2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Hello!

This is my first challenge of this kind and until this year, 2014, I haven't really read that much for years, so I thought I would start things slow :)

At first I had made this a 2 a month challenge, alternating between 'easy' and 'tough' books, but turns out I'm horrible at challenges as I pretty much pick up whatever book captures me at that moment lol. I've also put the number down to 1 a month, because I need a goal that I know I can keep :)

I've been reading books from my rl bookshelves only and trying to finish all the ones that I for some reason started and then abandoned.

So, that's it, not much of an interesting challenge, but mostly to help me keep track of what I read and what I thought of them :)

Note to myself on rating:
★☆☆☆☆ - Couldn't stand it, might even have left it unfinished.
★★☆☆☆ - I didn't like it, but it wasn't the worst book I've ever read.
★★★☆☆ - It was okay/I liked it, but not enough to make me think that I ever want to reread.
★★★★☆ - Really, really liked it and will probably reread it at some point. A few things might be off, could be anything from something in the plot being too predictable to the writer overusing words or phrases without it bringing anything to the book.
★★★★★ - Loved it! Have read it many times or know that I will reread it. Everything from the story to the writing was perfect for me.

#1: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
★★★☆☆

#2: The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Review
★★★☆☆

#3: Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
Review
★★★☆☆

#3.5: An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory by Andrew Bennett & Nicholas Royle.
(#3.5 because I quit before finishing it)
Review
★☆☆☆☆

#4: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Review
★★☆☆☆

#5: Noah's Ark: Ancient Accounts and New Discoveries by Henri Nissen
★★★★☆

This is one that I started about two years ago, reading a few chapters a time, abandoning it for months, before reading a few chapters again etc etc. Finally got around to reading the last 10 chapters or so in one go - victory!

Why was it so hard to finish this book? Well, the material of the book in itself was really interesting, maybe even for people who aren't Christians. It pulls together info about floods from several independent sources, examines the usual theories of where the Ark landed and the evidence of where he and several others believe it to have been found.

However - and this is a BIG however -, the book was extremely poorly written. I read this in the original language (Danish), perhaps the English translation is better, but the original at least, is dreadful. It's full of grammatical errors, typos and fluff sentences which annoy the reader, because of their futility.
There were also several footnotes either missing or moved to the next page (or even several pages after that), making it very confusing. And there are a lot of footnotes!

#6: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
★★★☆☆

The only other book that I have read by Twain is The Prince and the Pauper, a story that I've always loved, and I expected this one to be just as good. I was, however, disappointed. While it's a well-written book, it only got 3 stars from me and for two main reasons:

1. The main narrator, Hank (and the fact that I only remember his name being mentioned once in the entire text). He was obnoxious and arrogant. The people of the Arthurian era was constantly being portrayed as merely mindless, unintelligent fools who wouldn't even know the difference between a foot and a nose. I get that it's supposed to be a parody and perhaps Hank was even meant to be irritating, but that does not change the fact that he almost ruined the book for me. The constant glorification of the "modern" age America and all it's comforts, the comparison of these with life so long ago and the constant need to stuff change and "democracy" down people's throat, really got on my nerves. However, I did read that Twain supposedly disliked the stuffing of democracy down other cultures' throats.

Maybe that's what really annoyed me. The fact that I never knew whether Twain was parodying his own time and country as well as the Arthurian legends and times, or just making fun of an era for not being as "advanced" as 19th America. With some satirical sentences I thought I did feel a double-irony, while at other times a similar sentence only seemed to make fun of the 5th/6th century.

2. At first the book was a bit like an old Medieval romance, one chapter for one adventure without a whole lot to connect the chapters, but about half-way the stories began to flow together more and create an actual flowing narrative. While it was nice to feel the story flow more, unfortunately the second half wasn't as funny as the first. Perhaps because it was so repetitive in the way it described the Arthurian population.

But, all in all it was a well-written book that just didn't capture me the way I'd expected.

