2018 When Are You Reading? Challenge

I admit I wasn’t going to join the challenge this year, but I had so much fun during the previous three years (click to see lists for 2015 , 2016 and 2017) that I have finally given in. Better late than never right? So as of today, I am officially signing myself up for the fifth edition (my fourth) of the WHEN ARE YOU READING? challenge! This challenge is hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and you can still sign up in case you are interested. This challenge is all about reading books either published or set in twelve different time periods… The perfect way of reading books of different eras!

RULES

  • Determination of what year a book belongs in is the decision of the participant. On the whole, choose a year where the largest part of the action occurs or the most important event.

Below I will be adding the titles I have managed to read for each era, only this time I will do things differently and not add every book to the list, just one or two for each era depending on the color each title has. Because like previous years, I have divided my reads into two categories: books by publish date and books by setting. When the setting is not specified or is roughly the same as the publish date, I will use this color.

The challenge includes 12 books from the following eras:

  • Pre 1500
    # The Year Of The Snake – by M.J. Trow (1st century)
    # Jilliand – by Clare Gutierrez (800s)
  • 1500-1599
    # A Castle In Romagna – by Igor Stiks (1535/1948/1995)
  • 1600-1699
    #
  • 1700-1799
    # The Unbinding Of Mary Reade – by Miriam McNamara (1704-1720) 
    # The Poison Plot – by Elaine Forman Crane (1738-1739) DNF
  • 1800-1899
    # The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter – by Julia Drosten (1803-1822)
  • 1900-1919
    # All Things Bright And Strange – by James Markert (1917-1920)
  • 1920-1939
    # Murder On The Orient Express – by Agatha Christie (1926)
    # What Blooms From Dust – by James Markert (1935)
  • 1940-1959
    # Salt To The Sea – by Ruta Sepetys (1945)
  • 1960-1979
    # The Letter For The King – by Tonke Dragt (1962)
    # The Silent Kookaburra – by Liza Perrat (1970s)
  • 1980-1999
    # Born a Crime – by Trevor Noah (1990s)
  • 2000-Present
    # Barbed Wire Heart – by Tess Sharpe (2018)
  • The Future:
    # Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2044-2045)

Currently 11 out of 12 time periods read.


Have you joined this challenge this year? Do you tend to read a lot of books set or published in different eras? Feel free to comment! 🙂


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2018 Beat The Backlist: Official Update Post #BeatTheBacklist

I had a lot of fun with the Beat The Backlist challenge last year, so I just couldn´t resist signing up again… The challenge is hosted at Novelknight and there is still plenty of time to sign up if you are interested! You can find my sign up post here.

This challenge is all about reading all those poor neglected books on your shelves instead of just new releases. We all love our new releases, but those older books deserve our attention too right? 😉 Books have to be published before 2018 to count, and you can set your own goals as you see fit. Reading/reviewing books before 2018 will earn you points for your team and there are even some prizes to win beside the fact you will be downsizing your TBR!

I’ve decided to lower my previous goals slightly and read a total of 40 books published before 2018 next year… With at least 20 of them published 2015 or before.

Aaaaand I’m on team Novel Knights this year!!

On to the official update post part… Where I will share the books I’ve read that fit the challenge. Books that fit in with my personal challenge are either orange for books published in 2017 or 2016 or green for books published before that. Books that have a AMAZON mentioned have earned points both for having read AND reviewed it on Amazon.

>>> Last updated July 6th 2018 <<<

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2017 When Are You Reading? Challenge: DONE

when-are-you-reading-2017-final

I honestly wasn’t expecting I was going to make it this time,  but I managed to finish When Are You Reading? 2017 with only hours to spare! It was my third time participating in this challenge (click to see lists for 2015 and 2016) hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words. It is all about reading books either set or published in twelve different time periods. The perfect way of reading books of different eras!

Below my list of books I managed to read for each era…I have divided my reads into two categories like last year: books by publish date and books by setting. When the setting is not specified or is roughly the same as the publish date, I will use this color. For a full list, check out my update post.

