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Reading Challenge Roundup

January 7, 2016 by Jana 15 Comments

I know many of you guys have strong feelings on reading challenges (love or hate) so if you hate them, I’d love to know your reasons why. I’m in the mixed feelings camp; I love the concept of them and the fact that they encourage me to read books I probably wouldn’t but I hate how overwhelmed I get at picking books and I feel the pressure to not only complete the challenge in a competitive environment (I don’t believe reading should be a competitive sport) but to finish books I don’t like simply to check off a box. But I also do like the fact that they help me narrow down my selections from my ever growing TBR so it’s a whole big mess for me.

Reading challenges are also great for those who say they want to read more or get back into reading but they don’t know where to start so if that’s you, then I say pick a challenge, doesn’t have to be a big one, and have at it (and if my husband can set a Goodreads goal, anyone can do a challenge if they want)

To help you guys out, I’ve amassed a list of the reading challenges I could find. If you know of another one, please feel free to add it in the comments and I’ll update the list:

Erin’s Winter Reading Challenge–this post has the list of all the bloggers participating, their lists, and some fun facts.

Aussie Author Challenge–h/t to Erin for this one since she participates and talks about it

Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge–provides a handy list for you to print and links to Goodreads groups to engage with other participants

Goodreads–so many challenges. The yearly reading goal, seasonal reading challenges, and dozens more I know I’m missing

Bustle’s Reading Challenge–this one focuses on women and minority writers. A nice, refreshing change of focus. *I might actually incorporate some of these into my requests from the library

PopSugar’s Reading Challenge–a broader selection of categories than I expected to see from this site

Germ Magazine’s Reading Challenge–fun fact: if you read All the Bright Places, this name should sound familiar and the author of the book brought the book’s magazine to life. If I pick a non-blogger challenge, this is the one I’ll do.

Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Reading Challenge–she has some giveaways going on with this one. My favorite categories are “a book that intimidates you” and “a book that was banned at some point”.

Audiobooks Challenge–for my friends who prefer audiobooks

There are some other ones that I know about that are in progress like the Semi-Charmed Kind of Life Winter Book Challenge. There are also ones that happen throughout the year like celebrating banned books and the Literary Ladies, should they do their summer challenge again. Then there’s my personal reading challenge and one that Alyssa and I had planned to launch but didn’t because #forgetful. But that one involved reading very long books. Six of them, all over 500 pages. I’m going to do it this year and the books on my list for that are (and they add up to roughly 4000 pages. So there’s that):

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (sorry, Erin. I know I picked it for yours but I’m counting it twice)
A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara. I got about halfway through it last year and had to stop. But I’m going to read through the whole book this year.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg (at 900+ pages, I feel this should count twice)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I’ve tried this before and it didn’t take. I quit on page 4, maybe 5. I figure I can also include this in my “modern classics” category for my personal reading challenge.
TBD. Not sure what other books might strike my fancy and I like having a wildcard option

Are you doing a reading challenge? Which one?

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Show Us Your Books, Best of 2015 edition

December 29, 2015 by Jana 37 Comments

Happy week after Christmas! I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves and for those of you who celebrate, I hope you got everything you wanted (if you want, share with me your best gift in the comments. Mine was a signed copy of Summerlong. But more about that particular author and book in a bit). And now that Christmas is over and we’re all wearing our fat pants, what better time to sit around and discuss books? Specifically, our favorite books of 2015 (I’m not going to wax poetic about the end of this year because honestly, 2015 can go fuck itself and I wish it good riddance). Which is why Steph and I are thrilled to bring you this special bonus edition of Show Us Your Books, Best of 2015 edition!

For this post, I focused only on books I read from July-December since I did a mid-year recap (read that here) and I didn’t want to repeat myself. Also, in making my picks, I didn’t necessarily pick all books I rated 5 stars on Goodreads but books that moved me, made me think, and stood out for me for being amazing in their own ways. They were not books that were published this year but books I read this year.

