2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Bring It.

hahahahahahahaha! okay, I haven't actually laughed out loud in a while, but that was hilarious.

haha I do what I can!

1. Interview with the Vampire

3 stars

I remember starting this book in high school and never finishing it. I thought it was dense and boring. This time around, it was a little better and definitely picked up at the end. The "interview" style was interesting but the plot was dark and dreary. Not a very happy ending. I may pick up the next book because I own it, but I highly doubt it.

Too bad; I've heard good things about this book. Not that I'd ever read it as I'm adverse to the paranormal, but it's still too bad!

Yes it was disapppointing. Wish there would have been more resolve at the end.

2.

4 Stars

What's not to love about this book? A mysterious bookstore, code breaking, fantasy, ancient cult, history, typeface, robes, Google, museums, a cave, a codex and more combine for this light-hearted, well written, mystery novel that has a little bit of something for everyone. I now have a new book I will be recommending to everyone.

3. Shadow of Night


3 and a half Stars

In the second book of the All Souls Trilogy, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to Elizabethan England, where historical all-stars emerge. Readers are introduced to Raleigh, Marlowe, Queen Elizabeth, Shakespeare, Percy, Cecil and more in the quest for Ashmole 782.

I did not like this one as much as A Discovery of Witches because it did not hold my attention as well. I will say that many things occurred that I was excited for that were put off in the first book.

This book is a romp through time, and an enjoyable read. I give it 3 1/2 stars!.

4. The Stranger



4 Stars

Wow. I really enjoyed this book about one man committing a crime and realizing the consequences. It is very philosophical despite the main character lacking emotion and feeling.

The one quote that stuck with me occurs during the conversation with the chaplain.

"He was expressing his certainty that my appeal would be granted, but I was carrying the burden of a sin from which I had to free myself. According to him, human justice was nothing, and divine justice was everything. I pointed out that it was the former that condemned me. " p. 118 of the edition noted above.

As a future lawyer, it is human justice that defines us and our ethical code to condemn criminals for wrongdoing is always interesting to learn about. Camus's The Stranger seeks to understand one man's interactions with the world and the legal system. It is a perceptive look at how justice plays out and the understanding of one man's coming to terms (or lack thereof).

I felt the same way about Shadow of Night! Discovery of Witches was amazing and I was expecting the same from Shadow, especially since I had to wait so long for it to come out. Hope the next one is more like Discovery and less like Shadow.

5. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands



2 Stars

This is my first celeb auto-biography, and let's just say I'm a bit disappointed. First, I hardly believe any of this happened (and I'm in college, party, and have a faint inkling of what her atmosphere is supposedly like). Second, how she manages to have relationships with anyone is beyond me. Handler would make a terrible friend.

The only time I've found Chelsea Handler funny is in Pitch Perfect. Some of her sarcasm in this book made me laugh, thus the two star rating. Most of it was vulgar for vulgar' sake.

6. A Tale of Two Cities



5 Stars

I'm so glad I gave Dicken's another shot. This book is one I will return to again and again and get something new out of it upon each return.

Reasons Why This Book Deserves 5 Stars:
1. The French Revolution and The Terror are depicted with great detail, makes you truly feel the intensity and mob like atmosphere and is historically accurate.
2. All the characters are so perfectly developed. Dicken's reveals what is necessary as the story digresses so that you never have a complete picture but can recognize the importance as each event occurs. It is scattered and I found myself looking forward to the next time Carton would pop in.
3. The villains are terrible. The Marquis and Defarge just made me want to scream.
4. Vindication!
5. The opening line and the closing lines are knockouts.

What else have you read by Charles Dickens? I thought A Christmas Carol was okay but really liked Oliver Twist.

I loathe Great Expectations. Haha I blame my high school english teacher.

Kelsi wrote: "5. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands



2 Stars

This is my first celeb auto-biography, and let's just say I..."