(Wow, I really don't know how to keep things short and simple! If anyone reads this, please let me know if I'm being way too lengthy :) )

#7: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
★★★☆☆

After getting half-way through this a while ago, I had to put it on hold, because the shooting parts ended up giving me a nightmare. But books standing on the shelf, half-finished, is something I have a hard time tolerating lol, so I decided to pick it up again and get it over with. Turns out I had to start all over again because I couldn't remember what I'd already read and fortunately no nightmares this time, yay! Maybe because I knew what was coming?

Aaand I'm rambling again. Back on track now.

This was my fourth Jodi Picoult book and I generally really enjoy her writing. My copy of My Sister's Keeper is so worn out that it's almost falling apart and I found Handle With Care to be an engaging and moving read. (The third, Harvesting the Heart, was not at all my thing though.)
With this book I felt as if she had rushed a bit. The first half was good, but soon the plot became too thin and it didn't feel like the shooter in the past had anything to do with the shooter in the presence, making him feel like a hollow character. And while the previous books of hers that I've read managed to not become too formulaic, this one felt headlong into the trap.

But the book did make it easier for me to begin to comprehend the whole "school-shooting"-thing, a subject that is so difficult to understand and to be quite frank, a subject which I did my best not to think about or try to understand. So for that and the in parts good writing, I gave it three stars.

#8: The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
★★☆☆☆

Loved the first book and was really looking forward to this one, but unfortunately it feel short. The first half was almost painful: reading about Tarzan in Paris and the Algierian desert was like watching a fish trying to get a tan on the beach. Not good. The second half got better, right up until ape-like humans appeared who apparently de-evolved and sometimes mated with humans. Then it got weird.
Also did not like the fact that it felt a bit repetitive, some events felt like rehashes of similar ones in the first book.

#9: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
★★★★☆

Finally got around to reading this classic. It was cute and sweet, but not as earth-shattering to me as a lot of people seem to find it. What important things this book had to teach were already a part of my view of the world and so it did not feel as new and eye-opening as it seems to do for so many others.
But for the cute, adult fairytale that it is, it got 4 stars from me. Not sure how I liked the end though. It just didn't make sense. And sure nothing in the book made sense, but this didn't make sense within the world the author created. At least not to me.

#10: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
★★★★☆

It was so different from what I'd thought, but really good. I just felt like it was too short though. There wasn't much story in it and I felt like it needed an expanding of plot and length to be truly fantastic.
However, this being one of the first time travel stories, that doesn't matter too much. As a huge fan of Sci-Fi (so far mostly with TV/movies like Star Trek and Moon though - trying to expand my Sci-Fi-book knowledge), this was a lot of fun as it's one of the foundations on which the genre has been built.

Also, when I got to the Time Traveller for the first time mentioning the names "Morlocks" and "Eloi", I was so surprised and kept searching my mind's catalogue of literature and movies to figure out where I'd heard it before. I actually had to search on Wiki for it and turns out they mentioned Morlocks on BBT - suddenly that episode makes so much more sense to me now! :b
Still can't figure out where I've heard "Eloi" before - any suggestions?

#10.5: The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma
★☆☆☆☆

I tried reading this, really did, but I failed completely. Actually been looking forward to it for more than a year and now that I finally own it, I find that it is horribly written and boring. Apparently what the book cover said wasn't true. After reading some reviews of it, I decided to quit after the first chapters - it's just too grim and plain boring. Who cares about his love story with the girl who dies before the book even starts? I expected a time machine! And apparently that doesn't take up too much of the book according to reviews.

So this is now shelved and I can't figure out what to read next - decisions, decisions!

#11: Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale (and Stan Redding)
★★★☆☆

2.5 stars - rounded it up to three because I read the Danish translation (which was as bad as most others) and figured it would probably be a little better in English.

LOVED the movie, but the book wasn't really that engaging. Too many repititions - "I met this gorgeous stewardess", "I made a fake check this way: ...", "I got involved with a beautiful stewardess", "This is how I made a fake document: ..." etc etc. Not all that exciting. And he came off rather annoying and unsympathetic - and too full of himself (describing your own "work" as brilliant? Really?). I was appaled by him pretending to be a dr and giving babies a clean bill of health without knowing what on earth he was doing. Once he got caught and began describing the prisons, it got intereresting though, too bad it didn't take up too much of the book.

