The Wicked Years

So here we are...2015. My last actual, responsible book post came almost three months ago! AHH! Clearly I am not meant to multitask during the holidays. So this post will be mostly catch up...Actually come to think of it, I'm going to have several catch up posts. So this first one is on The Wicked Years trilogy.

I had been wanting to read The Wicked Years book series by Gregory Maguire for quite awhile. Since college actually. Several years ago, I read the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Sidenote: I highly recommend that everyone read it. It's a wonderful trip, and completely expands in areas where the film leaves you wondering. Plus it's highly entertaining. But back to The Wicked Years. I probably won't be going to in depth with summaries, simply because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone! So into the deep!

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
I actually read this book last spring, and I immediately loved it. I devoured it. And I knew I wanted to read the rest of the series as well. I couldn't read them immediately though because I was stuck on the hold list for the eLibrary for the longest time.

The book is essentially a biography of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. It takes one the most known villains in all literary history and makes the reader sympathize with her. Her childhood was filled with uncertainty. Her parents feared their green-skinned child that refused to speak. They clearly favored Elphaba's siblings, Nessarose and Shell. Elphaba truly begins to blossom when she heads off to college at the University of Shiz. She meets her roommate and lifelong friend, Galinda, who many know to be the Good Witch of the North from the original story.

Throughout the novel, there are other characters created that drive the plot of the subsequent novels in the series.

Son of a Witch

Son of a Witch is told with two different storylines that eventually converge into one. Both follow Liir, who we meet in Wicked as one of Elphaba's charges. *SPOILER ALERT* Liir is the son of Elphaba...This is mostly only speculated throughout the whole novel. Granted as the reader, you are fairly certain that he is the son of Elphaba.

But back on track. The novel opens up on Liir being found, mostly dead. He is brought back to the Mauntery to be nursed back to health. Candle, a Quadling, is selected to help him. A relationship develops between the two, and she becomes pregnant.

The second vein of the story picks up right where Wicked leaves off. Liir is on his mission to find Nor, his possible half-sister. During his quest, Liir ends up on many side journeys. He promises to help people in return for their assistance. In the end, he keeps all his promises to everyone.

The surprise ending of the novel actually sets up the fourth book.

A Lion Among Men

The third novel follows the travels of the Cowardly Lion, from a tiny cub all the way to the present. The novel opens up on the Cowardly Lion arriving to the Mauntery to speak with Mother Yackle, and her ties with Elphaba. Throughout the Cowardly Lion's interview, his own back story is weaved into the plot. The Cowardly Lion's youth is exposed...where he got his name...How he ended up with Dorothy...How he got nominated to search for information about Elphaba and by extension the Grimmerie (Elphaba's rumored book of spells).

Out of Oz

The fourth novel follows the travels of Rain. Rain is the child of Liir and Candle. She is merely eight years old when we meet her in the beginning. Her journey starts off with none other than Miss Glinda, Elphaba's dearest and oldest friend. The two form a bond over their shared use of the Grimmerie.

Rain's journey leads her to several characters in past novels...the Cowardly Lion, Liir, Candle, Nor, she even has a brush with Elphaba's brother. All to satisfy the overarching problem that has been lingering in Oz for several years.

Of all the novels, the first one was my absolute favorite. I found it to be exciting and quickest read. The subsequent novels took me quite awhile to finish. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed several parts in all the novels. I enjoyed the stories of Elphaba, Liir and Rain. I loved reading all their adventures, and comparing and contrasting them as characters. To me, they are by far the most fascinating of whole group.

Week 5 ~ High Society

I am obsessed with all things Old Hollywood. I'd rather watch a classic movie than a new one...And when I say classic, I mean a movie made before 1960. Although I will admit that I do hold a certain affinity for movies made in the 80's...I mean, who doesn't like the Brat Pack. Back on track though, I find classic movie stars to be glamorous and classy in a way that doesn't exist anymore in our world. They carry themselves with a certain poise that is such a foreign concept to many these days. I can only think of maybe a handful of today's celebrities that I consider fall into that category.

I have read many biographies about Old Hollywood stars, and I find the leading ladies to be most entertaining: Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and of course Grace Kelly.

