Book Challenge by Erin 8.0 - My Reading List

Another round of the Book Challenge by Erin has begun, and I am off to a good start.  For this round I am trying to mostly read books that I already own. Here is my reading list for the challenge:

Freebie - 5 points
Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant

Starts with the Letter L - 10 points
The Likeness by Tana French

Mostly Red Cover - 10 points
The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons

Character's Name in the Title - 15 points
Evelyn After by Victoria Helen Stone

Book Riot's 100 Must Read Books with Plot Twists - 20 points
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

House or Home in the Title - 20 points
The Lake House by James Patterson

Author whose First and Last Name Start with Same Letter - 25 points
The Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon

Originally Published in a Different Language - 30 points
Into the Thickening Fog  by Andrei Gelasimov

Action Takes Place on a Form of Transportation - 30 points
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Character Suffers from a Debilitating Physical Illness - 35 points
Magonia by Maria Danvana Headley

Have you ever participated in a reading challenge?

What I'm Reading Wednesday - February 7, 2018

What I'm Reading Wednesday is a monthly feature where I share what I have been reading.  Feel free to share what you are currently reading in the comments (I love comments and book recommendations!).

Reading Goal for the Year:  50 books

Currently Reading:  The Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon

Total Read So Far:  4/50 books

January 2018

1.  Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

2.  The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons

3.  Evelyn After by Victoria Helen Stone

4.  The Likeness by Tana French

Well, my reading year is off to a great start.  I am hopeful I will meet my goal this year.  

Do you have a reading goal for the year?

What are you reading?

The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons

From the Back Cover:

"A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard—then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency—disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation’s history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession.

For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal—Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him. On the tenth anniversary of her disappearance, the former head of Benjamin Lombard’s security asks for Gibson’s help in a covert investigation of the case, with new evidence in hand.

Haunted by tragic memories, he jumps at the chance to uncover what happened all those years ago. Using his military and technical prowess, he soon discovers multiple conspiracies surrounding the Lombard family—and he encounters powerful, ruthless political players who will do anything to silence him and his team. With new information surfacing that could threaten Lombard’s bid for the presidency, Gibson must stay one step ahead as he navigates a dangerous web to get to the truth."

What I Thought:

The Similes and Metaphors.  The author's writing was easy to read and chock full of unique similes and metaphors.  He brought a vividness to his description that I appreciated.

Gibson.  The protagonist is an interesting character.  He has a unique past.  He has definite motivation to solve the case.  He is a good guy.  He doesn't let his bitterness invade his life.  He doesn't go crazy for revenge.  He is a genuinely good guy, and I love his diner obsession!

Knowledge.  The author seems to have done his research.  He sounds very knowledgeable about law enforcement, politics, black ops, hacking.  

Compelling Story.  The plot has good pacing and enough complications to keep it interesting.  At times I felt like I knew where the story would end, but I was wrong.  The ending left room for another book while still feeling resolved.

It reminded me of Scandal, one of my recent Netflix binging obsessions.

I really liked this book (I mean, it reminded me of Scandal, need I say more?).  I will definitely read the next book in the series and I recommend the book to anyone interested in political-intrigue-thriller-type books (especially if you like Scandal).

Have you read this book?  What did you think?

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

What it's About:

Camille is a reporter who cuts herself to deal with her painful past.  When one young girl is killed and another goes missing in Camille's hometown, her editor sends her to cover the story.

Camille reluctantly returns to her mother's house where she is forced to deal with her difficult past head-on while trying to solve the most serious crime her hometown has experienced.

 What I Thought:
In Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn has created a whole gang of damaged, faulted people.  I have often wondered how an author finds such damaged creatures in her imagination.  Maybe the characters write themselves, pouring their torture onto the pages one word at a time.  From Camille, a girl who carves words into her skin, to a mother who inflicts illness on her own children.  Even Alan, the main character's stepfather, who is described as a prim southern gentleman but is portrayed slurping down sardines and eating sickly green pudding.  Gillian Flynn describes each character with care, creating a vivid image of each individual's pain and devastation.

Camille is far from a perfect protagonist.  Reading her story is like watching a train wreck; you don't want to see how low her life can take her, yet at the same time, you can't take your eyes off her.   She is so eager to please and is destroying herself in the process.  I wanted to yell at her, shake her awake, knock some sense into her.  I could see the final destruction coming for her before she was ever willing to admit how bad things really were.

The twist at the end of the book was well-planned and well-written.  Enough clues were presented, enough breadcrumbs dropped, to lead the reader to the murderer while also keeping the killer's identity hidden until the last possible moment.

I loved this book; I loved everything about it.  The characters, the plot, the writing, the plot twists and turns, every detail was perfect.  The mood was carefully crafted.  I was enthralled by this book and I highly recommend it.

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes - A Review

 What it's About:
Shonda Rhimes is the brains behind ABC's Thursday night tv line-up but she had lived much of her life saying no to everything she feared.  She missed out on some amazing opportunities, until she decided to spend a year saying "Yes!" to everything.  Her life was changed forever.

What I Thought:
Before I read this book, I had never heard of Shonda Rhimes.  

Crazy, I know.  


I don't watch the Thursday night line-up on ABC.  I can't watch medical shows (they make me queasy), so I have never even attempted or thought about watching Grey's Anatomy.  I did not know about Shondaland or any of the amazing firsts that Shonda Rhimes was responsible for (even though I have been know to use the word vajayjay; I had no idea it was her invention!).