#12: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
★★★★★

I loved this book! 5/5 and I shelved it as a favorite :) The first book in a long time where I felt I could connect with the book and wanted to keep reading to know what happened, not just to finish it.
Very well-written and I didn't even mind the swearing once I'd read a couple of pages.
Despite the fact that I'm not a 16-year old boy, Holden in some ways reminded me a lot of myself (and in some ways not at all). For instance things like asking seemingly meaningless questions, like where the ducks go in winter, are something I know I tend to do a lot lol :) It really does drive people crazy, not just in books, but in real life too!

I joined the 'April: The Shower Disambugation Challenge' and signed up for three, might do more though if I get a chance.

Updated my goal to 4 books instead of 3.
6/4 read

1. Read a book that has water in some form on its cover.

2. Read a book that contains some kind of weather event: Candide
Read - 18/04/2014

3. Read a book with more than 350 pages: Water for Elephants
Read - 26/04/2014

4. Read a short book (fewer than 150 pages): Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Read: 26/04/2014

5. Read a book set in China OR read a book you would consider to be both a drama and a comedy.

6. Read something you would consider to be a teen drama: The Catcher in the Rye
Read - 02/04/2014

7. Read a book in which a character has a baby: Shopaholic & Baby
Read - 04/04/2014

8. Read a book you received as a gift OR read a book in which someone gets married.

9. Read a book that at least partly takes place in space: Ender's Game
Read - 13/04/2014

10. Read a book about science: The Rosie Project
Read - 10/04/2014

Yay, goal reached! :)

Candide is now as #2 instead of 4, as it contains a weather event and another book fills #4's requirement.

#13: Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
★★☆☆☆

I really like Kinsella's easy writing, but not a big fan of the this series. It's just too filled with embarrassing moments and self-made problems.
There are some really funny moments here and there though, probably why I've stuck with the series this far. But I think I'll just stick to her other other books from now on!

You completed your challenge! Are you going to increase your goal?

Thanks for writing in my thread :)

Oh yeah, didn't even notice lol! I thought about it, but I get so easily stressed. Instead I'll just join challenges sometimes and TBR Twins to keep motivated.

#13.5: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
★☆☆☆☆

Ugh, this book was just awful!
It was filled with scientific errors, the characters were flat and they behaved like little kids, not teens. Oh, and most of the plot I had already guessed after the first few chapters. There was no atmosphere despite Revis trying to create one.

Errors like "oh here's a nice statue, obviously not of stone because where would they get that on a spaceship, so clearly made of cement or concrete, because THAT they can get". Oh and the statue was worn by the fake rain and time? Time doesn't wear down a statue. Things like wind and use does. Not time.
And mistakes like that were just too plentiful and the whole system of the society wasn't properly described.

Couldn't even get farther than half-way, then thought why waste more of my life on this and put it away.

#14: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
★★★★☆

This book was a lot of fun! Only a few things I didn't like - a few words here and there didn't seem to fit the narrator's voice, but only a very few.
I always find it a bit week when several jokes are based on physical intimacy. It's a way too easy way of making a joke.
I'd guessed who Rosie's father was from the very beginning. Which was the main reason for not giving it five stars.

Overall a fun, easy read and I really liked the main character, Don. A real Sheldon-type, except with feelings and compassion. And despite what most reviewers on here seem to think, I don't think Don's meant to be autistic. At all. I actually think there are several of times in the book where the author writes something against that idea.

#15: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
★☆☆☆☆


Wow. This book has to be the worst I have read in a long, long time. Even worse than Across the Universe. And yes, I did finish this one, but mainly because it seems to be regarded one of the best sci-fi books, not because I was enjoying it.

