What I Read This August

I have been very lax on the reading/blogging about reading front lately. I don't want to point any fingers but Netflix.


The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins ★★★
A mystery or a thriller: This was an okay read, I didn't find it all that thrilling just rather so-so. I'm not that big on this genre so it wasn't all that surprising that I felt that way.


The other two books I read are probably not going to be counted in the challenge, but here they are anyway: 

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger ★★★
Now I usually make it a rule to read a book before seeing the film adaption but this time around it didn't go that way. The film was quite loosely based on the book it would seem and I just found it much more enjoyable. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins ★★★

I was super keen to read this after finishing Anna and the French Kiss earlier in the year but something about it really irked me. At first I was annoyed by all the obvious quirky character choices of course she was adopted by her gay uncle and is dating a 20 something rock star *yawn* but I got over it by the second half and  liked it a little more plus I read like half of it on the train to and from the city.

I'm like 99.99% sure I didn't buy any books during August, the only book stores around here are QBD which is not my favourite. So that may be beneficial. Still don't have a local library card so may go crazy soon (even though I have many books I could read).

What I read this July

I knew I would be hopeless at reading and blogging about what I had read this month due to moving interstate so I tried to write about things as I read them and on rereading my thoughts on the books I probably didn't need to bother! Finally in my new home and struggling to stay awake and read most nights, August wont be very productive, nevermind...


I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson ★★★★★
A Book With Non-human Characters: Yes, I am counting the ghosts. I really enjoyed the emotional journey that was this book. 


Paper Towns by John Green ★★★★
A Book that was made into a Movie: Managed to finish off re-reading this with an hour to spare before seeing the film. Still love it. So much fun. Good adaption too.
          

Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane ★★★★
A Book With a Number in the Title: An enjoyable read, not entirely what I expected. Not what I had originally intended for this challenge but I found it while wandering through the library and picked it up so changed a few things around to fit it into the challenge.



In  good news I enjoyed all three of the books I read throughout July. 
I can not remember what books I bought this month, at least two, one of which was Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. $18 for a hardback is a pretty sweet deal though.

36/52 Challenge books read.

What I Read This June

I didn't make much progress with the reading challenge this last month. I finished a grand total of three books.  I am currently at 33 of 52 books read for the Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge. This month I read:


Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ★★★★
A Classic Romance: As I mentioned last month I  struggled through the beginnings of it but eventually got to the dark twisted core of the thing. Not what I expected at all.

  
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ★★★
A Book Set in the Future: Another book that was not what I expected. However, not in a good way. I waited nearly half a year to get it in at the library. The story let itself down in parts. 

  
Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown-up by Grace Helbig ★★★
A Funny Book: While this was amusing in parts, I feel the same jokes were over used. It was enjoyable enough.


I bought too many books for someone who is in the process of moving and reading so slowly at the present time... 

What I Read This May

May was not the most productive reading month for me. I read some great books over the first half then struggled through the beginnings of my classic romance title, Rebecca. I did get through four enjoyable books though, they were:

Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Abertalli ★★★★

A book published this year: I picked this up while wandering through the library and it was an easy and enjoyable read.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven ★★★★

A book that made you cry: *sob*

Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman ★★★★

A non-fiction book:  A good effort from Nick Offerman. It featured some hilarious tales from his life throughout. I would have loved more about Parks and Recreation though.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio ★★★★★

A book with a one word title: Such a beautiful book. I waited about five months to get it from the library and it was totally worth it. I laughed, I cried, I would recommend it to anyone. 

I purchased a couple of books this month which is totally bad, especially with attempting to pack for a move and all that. I bought All the Light we Cannot See and Jasper Jones (but that was for a book club thing – although I didn’t read it.. yet) and my friend bought me Rebecca because I was talking about maybe using it for my classic romance prompt. So far my June has been very slow, but I have been doing so much reading professionally I have struggled to read for pleasure and also reading a novel outside my preferred genre when mentally exhausted.

What I Read This April

April was a relatively even reading month for me. I managed to complete five more books towards the challenge. They were mostly enjoyable reads. It is getting harder to fit things I just want to read into the challenge as I have reached the halfway mark having now read 26/52 books, but I will persevere. I have a bunch of books in mind for the challenges that I would love to read which should keep me going. I was very happy to hear All the Light we Cannot See won a Pulitzer prize as I had heard great things (and not yet decided on a book for that prompt).

 

Anyway, this month I read the following:

Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper ★★★★

A book with more than 500 pages – The copy I had was large print so this is totally cheating. I originally had it down as my crying book but have something else in mind for that one, may change it again in future. Anyway for a book with a super cheesy title it was pretty great. I took a while to get into the perspective of the cat, like with The Bear and the children’s point of view but somehow less annoying. It was a good read and even non cat lovers such as myself could have a good cry over it. 

