Sunday, May 1, 2016

Book Challenge By Erin 4.0 Results

I haven't really felt like blogging much lately. (Though that's probably obvious if you look at the tiny amount of posts I wrote last month.)

There's really no reason ... I've just felt like using my time for other things. Last month I spent more time reading, trying to get back into some sort of exercise groove, and binging on Netflix with Eric and less time on the computer. I wasn't always productive, but I was doing what I wanted to do in that moment.

Anyway, the point of that (if there really is a point) is that I've been reading more lately. That introduction was my not-so-graceful transition into my final update for Book Challenge by Erin 4.0.

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I did much better with Erin's challenge than with the Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge. (I never actually posted a final update for that challenge, but I completed all but one of the categories for a total of 190 points out of a possible 200. Definitely not bad, but I was hoping to actually finish.) 

I not only completed Erin's challenge, but managed to finish 4 books for the bonus round as well! 

I stuck with my original list for the main part of the challenge:

1. A Book, Any Book, That Is At Least 200 Pages Long: The Martian by Andy Weir (369 pages)
Worth: 5 pts
Date Completed: 01/26/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars
My Quick Review: It seems like almost everyone has read this book by now, and I'm happy to say that it mostly lived up to the hype. I thought the story was compelling, and I really liked the main character, Mark Watney. Although it probably won't go on my list of absolute favorite books this year, it definitely kept me entertained.
My Detailed Review: The Martian is the fifth book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

2. A Book That Begins With The Letter "D": Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg (293 pages)
Worth: 10 pts
Date Completed: 02/16/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
My Quick Review: This book managed to both break my heart and fill me with hope. The writing is beautiful, and the story is filled with characters that felt very "real." This is definitely a contender for my list of absolute favorite books this year!
My Detailed Review: Did You Ever Have a Family is the second book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

3. A Book With A Four Word Title: What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman (312 pages)
Worth: 10 pts
Date Completed: 03/24/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
My Quick Review: Although the events in this book often felt overly dramatic, I was really intrigued by the portion of the story detailing a young woman's experiences in a mental institution in the 1920s and 30s. I continued to think about the horrible things she endured long after I finished the last page.
My Detailed Review: What She Left Behind is the third book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

4. A Book With "Mother," "Father," "Son," "Daughter," Or "Child" In The Title (Or The Plural Of These Words): The Bloodletter's Daughter by Linda Lafferty (512 pages)
Worth: 15 pts
Date Completed: 04/10/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 2/5 stars
My Quick Review: While the plot intrigued me, the actual story fell flat. The writing wasn't great, several things didn't really make much sense, and the ending left me thinking, "This is completely ridiculous! What a waste of time."
My Detailed Review: The Bloodletter's Daughter is the last book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

5. A Book From Amazon's "Most Popular Authors" List (And The Author Must Be New To Me): The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (438 pages)
Worth: 20 pts
Date Completed: 03/09/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
My Quick Review: Almost everyone seems to love this book, and now I understand why. It's a story filled with strong female characters, complex family relationships, and the atrocities experienced during World War II. It completely gutted me, and I loved every second of it.
My Detailed Review: The Nightingale is the first book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

6. A Book Set In Any Country In Asia: Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino (530 pages)
Worth: 20 pts
Date Completed: 03/19/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 2/5 stars
My Quick Review: I feel like this book could have been really amazing, but so much of it dragged on and felt like work to get through. I've previously read and enjoyed another book by this author, but this just really didn't live up to my expectations.
My Detailed Review: Grotesque is the second book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

7. A Book With A Season ("Winter," "Spring," "Summer," Or "Autumn"/"Fall") In The Title: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (278 pages) 
Worth: 25 pts
Date Completed: 02/13/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars
My Quick Review: This is probably one of the most realistic books I've read when it comes to mental disorders. For that reason, it was a difficult read (particularly if you or a loved one has experienced any of the things described in the book).
My Detailed Review: Wintergirls is the first book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

8. A Book That Will Make Me Laugh From This Buzzfeed ListThis is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (339 pages)
Worth: 30 pts
Date Completed: 04/02/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
My Quick Review: This book was an emotional rollercoaster ride for me: one minute I'd be laughing hysterically and the next I'd feel like someone just sucker punched me in the gut. The characters were flawed in very real ways, and I felt like I was reading a story about a real family (which may be part of the reason I was so deeply affected by it).
My Detailed Review: This is Where I Leave You is the fifth book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

9. A Book That Is A Friend Or Family Member's Favorite (Or The Favorite Book Of Another Challenge Participant): The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (401 pages)
Worth: 30 pts
Date Completed: 02/08/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars
My Quick Review: I really enjoy stories that detail how a single decision can affect the lives of multiple people, and this book does just that. The plot was really interesting, and I was surprised to learn that it was loosely based on a true story.
My Detailed Review: The Memory Keeper's Daughter is the last book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

10. A Book Published The Year I Was Born: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney (208 pages)
Worth: 35 pts
Date Completed: 03/27/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 stars
My Quick Review: I absolutely loved the author's writing style! Unfortunately, the book overall felt a little underdeveloped, and I was left wanting much more than what was delivered. Still, it was a quick and entertaining read.
My Detailed Review: Bright Lights, Big City is the fourth book reviewed in this post.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

I didn't really push the bonus round too much. Since I finished the initial challenge on April 10th, I knew there was no way I'd be able to read 10 more books in 20 days. (I don't even think I could read 10 books in 30 days, to be honest.) I decided to just focus on books I already had checked out from the library that could satisfy a challenge category. Logical, right?

