Snowing! And a Couple More Reading Challenges!

Hello! It is lightly flurrying here this afternoon so I whipped up a nice big batch of black bean soup, wrapped the pups in their blankies, and thought it might be a great time to post a couple last reading challenges before New Years hits tomorrow night--one must have time to prepare, right?

 

The only thing that would make this even better would be mugs of cocoa....so cozy!!

 

First is the Ultimate Pop Sugar Reading Challenge which I attempted last year but ended up falling short trying to complete my A to Z Challenge at the same time. I like the idea of these 'scavenger hunt' type challenges, it just sometimes takes a little too much thinking to come up with an appropriately matching book for some of the prompts. Like, just let me read!! But then, a friend sent me a second similar challenge which I'll also post here, so throwing both of these out there for any takers. Here's the Pop Sugar list for 2018:

Click here for a printable list

 

And a second list for more reading fun for the new year:

A Reading Challenge for 2018

o   A book with a one word title

o   A book with a number in the title

o   An autobiography or memoir

o   A book based on a true story

o   A book based on a historical event

o   A book you once started but never finished

o   A book that is more than 100 years old

o   A book that won the Pulitzer Prize

o   A book you read as a child

o   A book you own but haven’t read yet

o   A book that has been made into a movie

o   A book from last year’s bestseller list

o   A collection of short stories

o   A book with a color in the title

o   A book you chose because of the cover

o   A classic romance

o   A book your closest friend recommends

o   A book written by an author with your initials

o   A book published the year you were born

o   A book based in a place you want to visit

o   A book set in the summer

o   A crime novel

o   A book with a proper name in the title

o   A book with a child as the main character

 

The plan for the rest of today is to finish Toni Morrison's Love then a short story in Ken Liu's Paper Menagerie. Looks like my first read from my backlist will be Peter Brett's Warded Man, one I've had on hand for at least a couple years...Ready to knock this list DOWN!! I hope everyone has a safe, warm, healthy, happy new year--we need it, right?? Looking forward to great things in 2018!!



 Cheers!

 

New Years is Almost Here

2017 has come and gone in the blink of an eye and now it's time to plan for new goals and new challenges for 2018. Along with my Beat the Backlist Challenge, and my A to Z title and author challenges, I want to try to conquer a subgenre list. I was completely unaware of just how many subgenres actually exist until I Googled the topic for the Goodreads Pop Sugar reading challenge last year. You can click here  to view a complete list--I haven't bothered to count, it's a whole lot! So, excluding any erotica (yeah, no thanks)--I'm planning to see just how many I can knock out next year.

For now, I'm finishing up the last of my reading for 2017--the last novel, Love by Toni Morrison. I completed 77 books out of my original 75 set for the year, yay me! Also yay me, I passed my ENG101 course for fall and have been invited to take honors classes for next semester. If I hadn't already ordered my text books, I'd probably consider the invitation but for now, I'm just sticking with what I've already scheduled for ENG102 and a college mathematics course. Keeping up with two courses ought to be challenging enough!

I did sit down and think about what my (hopeful) intentions might be for the coming year. I've let life slip by in such a blur since going back to working full time and I'm really craving some creativity time. So I'm hoping if I can set some daily and weekly goals for drawing and lettering, some art journaling, blogging for accountability, then perhaps I can stick to my intentions a little better? I'm playing around with tracker layouts in my bullet journal--that seems to be a simple way to remind myself of things that I might otherwise let slip by when I'm feeling too busy or too stressed to take time to play. Fingers crossed--I'll do my best to stay in touch here and see how it all goes...

Meanwhile, I did whip up a bookmark for Beat the Backlist and a tracker in my bujo for the A to Z Challenge:

 



I'm on the Book Bards team, hence the logo on the bookmark...It'll be fun to watch them both fill up! So...here we go! I'm sure 2018 is gonna fly even faster than this year did--don't blink!! See ya' in the New Year!

Harry vs. Twilight--One Final Essay

Last night was my ENG101 final and we could choose the essay genre for which we would write one final essay. I immediately went for a Compare/Contrast of Harry Potter vs. Twilight (when offered the opportunity to write about Harry, one always writes about Harry!!) I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd share it here for my Potterhead family. And, with this, my first college semester is comfortably behind me--I did it!!

