2025 Reading Challenge discussion

44. Pounamu Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera


A great collection of simple short stories that offers authentic insight into Maori culture. It's a good introduction to one of New Zealand's best authors, Witi Ihimaera.

6.5/10

45. Unbroken: An Extraordinary True Story of Courage & Survival by Laura Hillenbrand

(Buddy read)

An amazing story. Hillenbrand weaves many facts and figures together with vivid imagery and even a touch of humour despite the topic. Louie's story unveils many horror of World War II from the Pacific Front as well as an incredible development of character.

7.5/10

46. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein


I had high expectations for this book because it was about something I'm very interested in and had a bunch of great reviews.

However, I was rather disappointed for the majority of the story. By the end, it got a bit better and there were moments and developments that I appreciated. But overall, I was underwhelmed unfortunately.

5.5/10

47. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells


I love H.G. Wells. Before Doctor Moreau I had only read The Time Machine and part of The Invisible Man, which I thoroughly enjoyed both of.

It's incredible how he managed to think up and write about such futuristic concepts as time travel and biological mutations. He and Vernes are truly the fathers of science fiction.

Wells' style of storytelling is timeless, his characters intriguing and witty, and his themes still relevant today.

8/10

48. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb


I started reading this at the beginning of June but had to take a break after being unable to renew it at the library. I regret that break because I think it hindered my experience of this book.

However, I still enjoyed some of it. A lot of the time I felt the need to skim as it was droning on a bit.

But the characters were as well-developed as they were in the first book. Each had their own roller coaster of a journey, especially Fitz as the narrator.

The intrigue played out well enough. And the magic was as unique and descriptive as ever.

I'm hoping to get a hold of the last book in this trilogy soon and that it all rounds out nicely but we'll see.

5/10

49. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

(Buddy read)

The scope of this novel was incredible. Although, it felt almost like a collection of short stories connected via generational ties.

Gyasi does an amazing job of telling whole lifetimes in a single chapter (or chapter and a half as character often showed up in the succeeding generation's chapter).

Every chapter--telling the life of a new character of the next generation--was unique from any other in the story. Each was an emotional journey with its ups and downs.

This novel looked in detail at aspects of black history that hadn't previously known much or anything about as well, which I really appreciated.

Admittedly, I had to get used to the new-chapter, new-character format. Sometimes I would have liked to spend more time with a character and was often glad to see them appear in succeeding chapters.

The prose was absolutely stunning more often than not as well. I liked to re-read a sentence or paragraph just to savour the pure poetry of it.

8.5/10

50. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

(Nominated book of the month)

(I reached by yearly challenge of 50 books!)

Like 1984, I think aspects of this book are scarily accurate to parts of our current society and near future. So I could not stop comparing it to 1984 and our own world.

This book is a classic for obvious reasons, I think. Huxley must have had super powers of foresight and decided to exaggerate on things he foresaw.

However, it took some time getting into this book. It's a bit of struggle adjusting to the strangeness and elaborate prose and vocabulary. But ultimately, worthwhile, in my opinion.

Even though I gave this book a relatively mediocre rating, I still think it's enjoyable once you get into it. It's an important novel as well and relevant to our own society.

7/10

51. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


Thoroughly enjoyed this more than I expected. Looking forward to the next book although I won't get around to that until I get through my current three reads.

Perhaps Stiefvater will land a spot alongside Victoria Schwab as my favourite YA authors.

9/10

52. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch


I was really in the mood for a thriller but also something Gothic and this book seemed to be the perfect cure. It was. It felt like exactly the right book at the right time.

Despite this, it wasn't a perfect book. But I'm a harsh judge at the best of times and perfection isn't really possible.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed this mysterious ride. Potzsch laid out a vivid setting. I have an odd fascination with Germany so I enjoyed being transported back in time to a quaint Bavarian town.

The cast of characters were interesting too. I particularly liked one of the main characters, Simon (not just because we share a name), and found I related to him well. Sophie was another favourite character as she was so strong and rebellious for a 12-year-old in medieval times.

Despite the title, the hangman Jakob Kuisl's daughter didn't play as big a role as you might expect. However, she was another strong, smart female character which I liked.

Near the end, the plot fell into a few cliches and forced coincidences but overall it caught and kept my attention.

7/10

53. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

(Nominated book of the month)

Prior to reading this, I had only read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which I really enjoyed. I'd say it's a favourite book of mine. So, I was really excited to read more by Gaiman.

Norse Mythology is very different to American Gods but it was almost as good in its own way.

I enjoyed the whimsical way it was told, as though it were being spoken aloud like these old myths and legends used to be told. Gaiman is a master storyteller. I would love to hear this retold via audiobook.

8/10

54. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

(Buddy read)

I really enjoyed this as I've done so with other books by Schwab. To me, it was better than her Monsters of Verity duology but still not as good as Vicious.