Arriving at this week, I finally picked up High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. I purchased the book...yes, the actual book...almost two years ago, but I had never gotten around to reading it, until now.

The book's author, Donald Spoto, was a close friend of Princess Grace, and she actually gave him permission to write her biography, with the stipulation that he write it several years after she had passed.

I'm honestly not sure what to write about this book. Except to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into her life. I loved reading all the anecdotes that her friends and loved ones had to share about her. The book further convinced me that she was one of the nicest, classiest ladies of her time. I completely cop to having a huge crush on her and totally loving every one of her movies. I mean, what's not to love...She was a modern woman living in a world where every young girl's biggest dream was to find a good man to marry and be a mother. She set out on her own at 18, against her parents' wishes, to New York to pursue an uncertain life in theatre. And she also had the strength and bravery to stand up for herself when the Studio System burned her.

Speaking of the Studio System, I found that whole diabolical to be fascinating, and I would like to read more about it. So considere my interest peaked, and my thirst for knowledge will be quenched.

In my opinion Grace Kelly was one of those people that left an indelible mark on the world, not only as an actress, but as a Princess of the people and a humanitarian. Thankfully, we have her films to watch and keep us forever enamored. Some of my favorite movie moments with her include the following...and even though they are numbered, they are actually in no particular order:

1) When we meet Lisa Carole Fremont in Rear Window. Prolly one of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen. Hitchcock = The master!
2) When Francie Stevens kisses John Robie good night and leaves him in the hallway outside her hallway. It's unexpected, and Cary Grant's smirk after it is great.
3) When Tracie Lord awakens with her champagne hangover and proclaims that her dress is heavy and overuses the word "fine." It's hilarious and adorable.
4) When Amy Fowler Kane, a self-proclaimed pacifist, saves her husband's (Gary Cooper) life by shooting Frank Miller.
5) When Margot Wendice fights off her attacker, killing him in self-defense.

I could prolly go on and on, but I'll spare everyone the listing. Only if you all promise to go out there and start educating yourself on the timeless beauty that is Grace Kelly.

On tap this week for the Reading Challenge, my trilogy: The Wicked Years! I read Wicked quite a few months ago and enjoyed it. So this week, I am hoping to read Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. I'm halfway through Son of a Witch, so here's hoping I can finish them all by next Monday.

On the Reading Challenge front: 55/200

Week 4 ~ Gone Girl

Gone Girl!

I don't even know if I have the words to....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

I think that's much closer to me whilst reading this book!

Okay, now that I've collected myself, I feel like I should preface this post by saying, I generally am not a fan of mystery, thriller type novels (Hmm...I feel like I've typed that sentence before...I'll have to look into it). Anywho, so not a mystery, thriller fan. I can't stand the suspense, and more often than not I want to look up spoilers and find out what's going to happen because it kills me to wait! *Disclaimer: I DID NOT read any spoilers or online synopsis of the novel...I just breezed through it as quickly as time allowed! That reason alone is probably why I waited so long to read the novel...Unlike everyone else who read it two years ago when it was released. And with the film's impending release, I have been dodging spoilers like a middleweight dodges the heavyweight champ! (It's been quite the battle too!)

So rewind to about six months ago, I was cruising the IMDB app because...well let's just face it, the app is in my Top 5 most used right next to Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia, and Kindle apps. Anywho, checking out IMDB and the Gone Girl movie trailer popped up. So I watch it, and my immediate reaction: "Holy shit! I have to read that book!" And so started my time on the "Beloved Waiting List" at the eLibrary for a copy to become available. *Sidenote: Why do they limit the amount of copies that can be checked out on the eLibrary? If it's electronic should there be an unlimited amount of copies? Why does there have to be a waiting list in the first place? End rant* So basically what happened was, my number would come up on the wait list, I'd check it out, and then something would come up and I wouldn't read it. So this went on for several months, until this week.

So super quick, I offer you the ten cent synopsis (that I stole from Amazon...Yup, I did it so I could get to the crazy important stuff): On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

By the way...I'm really not going to say anything super profound about this book...Mainly because I don't want to give anything away to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I'm pretty much just gonna spout some randomness here. Most of the blog post is from my notes.

