Hey everyone! Earlier this year, I announced that I was doing a 2018 Classics Challenge. You can find out all the info about it in my original post, here!
Now, my original plan was to share a post for each classic book I read. Well, so far, I haven’t done that, lol! So, I’ve decided that I will just update you all with how I’ve been doing so far.
So far, I’ve read three classics this year. Here are the books I read, and a little bit of my thoughts about each of them:
19th Century Classic
I read The Picture of Dorian Gray in April, and quite enjoyed it. Dorian was such an interesting and memorable character to me. This book appears simple, but is so, so complex. Even though this book isn’t very large, there were parts that felt a bit slow, but overall, I really did enjoy it.
Classic Under 200 Pages
I read Breakfast at Tiffany’s back in February, and while it was a quick read, I, personally, did not enjoy it too much. I found myself being unable to connect to the author’s writing style, and thus, found myself unable to connect to the story or the characters. I really just think it was more of my personal preference though! To hear my full thoughts, I wrote a review about it, here!
Children’s Classic
I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in March, and I really enjoyed it! Out of all three classics that I’ve read this year, so far, this one has been my favorite. The plot and concept were so intriguing and so well done. I really loved seeing the Christian parallels throughout the story, too. The characters were so charming and Narnia itself was just as magical and enchanting as everyone else always says, also. This book was so readable, and honestly, just such a delight! To hear my full thoughts, click here to read my review!
That’s all the classics I’ve read so far in 2018! I still have quite a ways to go if I want to complete my challenge, but I think I can still do it. I’m working on reading a classic over 500 pages right now. I decided to go with The Count of Monte Cristo which is over 1,000 pages, so please wish me luck with that! 😜
I’m going to try to share my progress more often now, so look for more updates soon! Also, if you’re reading any classic books that fit any of the challenges, be sure to share them with me and follow along with the hashtag #2018ClassicsChallenge!
Thanks so much for reading!
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It’s Top Ten Tuesday again! It’s a weekly bookish list hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is:
Books That Awaken the Travel Bug in Me
Because I’m busy with the Cramathon this week, though, today it’s going to just be a top five!
Just One Day
I have a feeling Just One Day will be on a lot of people’s lists today! From Paris, to London, to Amsterdam, this book involves so many traveling adventures.
13 Little Blue Envelopes
13 Little Blue Envelopes is another book that really brings out the travel bug in you! It’s just one of those books that is absolutely perfect to read during the summer. You’ll really feel like you’re traveling Europe with this one!
Safe Haven
Growing up, my family and I would always go on vacation to Oak Island, NC, which is super close to Southport. In fact, we would visit Southport while we were there. So, when I read Safe Haven, everything about its setting reminded me of those vacations and made me really want to go back!!
The Christy Miller Series
The Christy Miller series definitely makes me crave the beach! While there’s a couple different locations throughout this series, the most notable ones that I think of are California and Hawaii. I’m from Ohio, and for the past two weeks, there has only been about 1 day where it was consistently sunny. So, this series makes me dream of sunshine like no other!
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series is just filled with so many adventures. It is the ultimate summer read! It especially makes me want to visit Greece, like Lena!
That’s my TTT for this week! What are some of the books that make you want to travel?
Thanks for reading!
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Hey everyone! So, this is late and last minute, but yesterday evening I found out that the Cram-a-thon was this week! It started yesterday, June 10th, and runs through June 17th. I don’t think I’ve ever participated in the Cramathon before, but I’ve seen others do it, and it always looks like so much fun. So, even though I’m joining late and last minute, I’ve decided I’m going to do it!
The goal of the readathon is to finish 7 things in 7 days – so y’all already know I won’t actually be able to complete this. 😉 That being said, I’m going to try my best to read as much as I can! There’s also challenges to help base your TBR pile on. Being that I joined last minute, I haven’t put too much thought into what I’m going to read, but I’ve gathered some that fit the challenges, and they will be my tentative TBR, unless I change my mind on any of them.
Alright, here are the challenges and the books I’m hoping to read this week!
1. A predicted 5 star book
For this one, I’m going with Sanctuary by Meg Cabot! I pretty much love all of her books as it is, but I especially love this particular series. I’ve given all these 4 or 5 stars, so I have no doubt that I’m going to love this one as well!
