Puzzles Presents: Ultimate Reading Challenge 2015 discussion

Post the title, description, and your opinion of the book you read. If you can, describe the cover and whether the story lived up to your first impression.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Starting her freshman year at college, Abby Abernathy is hoping for a new chance in a town where no one knows her or her sorted past. She's trying to become a good girl. However, when she meets the bad boy Travis Maddox, she ultimately finds herself wrestling with who she was vs. who she wants to be.

There's a little more to this story then what I am summarizing it as, but honestly I didn't like anything about this book and thought it was super boring and dull. This book is your typical virgin meets bad boy, bad boy isn't just what everyone think him to be, bad boy wants to be good and good girl wants to be bad. I thought the plot was terrible, the idea of the story was completely unrealistic and it was just awkwardly paced throughout the entire book. If you're looking for a lukewarm version of 50 shades, which I couldn't stand either, this book may be up your alley. The best part for me was the end and knowing that it was over and I could start something new.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future Totally. I based this one off of the stark contrast in yellow and black/white.

And it turns out that makes sense because Glory finds herself becoming interested in photography and the works of photography her mom did.

This book is one part realistic fiction and one part sci-fi. It is a creative blend of the two. (I think its called Magical Realism?) I really like the writing style of AS King, but I think the narrator for this one really cinched it together. She had a sort of smoky voice and really brought the characters to life. Definitely a good summer read!

I was intrigued by The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak because it had no pictures and thus no interesting cover. Reading the book is more of an auditory experience than a literary one, but I found it captivating and very silly. The video of the author reading the book to a group of children went viral and for good reason, it is a fun book!