A New Series Challenge

I'm stealing a Series Challenge idea from Reader's Paradise, a discussion group on Goodreads that has a plethora of Reading challenges that are available to participate in.  Using their format, I'm creating my own personal challenge to follow along with.

Finishing up my 2014 reading challenges, I'd been searching the interwebz for more reading challenge ideas and stumbled across this particular one.  Since I've got a great many number of series under my belt and I like reading series anyway, I figured this would be another fun one to challenge myself with some tweaks here and there.

Even though the timeframe is from February 2014 onward, I will begin counting books read from September 2014 onwards, just to be fair.  Otherwise it won't seem like much of a challenge to me since I've already finished at least three of these challenge categories if we start counting if we start counting from February of this year.  And to make the challenge more challenging, I'm thinking of including a specific number of series required for each challenge category and I may even start by listing specific series that I fully intend to finish reading, but never got around to doing so.  I will not be counting novellas towards the "# of books left" in the series unless they are longer than 100 pages, but I will be reading them anyway (assuming I can get ahold of them).

Then again, this challenge is for fun anyway, so whatevs.

So starting from September 2014 until February 2016, I will have a little under two years to complete my challenges.  These books will, of course, also crossover with other challenges, but I want to make sure that they don't crossover with each other within this large challenge.

 

 

The sheer number of proposed books and series included in this series' challenge feels overwhelming, but it is meant to motivate me to read books that have been on my TBR for a long time with few exceptions.  It really only serves as a guide and I may or may not switch things up a little as the challenge year progresses into 2016.

 

I both love and hate reading lists because I read books dependent on my mood and hate to feel like I'm forcing a "required read"; while at the same time, having a list gives me an idea of what I want to read next or what I should read next, and keeps me on track of my goals.

 

 

Timeframe:  February 15, 2014 to February 15, 2016

(This Challenge officially began for me in September 2014)

 

Tentative Number of Books TBR: ~115

Tentative Number of Proposed Series to be Completed: 37

 

Number of Books Read: 58

Number of Series Completed: 9

 

See Also:  2016 - 2016 Series Challenge Shelf via Booklikes

 

 

The Challenge:

 

Challenge #1:

Complete a series in which you only have one book left to read.

My Goal:  Finish 5 series.  Tentatively pre-chosen.

 

Five Hundred Kingdoms by Mercedes Lackey -- Completed 10/10/2014

1.  The Fairy Godmother -- Read in 2012

2.  One Good Knight -- Read in 2012

3.  Fortune's Fool -- Read in 2013

4.  The Snow Queen -- Read in 2013

5.  The Sleeping Beauty -- Read in 2013

6.  Beauty and the Werewolf -- 10/10/2014 -- Reviewed

5.5.  A Tangled Web -- Read in 2013

 

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken -- Completed 11/29/2014

1.  The Darkest Minds -- Read in 2013

2.  Never Fade -- Read in 2013

3.  In the Afterlight -- 11/29/2014 -- Reviewed

1.5.  In Time -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

2.5.  Sparks Rise -- 10/1/2014

 

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

1.  Ultraviolet -- Read in 2013

2.  Quicksilver

 

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

1.  Birthmarked -- Read in 2011

2.  Prized -- Read in 2012

3.  Promised

 

Storybound by Marissa Burt

1.  Storybound -- Read in 2012

2.  Story's End

 

 

Challenge #2:

Complete a series in which you only have two books left to read.

My Goal:  Finish 5 series.  Tentatively pre-chosen.

 

The Elemental Trilogy by Sherry Thomas

1.  The Burning Sky -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

2.  The Perilous Sea -- 12/31/2014 -- Reviewed

3.  The Immortal Heights -- Publication 10/13/2015

 

Splintered by A.G. Howard

1.  Splintered -- Read in 2013

2.  Unhinged

3.  Ensnared

1.5.  The Moth in the Mirror

 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

1.  The Raven Boys -- Read in 2013

2.  The Dream Thieves -- Read in 2013

3.  Blue Lily, Lily Blue -- 10/23/2014 -- Reviewed

4.  The Raven King -- Publication 9/25/2015

 

Soul Eater by Eliza Crewe

1.  Cracked -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

2.  Crushed

3.  Crossed -- Publication in August 2015

 

-- Unchosen series --

 

 

Challenge #3:

Complete a series in which you have more than 10 books left to read.

My Goal:  Finish the following pre-chosen series.

 

Bishop/Special Crimes Unit by Kay Hooper

1.  Stealing Shadows -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

2.  Hiding in the Shadows -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

3.  Out of the Shadows -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

4.  Touching Evil -- 9/11/2014 -- Bundle Review

5.  Whisper of Evil -- 9/27/2014 -- Bundle Review

6.  Sense of Evil -- 9/30/2014 -- Bundle Review

7.  Hunting Fear

8.  Chill of Fear

9.  Sleeping With Fear

10.  Blood Dreams

11.  Blood Sins

12.  Blood Ties

13.  Haven

14.  Hostage

15.  Haunted

 

 

Challenge #4:

Complete a series in which you have more than 5 books left to read.

My Goal:  Finish the following pre-chosen series.

 

Haruhi Suzumiya by Tanigawa Nagaru

1.  The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya -- Read in 2012

2.  The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya -- Read in 2013

3.  The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

4.  The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya -- Read in 2014 (pre-Sept.)

5.  The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya -- 2/16/2015 -- Reviewed

6.  The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya

7.  The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya

8.  The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya

9.  The Disassociation of Haruhi Suzumiya

10.  The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya (combined books 10 and 11)

 

 

Challenge #5:

Pick a completely new series and read all the books in that series.

