Tag Archives: non-fiction

2015-2018 Reading Challenge

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(Because it’s highly unlikely that I’ll get through all of these this year.[ETA:Or in two years, apparently. >.>] OR EVEN THREE I should probably just call it 2019 at this point, but whatever. I am determined to do this regardless of the timeline.) Here’s my list of books to read for the Reading Challenge. Almost all books that I haven’t read before, with a mix of some that were already on my “to read” list and some that I had never heard of before I looked them up. Will cross them off as I finish them, and I’ll also try and write up a bit of a review for each one.

A book with more than 500 pages: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty

A classic romance: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A book that became a movie: Shogun by James Clavell

A book published this year: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (Review here)

A book with a number in the title: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

A book written by someone under 30: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A book with nonhuman characters: The Orc of Many Questions by Shane Michael Murray

A funny book: Next of Kin by Eric Frank Russell (Going to cheat a little bit on this one because I really want to reread it.)

A book by a female author: Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst

A mystery or thriller: Living Proof by Kira Peikoff

A book with a one-word title: Runemarks by Joanne Harris

A book of short stories: Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

A book set in a different country: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

A nonfiction book: Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin (Review here)

A popular author’s first book: Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: League of Dragons by Naomi Novik

A book a friend recommended: The Martian by Andy Weir (Review here)

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

A book based on a true story: Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Prudence by Gail Carriger

A book your mom loves: Hard Magic by Larry Correia

A book that scares you: The Greenland Diaries: Days 1-100 by Patrick W. Marsh (Review here)

A book more than 100 years old: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

A book based entirely on its cover: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

A memoir: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

A book you can finish in a day: Viscountess by Taversia

A book with antonyms in the title: Bittersweet by Nevada Barr

A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan

A book that came out the year you were born: The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

A book with bad reviews: Unwrapped Sky by Rjurik Davidson (Review here)

A trilogy: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A book from your childhood: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Also cheating a little on this one, because it’s high time I reread these.)

A book with a love triangle: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

A book set in the future: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

A book set in high school: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

A book with a color in the title: The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly

A book that made you cry: A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40 by William R. Trotter

A book with magic: The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe

A graphic novel: Princess Retribution by Elaine Tipping (Review here)

A book by an author you’ve never read before: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

A book you own but have never read: Emma by Jane Austen

A book that takes place in your hometown: Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

A book that was originally written in a different language: The Kalevala

A book set during Christmas: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A book written by an author with your same initials: Is Sex Necessary? or Why You Feel the Way You Do by E. B. White and James Thurber

A play: Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee

A banned book: The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

A book based on or turned into a TV show: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

A book you started but never finished: We the Living by Ayn Rand

2015 Reading Challenge – Recommendations

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So, I ran across the 2015 Reading Challenge which is going around the internet, and was intrigued by the list. I got a little ways into it and realized that I was mostly putting down things that I’ve already read, so here is a list of my recommendations based on the Challenge list! (With commentary, because I can.) I’ve tried to list a mix of things, with some stuff that is hopefully new to anyone who’s looking to do the Challenge. With a few necessary exceptions, the following books are ones that I, a) have read, and b) do actually recommend (I’ve stated if that’s not the case).

I plan to make a separate version of the list as a challenge for myself, with things that I haven’t read yet, but I doubt I’ll worry about trying to finish them all this year.

Enjoy!

  • A book with more than 500 pages: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

This is one of my all-time favorites, and I definitely recommend that everyone read it for themselves. Whatever you think of Rand’s philosophy, there’s a lot of encouragement in her works for you to take a look at your own life and what you’d really like to get out of it, which I’ve always found very uplifting.

  • A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

When I started this, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not, but I ended up loving it. Good story of two people overcoming initial bad impressions and misunderstandings and discovering that they are actually quite compatible. I like that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are honest enough to let their opinions change as they learn more about each other.

  • A book that became a movie: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the book very well (as compared to the movie), but I have no strong memory of disliking it.

  • A book published this year: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

This is the sequel to Hartman’s first book, Seraphina, which I really enjoyed; one of those books where I was hooked ten pages in. Interesting take on a world where humans and dragons are in conflict with each other. I just requested this one from the library and will hopefully be able to read it shortly.

  • A book with a number in the title: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A classic, and definitely worth reading, though unfortunately one of those that I read once years ago and don’t remember too well now.

  • A book written by someone under 30: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I haven’t ever gotten to the rest of the series, but I definitely enjoyed this one.

  • A book with nonhuman characters: Raptor Red by Robert Bakker

If you have the slightest interest in dinosaurs, you should read this book. Part of me would say that you should read this book even if you have no interest in dinosaurs. More seriously, it’s a dinosaur book set in the Cretaceous Period, written by a paleontologist who knows his stuff. Not only does he make the character of Raptor Red sympathetic and believable, but he paints a rich, fascinating picture of the life and environment that she would have lived in. Another of my all-time favorites.

  • A funny book: Next of Kin by Eric Frank Russell

This is one of those books that made me cry because I was laughing so hard. I recommend pretty much all of Russell’s work, but this one is top-notch. If you’re looking for humor and sci-fi, this is a good one. Continue reading →