The Book Challenge discussion

So I'm setting up this challenge for myself because I need to read more. (Even though I always read.)

I want to read at least 100 books by November 1, 2011.

The following are included in this 100:

-26 A-Z Title Challenge
-10 classics
-10 books from the library
-4 favorites (reread)

My challenges:


A-Z Title Challenge
A: Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen
B: Beastly - Alex Flinn
C: Chain Reaction - Simone Elkeles
D: The Dead and the Gone - Susan Beth Pfeffer
E: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
F: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare - Melissa Jensen
G: The Girl She Used to Be - David Cristofano
H: Hold Still - Nina LaCour
I: It's Not Summer Without You - Jenny Han
J: Jumping Off Swings - Jo Knowles
K:
L: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
M: My Name is Memory - Ann Brashares
N: A Northern Light - Jennifer Donnelly
O: One Day - David Nicholls
P: Paper Towns - John Green
Q:
R: Rules of Attraction - Simone Elkeles
S: Sea - Heidi R. Kling
T: Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
U: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
V: Vision in White - Nora Roberts
W: Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson
X:
Y:
Z:

10 Classics
1. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
2. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
3. Macbeth - William Shakespeare
4. Animal Farm - George Orwell
5. Atonement - Ian McEwan
6. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut

10 Books from the library
1. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
2. The Giver - Lois Lowry
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
4. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger
5. Across the Universe - Beth Revis
6. Looking for Alaska - John Green
7. Heart of the Matter - Emily Giffin
8. Teach With Your Heart - Erin Gruwell

4 Favorites - COMPLETED
1. The Twilight Saga - Stephenie Meyer
2. The Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
3. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Total books: 100!!/100

1. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen


I loved this book! I've read 5 other books by her and I believe this is my 2nd favorite. Sarah Dessen really knows how to make characters speak and be real. When I finished this book, I felt like I'd lost a friend or something.

2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein


It has been a long time since a book really touched me the way this one did. I knew what the outcome was going to be, and yet I couldn't stop myself from becoming attached to Enzo and his family. And I couldn't stop myself from crying. I got this book from the library because I wasn't sure how I'd really feel about it. But now, I wish I'd bought it because it's too good a book to not have on your shelf.

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry


I had never read this book before. And a friend of mine told me to read it. So I got it from the library the other day. And I had big expectations. Lets just say, it was less than expected. I didn't like the ending and I just didn't understand it at parts. It was well-written. I just wish there had been more.

4. Twilight, 5. New Moon, 6. Eclipse, 7. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer


Even though I'm counting this as four books in my count, I'm going to count it as one in my rereads category. I didn't want that whole section to fill up, you know? But yeah, I like these books and they were fun to reread.

8. Hold Still by Nina LaCour


Oh my god. I mean, I read this book in a day, I couldn't put it down. I felt myself relating to Caitlin and falling in love with the story more than ever. I can almost understand how Caitlin really feels. It was just a very powerful story and will definitely keep me thinking for a while.

9. Sea by Heidi R. Kling


This book was so good. I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed it. It kinda makes me want to do some mission work now.

I better pick up the pace. I still have 91 books to go and only 10 months. =/

10. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly


I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. I mean, I just expected a lot more. It was good, don't get my wrong. And it was well-written. But I just...I don't know. I just don't feel like I enjoyed it much. I wish some things had happened differently. I did like the ending a little, though.

11. The Crucible by Arthur Miller


We had to read this for my AP English class. I surprisingly really liked this book. I read it all in about a day (seeing as it's not very long) and I liked it a lot. It was a good read. I'm kinda thinking about reading some of Miller's other stuff now.

12. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


My brother read these books last year and really liked them. So I decided to give them a shot. It was a really fun read and I'm excited to read the rest of the series. xD

13. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros


Oh my gosh, this book was so sweet. My Spanish teacher began reading a few chapters to us each day. But she wasn't reading them all. So I borrowed a copy from her and read it in about two days. I probably could've finished it sooner if it hadn't been for school. It was probably the sweetest book I've read in a while.