My Goal:  Finish 10 series.  Tentatively pre-chosen.

 

Stillwater Trilogy by Brenda Novak -- (1) Completed 10/5/2014

1.  Dead Silence -- 9/1/2014 -- Reviewed

2.  Dead Giveaway -- 9/14/2014 -- Reviewed

3.  Dead Right -- 10/5/2014 -- Reviewed

 

Walker Brothers by Leslie Kelly -- Series Review -- (2) Completed 10/13/2014

1.  She Drives Me Crazy -- 10/12/2014

2.  She's Got the Look -- 10/13/2014

 

The Last Stand by Brenda Novak -- (3) Completed 11/3/2014

1.  Trust Me -- 10/19/2014 -- Reviewed

2.  Stop Me -- 10/25/2014 -- Reviewed

3.  Watch Me -- 10/27/2014 -- Reviewed

4.  The Perfect Couple -- 10/31/2014 -- Bundle Review

5.  The Perfect Liar -- 11/1/2014 -- Bundle Review

6.  The Perfect Murder -- 11/3/2014 -- Bundle Review

 

Storm Front by Sharon Sala -- (4) Completed 12/3/2014 

1.  Blown Away -- 11/16/2014

2.  Torn Apart -- 11/26/2014

3.  Swept Aside -- 12/3/2014

 

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier -- (5) Completed 2/27/2015

1.  Shadowfell -- 2/16/2015 -- Reviewed

2.  Raven Flight -- 2/25/2015 -- Reviewed

3.  The Caller -- 2/27/2015 -- Reviewed

 

His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers

1.  Grave Mercy -- 11/21/2014 -- Review to come

2.  Dark Triumph

3.  Mortal heart

 

Legend by Marie Lu

1.  Legend

2.  Prodigy

3.  Champion

0.5.  Life Before Legend

 

Skylark by Meagan Spooner

1.  Skylark

2.  Shadowlark

3.  Lark Ascending

 

The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan

1.  The Magicians' Guild

2.  The Novice

3.  The High Lord

0.5.  The Magician's Apprentice

 

-- Unchosen series --

 

 

Challenge #6:

Create your own series challenge.

My Goal:  Finish the following 5 series challenges listed.

 

#1) -- Read 5 Romantic Suspense series. --

Savannah by Lisa Jackson -- Completed 10/29/2014

1.  The Night Before -- 10/4/2014 -- Reviewed

2.  The Morning After -- 10/18/2014 -- Reviewed

3.  Tell Me -- 10/29/2014 -- Reviewed

 

Black Ops, Inc. by Cindy Gerard -- Completed 1/27/2015

1.  Show No Mercy -- 1/13/2015 -- Reviewed

2.  Take No Prisoners -- 1/14/2015 -- Reviewed

3.  Whisper No Lies -- 1/15/2015 -- Reviewed

4.  Feel the Heat -- 1/19/2015 -- Reviewed

5.  Risk No Secrets -- 1/21/2015 -- Reviewed

6.  With No Remorse -- 1/26/2015 -- Reviewed

7.  Last Man Standing -- 1/27/2015 -- Reviewed

5.5.  Leave No Trace -- 1/21/2015 -- Reviewed

6.5.  SEALed With a Kiss -- 1/6/2015 -- Reviewed (part of anthology, #6)

7.5.  Dying to Score -- 1/28/2015

 

Doucet by Tami Hoag

1.  The Restless Heart -- 9/2/2014 -- Reviewed

2.  Lucky's Lady -- 10/6/2014 -- Reviewed

3.  Cry Wolf -- 10/17/2014 -- Reviewed

4.  A Thin Dark Line

 

The Deadly Games by Lena Diaz

1.  He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

2.  Simon Says Die

3.  Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead

4.  Take the Key and Lock Her Up 

 

St. Kilda Consulting by Elizabeth Lowell

1.  Always Time to Die

2.  The Wrong Hostage

3.  Innocent as Sin

4.  Blue Smoke and Murder

5.  Death Echo

 

 

#2) -- Start/Continue/Finish Any 5 YA series. --

Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

1.  Cinder -- Read in 2013

2.  Scarlet -- 2/9/2015 -- Reviewed

3.  Cress

4.  Winter -- Publication 11/10/2015

0.5.  Glitches -- 10/31/2014

0.6.  The Little Android -- 2/12/2015 -- Brief Thoughts

1.5.  The Queen's Army -- 10/31/2014

3.1.  Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky

3.5.  Fairest

 

The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale

1.  The Goose Girl -- Read pre-2010

2.  Enna Burning

3.  River Secrets

4.  Forest Born

 

The Ward by Jordana Frankel

1.  The Ward

2.  Untitled book -- Publication date unknown

 

Investigating the Hottie by Juli Alexander

1.  Investigating the Hottie

2.  Undercover with the Hottie

 

-- Unchosen series --

 

 

#3) -- Read 10 1sts each for 2014/2015 series. --

2014 1sts

1.  Lark Rising (Guardians of Tarnec) by Sandra Waugh -- 10/21/2014

2.  Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy) by Danielle L. Jensen -- 11/4/2014

3.  The Young Elites (The Young Elites) by Marie Lu -- 11/17/2014 -- Review to come

4.  Avalon (Avalon) by Mindee Arnett -- 12/4/2014

5.  A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird) by Claudia Gray -- 12/7/2014

6.  Death Sworn (Death Sworn) by Leah Cypess -- 12/15/2014

7.  Zodiac (Zodiac) by Romina Russell

8.  

9.  