It's repetitive (not just in events, but also emotions, choice of words etc), doesn't have a single likeable character and never gives any proper explanation to why the kids talk like they're 30 and behave like they belong in a mental institution. I just found the whole book highly disturbing and depressing - not in a good way, not in a "how scary, this clearly reflect some disturbing things about human beings" or "I feel so sorry for him" - but in a "I can't believe I wasted my time on this" and "what a disturbing mind the author must have". It was dark and gruesome, but without any realism, making it impossible for me to connect with the book.
Nothing was described very well. It was hard to imagine Ender, because all we know about his appearence is that he is "small" and the Battle Room descriptions were confused and sometimes seemed to contradict themselves. The aliens were so cliché that it almost hurt and the ending was boring, predictable and left me thinking "who cares?"

On top of all that, it seemed like nothing in the book happened because it fit the character or their world, but instead happened when and how the author needed it to.

That's just my opinion though, I know most people feel very differently lol :) In fact, I just noticed that it's on the top of the Best Sci-fi list here, which really surprised me. Better than Fahrenheit 451 and Brace New World? Really? I guess that's just one of the things I'll never get :)

I haven't been doing too well on the "only rl tbr shelf books" lol - I've been to the library three times and atm have 22 books from there! :) Tsk tsk!

I'm currently reading The Canterbury Tales, but I'm taking breaks from it here and there to read some different books, so I don't get stuck. I actually really like this translation, mostly reading it for the sake of the story and then I plan on reading the original for the sake of the language one day :) I've already read some of it a few years back, but I think I need a proper Chaucer dictionary to finish it lol!

#16: Candide by Voltaire
★★★☆☆

I really liked this book, but couldn't figure out how to rate it. It was a quick and fun read, although I don't much like the scenes were he very directly tells of violence etc., but I do understand that it served a definite and good purpose in the book. Which is some of what makes me unclear of how to rate it. As a "personal taste" or objectively?
Will just stand undecided for now :)

Edit: It helped to let it just be a few days. I've decided on three days, as I found it okay and see why it is (and should be) a classic, yet I know for sure that I will never want to read again.

I'm surprised that u didn't like Enders Game. I loved it. I guess I could relate with Ender beimg an outcast in his family and with his friends though. He is different. I'm sorry you didn't like it but everyone has their own opinions. :)

Funny thing is that I've always been the odd one out as well, been bullied etc and still couldn't relate to Ender. I think it's the whole "I didn't mean to kill anyone" and yet he does it more than once + not feeling like he was real because of the way he talked/acted. But I know I'm in the minority on this one lol :)

#17: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
★★☆☆☆

I loved the movie even though I'd definitely not expected to like it and so was really looking forward to reading this. But already at the first pages I went from expecting a 5 star read to a 4 star. Which is fine. Except after halfway through it, I knew it wasn't more than a 3 star book. And then towards the end it dropped to 2.

I liked the ending, but disliked the alternating future-past thing. It's so rarely done well, yet so many authors use it.

There were no real explanations for the Jacob-Marlena love and with a few exceptions, I didn't really get to a point where the characters came to live and made me feel for them.

Let's just say I was sorely disappointed by this book and had a hard time finishing it. Her writing style just wasn't good enough.

Part of these challenges/lists:
- #6 in the April Shower Disambugation Challenge
- #1 in Reading University Challenge
- #3 in Recommended by Reading Challengers - 2014
- #1 in Aleta's "Everyone's Read It But Me" List

#18: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
★★☆☆☆

Again, had a hard time rating this. It didn't make sense - of course, that's supposed to happen, yes, but it didn't make sense as a piece of literature. There was a, what we danes would say, "a red string" missing throughout - something tying the book together. Not so much in 'Through...', but to an insane degree in 'Alice...'. And I get that it was written to provoke the Victorian way of thinking about kids and also evolved as a story through Carroll telling it to his friend's daughter, but... it just wasn't good enough for me. And Alice was incredibly annoying, always being rude and being in a rush to get somewhere or do something without anyone ever really knowing why she's in such a rush.

I've never seen the Disney cartoon, so that hasn't affected my view of it. And the new Disney/Burton movie I already knew was very different, so that hasn't affected anything either. All in all, I get why it's a classic as there weren't that many kids' books at the time (and books like Peter Pan was originally written as a play for adults, not kids), but as a literary piece of work it doesn't really shine. It's obvious though, that with "Through..." Carroll has learned something and it was much easier to enjoy that somewhat. I might have given that 3 stars on it own.