    • Pre 1500
      # The Song Of Achilles – by Madeline Miller (800)
      # The Book Of Whispers – by Kimberley Starr (1096)
      # Court Of Lions – by Jane Johnson (15th century/present)
      # And I Darken – by Kiersten White (late 15th century)
      # Now I Rise – by Kiersten White (late 15th century)
    • 1500-1599
      # Utopia – by Thomas More (1516)
    • 1600-1699
      # Captain Alatriste – by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (17th century)
    • 1700-1799
      # Alex And Eliza – by Melissa De La Cruz (1770s)
    • 1800-1899
      Life Sentence- by Lily Luchesi (1810-present)
      # Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – by Lewis Carroll (1865)
      # Little Women – by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
      # The Merchant’s Pearl – by Amie O’Brien (1875)
      # The Jungle Book – by Rudyard Kipling (1894)

      # The Invisible Man – by H.G. Wells (1897)
    • 1900-1919
      # Sherlock Holmes And The Nine-Dragon Sigil – by Tim Symonds (1906-1907)
      # The Lifeboat – by Charlotte Rogan (1914)
    • 1920-1939
      # A Gentleman In Moscow – by Amor Towles (1920s)
      # The Color Purple – by Alice Walker (1930s)
      # The Last Valentine – by Felix Alexander (1930s)
    • 1940-1959
      That Burning Summer – by Lydia Syson (1940)
      # The Thankful – by Jamie Campbell (1940)
      # The Dollmaker Of Krakow – by R.M. Romero (1940s)
      # The Diary Of A Young Girl – by Anne Frank (1942-1944)
      # Devastation Road – by Jason Hewitt (1945)
      # The Diary Of A Young Girl – by Anne Frank (1947)
      # Can’t Buy Forever – by Susan Laffoon (1950s)
    • 1960-1979
      # The Rules Of Magic – by Alice Hoffman (1960s)
      # We Have Always Lived In The Castle – by Shirley Jackson (1962)
      # Flowers For Algernon – by Daniel Keyes (1966)
    • 1980-1999
      # The Color Purple – by Alice Walker (1982)
      # IT – by Stephen King (1986)
      The Impossible Fortress – by Jason Rekulak (1987)
      # The Gypsy Moth Summer – by Julia Fierro (1992)
      # Captain Alatriste – by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (1996)
      # Stardust – by Neil Gaiman (1999)
    • 2000-Present
      # Making Faces – by Amy Harmon (2001)
      # Never Let Me Go – by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)
      # Still Alice – by Lisa Genova (2007)
      # The Ask And The Answer – by Patrick Ness (2009)
      # Room – by Emma Donoghue (2010)
      # A Monster Calls – by Patrick Ness (2011)
      # Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe – by Benjamin Alire Saenz (2012)
      # Making Faces – by Amy Harmon (2013)
      # Bird Box – by Josh Malerman (2014)
      # Mosquitoland – by David Arnold (2015)
      # Heartless – by Marissa Meyer (2016)
      # The Hate U Give – by Angie Thomas (2017)
      # Herding Cats – by Sarah Andersen (2018)
    • The Future
      # The First City – by Joe Hart (2030s)
      # Americosis Vol. 4 – by Haydn Wilks (4046/present)

 


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Hooked To Books Reading Challenge: It’s A Wrap! @Hookedtobooks

Anitya from Hooked To Books is hosting the The Hooked To Book Reading Challenge 2017 this year; a challenge all about reading as many books as possible during the twelve months of 2017. You can participate on four different levels and there are some pretty awesome rewards to win!

There is still time until September 15th to sign up!!

Levels Books Read & Reviewed Number of Rewards Rewards
Keen Reader 30+ 1 $50 Amazon Gift Card
Avid Reader 70+ 1 $75 Amazon Gift Card
Bookaholist 120+ 1 $100 Amazon Gift Card
Bookworm Extremist 200+ 10
1
1 Kindle Paperwhite
$150 Amazon Gift Card

I personally signed up for the 120 books: Bookaholist level… And last month I somehow managed to reach that goal already (way earlier than expected). I knew I should have tried the 200 goal instead haha. But happy to be finishing this challenge!! 😀

Now on to a long list of the books I’ve read and reviewed this year so far… WARNING: there are a LOT. xD  Didn’t review two of these, but there are still 120+ reviewed titles here like the challenge asks for.

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#BoutOfBooks 19.0 – It’s A Wrap!!

I can’t believe Bout Of Books 19.0 is already over!! I had a blast during this readathon and read way more than I thought I would be able to… No less than six finished books and four reviewed as well; definitely a new record. (Or at least I *think* so…) I also participated in three challenges (day 1,2,3), participated in the first Twitter chat and posted six readathon-related bookish photos on my Instagram… All in all a lot better than I hoped for!


