Month: April 2016

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Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge: Check In

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Earlier this year, I decided to take my reading to another level by completing the 52 book challenge. With that goal in mind, I stumbled upon the Book Riot website by happenstance and found their 2016 Read Harder Challenge. Not doing anything like this before, I had to try it! With 24 individual tasks, it averages out to about 2 a month.

Here are the tasks I’ve already completed:

Read a horror book:

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker

Read a nonfiction book about science:

  • Inheritance: How Our Genes Change Our Lives by Sharon Moalem

Read a book aloud to someone else:

  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck (read to my cat. Does that count?)

Read a biography:

  • Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Read a Dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel:

  • Brave New World by  Aldous Huxley
  • The Scorch Trials (2) by James Dashner
  • The Kill Order (4) by James Dashner
  • Now reading The Passage by Justin Cronin

Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award:

  • Euphoria by Lily Kong

Read a book over 500 pages long:

  • Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
  • City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
  • All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
  • Now reading The Passage by Justin Cronin

Read a book under 100 pages long:

  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Read a book that’s set in the Middle East:

  • A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Read a of historical fiction set before 1900:

  • The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Read a book that was adapted into a movie. Debate which is better:

  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (both versions are amazing, but book always wins)
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (I watched the version with Tom Hardy which was pretty good, but I can’t really decide seeing as I kind of just detest the story no matter the version)
  • Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (still need to see the movie!)

Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction):

  • Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Alan
  • Now reading The Relic Master by Christopher Huckley

Read a book with a main character that has a metal illness:

  • Black Hole by Bucky Sinister (drug dependence)

Continue reading →

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Weekly Reads: Week 14

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It’s been another slow reading week for me. I feel like I’m in a slump, but hopefully now that Brideshead is out of the way and done, I can move on to better things. Most of my remaining books for the month are text versions, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge to finish them all!

I’m still working on The Passage, but it’s been taking a lot longer than I thought it would since I got caught up in something else. Somehow I got my hands on the audio version from the library, but my time is up and I’m still not half-way through. I might just have to hunker down and buy a copy! Oh well, at least I’ll be prepared for when Cronin visits Houston in May!

What have you been reading lately? Continue reading →

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Bookish Podcasts: Part 1

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In the last two years, I have become obsessed with podcasts. I’ve curated subscriptions to nearly a hundred different podcasts, but most of my favorites are either book or history related. Here are five of my favorite podcasts for all things bookish.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

What are your favorite podcasts? Continue reading →

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Going Back To The Classics

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As you may know already, I’m pretty fond of the classics. Here are a few suggestions based on contemporary novels you may have enjoyed. Some you may have already read, and some you may not be as familiar with – either way, you simply can’t go wrong a classic!

What book reminds you of your favorite classic? Continue reading →

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Weekly Reads: Week 13

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Spring has finally arrived full-force in Houston, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a good book. This week I finished Stardust, a perfect choice for some Spring inspiring reading. Check out my Spring Reading List to find your next great read!

We celebrated the beautiful weather this weekend by going to the Houston Kite Festival!

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There’s nothing better than spending a day outdoors, and then coming home to good book. This week I spent my nights reading from Little House on the Prairie and Brideshead Revisited, which has proven more daunting than expected.

What have you been reading lately?

Continue reading →