The Challenge:
I was able to finish the accompanying reading challenge earlier this month. For each of the 26 books, I'll identify the book with pertinent commentary. After the book list, I'll have reviews of the various books (I'll be updating them as I write them, I only have three up at the moment).The Books:
1. A book you read in school - Princess Bride by William Goldman (it didn't specify which school haha, but I first read it while I was at BYU)
2. A book from your childhood - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
3. A book published over 100 years ago - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4. A book published in the last year - Wires and Nerves by Marissa Meyer
5. A non-fiction book -
Family Property Law, Cases and Materials on Wills, Trusts, and Estates - Thomas Gallantis
6. A book written by a male author - Psion Gamma by Jacob Gowans
7. A book written by a female author -Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg
8. A book by someone who isn't a writer - Talk as Fast as I can by Lauren Graham (I know that she has a novel published, but since she is not primarily a writer and most definitely focused on her writing, I think this still qualifies)
9. A book that became a film - Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
10. A book published in the 20th Century - Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
11. A book set in your hometown/region - Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (takes place in Sacramento, so I figured that was close enough)
12. A book with someone's name in the title - Dracula by Bram Stoker
13. A book with a number in the title -Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
14. A book with a character with your first name - Fate of the Tearing by Erika Johansen (character actually went by Allie)
15. A book someone else recommended to you- Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans (recommended by Mary Locke Jolley)
16. A book with over 500 pages - Tales From Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
17. A book you can finish in a day - Black Key by Amy Ewing
18. A previously banned book - Harry Potter och de Vises Sten by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone in Swedish)
19. A book with a one-word title - Catalyst by James Luceno (Star Wars)
20. A book translated from another language - Harry Potter och Hemligheternas Kammare by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets translated into Swedish)
21. A book that will improve a specific area of your life - Happy Lawyer by Nancy Levit and Douglas O. Linder
22. A memoir or journal - One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
23. A book written by someone younger than you - Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult (who is admittedly older than me) and Samantha Van Leer (who is in fact younger than me)
24. A book set somewhere you'll be visiting this year - Emil i Lönneberga by Astrid Lindgren (Swedish, takes place in Sweden)
25. An award winning book - The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
26. A self-published book - I'm With You by Taylor Dean
2. A book from your childhood - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
3. A book published over 100 years ago - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4. A book published in the last year - Wires and Nerves by Marissa Meyer
5. A non-fiction book -
Family Property Law, Cases and Materials on Wills, Trusts, and Estates - Thomas Gallantis
6. A book written by a male author - Psion Gamma by Jacob Gowans
7. A book written by a female author -Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg
8. A book by someone who isn't a writer - Talk as Fast as I can by Lauren Graham (I know that she has a novel published, but since she is not primarily a writer and most definitely focused on her writing, I think this still qualifies)
9. A book that became a film - Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
10. A book published in the 20th Century - Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
11. A book set in your hometown/region - Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (takes place in Sacramento, so I figured that was close enough)
12. A book with someone's name in the title - Dracula by Bram Stoker
13. A book with a number in the title -Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
14. A book with a character with your first name - Fate of the Tearing by Erika Johansen (character actually went by Allie)
15. A book someone else recommended to you- Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans (recommended by Mary Locke Jolley)
16. A book with over 500 pages - Tales From Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
17. A book you can finish in a day - Black Key by Amy Ewing
18. A previously banned book - Harry Potter och de Vises Sten by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone in Swedish)
19. A book with a one-word title - Catalyst by James Luceno (Star Wars)
20. A book translated from another language - Harry Potter och Hemligheternas Kammare by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets translated into Swedish)
21. A book that will improve a specific area of your life - Happy Lawyer by Nancy Levit and Douglas O. Linder
22. A memoir or journal - One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
23. A book written by someone younger than you - Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult (who is admittedly older than me) and Samantha Van Leer (who is in fact younger than me)
24. A book set somewhere you'll be visiting this year - Emil i Lönneberga by Astrid Lindgren (Swedish, takes place in Sweden)
25. An award winning book - The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
26. A self-published book - I'm With You by Taylor Dean
My reviews:
1. A book you read in school - Princess Bride by William Goldman (it didn't specify which school haha, but I first read it while I was at BYU)
Well I guess I should say that it is an adaptation of S. Morgenstern's work haha.
