Back in the Game with More Reading Challenges ☾

Hello everyone!
I know I've kind of abandoned this blog, but I'm back and starting it up once more, hoping to stick with it and update regularly.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump the past couple of months, and have just recently gotten out of that slump with some great books! It may be a little late in the year to start a reading challenge, but I'm going to count the books I've already completed toward this challenge, and hopefully this will keep me motivated to read more.

This is the POPSUGAR 2016 reading challenge! I attempted the 2015 version last year and unfortunately didn't complete it, but I'm much more determined this time around. I will be doubling up on some of the challenges, if a book happens to complete two or more. Here are the categories, and I will be crossing them off as I go:

• a book based on a fairy tale
• a National Book Award winner
• a YA bestseller
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• a book you haven't read since high school 
• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• a book set in your home state (or country, given I live in Canada)
• a book translated to English
• a romance set in the future
• a book set in Europe
• a book that's under 150 pages
• Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling
• a New York Times bestseller
• a book that's becoming a movie this year
• a book recommended by someone you just met 
• a self-improvement book
• a book you can finish in a day 
• a book written by a celebrity 
• a political memoir 
• a book at least 100 years older than you
• a book that's more than 600 pages
• a book from Oprah's Book Club
• a science fiction novel 
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• a book recommended by a family member
• a graphic novel 
• a book that is published in 2016
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
• a book with a protagonist who has your occupation
• a book that takes place during Summer
• a book and its prequel
• a murder mystery
• a book written by a comedian 
• a dystopian novel
• The 100 by Kass Morgan
• a book with a blue cover
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
• a book of poetry
• the first book you see in a bookstore
• a classic from the 20th century 
• a book from the library 
• an autobiography
• a book about a road trip
• a book about a culture you're unfamiliar with
• a satirical book
• a book that takes place on an island 
• a book that's guaranteed to bring you joy

Total Completed: 7/40

Book Review | Anthem by Ayn Rand

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” 

Title: Anthem

Author: Ayn Rand

Series: Standalone

Format: Paperback (Borrowed)

Genre: Dystopian

Goodreads

SPOILER FREE

Blurb:

He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to fall in love. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: standing out from the mindless human herd.

Plot: ★★★

Since this is such a short book, I find that everything is very rushed, which is understandable to an extent. I've never been a fan of dystopians, but I had been recommended this book so much that I decided to give it a try. You're kind of just thrown into the world without much information at all, and just as you start to get used to the world and plot, the book is over. I didn't really like the direction the plot took, I thought it was all kind of predictable and nothing jumped out at me. I mean, this book did have some nice messages in it, but it's definitely just a way for the author to get her political views out, in my opinion.

Characters: ★★★

Again, we don't really get to know the characters very well. I do like the main character, he stands out and doesn't believe what the rest of the people there believe, but he's kind of your generic dystopian heroes. I mean, I have to give this book some credit because it was one of the first dystopians, but I've read too many for it to stand out to me. And the other main character, the girl, I can't stand. I can't stand their relationship, or her personality, or the MAJOR case of insta-love. I just can't stand her. 

Writing: ★★★

This book is pretty solidly average for me, and the writing didn't stand out at all. The writing felt rushed and all over the place, and again, nothing stood out to me. A lot of things aren't explained or elaborated on either, and that drives me crazy. 

Ending: ★★

So predictable. I wasn't given a sense of satisfaction or happiness, except that the book was over and I didn't have to read any more. I didn't like the way it ended, I felt like that's what I was expecting before I even started the book, and it was boring. 

Rereadability: No. 

Final Rating: ★★★

It was just an okay book for me. If you like dystopians, you might like this. It just felt like Ayn Rand was ranting about her political views instead of writing a story.

Book Review | Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

"It makes me cry because it means that fewer and fewer people are believing it's cool to want what I want, which is to be married and have kids and love each other in a monogamous, long-lasting relationship."

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Author: Mindy Kaling

Genre: Non Fiction - Memoir

Length: 222 pages

Publication Date: November 1st, 2011

Publisher: Crown Archetype

Format: Paperback

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

Review:

First of all, funny lady memoirs are my thing right now. It started with Lena Dunham's memoir (Not That Kind of Girl) and is continuing with this one. Bossypants and Yes Please are most definitely next on my list. But anyway, this book is a masterpiece. It is so completely Mindy inside and out, her voice as a writer is incredible. I could hear her saying everything as I was reading it, and I loved it. By the time the book ended I was sad, as it meant I had to say goodbye to a friend. 

