, though,
11. Left to Love by Jolene B. PerryI loved this follow-up to The Next Door Boys. The continuing story of Leigh and her relationship with Brian. And Nathan was still wonderful. I really loved how much Brian loved Leigh. He would literally do anything for Leigh and I loved that. I want a man that will be that devoted to me. At times, Leigh really annoyed me. But she pulled through in the end and was lovable again.
12. Forget You by Jennifer EcholsJennifer Echols is a great Young Adult author. She has a way of making the characters seem real. That being said, I really hated Zoey, the main character, at times while reading this book. She worried way too much about what other people thought. And she was extremely naive in believing that Brandon really liked her. Her dad pissed me off too. He was selfish, arrogant, and an overall prick. The winning point of this was definitely Doug. He was really sweet and I loved his sarcastic attitude. Overall, I liked the book but it wasn't overly spectacular.
13. The Hunger Games, 14. Catching Fire, 15. Mockingjay by Suzanne CollinsI loved reading these books the first time around. But finally reading them for a second time, I understand more. When you first read a book you're really enjoying, maybe you don't take in every single detail of the story. But the second time around, you usually understand things you read over the first time. This is definitely what happened for me rereading these books. I love all three of them very much. I think they're expertly written and the stories are flawless.
16. Overprotected by Jennifer LaurensI was so excited to read this book. I'd had it on my Nook for a while and I was waiting for the right time to read it. And finally, I started it yesterday. It was nothing like I expected at all. It was borderline ridiculous, really. The only winning point of the entire book was Colin. He was a great male lead. And I guess Ashlyn wasn't a bad lead either, but she was a bit silly at times.
17. The Beginning of After by Jennifer CastleI can honestly say that there wasn't a whole lot that I didn't like about this book. It was a very good book and I read it quickly. I loved the characters. Laurel, David, Meg, Eve, Nana. They were all great characters. I loved the pets. Masher and the cats and all that. But one of my favorite things about this book was that it didn't move quickly. It wasn't one of those "three chapters in and the main characters are in love" stories. They had to build their relationship. It was a very well-paced novel and one I definitely loved.
18. Sophie & Carter by Chelsea FineI read this on my Nook in about 2 hours. (It would've been shorter but I was watching the Olympics as well.) On my Nook, it was 78 pages long. And 78 pages was the perfect length for this book. It was sweet and simple. You could tell right off the Sophie and Carter loved each other but neither of them wanted to step over that line of friendship. Their struggles were real and their friendship was sincere. And while I loved the happy ending, I loved how real the whole thing felt much more.
19. Breathe by Abbi GlinesThis book was pretty good. The story was really cute (although a bit cliche) and the characters were alright. There were a couple of minor things that bothered me. First off, they'd known each other for basically five minutes and Jax referred to Sadie as "his air." Maybe a little too creepy for me. And the other thing was, this book was very wordy. Like, there were so many details. I only wanna read about someone taking the dishes to the sink one time, not every single meal, y'know? Other than that, this was a very cute read.
20. Because of Low by Abbi GlinesI liked this book. I think I liked Breathe better but this one was still good. I'm a big fan of Young Adult and I'm a big fan of Romance. So when the two are combined, it's like, my ideal book. I really liked that this book was a bit more...naughty I guess is the right word. The story was also really good. I figured out the conflict a few chapters before it all came out and I knew there was a storm ahead. But it was still good and the end was really cute.
21. Slammed by Colleen HooverSlammed was a very sweet book. It was heartbreaking, actually. There was so much heartbreak between those four kids it was almost overwhelming. Layken and Will were both very good main characters. And Kel and Caulder were probably the sweetest little boys ever. At times, I was so frustrated with the story because I just wanted them to get together! But everything worked out for the best and it was a really great read.
22. Point of Retreat by Colleen HooverI absolutely love when a sequel is just as good as it's predecessor. And Point of Retreat was undoubtedly just as good as Slammed. One thing I really loved about this book was that it was told from Will's point of view instead of Layken's. Kel and Caulder were still just as lovable in this book. I even found that I loved Eddie, Gavin, and Kiersten. The middle part there through me for a loop because it was pretty sad, but again, it all worked out for the best. Because of these two books, I have a new interest in slam poetry. And I'm hoping that when I get back to school, I can find some slam poetry nights on campus.
23. While It Lasts by Abbi GlinesI feel bad that I have not read any Classics for this challenge yet. But all these Young Adult romances keep pulling me in. I need to start off by saying that I do not even understand how the same author that wrote Breathe also wrote this book. The style has completely changed, and evolved, and grown so much better. Looking back, Breathe was not that well-written. And honestly, except for Sadie's little mention in Because of Low, it has nothing to do with the other two books. I love that this one and Because of Low were told in alternating viewpoints. This one was definitely the best so far.