I've read this book twice now (the first time was six years prior to the second, during my second year at BYU). I had the illustrated version for the second reading and I would definitely recommend that version.
The tongue-in-cheek fantasy is quite fun (remembering that the entire thing is fiction).
It is not told in the same fashion as the movie. The novel is an "abridgment" of the original, and while the concept of the story being read to a sick child is mention, it is not the main storytelling method. That child is now and author remembering that first telling and then abridging the original so that others may have a similar experience and not be distracted by the hundreds of pages of boring "history" and commentary. The story of Wesley and Buttercup is a fun one and has a little bit for everyone: romance, adventure, pirates, fencing, swordfighting, revenge, plots, death, life, truth and lies. The book goes back in forth between "S. Morgenstern's" story and Mr. Goldman's commentary, which provides a great variation in narration. I loved the movie and certainly love the book.
2. A book from your childhood - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
I loved this book as a kid. I read and reread it so many times that I lost count. I even bought the audiobook awhile back (which I really don't recommend simply because the actress reading it sounds like she's 12 even though I know she was at least in her late 20s recording it, even though Ella is 15 or older in about 90% of the book).
Ella Enchanted is a take on the class Cinderella story, where Ella has a spell of obedience placed upon her. She has to obey any command given to her (no matter how small or how life-threatening). I still enjoyed the concept, but I was surprised at how... childish it seemed now. Just that I thought it would age with me more and still be enjoyable as an adult, but it wasn't as good as I remembered. Which severely disappointed me honestly. It did help influence me to write my own take on fairytales, which I will execute in the future.
3. A book published over 100 years ago - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The one benefit of short stories is that they read quickly. I really enjoy my edition which preserves the original artwork and formatting from the original syndicated version. Some of the stories are more familiar (and influence the Sherlock Holmes adaptations---I'm a huge fan of the BBC series Sherlock).
4. A book published in the last year - Wires and Nerves by Marissa Meyer
A continuation of the Lunar Chronicles. I loved getting more into Iko's perspective of life after the books. She's hunting down rogue soldiers that disappeared after the battle in Winter. As a graphic novel, it's of course goes fast, but I look forward to Vol. 2!
5. A non-fiction book - Family Property Law, Cases and Materials on Wills, Trusts, and Estates - Thomas Gallantis
Case book for school haha. I thought Wills was one of the more interesting subjects, but I would never recommend a case book to be read for fun by a layperson (you can just look up the more interesting cases online for free anyway on some site or another). This was detailed different cases dealing with Probate law generally and wasn't specific to California. It was one of the better textbooks from this past year.
6. A book written by a male author - Psion Gamma by Jacob Gowans
Book 2 of a 5 book series (A quintet? Though it isn't advertised as such). I read the first book as part of this challenge as well. I'll write a more detailed description and dealing with my thoughts on the series under Psion Beta below.
7. A book written by a female author -Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg
I've read this book twice now (the first time was six years prior to the second, during my second year at BYU). I had the illustrated version for the second reading and I would definitely recommend that version.
The tongue-in-cheek fantasy is quite fun (remembering that the entire thing is fiction).
It is not told in the same fashion as the movie. The novel is an "abridgment" of the original, and while the concept of the story being read to a sick child is mention, it is not the main storytelling method. That child is now and author remembering that first telling and then abridging the original so that others may have a similar experience and not be distracted by the hundreds of pages of boring "history" and commentary. The story of Wesley and Buttercup is a fun one and has a little bit for everyone: romance, adventure, pirates, fencing, swordfighting, revenge, plots, death, life, truth and lies. The book goes back in forth between "S. Morgenstern's" story and Mr. Goldman's commentary, which provides a great variation in narration. I loved the movie and certainly love the book.
2. A book from your childhood - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
I loved this book as a kid. I read and reread it so many times that I lost count. I even bought the audiobook awhile back (which I really don't recommend simply because the actress reading it sounds like she's 12 even though I know she was at least in her late 20s recording it, even though Ella is 15 or older in about 90% of the book).
