2015 EBook Reading Challenge

Host by Annette's Book Spot

Like many book lovers out there I have a lot of books and the advent of cheap (fairly) accessible eReaders has only made my problem worse.  I think I have over 100 eBooks on my Kindle and over 300 eBooks on my Nook along.  That's where the eBook Reading Challenge comes along.

Level 2: Bytes (10 ebooks)

My List (11 Total):

• Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bonte
• Jane Erye by Charlotte Bonte
• Native Son by Richard Wright
• Creatures Here Below by Oscar H. Bennett
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 
• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
• Waking Lazarus by T.L. Hines 

Challenge Guidelines Quoted From Annette's Book Spot:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2015 – Dec 31, 2015.

Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).  

Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format. 

You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.

1% Well-Read Challenge

When I first started book blogging there was a challenge called the 1% Well-Read Challenge.  The goal was to read 1% of the books on the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.  I don't know if this challenge is still going on officially but still try to do it annually.  I use the list from 2008 version of 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.

2015 List

1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
3. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
4. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bonte
7. Jane Erye by Charlotte Bonte
8. Native Son by Richard Wright
9. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
10. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desia

Pulitzer Project 2015

One of the perpetual challenges that I participate in is The Pulitzer Project. Basically my goal is to read all the books that have won a Pulitzer Prize in fiction.  My goal is to read 4 Pulitzer Prize winning books a year.

2015 List:

1. March by Geraldine Brooks
2. His Family by Ernest Poole
3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
4. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2015

Hosted by My Reader's Block

It's always a good time to tackle Mount TBR and mine has gotten out of control.  While the convince of my Nook (I have a Kindle on the way) and my love for still purchasing physical books, I have a lot to choice from.

What I like about this challenge is that it restricts you to books that you have already purchased in 2014.  You just can't pick books from your TBR list, that you want to read someday but don't yet own.  Most of the books on my list are physical  books because I have a small space and my bookcases are almost overflowing. I could just buy more but that is not helping the problem.

Level (2): Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
My List:


1. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
2. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
3. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bonte
5. Jane Erye by Charlotte Bonte
6. Song Yet Sung by James McBride (2009)
7. Conception: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon
8. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (2011)
9. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2009)
10. Push by Sapphire (2012)
11. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (2011)
12. Mississippi in Africa By Alan Huffman
13. Zulu Heart by Steven Barnes
14. Nappily in Bloom  by Trisha R. Thomas
15. Creatures Here Below by Oscar H. Bennett
16. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
17. Waking Lazarus by T.L. Hines
18. Becoming Americana by Lara Rios
19. Gathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFadden
20. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
21. Sold by Patricia McCormick
22. The Color of Family by Patricia Jones
23. Saint Monkey by Jacinda Townsend
24. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin

Rules Quoted From My Reader's Block

*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.  All books counted for lower mountains may carry over towards the new peak. 

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2015. 

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 4th, 2015. 

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2015. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised last year--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks and E-books may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.] 

*You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided that you had 50% or more of the book left to finish in 2014.  I will trust you all on that. 

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well. 

*Feel free to submit your list in advance (as incentive to really get those books taken care of) or to tally them as you climb. 

*There will be quarterly check-ins and prize drawings!  

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post a challenge sign up and link THAT post (not your home page) into the linky below. Non-bloggers, please leave a comment declaring your challenge level--OR, if you are a member of Goodreads, I will once again put together a group for the challenge there. Feel free to sign up HERE.  At the beginning of the year, I will once again have a sidebar link for called Mount TBR Review Headquarters for 2015 reviews and progress updates.

Read It Again, Sam 2015

Hosted by My Reader's Block

I always tell myself that I am going to go back and read some of the books that I loved from my pre-high school days.  I wondered if those books would still have the same feel to me now that they did back then.  I remember my first read of Little Women and how emotional it made me, the second time around it did not have that same impact.  In fact, I felt it a bit preachy.

That is a long way of saying that I have to re-read some of my childhood favorites.  I am going to take it easy on myself with this one since I have some lofty reading goals for 2015 to make up for 2014.