Mindy is an inspirational and hilarious woman. First of all, she's not skinny and she knows it. She accepts it. That's something so admirable. One of my favourite parts in her book is when she's talking about her weight, and she says being skinny isn't something she really cares to do. It's low on her list of things to accomplish, and I love that. I love that she doesn't care. She's amazing. 

She's such a hardworking woman, which is something else I really admire. She's gotten so far, knowing from a young age exactly what she wanted to do and going for it-- and she made it happen. I really look up to everything she went through to get where she is today. I just really love this book, it has a really special place in my heart and I've gained so much love and respect for this woman, it's insane. I think I rank this book above Not That Kind of Girl, which is saying a lot. Lena Dunham has been my role model and inspiration for a long time, and now she's sharing the spotlight with Mindy.

Self acceptance is something a lot of people have trouble with (myself including) and Mindy just discusses it so well in this book, without ever really discussing it. I think everyone should read this book, every gender and age could take something away from it, and I love that. 

Have I mentioned that I love this book? 

Rating: ★★★★★

Book Review | The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

"In the end, the tortures tearing the Lisbon girls pointed to a simple reasoned refusal to accept the world as it was handed down to them, so full of flaws."

Title: The Virgin Suicides

Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Format: Ebook

Source: Bought

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads

SPOILER FREE

Blurb:

The shocking thing about the five Lisbon sisters was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear. 

Plot: ★★★.5

I enjoyed the plot quite a bit, it was different from anything else I'd ever read. The book is told from the point of view of a group of guys that are obsessed with the Lisbon sisters, watching them and analyzing everything they do. Even 20 years down the road after the suicides, the boys are still obsessed with these girls, compiling everything they can find that had anything to do with them. This point of view can get creepy at times, especially near the end when you find out that the infatuation never went away. And this POV also results in a sort of disconnect from the characters, making it hard to really relate to the story. The way the story is told is definitely different, and I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Also, there was too much stuff in the story that I didn't care about, and not enough that I did care about.

Characters: ★★★

Like I said, it was hard to connect to any of the characters, it always felt like we were on the outside, unable to break the barrier between us and the Lisbon sisters. I felt I didn't get enough information about them. Cecilia and Lux were the only two sisters that stood out and felt as though they had a personality of their own, the other three just blended in with one another. I often couldn't tell who was who, Also, the guys who were telling the story weirded me out, and I hated the Lisbon parents. They were so useless. 

Writing: ★★★★★

This was the best part of the book. Jeffrey Eugenides has such an incredible writing style. It's beautiful and poetic, and he uses analogies that are so out of the ordinary (some of them were a little too weird, but I still could appreciate them). I definitely want to read his other two books, just because I loved the writing style so much.

Ending: ★★★★

The ending was good, it got real and made me think about everything. The middle dragged on so much that the ending was kind of a relief, it was as fast paced and interesting as the beginning was. I may have cried a little bit. 

Rereadability: I think so. I think it's one of those books you should read more than once. 

Final Rating: ★★★★

[Note: This was the Better Read Than Dead Book Club (x) read of the month! We will be doing a live show on Saturday, January 31st at 3pm EST discussing this book in great detail. Check it out if you're interested.]

More Reading Challenges?

I felt like pushing myself this upcoming year with some more reading challenges (keep in mind that I will still be working on the Rory Gilmore reading challenge... slowly but surely), and I found this one online. The link to the actual website is right here, but I'll be copying and pasting the list to this post so I can cross them off as I complete them, and let you know exactly which books I read for each challenge.

• A book with more than 500 pages
• A classic romance
• A book that became a movie
• A book published this year
• A book with a number in the title
• A book written by someone under 30
• A book with nonhuman characters
• Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
• A funny book
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
• A book by a female author
• A mystery or thriller
• A book with a one-word title
• Anthem by Ayn Rand
• A book of short stories
• A book set in a different country
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
• A nonfiction book
• A popular author's first book
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
• A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet
• A book a friend recommended
• A Pulitzer Prize winning book
• A book based on a true story
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list
• A book your mom loves
• A book that scares you
• A book more than 100 years old
• A book based entirely on its cover
• A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
• A memoir
• A book you can finish in a day
• Socks by Beverly Cleary
• A book with antonyms in the title
• A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
• A book that came out the year you were born
• A book with bad reviews
• A trilogy
• A book from your childhood
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• A book with a love triangle
• A book set in the future
• A book set in high school
• A book with a colour in the title
• A book that made you cry
• A book with magic
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
• A graphic novel
• A book by an author you've never read before
• A book you own but have never read
• A book that takes place in your hometown
• A book that was originally written in a different language
• A book set during Christmas
• A book written by an author with you same initials
• A play
• A banned book
• A book based on or turned into a TV show
• The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
• A book you started but never finished

Total Challenges Completed 9/50

December Wrap Up!

1. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Wrapped up this series at the very beginning of December, and I'm very happy with this conclusion to the haunting trilogy. You can see my full series review here with a spoiler-free section and a part discussing some spoiler-y things!

Rating: ★★★★★

2. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I really enjoyed this! It was sad and heartfelt, and I really enjoyed the flashback aspect of this book. We got to learn so much about Mia and her family that way, and I just found the whole thing interesting. I didn't really connect to any of the characters in particular though, and I did find the writing immature. Still debating on whether or not to do a full review - I might wait until I read the sequel.

Rating: ★★★★

3. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Lots of YA this month, huh? This book was absolutely amazing, though. It was beautiful and cute and heartwarming/heartbreaking. It was just as happy as it was sad, with a great ending. It just dealt with a lot of topics in a way that I have really seen before in YA - including sex. Sex was treated as though it wasn't a huge deal, which I really liked. It was just done in an excellent way, and I loved the scrapbook and playlist aspect of the book! Time to read more Morgan Matson.

Rating: ★★★★★

4. Judging a Book by its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto

Thought I'd throw in a non-fiction to mix it up, since I don't read nearly as many as I would like. This book I enjoyed a lot, it's nice to read from the perspective of someone who loves books equally as much as I do. Books about books are a dream come true. However, the author's voice was very... pretentious. She came off as though she was bragging the entire time, and it was hard to get past. The first half of the book I loved, but I found myself skimming through the last half. It was getting boring and repetitive, and I just wasn't into it anymore. If the book was written with a less condescending and arrogant voice, I think I would have enjoyed it more. But hey, did you know Kurt Vonnegut coined the phrase "flying fuck"?

Rating: ★★★

5. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

I've never been a big fan of new adult, and the first half of this book I had a lot of problems with. I didn't like the writing, the the story seemed cliche, and it was pretty predictable to me at first. I find a lot of new adult books seem like they're more fanfiction that actual novels, just because of the writing style. This one wasn't an exception at first, but then it got so much better. The story took a turn I wasn't expecting, the main character became so much easier to relate to, and it broke my heart. I was sobbing near the end, the characters were so great and their development was perfect. If you're trying to read this, I highly recommend you stick with it, because it gets so much better near the end.

Rating: ★★★★

6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This was a weird one... I don't really know how I feel about it. I found myself skimming some parts of it since it didn't really make sense to me. But then there were some parts that were really wise and I think overall, the book had a good message. It just wasn't really for me.

Rating: ★★★

Those are all of the books I finished this month, but I also wanted to talk about one that I started and did not finish.

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

I ended up reading the first three stories from this anthology before I got bored, so I'll tell you my ratings of those three.

Midnight by Rainbow Rowell: ★★★★★

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: ★

Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Pena: ★★★

I don't know, I enjoyed this for the most part, but I think I'm going to put it down. I'm just really not in the mood for this any more with the end of the holidays, and I don't feel like it's worth carrying over into the new year. 

That's all for this month, guys! I hope you all had a fantastic new year :) 

Currently Reading

Hey guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've been on here to update my December wrap-up, but I haven't posted anything in a few weeks, so I thought I'd tell you what I'm currently reading.

I'm one of those horrible, confusing people that read several books at the same time. I start books and don't ever pick them up again, instead turning to something else. So, these are the books I am currently in the middle of or have started within the last couple of months, and ones that I plan on finishing very soon.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

This is the one that I'm really into at the moment. I just started it today, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's fast paced and keeps you entertained, and I'm really enjoying the writing style. It's a Christmas book, and even though Christmas is over, I'm still very much in the holiday spirit and this is a great read this time of year. 

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

According to my ereader, I am 8% done this book. I've only read the first story, which I really enjoyed. I plan on finishing this before the new year, even though again, this is a holiday book and the holidays are basically over. 

Sophie's Choice by William Styron

I'm only about 20 pages into this book, but I'm enjoying it so far. It's a massive book, and I know it's going to send me on an emotional journey, one that I'm not sure I'm ready for. I'm taking my time with this one, but I hope to get further into it very soon. 

Bone by Jeff Smith

I'm reading the bind up of all of the volumes, which is massive. I'm 235 pages in out of 1341. I left this in my dorm room though, so I haven't been able to pick it up at all this month. I'm hoping to finish this within the first couple months of the new year though! It's just a fun, light read. 

So, these are the four books that I'm currently into! I'd like to finish the first two by the end of December (3 days!), but the other two I'm taking my time with. I need 2 more books to complete my Goodreads goal, so I hope I can do it!