Besides the Goodreads reading challenge for the year, I have never done a specific reading challenge before. This year I stumbled upon the Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge and decided to do it. Perhaps I should have posted this earlier in the year because I finished it around September (I think). I am finding it a bit tricky trying to get all my wrap ups for the year written and posted.I am going to try to not make this post too long. With 50 challenges, this could really get a bit out of control. Most of these books have a review written and I will link each book to my review.
1. A book with more than 500 pages:
An easy start! More than half the books I have read this year are more than 500 pages. Sweet! Night Film by Marisha Pessl. Although I found the way this book was arranged with websites, pictures etc. interesting, I think the hype left me disappointed. I was expecting a bit more.
2. A classic romance:
I don't like romance stories. It isn't a secret. But then, I suppose the point of challenges like this is to read out one's comfort zone. I had planned to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë because it is a classic that I am just a wee-bit embarrassed, as an English teacher, to have not read. That did not happen. It is still sitting on my shelf, a plan for next year perhaps. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. This was a weird book, and to be honest, I still do not know what to make of it. There were parts I liked, but as a whole, ummm, I still don't know what to think. Interesting, not bad. Possibly offensive in this day and age.
3. A book that became a movie:
Choices, choices. So many book are becoming movies. While I am pleased that readers are having a huge impact on Hollywood, I am disappointed that the kids at school can just "watch the movie". Movies are never as good. The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I did not feel this one. I know it is popular, but I was disappointed. I would like to see the movie, but... I struggle to sit still to watch a movie.
4. A book published this year:
Ouch! New releases are so darned expensive. Oh well, I agreed to do this challenge. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I really enjoyed this one. I think this book was set to fail with the comparison to Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn), which was not accurate. Just consider it a thriller and enjoy the ride.
5. A book with a number in the title:
Another one I had to buy for the challenge. Luckily I got this in good nick from my fav second hand bookshop. (Yes, you might note that I was a bit of an overachiever with this one.) 11.22.63 by Stephen King. This was fun. I learnt a lot about the USA and Kennedy from this book. I liked the characters. Not a book for someone who wants to polish a book off in a day.
6. A book written by someone under 30:
Thank you setwork selection for school! I did this as the setwork book for my Grade 9s this year. I don't know what I would have read if we hadn't done this one. The Outsiders by SE Hinton. I do not have a complete review for this one, so I have linked to my March wrap-up where I discuss it briefly.
7. A book with nonhuman characters:
Another setwork for school. I really did not want to read a children's book just for this, and I could not think of any other options, so I was very happy to recycle another school read. Animal Farm by George Orwell. I have linked once again to my March wrap-up. I think everybody should do this book at school. It teaches one so many things about life.
8. A funny book:
I am not a person who laughs out loud while reading alone, so I found this one tricky. I settled for the first book I read this year that got me to smirk - internally. Dodger by Terry Pratchett. I enjoyed this one. I thought the allusions (and blunt references) to Dickens were hilarious.
9. A book by a female author:
I am proud to say that exactly 50% of the books I read this year were by female authors. But way back at the start of 2015, this is the book I marked off for this task. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. To get rid of the idea that women write soppy romantic books, this is one that will dispel all such thoughts.
10. A mystery or thriller:
Not a stretch for me at all. I love mystery and thrillers. I decided to go for a book I had never heard of outside my fav bookshop. Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus. A good crime thriller. If you would like to read out of America or the UK, I would give this a bash.
11. A book with a one word title:
This was a nice challenge topic. It was broad enough to give me leeway (No romance, Yay!), yet had its restrictions. Exposure by Kathy Reichs and Brandon Reichs. This is Kathy Reichs YA Virals series. It is fun, scienc-ey and has a pretty awesome female lead.
12. A book with short stories:
I would have bought this anyway, even if there was no challenge asking for a short story collection. I would have had a problem if Neil Gaiman did not publish this though, as I would have really been sent on a hunt to find something that qualified. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman. I enjoyed this. My favourite story is The Man who Forgot Ray Bradbury. A must read to anyone who has read Fahrenheit 451.
13. A book set in a different country:
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Oddly enough, although this book is set in Botswana, a country next door to my own, I decided that reading closer to home than normal would actually capture the spirit of this challenge more. I live in South Africa. Most books I read are not even set on my continent. I really recommend this book. It isn't a crime novel per se, but more a close look at the lives of a handful of Batswana. A good read, well-written.
14. A non-fiction book:
The Engineer: Calibrating the Human System by K.L. Colon. This was an indie book. I met Kathy when I was teaching English in South Korea and I was pleased to see she wrote a book. I am not the person to give a review on this though, so I linked to my wrap-up for that month.
15. A popular author's first book:
I had a few options for this one. I decided to stick with the book I had marked off in January for this one. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I loved this book. It was a great start to a great series.
16. A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet:
Nice one! It meant I would read a book I planned on reading anyway! Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz. I was thrilled when this book, the 10th book in the Alex Rider series came out. I adored it and loved seeing the other side to a well 'loved' bad guy.