24. Between the Lines by Tammara WebberThis book was...interesting. Part of the time, I liked the book and part of the time, I didn't. Reid was an asshole. Emma was somewhat overdramatic. The only great character was Graham. All the way to the end, Reid sucked as a person. As a character, he was okay. But if he was a real person, I'd probably want to kick him in the balls for how he acted. The end was sweet, though. And I've already purchased the two sequels on my Nook. (:
25. Where You Are by Tammara WebberThe second book in this series was about as good as the first. But the characters were terrible people! Obviously, Emma and Graham were excellent. And I even liked Emily and Derek a lot. But I absolutely hated Brooke and Reid. Brooke was the world's most awful person ever and Reid was the world's biggest asshole. They both talked about Emma as if she had no feelings about what they were plotting. It irked me so much. So I was very pleased with the end.
26. Good For You by Tammara WebberAs much as I hated Reid in the first two books, I actually came to like him in this one. His transformation was very nice. I thought Dori was a great main character. I think the story could've been developed a little better. But overall, this was a good ending to the series. I was glad they made that little mention of Graham and Emma's relationship. I wish there'd been a little more of them. Maybe for closure purposes. But I really liked this book overall and this series was really sweet.
27. Sometimes It Happens by Lauren BarnholdtLauren Barnholdt is perhaps my favorite YA author of all time. I've now read four of her books and I've really enjoyed all of them. In Sometimes it Happens, Hannah really got herself into a bad situation. And I felt really bad for her. Because this situation is something that could really happen. That's one thing about Lauren Barnholdt. She writes about very realistic situations. I thought the characters in this book could've been a little more developed. But overall, it was a pretty good book.
28. Summer Desserts by Nora RobertsOh, I just love Nora Roberts! Her romance novels are so much fun to read. I have quite a few on my Nook. So there will more than likely be a few more in this Book Challenge. I liked the characters in this story a lot. The parents, B.C. and Lillian, and Monique were really fun. And I really loved Blake and Summer. They were very dynamic lovers and the end of this story made me happy.
29. Lessons Learned by Nora RobertsI loved this companion to Summer Desserts. Carlo is charming and endearing and just really fun. And Juliet is smart and intriguing and just a great lead. I think these two lovers were perfect. I just love Nora Roberts. I'll never stop loving her romance novels.
30. The Help by Kathryn StockettIt took me way too long to read this book. But I've been very busy with school and just life that I haven't had a lot of time to read. But I finally finished it. And I absolutely loved it. The characters were wonderful and the story was entertaining. I plan on watching the movie soon and comparing them.
31. Just for Now by Abbi GlinesI have really enjoyed the Sea Breeze series by Abbi Glines. Every single story has been really sweet. And I'm excited that she's still writing more to come. The story of Preston and Amanda started very quickly. This book was shorter than the others, I believe. But it was still a very fun read. It wasn't my favorite, though. I think my favorite story is still Cage and Eva.
32. Safe Haven by Nicholas SparksI'm always a sucker for a good Nicholas Sparks book. And this one sure didn't disappoint. All of the characters were sweet and lovable (with one exception of course) and the story was very well-written. I'd had this book sitting on my shelf for a while. But with the movie coming out soon, I really wanted to finally read the book. Now I can't wait to watch the movie!
33. Pieces of Us by Margie GelbwasserThe characters in this book were awful. Absolutely awful. The only characters I liked were Kyle and Katie. And it took some time for me to like Kyle. Alex was an asshole, Julie was kind of a bitch. (And the way she just betrayed her sister, I wanted to slap her.) Katie and Julie's mother was probably the worst character in the entire book. I wanted to slap her every time she was talked about. The story was interesting and I think it is a very realistic plot. But the characters just turned me off to this book.
Wow! I can tell the characters were really upsetting. I'm not familiar with the author.
34. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie PerkinsAnna and the French Kiss was a sweet book. I thought the characters and plot were all really well-developed. Anna was a good main character and St. Clair was a great love interest. Josh, Rashmi, and Meredith were all really great characters as well. Personally, I'd have loved to go to school in Paris for high school. But I can understand why Anna hated it. I really did like this book. (:
35. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth ScottI liked Elizabeth Scott. And I liked this book. It was a sweet story. But I thought Sarah, the main character, was a bit stupid. How could she not see how horrible of a person Brianna was? How could she not see that Brianna was not a good friend to her at all? One thing I really liked about this book was that it didn't focus so much on the relationship between Sarah and Ryan. It focused on the friendship between Sarah and Brianna. I really liked that.