10.  Fool Me Twice (If Only... series) by Mandy Hubbard

 

2015 1sts

1.  Frostfire (The Kanin Chronicles) by Amanda Hocking -- 2/21/2015

2.  The Storyspinner (The Keepers' Chronicles) by Becky Wallace -- Publication 3/3/2015

3.  Mindwalker (Mindwalker) by A.J. Steiger -- Publication 6/9/2015

4.  The Leveller (The Leveller) by Julia Durango -- Publication 6/23/2015

5.  Ink and Bone (The Great Library) by Rachel Caine -- Publication in 2015

6.  Illuminae (The Illuminae Files) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff -- Publication 8/4/2015

7.  Walk on Earth a Stranger (Goldscryer Saga) by Rae Carson -- Publication 9/22/2015

8.  Six of Crows (The Dregs) by Leigh Bardugo -- Publication 10/6/2015

9.  Passenger (Untitled series) by Alexandra Bracken -- Publication TBA

10.  

 

 

#4) -- Start/Continue/Finish Any 5 series. --

FBI/US Attorney by Julie James

1.  Something About You -- Read in 2013

2.  A Lot Like Love -- Read in 2013

3.  About That Night -- Read in 2013

4.  Love Irresistibly -- 9/6/2014 -- Reviewed

5.  It Happened One Wedding -- 9/20/2014 -- Reviewed

 

Nikki Heat by Richard Castle

1.  Heat Wave -- 11/15/2014 -- Reviewed

2.  Naked Heat -- 12/26/2014 -- Reviewed

3.  Heat Rises -- 1/24/2015 -- Reviewed

4.  Frozen Heat

5.  Deadly Heat

6.  Raging Heat

 

Tracers by Laura Griffin

1.  Untraceable -- 2/10/2015 -- Reviewed

2.  Unspeakable -- 2/17/2015 -- Reviewed

3.  Unforgiveable -- 2/20/2015 -- Reviewed

4.  Snapped

5.  Twisted

6.  Scorched

7.  Exposed

8.  Beyond Limits

4.5.  Unstoppable

 

-- Unchosen series --

 

-- Unchosen series --

 

 

#5) -- Read 10 1sts for Any series. --

1.  Falling For Her Fiance (Accidentally in Love) by Cindy Madsen -- 9/11/2014

2.  Enchanted (The Woodcutter Sisters) by Alethea Kontis -- 1/4/2015

3.  

4.  

5.  

6.  

7.  

8.  

9.  

10.  

 

 

Whew!

 

"Netflix" for Books, huh?

This post was reblogged from Ani's Book Abyss.  (That's me! )
Originally posted at:  http://anitactruong.booklikes.com/post/932919/netflix-for-books-huh





I've been seeing a lot of these ads around in the past year.

Oyster -- $9.95 monthly for unlimited access to over 500,000 titles.
Scribd -- $8.99 monthly for unlimited access to over 400,000 titles.




And now Amazon (whose goal is world domination, I assume), is launching Kindle Unlimited with a $9.99 monthly subscription fee.  They're boasting unlimited access to over 600,000 titles as well as thousands of audio books!  (Source: The Verge)

Always needing to one up each other, aren't they, these kids?

Go here to check out their subscription trial as well as seek more information from Amazon.  There's even a nifty little video to go with it!

Now, I'm not a part of the "Amazon is the evil anti-Christ" group out there--I'm a happy consumer who is always grateful to spend less money on certain purchases.  Money is definitely limited, you see.  And I've bought my fair share of Kindle books which is really the only thing I use Amazon for aside from the occasional purchase of some cheap material goods I can't get cheaper in a local retail store.

However, I am also slightly frustrated that it's so hard to find a good bookstore around town anymore because the Big Dogs are edging out the Independents (yes, You've Got Mail was one of my favorite rom-coms).  And now Amazon's flexible pricing and convenient shopping is starting to edge out actual, physical book stores on their quest to take over the world.

But you still have to admit: they're pretty good at knowing how to win the hearts of consumers of all ages.  Pricing has a lot to do with it and ease of access as well as those "one-click" purchases allowing one to shop in the comfort of their own home...  I'm a hermit and a 3rd shift worker, so it's kind of nice not to have to wait around for store hours to do my browsing and shopping--my sleep schedule isn't exactly the kindest one.


But let's backtrack to the whole book subscription thing.

These sites might have been around longer than the past year I've been noticing them, but I'm not the most observant person around (for one); and also, I've never really thought to pay for a book subscription of "unlimited access to over x00,000 titles" for a specific monthly fee.  I mean, my city has 8 different branches in our public library system and a continuously growing e-book selection.  I've also discovered recently our statewide online libraries, though their selections are much skimpier than expected.  All of this is for free and the only thing you have to really do is wait in line.  Not all books are readily available and not all books you'd like to read are available through the local library--it's not a complaint, it's just a fact of life.

Even book stores won't always have what you want to read and the difference is that you don't have to spend any money at a library unless you forgot to turn something in on time.



Nonetheless, the library is still the first place I think about whenever I want to read a book, but I don't know if I should pay to own it.  Also, there's always this cozy, at-home feeling whenever I walk into a library (despite the kiddie crowds during the summer time reading programs) and it gives me a reason to be somewhere else aside from hiding in my house all day long.  And they DO have a fairly wide selection.  Aside from a rough percentage of titles, the library has always been quite satisfactory in appeasing my bookworm needs.

Waiting in a hold line to check out a book has never been a problem for me mainly because I have a long list on my TBR shelf anyway.  Just pick up a different book and wait for a desired title to become available.

And if they don't happen to have a title, I go to a used book store to see if I can't find the book for a cheap price, read it and then decide if I want to resell it or donate it to the library so that they DO have the title for future book nerds like myself or just keep it for my future private library.