17. A book a friend recommended:
Ooo. Not many of my friends are readers. World War Z by Max Brooks. It is a pity she and I aren't really friends any more because she had really good taste in books. This was a great book, not for action and zombie slaying, but for commentary on different countries.
18. A Pulitzer Prize winning novel:
I changed this to a Man Booker Prize winner because I had read too many books by US authors. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan. This was horrifying. Never before did I ever wish a writer could be poorer with their use of imagery. This was an interesting and an educational read.
19. A book based on a true story:
I bought this book for this challenge. Eugh! That was a disappointment. I hate spending money on books I don't like. The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton. I struggled through this book. Some parts of the story kept me entertained and reading, while others read like a Wikipedia entry.
20. A book at the bottom of your TBR list:
Ha ha! A euphemism for a book you have but don't want to read! Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. I really did not enjoy Shadow and Bone, so I had been putting off reading the sequel in the Grisha Trilogy. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one either.
21. A book your mom loves:
OK. I will be honest here. Yes, my mom loved this book. But I read the book first, loved it, and passed it on to her. Hey, it fulfills the criteria. The Martian by Andy Weir. What more can I say. One of my favourite reads of 2015.
22. A book that scares you:
Room by Emma Donoghue AND We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I can't say that I get scared by regular scary books. However, as a woman, the idea of Room was terrifying and being a teacher, We Need to Talk about Kevin freaks me out. Both magnificent books.
23. A book more than a 100 years old:
This was one area when my reading was not impressive this year. Most of the books I read were published in the 2000s. Pretty much everything else was less than one hundred years old. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. A brilliant example of magical realism.
24. A book based entirely on its cover:
This one was actually tricky. Had my copy of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern been anyone other than the one I have, I might have been able to use that. In the end, I thought that this was fairly close. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. I am sure that you can smell the satire coming off the cover. I loved this.
25. A book you were supposed to read in school and didn't:
I read all the prescribed books for school, but university was another story. Anyone doing a English major knows that the reading is insane. Not only the quantity, but to be honest, the expense. As soon as a book (edition specific, I might add) is put on the prescribed list, the price multiplies. In fact, the price of books today, twenty years AFTER my uni days, is now what I was paying for books back then. I tried to get what I could out of the library, but that wasn't always a possibility. Oh well, I have finally read this. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I can't say this was a fun read, but it was an interesting and enlightening read.
26. A memoir:
I read two memoirs this year, but as one made it to my top books of 2015, I will go for the one I did not enjoy. More Fool Me by Stephen Fry. I enjoyed the beginning of this but after that, I just got more and more disappointed. Probably one of my least favourite reads of the year.
27. A book with antonyms in the title:
This challenge gave me a hard time. Initially I was tempted to take a bit of a figurative interpretation and go with Mr Mercedes by Stephen King (good book, by the way). And then I found this one on the bargain table at my favourite bookshop so I picked it up. The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley. The first part of this book was fantastic. I liked the story from the past much more than the present day story.
28. A book you can finish in a day:
Ha ha! I can finish books over 500 pages in one day. It just depends on how gripping they are. But I can read one of these out loud to my mom in a day so I will go for this instead. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. Another book in the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. A good read. It captures the innocent lives of the selected folks in Botswana.
29. A book set somewhere you've always wanted to go:
This had me stumped for a while. There were many places I would like to have gone to. How to Be Both by Ali Smith. I loved the setting of the story in the past. I wouldn't mind going there on holiday. But maybe what is more honest, is that while I would enjoy the historical, I would also like a strong connection to the modern world. Sanitation folks, sanitation. Don't knock it.
30. A book published the year you were born:
I think I would have loved this challenge more had 1978 been a more prolific year, or at least had books I had heard of. I was 0 years old. Give me a break. I couldn't read yet. I was out of touch with new releases. The Stand by Stephen King. Had I known that this book was 1440 pages long, I would have found a different book to read for this challenge.
31. A book with bad reviews:
This challenge was not appealing. I know that all books have bad reviews - let's face it, there are memes out there of reviews knocking literary classics. But I don't think that was what they were wanting. So... why force me to read a book that has a very good chance of disappointing me? I left this one open and decided to name a book I did not enjoy. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. I found this book irritating. It had bad reviews and I added to that.
32. A Trilogy:
Nice! I enjoy trilogies. I particularly enjoy binge reading trilogies. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I loved this. This could also have been a book that my mom loved (challenge 21). Magnificent magic system, a well-developed world.
33. A book from your childhood:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Which kid didn't do this one at school? Unfortunately, my Grade 10 class next year won't be reading this one with me. The class this year killed the mockingbird and hung it up to dry. I need a break from this if it is to remain on one of 'my favourite reads of all time'.
34. A book with a love triangle:
Urgh! I can't think of a single book, right here and now, that has a love triangle, that I like. Why make me read one? Anyway, I had these books left over from last year to read for my envisioned school library. Wasn't I lucky? (That was sarcasm.) Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. And welcome to one of the reasons I did not enjoy this series.
35. A book set in the future:
Oh dear. This usually means Sci Fi. I don't like sci fi - or so I thought before the year ended. Anyway, I chose this one. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. This was all right. I might continue the series, but there are so many books I want to read a bit more.