The essay:

                Twi-Nerds and Potterheads have had a long-standing rivalry over which series is better. And, although I must shamefully confess to having a wee bit of Twi-Nerdom in my heart--c’mon, who doesn’t adore a tragic/romantic love story?--Harry will always win, hands down, every time. Let me explain.

First, to all Harry Potter fans, there is no doubt that Hogwarts is real. The statement, “Hogwarts is my home” rings true in each of our beating hearts as we wait every summer for our Hogwarts letter to arrive, and even though the owl post misses us each time, we never give up hope. (That Errol is a hopeless mess. I know he’s just lost my letter somewhere!) JK Rowling has developed the wizarding world so well, so richly, you are swept away completely. You know the streets and shops of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley like the back of your hand. You not only know all the house crests and creeds, but have been sorted and sport your house colors every opportunity you get. Rowling has given us an entire wizarding realm, filled to the brim with diverse languages, spells, charms, and creatures, all steeped in rich magical history and lore. In stark contrast, Stephanie Meyer’s vampire world in Forks, WA is as boring as the actual city, bland and with a complete lack of diversity. Her back-story development is slipshod and poor with so little history that it’s left flat, tired, and unimaginative. Twilight is less concerned with giving us an engaging world we can live in than it is with shoving a tedious romance down our throats.

Harry Potter’s characters are entirely more endearing and entertaining. First, our hearts break for Harry, orphaned as a baby when Voldemort ruthlessly murders Harry’s parents. Then he’s raised, unwanted and unloved by his muggle aunt and uncle, relentlessly bullied by his rotten cousin, Dudley. He finally finds refuge, respect, and a true home when Hagrid brings him to Hogwarts. He makes fast friends with Ron and Hermione, and even faster enemies with Draco Malfoy and Professor Snape. He is lovingly welcomed into the Weasley family as one of their own, Ron as much a brother to him, Molly the much wanted mother, and Arthur a guiding father figure. Hermione is his best friend, moral compass, and endless source of wisdom. This golden trio carry us through all the typical struggles of growing up, making the story so honest and relatable. We find heroes, loyalty, true friendship, and romance. We mourn the heartbreaking loss of characters we know and love like family. And ultimately cheer the triumph of good over evil. What do we get from Twilight’s characters? A twisted, tortured love triangle that is cheesy rather than heart felt. A fangless vampire that sparkles in the sunlight rather than burns, and doesn’t even drink human blood. And a pack of Native Indians that “pop” into werewolves when angered, like the Hulk, not when exposed to a full moon. That is the extent of Meyer’s “creativity”.

The story of Harry speaks to people of all ages. From young kids to grown adults, the series connects with fans on such a deep level. There’s something for everyone: adventure, fantasy, thrills, mystery, drama, comedy, and romance. We look forward to sharing the series with the next generation, and reliving it again through their hearts and eyes. On the other hand, the emotional, romantic plot of Twilight is directed more at teenage girls, rather than trying to reach across generations. Where you feel like you’ve grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you don’t get that connection with Bella, Edward, and Jacob. The Twilight storyline is rushed and just doesn’t connect as well with wider audiences. Rowling has made Harry’s life, although quite fantastic and unusual, still very tangible and relatable as he grows from a young boy into a heroic man that we all deeply love and root for—our Chosen One.

Overall, Harry Potter’s story and characters have been better developed, and feel much more real to fans. Disney hasn’t recreated a Twilight theme park, but daily fans flock madly to live out their magical dreams in the Wizarding World at Universal. That alone speaks volumes. We all want to touch a piece of that wonderful world of magic created by JK Rowling. No one wants to go to forgettable Forks. And, there you have it—Harry wins. Always.

 And now winter break begins...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Looking Ahead: 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Welcome, welcome! I'm indulging myself in a well earned reward of dark chocolate and a hot cuppa joe this afternoon since I just completed my second rough draft of the final essay for my ENG101 course and submitted it for review to the online tutoring site. The tutors have been such a godsend. I love my teacher--she's super nice but absolutely zero help in regards to any type of feedback or actual instructional guidance. Perhaps kids today come out of high school well versed in creating MLA style essays, but it's been forever and a day since I graced any high school halls and even then we never covered MLA in any way, shape, or form, so I am utterly lost when it comes to proper citation. Thankfully, I have the online tutors giving me a hand to figuring it all out and getting everything properly cited and organized. Still, it's a bit overwhelming and stressful, so I'm glad to have this second draft done and off for review. Gimme da chocolat!!