Since high school, when it comes to reading, I have been a type A person. As I read, I love to make margin notes, dissect passages to read between the lines, ask questions, or make predictions. Now the face of reading for me has changed. I have upgraded and now use the Kindle app on my iPhone to read most of my books these. (Yes, I know the "Reading Purists" would say that I suck for not reading actual books anymore...Well haters gonna hate...I'm just gonna shake it off...Yes, I just dropped a little T-Swift on all of them!). Back on track, I have had to get creative on my note taking since I literally can't write on my iPhone. So I have several notebooks (Yes, several) that I carry around to make notes in them about the books I'm reading.

From the minute I started reading Gone Girl, I have been taking notes. For those of you that have read the novel, already, you know that the book is totally a "Who done it?" type of story. So throughout Part One, I found myself theorizing about what happened to Amy and who did it. There were just too many predictions to keep track of all of them. So notes were necessary! You will see them pictured below! *WARNING* If you haven't read the book, there might be some serious spoilers in here...Perhaps you should avert your eyes from the next few photos!



For those of you who have read the book and looked at the photos, you can note how my handwriting gets more frantic the deeper into the story I get. That is of course due to my excitement! Not to brag, but I totally called a major plot point in the novel...It is #4 on my list of Predictions and Theories! Insert smug smirk emoji here! Even though I had several guesses about throughout parts one and two...there was nothing that could prepare me for part three. I can honestly say that I had NO idea where the story was gonna go or how it was going to end for everyone. And while the ending is ambiguous, I feel like that was the only way it could have ended. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and recommend that everyone read it ASAP!!

Reading Challenge Points: 35/200!

This week, I'm going to be reading High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. Pretty sure the title is self explanatory. This book will fulfill the following challenge: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir!

Until next week!

Week 3 ~ The Color Purple/Banned Book Week

Week three has come and gone! This post is two-fold!

First of all, it is officially Banned Book Week this week! When I was in college, all my lit classes would make sure to assign a book that was on the list. And they would encourage us to read as many as we could. Most often making it a contest among class members. As far as I'm concerned some of the best reads come from the Banned Book List. They are always the most interesting and the most thought provoking, which I think is the primary purpose of literature.

So I offer you a list of my favorite books that have appeared on the Banned Book List.
1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
5) The Call of the Wild by Jack London
6) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
7) The Giver by Lois Lowry
8) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
9) The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
10) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
11) Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
12) The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
13) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Even though that list feels incomplete at 13, I'm gonna leave it there because I feel like I could prolly go on and on here. I also feel compelled to get on my soapbox here and tell everyone that ALL of these books are FANTASTIC! And EVERYONE should read them ASAP!

PS: You can find out more about the Banned Book List at the American Library Association.

Second, this week I read The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

The first thing I want to talk about in the novel is the dialect. It is written from the POV of Celie. She is writing letters to God about her daily life. And she writes as she speaks and how words sound to her when says them. She lacks proper spellings ('git' instead of 'get'; 'clammed' instead of 'climbed') and basic syntax. Forget about higher level punctuation, aside from periods and occasionally a comma or two. As a grammar stickler, this would usually annoy me, but I find that the Walker's stylistic choice is completely appropriate for the novel. It allows the reader to become immersed in the culture of the time period.

In the first letter to God, Celie mentions that she is only 14 years old, and she is pulled out of school by her father. In the beginning it's rough to read, and you feel like the letter is being written by a child. Even though the content and what is happening in her doesn't reflect a very happy childhood. But I noticed as the letters continue, and Celie gets older, her writing becomes better. There are fewer spelling errors, and her thoughts are more complete as the book goes on. And that to me is exciting because it truly is like watching a young writer grow. It illustrates the idea that "practice makes perfect."

Another thing I noticed, is that Celie often talks of her sister Nettie. Nettie was allowed to stay a child, where as Celie was forced to grow up. Nettie was allowed to continue her education. Nettie and Celie are split apart by some circumstances, and Nettie promises to write. Celie never receives any letters so she assumes Nettie to be dead. Years later, Celie finds that her husband has been intercepting Nettie's letters and hiding them. Walker includes Nettie's letters to Celie, and as the reader, you see such a distinct difference between the two letter writers. Nettie's spelling is far more accurate, and she much more descriptive than Celie.

