Reading Challenge Selections…

I spent most of the first day of 2014 collecting the books I will hopefully complete for my Reading Challenge. They are as follows:

1. Read a classic – The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James (4th from top)
2. Read a ‘banned‘ book – Animal Farm by George Orwell (11th from top)
3. Re-read a book from your childhood – Grimm’s Fairytale by The Brother’s Grimm (6th from top)
4. Re-read a book you read at school/university/college as required reading – The Wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis (7th)
5. Read a book that you have been meaning to but have never gotten around to reading – Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel (10th)
6. Read a biography/memoir of someone you don’t know or may only know a little about – Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor (2nd from bottom)
7. Read a modern classic – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon (9th from top)
8. Read a book in a genre you normally wouldn’t choose – Across The Universe by Beth Revis (13th from top)
9. Read a book that is based on or has been turned into a TV show – Visitors (Buffy) by Laura Anne Gilman (top)
10. Read a book that was adapted into a movie you have seen – The Invisible Circus by Jennifer Egan (7th from bottom)
11. Read a book suggested to you by someone you know – The Night Watch by Sergi Lukyanenko (8th from top)
12. Read a book based ENTIRELY on the cover (You are not allowed to read the blurb/synopsis first) – Cherry Heaven by L.J. Adlington (9th from bottom)
13. Read a book that is not necessarily marketed for you (ie your age group/gender etc) – Avenging Angel by David Belbin (3rd from top)
14. Read a book by an author you have never heard of/never read or you don’t particularly like (would normally avoid) – The Girl Most Likely: A Novel by Rebecca Sparrow (11th from bottom)
15. Read a book that is not in a typical novel style (e.g. a book of poetry, diary/letter based book, play, graphic novel) – Dear Mrs Kennedy by Jay Mulvaney (8th from bottom)
16. Read a book by one of your favorite authors – The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom (6th from bottom)
17. Read a non-fiction book – Jack The Ripper: The 21st Century Investigation by Trevor Marriott (10th from bottom)
18. Read the first book in a series you have never read – Providence by Jamie Mcguire (3rd from bottom)
19. Read a book you gave up on reading in the past in the past – An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (5th from bottom)
20. Read a book from a foreign country (for me I am ruling out books from America and England too) – The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank (2nd from top)
21. Read a book (not necessarily a memoir/autobiography but they are fine too) written by a famous person you like (not normally authors) – Shopgirl by Steve Martin (16th from top)
22. Read a book to learn something new (a language, a country, recipes, crafts, event) – Twentysomething by Margaret Feinberg (12th from top)
23. Read an bind-up, omnibus, anthology or a collection of short stories – Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl (5th from top)
24. Re-read one of your all time favorite books – The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (4th from bottom)

Bonus: Place a collection of book titles you own/want to read into a hat and draw one out at random. Read it – Little Fugue by Robert Anderson (bottom)

Sorry it took so long for me to post this, Life got in the way and we had  a heatwave (4 days of 40+ Celsius) last week so I was trying not to melt.

I have already completed one of the chosen books (Avenging Angel) and I hope to have a review of it up sometime soon.

Happy reading everyone!

Peace Out.

Bec

note about links: all links are to the Book depository website, I am in no way sponsored or affliated with the site, I have just found that with their free shipping and wide range it would be easier for people to be linked there if they were interested in checking out any of the books I have used for this challenge.

End of Year Book Haul…

At the beginning of every new year I treat myself to a big book haul. The tradition started when a book warehouse would have their $1 book sale on New Years Day. My father and I would jump on the bus, in what was usually the stifling heat and head to the even hotter warehouse. I would often come home with more books than I could carry.

Sadly the warehouse has now gone out of business, which is sad however I am glad I didn’t get the job I applied for there, so I can’t do my usual $1 book haul, but that hasn’t stopped me.

Now I allow myself to buy a heap of books on my favorite second-hand/charity bookshop and then go into my local bookshop and spend another $20 on new books (which given it is a $5 bookshop is still quite good).