2. A book that’s out of your comfort zone
I very rarely read poetry. I did read Amanda Lovelace’s first book, The Princess Saves Herself in This One, though, and I did enjoy it. So, I’m going to give her second book a chance, too!
3. A book that’s been on your TBR for a long time
I have to go with Fire and Ice for this one. The Warriors series is one of my sister’s favorites, and she’s been encouraging me to read them for years! A while back I did read the first book, Into the Wild, and really enjoyed it. So, I know I’ll love this one, too. It’s just one I keep putting off!
4. A LGBTQ+ Ownvoices book
I started Before I Let Go right before the cramathon started, and I didn’t even realize it was an ownvoices novel until looking into what to read for the readathon. So, I think that turned out pretty perfectly since I’m starting this readathon so last minute!
5. Something that’s not a standard novel
Goldie Vance is a graphic novel, which is also something I don’t read too often. I think this looks like such a fun and mysterious series, and I cannot wait to read it!
6. A book with your favorite color on the cover
My favorite color is pink, so I went with The Borrowers for this challenge. I think it’ll be the perfect book because it looks like so much fun, and it’s small, which is exactly the kind of book I need for this readathon!
7. Read seven books
I don’t have anything picked out for my 7th book yet. If I somehow, miraculously, am able to read all of these books in 7 days and have time to read something else, I can assure you that, whatever it is, the book I pick will probably be an extremely short story!
And that’s my TBR! Wish me luck! Be sure to let me know what you’re reading if you’re participating in the Cram-A-Thon, too.
Thanks for reading!
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Title: My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Pages: 423
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Published by: Atria Books (May 18th, 2004)
Summary
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate — a life and a role that she has never challenged… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.
A provocative novel that raises some important ethical issues, My Sister’s Keeper is the story of one family’s struggle for survival at all human costs and a stunning parable for all time.
What I Thought
I first watched the My Sister’s Keeper movie back when it was first released. That movie broke me, and I was sure I’d never read the book. Then, I found out they movie has a completely different ending from the book, and I’ve been curious to read it ever since. Flash forward 8-9 years, and here I am; I finally read the book!
I feel like I said this every month, but can you even believe how fast this year is flying by?! We’re already halfway through, and I’m kind of freaking out about that. On the plus side, the summer months are finally here, and with them they bring more reading time, no school, and SUNSHINE! Needless to say, I’m just a little excited. 😉 Overall, I had an okay reading and blogging month for May. The first half of the month, I was so busy with finals and dance that I barely blogged or read at all. Once everything settled down though, I was able to get a bit more on track. I ended up reading three books in the month of May, which, given my circumstances, isn’t terrible, but I was hoping for at least four.
BOOKS READ
– Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STANDOUT BOOK OF THE MONTH
Emergency Contact was filled with great characters, real life topics, and cute banter. It’s a perfect, mature*, YA novel that I think a lot of people have been looking for!
*not in the explicit way, haha. The characters are older – in their late teens and early 20’s.
BOOKS REVIEWED
The Rebellion by Livy Jarmusch \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BOOK HAUL
So, I bought quite a lot of books in the month of May! First, I went to two different library book sales, and so, if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I go completely overboard at those sales, and bought wayyy too many books. If you’re interested in seeing which books I got, I currently have that book haul as a story highlight on my Instagram. You can check that out here!
Then, I received a copy of How to Be a Perfect Christian by the satire website, The Babylon Bee, from WaterBrook & Multnomah as a thank you gift for signing up to be a member of their book launch teams. A huge thank you to them! It was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise, and I can’t wait to read it!
Lastly, I was looking through the bargain books at Books-a-Million, which is a very dangerous place to be, and found a hardcover copy of The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer for only $6! I’m not embarrassed to admit that I was a bit of a Twi-hard back in the day (maybe I still am a little, lol), and I also loved The Host. So, I’m excited to give this one a try and see what I think!
MISCELLANEOUS
Like I said earlier, the first half of May was quite slow. Despite that, May still managed to feature some exciting posts!