If you think this is vulgar and unbelievable check out Tucker Max's books. He's not famous per se like Handler but still. He has a free mini book on Kindle so you can get an idea about him without spending money. he also has some stories on his website. I read his first book I Hope they serve beer in he'll (think that's the name). I'm from Vermont and Miss Vermont sued him because he dated her and then wrote a story about her. The cover picture on the above book is actually Miss Vermont. She lost the suit....

Oh yes. I actually own that Kindle book, because my boyfriend is obsessed with him. ( one of his flaws!) I gave it a shot and ugh!

7. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England



3.5 Stars

Rather dry, but informative account of the relationship between European colonization and the New England ecosystem.

8. A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock, C. 1295-1344



3 Stars

I had to read this for my High Middle Ages class as an introduction to the Middle Ages. Bennett uses court records and death records to compose her story of Cecilia (a well-known peasant in the town of Bridgestock). This story is underlined with a lot of history and textbook like facts regarding the middle ages. It often seemed to perfect and pastoral, so it tended to be too repetitive and too textbook like.

9. The Titan's Curse



4 Stars

And the half-blood saga continues. I enjoyed the plot of this much more than the previous two. I also enjoyed the further references to Greek Mythology and the clever way Riorden weaves his stories to include them. This one goes into much deeper mythology than the previous two and includes the Titans, Ariadne and Dionysus, and more Pan. (I LOVE Grover and want him to find his happiness!) Writing wise this book is the best so far, but I really missed Tyson in this book.

10. On the Social Contract



3 Stars

A good insight on French pre-revolutionary thought. A little outdated and a lot Roman history. It was okay, but repetitive and definitely something you only really need to read once.

11. The Casual Vacancy



4 Stars

BAM! JK Rowling is back despite no mention of magical worlds and my beloved Harry.

When I first started this, I was glad some of my friends had warned me that it was depressing, brutally honest and sickening. I do not think I would have started this book with the appropriate mindset. (My mindset would have been what kind of magical gem will she have in store for me?) Also, at first I thought she was trying to hard to get away from Harry Potter. Tons of cursing, sex, drugs, etc. But, as the plot started to make sense and the characters started to come together, I realized that she really had no other way to write this book. (Some of the scenes in the Fields are drawn from her own personal experiences)

This is not a happy book. Actually, it is really depressing. Upon the death of Barry Fairbrother, we see the small town of Pagford torn apart. The town is divided into people who either support social welfare, or those that don't through the course of an election. It follows about five families with each chapter being a differing perspective on the events. I particularily liked the children's perspectives on events. Magical world or not, Rowling does a fabulous job of portraying difficulties faced by young adults.

On another note, you will want tissues when you finish the book. I cried for quite some time after I closed the cover.

I loved this book by the end. The way she weaved the characters together to form one cohesive story was beautifully done. Well done JK Rowling. I will begrudginly admit she can write Muggle lit if she would like.

3510/25,000 pages

12. Vicious: Wolves and Men in America



2 Stars
268 pages

Ugh. This book was torturous. It was unnecessarily long and very repetitive. The author's main point is that Wolves and Men had this conflicting relationship of misunderstanding. Colonists felt that in their need to conquer the North American landscape, wolves had to go. Wolves have no understanding of property, contrary to popular belief. So when wolves eat European's livestock, humans go crazy for their blood. They think that wolves actually understand human culture and thus react in response. Now add 9 more chapters. Subtract one, because it actually talks about why humans have this fear of wolves (Thank you Folklore!) The others go into random rants about Mormons, Federal governments and other abstract concepts.

I would not recommend this book. I felt like the bulk of his argument could have been made in a nice concise essay, not a book.