And, meanwhile, December has descended, like it or not, and I've begun to wrap up my reading goals for 2017 and have begun looking ahead to upcoming challenges for 2018. Since my biggest need/want/concern is to lessen the number of books I have on hand to read, I've chosen the NovelKnight's Beat the Backlist Challenge to take front seat for the new year. With 183 books TBR, I honestly cannot justify buying any new books without putting some serious dents into what's already overcrowding my shelves.

I've started a 2018 Beat the Backlist shelf on my Goodreads page. It's only got the first four titles of what I'm planning to scratch off my current on hand list but I will update it as I shelve more books as I go along next year. I'm also intending to do another A to Z challenge, both titles and authors again, since that was a fun extra twist to this year. Not great pics, but these are the bookmarks I made for tracking my reading this year--I'll have to make more for 2018 (in all that extra free time I have!!)

L to R: back of A to Z, back of Books I've Read 2017, and More for 2017

My current TBR (actual on hand...and why I can't buy any new books) List:



1.        Abolition of Man-Lewis

2.        Adventures of Sherlock Holmes-Doyle

3.        Amber Spyglass-Pullman

4.        Animal Farm-Orwell

5.        Anthem-Rand

6.        Awakening-Chopin

7.        Barkskins-Proulx

8.        Beloved-Toni Morrison

9.        Barnaby Ridge-Dickens

10.      Beautiful and the Damned-Fitzgerald

11.      Bell Jar-Platt

12.      Big Little Lies-Moriarty

13.      Black Earth-Snyder

14.      Blade Itself-Abercrombie

15.      Bleak House-Dickens

16.      Blinding Knife-Weeks

17.      Blood of Flowers-Amirrezani

18.      Blood Mirror-Weeks

19.      Book of Laughter and Forgetting-Kundera

20.      Booth’s Sister-Singer

21.      Born on a Blue Day-Tammet

22.      Bridget Jones’ Diary-Fielding

23.      Broken Eye-Weeks

24.      Broken Sword-Anderson

25.      Brothers Karamazov-Dostoyevsky

26.      Caliban’s War-Corey

27.      Call of the Wild-London

28.      Canterbury Tales-Chaucer

29.      Catch 22-Heller

30.      Civil Disobedience-Thoreau

31.      Columbine-Cullen

32.      Corelli’s Mandolin-de Bernieres

33.      Count of Monte Christo-Dumas

34.      Crime and Punishment-Dostoyevsky

35.      Daniel Deronda-Eliot

36.      Dark Elf Trilogy-Salvatore

37.      David Copperfield-Dickens

38.      Dawn of the Dragons-Owen

39.      Deathnote 2-Ohba

40.      Divine Comedy-Aligheri

41.      Don Quioxte-Cervantes

42.      Dornby & Son-Dickens

43.      Dracula-Stoker

44.      Dragon’s Path-Abraham

45.      Dreams of Distant Shores-McKillip

46.      Dreamsongs-Martin

47.      Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde-Stevenson

48.      Eat Pray Love-Gilbert

49.      Edgar and Lucy-Lodato

50.      Empire Falls-Russo

51.      English Patient-Ondaatje

52.      Etched In Sand-Calcaterra

53.      A Fine Balance-Mistry

54.      First They Killed My Father-Ung

55.      Five Days at Memorial-Fink

56.      Four Loves-Lewis

57.      Game of Thrones-Martin

58.      Germinal-Zola

59.      Gilded Cage-James

60.      Girl with a Pearl Earring-Chevalier

61.      Giselle’s Bucket List-Watt

62.      Golden Compass-Pullman

63.      Go Tell it on the Mountain-Baldwin

64.      Gunslinger-King

65.      Great Divorce-Lewis

66.      Great Expectations-Dickens

67.      Grief Observed-Lewis

68.      Hamilton-Chernow

69.      Hamlet-Shakespeare

70.      Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World-Murakami

71.      Hard Times-Dickens

72.      Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

73.      Head Full of Ghosts-Tremblay

74.      Heart of Darkness-Conrad

75.      Hero of the Empire-Millard

76.      Homegoing-Gyasi

77.      Horns-Hill