Here are all the TTT’s that I participated in for the month of May:
- Top Ten Characters I’d Name My Kids (or Pets) After
- Top Ten Bookish Worlds I’d Want To/Never Want to Live In
Here’s what I was Waiting on Wednesday for this month:
I participated in The Rebellion blog tour last month, as well!
Also, last but not least, I unveiled my new logo for The Calico Books!
That wraps up everything bookish that happened during May! I have high hopes for a big reading and blogging month for June, so wish me luck! 🙂
Thanks so much for reading!
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Waiting on Wednesday/Can’t Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature, started by Breaking the Spine and continued by Wishful Endings, that puts the spotlight on upcoming releases!
This week’s pick is:
A Thousand Perfect Notes
RELEASING JUNE 7TH, 2018
An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.
Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music – because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.
When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?
I’ve been following Cait’s, AKA Paper Furry, blog and Twitter for a couple years now. She’s just so sweet and funny! When I found out she was releasing a book, I was genuinely so happy for, and then when I read the synopsis, I just knew I HAD to read it! This book looks like it’s going to break my heart, and I am so ready for it! Plus, the cover is just so gorgeous. Also, I’m so excited, because it comes out tomorrow. I won’t have to wait much longer to read it now!
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It’s Top Ten Tuesday again! It’s a weekly bookish list hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week’s topic is:
Books I DNF’d Too Quickly
I am not someone to DNF (did not finish) books too often. So, even though I really enjoyed thinking about this week’s topic, it was a really hard one for me. Because of that, I could only think of 8 books that I’ve DNF’d that I may have given up on a little too fast.
Dune
So, I was supposed to read Dune in my 11th grade Lit class. I started it, and really tried to read it, but I just could not get into it! So, I hate to say it, but I SparkNotes my way through this book. Now, I don’t remember anything about this book, except I think there’s this giant worm and a genius baby. I really do think though, that if I was able to read Dune at my own pace and leisure, I could really enjoy this book.
To Kill a Mockingbird
I’m embarrassed to say that I used SparkNotes on To Kill a Mockingbird, too. Let me just say though, my freshman year of high school was so overwhelming. I went to an online school, and most weeks I would literally work from like, 8 AM until 6 PM every single day, including weekends. I really want to read this book now, though. I really think I would appreciate it so much!
Also, side note, I have to lol at my high school adviser who told me that my freshman year course load was how university was. My university courses can be SO overwhelming, but nowhere near as bad as that year was!!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Okay, this one was not a school book! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was the book club pick for my high school’s book club. Everyone else just loved the book, and those that had already read it had hyped it up so much. I, personally, just couldn’t get into it. I often wonder if I gave up on it too soon, though. Now that it’s been several years, I’d like to give this book another chance sometime!
The Jungle Book
I tried reading The Jungle Book many years ago. I went into it, though, thinking it would be like the Disney movie. I should have known, though, that it would be quite different! I think because I had set certain expectations about this book, that when it was not what I was expecting, I just wasn’t into it. Now that I realize it’s going to be different, I think I’d like to give it another try sometime.
Through Gates of Splendor
I don’t have anything against this book! I started reading it, and I found it interesting enough. I just think I wasn’t in the mood for a book like Through Gates of Splendor, when I tried reading it. I’m sure I’ll give it another try someday!
Pride and Prejudice
This is another book that I picked up that I just don’t think I was quite in the mood to read. I tried reading Pride and Prejudice during a super busy time, and I just didn’t quite have the time or energy to devote myself to it. I definitely plan on giving Pride and Prejudice a second chance very soon!
The Swiss Family Robinson
You guys. 5th grade me HATED this book! It drove me crazy the way he always said “said I.” I don’t know why, but it just bothered me so much that it was always worded like that. 😂 Luckily, my teacher was so chill, and she also hated the book, that she didn’t make me finish it. She gave me an alternate assignment to do instead. I actually have no idea how The Swiss Family Robinson ends though, and there’s a part of me that would really like to know. I remember one of my classmates said it was the saddest book he ever read. So, I’m both scared and intrigued to give this one another try.