Shattered by Teri Terry ★★★★

A trilogy (book 3) – The trilogy really came together with the last book.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Hold me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan ★★★

A play – This was enjoyable enough, but I don’t believe plays are best read in one’s head. At least not mine, I am not musically oriented enough to figure out how the songs would sound, or I would have probably enjoyed it a bit more. 

Just Don’t Fall: How I Grew up, Conquered Illness, and Made it Down the Mountain by Josh Sundquist ★★★★

A memoir – Just love his writing style, very easy and enjoyable to read. 

Where’d you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple ★★★★

A book set somewhere you have always wanted to visit – Read this book after being recommended it by a few others participating in the reading challenge. A different book, I loved how it slowly pieced together and came to make sense as you went. She has written for television programs I have enjoyed too. I may one day read her first novel but probably not during the challenge. 

I think I only purchased the one book last month which was The Girl on the Train which I haven’t gotten around to reading yet.  

What I Read This March

I can't believe the first quarter of the year has passed us already, it has gone crazy fast. I continue to read at a steady pace, this past month I read the following books:

Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague ★★★★
A book from an author that you love that you haven't read yet - Marisa de los Santos is one of my favourite authors and when I noticed on Goodreads she had written a new book with her husband I knew I had to use it for this part of the challenge. This story was quite different to the others I had read but still very enjoyable. It took my brain a little while to wrap itself around the disjointed time travel but well worth it.

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly a True Story by Josh Sundquist ★★★★
A book you can finish in one day: I read this book after hearing a good review from a fellow nerd fighter and as I enjoy Josh's vlogs from time to time. It was such an easy, fun read I struggled to put it down. As a result I have his other book, Just Don't Fall in my tbr pile for April.

Enchantment Lake by Margi Prues ★★★
Not included in challenge.  

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil ★★★
A book published this year (last 12 months): I had heard so many good reviews of this book I had too high expectations going in. With so many great cultural references, unfortunately for me there was just something missing. It was enjoyable but I didn't love it.

From Notting Hill With Love... Actually by Ali McNamara ★★★★
A book based entirely on its cover: I picked this book up before Valentine's Day from a library display but didn't get around to reading it until well over a month after that. I'm glad I hung onto it though, I really enjoyed all the movie references it held. Although I'm not the girl who believes that romantic comedies are realistic, I do like a good Hugh Grant flick. Reading this made me want to dig out my Hugh Grant box set, and there are two more in the series I may eventually read. 

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy ★★★
A book by a female author: I was hoping to use this as my crying book, but it just wasn't the one. The main character was not relatable thus I did not feel sorry for her, maybe that was the point. In a market full of "sick lit" this book fails to hit the mark.

Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita ★★★
A book you own but have never read: I probably should have chosen something that has been sitting on my bookshelf a bit longer, but I really wanted to read this one when I ordered it in January so technically it counts. I enjoyed reading this book, I would have liked going to summer camp if it were a concept in Australia.

This month I allowed myself to buy two books because they were pretty, a 10 year anniversary hard cover copy of Looking for Alaska and a hard cover Looking for Ali Brandi. I have just now realised how funny that combination is, but maybe that is just me. Anyway, I should stop buying books! I have already bought one this month..

What I Read This February

After getting back into work I have had a lot less time to read so this month has been pretty slow on that front. I managed to read six books, five of which I will be counting towards the years challenge. I am very happy to finally have completed Yes Please by Amy Poehler after starting it in November then getting distracted.

In February I read the following books:

My Life as an Alphabet - Barry Jonsberg ★★★★

A Book by an Author You've Never Read Before -I read this after seeing it recommended in a teacher's group I am apart of. It was quite an enjoyable children's book with some interesting characters.

Yes Please - Amy Poehler ★★★★

A Book you Started but Never Finished -Finally finished it. I liked the third section best as it covered the aspects of her career I was most interested in and she finally stopped complaining as much about the fact she had no time to write the book. I feel like if you are writing a book and getting paid to do so you probably shouldn't do it if you don't want to, there are plenty of ghost writers out there. Not as funny as you would expect, but apparently the audio book version is better.

Slated - Teri Terry ★★★

A Trilogy (book 1) - I read this for an online book club, it was okay. Not the greatest dytopian YA novel I out there, probably not the worst either.

Never Google Heartbreak - Emma Garcia ★★

A Book With a Love Triangle - Just your average romcom, thought I would read one for Valentines day..

Bob's Burgers Vol. 1 - Chad Brewster ★★★

Not Included in Challenge - It was a fun comic, if you like the show you will enjoy it. Each character gets their own section, Gene's was not great though. Received from Net Galley.

Fractured - Teri Terry ★★★

A Trilogy (book 2) - The library had it so I figured I might as well complete the trilogy. Explained a bit more of the goings on, maybe slightly better than the first book.

I am currently reading  Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and her husband David Teague, I'm nearly finished and am enjoying it. This month I only purchased two books, and they cost me a grand total of $6 at the Lifeline Book Fair so doing okay on that front, both of which I will hopefully read as a part of the challenge. Hopefully March will be a more successful reading month.