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  • Tag: 50 book challenge

    • 2016 Bookish Resolutions & Reading Challenges

      Posted at 3:10 am by Laura, on January 2, 2016

       

      2016bookishresolutions

      READ 50 BOOKS || Easy peasy. I’ve been doing this every year. It’s always a challenge to see if it’ll get done, what with agenting and all. 2016 will be especially difficult because there are a lot of travels planned (and, strangely enough, I don’t read much when I’m traveling).

      READ FEWER ARCs || ARCs are important. I’ll always love receiving them. But I think I hit my max in the number of ARCs to read and review in 2015, and I’d like to take a step back from that in 2016. My primary job is to find new manuscripts — to be the hipster in the publishing industry (cause that’s what agents are!). I’ll be more selective in the ARCs I accept for review, just like how I’m selective in the manuscripts I read.

      REREAD 5 FAVORITES || Last year I made a goal of rereading 10 favorite books, and only managed to complete 3 and nearly finish another. Five seems like a more achievable goal.

      READ 10 LIBRARY BOOKS || I’m debating between making this 10 library books and 15 library books — either way, read more books from the library! One does not need to buy all the new books when you could easily check them out from the library and decide if they’re worth keeping in your own personal library later on. I managed to read 7 books from the library in 2015, so I think 10-15 seems a good range.

      PURCHASE NO MORE THAN 5 NEW BOOKS || This will be the tough one. I could never quite follow the “for every 5 books read, 1 unread book can be purchased” resolution I’d make in previous years, because…well, are ARCs part of the list? Or was it 5 already published books? And because I was wishy washy with the definition, I wouldn’t keep track of the number of books I read and just bought stuff whenever I felt like it. Now I have something to keep track. Only 5 completely-new-to-me, never-been-read-in-any-format-ever-before books.

      Reading Challenges

      This year I’m participating in four reading challenges, all quite naturally. While I have a goal to read fewer ARCs, more library books, and tackling my TBR, these challenges can also keep me in line a bit with all of them.

      2016classicschallenge1

      I’ve told Stacey @ The Pretty Books that I would participate in her Classics Challenge ever since she started this, and two years have gone by and I haven’t kept my word. NOW I WILL! I plan to read at least five classics in 2016, four of the five on my TBR bookcase and one of them I’ve been eyeing for a couple years now. Might as well snag it from the library!

      flightsoffantasy-2016

      Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books is a massive fantasy fan, and we tend to share similar reading preferences. This year I decided I would join her Flights of Fantasy reading challenge. It’s quite simple: read fantasy books. Well, I have loads of those on my TBR bookcase, so I’m planning to read at least five fantasy books in 2016.

      ReRead2016Graphic

      I’m continuing in the Re-Read Challenge in 2016, now hosted solely by Kelly @ Belle of the Literati (because former co-host Hannah @ So Obsessed With will be busy with a little bundle of joy!), and like I said in my resolutions, I plan to re-read five books in 2016.

      rockmytbr

      And last but not least, there’s actually a challenge out there for reading books off your TBR shelves! Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler is hosting the Rock My TBR Challenge, and all you need to do is read at least one book a month off your shelves. I will certainly read more than one a month in 2016.

      As you can see, these challenges will easily overlap with one another. They’re not challenges so much as ways to make me accountable for what I’m resolving to do in 2016. We all need a little something to keep us in line, right?

      What are your bookish resolutions for 2016? Are you participating in any reading challenges (and if so, which ones)?

      Posted in books, Classics Challenge, Flights of Fantasy, ReRead2016, Rock My TBR, Update Post | 18 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, classics challenge, flights of fantasy, personal, reading, reread2016, resolutions, rock my TBR
    • 2014 Bookish Resolutions / 50 Books Challenge

      Posted at 12:12 pm by Laura, on December 31, 2013

      bookish resolutions

      Although I read nearly 70 books this year, I am not sure if I’ll be able to match that ever again. The thought of having a goal of more than 50 puts me into a paralyzing shock. This year’s number one goal is to begin my career!

