Summer Reading Challenge Week One--The Fun Has Begun!

Officially, I didn't plan to begin until Memorial Day but a couple coworkers jumped the gun on me and started early--I couldn't let them get too great of a lead and, hence, we begin...This also extends our twelve weeks to sixteen weeks and as a few of the books are rather long the extra time will help to get us through all of them by the end of summer (I'm also planning to read sixteen books--so I definitely will need that extra time!!)

I began with my classic choice of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I'm sure I had to read this back in high school (maybe?) I could be wrong...It's a super bizarre book--even crazier when you take into context when it was actually written, back in 1931. Everyone is drugged, brainwashed, actually fabricated and manipulated into believing they are happy and all is right with the world. Individuality is obliterated--anyone who exhibits the slightest interest in self faces exile. Religion is twisted, worshipping Ford (materialism) rather than an actual God. Not my favorite. Weird ending, too.

 

Next up, for the horror genre, I read Joe Hill's NOS4A2. I loved it--such a scary, creepy ride and I especially loved all his little nods to some of his and his father's (Stephen King) other characters and novels. Super fun and wild--Christmas will never be the same...Definitely looking forward to reading more of Joe's work!

After that madness, I devoured A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab in a blink of two days. I simply could not put it down! Fantasy has always been my favorite genre and I'm so excited to have another great series to dig into! Schwab's characters and world development are fantastic--sucked me right in! It's great to have fantasy series to recommend for fellow fans of Game of Thrones and the Kingkiller Chronicles while we wait for Mr. Martin and Mr. Rothfuss to get off the pot and put out their next books!

I started Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life for my literary fiction pick on Thursday and life got sucked into some crazy retrograde Mercury thing--ended up in Hasbro's Children's Hospital in Rhode Island for emergency surgery for my son the day before his sister's long awaited wedding. I couldn't focus much on the book and somehow read and reread the same five pages I don't know how many times waiting anxiously for doctors and surgery then recovery...He made it through just fine, thank heavens, wedding went off without a hitch, and life, I hope, should be back to normal once more and I can wrap my brain around this new book. Oh, life, never a dull moment...

 

So, if you're playing along and have started reading, leave a comment, let me know where you're at and what you think of the challenge! I also have more trackers to share if anyone is interested, just pop me a quick email with address information and I'll be glad to zip those out in the mail!

Happy Reading!