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2016 Reading Challenges
I recently wrote about my 16 most anticipated books of 2016, however I’ve set my Goodreads reading challenge at 100 again (I need to fit in some writing too) so I’ve decided to take part in a couple of challenges to help reach that target (not that I don’t have plenty of books available to read).
Firstly I’m going to join in with ‘Our Shared Shelf’ the Emma Watson instigated Feminist book club on Goodreads. I have the first book My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem on my kindle ready to go and am looking forward to seeing what else gets selected over the year (12 books in total).
Secondly, I am going to join in with Stacey at The Pretty Books ‘2016 Classics Challenge‘. I’m taking Stacey at her word and defining classics in my own way – as ‘older books’ I really should read. Below is the outline of the books I have chosen and an indication of what months I may read them in, though this is a moveable feast
Jan
Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank – I can’t believe I haven’t actually read this already. I am shamed. Therefore I have already started this and am listening to the audiobook narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. I’m actually really enjoying it. Anne’s voice is similar to the witty teens I am used to reading in YA books.
Feb
The Art of Happiness – The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler – I own this in hardback and am interested in seeing what it says and how it links to other concepts around happiness I’ve read recently.
Mar
1984 – George Orwell (I don’t own this and have never actually read it, or even seen a dramatised version) however this month I’m also planning to re-read Brave New World – Aldous Huxley which is one of my favourites and probably the first dystopia I read.
April
Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery – Holly Smale’s favourite book and one I have neglected. I have this on kindle. I think it might even be the whole series.
May
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood. I actually started reading this at the end of 2015 but for some reason put it down, not that I wasn’t enjoying it. I’m going to give it another go this year.
June
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger I don’t own this and really feel as a YA fan this is a must
July
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro – I loved the film version of this and as it’s over 10 years old now I think it can be classed as a modern dystopian classic.
August
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams – I know the answer is 42 but I’ve not actually read this!!!
September
The City and the Stars – Arthur C. Clarke – a sci-fi/dystopian classic. I don’t own this yet.
October
Battle Royale – Koushun Takami – I don’t own this but as a fan of The Hunger Games I’m interested to compare them.
November
The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton – Another YA classic and I will add in a re-watch of the film this month too.
December
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck – I don’t own this either and wasn’t in the right English group at school to have been introduced to this classic.
Stacey recommends using the following questions when discussing the books
WHEN I Discovered This Classic
WHY I Chose to Read It
WHAT Makes It A Classic
WHAT I Thought of This Classic
WILL It Stay A Classic
WHO I’d Recommend It To
Oddly enough tonight at 8pm is the first #ChatClassics twitter chat to discuss the challenge so I might pop in.
Are you joining in with either of these? Are there any others you think I should check out?
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15 to 16 in Books
15 Best of 2015
I had more than 15 5 star books (after all I did read 130 this year) but here are my top 15 picks.
Image from Goodreads
1. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (I just couldn’t put this down, it is very unique and left me breathless. I loved it so much 7 people got copies for Christmas – and print copies too. This is a book you have to own physically).
2. Red Rising by Pierce Brown (2015 saw me pick up the amazing Red Rising, that I’d first read in 2014 in anticipation of the sequel. I also listened to the audiobook. A year has been too long to wait for Morning Star).
3. Golden Son by Pierce Brown (My first read of Golden Son caught me a little by surprise because of the time gap between the events of Red Rising but this expansion to the world has made me even more anxious to read the conclusion to the trilogy. This also got a second read via audio – Tim is a brilliant narrator).
3. The Death House by Sarah Pinborough (recommended to me by @catrad this is a beautiful read that bought me to tears and has made Sarah one of my must read authors).
4. The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (One of my last reads, reminded me of the Death House in tone – just beautiful).
5. Am I Normal Yet? (The Normal Series 1) By Holly Bourne (A great contemporary read that explores mental health and feminism. Made me want to join the Spinster Club).
6. Asking for It by Louise O’Neill (I have actually reviewed this one here because this book is so important).
7. The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury (I met Melinda before this book was released. She has a wicked sense of humour and this book is wickedly fantastical).
8. Demon Road by Derek Landy (I read this after listening to the entire Skulduggery Pleasant series last year and loved it even more than those).
9. It’s About Love by Steven Camden (Steven’s second book blew me away. A love story between Luke and Leia – who aren’t secretly brother and sister. Yes, it’s about love but also about so much more).
10. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (The third Cormoron Strike book was my favourite. It was very creepy – some chapters are written from the killer’s perspective, but because it focused so much on Strike and his partner Robin we got to really see their characters develop).
12. Geek Girl – All Wrapped Up by Holly Smale (Geek Girl 4: All That Glitters also came out this year but this short Christmas story about Harriet and Nick’s first date just made me feel all warm and snuggly. It was perfect…although not for them).
13. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (I read this really early in the year and will need a re-read before the sequel but the setting of this really stood out).
14. Soulmates by Holly Bourne (Not what I was expecting from a book called Soulmates. Such a fabulous idea and along with reading Holly’s other two books I have another addition to my must read author list).
15. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Illustrated by Jim Kay (This book is beautiful and the illustrations really bring an extra touch of magic to a story I am very familiar with now).
I also read my first Pratchett books – admittedly ones I’ve already seen televised Hogfather/Going Postal and I will be reading more in 2016. Sad I left it so late to join the Discworld.
16 Anticipated in 2016
I’ve still got lots of 2015 releases to catch up on but that won’t stop me getting the following.