78.      Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet

79.      Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl-Jacobs

80.      Invisible Man-Ellison

81.      In Search of Lost Time-Proust

82.      Joy Luck Club-Tan

83.      Jude the Obscure-Hardy

84.      Kiterunner-Hosseini

85.      Kushiel’s Dart-Carey

86.      Leonardo da Vinci-Isaacson

87.      Little Dorit-Dickens

88.      Lincoln in the Bardo-Saunders

89.      Little Prince-St Exupery

90.      Little Women-Alcott

91.      Lord of the Flies-Golding

92.      Love-Morrison

93.      Love in the Time of Cholera-Marquez

94.      Madame Bovary-Flaubert

95.      A Man Called Ove-Backman

96.      Man in the High Castle-Dick

97.      March-Doctorow

98.      Martin Chuzzlewit-Dickens

99.      Memoirs of a Geisha-Golden

100.   Mere Christianity-Lewis

101.   Metamorphosis-Kafka

102.   Middlemarch-Eliot

103.   Midsummer Night’s Dream-Shakespeare

104.   Miracles-Lewis

105.   Mistborn-Sanderson

106.   Moon and Sixpence-Maugham

107.   Mystery of Edwin Drood-Dickens

108.   Name of the Rose-Eco

109.   Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglass-Douglass

110.   Native Son-Wright

111.   Nicholas Nickleby-Dickens

112.   Night Angel-Weeks

113.   Old Curiosity Shop-Dickens

114.   One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-Kesey

115.   One Hundred Years of Solitude-Marquez

116.   Orphan Train-Kline

117.   Oryx and Crake-Atwood

118.   Our Mutual Friend-Dickens

119.   Paper Menagerie-Liu

120.   Pickwick Papers-Dickens

121.   Picture of Dorian Gray-Wilde

122.   Pillars of the Earth-Follett

123.   Possession-Byatt

124.   Prayer for Owen Meany-Irving

125.   The Prince-Machiavelli

126.   Princes of Ireland-Rutherford

127.   Problem of Pain-Lewis

128.   Rainbow-Lawrence

129.   Ravensbruck-Helm

130.   Reader-Schlink

131.   Regeneration-Barker

132.   Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve-Greenblatt

133.   Romeo and Juliet-Shakespeare

134.   Road to Jonestown-Guinn

135.   Robinson Crusoe-DeFoe

136.   Sarum-Rutherford

137.   Scarlet Letter-Hawthorne

138.   Schindler’s List-Keneally

139.   Screwtape Letters-Lewis

140.   Secret Garden-Burnett

141.   A Separate Peace-Knowles

142.   Septimus Heap-Sage

143.   Setting Free the Kites-George

144.   Shadow of the Wind-Zafon

145.   Shipping News-Proulx

146.   Siddhartha-Hesse

147.   Silent Corner-Koontz

148.   Sing, Unburied Sing-Ward

149.   Sisi-Pataki

150.   Sister Carrie-Dreiser

151.   Sons and Lovers-Lawrence

152.   Sons and Soldiers-Henderson

153.   Strangeness in my Mind-Pamuk

154.   The Stranger-Camus

155.   A Stranger in a Strange Land-Heinlein

156.   Strange Weather-Hill

157.   Subtle Knife-Pullman

158.   A Suitable Boy-Vikram

159.   Summer Before the War-Simonson

160.   Sun Also Rises-Hemingway

161.   Sybil-Disraeli

162.   Tale of Two Cities-Dickens

163.   Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Bronte

164.   Tess of the d’Ubervilles-Hardy

165.   Things They Carried-OBrien

166.   Thirty-Nine Steps-Buchanan

167.   Three Men in a Boat-Jerome

168.   Three Muskateers-Dumas

169.   Tiger’s Daugher-Rivera

170.   Tom Jones-Fielding

171.   A Tree Grows in Brooklyn-Smith

172.   Turn of the Screw-James

173.   Turning Angels-Isles

174.   Uncle Tom’s Cabin-Stowe

175.   Up From Slavery-Washington

176.   Vanity Fair-Thakeray

177.   Vinegar Hill-Ansay

178.   Warded Man-Brett #1

179.   Warmth of Other Suns-Wilkerson

180.   Way We Live Now-Trollope

181.   Weird-Martin

182.   World Without End-Follett

183.   Zola-McColum

 

(Color code: Blue-paperback, Green-Nook, Black-Kindle, and highlighted-ARC)

 

Whew! Crazy, no? Lots of great stuff on there to read and I know it's gonna be a great year ahead, so--I'm gearing up! Let's do this!! What's on your list to read for 2018?