2016 Reading Challenge Completed

Posted on by lynndellwatson

2016 Reading Challenge

For my last blog of 2016, I wanted to share my completed 2016 Reading Challenge.

  • A book published this year: Holding Court by K.C. Held
  • A book you can finish in a day: First Contact by Kat Green
  • A book you’ve been meaning to read: Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan
  • A book recommended by your local librarian: Death Coming Up the Hill by Chris Crowe
  • A book you should have read in school: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • A book chosen for you by your child: The Western Front by Utah Valley University photographers in France honoring World War I veterans
  • A book published before you were born: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
  • A book that was banned at some point: Crank by Ellen Hopkins
  • A book you previously abandoned: Bleed, Blister, Puke and Purge by J. Marin Younker
  • A book you own but have never read: Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland
  • A book that intimidates you: Girl Rising by Tanya Lee Stone
  • A book you’ve already read at least once: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

I have thoroughly enjoyed my reading material this year and this challenge is just a tidbit of the 200+ books I have consumed during 2016.

For 2017, I am thinking of these challenges from Modern Mrs. Darcy’s website: 2017 Reading Challenge

Good luck with your future reading and Happy New Year!

Manga Art by Mark Crilley

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the opportunity to read and review Manga Art: Inspiration and Techniques from an Expert Illustrator by Mark Crilley! Mr. Crilley shares his story with his readers, encouraging artists everywhere. The beautiful artwork in this book will open up worlds for aspiring artists and I especially like the “your turn” sections that encourage artists to think outside the box and create out of their norm. I will purchase this book for the library where I work because I can see it being beneficial to many students. They will enjoy this book as much as I do- 5 stars for this nonfiction art instructional book!

Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty

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Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty is told in Mori’s point of view. She’s the daughter of a police officer, Moriarty. Mori’s given name is James Moriarty and that is why she goes by the name Mori. Mori’s family is struggling after the death of their mother. Since then, her father drinks a lot and has become verbally and physically abusive to her and her younger brothers. Mori is a very logical person and she meets Sherlock and finds they have more in common than she cares to admit. A man is murdered and Sherlock wants to make a game of solving the mystery with Mori. Everything involving the mystery becomes too personal and it’s a race against time to stop the murderer. The story brings friendships, suspense, cleverness and romance together for a wonderful read – 5 stars!

Girl Rising by Tanya Lee Stone

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone! The research done by Tanya Lee Stone after watching the film, Girl Rising, is attributed to the film producers sharing over forty-five hours of video interviews with her. The author combed through the videos to find touching, true, heartbreaking stories that will open up our eyes to what is happening to so many innocent young women and girls all over the world. The whole concept of Girl Rising is overwhelming and a vicious cycle. Families having too many children and they can’t afford to take care of them, so they sell or trade their daughters off to continue the cycle with another generation. The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking about birth control and trying to brainstorm some way of stopping the injustice. The cultural reasoning is one-sided and doesn’t take into account the loss of education and childhood/teenage-hood that these girls are missing out on. A girl’s eye view of human slavery, child marriage, lack of education and educational opportunities make this a difficult book to read, but we all need to be aware. This book is inspiring because of the highlighted stories and struggles that these girls have overcome – 4 stars! I want to get books to these places, if possible, so these young women and girls have a chance to read even if they can’t attend school on a daily basis.

Textrovert by Lindsey Summers

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review Textrovert by Lindsey Summers! Keeley is a procrastinator and an introvert, while her twin is the opposite; Zach get his homework done and he’s a natural leader. Keeley misplaces her phone and mistakenly switches with a stranger, Talon. The plot twists as secrets are revealed and relationships change. The Peeps are my favorite part of the story because of the strong connection Talon has with his grandfather. I would like to see a Peeps diorama for the book cover. I believe it would be eye-catching and charming and draw readers to the book [speaking as a young adult librarian;)]. I give this book 5 stars for complicated characters and writing that makes the characters realistic!

Waking in Time by Angie Stanton

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Waking in Time by Angie Stanton! Abbi has recently lost her grandma to cancer and now Abbi is determined to attend her grandma’s Alma-mater in Madison, Wisconsin, even though her mother will be left alone in Ohio. Abbi receives a package from her mother that contains notes and photographs of her grandma’s. One of the photos shows someone who looks just like Abbi standing next to her young grandma. Abbi drinks at a party with her friends and the next morning, she wakes up in her dorm room but the year is 1983! Next, she wakes up in 1970! Each morning, she awakens in a different time. In 1970, she finally meets someone who knows what she’s going through, Professor Smith, her physics professor. She doesn’t get any helpful information and a few days later she wakes up in 1961! In 1961, Abbi meets Will, a fellow time traveler. But where Abbi is traveling to the past, Will travels to the future. Will knows Abbi well and apparently they have a close, romantic relationship. When she wakes up in 1951, her young grandma happens to be her roommate. Next, Abbi wakes up in 1930. Will and Abbi meet and fall in love. They try to conquer the time travel issue so they can stay together, but it seems that no matter what they do, time travel is inevitable for the both of them.
I especially like the author’s information about historical facts contained in the story and the personal connection that the author based the story on. Complex and suspenseful – 4 stars!

House of Silence by Sarah Barthel

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review House of Silence by Sarah Barthel! Isabelle is happily engaged to Gregory after spending the required year of mourning after her father’s death. Then she witnesses Gregory committing a fatal act, but he creates a believable story that makes him look like a hero, so no one believes Isabelle when she tries to convince them that Gregory is a murderer. Out of desperation and for her own safety, she is sent to Bellevue Sanitarium where she befriends Abraham Lincoln’s widow and gains allies in her fight against Gregory. A historical fiction mystery that takes place in the late 1800’s. I enjoyed the characterization and the deception of the antagonist along with the suspense – 4 stars!

First Contact by Kat Green

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Thanks to YABoundBookTours for the opportunity to read and review First Contact by Kat de Falla and Rachel Green (Kat Green)!
First Contact marks the beginning of the Haunts for Sale series. Sloane is a paranormal real estate agent that searches for haunted houses that her customers want to purchase. She’s using this guise to search for her fiance, Michael, who was killed by a drunk driver just weeks before their wedding. He had a motto for being patient and now Sloane is following it to search for him: “…be patient and if things weren’t working out, give it a year and a day.” This is now Sloane’s mantra to keep her going. The haunting mystery holds suspense and creepiness throughout the whole story. The romance factor adds a nice, warm touch to the spooky tale. Lovable protagonists and horrible antagonists kept me on my toes! I give this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone wanting a macabre, spooky adult read!

Finding Kyler by Siobhan Davis

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Finding Kyler by Siobhan Davis involves an intense plot and new adult content that make this story racy and not for the faint of heart or prudish. The main character loses her parents in a drunk driving accident and is forced to live with her uncle and his family. She didn’t even know of the uncle’s existence until she learns he is now her legal guardian. Reminiscent of Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, I can see this becoming a very popular series with its controversial content. Siobhan Davis’ writing is well done and cohesive with believable characters and true angst, 4 stars!