This year I couldn’t wait until the New Year to shop online, so I spent Saturday night, curled up in bed trolling through the Brotherhood of St Laurence book site. Spending $79.50 may have been a little more than I had planned but for 14 books I would say that is a bargain!

All but one of the books, being Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s which I bought a second copy in bad shape so I could DIY with it, and seriously, if you don’t know about Harry Potter by now than where have you been; I will now share with you.

 
A Guide to Frown-Ups by Antoine de Saint-Exupery – $5

As the cover says, this is a book of quotes collected from the works of the author of The Little Prince. I read The Little Prince earlier this year and fell in love, so when I came upon this little hardcover in near-perfect condition on the BSL site I knew I had to have it!

The quotes are organised by category from Happiness to Responsibility to What Is Essential. I look forward to looking through this and hopefully finding some other Antoine de Saint-Exupery works that get my interest. Also look at how gorgeous the book is under the dust jacket!

The Little Book of Hugs by Kathleen Keating – $4.50

There are two things that I believe in more than anything else, the healing power of a good hug and bears. So this book is definitely perfect for me! This is not just a book of cute bears hugging, it also discusses the ‘science’ behind hugs and different types of hugs.

The thing I love most about second-hand books is finding the messages left inside. This is a sweet but simple note I fond inside the Little Book of Hugs.

The Second Little Book of Hugs by Kathleen Keating – $5

Of course since I got the first book I couldn’t possibly leave the second on there! The image on the right makes me giggle.

Twentysomething by Margaret Feinberg – $5

What else are you meant to by when you are having a quarter-life crisis? According to the back of the book it offers “Scriptural encouragement, humor, and practical wisdom, Twentysomething confront this ‘crisis’ and shows you how to survive without losing your patience – or your passion for life.”. I am not sure how relevant or helpful it will be for me but I think this is definitely going into the pile for my 2014 reading challenge. If you are interested keep an eye out because I may have a review of it sometime in the future.

The Miracle of Grace by Kate Kerrigan – $6.50

The thin I love most about shopping on the BSL book site is that, while the books are all second-hand, they list the shape that the book is in. The site listed this book as in ‘great shape’ and they weren’t wrong! The book looks like it has never been touched! In fact I have picked up brand new books from stores in worse shape than this. Only once have I ever gotten a terrible book from this site, it was a copy of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and while the site did list it as poor, it arrived looking like it had been chewed upon by a mouse.

At first I was drawn to this book by the photo of Grace Kelly on the front, however the summary sucked me in well and good: “Grace’s mother, Eileen, is a list-maker. But when Grace saw ‘Tell G I have ovarian cancer, probably terminal’ low down on the list on the kitchen table, she was understandably devastated. Is their relationship really so bad?” I can see that this book is going to have a LOT of feels.

Look at Me by Jennifer Egan – $6.50

I own Jennifer Egan’s book ‘The Invisible Circus’, which I am yet to read but LOVE the movie starring Jordana Brewster, Cameron Diaz and Christopher Eccelston (I loved it even before I was a whovian), I thought I would by this anyway. It is about a model whose life changes after reconstructive facial surgery following a car accident. I know it sounds a bit cliché and at first I was turned off, however something inside me told me I would not regret it if I bought it.

The Girl Most Likely by Rebecca Sparrow – $5

Another quarter-life crisis book, this time a novel written by an Australian. The tagline of the book is “When you were 17, what did you think your life would be like when you hit 27?” as someone who is turning 27 in August I have a feeling I am going to really relate to this book, especially since my life is nothing what I imagined back when I was 17, does this look like New York City? I think not!

Cherry Heaven by L.J. Adlington – $6

This is the book I have picked for the ‘Read a book based on its cover’ part of my 2014 Reading Challenge so I don’t know anything about it. I will let you all know how it goes when I am finished it. I know you should never judge a book by its cover but seriously! look at how gorgeous it is!

Friends Like Us by Lauren Fox – $5.50

Another one that sounds cliché: Girl’s (Willa Jacobs) best friend (Jane) and oldest friend (Ben) fall in love, how does she deal? I am hoping it is better than it sounds, Marie Claire magazine said it was “A hilarious, heartbreaking novel.” so fingers crossed.