      I have hopes for this blog. Not sky-high, but hopes high enough that, if I post something here at least once a week, I think it could be considered a healthy, active blog. Now it’s a matter of finding the time and figuring out the content…Any suggestions? What would you like to see on here?

      Because Quirk Books seems to like my sporadically submitted and published blog posts, and many ideas were tossed around and approved, it’s time I devote even more of my spare moments on researching and blogging for more Quirk content.

      The fourth goal is something I really need help with. Excuses can be made for everything, but now it’s a serious situation: lack of space for new books combined with my inability to read as quickly as I buy means I have way too many books I need to get around to reading. So any books that are going to be purchased this year, the books that can break this rule, are the next installments of trilogies/series that are forthcoming in 2014.

      Finally, because libraries are important and I do have several library cards, I plan to use the library more. I’m certain I made this goal last year and I failed miserably (apart from researching for my thesis, which does not count in this case).

      Let’s hope I can stick to these! What are your bookish 2014 resolutions? If you don’t have any resolutions per se, what’s your reading goal?

      Posted in books | 7 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, bookstores, library, personal, quirk books
    • Book Challenge 2013: A Year in Review

      Posted at 9:31 am by Laura, on December 20, 2013

      So far this year (I’m still finishing up two books), I’ve read 67 books — 17 more than my goal of 50!

      Screen Shot 2013-12-20 at 9.16.31 AM

      Go to my Goodreads to see the details.

      The longest book I read was Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (although I’m pretty sure that was because there were more pages, and larger type, while other books like A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens may have been longer technically. Who knows. Math is not my forte).

      21 books of the 67 were given 4 stars.

      20,686 pages were read as of today.

      The majority of the books read were published within the last 3 years.

      The majority of the books read were young adult and gothic. Obviously — I had a thesis to work on!

      What does your year-in-review book list look like? Are you surprised by anything? Did you meet your reading goal(s)?

      Posted in books | 3 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, goodreads, personal
    • Top 5 Books of 2012

      Posted at 10:26 am by Laura, on December 24, 2012

      It was very difficult to narrow down which books I wanted in the top five. Cassandra Clare’s second in the Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Prince, and Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper had to be cut. To see a full list of what I read in this year’s challenge, feel free to browse here.

      2012 was a mix of contemporary and dystopian young adult with Victorian gothic literature. I read my absolute favorite genre of all time and explored a new and booming genre with relish. Here are my top five books of 2012, in no particular order!

      top5books2012

      The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

      The first and only novel by John Green written from the point of view of a teenage girl in the midst of heartbreaking cancer is full of life, wonder, and awe. The characters are charming and a joy to read, and as a previous Indianapolis resident I was so happy to watch all their adventures across my home city.

      Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

      Every person on this planet needs to read this book. I convinced my mother to read it — and it sparked hours-long discussions on Soviet history, her old Latvian friends, and the state of the Baltics today. I convinced history buffs to read it — and they are discussing untouched topics with their history professors. I convinced a friend who never reads nonfiction or YA, and she was moved to tears. This book, true accounts of Soviet Russia’s mass slaughter of the Baltics during and after WWII wrapped up in a fictional character, is beyond words. It is a must-read.

      The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

      Enchanting and riveting, this masterpiece is set in the late Victorian age as two magicians compete in a fierce challenge within a spell-binding circus. The characters, the setting, the dream-like qualities, and the love are so moving, you’ll never want to leave Le Cirque des Reves.

      A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

      Diana is supposed to be an American professor in Oxford, nothing more. But her magic draws attention to other creatures only heard about in myths, including the very predatory Matthew cannot seem to stay away. This is not the ordinary academic professor romance, nor are the witches and vampires sweet and kind. History, magic, alchemical texts, Oxford, Massachusetts, genetics, and chemistry merge together in this great, intelligent romance.

      Delirium by Lauren Oliver

      Hunger Games brought me back into the YA genre, and Delirium kept me in. I’m a hopeless romantic, so a story about forbidden love will always draw me in. However, Oliver does not make this dystopian cheesy or cheap. Love is forbidden because love is a disease. Love clouds judgement, causes unnecessary illness like fevers, sweat, lack of appetite. This concept is so beautifully written, and the characters so well-developed and intuitive, I could not put this down.