Not on the list? Fates and Furies. I honestly thought it was meh (but my full review on that will be next month for our regularly scheduled Show Us Your Books). But here are the books I did pick:

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy Why you should read it: Willowdean is the kind of body positive role model people need even if she is a little bitchy and it’s a kickass, well written story. The author reminds me a little bit of Rainbow Rowell in her ability to write realistic characters and storylines and this was probably my favorite YA book I read this year. I loved reading a story about an overweight girl who’s not an outcast or awkward and has healthy self-esteem and boys liking her for her rather than as a joke and is able to stand up for and take care of herself. You know, a REAL person. Not a caricature.

Summerlong and Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon by Dean Bakopoulos. Why you should read them: I don’t know how to properly articulate what it is about his books that just strike me but you know when you read a book and you think “OMG, this book! It just gets me” and “I could be living this” and “I want to climb inside this story and never come out”? That’s how it was for me with these two. The last time I felt as strongly about a book was about 5 or 6 years ago when I read The Art of Racing in the Rain. And you didn’t think a best of list from me was NOT going to include his books, did you (one absence–My American Unhappiness. I liked it. Did not love it. Mostly because the main character was an insufferable asshole and I hated him and it made the story hard to read at times)? Oh! Moon was just made into a movie thanks to James Franco. A movie version of one of my all-time favorite books made by someone who was in one of my all-time favorite TV shows? My brain can’t take it.

Shotgun Lovesongs and Beneath the Bonfire by Nickolas Butler. Why you should read them: Butler has a command and a way of telling stories that is beautiful and heartbreaking and fascinating and you don’t want to put them down. I cannot comprehend why more people aren’t reading his books and talking about them. I don’t know why his books aren’t on more best of lists. I don’t know why he’s not on social media so I can stalk (follow. I mean follow. Because actual staking is a crime and you should not do that) like I do the aforementioned Dean Bakopoulos (sorry, Dean’s wife). But he’s on a short list of authors I will talk about all the time and whose books I will read and anxiously await.

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg Why you should read it: Although slow at times, it’s creatively told in an unconventional way from the perspective of typically supporting characters. At its core, this a book about how people handle loss differently and that there’s not one wrong or right way to process grief and that when a tragic event happens, it affects more people than you would think. We all own a piece of that horrific event. It’s how we handle it that both separates and connects us.

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart Why you should read it: Constance Kopp is one of the most badass women who actually existed and the book is about her and her sisters, who are also badass in their own way. I love that Amy Stewart wrote this hybrid fictional/non-fiction (is there a literary term for docudrama? If there is, I’d like to know it) because Constance’s story is one that should be told as she’s one of the first female deputy sheriffs in the US. THE WHOLE UNITED STATES. That’s kickass and inspirational, considering she did it in a time when women definitely did not engage in those types of activities. If you read Frog Music by Emma Donoghue and enjoyed it (I did not), this is exponentially better than that, even if the premise is sort of the same.

Honorable mention because this post is getting too long and I’m not done yet: Some Girls Are (not an easy read but an incredible one. This book will hurt you), Ready Player One (a science fiction/mystery/crime-ish book featuring Rush and filled with 80s nostalgia? Yes, please), Galveston (gritty, bloody, dark with all the feels), Modern Romance (well researched, hilarious, insightful and my sociology nerd heart glowed with every page), and Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (just freaking read it).

Overall, it’s been a great reading year. I’ve read a substantial amount of wonderful books, a few clunkers, and a fair amount of books that were simply pleasant. I far surpassed my Goodreads goal, didn’t quite get around to a bunch of books I’d planned, but read some that I didn’t. I discovered some new authors, read some old favorites, and went outside my typical niches. I learned a ton about publishing, missed both bookish conferences I wanted to attend but I know that they exist now and will do my damnedest to get to them next year. And finally, thanks to all of you guys who read and comment and share and join us every month, I found a community of book nerds just like me. I love y’all so much.