36. Divergent by Veronica RothI now understand what all the hype was with this book. It was really a lot better than I had anticipated. I'd heard about it but I never really had a lot of interest in reading it. Then a couple of my friends at school said they'd read it and really enjoyed it. And then, when I got home for break, a few of my friends at home said they'd read or were reading it and they liked it. So I found it at the library and decided to give it a try. And I was very pleased with it. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but I really liked the book a lot and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
37. Fallen Too Far by Abbi GlinesAbbi Glines is a great Young Adult Romance author. I've read quite a few of her books because they are very cheap on the Nook and I've enjoyed them all. I was kinda shocked at how this book ended and I'm anxious for the sequel. I was bummed out when it just ended like that. But I'm excited for the next few books she has coming out and for all the other books I'm going to read soon.
38. Second Chance Summer by Morgan MatsonHold on while I finish bawling like a baby.
Okay, I'm good. This book. Oh my gosh, this book. It was so wonderful I don't even have words. I knew that it would rip my heart out before I even started it. But I really like Morgan Matson and I knew it'd be a good read. The plot was great, the characters were excellent, and the story was just overall incredible. I'll admit, there were times when I wanted to hate Taylor so bad because she was being ridiculous or silly. But I couldn't hate her because of what she was going through. I'm a girl who has a very special relationship with my father. I couldn't even imagine him not being here for me. And that was probably why I spent the last 50 or so pages of the book bawling. I could barely read through my tears.
This book was incredible.
39. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest HemingwayI finally read a Classic! I also wanted to read one more Classic before the end of the year, so The Old Man and the Sea it was. I really enjoy Hemingway and a friend at school recommended I read this one. So he lent me the book and I waited entirely too long to read it. I really enjoyed the story and am glad I read it.
40. Twisted by Amity HopeThis was a very sweet story. It was short and simple but it made a big impact. Maya and Ben were a great duo. I was pleased that it was a slow-going relationship. Phoebe was a great character as well. And Alec was even a well-written villain. I predicted what would happen, but that didn't make me want to read it any less.
41. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David LevithanI bought this book just after Christmas and I'd heard it was a good holiday book to read. So I started reading it. At first, I really liked Lily and Dash was not my favorite. But as the story grew and went on, I slowly got very annoyed with Lily. She was childish and immature and reckless and just bothersome. She wanted her family to treat her like an adult but she kept acting like a child. It annoyed me. Dash, however, grew to win my heart. He was sarcastic and witty and he loved to read. His banter with almost every character was hilarious. He's exactly like the boy I want to date. While this book was good, it was not among my favorites. But it was a fun read.
42. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsHaha, this is my 42 book of this challenge. That makes me laugh. I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't very long, so it was a pretty quick read. It was funny and entertaining. I liked Arthur's character a lot. I don't know if I'll read the other books in the series. I found this book at a thrift store for only $1.50 or something like that, so I don't know. But I did like this book a lot.
43. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica SorensenI really like finding cheap, next-to-nothing books on my Nook. Sometimes I know these books I download are just going to be fluff. But I like teen romance so I keep reading them. This book was not overly spectacular or well-written. But it was decent and I enjoyed reading it. It kept my attention pretty well. I would've finished it last night but I decided that I'd actually need to get some real sleep soon so I waited until this morning.
44. This Beautiful Thing by Amanda HeathI don't have a lot of words for this book. It was okay. Nothing at all spectacular about it. The editing was horrible, the story was jumpy, the characters cursed too much. It was okay. That's all I have to say.
45. Shattered by Elizabeth LeeI've been on a reading frenzy today, obviously. This was a quick, short read. It was really a sweet story. There were quite a few editing issues. But unlike the last book I read, the story was better so I didn't mind it as much. The only thing I wanted was a little more about Garrett. But other than that, I really enjoyed this book.
46. Chasing McCree by J.C. IsabellaThis was such a sweet book. I really enjoyed the main characters, Briar and Chase. They had such a sweet dynamic. I loved all the other characters too. Grandma, Aunt Millie and Uncle Jerry, even Chase's friends. I loved the little bit of mystery that was present at the end of the book and I absolutely loved the resolution. I love books that have epilogues because they make me feel like I got some closure from the story. I just really enjoyed this book.
47. Brave New World by Aldous HuxleyI had really been looking forward to reading this book and I had some high expectations for it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. At times, I was really confused and lost. The characters didn't stand out too much. It was an interesting read but not life-changing.
The Book Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Here Without You (other topics)We Have Always Lived in the Castle (other topics)
Fahrenheit 451 (other topics)
The 5th Wave (other topics)
Sometimes It Lasts (other topics)
More...
Edit July 14: I'm going to alter my challenge a tad bit. I'm going to take out the ten books from the library, for several reasons. First, because my library never has anything I'm interested in. Second, I never have time to make it down there anyway because I work so much and they close before I get off work. And finally, the summer is drawing to a close and I'll be going back to school, where I never go to the library to check out books for fun reading. I only go for schoolwork. So that's that.
Read 100 Books by May 5, 2013
-26 A-Z Titles
-10 Classics
-10 Library Books-4 Rereads
-60 extras