The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

Okay, if we're going to have a folder for One Star rated books, lets give equal time to the books we LOVED.

I just finished The Host on Monday and I have it 5 stars which was really surprising for me because 1) I rarely give out 5 star ratings, and 2) it's a sci-fi book which I don't usually read.

So many good surprises all the way around.

So far, my only 5 star rating has been for The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I haven't got any points for it because it's for a multi-book challenge, but it was amazing!

Adrienne wrote: "So far, my only 5 star rating has been for The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I haven't got any points for it because it's for a multi-book challenge, but it was amazing!"

That's great news! I'm on disc 3 (of 15) in the audiobook version of The Angel's Game. The jury was still out for me, this gives me hope that the story will gel for me soon. I'll hang in there with it.

I'm reading Helene Hanff's books - 83 Charing Cross Road, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Apple of my Eye, Q's Legacy, Underfoot in Show Business, and I give them all 5 stars - I adore her writing - chatty, amusing, informative, good language, beautiful flow of words.

Just finished 10.6 the First Nations task. I read Louis Riel A Comic-Strip Biography and it was amazing. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, if all history and biography books were done so well maybe I would read more of them. Louis Riel, a charismatic Metis leads the Red River rebellion against the Hudson's Bay company and the Canadian government. While every Canuck kid learns about this part of our history in high school I have to admit I learned so much more about the circumstances and outcomes of it in this book. Chester Brown's Herge-esque art brings history to life in the absolute best way possible.

Krista wrote: "Okay, if we're going to have a folder for One Star rated books, lets give equal time to the books we LOVED.

I just finished The Host on Monday and I have it 5 stars which was re..."

this will both be great threads : ) I see myself getting in trouble here, I already have nudged my tbr count higher.

for the poetry challenge i read Zombie Haiku Good Poetry for Your...brains and it was awesome. it tells the story of 2 men, one originally owned the "journal" and one who picks it up during the zombie outbreak. so amazing, loved every single page.

I surprisingly already 2 new 5 stars for the fall challenge. They are both classic so I guess I should not be surprised! -

15.3 Math Time! Part I: 13 Letters for Author
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This woman serves as a reminder of standing against the grain, rising above great and nearly impossible hurdles and fears and having such the courage to question. The discussion during book club was riveting and did open many eyes to the world beyond our own front door. Some even said it made them a little less liberal (in the sense believing total tolerance can solve a problem). I strongly recommend this novel to anyone who wishes to gain a different perspective, a woman's view, on Muslims in Africa and how she questioned her own beliefs to gain her own independence. It's a hard struggle and very frightening. I do not know many people who could do what she has but to compare to another individual who spoke out against a common norm draws me to Galileo, whose views were against Church docturine.

I was starting to despair that Alice Hoffman was never again going to write a book that really sunk it's teeth into me and then I read her most recent, and LOVED it. I have been a longtime fan and when you have 25 books published, there are bound to be hits and misses. This was more "classic" Hoffman for me than her last 3 or so books.

I read (or rather LISTENED TO) by Alexandre Dumas. Holy cow, did I give it 5 stars! It was FREAKING AWESOME! I usually hate classics, but this book seriously rocks! It's got it all: love, hate, jealousy, revenge, swords, pistols, illicit affairs, scandal, intrigue, pirates, bandits, etc., etc., etc., and an insanely intricate plot. It was crazy good.

Marley & Me Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog it makes you cry laugh and shake your head. Marley if you seen the movie, you know him, the book just makes him even more so. NOw if you have not read the book or seen the movie you are in for a treat.

Love in the Present Tense

My first 5* read of the challenge! This is a book that I've had sitting on my TBR shelf for ages, and just never got round to reading it. Today I read it. It was a quick read - absorbing and emotional, a real rollercoaster read! Loved it!

SuzieR wrote: "Love in the Present Tense

My first 5* read of the challenge! This is a book that I've had sitting on my TBR shelf for ages, and just never got round to reading it. Today I read it. ..."

Dang, another one added to my TBR list. I've added a new 'Highly Recommended' shelf on my electronic bookshelf here on GR. I'm starting to fill it up quickly with all the books people have loved already in this challenge.

Ah well -- it's better to have too many GOOD books to read than not enough!

Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green was my first 5-star read for this challenge! I loved this book and really recommend it to any Stephen King fans out there. Can't believe I didn't find this series sooner. There are 9 in the series so far and I can wait to read them all!

Joy Marie wrote: "Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green was my first 5-star read for this challenge!..."

Oh I was actually thinking about reading this for the scifi task, I think I might now, thanks Joy! :)

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut was so amazing :D funny, bizarre, terrible, poignant. "Busy busy busy." So glad I finally read Vonnegut, now I can't wait to read more!

Tanja wrote: "15.3 Math Time! Part I: 13 Letters for Author
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This woman serves as a reminder of standing against the grain, rising above great and nearly imp..."

This was my only 5* read so far from the Challenge. I've recommended it to so many people. This is a story of courage and gumption and personal integrity. It made me realize how hidden some parts of the world are and how truly oblivious we can be to it. SOOOO good.

Madeline wrote: "Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut was so amazing :D funny, bizarre, terrible, poignant. "Busy busy busy." So glad I finally read Vonnegut, now I can't wait to read more!"

I plan on reading Cat's Cradle for the Cat task... I am glad that you liked it!!!

That's great Kate! Glad you read it, too! Everyone in book club seemed to as well.


15.6 Drama! Play & Film Production
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Classically one of the better romances. I prefer this one before Romeo & Juliet possibly due to the witty barbs exchanged by Beatrice and Benedick which later turns into love. Then the slanderous twist about Hero ending in a happy marriage. Delightful. Sweet.


Film wise, I watched 1993 Film Production starring Kenneth Branagh which I'll give five stars as well. It's a wonderful interpretation of the play. ALSO for those who enjoy Shakespeare re-telling's, try out the Shakespeare Re-Told series which one episode redoes MAAN! And Billie Pipper stars as Hero!

Kate wrote: "Tanja wrote: "15.3 Math Time! Part I: 13 Letters for Author
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This woman serves as a reminder of standing against the grain, rising above great ..."

I also gave this book 5 stars. A great read!

Blindness by Jose Saramago
5 Stars:
Full review under my own folder or profile but this was fantastic book and a real surprise.
I expected a standard sci-fi book (which i don't typically read but may try more of!) but this was great. It's really a story about society & human nature. Really well done.
I loved that no names were used, the 'city' was never identified, it could have been anyone in any city.
Downloading the movie now!

This was such an awesome book!

I really enjoyed The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee.

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The God Cookie A Novelthis is way out of my normal reading genre. I couldn't put this book down.

My only Five Stars so far are:

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Nicole wrote: "I was starting to despair that Alice Hoffman was never again going to write a book that really sunk it's teeth into me and then I read her most recent, and LOV..."

Nic,

I have only read two Hoffman books: "Blue Diary", which I loved, and "The Ice Queen," which I really didn't care for. I think I gave it only two stars. And then I swapped it. :-)

I have another of her books that I picked up at an FOL sale. Can't remember the name, and even though it is sitting 6 feet away from me, I'm too lazy to go look.

Kathryn wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut was so amazing :D funny, bizarre, terrible, poignant. "Busy busy busy." So glad I finally read Vonnegut, now I can't wait to read more..."

:D I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Another five pointer for me! Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers was wonderful. It's a modern take to the Sense and Sensibility story, but the main characters are uniquely their own and the storyline goes where it will, I didn't even realize the connection till I was finished, the author made it her own.

Madeline wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Madeline wrote: "Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut was so amazing :D funny, bizarre, terrible, poignant. "Busy busy busy." So glad I finally read Vonnegut, now I can't w..."

This sounds really cute!! (The S&S retelling, that is!)

I hope to have some 5 star reads soon. Unfortunately mine so far have not been that satisfying. I believe they have been mostly 2s and 3s, but I am a pretty tough critic of what I read.

This book was hilarious, I really enjoyed it!

Two so far for me:

Resistance, by Owen Sheers

and

Eleven Hours, by Paullina Simons.

Hoping for a few more to come!

I only have 1 5 star read so far:

My Most Excellent Year A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park

I read it for the gay character task. It's a fantastic YA read for those looking for a book for this task.

