Challenges for 2015

In 2015 I am planning on doing three challenges.  Yep, only three.  I am notoriously bad at sticking to them, so next year no pressure.

my read shelf:
Firstly, I will off course be doing the Goodreads challenge.  I will be trying for 50 books which is going to be tough - it means almost a book a week and that might be a bit ambitious for me.  But it needs to be a challenge.  For two years now I have stuck to 25 books and have reached that goal, so next year . . . a challenge.

Secondly, the Audiobook challenge.  This year I made the challenge easily and next year will be the "Look Ma no hands - 50+" level for me.  As I said previously, 50 books is a bit ambitious but hey, let's give it a go!

Lastly, I have made this list below.  A fun idea for bringing a wider choice of books into your life.  I have borrowed ideas for various lists and if you have any ideas to add, please let me know.  The ones that I do not get to fill, will be moved over to next year.  I want to try and keep the list going . . .

That is it - what are your challenges for the new year?

My own Challenge list (compiled from all the challenges out there)

1.  A book with more than 500 pages.
2.  A book that became a movie.
The Ruins (21/01/2015)
3.  A book that became a TV series.
4.  A book with a number in the title.
Station Eleven (23/01/2015)
5.  A book written by someone under 30.
6.  A book with non human characters.
Horns by Joe Hill (13/01/2015)
7.  A funny book.
8.  A book with a one-word title.
9.  A book of short stories.
10. A non-fiction book.
11. A popular author's first book.
12. A Prize winning book.
13. A book based on a true story.
14. A book chosen entirely based on the cover.
15.  A book with food/cooking featuring heavily.
16. A trilogy.
17. A book with a colour in the title.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (03/01/2015)
18. A book that made you cry.
19. A graphic novel.
Saga Volume 1 (23/01/2015)
20. A book set during Christmas.
21. A book you started but never finished.
22. A book by an "auto-buy-for-you" author.
23. A book published this year.
24. A book published in 2014.
The Truth of the cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (11/01/2015)
24. A book published before 2014.
25. A book published before you were born.
26. A book published within the last month.
27. A book where you hated the main character.
The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison (07/01/2015)
28. A re-read.
29. A book with a fun dog-character.
Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (04/01/2015)
30. A book written by a celebrity.
31. A book you saw someone reading.
32. A memoir.
33. A biography.
34. A horror book.
35. A traditional/contemporary fiction book.
36. A historical novel.
37. A mystery book.
38. A psychological thriller.
39. A science fiction book set in future on earth.
40. A science fiction book set in another world.
41. A cozy mystery.
42. A book with an angel.
43. A book written by a South African author.
44. A re-telling of a classic story.
45. A book featuring books or a bookstore.
46. A book where the main character is being hunted (can be a killer, a victim, etc)
47. A book with a day of the week in the title.
48. A book with a month in the title.
49. A book with a game being a big part of the story (online games, TV show games, etc)
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle (16/01/2015)

A - Z Location Challenge:
A
B
C  -  Chicago, USA  -  The Silent Wife (07/01/2015)
D
E
F
G  -  Gideon, New Hampshire, USA - Horns (13/01/2015)
H
I
J
K
L
M  -  Mars - Red Rising (03/01/2015)
N
O
P   -  Passaic County, USA  - Open and Shut (04/01/2015)
Q
R
S  -  Scotland - The Truth of the cave in the Black Mountains (11/01/2015)
T  - Toronto, Canada  -  Station Eleven (23/01/2015)
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

A - Z Character Name Challenge:
A  -  Andy  - Open and Shut (04/01/2015)
B
C
D  -  Darrow - Red Rising (03/01/2015)
E
F
G
H
I  -  Ig  -  Horns (13/01/2015)
J  -  Jodi  -  The Silent Wife (07/01/2015)
K  - Kirsten - Station Eleven (23/01/2015)
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S  -  Sean  - Wolf in White Van (16/01/2015)
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

{Audiobook} Review: 14

14
by Peter Clines
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Science Fiction
Date Read: 07 May 2014
Reading with my ears
Narrator: Ray Porter
Unabridged audio - Length: 12 hours 38 minutes

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.
Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.
At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.
Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.
Or the end of everything...