Part of:
- #5 in Aleta's List of Classics

#19: Animal Farm by George Orwell
★★★★★

This book was hilarious! Simply spot on with the satire. Despite clearly letting the reader know what's being satirized, it still manages to be so general in its descriptions of certain personality types that I could recognize people that I know.

Review here

Part of:
- #2 in Reading University Challenge
- #6 in Aleta's List of Classics
- #4 in Recommended by Reading Challengers - 2014

#19.5: On the Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac
★☆☆☆☆

When I picked this up at the library I had no idea there was an 'Original scroll' version and the back of the book just said "on the road", so I had no idea until some way into the book lol. It doesn't make much of a difference though, as the story and the whole premise of the book is why I gave it only 1 star (and didn't finish it). The only classic I can remember ever to have begun and not finished. But all the drug-using and the attitude and carelessness with other people's feelings that comes with it, just made me so sad. I've seen it happen and it's not anything idolize. Neither is the creepy way Neal Cassady treats women. That just made me want to throw up and/or throw the book across the room.

Review here

Part of:
- #7 in Aleta's List of Classics

Aleta wrote: "#19.5: On the Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac
★☆☆☆☆

When I picked this up at the library I had no idea there was an 'Original scroll' version and the back of the book just ..."

*Shudder* ~ Don't like the way you describe Neal Cassidy. I've never read the book even if it is a classic but I don't think I'll be reading it anytime soon.

#20: Adèle et la bête (Adèle Blanc-Sec and the Beast) by Jacques Tardi
★★★☆☆

The first graphic novel I've read in years. I've been wanting to watch the movie and thought I might read this beforehand.

The plot was confused and not very well executed. It was too complicated and felt rushed towards the end.
Most of the male characters looked so much alike that it was hard to tell them apart sometimes.
But it showed promise for the rest of the series and some parts of the art I really liked, although other parts of it I really disliked lol.

My favorite part of it - and the very subjective reason I gave it 3 stars - was the drawings of Jardin des Plantes and the national history museum there. A couple of years ago I was in Paris and it was my favorite part of the trip, especially since everything in the national history museum had been kept exactly as it was for over a hundred years ago. I have a thing for that era and it was like time travel to step in there :) The drawings in this gn were completely accurate, the gardens and buildings looked exactly the way I remembered them (except for one of the buildings that has been slightly modernized, but could clearly recognize it even so, and the zoo-part). It made me want to go back there right now as well as being a really interesting choice of setting for a mystery-graphic novel!

Adriana wrote: "Aleta wrote: "#19.5: On the Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac
★☆☆☆☆

When I picked this up at the library I had no idea there was an 'Original scroll' version and the back of ..."

Yeah, you're not missing much lol. The way he's described in the book made him seem like such a big pervert and it was completely off-putting.

#21: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
★★★★☆

Read this as a kid, but as the graphic novel version. This is pretty much how I remember it, although I liked the gn better. I've never been a fan of Tolkien's writing style, something about it just doesn't capture me, but his stories are great. Especailly when he describes the landscape it's hard to imagine and sometimes doesn't even fit the maps he drew. Despite the fact that I really love his stories, the ending to this (as well as the ending in LOTR) feels too anticlimatic though.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
★★★☆☆

Been meaning to read this a looong time and glad I finally did. The beginning was awful, but once Injun Joe arrived there was an actual plot, making at least half the book interesting enough. The dialogue was tough to follow sometimes though - I completely lost track of who was saying what at one time when Huck and Tom were talking.

An ok book, but not one that I would recommend to others I think.

The Presidents of the United States of America by Nicholas Best
★★★★☆

Excellent little (very little!) pocketbook for an easy overview of the American presidents from Washington to Clinton. As someone who's not an American, this was a great help for getting an idea of who the various people were and which ones you'd be interested in knowing more about.