Anywho, the part I noticed...Nettie's letters truly excited me for several reasons. The entire novel is written through letters, and as the reader, you are seeing the scenes through Celie or Nettie's POV. Celie is not a very good writer, so there are holes. You have to fill in the missing information and sometimes make educated guesses about what really happened. Nettie is leaps and bounds above Celie in how she writes. The exciting part about this, is that Walker creates her characters in how they write. You can learn so much about a character...even someone in real life, just by how they write. How they remember a scene or describe a scenario. How they speak. You can go even deeper into the text, look at the styles of the two writers, and see just how vastly different they are.

On the Reading Challenge Front, I earned 15 points this week, which puts me at 30/200!

This next week, I'm going to read Gone Girl! Finally! I cannot wait to read it!

Until next time!

Inferno...Part Deux

I got in a hurry last night when I was finishing up my blog post, and I forgot to post my favorite part! I of course realized this today when I went to go and throw my notes away (Yes, I take notes as I read...It's good practice!).

Anywho, there is nothing I love more than finding quotes in literature. Especially quotes that evoke beautiful images...and ones that are repeatable, and applicable to life. So I will share two of my faves from Dan Brown's Inferno.

"Outside in the newly fallen darkness, the world had been transformed. The sky had become a glistening tapestry of stars."

I close my eyes, and I can clearly picture the scene. I feel like I've seen it so many times...especially living where I do and going on the outdoor adventures that I do. And now every time I look up at the night sky, I will think about and take in the "tapestry of stars."

My second favorite quote is actually a quote of a quote. Robert Langdon quotes Dante. PS: Yes, I totally verified that Dante said it...What kind of English major would I be if I didn't get my facts right?!

"Remember tonight...for it's the beginning of always." ~ Dante Alighieri

I really don't think I need to elaborate on the Dante quote!

Until next time!

Inferno - Week 2 of Reading Challenge

Week two...Done!

So last week, I ended my post with aspirations of reading two books for the Reading Challenge...I am here to admit that I failed. Well sort of failed. I still kept on pace though and read a book.

So I will admit, I am a gal who loves to read the classics. Even more so if there's an epic slow-burn romance happening between iconic characters. I also love to read YAL novels...And I'm sure I've said this before, but I totally wish I would have discovered this genre when I was in high school! And taking nerd to a whole new level...I love to read biographies about Hollywood Legends (ie: Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor...The list could go on). Now I am generally not one to read thriller type novels. I get so immersed in the plot that I become terrified of my own shadow by the time darkness falls. BUT...I am a HUGE fan of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon (RL) series.

It started with The Da Vinci Code...then Angels & Demons...then The Lost Symbol...And finally this week Inferno.

A brief summary...I borrowed from Amazon. --> Seriously I tried to write a summary, and everything I wrote felt inadequate after I read the short, concise Amazon description.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s The Divine Comedy.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

Yes, I realize that the previous synopsis could describe most RL Adventures, but I don't want to give anything away! It's too good! Granted after I finished the novel, I immediately sent my friend a photo of my wide-awake somewhat terrified face...And of course this was after midnight when I should be relaxing. But the fear was worth it.

With this Dan Brown read, I can say I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to end. There were several unexpected twists that I most def chastised myself for missing the clues early on in the novel...or not being even the least bit suspicious. But I whole-heartedly enjoyed it. I love the pairing of the history and art. I feel like it brings a little slice of culture to my small-town Montana life.

I will admit that this RL Adventure had a very dark tone to it. In my opinion, far darker than any of the other RL novels. The novel can be quite accurately paired with Dante's The Divine Comedy. And for those of you that don't know, The Divine Comedy is an epic poem broken into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradisio. The poem is about Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. The novel focuses on the Inferno part. Dante paints a vivid and imaginative picture of what he believes hell to be. Talk about some dark stuff to be reading when you're trying to relax and get ready to go to sleep! Lol!