My thoughts:
This book was such a nice surprise.  I had started the ebook a while back but had to set it aside for a shiny new title and totally forgot about it until a friend suggested I give it a try.  I expected horror (I love horror!).  But this story was more of a mystery.  The first three quarters of the book, we are trying to figure out where the crazy was coming from (and there are a lot of crazy!).  Huge illuminating cockroaches anyone (I would have not even unpacked!)
Very soon, the tenants of the apartment building getting to know each other, having fake movie-nights so that they can discuss the mystery without the supervisor noticing.  I loved the way that all the friends had their own story and background explained.  There were not many that were not very quickly a beloved part of the story.  

This was a four star read for me until just a few chapters from the ending.  I do not want to give away spoilers, so I will just say that the book took a strange turn that I did not enjoy.  But all in all it was an enjoyable experience.
Audio:  I really enjoyed the voice of Ray Porter.  I think I could listen to him read the phonebook.  His voice is so smooth – it just flows over you.  I just felt sorry for him when he had to read some of the drama in the last few pages – wonder what he was thinking

Halfway Update: Audiobook Challenge 2014

I have been having loads of fun with my Audiobook Challenge.  

I originally signed up for a medium level as I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get to listen to all my favorites – who knew there were so many audiobooks out there!  So I chose Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15 but up to today I have already listened to 25 books.

I will have to upgrade to the highest level -  My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+.  I think I might just be able to make it!

You can still join The Book Nympho and Hot Listen’s challenge here.  Come and join all the fun!

My favorite listens so far this year are:

• The Martian by Andy Weir (15/02/2014)  - review here
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (27/02/2014) - review here
• Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (17/05/2014)
• Where'd you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (21/05/2014)

 

 

 

 

 

What has been your favorites so far?  Any suggestions?

You can follow the growth of my list here.

{Audiobook} Review: Code Name: Verity

 

 Code Name: Verity
 by Elizabeth Wein
 
Series:  Code Name Verity #1
Genre: Historical Fiction,
World War II
Date Read: 27 February 2014
Reading with my ears
Narrator: Morven Christie,
Lucy Gaskell
Unabridged audio - Length:
10 hours 07 minutes

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

My thoughts:
What an unusual experience this book was!  This was once again one of those books that I went in blind.  Maybe I should make that my standard way of choosing books.  I seem to find a lot of my 5 star reads this way.  Or maybe I should just keep away from others’ reviews so that I don’t get influenced and then be disappointed by their views.  That happens to me a lot!

But to the book. Code Name: Verity is a story of World War II told in two parts.  In part one we meet Verity.  She has been captured for looking the wrong way when crossing the road.  Her first day as a spy and she is captured for just crossing the road!  Now her life is in the balance and she has two weeks to tell her captures everything she knows.  And she will.  She will give them all the names, all the details, all places she can remember - everything.  Because Verity is only a girl named Julie.  A girl who wants to live.  But reality is cruel and often intrudes her reminiscing.   She is convinced that there is only terror in her future and maybe she is right.

The second part shows us all the events through the eyes of her friend, Maddie.  Maddie is a spunky girl that just wants to fly.  She will become one of the many civilian woman pilots that helps in the war effort.  She is a great pilot even trying to save her friend as her plane is coming in for an unavoidable crash.  Maddie is taken in by the French Resistance and hid in a barn while she remembers all the events that led up to her and Julie’s flight into enemy territory.

It is hard to say any more than this without giving away spoilers, so just let me say that Julie and Maddie stayed with me long after I listened to the last sentences.  I am once again amazed at how brave people can be even if it is just to go on living . . . Life is not always just about the joyous moments, sometimes it is just having the courage to open your eyes for one more day.

I think the subject matter is very serious for Young Adult and I would suggest it to older readers.  Also listening to the audio version is a great plus for this book.  Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell takes you right into the reality of Maddie and Julie’s circumstances.  A great combination.

I would love to hear what you thought about Code Name:  Verity.  I am ready for the second book, Rose under Fire.

Bookish Bingo

I love Bingo!  I really do.  For a while I even played online – it is so exciting!  So being able to combine my love for bingo with my love for reading . . .

I found this Bookish Bingo – hosted by Great Imaginations.   All you have to do is try to get Bingo by June 30th, or fill the whole card! They’ll be posting a new Bingo card every 3 months. 

Rules:

• Sign-ups close on April 9th (hurry, hurry, hurry!).
• All reading and reviewing must fall between April 1st and June 30th.
• One square per book.  For instance, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is both the first in a series, and a YA book, but it can only count for one square.
• Extra entries can be earned with multiple bingos or by filling out the whole card!