Snemanden by Hans Christian Andersen
(The Snowman)

After watching the new Disney movie Frozen, I found it hilarious how little it had to do with the original Snow Queen fairy tale. I intended (and still do) to reread it to compare and in the process stumbled across this one in one of my collections. Pretty sure this is where they got the idea for Olaf from! (a snowman who talks (well to dogs, but still) and whose dreams revolve around being near something that would melt him)

All Danes know a good deal of his fairy tales from an early age and were forcefed his works in school. Which means I'm a poor judge of how good his stories are lol :) Having them constantly stuffed down my throat doesn't exactly make me harbor warm feelings for the stories. I did like this one though, but in absolutely no position to rate it ;)

The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing

Put this down halfway through. Didn't like how it read as observations of the people instead of making you feel connected to them or just anything in the book. It made for a very boring book.

Plus, it felt as if Lessing were describing and condemning the prejudice while not realizing that she at times showed prejudice herself. Or perhaps her writing just wasn't good enough to make me realize when it was the voice of the author and when it was the voice of the characters. There were a couple of places though, where it definitely felt like it was the voice of the author showing some prejudice.

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan
★★★☆☆

I loved how different it felt from the other Fantasy books I've read. It had a lot of humor and I liked Royce and Hadrian. I had already guessed Royce's secret right at the beginning of the first book (Theft of Swords contains book 1 & 2 of the series) and Hadrian's secret almost as soon as the author wrote about a certain legend of his world.

It definitely wasn't perfect, I actually skipped a whole chapter! (I have NEVER done that before, so that's saying something lol)
But overall it was an okay read. It left me not wanting to read the next, because the book was at times excrutiating to get through, yet wanting to read it because I want to know what happens to the not-very-thiefy-or-mercanary-thief-mercanaries :b

Lulu in Marrakech by Diane Johnson
★☆☆☆☆

This was awful beyond words. I can't even describe how awful it was. It was full of prejudice while making itself out to be feministic. At one point the main character was even pleased at some guy telling her that "wow, you must be one of the only women today able to drive a stick". Ohhh-kaaayyy.... yeah... that's just annoying on so many levels. One of those being that the author clearly doesn't know that in several European countries (the guy was English) most people actually still learn to drive like that and not with an automatic lol.

It was supposed to be a story about a female spy (yes I use the word female, because would you say "man spy"? No. Because that's gramatically incorrect.), working undercover in Marokko, being badass and figuring out conspiracies. But what it really was was a story about a whiny, insecure woman who thought she had found "the one" and let him walk all over her while at the same time constantly talking about women's rights. And showing a lot of prejudice against religion and being 100% certain that the "modern", "western", "liberated" way of sleeping with guys before you get married is the only right attitude and lifestyle. Oh yes. How enlightened of you.

All in all, I'm very glad that this book only cost me a few bucks at a book sale! ;)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
★★★★☆

The perfect example of why books are better when read at the right time in life :) At age 15 I tried to read this. I didn't get very far. Saying goodbye to trees? Really? What romantic drivel!
Little did I realize that Austen was in fact making fun of her era lol! And she does it while never ceasing to respect the characters she uses to make fun of it. Now that is the proper way to satirize.

It wasn't too different from Pride & Prejudice, but still quite the enjoyable read that I might one day return to :)

(This was my May tbr-twin read with Theresa~OcoberLace)

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Not rating this one. I simply can't seperate my nostalgic feelings enough to figure it out. There were a lot of things I didn't like about this and I got stuck around page 200 TWICE. Never a sign of the book being great.

I made a full review here of why I didn't really like it despite having loved the story since I was little.

Aleta wrote: "Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Not rating this one. I simply can't seperate my nostalgic feelings enough to figure it out. There were a lot of things I didn't like about this and I g..."

This book is such a project since it is so very long. I never really liked the story when I was younger. I was more curious. I think I felt mostly bad about what happened to Oliver. He was always facing something.

Yep, he hardly had a quiet moment, poor boy. I didn't feel as bad for him in the unabridged book though, as I've otherwise always done. Probably because he felt unreal to me, with all his weirdly perfect manners - where on earth had he learned those manners? All the "I'm perfect, because my parents were upper-class" really annoyed me lol :b

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
★★☆☆☆

Did not like this book. At all. Nor the author. From what I've read about him he was not a pleasant guy! Didn't know about this till after having read it and made up my mind about it, so it didn't affect my opinion of it.