Ella Enchanted is a take on the class Cinderella story, where Ella has a spell of obedience placed upon her. She has to obey any command given to her (no matter how small or how life-threatening). I still enjoyed the concept, but I was surprised at how... childish it seemed now. Just that I thought it would age with me more and still be enjoyable as an adult, but it wasn't as good as I remembered. Which severely disappointed me honestly. It did help influence me to write my own take on fairytales, which I will execute in the future.
3. A book published over 100 years ago - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The one benefit of short stories is that they read quickly. I really enjoy my edition which preserves the original artwork and formatting from the original syndicated version. Some of the stories are more familiar (and influence the Sherlock Holmes adaptations---I'm a huge fan of the BBC series Sherlock).
4. A book published in the last year - Wires and Nerves by Marissa Meyer
A continuation of the Lunar Chronicles. I loved getting more into Iko's perspective of life after the books. She's hunting down rogue soldiers that disappeared after the battle in Winter. As a graphic novel, it's of course goes fast, but I look forward to Vol. 2!
5. A non-fiction book - Family Property Law, Cases and Materials on Wills, Trusts, and Estates - Thomas Gallantis
Case book for school haha. I thought Wills was one of the more interesting subjects, but I would never recommend a case book to be read for fun by a layperson (you can just look up the more interesting cases online for free anyway on some site or another). This was detailed different cases dealing with Probate law generally and wasn't specific to California. It was one of the better textbooks from this past year.
6. A book written by a male author - Psion Gamma by Jacob Gowans
Book 2 of a 5 book series (A quintet? Though it isn't advertised as such). I read the first book as part of this challenge as well. I'll write a more detailed description and dealing with my thoughts on the series under Psion Beta below.
7. A book written by a female author -Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg
This story follows Maire, a baker, with the special ability of infusing traits and emotions into her baked goods. She has no memory of before she was found outside of her small town. Everything changes when her town is attacked and she gets sold to a man who forces her to bake things much more sinister in nature (think the gingerbread house and a living cookie boy). While imprisoned she meets a ghost who she is sure is connected to her past and the story follows her journey of rediscovering who she is and where she came from. I liked this one, I didn't love it, but I definitely liked it. I had read Ms. Holmberg's trilogy, the Paper Magician, and similarly I loved the world she built and the magic introduced, even though I found the actual story a little lacking. I did rather enjoy the ending though!
8. A book by someone who isn't a writer - Talk as Fast as I can by Lauren Graham (I know that she has a novel published, but since she is not primarily a writer and most definitely focused on her writing, I think this still qualifies)
This one was fun! I've been branching out a little more into non-fiction in the past few years. I read Lauren Graham's novel awhile back (which I also found enjoyable). Definitely a good combination of funny and nostalgia!
9. A book that became a film - Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
This is one I enjoyed the movie more than the book... which is rare. It follows the life of Bathsheba and her various difficulties in being an independent woman and her love affairs. Bathsheba just bugged me though, something about her and her decisions just drove me nuts that I was having a hard time immersing myself into the story.
10. A book published in the 20th Century - Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Most have probably seen the movie and the book is a bit different. The magic is much more defined and Sally's kids are much older in the book. It's an "adult" book, meaning it doesn't shy away from cursing or sex. It's magic, romance, and a tale of family.
11. A book set in your hometown/region - Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (takes place in Sacramento, so I figured that was close enough)
Second book in a trilogy. I really loved Rae Carson's first trilogy (Girl of Fire and Thorns... highly recommended!!!) and this trilogy follows a young women, Leah, with a magical "gold" sense, so that she can sense gold nearby, right in the middle of the Gold Rush era. The first book follows her journey out west, and the second one describes her settling into California.
12. A book with someone's name in the title - Dracula by Bram Stoker
Eh... mixed feelings about this one. Some of it is really intriguing, and sometimes it just feels like it's dragging on. I'll admit I never imagined Dracula with a mustache... shows you how little I knew about the original story.
13. A book with a number in the title -Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I loved this! It's such a fun ride! Loaded with 80s and video game references. (For the few that don't know, I love playing video games). It's exciting and immersive and I'm eager to see what they do with the movie.
14. A book with a character with your first name - Fate of the Tearing by Erika Johansen (character actually went by Allie)
This was the final book in a trilogy... I had mixed feelings about how it ended... I loved the first two books, but like I understood the ending but it also just seemed so sudden and I wish there was a tiny bit more (even though it made sense getting what we did).