I decided to read this book after seeing it on a list of inspirational books on Pinterest.  The cover (which I conveniently forgot to take a picture of before I returned it to the library) pulled me in immediately.  It is beautiful, inviting, and empowering.  It made me want to start saying "Yes!" immediately (even though Oprah had already taught me the power of saying "No!").

I read the book in one day.  I could not put it down.  Shonda Rhimes captured my attention on the very first page.  Her writing voice made me feel like we were having a conversation over coffee.  She welcomed me into her life and taught me how important it is to say "Yes!" to the things I fear.

Shonda Rhimes inspired me.  She inspired me to watch four seasons of How to Get Away with Murder on Netflix.  She inspired me to start watching Scandal (I am watching an episode while I am typing this).  She inspired me to make 2018 my year of saying "Yes!" to the things I fear.  She inspired my words of the year for 2018.  She inspired me.

What does that mean for you, dear reader?  Well, one of my fears is putting myself out there.  It sounds weird to say that out loud (write that out loud?) since I have multiple blogs, work as a teacher, and dream about being a published author, but I do have a fear of putting myself out there.  I agonize over every single post.  It has made it difficult to keep a blogging schedule because I doubt every single word I post.  I end up sounding artificial, fake, not like me.

So, dear reader, my year of yes means that you will get more blog posts to read.  Heck, you might even get some video content.   Who knows what might happen when I start saying "Yes!"

Have you read this book?  Are you a fan of Shondaland?

2017 What I'm Reading Wednesday #15 - Yearly Wrap-up

Well, the end of the year if upon us, and I have met my reading goal of 32 books!!  

Yippee!

I am very excited that I reached my goal, so excited in fact that I am increasing my goal to 50 books this year.  I will be using the Book Challenge by Erin and the Popsugar Reading Challenge prompts as inspiration and trying to read as many books as possible from my personal bookshelves.  I am always looking for new books to read, so please comment below with recommendations.  I am interested to see what this new year brings.

Here are all the books I read in 2017.
2017 Goal: 32 books

Books Read = 32/32

Books from TBR list: 6

Series completed: 0

*Erin's Book Challenge #6:  8/10  0/Bonus Round (Final Score)
**Erin's Book Challenge #7: 5/10  0/Bonus Round (Final Score)
BC = Book Club book

January

1.  Midair by Kodi Scheer

*2.  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (TBR)

February

*1.  Christine by Stephen King

2.  The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (yup, I started a new series)

March

1.  The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens (second book in the series)

*2.  Wonder by RJ Palacio (TBR)

*3.  Matched  by Ally Condie

*4.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (TBR)

April

*1.  The Ancient Ones by Kirk Mitchell

*2.  The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

*3. The Breaking Light by Heather Hansen

May
*1.  11/22/63 by Stephen King (TBR)

2.  Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
3.  The Vines by Christopher Rice

June
0 books read :(

July
**1.  Yo by Ricky Martin
**2.  Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

August
0 books read :(

September
1.  The Passage by Justin Cronin (TBR) (BC)
**2.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (TBR)

October
1.  Dualed by Elsie Chapman (BC)
**2.  Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig
3.  Breathe by Sarah Crossan (BC)
**4.  Little Town Lies by Anne Strieber

November
1.  Portrait Revolution by Julia L. Kay
2.  Interference by Amélie Antoine
3.  Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
4.  The Night Bird by Brian Freeman
5.  Skinny Liver by Kristin Kirkpatrick

December
1.  Art and Soul Reloaded by Pam Grout
2.  Extracted by RR Haywood
3.  The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
4.  Ocean of Storms by Christopher Man and Jeremy K Brown
5.  Rewire by Richard O'Connor

What are you reading this week?  Have you made reading goals for 2018?

What I'm Reading Wednesday #14 (December 13, 2017)

This week finds me still reading Extracted by RR Haywood.  I started out strong and then lost a little steam along the way.  I am still hopeful that I will meet my goal of 32 books this year.  I have a couple of weeks left.  Fingers crossed!

Here's my progress so far:
2017 Goal: 32 books

Books Read = 28/32

Books from TBR list: 6

Series completed: 0

*Erin's Book Challenge #6:  8/10  0/Bonus Round (Final Score)
**Erin's Book Challenge #7: 5/10  0/Bonus Round (Final Score)
BC = Book Club book

January

1.  Midair by Kodi Scheer

*2.  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (TBR)

February

*1.  Christine by Stephen King

2.  The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (yup, I started a new series)

March

1.  The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens (second book in the series)

*2.  Wonder by RJ Palacio (TBR)

*3.  Matched  by Ally Condie

*4.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (TBR)

April

*1.  The Ancient Ones by Kirk Mitchell

*2.  The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

*3. The Breaking Light by Heather Hansen

May
*1.  11/22/63 by Stephen King (TBR)

2.  Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
3.  The Vines by Christopher Rice

June
0 books read :(

July
**1.  Yo by Ricky Martin
**2.  Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

August
0 books read :(

September
1.  The Passage by Justin Cronin (TBR) (BC)
**2.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (TBR)

October
1.  Dualed by Elsie Chapman (BC)
**2.  Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig
3.  Breathe by Sarah Crossan (BC)
**4.  Little Town Lies by Anne Strieber

November
1.  Portrait Revolution by Julia L. Kay
2.  Interference by Amélie Antoine
3.  Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
4.  The Night Bird by Brian Freeman
5.  Skinny Liver by Kristin Kirkpatrick

December
1.  Art and Soul Reloaded by Pam Grout

Currently Reading:
Extracted by RR Haywood
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?