Review

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
★★☆☆☆

Didn't like the movie, but expected to love the book. I have no idea what people so love about this book, although the first half was okay, at times funny and at times interesting. But in general it annoyed me, bored me and made me feel like I wasted my time.

My conversation with the author about this book (as real as the author's introduction) can be found in my review :b

True Grit by Charles Portis
★★★★☆

Loved it! It was weird and imaginative - with a badass heroine! Nothing better than well-written female protagonists who can fend for themselves :) It felt like you were there with the characters and the plot was fairly original. Also, there was no happy end, yet not a un-happy one either, something I don't often come across in books.

All in all, it's definitely worth a read! I saw the Coen movie version of it a few years ago, but it didn't make the book less enjoyable and they actually seemed to have stuck to the book :)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
★★★★☆

Thouroughly enjoyed it despite not liking the movie and having dreaded reading it. Might not be the greatest piece of literature, but it was a pageturner and had some really funny moments :)

Review is here :)

The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous/various authors
★★★★☆

Another four star! How rare :) This is the story of Gilgamesh, a semi-god from the religion the Sumerians practised. It was written down no later than 1800 BC, probably a lot earlier and at the time it was a story that had already been passed around for centuries. It's one of the earliest texts that we know of.

Gilgamesh was a king who actually starts out as a sort of villainy figure, but ends up being a hero. Which is funny since I think his friend Enkidu was the one who often came up with the ideas and plans lol :b
The story of Utnapishtim and the flood was extremely interesting as it is known for being very close to the Bible story of Noah. There were so many similarities!

And while it was an action-packed adventure it was also at times a very interesting look into the people of the times.

Medea by Euripides

Not sure how to rate this one, so will just let it be another star-less read lol. I think I need to read more greek tragedies to truly be able to judge whether or not this was a good play.
Medea was absolutely insane, her husband was a selfish idiot and the poor kids were caught in their tangle of selfishness.

Enuma Elish: The Seven Tablets of the History of Creation by Anonymous
★★☆☆☆

Sumerian myth as well. Not nearly as interesting as Gilgamesh though.

I have a full review here

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
★★☆☆☆

Another DNF. It just wasn't worth my time. You could constantly feel Homes thinking "and what if I write this?" and trying to write like a man. Which is weird. Write the way you write, don't try to be something you're not, it will always come across as annoying. There were a lot of very graphic scenes of a sexual nature and one of a very violent nature. And none of it seemed to serve a purpose and was constantly there, so much so, that it was impossible to just ignore it.
The narrator was completely unreliable (probably just as crazy as his brother who's really, really insane) which is normally intriguing, but not enough to make me keep reading.

Don't pick up this book. This is one of the few DNF's that I know I will never try again, but just let be.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
★★★☆☆

I'm not a fan of Mark Twain. There. I said it. His writing doesn't do it for me. The Prince and the Pauper will always be an enjoyable story to me, but everything else I've read by him has annoyed me to some extent. Tom Sawyer was just a kids' adventure story and nothing more. Which is fine when you're a kid and that's what he wanted. Connecticut Yankee constantly felt like the story suffered under his constant need for satirically airing his opinions. And so did this one.

As is often the case with Twain, the story seemed secondary and therefore became episodic. Tom Sawyer showing up again really angered me as he's a selfish and mean kid who only worries about himself. And the ending was just horrendous. Undermined everything he had been trying to say and was a huge cop out on Twain's part. All in all I didn't like it, but there were a few touching moments and a few funny moments and the fact that it's written in the different dialects and sociolects was really interesting. But I have no interest in reading any of his other books now.

Aleta wrote: "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
★★★☆☆

I'm not a fan of Mark Twain. There. I said it. His writing doesn't do it for me. The Prince and the Pauper will always be an enjo..."

I've never had any interest in reading Mark Twain's books. Tom Sawyer sounds like what I thought of Peter Pan - completely self centered and only caring for himself.