Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Hello members! How is everyone doing? I hope you are all enjoying your reading and this challenge.

We are at the end of week 7. There should be 7 books checked off our reading lists by this time to keep on pace. How many have you checked off so far? Be sure to update your lists so everyone can see your progress! I've read 9 so far. This week I finished The Silkworm for prompt 10 - a mystery or thriller and The BFG for prompt 33 - a book from your childhood. I loved both of these books!

Last week I asked what your favorite book of the challenge so far was. This week I'm wondering what your least favorite has been. Are there any you've started and you know you cannot finish? My least favorite so far was Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. He's the same author that wrote Fight Club so I was expecting good things. It was not believable, strange (not in a good way) and the plot didn't really go anywhere. If it hadn't been for this challenge I would have stopped reading it but I didn't want to have wasted the reading time on a book I wasn't going to be able to count towards the challenge so I trudged through it.

I'm still reading all your comments but it does take me awhile. If you have a specific question only I can answer be sure you message me directly. Also, I am not reading the book discussions on books I plan to read. If you post a question there I won't catch it. If there are any inappropriate things being said in one of those discussions please let me know as well since I won't see it.

Like always make sure you update our group bookshelf with the books you're currently reading and when you're done reading them be sure move them to the "read" shelf.

As always, happy reading!!

Nothing new to report this week. I've definitely been reading, so I'm not worried about my progress, but I have a habit of reading several books at once. I'll have at least two books finished by next week, for sure.

Other than a book I'm reading for school, my least favourite has been The Road (Pulitzer Prize). Even though it's picked up and I'm getting through it quicker than before, I still feel like I'm forcing myself to finish it. It's just sooo sloooow.

I read The Troop by Nick Cutter for a mystery or thriller and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sàenz for a book set in high school. Both were pretty good... very very different haha.

My least favourite so far has been 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, which I used for a book with a number in the title. It consists of five parts but I admittedly only read the first part. It is so critically acclaimed and has nothing but amazing reviews but to me, it was so dense and I really disliked the writing style.

I'm still so behind! I'm only on my second book right now. I'm really counting on spring break and summer to get caught up. On the bright side, I just got offered/accepted an undergraduate research position for next year and got interviewed for an internship at one of the national labs, so this week hasn't been a total waste of time, even if my reading list is still looking disgraceful.

Anyway, this week I'm reading The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus for my non-fiction book, as well as How to Become a Straight-A Student for "a book a friend recommended" (my twin sister read it last semester and loved it.) I'm enjoying both so far. The Hot Zone is really interesting (not to mention terrifying!), and, while I'm not usually one to buy into "self-help books," How to Become a Straight A Student has already helped me organize my schedule and pick up some time management skills, so I'm glad I'm taking the time to read it.

I haven't really disliked any of my books so far (unless I'm counting my biology textbook), though I can really sympathize with Katherine. I tried to read The Road several times in the last few years, and I've never been able to get through it. It just felt too slow and pretentious for my (admittedly unrefined) tastes. Something else always came up before I could finish it.

I'm feeling great that I am keeping up with this challenge so well. I typically read about 15-20 books a year. We are 7 weeks into the new year and I have read 9 books. I just may read 50 books this year. This past week I finished The One from Kiera Cass' Selection Series. Now I wait patiently for her next book in the series to be released in May 2015. Throughout this challenge the graphic novel was my least favorite. It's just not my thing.

I finished Scarred For Life for my Mystery/Thriller (It's a crime book so I figure that's close enough to a mystery!) I enjoyed it.

I'm now reading Slated and I'm really loving it. Not 100% sure what prompt I'll use this for. Maybe a book set in the future

I've finished 8 so far

It's been a bit since I checked in. I've read 10 books so far this year. Since last post, I've read:
a funny book: Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living;
a book more than 100 years old: Maurice;
a book based entirely on its cover: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief; and
a graphic novel: Seconds: A Graphic Novel.

I'm about to start Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances for my book from an author I love that I haven't read, yet.

I finished The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? for Play. It was funny and disturbing. I liked it.

I also read Everything I Never Told you for mystery/thriller. It wasn't what I was expecting going in, at all. But it made me think, a lot. And while it is not at all a major plot point in the novel it taught me about the paper sons and daughters of Chinese immigration. I had no idea. I've done a lot more reading on that subject since then and am very glad I finally learned about it.

So that makes it 10/52 for me.

We had some snow days this week, so I was able to spend some quality time in my pajamas catching up on my reading. I finished 3 books this week:
One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern for my book with a number in the title. It was a little slow to get going, but a very sweet book.
Heat Wave by Richard Castle for my book from a tv show. Fun, cute and entirely forgettable - but as a fan of the tv show I loved it!
and I finished my Across the Universe trilogy with Shades of Earth by Beth Revis. I enjoyed the trilogy very much - seemed to get better with each book. The last book really had my heart racing!
I've finished 14 books so far which is amazing for me! Like Nicole, the only one I didn't really care for was the graphic novel. I may have to give that another chance with a different book.

This week I finished Frankenstein (book more than 100 years old) and read Wonder (one word title) and Starter for Ten (popular author's first book).

Starter for Ten was probably one of my least favourites, though the prize for worst book I've read this year definitely goes to This is Where I Leave You.

I'm not sure what to start next, maybe The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. Not sure which prompt it could fit, but I guess it could be my book written by a woman, if nothing else.

One of the downfalls of teaching Kindergarten is that I constantly have a cold during this time of the year. However, the plus side means this is the time of year that I get a lot of reading done. (That and the summertime.) I have 16 books checked off so far.

I just finished for my book of short stories.

I am still reading my book with a color in the title with , it's interesting reading it because it's about a 20th year college reunion and I'm about to have my 20th high school reunion this August.

Today, I am starting my book chosen by the cover with . I know nothing about the book, but for some reason, the cover called to me. It turns out that several of my friends have read it, so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

I am expecting my reading time to slow down as the cold/flu season ends (hopefully) but I'm glad I made a strong start.

I finished my 13th book this week: Tales from the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He published this at age 26 so it's my "book by an author under age 30." It would also fit for collection of short stories.

My least favorite book was "From Baghdad to America." I even moved it to my "book with bad reviews" challenge because it was so bad.

I am ahead of schedule but we are approaching our busy time at work and I expect my pleasure reading to drop considerably for the next month or more.

I finished:
✔️48) A banned book: The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

So have now completed 22/52 and this has been my least favourite by far.

I have made a dent in:
✔️40) A graphic novel: The Compleat Moonshadow by J.M. DeMatteis, Jon J. Muth

And have started to enjoy it.

But still can't make any headway with:
✔️50) A book you started but never finished: The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt

Hoping i get to it, but not in a hurry.