If I don't finish this challenge by November, I'll just extend it to the end of December and make it a 13 month challenge. (:

14. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray


What a perfect ending to a great series. This book was so much fun to read. I'm actually really sad that I'm finished with this series now because I'd fallen in love with the story, the characters, just everything. This book made me laugh and it made me cry. And to me, that's a good book. My heart is broken over the ending. But that's also a good book to me.

Kartik = <3

15. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer


I loved this book. At first, I didn't like it so much. I thought Miranda was kinda whiny and I didn't like her so much. But as the story progressed, I started to like her more. And I really liked Matt. I wish I had an older brother like him. But I liked this book and I plan to buy the next two books in the series soon.

16. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson


This book was so...good. Laurie Anderson really knows how to write. Like, really write. Her words fit amazingly together. I don't even really know what to say about how much I liked reading this book. I just really loved it. I'm probably going to write an actual review on it soon. Which I really only do for books I like a lot.

17. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer


This was a good comparison to Life As We Knew It and it was a pretty good read. I think it matched pretty good with the first one. I was kinda sad at some parts. But I guess when you read a book about death, that'll happen. I have purchased the third book and I'm excited to read it because I know Miranda and Alex will meet. I'm excited to see them entwine in this story.

18. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens


I am glad Mrs. Couch (my AP English teacher) made us read this book. I don't know if I necessarily like Dickens. But I feel he is necessary to the development of literature. I enjoyed this one more than I enjoyed Great Expectations. And I loved Great Expectations. Of course I will admit that I used SparkNotes a little for this book because sometimes, I just didn't really gather all he was saying. But I got the story. And it was a wonderful story.

19. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer


This was a great ending to a great series. It was happy, sad, passionate, just all around wonderful. I love to read a good series. And this one was truly wonderful and original and a lot of fun to read. I wish there was more, though. I'm sad that it's over. ):

20. Macbeth by William Shakespeare


We read this for AP English (we read a lot of books). Out of all the Shakespeare plays I've read, it's pretty close to my favorite. It was so fun to read, I don't know why. It's a short, easy read. And Mrs. Couch is a great teacher of it.

It's one of mine as well. I absolutely love Macbeth's soliloquy.

21. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown


After almost a month, I've finally finished this book. I loved it. It's just, I've had to read books for English and I haven't had as much time to read with school and everything. I have the sequels that I borrowed from a friend. And I'll probably read them soon. The story kept me interested and I always wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. And all the twists and turns of the story were exhilarating.

22. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe


I don't know how I feel about this book. I don't think I liked it very much. It just made me so mad at times. However, I'm glad Mrs. Couch made us read it. It was cultural and eye-opening. And it completely changed my mind about several things.

23. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown


Again, it took me forever to read this book. For one, I had a crapload of stuff to do for school. Like, I've barely had any time to read in the last few weeks because of all these projects. Second, it was kinda hard to get into at first. But it was still pretty good. I enjoyed it slightly less than Angels and Demons because the plots were just way too similar. But it was still a good book. I'm gonna wait a while to read The Lost Symbol because frankly, I've had enough Robert Langdon for a little while. (:

24. Paper Towns by John Green


I read this book in less than 24 hours. It was so good. I just wanted to keep reading, all the time. I only put it down twice: English class and Band. I plan on reading more John Green in the future. It was a really good book with a really sad but also happy ending. I love books that make me feel 5,000 different emotions in the span of 305 pages. (:

25. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab


This was a really great book. I mean, the story was good. And it was so dark but it also had some light moments. It was pretty crazy, the ending and all. But I really liked the characters and everything. It left me wanting more, though.

26. Animal Farm by George Orwell


Another Mrs. Couch book. Another disappointment. ): I liked the book. It was informative and historical. But I hated the ending and it made me mad for most of the pages. How could people be so naive? I just...ahhhh! I don't know. Bleh.

27. Atonement by Ian McEwan


I am listing this book under classics because it is often referred to as a modern day classic and it will no doubt be a classic in the years to come.