3778/25,000 pages

13. The Battle of the Labyrinth


4 Stars
361 pages



4,139/25,000

14. The Golden Ass: The Transformations of Lucius


3 Stars

The only complete surviving fictional text from the Roman Empire. Lucius is a man just wandering the world, a free soul who blunders, offends the Goddess and is turned into an ass. The rest of the book is his journey trying to get to a rose garden to transform back and life through the eyes of an ass. He is treated brutally, but through his journey, we get a very complete tale of Cupid and Psyche, various ideas on gender roles and sexuality within Rome and the rather corrupt culture Lucius lived in. In the end he is transformed back by the Goddess Isis (subject of my capstone, thesis paper). Very interesting read. This translation was a little weird thus the 3 star rating.

4,459/25,000

15. Gone Girl


5 Stars

Well I can't write a review because I will probably give too much away. BUT this is a must read.

4,904/25,000

16. The Last Olympian



4 Stars

This was a wonderful conclusion to the series. This was by far the quickest read of the series, because I just wanted to see the Olympians and the Titans face each other. I thought that Riorden did a great job of showing why Gods (or any leader) need people/demigods to actually have power. I viewed that as a civic lesson of sort. I also enjoyed the myths referring to Prometheus, the Trojan War (Achilles). This series matured as the characters grew older, but still maintained the Young Adult feel. I was excited to see Percy figure out who he loved and though the ending was a little cheesy it was exactly what I needed!

5,291/25,000 pages

17. Communities of Violence: Persecution of Minorities in the Middle Ages



3.5 Stars

This book looks at the relationship between Christians, Muslims and Jews in 14th Century France and Spain (Aragon). Nirenberg makes a lot of valid points and explores the notion of violence between the three. He also attempts to disprove, or show that there was more to the story than the previously held notions of longue duree, convivencia, structuralism etc. An underlying point made in this book is that from the 14th Century on, Jews had a rough go of it up until WWII.

Good scholarly research, but the Sex and Violence chapter was downright confusing and his argument was so subtle it was hard to follow.

5,593/25,000 pages

18. Pilgrims of the Vertical: Yosemite Rock Climbers and Nature at Risk



This book was both scholarly research and targeted to rock climbers. It details the history of rock climbing in the United States, particularly in Yosemite and the West. As isolated as this sport seems to be, it was greatly influenced by history (WWII, Feminism, Environmentalism). I was most taken by the notion of masculinity within the field and how conquering the environment was key. Women also played into the masculinity problem which was fascinating to me.

This book is dry and dense, but if you are interested in the environment this is one view of how sports has impacted the world around us.

5,961/25,000 pages

Kelsi wrote: "16. The Last Olympian



4 Stars

This was a wonderful conclusion to the series. This was by far the quickest read of the series, because I just wanted to see ..."

I loved the choice he made. And who he looked at before he made it. I'm sure you will enjoy the continuation of the series.

19. Beloved



4 Stars


6,236/25,000 pages

20. The Road



4 Stars

This story of a Father and a Son is incredibly dark and depressing with minimal plot. It is all about the nature of humanity and the struggle for basic tools of survival.

There is little to no punctuation, but I didn't mind it. It is an incredibly fast read. The minimal plot was not as big of a deal as I thought it would be and you have to know none of your questions will be answered. McCarthy is such a master though, it did not bother me. What mattered more than the plot was the emotions evoked, and let me tell you there were a ton.

6,537/25,000 pages

21. Highlander Most Wanted


2 Stars

Cheesy, good ole fashioned romance novel.

6,889/25,000 pages

22. The Count of Monte Cristo



5 Stars

Dumas is brilliant. The Count of Monte Cristo is everything one could hope for in a book and more. Edward Dantes is wrongly convicted for a crime he had nothing to do with as a young man. Imprisoned for 14 years, he escapes and takes vengeance on those who wronged him. The story weaves so many character lines together that we should be confused, which you kind of are half the time. Then, Dumas gets the plot to a climactic point and the craziness that is the plot resolves itself as if you knew what was going on all along. One of the best books I've read, hands down.