36. A book set in high school:
I suppose that means another YA book. Winger by Andrew Smith. I can't say that this book made me think much about what goes through the heads of teen boys. But as a whole, I liked the themes this one touched on, and I felt it was a good read.
37. A book with a color in the title:
Interesting challenge. I liked this one. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. I don't know if I was particularly harsh on this book, given that it was short listed for the Man Booker this year, but I just found it a bit forgettable really. It wasn't a bad read, but, I am still trying to work out what I missed that the judges for the Man Booker saw.
38. A book that made you cry:
Another bout of honesty here again. I do not cry over books. I might, at a stretch, get a bit sniffy. I think the only time I cried over a book was reading The Fault in our Stars by John Green, but that, sorry to John Green, was not because of his book, but because of my dad dying. I bawled the ugly tears. These made me sniffy and broke my heart though. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin AND A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Both were fantastic books. I would recommend either to almost anyone.
39. A book with magic:
Easy, peasy. The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker. I enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant journey through a new America. It was a lovely idea and it was well executed.
40. A graphic novel:
Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman. I have only read one other graphic novel (if we aren't counting Asterix) in my life. They are just far too expensive. But... I wanted to read this one. I thought it would be a good and valuable addition to my school library. And I was right. This was worth it - completely worth it.
41. A book by an author you've never read before:
Nice challenge. I like branching out into new areas and being introduced to new authors. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I enjoyed this. I thought it was well written. Perhaps if I hadn't heard all the hype surrounding this, I might have enjoyed it a lot more.
42. A book you own but never read:
I could not see what the difference was between this challenge and challenge 20, 'A book at the bottom of your TBR list'. I am not complaining though, because I really need to get my TBR back under control. Dune by Frank Herbert. I enjoyed this one, but there was something, and I still can't put my finger on it, missing.
43. A book that takes place in your hometown:
There is only one 'book' that takes place in my hometown, but it is a play, not a book. I have also read it before, and I did not want to spend my year doing any rereading (see mention of goal regarding TBR pile above). Instead, I chose a book by the same author. It takes place in my country. Tsotsi by Athol Fugard. This was a strange book to read because I found the lead character unforgivable, and therefore did not swallow the premise. Wish me luck. I have to teach this one next year.
44. A book that was originally written in another language:
Nice! Getting me to read out of The UK and The USA. As I said before, I like being challenged to read more diversely. I had many choices that I could have named here, but this was one of my favourites. The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson. I loved this series. It kept me up into the early hours of the night.
45. A book set during Christmas:
Meh. I can't say I was thrilled at this challenge. I am an atheist. Why would I want to read about Christmas? 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino. Ok, ok... All enthusiasts out there are shouting that this is Christmas Eve, not Christmas. I don't care. It was brilliant!
46. A book by an author who had your same initials:
Perhaps my biggest motivator to get married. I could do with a few variations on the initials thing. But this was an interesting challenge none the less, and started my reading of Ray Bradbury. From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury. There were parts that I loved with this, but overall it was a bit disappointing. My review will explain why.
47. A play:
I liked this one too. Granted I read a lot of plays at school, but it was nice to read one that was not for school for this challenge. Something different. Nice! The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard. This is brilliant, clever, satirical. I loved the underhanded commentary on critics.
48. A banned book:
Researching this was shocking. I know that there are tons of banned books, but to see the lists of them... It is mind blowing. Seriously, people need to read Fahrenheit 451 - oh wait, they want to ban that too.... The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Brilliant, clever.
49. A book based on or turned into a tv show:
I wonder how many folks read Game of Thrones or Outlander for this? I was planning on reading this book for the first challenge actually, but then I found out that it was going to be made into a tv series and moved it down here. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. This is not a read for the weak of wrist. Perhaps it could be considered a bit slow and a bit heavy on all the details. I enjoyed it though.
50. A book you started but never finished:
Another euphemism. Read a book you think sucked enough to DNF. Hmm... Why would I want to do that? I interpreted this challenge a bit loosely. There are only 3 books that I have DNFed and I am not in any hurry to give them another chance. It takes a LOT for me to put a book down and abandon it. Reality Boy by AS King. While I liked the concept behind this, I just could not get through this book. It took months, and considering that I can read a book this size in a day, it just went to show how much I was not enjoying it as it took over 3 months.
I enjoyed the experience of doing this reading challenge this year. It got me a little out my comfort zone, which was good. I possibly could have done with a bit more of a push though. My only issue with doing challenges like this is that it costs. I have a ton of books, close to 90, on my TBR pile. I don't want to be buying books that I really have not desire to read, just for the sake of ticking a box. But, I will admit that some of the books I probably would not have picked up were really great reads.
Plans for 2016:
I do not know if I will be doing the Popsugar Challenge in 2016. It is shorter, which would mean that it should have less of a strain on my budget. I can't say that the challenges themselves interest me as much as the 2015 challenges did. I am undecided. On the other hand, I am also tempted to put together my own reading challenge, as I know where I need to focus on my TBR pile. I have a few days to make up my mind.
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