      Posted in books, Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads
    • Book Review: “Pandemonium” by Lauren Oliver

      Posted at 9:44 pm by Laura, on May 9, 2012

      Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

      I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
      pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
      pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
      push,
      push,
      push,
      like Raven taught me to do.
      The old life is dead.
      But the old Lena is dead too.
      I buried her.
      I left her beyond a fence,
      behind a wall of smoke and flame.

      Once again, Oliver delivers a ride like none other. Unlike the first in her dystopian trilogy, Delirium, this second installment focuses on survival, growth, and rebellion rather than the discovery and immersion of love.

      The book is dividing into then and now to illustrate the development of Lena’s character. She describes herself as reborn in the Wilds, hardening with work, hunger, and violent weather. The thens are filled with survival tactics. Oliver delves into the pain of heartbreak and grief without becoming melodramatic.  The reader learns with Lena just how the people in the Wilds (or rather, “the other side”) live off remains and help from sympathizers. The nows jump to the future, almost a year after Lena’s escape, to her immersion back with the cureds in New York City. She works as a double agent of sorts, and falls into a trap, a scheme, that leads her to another boy, Julian.

      This is where the second book fell short of five stars and suffered the Middle Book Syndrome. Of course, because it’s YA and dystopian, there needs to be a love triangle. Sure. Fine. And maybe, realistically, this would happen to Lena if she truly believes Alex is dead. Even still, the romance seemed forced, far too rushed considering the time frame in the now lasted roughly two weeks at most. However, it certainly sets up for an explosive ending in the third book: politics, the definitive rise of rebellions, plus a little love war in the midst of it all.

      I’m really looking forward to Oliver’s next installment in the Delirium trilogy!

      Rating: ★★★★ of 5
      Goodreads: 4.25 of 5

      I am now over halfway completed with my 50 Books Challenge!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, book review, books, genre: dystopian, genre: fiction, genre: young adult, review
    • Reading 55 Books in 2011: What I Learned – PW

      Posted at 1:45 pm by Laura, on December 28, 2011

      Reading 55 Books in 2011: What I learned – Publisher’s Weekly – Gabe Habash

      This isn’t publishing news, per se, but it is an excellent and detailed account of what goes on across the year when setting a goal to read x-many books. Nearly everything Habash states (forgetting certain details of books that moved you at the beginning of the year, doing the math, pushing for x+ books once the goal seemed attainable) is similar to what I went through during the 50 Book Challenge. That, and he promotes GoodReads!

      At the time of this writing, I have a beard and I’m finishing up The Colossus of New York. It’s the last book I’ll read this year, which started off innocently enough in January, but by winter became something of a maddening ascetic bender. This is what I learned from reading 15,000 pages in 2011.

      He discusses poor memory and the pros and cons of reading goals. Cool blog post!

      What will your goal be for 2012?

      Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, goodreads, magazine, news
    • Blogging once again!

      Posted at 10:52 am by Laura, on December 22, 2011

      I have another blog on WordPress that detailed my trip to England a few years ago. I am at a point in my life where blogging may benefit my own education as well as any other readers’ who stumble across this page.

      Over the course of 2011, I participated in the GoodReads 50 Books Challenge, wherein one reads a certain amount of books across 12 months. I had set my goal to 50, because I would typically read 15-25 per year and wanted to challenge myself – however, a few friends have set a goal of 75, 25, and prettybooks set 100. I finished 50 books a few weeks ago, and am working on my next 50 books right now! Currently on Book #4.

      This goal was incredibly fulfilling. So now I’m setting another goal for 2012: to write book reviews. I’m not sure how to go about this, but I am willing to learn and improve! I will be attending graduate school in the fall of 2012 to receive a Masters in Publishing, and I think understanding book reviews and the publishing industry beforehand would be incredibly beneficial. This blog will contain my reviews as well as links and information regarding the publishing industry today. Once again, this is mostly a learning experience for myself, but readers are more than welcome to join in!

      Posted in books, publishing, Update Post | 1 Comment | Tagged 50 book challenge, book review, books, goodreads, news, publishing, review
    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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