Level:

Déjà vu (re-read 4 books)

Books:

1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
2. Black Girl, Lost by Donald Goines
3. Are You There God, It's Me Margaret by Judy Blum
4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Rules for the challenge can be found below (copied from original post at My Reader's Block)

Rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're lost in a nostalgic haze and want to tackle a higher level, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.  You cannot change down, however.
*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2015.
*You may sign up anytime from now until November 3rd, 2015. Any book read from January 1 through December 31, 2015 will count no matter when you sign up.
*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.
*Everyone who completes their challenge level will be entered in a year-end drawing for a book-related prize package.
*Please post about the challenge on your blog.
*Please sign up using the Linky below. Use a direct link to your challenge post as your url. Please don't connect to just your home page.  Links to a list on GoodReads or other social media sites are also acceptable. Please post about the challenge on your blog if you have one .

*Please use the Review Page [coming at the beginning of the year] to post review links and a final wrap-up post when you finish the challenge.  Reviews are not required--but I would love to see what you think about the books that you've read if you do review.
*No blog or GoodReads site? That's okay. Post a comment here to announce your entry into the challenge and when you have completed the challenge just post a comment at the review site with a list of your books.

Review: Futureland

Full Title: Futureland: Nine Stories of an Imminent World
Author: Walter Mosley
Pages: 356
Genre: Science Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Version: Hardcore
Publication Date: 2001
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Source: Public Library

Synopsis (GoodReads):

The citizenry of America struggles for survival in a dangerous, twisted future

In “Whispers in the Dark,” an ex-con sells his organs to ensure his brilliant nephew’s future. The boy will grow up to have the highest IQ ever recorded, but the uncle, who sold his eyes, won’t be able to see it. In “Voices,” a history professor becomes addicted to a drug called pulse, which gives him access to a world of vivid fantasy while tearing his brain to shreds. By the time the professor qualifies for a brain transplant, he’s no longer sure what’s real and what’s imagined. And in “Angel’s Island,” a convict in the world’s largest private prison reveals the facility’s chilling secrets. In this critically acclaimed collection of stories, noir legend Walter Mosley takes his unique vision of American society into the future. As the nation descends into chaos, its citizens wonder, Is the world ending, or has the apocalypse already come and gone?

Review:

Plot: D

One of my main issues with Futureland was the plot.  It seemed that Mosley had a great idea about where he wanted to go with these short stories and how to connect them but was not able to deliver.  When the collection opened with "Whispers in the Dark" I was excited it showed so much potential.  I wanted to know how the other eight stories would later to connect to the first.  I kept reading and reading, one story after another.  Waiting for the connections to happen.  There were little glimpse of connection and then finally I reached the end and was like "WHAT?... Whatever."   The ending was just out of place and I couldn't see where it came from, it was abrupt  and seemed like it was just place at the end to close the book.  I think several more stories scattered through was really needed to glue the whole thing together.

Also, the timeline seemed a bit off.  The stories take place somewhere around 2023 and the society he picks seems why to advance, especially for a book written in 2001.

Characters: B

I didn't have any issues with the characters in Futureland as individuals.  At times it was hard to keep track of them and when one would show up in a different story I would find myself searching my brain for where that character first showed up.

Overall, the characters in this book was probably Mosley's second greatest strength.  They were all so different and after each story, it felt like I knew just enough about the main character to move on.  Mosley did falter in that some of the stories hinted that the character would return in a major way and it didn't happen.  For example in "The Greatest" we are introduced to the only main female character in the collection Fera Jones.  Her storyline is quite unique and I was hoping that I would see more of her, there was a hint that she would be a major player.  But when we next see mention of her, it's just a mention and that's it.  If her story  and the one involving her father's "Voice" were removed from the book, I don't think it would have made much of a difference.

Writing: A

This is the first time I have ever read anything by Mosley, but I am very familiar with his name and his other works (mainly mysteries).  Mosley is clearly a talent writer and his writing kept me engaged enough that I finished the book quickly without a problem.  Each story was well written and I enjoyed Mosley's style.