Book Lover by Jennifer Kaufman & Karen Mack – $6

To me this sounds like stereotypical chick-lit, which I’ll be honest, I am not usually a fan of. It is about a woman, who is obviously obsessed with books, going through a difficult time who falls in love with a man who works at her local bookstore. I am going to give it a chance though, if only to see what literary references pop up. Also another book with gorgeous art, the pictures below are of the outside and inside of the cover.

  

Advice for Strays by Justine Kilkerr – $6.50

“It’s five days since Marnie’s father disappeared. This is worrying, but not unlikely. A famous writer, he is also Schizophrenic. Marnie remembers his mania, his affection; and how quickly it could turn to anger. She can’t sleep, and has taken time off work, ostensibly to search for him. But she is struggling.” There is more to the plot then just her father’s disappearance, looking at the blurb the neighbourhood cats are starting to disappear and she has started to glimpse something out of the corner of her eye. From what the summary is giving off it is not just Marnie’s father that is schizophrenic. That is just my feeling though, I have yet to read it so we will see.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown – $7

“The Andreas family is an eccentric one. Books are their passion, TV is something other families watch. Unlucky in work, love and life, the three Andreas sisters return to their childhood home, each with a secret she’s unwilling to share, and each dismayed to find the others there.” I can tell already this book will be dripping in Shakespeare references, which I love.

There is the title – a reference to Macbeth, and, since their father is a professor of Shakespeare’s work, all three sisters are named after Shakespeare characters: Cordelia – King Lear, Rosalind – As You Like It and Bianca – The Taming of the Shrew. I think I may really enjoy this one.

Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor – $6.50

I need to admit something, I have a weak spot for true stories about people who have loved and lost, yet find the will to go on. This is one of those books.

It is about Natalie Taylor, who was in her early twenties when her husband was killed in an accident, while she was pregnant with their first child. It is apparently heartbreaking, funny and hopeful all at the same time.

Recently I have been listening to the audio-book of The Happiness Project and was happily surprised to find one of the quotes on the back was from Happiness Project author Gretchen Rubin who says “Profound yet funny, painful yet hopeful. I couldn’t put it down.” which makes me want to read it even more.

I guess that is all for now. Since it is 8.36pm on New Year’s Eve here in Australia I want to wish you all a safe and happy New Year just in case I don’t get back on until 2014.

Peace Out.

Bec.

2014 Reading Challenge…

At the end of 2012 I wanted to set up a reading challenge that I could undertake in 2013 as I wanted to read a lot more books than I had been. I searched the internet for a bit and couldn’t find one that fully suited my needs/wants, so I came up with my own.

I liked the 2013 challenge so much that I will be doing it again in 2014.There are no real rules to this and any type of book – Physical, E-Book or Audio-book – can be counted. If you would like to partake, please do, I would love to have some reading challenge buddies!

There are 24 categories of books to read and a bonus book, so it is roughly 2 books a month which I think is rather plausible. In no particular order here is the challenge:

• 1. Read a classic.
• 2. Read a ‘banned‘ book. 
• 3. Re-read a book from your childhood.
• 4. Re-read a book you read at school/university/college as required reading.
• 5. Read a book that you have been meaning to but have never gotten around to reading.
• 6. Read a biography of someone you don’t know or may only know a little about.
• 7. Read a modern classic. 
• 8. Read a book in a genre you normally wouldn’t choose.
• 9. Read a book that is based on or has been turned into a TV show.
• 10. Read a book that was adapted into a movie you have seen.
• 11. Read a book suggested to you by someone you know.
• 12. Read a book based ENTIRELY on the cover (You are not allowed to read the blurb/synopsis first).
• 13. Read a book that is not necessarily marketed for you (ie your age group/gender etc).
• 14. Read a book by an author you have never heard of/never read or you don’t particularly like (would normally avoid).
• 15. Read a book that is not in a typical novel style (e.g. a book of poetry, diary/letter based book, play, graphic novel).
• 16. Read a book by one of your favorite authors.
• 17. Read a non-fiction book.
• 18. Read the first book in a series you have never read.
• 19. Read a book you gave up on reading in the past in the past.
• 20. Read a book from a foreign country (for me I am ruling out books from America and England too).
• 21. Read a book (not necessarily a memoir/autobiography but they are fine too) written by a famous person you like (not normally authors).
• 22. Read a book to learn something new (a language, a country, recipes, crafts, event).
• 23. Read an bind-up, omnibus, anthology or a collection of short stories.
• 24. Re-read one of your all time favorite books.
• Bonus: Place a collection of book titles you own/want to read into a hat and draw one out at random. Read it.