DAY 7: SUNDAY MAY 14th 2017

# Pages read today: 192 (Manipulated Lives)
# Total pages read: 1.974
# Book continued: Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel
# Books finished: Enchanters by K.F. Bradshaw (3/5 stars) // Room by Emma Donoghue (5/5 stars) // Roses Of May by Dot Hutchison (3,5/5 stars) // Liar by K.L. Slater (4,5/5 stars) // Aurabel by Laura Dockrill (1,5/5 stars) // Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel (4/5 stars)


As for the wrap up: I managed to read 3 out of 5 titles on my original readathon TBR (actually reading the fourth today), so that’s definitely better than I hoped. And even better: I managed to complete all my goals as well! 😀

  • Finish and review 3 books
  • Read 150 pages each day
  • Join a challenge
  • Most importantly: have fun!!

BOOKS I’VE READ:

1. Enchanters by K.F. Bradshaw (3/5 stars) REVIEW

 I was looking forward to read Enchanters, but I ended up having mixed thoughts instead. While I liked the worldbuilding, plot and general idea behind this story, I still think it was also overlong and even dragged at points. That might just be because the dialogue didn’t feel all that natural and I didn’t really like some of the characters in the first place though. The pace did pick up in the second half and there was a lot more action… All in all an interesting read, although I did have my problems with it.

2. Room by Emma Donoghue (5/5 stars) REVIEW

I still can’t believe it took me years to finally pick up my copy of Room, but it is without doubt one of my new all time favorites. The story itself is already both dark, shocking and powerful, but what makes Room even more special is that it’s told from the POV of a 5-year-old boy. Jack is a truly fascinating and unique character and having the opportunity to follow both him and Ma is a true blessing. This story will definitely stay with me for a long time! As you might have guessed, I can highly recommend this story.

3. Roses Of May by Dot Hutchison (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW

While not as strong or twisted as the first book, I still very much enjoyed Roses Of May. Especially the final part had a very fast pace and the writing style is very enjoyable to read. The serial killer and plot itself are both intriguing and the chapters with the killer’s thoughts added another level of suspense. I also might or might not have squealed when I saw my name mentioned in the story (doesn’t happen often, trust me!). The plot twists are interesting as well, although I did find out the killer’s identity early on. Without doubt still recommended though!

4. Liar by K.L. Slater (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW

Liar turned out to be another excellent psychological thriller read full of surprises. I found myself literally flying through the pages as I kept wondering about the chapter the story started with… Because Liar both started and ended with a bang. This is unreliable narrating at its best, and I loved every single minute of the ride. More than recommended for fans of the genre!

5. Aurabel by Laura Dockrill (1,5/5 stars)

I really wanted to enjoy this one and I still love the cover, but unfortunately I just couldn’t. I felt like it was as if I were reading in a foreign language I could only barely understand for most of the ride and I had a REALLY hard time finishing this one. In fact, I would probably have DNFed it if it wouldn’t have been an ARC. A little note: after some investigation, I found out this is actually a sequel and it becomes clear as you are reading Aurabel that a lot of both background AND essential information is missing if you don’t read the first book. That said, I don’t think this story has convinced me enough to actually try and read the first book. Unfortunately it ended up being a quite painful experience reading Aurabel.

6. Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel (4/5 stars)

 I have been wanting to pick up this collection of short stories about different characters dealing with the consequences of manipulators for a long time now, especially since I’ve seen various glowing reviews in the past. And I’m definitely glad I finally picked it up, because I really enjoyed reading them. Every story deals with a different angle and the stories are truly fascinating. My favorite story would be between the second and the third story; my least favorite probably either number four or five, but this doesn’t mean they were still good. If psychology fascinated you or you enjoy realistic fiction in general, Manipulated Lives is definitely a great read.

Did you join the Bout Of Books readathon and how did it go? Feel free to add your links! 🙂


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#BoutOfBooks 19.0 – Day 6 Update

I can’t believe it’s already the last day of Bout Of Books 19.0!! I’m not sure how much I will be able to read today, but I’m already happy with the results so far anyway. No less than five books finished and four of them reviewed as well; definitely more than I was expecting!!

DAY 6: SATURDAY MAY 13th 2017

# Pages read today: 259 (Aurabel) + 82 (Manipulated Lives)
# Total pages read: 1.782
# Book continued: Aurabel by Laura Dockrill
# Books finished: Enchanters by K.F. Bradshaw (3/5 stars) // Room by Emma Donoghue(5/5) // Roses Of May by Dot Hutchison (3,5/5) // Liar by K.L. Slater (4,5/5) // Aurabel by Laura Dockrill (2/5)
# Book started: Manipulated Lives by H.A. Leuschel


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