I went on a bit of a reading binge after Christmas, so now I’m catching up on my book challenge list. It’s a big one this time – a few good ones this time that I’d recommend if you’re looking for a new book.

101 Books in 1001 Days 

Authors I’ve Never Read

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (4/5)

This book was great. It was interesting and well written. It followed the author as he attempted to hike the Appalachian Trail. I’ve never known much about the Appalachian Trail other than the name and this book took me forever to finish – because I kept getting sidetracked by google as I looked up more about the locations Bill Bryson was writing about. (Look up Centralia, Pennsylvania – Crazy!)








The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan (3/5)

I really wanted to give this 4/5 stars, just because it was about dance, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I loved the parts that were about ballet and about Degas, and I wanted more of that. The story itself was a sad one, and there was not a lot of hope for the characters. It was depressing, and I didn’t enjoy the parts that were set outside the theatre with the poor lifestyles and the even poorer choices the characters always seemed to make. I wanted more storyline set in the theatre, with Degas, and about the dance world of the time.







Freebies

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey (3/5)
Arrow’s Flight by Mercedes Lackey (2/5)
Arrow’s Fall by Merceded Lackey (4/5)

These are re-reads for me from when I was a kid. I remember liking them then, but they were kind of meh for me now. All three were pretty slow moving (especially the second one), and I felt like a lot of the plot and characters were not explored as much as they could have been. Still, as a YA read it would probably be a somewhat decent read.







Different Genres

(Thriller) Touch by Claire North (5/5)

This book was fantastic. Seriously, read it. It’s about a “ghosts” or a “souls” that can travel from body to body with a touch. Except, when the soul takes over a new host, that host will lose time – they could “wake up” twenty years later when the soul leaves their body, and have no idea what has happened to them in those twenty years. Now think about the ramifications of that. A very well written story.

(YA) Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (4/5)

I liked this one. It was a good YA fantasy read. Interesting and fast-moving. I’d recommend it for sure.

Books Released Between March 25, 2015 – December 20, 2017



Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (3/5)

I didn’t love it as much as the first one, but it was still a decent read. I have a love/hate relationship with YA. Sometimes I just want to tell them to get over themselves.

Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti (5/5)

As much as I love the quick romance reads, it’s rare that I will give one a 5 star rating. This one was great. You got the romance and a well written story as well. It’s a post-apocalyptic story with a well developed setting and good chemistry between the characters. Something about the science of disease they were dealing with didn’t seem to add up, but the rest was good enough that I was willing to give that a pass. 






Books from Amazon’s 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2/5)

I struggled with this one. Not because it was poorly written, because it wasn’t. But there’s a difference between appreciation and enjoyment, and at this point in my life, I just want to enjoy what I read. It was a pretty depressing read, and because of the way it was written I felt too disconnected from the characters. I think at another point in my life, if I was reading this for different reasons, I would have had a much different outlook on it.

Total Books Completed: 25/101

Other Reads Completed

The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey (3/5)
To Light A Candle by Mercedes Lackey (3/5)
When Darkness Falls by Mercedes Lackey (3/5)