Atonement was heartbreakingly beautiful. I made the mistake of seeing the movie before I read the book so I knew the outcome. But that didn't stop me from feeling the ending so deeply. Though narrated mostly by her, Briony was my least favorite character. I loved Robbie and I love Cecilia. And I hated the outcome of their relationship. I think I'll probably just pretend the ending differently because it was just so tragically sad. I loved this book and hated it in some parts. But it is probably always going to be one of my favorite books.

28. Where She Went by Gayle Forman


Where She Went was just as good as If I Stay. Well If I Stay was probably better because it was the first book. But Where She Went was very good too. I loved the book being written from Adam's point of view. It was a very quick read and I wish there was going to be more.

29. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler


Twenty Boy Summer was sweet and sad at the same time. I was only going to give it 3 stars. But then I decided to give it 4 because the ending was so sweet. But I don't know if I could ever go to a beach and just sleep with someone I'll never see again. That's just not who I am. And I wouldn't have wanted my first time to be that way. That was one of my biggest annoyances with this book.

30. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows


It took a long time for me to get into this one. I'm not the hugest of fans of books written entirely in letter format. It's alright, but it's not my favorite. And it just seemed tedious at first. But then, when I got to Part Two, it got better. It was easier to read. The book was sweet and the ending was sweeter. (:

31. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger


You know, when I started reading this book, it showed promise. I mean, it was really easy to read and understand. And I just knew it was going to be a good book. But it wasn't. I was wrong. I mean, I loved The Time Traveler's Wife. And that's why I decided to read this book. But it let me down in so many ways. When all the dealings with the ghost started happening, it started going downhill. It was almost stupid to me. And then, after the resurrection, it really was just stupid. And it felt like everything to the end was rushed. I mean, there was really no more story. It just all kinda...happened. I actually almost hated it. I would've only given it one star if it weren't for the first 100 pages or so.

32. After the Kiss by Terra Elan McVoy


I'm not usually a fan of books written entirely in poetry or whatever. I've just never liked them much. But After the Kiss was pretty good. I really enjoyed reading it. The only problem I had with it was that I wished there was more story. I wanted more the whole time. It didn't seem like enough to me. Like I said, I just wanted more.

33. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han


So I started this around 4 and I finished it around 8. It was a quick, easy read. And the story was sweet. In the beginning, I questioned the writing because it seemed so amateur. And at times, I didn't like Belly. She seemed so immature at times and that really bothered me. But other than that, it was sweet. And I'm excited to get the next book in the series.

34. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles


I read this book fairly quickly. Because it was really good, I didn't have anything better to do, and I kept wanting to know what happened next. I'll more than likely read the other two books of the series. But I don't know when I'll be able to get them. Sometimes, the characters bothered me. But the writing was good and the story was good. And I wish I had someone like Alex. (:

35. It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han


Just like The Summer I Turned Pretty, I read this book really quickly. It was so quick and easy. I think I liked the first one better because it was kinda happy. But this one was good too. I have the third one. And if I could, I'd probably stay up all night and read it. Unfortunately, I have to get up early tomorrow so I can't. I'll probably still read a few chapters before I decide to sleep. (:

36. We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han


Three hours and nine minutes ago, I finished It's Not Summer Without You. It's 4:24 in the morning. I must be crazy. But it was so good and I really just wanted to finish the series. It was sweet and it had a perfect ending. I love a good series that ends just the way I want it to. It was wonderful. I'll be sick tomorrow from staying up all night, but it was worth it. (:

37. - 43. The Harry Potter Series


Harry Potter is honestly my favorite thing in the world. And I love rereading the books during the summertime. I wish I could live in the magical world that Harry lives in. I should probably stop reading the books so much cause I can almost quote them word for word. And in July, when the last movie comes out, my childhood will be officially over. I might cry.

44. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn


I anticipated reading this book for a while. I put it off because I wanted to read it at the right time, I guess. So I went on vacation this past week and read it while at the beach. It was not what I expected. But it was still pretty good. The ending was kinda odd, like I never would've thought that was how it was going to turn out. But yeah, I still liked it.