15. A book someone else recommended to you- Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans (recommended by Mary Locke Jolley)
I ended up reading this entire series this year and I was definitely satisfied with the ending. It's a dystopian/science fiction style (as in it takes place in the future, but society hasn't completely deteriorated). There are certain anomalies/mutations that are developing in society that give the individual "powers" of a sort. Sammie has not just one, but two of those anomalies. He gets recruited to join the Psions and fight against corruption. It's an interesting ride. The first book gave me a bit of an Ender's Game vibe.
16. A book with over 500 pages - Tales From Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
I'm a fan of anything Shadowhunter and this follows Simon as he attends the Shadowhunter Academy in the events after the Immortal Instruments.
17. A book you can finish in a day - Black Key by Amy Ewing
18. A previously banned book - Harry Potter och de Vises Sten by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone in Swedish)
Loved the illustrations and reading anything in Swedish is always good practice for me!
19. A book with a one-word title - Catalyst by James Luceno (Star Wars)
This is the story before Rogue One (the story of Jyn's father and how he became involved in the development of the Death Star). Better than some of the other books in the new Star Wars Era (I will always be somewhat partial to the original Expanded Universe since I was so involved in it for so many years). Still anxiously waiting Episode VIII
20. A book translated from another language - Harry Potter och Hemligheternas Kammare by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets translated into Swedish)
I read this book so many times in English it is borderline obscene, and I mean I lost count after a number over 20 times which I am a little embarrassed to admit... so we'll just leave it at 20 for now. I'm really looking to the third book, which in many ways is my favorite of the bunch.
21. A book that will improve a specific area of your life - Happy Lawyer by Nancy Levit and Douglas O. Linder
22. A memoir or journal - One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
23. A book written by someone younger than you - Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult (who is admittedly older than me) and Samantha Van Leer (who is in fact younger than me)
Nice teen romance. I loved the overall concept: book characters (at least in this particular story) come to life when the pages are not being read. They are forced to act out the same story time and time again, whenever a reader opens their book. Oliver has grown tired of this monotony. He doesn't love his princess, he's tired of tricking the bad guys, and he wants the chance of being more than what has been written. He wants to see what lies beyond his pages.
Delilah is a lone soul. She happens across Between the Lines by chance in the school library and it instantly spoke to her from the first page. She's drawn to the prince there and wishes for something more than just a brief respite from reality. One day she notices something different: the prince of the story Oliver is alive!
The book follow the journey of Oliver and Delilah as they try to break Oliver free while growing closer together.
The story is light and fun, definitely meant more for a younger audience (which makes sense that it was written by an mom/teen daughter duo). It's easy to keep in mind that the teenagers act like teenagers (and have the relevant misconceptions). Super quick read!
24. A book set somewhere you'll be visiting this year - Emil i Lönneberga by Astrid Lindgren (Swedish, takes place in Sweden)
25. An award winning book - The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
I thought this was a very thought-provoking read and an interesting take on a tough topic. I highly recommend on making sure you read a version complete with the illustrations.
26. A self-published book - I'm With You by Taylor Dean
This book handles some tough issues: marriage, divorce, pregnancy, pregnancy complications, death, and love. I thought it was really well written!
8. A book by someone who isn't a writer - Talk as Fast as I can by Lauren Graham (I know that she has a novel published, but since she is not primarily a writer and most definitely focused on her writing, I think this still qualifies)
This one was fun! I've been branching out a little more into non-fiction in the past few years. I read Lauren Graham's novel awhile back (which I also found enjoyable). Definitely a good combination of funny and nostalgia!
9. A book that became a film - Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
This is one I enjoyed the movie more than the book... which is rare. It follows the life of Bathsheba and her various difficulties in being an independent woman and her love affairs. Bathsheba just bugged me though, something about her and her decisions just drove me nuts that I was having a hard time immersing myself into the story.
10. A book published in the 20th Century - Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Most have probably seen the movie and the book is a bit different. The magic is much more defined and Sally's kids are much older in the book. It's an "adult" book, meaning it doesn't shy away from cursing or sex. It's magic, romance, and a tale of family.