Image from Goodreads
1. Gemina (The Illuminae Files) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Seriously need this book but it won’t be released until later in the year. Oh well, I’ll just re-read Illuminae then).
2. Morning Star by Pierce Brown (conclusion to the Red Rising trilogy. I have a Cosplay of Mustang to work on and am hoping that I can get my series signed by Pierce – when we find out his UK tour dates).
3. How Hard Can Love Be? (The Normal Series 2) by Holly Bourne (We move onto Amber’s story and I am looking forward to reading more by Holly).
4. The Sleeping Prince (The Sin Eater’s Daughter 2) by Melinda Salisbury (A broader look at the world Melinda has created. I’m excited to delve in).
5. 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough (Must read author now but the synopsis alone makes me shiver).
6. Desolation (Demon Road 2) by Derek Landy (Evil, Hell Hounds on motorbikes, sounds so Supernatural. Perfect).
7. Geek Girl 5: Head Over Heels by Holly Smale (I simply love this series and its protagonist Harriet).
8. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir (More about Laia and Elias – I love their names and their story so far).
9. Rebel of the Sands by Alywn Hamilton (I first heard about this at YALC and the sampler made me very anxious to read more).
10. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows 2) by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows wasn’t just about the heist but the characters too and I want to know more about them all).
11. Did I Mention I Miss You? By Estelle Maskame (I’d heard so much about the first two books in the series – abbreviated online to DIMILY and DIMINY – that I read them both over Christmas and hey, I’m invested now).
12. Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell (World Book Day UK Book) (I came across this title, don’t really know much about it but loved Carry On this year so I’ll definitely be getting this).
13. Mind Your Head – Juno Dawson (A non-fiction book on mental health by the author of This Book is Gay. Really interested to read this, another important topic to open up to teens).
14. City of Blades (The Divine Cities 2) by Robert Jackson Bennett (I read the first book a couple of years ago and want to see where things go).
15. This is Where The World Ends by Amy Zhang (Loved her first book, hoping this one is as powerful)
16. Riders by Veronica Rossi (The Under the Never Sky series has been one of my favourites and this new series about a teen becoming one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse sounds right up my alley).
And will we get Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Illustrated ???
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is also a sneaky 2016 extra because I’ve already read it. I was lucky to get hold of an ARC. Read it people you will love it, and it’s out next week.
And I’m sure there are many more I’ve seen and want to read or that I don’t know about. I’ve already found some 2017 releases I’m already excited about.
So, what books from 2015 did I miss and what do I need to add to my wish list for 2016?
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Guest Post from Holly Webb – Author of Return to the Secret Garden
Today is my stop on the Return to the Secret Garden Blog Tour. I asked author Holly Webb to share her thoughts on writing with existing characters. Here’s what she had to say:
I dithered about the idea of writing a sequel to The Secret Garden for ages. It was suggested to me by my then editor at Scholastic, the lovely Zoe Griffiths, when we were discussing favourite books from childhood. That was a good five years before the equally lovely Lucy Rogers nudged me into thinking about it again! Apart from it just not being the right time, I think it was the idea of taking someone else’s characters that worried me.
If you know The Secret Garden, you’ll remember that Mary Lennox is fabulous. Grumpy and friendless, she arrives in England to find the whole place is wet and miserable and wuthering. She only goes out into the wintry gardens because she’s bored and there’s nothing for her to do and hardly anyone for her to talk to. But Frances Hodgson Burnett makes this unlikable child in a grim old house fascinating. For me it was the way the house, and especially the secret garden itself changed Mary that was the wonderful part of the book, and I wanted to recreate that feeling. So I cheated – even though Return to the Secret Garden is a sequel, and many of the characters from the original book reappear, it’s not a direct continuation of Mary’s story. It’s set just under thirty years later, at the outbreak of the Second World War, and another lonely child arrives at Misselthwaite.
I loved introducing Emmie to the garden – and those parts of the book were very easy to write. The gardens and the house are almost characters themselves in The Secret Garden, and I loved working with Frances Hodgson Burnett’s landscape (although I had to draw several maps to try and work out the geography of the gardens, and I still don’t think I’ve got it right…)
It felt very difficult, though, to make decisions about Mary, Colin and Dickon and what had happened to them. But one thing seemed obvious – The Secret Garden was published in 1911 (though it first appeared in 1910 as a serial in The American Magazine, which is really interesting, as it wasn’t meant to be a children’s book). Mary and Colin are 10, and Dickon is 12 – so towards the end of the First World War, Dickon at least would have had to fight. What would that have done to such a happy, friendly child, whose life was shaped by loving nature and his Yorkshire landscape? And even if they survived the First World War, those children would have been in their late thirties, possibly raising their own families, when the Second World War broke out.
So many opportunities to take their story on…
I’m really looking forward to re-reading the original and seeing how Holly has moved things on in her follow up. I really love the idea of the landscape as a character too – I wonder how the environment grows up too? Thanks to Scholastic for sending me a copy and to Faye Rogers for organising the tour.
There is a tour wide giveaway that ends today for a copy of both books (UK and Ireland only). Unfortunately I can’t embed the rafflecopter in my blog so just follow this link to enter.
If you can’t wait – ‘Return to the Secret Garden’ is available from book retailers now.
Check out today’s other blog tour post over at YA Under My Skin and catch up with the rest of the tour by following the links on the banner.
Coming Thursday 22nd October – Out of Orbit Blog Tour with author Chele Cooke’s Top Ten Series.
kirstyes 