My favourite character was probably Holland even if he was a bit more villainous than I expected.

Second favourite would have to be Lila, although she was rather annoying when her a Kell initially met. I think because I found her arrogance frustrating.

I love how original the concept of these alternate worlds was as well. Especially since parallel universes, multiverses, etc. seem to be getting increasingly more popular but fairly similar.

I'm excited to continue this trilogy.

8/10

55. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig


I thought this was going to be my kind of book. I'm interested in the concept of immortality or close-to. I started out really enjoying it but just got bored.

It felt flat, especially by the end with some of the interactions. The end also felt rather rushed and some things forced.

So I really wanted to enjoy this more but actually found it quite disappointing.

5/10

56. The Counselor by Cormac McCarthy

I wasn't amazed by this but I wasn't expecting to be either. I just wanted to pick up another McCarthy book even though this was a screenplay.

4/10

57. The King's Men by Nora Sakavic


Hated this. I got so angry and frustrated because of it. I shouldn't have bothered with this series.

1/10

58. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

But I loved this! It was exactly what I wanted to read. It read like a dystopia but obviously with a lot of historical thriller aspects.

8/10

59. Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

A tremendous ending to this trilogy. But of course, it was left off with plenty of leads into the rest of the Elderlings series. I just wish my library had the Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies.

7/10

Congratulations on surpassing your goal!

60. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

(Buddy read)

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book. It felt like a filler episode. I'm about to start the third one soon, though.

6/10

61. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley


The atmosphere of this book was wonderful but it's greatest downfall was how vague it was. The plot, the characters, the magical aspects of it were all very vague which made it quite confusing.

I was disappointed as well that there wasn't more focus on Japan, given the synopsis.

6.5/10

Simon wrote: "I was looking back through this thread of mine and thinking I'd probably give a lot of the books lower marks now in hindsight but oh well."

Haha, yeah that happens. I would personally never delete an old rating I've awarded a book, but I wouldn't shy away from adding an updated comment if I changed my mind or re-read the book. Our tastes in books are in constant change, right?

Back in September when I was getting back into the groove of reading, I read The Glass Arrow and at the time I thought it was good, borderline great. I mean, it's a YA dystopian... it's no masterpiece but it was entertaining enough that I would recommend it. But then later on in 2017, the more I kept reading other books and kept thinking back to this particular book, the more issues I could pick at. Ultimately, I had completely changed the rating in my mind :D

My point being, I like being able to go back and seeing my original impression of a book and how my perception and opinions change over time :)

Anyways, you're almost there, Simon! Best of luck with your goal in the remainder of the year :)

Lisa wrote: "Simon wrote: "I was looking back through this thread of mine and thinking I'd probably give a lot of the books lower marks now in hindsight but oh well."

Haha, yeah that happens. I would personall..."

Admittedly, it is always interesting to see old ratings and initial impressions from previously read books. But it can sometimes be cringe-inducing as well, at least for me. Haha. And our tastes or moods are constantly changing. I'm forever feeling like a particular genre one month and then another in the next.

Thanks, though. And good luck to you too, Lisa.

Simon wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Simon wrote: "I was looking back through this thread of mine and thinking I'd probably give a lot of the books lower marks now in hindsight but oh well."

Haha, yeah that happens. I wo..."

I agree. Sometimes I'm faced with the "what on earth was I thinking?" but the sentiment isn't really exclusive to books, I don't think, lol :)
And, yeah, I'm the same. I do have certain set atmospheric/thematic moods, such as I prefer historical fiction during the winter months or horror around Halloween, etc. But otherwise there's really no rhyme or reason to the books I pick up throughout the year.

The last books of this year that I finished.

62. Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut

A collection of short stories by my favourite author. It made my shifts at work that little bit more tolerable by being able to read them on my breaks.

63. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I read this in the spirit of the holidays even though I don't particularly like Christmas. It was a good reason to read more from another favourite author of mine.

64. Salt by Maurice Gee

This was a re-read which I originally read several years ago in my junior years at high school. It was very nostalgic. And I find it's always nice to read things by New Zealand authors.

65. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

One of my favourite books of the year from yet another favourite author of mine. This one took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting to love is so much.

66. A Conjuring of Light

A much better book than the second and I preferred it more than the first due to the wider cast of characters. Still a few things to be nit-picky about. But otherwise, a great conclusion to the trilogy by yet another, you guessed it, favourite author of mine.

It seems I ended the year reading many of my favourite authors, which I didn't realise. So that's nice. I still have many books by Vonnegut, Dickens, and Gaiman to read in 2018. I also plan on getting back to more books by Ian Rankin, Ben Elton, H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne (it has been a long time, old friend).

2017 was a good year for reading, though, where I discovered several new favourites and revisited a handful of good ones. Let's bring on 2018, the year I also plan to read The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton finally and get through most of the books I already own.

Oh, and here's a link to my challenge next year.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...