11. A book set in your hometown/region - Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (takes place in Sacramento, so I figured that was close enough)
Second book in a trilogy. I really loved Rae Carson's first trilogy (Girl of Fire and Thorns... highly recommended!!!) and this trilogy follows a young women, Leah, with a magical "gold" sense, so that she can sense gold nearby, right in the middle of the Gold Rush era. The first book follows her journey out west, and the second one describes her settling into California.
12. A book with someone's name in the title - Dracula by Bram Stoker
Eh... mixed feelings about this one. Some of it is really intriguing, and sometimes it just feels like it's dragging on. I'll admit I never imagined Dracula with a mustache... shows you how little I knew about the original story.
13. A book with a number in the title -Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I loved this! It's such a fun ride! Loaded with 80s and video game references. (For the few that don't know, I love playing video games). It's exciting and immersive and I'm eager to see what they do with the movie.
14. A book with a character with your first name - Fate of the Tearing by Erika Johansen (character actually went by Allie)
This was the final book in a trilogy... I had mixed feelings about how it ended... I loved the first two books, but like I understood the ending but it also just seemed so sudden and I wish there was a tiny bit more (even though it made sense getting what we did).
15. A book someone else recommended to you- Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans (recommended by Mary Locke Jolley)
I ended up reading this entire series this year and I was definitely satisfied with the ending. It's a dystopian/science fiction style (as in it takes place in the future, but society hasn't completely deteriorated). There are certain anomalies/mutations that are developing in society that give the individual "powers" of a sort. Sammie has not just one, but two of those anomalies. He gets recruited to join the Psions and fight against corruption. It's an interesting ride. The first book gave me a bit of an Ender's Game vibe.
16. A book with over 500 pages - Tales From Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson
I'm a fan of anything Shadowhunter and this follows Simon as he attends the Shadowhunter Academy in the events after the Immortal Instruments.
17. A book you can finish in a day - Black Key by Amy Ewing
18. A previously banned book - Harry Potter och de Vises Sten by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone in Swedish)
Loved the illustrations and reading anything in Swedish is always good practice for me!
19. A book with a one-word title - Catalyst by James Luceno (Star Wars)
This is the story before Rogue One (the story of Jyn's father and how he became involved in the development of the Death Star). Better than some of the other books in the new Star Wars Era (I will always be somewhat partial to the original Expanded Universe since I was so involved in it for so many years). Still anxiously waiting Episode VIII
20. A book translated from another language - Harry Potter och Hemligheternas Kammare by J.K. Rowling (Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets translated into Swedish)
I read this book so many times in English it is borderline obscene, and I mean I lost count after a number over 20 times which I am a little embarrassed to admit... so we'll just leave it at 20 for now. I'm really looking to the third book, which in many ways is my favorite of the bunch.
21. A book that will improve a specific area of your life - Happy Lawyer by Nancy Levit and Douglas O. Linder
22. A memoir or journal - One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly by Ashley Mae Hoiland
23. A book written by someone younger than you - Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult (who is admittedly older than me) and Samantha Van Leer (who is in fact younger than me)
Nice teen romance. I loved the overall concept: book characters (at least in this particular story) come to life when the pages are not being read. They are forced to act out the same story time and time again, whenever a reader opens their book. Oliver has grown tired of this monotony. He doesn't love his princess, he's tired of tricking the bad guys, and he wants the chance of being more than what has been written. He wants to see what lies beyond his pages.
Delilah is a lone soul. She happens across Between the Lines by chance in the school library and it instantly spoke to her from the first page. She's drawn to the prince there and wishes for something more than just a brief respite from reality. One day she notices something different: the prince of the story Oliver is alive!
The book follow the journey of Oliver and Delilah as they try to break Oliver free while growing closer together.
The story is light and fun, definitely meant more for a younger audience (which makes sense that it was written by an mom/teen daughter duo). It's easy to keep in mind that the teenagers act like teenagers (and have the relevant misconceptions). Super quick read!
24. A book set somewhere you'll be visiting this year - Emil i Lönneberga by Astrid Lindgren (Swedish, takes place in Sweden)
25. An award winning book - The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
I thought this was a very thought-provoking read and an interesting take on a tough topic. I highly recommend on making sure you read a version complete with the illustrations.
26. A self-published book - I'm With You by Taylor Dean
This book handles some tough issues: marriage, divorce, pregnancy, pregnancy complications, death, and love. I thought it was really well written!