So, with that said, now it’s your turn. What are some of your favorites from 2015 that I should add to my 2016 TBR?

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2016 personal reading challenge

December 24, 2015 by Jana 6 Comments

I know you’re thinking “Jana, it’s Christmas Eve. Shouldn’t you be writing about Christmas traditions or something that’s not books?” Hear me out because I am writing about a Christmas Eve tradition! Sure it’s in Iceland but how awesome is this–Iceland has a tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve and then the nice, bookish Icelanders spend the rest of the night reading. It’s a wonderful tradition, called Jolabokaflod and it means “Christmas Book Flood” (read all about it here)

I seriously need this in my life.

Instead, I’ll lovingly glance at the pile of library books and hope that all the books I’m giving as gifts tomorrow are appreciated as much as I want them to be.

Which brings me to no good way to segway into the point of this post, my 2016 personal reading challenge. I love reading challenges because they provide incentive and motivation to read books I’ve put off or wouldn’t otherwise consider or are in the deep recesses of my TBR. It’s why I did the Literary Ladies one over the summer and it’s why I’m participating in Erin’s this winter. The seasonal ones are great but my personal challenge, though, is year long. Because I need to give myself time for no other reason that so many books.

I haven’t decided which books I’m reading yet in all the categories so if you have favorites or suggestions or recommendations, let me have them.

Here’s the categories. Twelve, so I can read one a month:

Book of poetry
Classic business book
Play
Modern classic
Historical memoir
Written before 1900
Biography of a political figure
Graphic novel
Frequently banned book
Turned into a classic movie
Over 500 pages
Written by non-US author

I have another reading challenge I’m working on that I might launch in the spring or summer but I’m not 100% sure yet. I think this one and Erin’s will keep me busy enough!

Happy reading, Merry Christmas, and I’ll see you back on Tuesday for the bonus year end edition of Show Us Your Books!

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Judging Covers with The Husband, fourth edition

December 22, 2015 by Jana 7 Comments

This entry is part 4 of 11 in the series Judging Covers

Oh, hey. Guess who forgot to do this in November? It’s a shame, too, because I had some good book covers. But we’ll gloss over that and move right along to this edition for which my husband would like me to issue this disclaimer: The covers this month are terrible. They gave me nothing to work with.

Noted.

Book #1: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

The Husband says: Maybe he needs to get his truck worked on because it’s how he gets to work to support his family. Why the hell else would you put a truck on the cover? (Jana’s note: The copy that I have from the library has George Clooney on the cover. This led to the both of us questioning why and my husband asking if Owen Meany looks like George Clooney. We still have no answer)

Goodreads says: John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany is the inspiring modern classic that introduced two of the author’s most unforgettable characters, boys bonded forever in childhood: the stunted Owen Meany, whose life is touched by God, and the orphaned Johnny Wheelwright, whose life is touched by Owen. From the accident that links them to the mystery that follows them–and the martyrdom that parts them–the events of their lives form a tapestry of fate and faith in a novel that is Irving at his irresistible best.

Book #2: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

The Husband says: This one is self-explanatory. It’s about decluttering and organizing. And also using watercolors.

Goodreads says: Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).

Book #3: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

The Husband says: Something happening in an ocean or snowstorm because it’s blue. And it looks like the ocean is whitecapping.

Goodreads says: At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love, and destined for greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but with an electric thrill we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have seemed.

Book #4: Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link

The Husband says: The front cover has an ax. The back cover as a log so there’s a lot of lumberjacking going on. It’s a tree farm. She goes and works on a tree farm.