Hopefully I can knock one out on January 1st like I did in 2013. To follow along with my progress I have added a tab to the top of this site that links to all the posts relevant to this challenge, it will not just include this post and my progress but hopefully also reviews of the books I have completed.

I usually pick out books to suit each section early on so I will take a photo to share with you all so you can get a better understanding of what I mean, however, the books that i had picked out for the 2013 challenge and shared on Instagram changed greatly from the ones I finished.

If anyone is confused by any of the themes above, I have included some links to lists.

Also here is my list of the books I ended up reading in 2013, there are a few numbers I never finished, 2 books still being read, and only one that is likely to be finished by the end of the year.

• 1. Read a classic. (A Study In Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
• 2. Read a ‘banned’ book. (Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx)
• 3. Re-read a book from your childhood. (The Dead Lifeguard by R.L Stine)
• 4. Re-read a book you read at school/university/college as required reading. (DID NOT START)
• 5. Read a book that you have been meaning to but have never gotten around to reading. (Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky)
• 6. Read a biography of someone you don’t know or may only know a little about. (The Man in the Rubber Mask by Robert Llewellyn)
• 7. Read a modern classic. (The Fault in Our Stars by John Green)
• 8. Read a book in a genre you normally wouldn’t choose. (Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near)
• 9. Read a book that is based on or has been turned into a TV show. (Torchwood: The Sin Eaters by Brian Minchin)
• 10. Read a book that was adapted into a movie you have seen. (The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett)
• 11. Read a book suggested to you by someone you know. (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams)
• 12. Read a book based ENTIRELY on the cover (You are not allowed to read the blurb/synopsis first). (DID NOT START)
• 13. Read a book that is not necessarily marketed for you (ie your age group/gender etc). (Nightmare Hall #1 – The Silent Scream by Diane Hoh)
• 14. Read a book by an author you have never heard of/never read or don’t particularly like. (Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh)
• 15. Read a book that is not in a typical novel style (eg. a book of poetry, diary/letter based book, play, graphic novel). (Skim by Mariko Tamaki)
• 16. Read a book by one of your favourite authors. (The Invitation by Diane Hoh)
• 17. Read a non-fiction book. (Rachel’s Tears by Darrell Scott and Beth Nimmo with Steve Rabey)*
• 18. Read the first book in a series you have never read. (The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson)
• 19. Read a book you gave up on reading in the past in the past. (The Metamorphisis by Franz Kafka)
• 20. Read a book from a foreign country (for me I am ruling out books from America and England too). (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
• 21. Read a book (not necessarily a memoir/autobiography) written by a famous person you like (not normally authors). (Never finished Hollow Earth by John Barrowman and Carole E Barrowman, HOWEVER I did read/Listen to Him & Me by Jack and Michael Whitehall)
• 22. Read a book to learn something new (a language, a country, recipes, crafts, event). (The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin)**
• 23. Read an bind-up, omnibus, anthology or a collection of short stories. (Tiny Book of Tiny Stories volumes 1 & 2)
• 24. Re-read one of your favourite books of all time. (Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne)
• Bonus: Place a collection of book titles you own/want to read into a hat and draw one out at random. Read it. (DID NOT START)

Note: * indicates still reading ** indicates still reading could finish by the end of the year.

Good luck to anyone who may decide to do this challenge, and to those who plan to do a different one. I am going to work on a film based version of this which will probably be posted early 2014.

Peace Out.

Bec.