45. One Day by David Nicholls


My boyfriend read this before me and told me that this book was in the same category as The Time Traveler's Wife (our favorite book as a couple). So when I started to read it, I had high expectations for it. But I also knew that it was going to break my heart. I actually, really hated it. But also, I loved it. I don't know. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it. And that's why it gets 5 stars and in the favorites category. Because it's so...complex and interesting. It's one of the books that you'll hate, you'll love, you'll hate, then you won't be able to decide exactly what it is that makes it so intriguing and that's why it's a 5 star book.

46. Across The Universe by Beth Revis


I wasn't really sure what to expect. But I really enjoyed the book. And I'm excited for a second one. Although the villain was kinda predictable (I had it figured out quickly) it was still an interesting read with a somewhat happy ending.

47. The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti


This was the first Deb Caletti book I read. And I mean, it was alright. I liked it and all. But I wasn't 100% impressed. I have another book by her, Wild Roses. And I hope it's a little better or I may give up on her for good. =/

48. Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt


I officially love Lauren Barnholdt. I mean, I loved this book. All I wanted to do was keep reading and find out what was going to happen. The story kept me interested, I loved the characters, and the book was just well written. I will probably read more Lauren Barnholdt in the future because I just liked this book so much. (:

49. Looking for Alaska by John Green


Wow. Just...wow. I read Paper Towns a while back and loved it. And I tried to get through An Abundance of Katherines and couldn't. But neither compare to how much I loved Looking for Alaksa. I loved Miles. Of the three main characters, he was definitely my favorite. Looking for Alaska just made me think about life and love and "The Great Perhaps." Definitely one of my new favorites! (:

50. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin


Halfway point! I hate books about cheating. People who cheat suck, in my opinion. But some of the characters were sweet. Like Charlie and Jason. So they made me enjoy the book somewhat. But still, I hate that the whole book was about people having affairs.

51. Beastly by Alex Flinn


I kind of expected it to be not that well-written. I love the story idea. But I felt like it was very cookie-cutter. The style of writing just made me think of a teenage girl writing the book. My favorite character in the book was Will. He just seemed really sweet and genuine. Parts that I hated was that she revealed things about other books (Jane Eyre, Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc). It just kinda bothered me, I guess.

52. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan


A good second book in the series. I am going to read the rest of them. I'm just not reading them all one right after the other. But I think the ending of this book offers a good twist and it'll be exciting to see what happens in the future books.

53. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen


My favorite part of any Sarah Dessen book is the male love interest. They are always so funny and sweet and everything I'd want in a guy. Dexter, Wes, Eli...they're all just perfect guys to me. And then in a completely different category, we have guys like Nate and Dave. Completely different book subject. I'll admit, this one took a while to pick up for me. I mean, it was like Chapter 14 or 15 before the big conflict or whatever started. And there's only 18 chapters. The story was kind of different from her other books. It wasn't just about girl getting guy. It was about girl dealing with some big happenings in life and she got guy as a bonus. I like that. I mean, come on, it's Sarah Dessen. Her books are always going to rank high for me. (:

54. The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano


Hm...I was very curious about this book. I bought it very cheap on Amazon and decided I'd finally read it the other day. It was an odd read. I mean, I understood the story and I understood the background. But I mean, it seemed like Melody was very underdeveloped and she was aching for a man and then she wanted the first one there was. I mean, the whole second half of the book was talking about how horny and hot she was for Jonathan. It seemed a little silly to me. But the story was alright.

55. Vision in White by Nora Roberts


This is one of my mom's favorite book series. And I'm a sucker for a good romance novel. So it only makes sense that I read them. It was a short, fun read. It was kind of awkward, though. The sex scenes were weird to read because my mom has also read them. And it was weird imagining my mom reading them and then me reading them and blah blah. I'm going to finish reading the series.

56. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts


Book 2 was just as sweet and predictable as Book 1. But I still loved reading it. It was a quick read. I think I like Emma and Jack as characters more than Mac and Carter. Maybe cause my boyfriend's mom is a florist and I love flowers. (: