Summer Reading Challenges Update

School begins for the Painter family tomorrow and so my Book a Day challenge is at an end for the year. I read a ton of great picture books, MG novels, and YA novels. Because of this and the 48 HBC I'm 15 books ahead of schedule on my Goodreads goal for the year. That will come in handy once homeschool co-op starts and I'm grading papers for three high school English classes. I will miss having so much time to read, but am excited about getting back to teaching and structure as well.

I am still participating in two summer reading challenges though.
First:

Here are my goals and what I have read so far:
Series I Aim to Finish:
~~The Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockhart (2 books to go)~~ My Review
~~The Lion Hunters series by Elizabeth Wein (3 books to go)~~ Review posts Thursday!
The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima (3 books to go-though I think I should reread the 1st too)

Finished Series I will Read Completely:
The Tiffany Aching books in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

So yeah-still lots to read in the next six weeks.

Second:

What I plan to reread:
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
The Dragon's Tooth by N.D. Wilson
The Drowned Vault by N.D. Wilson
The Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones
ADDED: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima-Reminded to do this by first challenge.

I'm laughing at how overly ambitious I was.

Comments

Kritika said…

The Tiffany Aching series is pretty good!
I've read the first two books in the Attolia series, but haven't liked them as much as a lot of people. Do you think The King of Attolia is worth giving the series a second chance?

July 14, 2013 at 4:26 PM

Brandy said…

I may not be the person to ask about reading King of Attolia as it is my favorite series of all time. I do think it greatly depends on what you didn't like about the first two.

I'm looking forward to starting the Tiffany Aching books. They are my next priority.

July 14, 2013 at 6:32 PM

Kritika said…

Here's my review of the second book on Goodreads. It pretty much sums up what I liked and didn't like about the series. In a nutshell, it had an interesting concept and characters, but the story just seemed dull a lot of the time.
I feel kind of mad at myself that I don't love these books, because I love character-driven novels and fantasy, but something about this series hasn't clicked with me.

July 14, 2013 at 9:03 PM

Charlotte said…

I liked the first two MWT books, but did not LOVE them...then came King of Attolia, and it is one of my top ten books of all time. It is told from a new point of view--one character who is a newcomer to the reader and to Gen, which makes it all fresh again. KOA I read, then immediatly re-read, and then I went back and re-read the first two, and liked them much more!

July 15, 2013 at 6:50 AM

Kritika said…

Thanks Charlotte! I'll definitely give King of Attolia a shot.

July 15, 2013 at 11:43 AM

Brandy said…

I agree with Charlotte, you should give it a try.

July 15, 2013 at 9:30 PM

Brandy said…

Also Charlotte, I never knew this about you. Huh. I too read KoA over immediately. Stayed up all night. Best book hangover ever.

July 15, 2013 at 9:31 PM

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein...

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t...

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the...

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a...

The Penderwicks in Spring

The Penderwicks is not just one of my favorite ongoing series; it is one of my favorite series of all time. I'm always astounded by the depth of emotion and diverse, realistic relationship dynamics Birdsall is able to capture with these characters. The Penderwicks in Spring surpassed my expectations even though they were astronomically high already. It is now my favorite, having edged out The Penderwicks on Gardam Street . Minor spoilers for first three book are in this review. If you haven't read this series, get started: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy The Penderwicks on Gardam Street The Penderwicks at Point Mouette Spring is coming to Gardam Street and Batty and Ben Penderwick couldn't be more excited. The season is bringing with it anticipation and new opportunities. Nick Geiger, the Penderwicks' neighbor, is returning home on leave from the Army after being at war. Both Skye and Ba...

Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Search This Blog