The Monstrumologist
I tried reading this book a couple years ago because I though it would be a fun and creepy read for Halloween. That being said, The Monstrumologist was just too much for me at the time. The descriptions in the first couple of chapters were just so gruesome! I do think the actual plot of this book sounds really intriguing, so I may try again sometime. If the descriptions throughout the rest of the book stay too gross and graphic though, I’ll probably end up DNFing it for good.
Those are my picks for this week’s TTT. What are some books that you may have DNF’d too soon?
Thanks for reading!
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Title: Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi
Pages: 394
Genres: Contemporary, YA, Romance
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Mar. 27th, 2018)
Summary
For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.
Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.
When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.
What I Thought
Emergency Contact was one of my anticipated reads, for Waiting on Wednesday, earlier this year. So, when the Bookshelf Tees Book Club announced it as their May book club pick, I decided it was the perfect time to read it! I’m so glad I did, too, because it was just the type of book I was looking for.
Hello! I got the idea for today’s post from Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books, and it was originally started by Caitlin from Caitstiel’s Book World. I loved reading both of their posts, so I just had to do it, too! Basically, I am going to go through my Goodreads book recommendations, and decide whether or not I would read the books they’re recommending to me.
Today, I’m going to pick the first ten recommendations from my “read” shelf:
Because I read My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers
Streams in the Desert is a devotional book. I could see myself reading it in the future, but I’m pretty undecided at this point.
Because I read Forgotten God by Francis Chan
David Platt is a Christian speaker and author. I’ve done some of his Bible studies with my church before. While he’s not one of my favorites, I could still see myself reading this book.
3. Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione
Because I read Haunted Waters by Jerry B. Jenkins
I wouldn’t read Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione. I’m not very into knights, and so this book just doesn’t sound like something I would be interested in.
4. Unstoppable
Because I read Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko
Christine Caine is another Christian author and speaker. While I haven’t read any of her books, I’ve heard really good things about her, and would definitely consider reading this book.
5. Bad Kitty
Because I Read several different books by Meg Cabot and Heist Society by Ally Carter
When I first saw the cover for Bad Kitty, I was sure I probably wouldn’t be interested. When I read the synopsis though, I actually really think it’ll be something I’m interested in! I love sassy characters and mysteries, and this book looks like it has both. I added this one to my TBR shelf!
Because I read Holes by Louis Sachar and The Giver by Lois Lowry
I don’t know if I’ll read this book anytime soon, but it does look like something I might pick up if I were looking for a short and easy read. I think A Long Way from Chicago would have been a book I would have really liked when I was younger, though! Because of that, I did add it to my TBR shelf, just so I can remember it, if I ever do decide to give it a try.
Because I read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
I definitely want to read Winnie-the-Pooh someday! It’s one of those childhood classics I never read, and feel like I’ve missed out on. I have so many fond memories of watching the original cartoons with my grandparents when I was little. We were never allowed to watch the windy day episode when my cousin was there though, because it scared him too much…That used to irritate 5 year old me so much! haha 🙂 So, yes, this is a recommendation I completely agree with!
Because I read A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
I actually tried reading this book once, but I couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters because it was just too gruesome for me. I wanted to like it, but it was just too much.
Because I read the Christy Miller Collection, Vol 1. by Robin Jones Gunn and Heist Society by Ally Carter
I actually bought So Not Happening at a library book sale! I haven’t read it yet, but I do plan on it! So, this recommendation works.
Because I read Matilda by Roald Dahl
This book is in another language – I believe Dutch – and unfortunately, I only speak English. So, I’m going to have to pass on this book, lol. From what I gather, based on the English reviews, it’s a dystopian novel where society is ruled only by women because men messed the world up. If there was an English translation, I might give this book a chance, though!
This was so much fun to do!! I discovered a few new books I might like to read, too. I definitely plan on doing a post like this again, with some of my other Goodreads bookshelves.
Thanks so much for reading!
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Hey everyone! Summertime is officially upon us! It has been super hot all week, and I’ve been loving being able to go swimming and taking care of my garden. I just love summer! Today, I’ve decided to share with you all my summer reading goals for 2018. Some of them will be the same from last year, and others will be new. Like always, I count my summer reading from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day – late May through early September. So, be sure to check back at the end of summer to see if I was able to reach my goals!
Okay, let’s get started:
the calico books 