1. A Book, Any Book, That Is At Least 200 Pages Long: A Game For All the Family by Sophie Hannah (419 pages) 
Bonus Round Worth: 10 pts 
Date Completed: 04/27/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 stars
My Quick Review: This book was very strange. I thought the plot was really intriguing, but the ending unfortunately just wasn't what I'd hoped for.
My Detailed Review: This will be posted in a couple of weeks.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

2. A Book That Begins With The Letter "D": Do Not Disturb by A.R. Torre (357 pages)
Bonus Round Worth: 15 pts 
Date Completed: 04/16/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars
My Quick Review: I'm honestly surprised that I've enjoyed this series so much. While the writing isn't amazing, the stories keep me intrigued and entertained. This is the second book in the trilogy, and, while it could potentially work as a standalone, I think it's probably best to start at the beginning with The Girl in 6E (my in-depth review for that book can be found here).
My Detailed Review: This will be posted in a couple of weeks.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

3. A Book With A Four Word Title: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (378 pages)
Bonus Round Worth: 15 pts + 5 pts (chosen by another challenge participant)
Date Completed: 04/20/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
My Quick Review: I completely fell in love with this book! I've dealt with depression for most of my life, so I identified with a lot of the things some of these characters did and said.
My Detailed Review: This will be posted in a couple of weeks.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

4. A Book From Amazon's "Most Popular Authors" List (And The Author Must Be New To Me): The Silent Girls by Eric Rickstad (371 pages) 
Bonus Round Worth: 25 pts + 5 pts (chosen by another challenge participant)
Date Completed: 04/30/2016
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars
My Quick Review: I really enjoy crime thrillers, and this was no exception. I loved that the story immediately grabbed me, and I really liked the main character, Frank Rath. I was happy to see that the author will be releasing a second book featuring Rath because the cliffhanger at the end killed me!
My Detailed Review: This will be posted in a couple of weeks.
For More Information: Check it out on Goodreads.

I'd say this book challenge was mostly successful. There were a few duds, but I really liked the majority of the books I chose.

As for point totals, I achieved the maximum 200 points for completing the first round and earned an additional 75 points for the bonus round. I'm happy with these results.

I'll be spending the month of May reading whatever I feel like and then returning to the wonderful world of book challenges in June. Megan announces her categories for the Semi-Charmed Summer 2016 Reading Challenge on May 15th (the actual challenge begins June 1st), Erin and Dani are co-hosting a Read My Books Challenge to encourage participants to read the books they currently own but haven't yet read during the month of June, and Erin just announced that she'll also be sharing her categories for the next installment of Book Challenge by Erin on June 1st (the actual challenge begins July 1st).

Yes, that's a lot of overlap, but I'm hoping some of the books I currently own can work for categories in the next Semi-Charmed challenge. And if that doesn't work out, no big deal. I'll just have to read a few more books!

I've discovered that I have a lot of fun with these book challenges. I'm reading more than I ever have in the past, I'm checking out books I may never have otherwise, and I'm getting some great recommendations along the way. Thanks to all the book loving bloggers who host these awesome challenges!

6 comments:

  1. You killed it with the book challenge! I'm with on sometimes getting the "I don't wanna" and not blogging regularly...

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  2. All the Bright Places made me ugly cry. Thankfully I was alone.

    Did You Ever Have a Family was incredible.

    You rocked the shit out of this challenge!!!

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  3. You did REALLY well! I read 17 books for the challenge, and I really do try to read 20 since I host...but, you know, I didn't. I enjoyed your selections because they were diverse, and I like diversity with my books (as you know). I'll be over-lapping with you with Megan's challenge, and the Read My Books challenge. Fingers crossed we can make it work!

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  4. yay for book challenges! i failed so hard with Erin's but i'll get back on track with her next one, and with megan's next one too.

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  5. Great job!! I loved this challenge and can't wait for the next one. I found a few categories in Megan's last challenge really difficult so I think I am going to wait to check out the categories before I (try to) commit to it :)

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  6. I confess that I am a book challenge junkie. Although I do enjoy having a break from them and having the freedom to read whatever I want regardless of whether it fits into a certain category or not, I like to focus that my reading seems to have when I participate in them. I will be participating in the upcoming challenges that you mentioned as well, so I'm sure our paths will continue to cross.

    Congrats on finishing and getting in to the bonus round!

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