I was excited when I read the first story because it gave me a "Twilight Zone" feel and I was hoping that he would keep that theme up throughout the book.  While the mood of the other stories in the collection was dark, the first story was the only had "Twilight Zone"ish feel.

I honestly have no complaints about his writing and enjoyed it enough that I would pick up (and plan to) another one of his books and read them without hesitation.  I just probably wouldn't read anymore SciFi written by Walter Mosley.

Explanation of Rating:    

There were too many plot problems and too many missed opportunities to bring the nine stories in this collection for me to give Furtureland a higher grade.  Mosley is clearly an excellent writer with a great talent, but Futureland did not live up to my expectations.

Final Grade: C-

Overall Recommendation:

I can't honestly say that I would recommend this book to anyone.  It's just such an odd book and I am not quite sure how I would recommend it to given the issues that it had.

Teaser Tuesday #2

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.

• Let the book fall open to a random page.

• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

This weeks teasers is from Futureland by Walter Mosley

Six naked men walked into the weak circle of light in a corner of the great chamber.  They weren't manacled or restrained in any way but their hands hung down at their sides and there was no escape or rebellion in their eyes

page 85 (Hardcover)

Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.

Bout of Books 10: Books You're Looking Forward To

The list below is from books that I was suppose to read in 2013.  I haven't planned what to read this year because I am so far behind from last year.

Backlog of Books I'm Looking Forward To (in particular order):

1. The Color Purple By Alice Walker (which is next up)
2. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3. Conception: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
7. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kennedy
8. Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington
9. Zulu Heart by Steven Barnes
10. The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive by Marvelyn Brown

Bout of Books 10: Goals

The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon was created by Amanda @ On a Book Bender on a complete whim in August 2011*. It took on a life of its own and was such a hit that Amanda decided to do it again and turn it into a somewhat regular occurrence. 

Bout of Books is a week long read-a-thon, usually from 12:01am on a Monday through 11:59pm on a Sunday in whatever time zone you are in. 

It is low pressure, meaning participants are only asked to push themselves to read more than they normally would during any given week. There is no competition between readers. 

How much time a reader wants, and can commit, to read, tweet, or network with fellow bloggers is left to individual preference. All challenges and giveaways are optional. 

Networking with fellow bloggers is actively encouraged, though never required. 

Use Twitter to post updates throughout the read-a-thon. Everyone will be tweeting with the #boutofbooks hashtag.

I am trying to get back into Book Blogging. So the Bout of Book challenge is a prefect importunity for me to get this blog started again.  I am going to use this challenge to try and finish three books that I started and need to complete from last year and start  (and hopefully finish) a new one.

My Goals:

Finish:

• White Teeth by Zadie Smith - 76% Completed
• Inferno by Dan Brown - 70% Completed
• A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story by Sister Souljah - 36% Completed

Start and Finish:

• The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I have a long commute from work and home and since I ride the bus I am going to try to use that time to read.  I am going to try and commit to reading at least one hour a day, hopefully I can squeeze in more.


33 Hour Update:  91% Finished with White Teeth by Zadie Smith

• Pages Read: 56
• Pages Read Total: 56
• Books Finished: 
• Number of Goals Finished: 

I am looking forward to finishing White Teeth today.  Since it is my off day, I plan to get done with it by tonight.

60 Hours Update: White Teeth by Zadie Smith Completed

• Pages Read: 41
• Pages Read Total: 97
• Books Finished: 
• Number of Goals Finished:  1

Not as far along as I had hoped for. Didn't get any reading done on my day off, I had the time but I didn't do it.  But I am happy to get White Teeth off my reading list. Every entertaining book.

Teaser Tuesday #1

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.

• Let the book fall open to a random page.

• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

This weeks teasers is from Freshwater Road by Denise Nicholas

Celeste watched not sure of what she was seeing, feeling heat in hear ears that muffled the sound until a passing child screamed "mommy," and the child tried to run toward Reverend Singleton as if to catch him.  Her mother snatched the girl up, her Shirley Temple curls shaking and shining in the cathedral light.

Page 266 (ebook)

Don't forget to post a link to your teaser!

I want to read it.