So book subscription sites have always been noticeable, but continue to fly under the radar for me.  I'm in a "Currently Considering" mode, and this mode can last a couple years before I decide what I want to do.




Of course, now with these free 30 day trials being offered, I might think about giving these book subscriptions a shot.

I did my math--sort of.  Contrary to popular belief, Asians are not all good at math, so bear with me here as I round off numbers and make wide guesstimates.

If I were to subscribe to one of these book services, it looks like we'd be averaging about $9 a month depending on which one I wanted to subscribe to (see beginning of this post for pricing).  I read a calculated average of 14.33 books a month (yes, I've been keeping track this year; yes, I AM that OCD), and if I went by the cheapest title sold through Amazon at roughly $1.99 a book, I'd be spending around $27 a month on books if I only ever bought the books that I read.  Assuming that I continuously choose to read my books through one of these book subscriptions for a good part of the month, the deal isn't all too bad.  $9.99 versus $27 dollars monthly is no contest.

Don't even get me started on paperback books, because even the used ones in this city go for around $3 to $4, plus tax and that's assuming you find what you want.  New books are an average of $7.99 if you're lucky and it's not a new release.

Keep in mind, though--I don't buy all the books that I read.  More on this later.

I allot myself $25 a month to spend on books anyway (if I didn't budget myself, I'd go too crazy, as I discovered before I started keeping track of my book spending habits), totaling $300 a year with give or take for over or under spending.  (Last year I spent nearing $500 on books until I decided to put a leash on myself and track my spending more strictly.  This year I've spent about $150 so far, and most of that spending happened in June when I allowed for splurge to celebrate my birthday.)  I'm still a realist about my book spending habits, and so while I'm paying more attention to how much money I put into purchasing books, I know that spending a lot of money on books is inevitable.

Anyway, back to the rough math:  If I subscribed to, say, Kindle Unlimited for the $9.99 monthly, that's about $119.88 for the full year, minus the free 30 day trial (we'll also give or take for any time I decide to cancel my subscription and save a few payments during the year.

Still... it's not a bad deal.

Of course, then we have to factor in the fact that, if I liked the book enough, I might go out and buy it for full price.  And that's a guess as to how many books I'll love enough to want to own them permanently.  Will that end up being more or less added onto my book spending?

The main factor that gives me pause, however, is this:  How often will I actually be using these "unlimited access to x00,000 titles" services?


Ever since I spotted the first ad for Oyster, I'd been wondering whether or not these types of services were really worth it.

I have a Netflix account (one that I've barely been using lately, but my parents use it, so whatevs).  Netflix (the streaming part of it) gives you unlimited access to a wide selection of television series, movies, documentaries, concerts... etc.  My current fee is $7.99 a month, though I know that new users are now being charged $9.99 a month and that I get to continue enjoying my $7.99 a month for the next two years until Netflix decides that I need to start giving them more money.

I chose to subscribe to Netflix because RedBox requires getting out of my house and driving to the nearest retail store and standing in front of a box outside of said store while choosing a movie.  And to be totally honest, I'm not enough of a movie buff to spend my time browsing movie titles for my evening entertainment.

So Netflix was the way to go.  Of course, their selection of movie titles and television series is quite limited.  And their navigation sucks too.

And yet... I still have the account... just in case I ever want to watch anything.  Like paying for cable and just letting it sit there until I'm bored enough to watch something random, or interested enough to go searching for something to watch.

I'm contradictory in my consuming habits.  I know that.  I'm willing to drive all around town to find a book I want to read, or collect all four books to a series I'm interested in from three different libraries, or run across town to the chain used book store we have to find books not available at the library... but I'm sitting here contemplating whether or not it would be worth the money to spend a monthly fee on unlimited access to any book I might find interesting.

And that's the thing.  At least half of the titles I read each month are borrowed from the library rather than bought.  So would I technically be spending more money or less money since half the books I read don't cost me anything aside from the time it takes me to run to the library and the gas it requires to get me there?

This is where my conflict lies.  I could spend the $9.99 a month to be able to read any book at anytime for as long as I want.  But I could also not spend any money and still have access to that book, so long as I have a little bit of patience to wait my turn.

How desperate am I to "have that book and read it right now"?

My logic only really makes sense to me, to be honest.



You would think that I would be one of the first people to jump on these platforms and use it for all its worth.  And I don't know what's holding me back.  I have a Scribd account already, but not a paid subscription, so only certain books and documents are made available to me.  I have browsed through the selections on both Oyster and Scribd, and I did a cursory skim-through of Kindle Unlimited this evening, and decided that their selections are fairly varied and plenty.  (Well, except for Kindle Unlimited.  Their selections are kind of skimpy and I'm not sure I've found enough books I want to read to merit a "I must get this subscription now!" reaction.)

So, yes.  Still in contemplation mode.

Maybe it's just that change is something hard to jump-start on.  It took me a long time to even contemplate picking up an e-reader since I've always been in the "real books 4 teh win" type of reader.  Now I'm crazy about the ease of access and convenience that having an e-book library provides, despite still loving the feel of having a paper bound book in my hand.

And the more I talk about these book subscription services, the more I'm contemplating giving them a try.  It probably wouldn't hurt to take advantage of that 30 day free trial.
If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.  Also, I only really did a cursory search through of these book subscriptions platforms, so it's not like I know much about them aside from what's being advertised.  If there's something I missed, by all means, let me know.  It'll at least help me make my decision.

Reading Challenges of 2014 -- Progress Report

I got too lazy to continue posting progress reports each month.  It happens.  So now that I'm in the mood for it, I'll post a somewhat update of my reading progress so far this year.  And yes, I'm very OCD about lists and keeping track of what books I've been reading.  It's a madness, really...





Anyway, as far as progress goes:


Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge -- My List
BookLikes 2014 Reading Challenge -- My List
Goal: 100 books
Progress:  96/100
See full list on my book shelf under 2014 Reading Challenge.

It's only a little over halfway through 2014 and I'm closing in on my general Reading Challenge goal.  Of course, I need to account for the number of manga and short novella's I've always included into the list, but that can be easily remedied by reading more books, of course!

I'm sure I'll have to bump my goal up after I officially reach 100 books, considering I haven't counted all of my books into other Reading Challenges (see below), which will require my general challenge to be bumped up to at least ~115 to 120 books.

I might still be reeling about that number because it seems so high, but I DO still have six months (including this month) left to read another 20 to 30 books if applicable.

We'll see how things end up.  I've no doubt I'll be at 100 books before July is over.  After all, I have seven library books lined up to be finished and returned by the time August rolls around.


***

 

100 Books in a Year hosted by Book Chick City
Progress:  81/100
See full list on my book shelf under 2014 100 Books in a Year Challenge.



2014 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

Getting my heart rate up -- Read 1 - 5 more books -- This one
Out of breath -- Read 6 - 10 more books
Breaking a sweat -- Read 11 - 15 more books
I'm on fire! -- Read 16+ more books 

Goal:  Read 1 to 5 more books
(Last year's total: 101  -- Means I need to read 102 to 106 books)
Progress:  81/102
See full list on my book shelf under 2014 Outdo Yourself Challenge.


The above two challenges (100 Books in a Year and Outdo Yourself Challenge) are an extension of my general Reading Challenge.  Due to the fact that I haven't counted all of the books I've read into these two challenges, my goal is actually a lot higher than 100.  See above explanations.

Anyway, crossing my fingers that I don't suddenly lose my steam and stop reading steadily.  My pattern seems to be the same:  Few books read at the beginning of the year, more and more books read towards the middle of the year, number of books tapers off to an average of 1 to 5 books per month by the time the time October rolls around.

I wonder if I'll hold strong or if the same patter will come about.

***

 
2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader
Goal:  See Ani's 2014 TBR Pile Challenge -- includes full list of books in this challenge
Progress:  5/12
See also: 2014 TBR Pile Challenge (RBR) on my book shelf


I have made no progress on this particular reading list since May, I believe.  It makes me wonder if I should have chosen books I'd have had a better chance of wanting to read, though the whole point is to read the books you haven't been motivated to read that you've been wanting to read... right?  Unfortunately, there are at least 2 books on this list right now that I have no desire to actually read... which means that I'll have to use my alternatives.  And even THAT thought is kind of iffy.

This challenge may end up being incomplete this year.  And next year I'll really have to choose my books wisely.

***

 
2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by The Bookish Team

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - First Kiss
31-40 - Sweet Summer Fling
41-50 - Could this be love?
50+ - Married With Children

Goal:  Sweet Summer Fling (31 to 40 books) --  COMPLETED May 5, 2014
Next Goal:  Married With Children (50+ books) -- COMPLETED June 2, 2014
Progress:  75/50
See full list on my bookshelf under 2014 TBR Pile Challenge (Bookish).



This challenge is complete.  The goals looked overwhelming at first, but really, since my general goal was 100 books anyway, it's not like I wouldn't have been able to finish it.  So there you are!


***

 
2014 Series Challenge hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat.

Ani's 2014 Series Challenge post -- includes full list of books read for this challenge.

Bronze Badge:  1 - 3 Series
Silver Badge:  4 - 6 Series
Gold Badge:  7 - 11 Series
Platinum Badge:  12 or more Series

(1/14/2014)
Goal:  Gold Badge (7 to 11 series) -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED --
6/3/2014 -- 11th series finished --> Black CATs by Leslie A. Kelly

(6/3/2014)
Updated Goal: Platinum Badge (12 or more Series) -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 6/6/2014 -- 12th series finished --> Mindhunters by Kylie Brant

(6/14/2014)
Latest update:  12 or more COMPLETED series -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 6/14/2014 -- 12th COMPLETED series finished --> Gamble Brothers by J. Lynn

(7/17/2014)
Latest update: Previously stated personal goal officially completed.
New Goal:  Read 12 or more completed series (first book to last)

Progress:  18 series completed/caught up with for 2014.
See 2014 Series Challenge on my bookshelf for a list of books completed for this challenge.


I just recently updated a progress report for this challenge.  See this post for details.

***


2014 1st In A Series Challenge hosted by Darlene's Book Nook

Ani's 2014 1st In A Series post -- includes full list of books read for this challenge.

There are four levels for the challenge:

a. Series Novice: Read 5 books that are first in a series.

b. Series Lover: Read 10 books that are first in a series.

c. Series Expert: Read 20 books that are first in a series.

d. Series Fanatic: Read 30 books that are first in a series.

My Goal: Series Fanatic -- 30 1sts -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 7/17/2014

Completed:  30/30

See Also: 2014 1st in a Series Challenge shelf

***


2014 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen
The Goal is to read 10 Romantic Suspense Novels.
Completed:  34/10

See also: 2014 Romantic Suspense Challenge Shelf

Ani's 2014 Romantic Suspense Challenge post -- includes list of books read for this challenge.

CHALLENGE COMPLETED!  As of May 9, 2014, I've finished reading 10 Romantic Suspense novels!

6/3/2014 -- Completed 20 Romantic Suspense novels.  See shelf for list of titles.

6/29/2014 -- Completed 30 Romantic Suspense novels. See shelf for list of titles.

***

I Love Library Books 2014 Reading Challenge hosted by Book Dragon's Lair

Ani's I Love Library Books 2014 Challenge post -- includes full list of books read for this challenge.

Levels:

• board book - 3
• picture book - 6
• early reader - 9
• chapter book - 12
• middle grades - 18
• Young adult - 24
• adult - 36
• just insert IV - 50

My Goal:  just insert IV - 50
Completed: 42/50
See Also: 2014 Library Books Challenge shelf

***


So there we have a cumulative update of all the challenges I'm participating in this year.  Four challenges are officially completed (Series Challenge, 1st in a Series Challenge, Romantic Suspense Challenge, and Bookish's TBR Pile Challenge).

I only need to read 8 more library books to finish the I Love Library Books Challenge, which won't be hard--I've currently got 5 books checked out from the library to be read.  It'll only be a matter of checking out 3 more and there are so many I want to check out right now it's not even funny.  After all, I'm still in the middle of one pile before I can start a new pile.  /sigh

Man... there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the world...

A reading update for 2014

Reblogged from my BookLikes page: Ani's Book Abyss
(Books page updated as of 2/27/2014)


I was wanting to do a progress update each month on what I'm reading, but January was not a good month for reading.  Because as much as I love to read, I also love anime and video games, and so that is what happened in January.

(**coughcough**FullMetalAlchemistmarathon**coughcough**)

Nonetheless, I still got some reading in (even if I might have had to cheat a little bit, but, hey, as my little brother defends: "A volume of a manga series is technically a book, too!"), so according to my calculations, I have managed to read 6 books in January... 4 of which were four volumes of manga of which I'm not certain whether or not they count for some of the challenges I'm participating in, so I'll at least be fair in that aspect.

Which is fine.  It just means I have more books to read in order to add onto each challenge and my end goals for 2014.

February ended up a bit better than January, so at least I feel like I'm making better progress.

A forecast for March has me listing several more titles in a row... so hopefully I don't burn myself out (as if that could happen), though my lists never go as planned, so we'll see.  I may create a March post, or I may wait and do bi-monthly posts... which might be better now that I think about it.

Anyway...

Related posts:
More Reading Challenges!
2014 TBR Pile Challenge -- Roof Beam Reader

Challenges:
100 Books in a Year hosted by Book City Chick
Outdo Yourself Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen
2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader
2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Bookish
2014 Series Challenge hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat.

***

The four volumes I read of Sukitte iinayo will only be included in the generalized Reading Challenges on Goodreads and BookLikes.
I wrote a compiled review for all four volumes:  Review -- Sukitte iinayo, Vol. 1 to 4.

All other books read are automatically included in the above two challenges as well.

2014 Reading Challenge:
1.  Sukitte iinayo, Volume 1 by Hazuki Kanae  -  Review, Volumes 1 to 4
2.  Sukitte iinayo, Volume 2 by Hazuki Kanae
3.  Sukitte iinayo, Volume 3 by Hazuki Kanae
4.  Sukitte iinayo, Volume 4 by Hazuki Kanae
5.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak  -  Review 
6.  The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - Review
7.  The Unbound (The Archived, book 2) by Victoria Schwab - Review
8.  Split Second (Pivot Point, book 2) by Kasie West - Review
9.  The Giver by Lois Lowry - Review
10.  Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram - Review
11.  The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima - Review
12.  This Is What Happy Looks Like - Review


Otherwise, here is my January and February progress for each of the other challenges listed:



100 Books in a Year hosted by Book City Chick 
Present Progress:  8 books read

January
1.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- Review
2.  The Distance Between Us by Kasie West -- Review

February
1.  The Unbound by Victoria Schwab -- Review
2.  Split Second by Kasie West -- Review
3.  The Giver by Lois Lowry -- Review
4.  Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram -- Review
5.  The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima -- Review
6.  This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith -- Review




Outdo Yourself Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen
Goal: 102 to 106 books
Present Progress:  8 books read

January
1.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- Review
2.  The Distance Between Us by Kasie West -- Review

February
1.  The Unbound by Victoria Schwab -- Review
2.  Split Second by Kasie West -- Review
3.  The Giver by Lois Lowry -- Review
4.  Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram -- Review
5.  The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima -- Review
6.  This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith -- Review




2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader
Goal: 12 pre-selected books
Present Progress:  2 books read

No progress in January.

February
1.  The Giver by Lois Lowry -- Review
2.  The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima -- Review




2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Bookish
Goal:  31 to 40 books
Present Progress:  6 books read

January
1.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- Review
2.  The Distance Between Us by Kasie West -- Review

February
1.  The Giver by Lois Lowry -- Review
2.  Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram -- Review
3.  The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima -- Review
4.  This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith -- Review




2014 Series Challenge hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat.
Goal:  7 to 11 series
Present Progress:  2 series

No progress in January.

February
1.  The Unbound by Victoria Schwab / Book 2 of The Archived series -- Review
2.  Split Second by Kasie West / Book 2 of Pivot Point series -- Review

See also:  2014 Series Challenge 

Just as well, The Book Thief was chosen as a read-along with my BFF for our own personal Mini Book Club.

***

I promise I'll come up with a better format for my next update post.  This one seems kind of clunky and chaotic, but I suck at finding a good structure or format until after the fact.  What would really make my day would be the ability to include tables in my blog posts...  I... might think about inserting photos of my actual tables I keep on an excel spreadsheet for my book lists and reading lists, though I wonder if that might be too extreme.

Review to Come: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There were so many different emotions going through me reading this book and it's hard to pinpoint what emotions happened when. Amazingly, for a while I thought I was unable to "feel" the right feelings at the right moments; this book is based in a very depressing, tragic time in history, and as well written as it was, there were a lot of moments where I felt detached from the book and its characters, but at the same time knowing the extent of the grief, tension, and darkness presented. And then there were moments where I DID feel the sadness.

