Showing posts with label 2014 Real Book Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014 Real Book Challenge. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

"Real Book Challenge" August Update

Time once again for an update on my progress in the "2014 Real Book Challenge".



Whew, I think I'm going to get this post in JUST in time!  I forgot to do a post for July, but the books were sooooooo good that I should mention them here:


Have you read this one?   Oh my God, it was soooooooo awesome!!!  I can't gush enough, I freaking loved it!!!  So funny, and so sad, and so...ugh, it leaves me inarticulate.  I'm such a dork, all I can say is if you haven't read it, then you damn well should, like, right now!

My other July book was this one:
Not quite as good as I was expecting, but still, I'm excited for the next in the series.

Now for August's books:
Just all around excellent!  Looking forward to the next installment and also THE MOVIE!!!


Meh.  Not as good as I was expecting, especially considering all the hype, but I'm still glad I read it and I'm looking forward to this movie as well.

That's all, folks!  Now I need to get my butt to the library before they close so I can pick up another "real" book!


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

"Real Book Challenge" Update - June 2014


I'm not sure where my head was at in May, but I forgot to do a "Real Book Challenge" post, so I'll just fill you in on those books here.  I managed to read two "real" books each month, and they were all great reads - totally recommended!  I am well within range of my goal of reading 24 "real" books this year, so I'm happy with my progress.

May's books:

And June's reads:
All awesome!!!!  If you're interested in reading any of these books, just click the picture to go to the Goodreads page!






Wednesday, May 7, 2014

2014 "Real" Book Challenge - April Update

How many "Real" books did you read this month?  I'm talking books with actual covers, and pages, and that weird smell that only real books have?  
Real Book Challenge on Swoony Boys Podcast and Fiction Fare
I read three, and all three were FANTASTIC!  I'm so happy to be actually reading the pretty books I have on my shelf - ever since I got my Kobo almost two years ago, I've been pretty bad about neglecting my "real" books, so this challenge is exactly what I need!

Anyhoo, enough gabbing!  What "real" books did I read last month?


So, all in all, I'm quite pleased with myself!  Are you in on this challenge?  There's still time if you're not!  Just click the button in my sidebar to take you where you need to go!  





Sunday, April 6, 2014

Review: "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Despite all my best intentions, I was still only able to read one "real" book last month.  I struggled a bit with "The Maze Runner", but I'm glad I finally read it because it's been on my TBR list for so long!  Here's what I'm hoping to read for the Real Book Challenge over the next three months:
Quite the pile, I know!  I'm soooo intimidated by that Stephen King book, I don't know how I'm going to get through that one!!!

So, I might as well kill two birds with one post - read on for my review of "The Maze Runner".

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human." When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.








This is one of the rare cases where I think the movie might surpass the book.  I had a hard time getting into the book at first, but I pushed on, and I"m glad I did because I'm quie excited to see the setting and action of "The Maze Runner" on the big screen.

One think I really got a kick out of was the slang/swear words the boys in the glade used.  I wonder what people would think if I called my car a piece of "klunk"?  I think I might try to incorporate some of these into my everyday language - might keep me out of trouble!

The glade and the maze were easy for me to imagine.  The boys, on the other hand, kept getting mixed up in my mind.  I never had a clear image of Thomas, and once the other boys were introduced and described once, that was it.  I think Alby was African American, and I think Newt was blonde, but honestly, if you told me the opposite was true, I wouldn't be surprised.

The action was somewhat sporadic, making the plot a bit slower than other dystopian YA novels I've read, but if you don't mind taking your time with a book, "The Maze Runner" is worth a read.

My rating:


Sunday, March 2, 2014

February "Real Book Challenge" Update

Argh, I was so bad this month, I only read ONE real book for the 2014 Real Book Challenge!
It was a doozy, though, I really enjoyed it!

So maybe I better make myself a better plan for March.  Here's what I'm planning to read, as far as real books go:

I should be able to get through three, don't ya think?




Sunday, February 2, 2014

2014 Real Book Challenge January Update

So you might be wondering how many "real" books I read in January, and I actually did better than I thought I would!  The funny thing was, I ordered a few books through inter-library loans, and they all came in around the same time.  I thought there was no way I could finish them in time, but I did, yay me!  So here's what I managed to read:

They were all really good, too!  I put down my goal as 24 real books this year, thinking I could do 2 a month.  So far I'm ahead of the game, so that's great!