Goodreads says: It’s the summer of 2005, and Mardi Jo Link’s dream of living the simple life has unraveled into debt, heartbreak, and perpetually ragged cuticles. Still, when she and her husband call it quits, leaving her more broke than ever, Link makes a seemingly impossible resolution: to hang on to her northern Michigan farm and continue to raise her boys on well water and wood chopping and dirt. Armed with an unfailing sense of humor and her three resolute accomplices, Link confronts blizzards and coyotes, learns about Zen divorce and the best way to butcher a hog, dominates a zucchini-growing contest and wins a year’s supply of local bread, masters the art of bargain cooking, deals with rampaging poultry, and finds her way to a truly rich existence. Told with endless heart and candor, Bootstrapper is a story of motherhood and survival and self-discovery, of an indomitable woman who, against all the odds, holds on to what matters most.

Book #5: American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell

The Husband says: It’s something about photography where someone goes out and takes pictures of people who don’t normally get their pictures taken.

Goodreads says: American Salvage is rich with local color and peopled with rural characters who love and hate extravagantly. They know how to fix cars and washing machines, how to shoot and clean game, and how to cook up methamphetamine, but they have not figured out how to prosper in the twenty-first century. Through the complex inner lives of working-class characters, Bonnie Jo Campbell illustrates the desperation of post-industrial America, where wildlife, jobs, and whole ways of life go extinct and the people have no choice but to live off what is left behind.

And then, while showing him the cover for another book by Bonnie Jo Campbell, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters, we had this conversation:

Him: Is that a country song? (insert him singing)

Me: Why are you asking ME about country music? And please, good God, stop singing.

For more bookish entertainment courtesy of my husband, you can read his first, second, and third editions of Judging Covers. Eventually he’ll get his own button and archive page.

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This week in…: Volume 40 because 40 is a nice round number

December 18, 2015 by Jana 16 Comments

Picked up Fortune Smiles, Refund: Stories, and Me After You (finally!). Finished Infinite Home and 4 books for work. Full review on Infinite Home in January’s Show Us Your Books (January 12, 2016) but suffice it to say, it will not be on my list of yearly favorites that’s coming to you on December 29th for the bonus edition of Show Us Your Books. And congrats to Heather on winning our holiday giveaway!

Started watching Master of None and Narcos. I love Netflix’s programming.

Finished Christmas shopping, including the child’s big gift, which is a trip to Boston and the surrounding areas. She is ~~fascinated~~ OBSESSED with Massachusetts so instead of giving her more toys she doesn’t need or will only play with for 2 days, we’re spending the money on a trip to somewhere she desperately wants to go. Boston area friends, any recommendations on relatively reasonably priced places to stay?

Took inventory of my fall projects list. I completed 4/10. Which is shameful. It was going to be its own post but what a waste of words.

I had a really good confession for this week but it fell out of my brain so instead, I’ll confess that, despite the sentiments of the majority of people I know including my own husband, this is how I feel about the new Star Wars movie:

Read some good internet stuff this week: 101 pop culture references from a Gen X childhood (confession: I don’t know some of these but my excuse is that those of us born between 77-82ish fall into some weird Gen X/Gen Y black hole and maybe they’re from when I was too young to remember shit?), the movers who help women fleeing domestic abuse situations by moving them for free, Book Riot’s 2016 Read Harder book challenge (confession: I have no plans to participate as of now but I do have a couple of those categories in my personal reading challenge. Info on that next week), and the itinerary and photos from this guy’s $213 trip across America (confession: I want to do this).

Planned a blog redesign, content and visual, for this here space for early next year. Just need to find the money or the skills to get it done.

Funnies:

Coming up next week: Judging Covers (which was supposed to go live this week but we all know by now my posting scheduling never goes as planned) and my 2016 personal reading challenge. But first, a weekend filled with The Nutcracker, a birthday party, and a viewing of The Polar Express on an actual train. Look for pictures on Instagram, provided I remember to take them.

Have a great weekend!

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Reading Challenge Roundup

Show Us Your Books, Best of 2015 edition

2016 personal reading challenge

Judging Covers with The Husband, fourth edition

This week in…: Volume 40 because 40 is a nice round number

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