7,985/25,000 pages

23. The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866



3 Stars

This book analyzes three Cholera outbreaks in New York City. It is divided into three sections for each outbreak and each section looks at the outbreak itself, possible solutions to the problem, how medicine has evolved and people's perceptions of the disease. It was amazing to see the progress of medicine from 1832-1870. Bleeding and Poisoning were common to begin with and by the end sanitation (which was semi-correct) was the answer. The author even talks about quack remedies which I thought was hilarious. Also, at the end we begin to see an inkling of germ theory although people still do not understand bacteria. Also, people viewed the disease as the wrath of God and used it to justify hatred towards the poor and immigrants. It was interesting to see how people stereotyped and even believed that only the poor could get cholera. If an upper class person got it, the rest of society assumed it was because that person was morally bad.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. The author uses newspapers and journals as sources, which I thought made a lot of sense. I thought it was confusing that he only focused on New York City, because he would frequently refer to other outbreaks in other towns, making his thesis muddled.

*no page count listed on Good Reads, and I read it in E-Book format :( Boo!

24. The Aeneid



5 Stars

One part epic poem, one part propaganda for the founding of Rome. The Aeneid was funded by Augustus as a work of Roman propaganda to legitimize the culture and give Rome an epic story that rivaled Homer's. It starts from the fall of Troy, and takes Aeneas on an epic journey that eventually leads him to found Rome. A beautifully written story, although there are a ton of issues with women in the book. Women are only meant to build men up, and are completely irrational. It was funny and only served to make Aeneas look like a compassionate, rational being, but could have problems with some people.

8,461/25,000

25. Twenties Girl



3 Stars

Sophie Kinsella is hands down my favorite chick-lit author. Her books are light, humorous and outrageous. I laugh out loud and this book even made me tear up.

Poor Lara is at an unfortunate stage in her life, having just broken up with her boyfriend and a disastrous job. She is dragged to a funeral of some old great aunt she has never met and ends up being haunted by her aunt Sadie. Through her interactions with Sadie, she learns about life as a "twenties girl" and realizes that her ideas of love are unrealistic. Sadie is also adamant that they find a beloved necklace of hers and so Lara and Sadie enter all kinds of hilarious situations to solve the necklace mystery. In the process, Lara falls in love and is forced to take Sadie's advice along the way.

No page count! BOO!

26. Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier



3.5 Stars


*No page count again.

27. The Trial of Joan of Arc



4 Stars

This primary source work on the Trial of Joan of Arc done by Daniel Hobbins is superb. The introduction is a nice set-up and provides background into the court structure of 14th Century France, and addresses issues that may have arisen.

It is incredibly fascinating to me how mysticism was viewed as poor form by the Church at this time. Today, a primary form of mystic expression, the Rosary is heavily practiced and personal conversations with God are encouraged. However, Joan's mystic experiences seemed to have been fueled by the 100 Years War and the English/French tensions. The English Crown needed her persecuted to de-legitimize her actions and the French. It is funny to see the Court tear apart her visions of the crowning of the French King. Courts also function differently, in that the Court record is not a word for word record, but rather a reflection of the day's events. This can obviously lead to bias or swaying so that the correct side is portrayed. Finally, in the end the Church and the Courts try to persuade Joan to turn away from her past and even give her a complete option for redemption, something that is not apparent in Courts today.

All in all, an excellent work!

8,712/25,000 pages

28. The Complete Fairy Tales



4 Stars

Filled with both familiar and unfamiliar tales, this book not only allows for comparisons of modern day retellings, but also helps us readers understand what was considered important to people in the past.

Extremely simple and a fun read.

8,916/25,000 pages

29.American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn



4 Stars

9211/25,000 pages

30. The Way to the West: Essays on the Central Plains



3 Stars

This book is comprised of four essays concerning perspectives on the West. It focuses on land, animals, families and stories. My favorite essays were animals and stories. Animals dealt with the eradication of the buffalo, and stories looks at how we conceive of the West today.