It's hard to put into words at all how I personally felt about The Book Thief, so I'm going to try my best to go back through my notes and put my thoughts together. In the end, it might just be that I'll have some very simple opinions formulated.

On the aside, when my BFF finishes this book, we still need to have our Mini Book Club discussion. So I'll include some points from that discussion into my review as well.

Simply put, I really just really enjoyed reading The Book Thief. It was quite the pleasure.

Review to come. Soon, hopefully.



View all my reviews via Goodreads

Books, reviews and me...

This is a simple post.  I've created a new blog over at Booklikes to keep track of my book reviews and such.  And, to be honest, while I'm OCD about certain types of structure, I think I'm also too lazy to do too much work.  It used to be, I would try to keep tabs on book reviews I write at Goodreads automatically posting on this blog.  Now, I've got too many social networks and blog pages to keep tabs on and I'm (as repeated) a very lazy person.

So all my book reviews will now be posted at Book Abyss, my BookLikes page.  The link is also on my sidebar beneath the rest of my list of personal web pages.  I've also linked up my bookshelf from BookLikes under the Books page at the top of this blog.

I'm still going to try to update the Books page at the top of this blog, but all reviews listed from now on will link to the BookLikes pages rather than my own here at Blogger.

If a book review DOES find a way to sneak onto this blog somehow, I'm not going to fix it (cause that's how I am).  Otherwise, I'm just probably going to post a few updates every month about the books I've been reading and then redirect everyone with linkies to the proper page of each book review or progress report.

That is all.

Amateur Mini Book Club, Day One

Day One

Location -- Noisy Coffee Shop where I prove that I CAN be much noisier than the noise.

- Goodreads

- BookLikes

- Amazon

This is pretty much how it went down in a not so very brief-tastic summary with probable exaggerations and some paraphrased conversations because my memory sucks at exact details and maybe I should have been recording everything, but I didn't.  Anyway, long day aside, this is my best friend and my first attempt at committing to something like a book club.  But we tend to be more or less easy-going about books, so we agreed on simply discussing how we feel about the book thus far with no "high school style" deep analysis.

The session was overall pretty laid back, and as my best friend likes to remain anonymous within the online world (she doesn't even have a social networking account of any kind outside of her GR account that she rarely frequents), I shall refer to her as BFF.

Me: 

Shows up 15 minutes late and immediately starts talking about how life sucks and our table is in the middle of too much crowd.  Wonders what kind of fattening fancy coffee shop drink to get.

BFF:

"Yeah, it's really crowded tonight."  Proceeds to talk about book and how she had wanted to read more than our agreed upon ten chapters because she was enjoying it.  "I read all ten chapters in one whole sitting... then I sort of started on the next chapter a little bit..."

Me:

"Oh right.  The book."  Plops down onto the chair.  "Um... I'm enjoying it too.  But honestly, I liked Puck's portion of the narration more than the other guy."  Because Puck sounds wittier and livelier and I like wit and sarcasm and liveliness.  And I also like the relationship between Puck and her brothers.

Gives very brief "I can relate" segway with a roll of the eyes and wave of the hand about Puck's relationship with her brothers.  Continues to wonder what type of fancy drink to indulge in.

BFF: 

"I thought of that too!"  Proceeds to flip through book to end of Chapter 3 after Puck's elder brother, Gabe, announced that he's leaving the island... for good.  Puck feels abandoned, little brother Finn is semi-trying to keep the peace.  Puck tries to act nonchalant and brave.  

"I especially made the connection at this part," points to book, "here when Puck goes to her room and says something like, 'Jackass', or whatever.  I thought it sounded like you and your brother."

(Random tangent)

Well, the actual line is, "Selfish bastard," right before Puck sobs into her pillow after putting on a strong front and proclaiming that she's going to participate in the races that could get people killed because they'll need the money if she can win it.  But nonetheless, the sentiments and the feelings are there.  And yes, while I don't relate with Puck too much (she's pluckier and has more determination than I do), I can relate with her situation somewhat.  The difference is that her parents are gone and mine are still here, but between the "selfish bastard" big brother and the strange little brother with disjointed behavior and unpredictable color commentary, I think that's pretty similar in some ways.

(Random tangent end)

Me: 

Talks about the difference between Sean and Puck and why Puck is more easily related to than Sean.  Sean is too dark and broody -- dark and broody doesn't always work for main male characters.  

BFF:

Talks about some lines in certain chapters she has highlighted and why.

Me:

At some point during the discussion that I can't quite remember, points at a nearby taller table that just got vacated.  With a happy grin: "Window table."

And so the two of us scramble to the new table with our crap in tow as I finally decide that I need to get me one of those fancy coffee shop drinks before we get serious.  Moments later, when I return to the table, we start chatting about the book again, but there is a very distinct agreement between the two of us about certain things:

1)  The book is enjoyable and Puck is a nice, fun girl to follow.

2)  Sean is too broody and we both found his parts of the story too somber and too monotone so far.  We understand that he's broody for a reason (he'd recently lost his father to a water horse "accident" and watched his father die and he's stuck in this endless cycle of the Scorpio Races where everyone wants his opinion), but we believe that broodiness is just his way of being male and dramatic at the same time.  If he were a woman, people would be telling him to build a bridge.  

Also, we determined that Sean seems to have this complex where he seems to see himself on a different level than everyone else around him, in an arrogant, "I know more than you about these water horses" type of way which we think makes him feel superior to everyone else.

And the idea that Sean is drawn to the water the same way that the water horses are drawn to the sea... a little disturbing.