If you're on the fence about reading a Dan Brown, let me give you a list of things to expect!
1) TONS of History...like more than you learned in your high school Sophomore World History class.
2) Art...Paintings, Sculptures, Statues, Palaces...The list goes on and on!
*Helpful Tip* Have Google or Wikipedia at the ready to look up the various references...It makes the experience of the novel even more exciting (Well to me it does!)
3) Langdon's claustrophobia...It's expected that the poor guy is gonna get stuck in an elevator or windowless area. I will admit when Langdon starts to freak out, I get sympathy claustrophobia and have to frequently remind myself that I am in fact NOT stuck in a tight space, and can open the window!
4) Langdon's Mickey Mouse watch. LOVE THIS!

On the Reading Challenge front, I earned 5 points this week, which puts me at 15/200!

I think this week, I am going to take on the following challenge: Read an epistolary novel, which is a book written in letters, emails, diary entries or other documents (15 points).

For this challenge, I am going to read The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I also have Fried Green Tomatoes checked out because I've never read it, and I've heard it's amazing! So maybe I'll try to find a challenge that FGT works for too! Who knows!

Until next week!

Serena ~ Week 1 of Reading Challenge

Today marks the end of Week 1 of the Reading Challenge! This week I completed the following challenge:

10 points - Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.

I read Serena by Ron Rash. I have been wanting to read this book for almost two years. My initial motivations were the fact that it was being adapted into a movie with J-Law and Bradley Cooper. I mean, how could I go wrong? (PS: No idea when this movie is supposed to be released) And after excepting the Reading Challenge, I was ecstatic that the book fell under the Historical Fiction category.

So first...A quick summary. (PS: I might have borrowed the following summary from Amazon...Because I was struggling with writing a concise summary.)

The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains--but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons' intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.

My exposure to literature about the South is limited to the dream-like backdrops that Nicolas Sparks creates with each new romance he pens and Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. Sidenote: If you've never read Gone With the Wind, do so as soon as possible! It was one of the most fantastic reads EVER! Yes, it's a long one, but it is still amazing all the same! Prolly one of my most faves ever! That being said, I'd also like to take this time to admit that Scarlett O'Hara is one of my all-time favorite literary characters! (I will prolly make a post of GWTW at a later date because there is just too much to be said about the novel and Miss O'Hara).

As I was reading Serena, I found myself comparing Serena to Scarlett quite often. They possess many of the same qualities and characteristics of a strong female protagonist. They are both ambitious to a fault. Their ambition often blinds them, and they don't allow anything to get in their way. Neither of them allow their husbands too much say in how they carry themselves and what they do. They are both incredibly hands on women. Insisting that they see over all operations. Neither afraid to cut the fat when someone isn't performing at their best. They both fancy themselves to be real ladies, but they don't mind getting their hands dirty to take care of business.

The list of comparisons could really go on and on. And I noted several of them as I was reading and planning out this blog post. But today as I was finishing the novel, I began to hate myself for initially comparing Serena to Scarlett. I won't blow the end of the novel, just in case anyone wants to read it, but Serena kinda goes bat shit crazy. And I mean, CRAZY! And I don't feel that way about Scarlett at all. So I started thinking about other strong female characters in literature. And I think I found the closest comparison yet.

Lady Macbeth.

Boom.

Okay maybe I'm the only one that will see the boom since I've read both works, but I will elaborate for you all.

Lady Macbeth. Ambitious to the extreme. She rocks deception like a vandal (Ice Ice Baby...Okay...done rapping). She flat out convinces her husband to kill the King Duncan so he can earn the title, making her Queen. Like Lady Macbeth, Serena has an unbreakable hold over her husband George. She makes a decision or voices a desire, and her husband bends to her will to make it happen.

Lady Macbeth and Serena both feel a sense of duty to their husbands. They clean up the messes that the men have created. Even the messes that exist within the women's minds. Lady Macbeth has to take care of the daggers that Macbeth uses to stab the King. She plants them accordingly on their scapegoat. Serena (Again trying not to spoil it all here) takes care of what she believes to be her husbands biggest mess, and she uses his Bowie knife.

Fun fact in comparing Macbeth to Serena...The novel even has a character that claims to have visions to predict the future, much like the Weird Sisters in Macbeth.

Favorite scene from Serena...Immediately after, Serena awakens in the hospital. George and her have just lost their baby. "'It's like my body knew all along,' she said. 'And yet...' 'Your blood merged with mine,' Serena said 'That's all we ever hoped for anyway.'" I know that sounds super grotesque, but I found the imagery to be such a vivid representation of their desire to have a child of their own. I found it to be beautiful.