My first five star read, so far is:



It is so amazing. Please see the review I posted in my own 'books & thoughts' folder in this thread.

So far the only five star I've read for the challenge was for 20.1. Read A Christian Fiction Book, which I consider somewhat ironic as I'm not Christian.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, a novel about a Jesuit expedition to an alien planet, was simply tremendous. Even an old agnostic like me was moved by the protagonist's experiences in the search for faith - by the blessings and tragedies that shape his story.

Greyweather wrote: "The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, a novel about a Jesuit expedition to an alien planet, was simply tremendous. Even an old agnostic like me was moved by the protagonist's experiences in the search for faith - by the blessings and tragedies that shape his story.
..."

I really enjoyed this story as well. I hope to read the sequel, Children of God, soon. It's on the list to be ordered for my next purchase (I buy enough to qualify for free shipping).
Father Sandoz's story is really touching and heartfelt.

Third Five Star book:

Just read Dragon House for the Random Word task.
Another amazingly beautiful book about the power of a person's ability to love, to hope, and to rebuild. Similar to another book I have read by this author, this book was filled with memorable characters that are realistically flawed. As they learn from each other, they able to rise above their own nightmares and emerge into something amazing.
The story follows two very different people who together find the better part of themselves trying to build and open a center for street kids in Vietnam. It is a heartbreaking story that brought tears to my eyes, as well as a joy to my heart.
An easy 5 stars to give.

I have a second 5 Star read:



This novel is about truth, belonging and connection to the past. It is a beautiful book that manages to cover very serious issues/questions in a thoughtful and compelling way.

I finished Catching Fire last night. WOW. Loved it!

You know a book is really good when you're emotions are so high, you want to kill a fictional character Mortal Kombat style.... And the ending may have been cliffhangery (*shakes her fist at series books*), but I thought it ROCKED. The last line is still running through my mind... The third book is going to blow my mind. That woman can WRITE.

I remember when I was little and heard that on Mortal Kombat, there were characters who could reach into someone's chest and pull their heart out with their bare hands... and I thought it was so gross and disturbing and just awful. ...... *muahahahaha...* ;)

Sounds like a scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!

FATALITY!!! Course MK got the heart idea from Indy and Indy got it from uuuuUUuhhhh...*pulls out of a bag* DRACULA!

I gave five stars to Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. I have read a couple of his other books and liked them, but this one was by far the best in my opinion. It really pulled me in. From the beginning I was pretty sure that things were not what the seemed on the surface in some way, and really enjoyed peeling off the layers as the book went on.

5.8 Two Heads Are Better Than One!
[image error] The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
What a fantastic find amongst the pile of recommendations. I truly became enchanted in shortly under two days. My heart raced with glee as each letter uncovered more and more about the characters in this novel. I am in love with The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Reading this novel made me feel quite at home on their island. I even cried along with the main character when learning about Elizabeth's fate. Such a beautiful book and I am sure to re-read in the future!

Amanda wrote: "My favorite Mortal Kombat character was scorpion the yellow guy who would harpoon you in the chest and use the chain to drag you over, in which case you would, obviously, upper cut the victim. He s..."

My brother and I were too young when the game came out for my parents to let us get it... haha... We had Street Fighter. Loved that game! M. Bison's spinning electrical move kicked serious butt!

Jennifer wrote: "
I have a second 5 Star read:



This novel is about truth, belonging and connection to the past. It is a beautiful book that manag..."

I'm so glad to hear that! I have this book on my shelf waiting to be read.

Out of the 24 books I've read so far for this challenge, I have three 5 stars:

The Help - Kathryn Stockett
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
Fool A Novel - Christopher Moore

Tanja wrote: "5.8 Two Heads Are Better Than One!
[image error] The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
What ..."

One of my new favorites in recent months!

Cait wrote: "Out of the 24 books I've read so far for this challenge, I have three 5 stars:

The Help - Kathryn Stockett
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
[book:Fool A Novel|36..."

Ahhh...House of Leaves...one of my all time favs!!

Sara -- absolutely. Reading Guernsey brought joy. And with the winter months coming, happiness is like sunlight! Warm and cozy! ^.^

Cait -- The Help was wonderful!!

I may have to try to find a spot for House of Leaves now.