What happens next:

• Declare yourself!  This can be in a blog post, a tweet, a FB status - anything, as long as you are declaring your participation in this season's Bookish Bingo.  
• Don’t forget to enter the link to your declaration in the linky on the blog of Great Imaginations.
• Read, read, read!  Read and review books that fit with the tasks on the card.
• At the end of June, write a wrap-up post with your completed tasks. Come back for the wrap-up linky, to be posted on June 30th.

 

Let the reading begin!

{Audiobook} Review: Just after Sunset

Just after Sunset 

by Stephen King

Original Publication date: 03 September 2009
Genre: Short Story Collection, Speculative Fiction
Source: my own copy
Date Read: 19 January 2014
Narrator: Various
Length: 15 hours 11 minutes 

Stephen King — who has written more than fifty books, dozens of number one New York Times bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies — delivers an astonishing collection of short stories, his first since Everything's Eventual six years ago. As guest editor of the bestselling Best American Short Stories 2007, King spent over a year reading hundreds of stories. His renewed passion for the form is evident on every page of Just After Sunset. The stories in this collection have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Esquire, and other publications.

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating — and then terrifying — journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable — and resourceful — as Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark. In "Ayana," a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and the touch of her hand. For King, the line between the living and the dead is often blurry, and the seams that hold our reality intact might tear apart at any moment. In one of the longer stories here, "N.," which recently broke new ground when it was adapted as a graphic digital entertainment, a psychiatric patient's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside...or keep the world from falling victim to it.

Just After Sunset — call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.

My thoughts:
This unabridged audio version of the short stories of Stephen King made for a enjoyable few hours. Not all of the stories was a hit for me and some just left me feeling “huh?” but mostly the old King-magic shone through. 
Short stories allow for some of the “stranger” aspects of life to be shared with listeners and some of these stories definitely fit that bill.  It was exactly what we were looking for.

There are 13 stories in this bundle - let me tell you about a few of my favorites.  

Willa I loved this story. Stranded passengers wait for rescue after their train derail. Not all of them have escaped the wreck with their minds undamaged, so no-one is practically worried when a young man finds that his fiance has disappeared – Willa was not very well liked. But Willa knows the truth and slowly she shows him what he has not allowed himself to see for maybe the last 20 years. This story had all the elements that makes for a creepy story – and I love creepy stories.

Harvey's Dream  It is early morning and when Harvey meets his wife in the kitchen, he begins telling her of the disturbing dream that he has just awoken from wherein an early morning phone call described an awful accident that will change their lives forever.
Some reviews speculate that “. . . everything Harvey described were actual events from earlier that morning, only believed to be a dream due to Harvey's self-denial and his onsetting Alzheimer's disease.” Somehow that makes the story even more disturbing . . . loved it!

N    N suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (or so we think). The story begins with a note sent to a childhood friend indicating that the doctor treating N has committed suicide (just like his patient). We hear transcripts of their sessions and come to believe that maybe N was not just imagining what was happening to him.  It is always a fascinating story for me when the mind starts to wander into the darker suburbs of our unconsciousness.  The mind can be a scary place.

There are some others that fits the creepy bill perfectly and still others that makes for disturbing reading and some others that will make you scratch your head.  A great escape.

There are quite a few different narrators in this book and King even narrated one of the stories himself (Harvey's Dream). It made for a nice variety. It felt like a brand new book every time I started a new story. The narrators' voices fit the feel of the stories perfectly and the overall quality was very good.  A wonderful compilation.

I would recommend this to satisfy your desire for the shady part of life . . .told through the voices of many characters.

Audiobook Challenge 2014

The Audiobook Challenge is back for 2014! 

Join The Book Nympho and Hot Listens for the 2nd year of great audio books. 

Audiobooks are great for those times you want to read but can’t for some reason like driving, doing chores (makes them just fly past), sneaking the earbuds in while working, or going for medical treatments like I have to do for the next few months. 

When you find a great narrator, they can make the story even better. I would never have found some awesome stories if I did not find the audio books.  I am sure that the words on paper would have made me close the book!

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014. You can join at anytime.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2014 than you did in 2013.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• ANY genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Shelfari, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
• If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.

Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
  
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
 

I am going to choose the Stenographer level - I am sure that I will be able to listen to at least one book per month.   

This will be the first time that I do an audio book challenge and if you want to join me, just click on the button above.