After reading the novel, I sought some background information on the writing of Serena (This was also after I made the Serena vs. Lady Macbeth association), I found this webpage about the author's process of writing Serena. This quoted portion makes me think I was a little on about my character comparison.

A more conscious decision was my desire to have the novel read, at least in part, like an Elizabethan drama. I structured Serena in the manner of a four-act play. I included a chorus to comment on the novel’s main action as well as certain decisions about the rhythms and diction of the characters’ language. I did not want to make this Elizabethan aspect of the novel intrusive but hoped it might instead give a novel steeped in the particulars of depression America a more timeless feel by structurally evoking an older literature, just as thematically I wanted the novel to evoke contemporary concerns.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Serena. Yes it centered primarily on the relationship of the Pembertons, but the novel also offered insight on living in a timber camp during the depression. A sub plotline of the novel is the government trying to buyout timber companies to preserve land for national parks. I feel like that is something that resonates today with so many conservation groups out there trying to preserve what little land there is left. I found the novel to be fascinating and new (to me). The characters were all multi-faceted, which excites me because characters and dialogue are generally the two elements that make or break a novel for me.

On the Reading Challenge Front...I get to chalk up 10 points toward my final 200! Woot woot! I'll keep track as I go.

This next week, I am going to read Inferno by Dan Brown and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn because I have both of those checked out from the eLibrary at the moment.

Long Time, No Post....Oops....

So...As the title says...Long time, no post...

My last post on here was a little over a year and a half ago when I was in the midst of reading The Night Circus, which I am going to admit that I flat out did not finish because I could not get into it. That in itself is a very rare occurrence for me. But moving on.

In my absence, I have not stopped reading...I feel like I have been devouring books as of late. Of course it helps that my friend Katie and I started a book club...with just the two of us. It's official name is "The MBC," which stands for "The Movie Book Club." We have been reading books that are being adapted into film. So many good ones too! Off the top of my head, our list so far has included: The Fault in Our Stars (by John Green), If I Stay (by Gayle Forman), and most recently This is Where I Leave You (by Jonathan Tropper). TIWILY might be one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I purchased several more J-Tropper novels, and I cannot wait to read them! PS: I may also be a little more than excited to see the movie next month since it has Tina Fey and Jason Bateman in it. :D

At the moment, I am taking a timeout to reread The Giver series. I read it so long ago that I feel like I need a refresher before I see the movie. Plus, I'm mainly just setting myself up to be annoyed about yet another movie adaptation is leaving out parts that I believe to be crucial to the plot! < insert sassy, tongue out emoji here >

Yes...

I just typed an emoji...

Deal with it.

And today, I joined a Reading Challenge that a friend of mine set-up...or maybe she just invited me to the FB page because she knows how much I like to read. Prolly should clarify that with her. Anyway, the challenge is to read 16 books in 4 months. It starts September 1st and goes until the end of the year. There's a list of challenges/criteria that the books must meet, and each has a certain point value attached to it. It looks like so:

5 points - Read a book you already have at home but haven’t gotten around to yet.
5 points - Read a book that will be adapted to film in 2015.
5 points - Read a book that takes place in the state/province where you were born. If you were born outside the U.S. and Canada, read a book that takes place in the country you were born.
10 points - Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted.
10 points - Read a book that takes place in the state where you currently live. If you do not live in the U.S., read a book that takes place in the country where you live.
10 points - Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.
15 points - Read an epistolary novel, which is a book written in letters, emails, diary entries or other documents.
15 points - Read a book written by an author who shares your initials.
15 points - Read a book that is set in a place you've never been but want to visit.
20 points - Read a book on which a television series has been based.
20 points - Read a fiction and nonfiction book about the same topic.
20 points - Read a biography, autobiography or memoir.
20 points - Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare.
30 points - Read a trilogy (or any three consecutive books in a series). Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages.

Initial thoughts, I am SUPER excited to do the challenge! I've already begun planning my reading list for the next four months! I know....NERDY! My hope is to blog as I go through the Reading Challenge, and perhaps even some of the books I'm reading for The MBC, but we'll see how that goes!

Until next time!

Jess