(Random personal tangent): When I first read the description of this book, I had pictured Sean as some gangly, young kid with a big-person ego too big for him to handle.  I was thinking of him as some stubborn child wanting to prove a point by racing in the Scorpio Races against professionals.  And now after reading the book, I realize that my pre-impression of him was quite wrong since he is obviously the Water Horse Yoda on the island.  Go figure.  (Random personal tangent end)

3)  BFF and I are both interested in seeing the first interaction between Sean and Puck with their differing personalities.  Puck lost her parents to water horses during one of the annual races as well in a "tragic accident", but she maintains a rather light view of life as seen here:

Setting them out on the table, three lonely plates where once there would've been five, depresses me, so I busy myself making some mint tea to go with them.  As I arrange and rearrange the teacups by our plates, it occurs to me, too late, that mint tea and apple cake might not go together.

The way in which Puck's mind operates is hard to grasp since these tiny little details also tells so much about how she feels, bringing a possible somber, melancholic moment into a more thoughtful, puzzling moment.  This is also setting aside the fact that the siblings are having apple cake for dinner.

4)  Water horses are super creepy.

5)  Maggie Stiefvater is awesome!

Okay, maybe that last one was all me, but there is no amount of words I can use to describe why I love Maggie's writing.

Moving along, we make other comments about the book.

My BFF seems to like big romantic ideals and gestures, so she points out that she highlighted the moment when Puck first sees Sean as he rides past on his red stallion... and then is known to her as "the rider on the red stallion" (BFF:  "That just sounded so hot!") until she learns his real name not long afterwards.  We both take note that Puck is attracted to Sean first (since he is obviously good looking as a main YA male character) and because he's "kinda hot" as the "rider on the red stallion". In hindsight, I agree that it was quite the description and rather grand; I take note and file the idea away for further blogging.

Surprisingly, despite my being a hopeless romantic, that moment that BFF mentions was completely overlooked by yours truly.  I seemed to have veered more towards the sibling relationship and enjoyed more moments between Puck and Finn:

- Puck and Finn racing in the first chapter.

- Puck and Finn having stilted conversation after Finn is shaken by the encounter with the water horse.

- Finn making hot chocolate in the morning for himself and Puck, but managing to botch it somehow and leaving the smell of burnt something on the stove as this exchange happens:

"You made this?"

Finn looks at me.  "No, Saint Anthony brought it to me in the night.  He was very put out I didn't give it to you right then."

[...]

I am shocked, both by the reappearance of Finn's humor and the gift of the hot chocolate.  I see now that the counter is an absolute mess of pots that Finn used to distill a single cup of cocoa, and I'm certain now that the odor hanging on the air is the smell of milk spilt on the hot burner, but it doesn't matter in the face of his intention.  It sort of makes my lower lip not quite sure of itself [...]

And basically the entirety of the whole hot chocolate scene makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, because despite the sarcastic bantering and jibes, you can tell that these are siblings who care about each other a lot.  And it reminds me of my own relationship with my younger brothers.  I'm curious about Puck's relationship with Gabe, pre-"Gabe-is-a-selfish-bastard-who-is-abandoning-us", because I want to see what it was like.

And then we go into another 45 minute segway, detouring back to the sibling relationship as relates to Puck, Gabe and Finn... until we segway completely into the relationship between myself and my brothers.  And then we talk about work and life in general and about how my mother is super human; and some guy nearby shoots me frustrated looks as he puts on his head set because I am getting too loud.  And then I need another scone.  But none of that is really too important, though I have a feeling we'll keep coming back to the sibling relations as relates to myself and my brothers...

By the end of the little mini book club meeting between me and my best friend, we've decided that maybe 10 chapters was a little short and we were unable to grasp completely what's going on in the book as of yet, but that we are extra excited to continue.  Although I have a feeling that the excitement is really reserved for the fact that we are book-clubbing more so than for reading the book itself, despite how enjoyable I find it so far (because while enjoyable, it hasn't quite hooked me yet).

Due to my extremely good fortune, I have a mini-weekend and so we've agreed to try to finish another ten chapters by the next day and meet up again for more discussion.  Maybe this time I'll try harder to record our conversation so that it may be transcribed into blog form a bit better than what I managed this time around.

Although, to be fair, I DID show up late and hadn't had a chance to set up my laptop for note-taking on this session.  And then I just got lazy.

Finally, BFF will be reading this blog and will be allowed to demand editing of said transcript if she so desires.  I'm sure she'll appreciate the liberties I took to spruce up our conversation a little bit with my own perceived version of our amateurish mini book club discussion.  In all honesty, we're not very exciting people, but I try to make it sound like we are if I can.

I wish we could include other, more experienced book-bloggers, but we are also a bit concerned about sounding stupid in front of other people rather than sounding stupid between ourselves.

Until next time... which won't be long.

This post originally posted at Book Abyss @ BookLikes.com

Review: Striking Distance

Striking Distance by Pamela Clare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars

Another great one from Pamela Clare with plenty of intriguing, suspenseful action. As per usual, great character insight, story progression, and a sizzling romance to wrap up the entire package. Javier and Laura present an awesome couple and we get to see much of preview characters from the rest of the series.


I've been in no mood to write reviews lately, so this is possibly all that I'll talk about.

Review to come later... maybe.



View all my reviews

Review: The Program

The Program by Suzanne Young

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



3.5 Stars

A slow start, but an interesting concept. I ended up getting into it a bit more after the story got moving; and it was a fairly fast-paced read. Typical as a trendy YA dystopian with all the standard elements. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable for a number of good reasons with its fair share of flaws.

This is a series I may continue to follow, though with no absolutes.



View all my reviews

Jensen Ackles - Eye of the Tiger

 

This is so uber freakin' awesome!