My reasoning for 3 stars is that some of the essays were a little longwinded and lacked a cohesive point.

9455/25000 pages

31. The Treasure of the City of Ladies



4 Stars

Christine de Pizan was the first professional woman writer in Europe and was an Italian that spent most of her time in the French Court. This lovely little gem of a book explains how women of "all" classes are to act in the 1400s. I say "all" with quotations because Christine is mainly focused on wealthy women at court. The whole first section is devoted to princesses, and their "princess powers" as my friend Ben called it. The second section is women at Court, and the third is all about the rest of women. However, the rest of the women are mainly the god-awful merchant wives with a few chapters on the destitute and the prostitutes.

It was a quick read and not at all difficult to understand. There is a lot of emphasis on living for God, controlling pride, remaining a virgin etc. I enjoyed it because it was a woman's studies text of a sort.

9,653/25,000

32. American Gods



5 Stars

How and why do people believe? This is the question Gaiman explores in this chilling book about gods and a man chosen to serve them. I loved the flow of the story. It was slow, sometimes melodramatic, sometimes violent and fast paced. This was unlike any book I had read before and I cannot believe it has taken me 22 years to discover Gaiman. I will be reading more by him.

10,191/25,000

American Gods was my introduction to Gaiman as well - read it about... god, five years ago, and haven't looked back since! He's definitely one of my favourite authors, and this is one of my favourites of his. The world is just so incredibly engaging and vivid and fascinating, and I love Gaiman's prose. Really glad you enjoyed it! :)

Thanks Mim! I'm really looking forward to reading others. Which one do you prefer?

Oh man, I'm so bad at questions like that. But I'd definitely recommend Good Omens, which I'm sure you've heard at least something about - it's insanely popular (especially with internet-abiding folk), and for good reason. And comes with bonus Pratchett (which is no good if you're not a fan of Pratchett, of course)! I'm also a fan of his short stories, and I really enjoyed Fragile Things. It's a neat little collection, and I think Gaiman's style of writing is just really suited to the format.

(And speaking of his short stories, A Study in Emerald is a really fun one, and should still be available for free on his website.)

Aaaaand I haven't yet read Coraline myself, but I have a couple of friends who love it to death, so I'd throw that one in as well. Really, if Gaiman is your thing I think you'll find something to enjoy in whatever you pick up? Some people just never really get into Gaiman (which is fair enough, not every author is for every person etc etc), but if you do like him, yeah, I think working through his bibliography will be fun. :)

I'm sure this is... way way more than you necessarily asked for, haha. I'm just really long-winded, sorry!

I also just read and liked American Gods and want to read more by Gaiman. If you want to do a buddy read sometime, let me know!

Kaitlin wrote: "I also just read and liked American Gods and want to read more by Gaiman. If you want to do a buddy read sometime, let me know!"

Yes, although I'm pretty bogged down for the next couple of months playing catchup on past buddy reads. Maybe by August? haha school got really busy, and I kind of needed to focus on that instead of read.

Mim wrote: "Oh man, I'm so bad at questions like that. But I'd definitely recommend Good Omens, which I'm sure you've heard at least something about - it's insanely popular (especially with internet-abiding fo..."

No, that is really helpful, so thank you for all the detail. I know I want to read Good Omens, and Coraline too. I'll have to look into his short stories. His newest book looks really interesting.

33. Lysistrata and Other Plays



4 Stars

Lysistrata is one of the best plays of all time. Women withholding sex from their husbands so they stop going to war? Hilarious, feminist, and awesome :)

His other plays aren't so bad either. I just LOVE Lysistrata.

10,495/25,000

34. Dracula



3 Stars

The first chunk of the book was good. Lots of tension, climatic, and a really good story. Then the book drug on and on. There were a few parts that picked up, but very rarely. Even the ending was not as good as the beginning.

10,901/25,000